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PUBLISHED BY T. & W. BOONE,
29, NEW BOND STREET.
MAJOR-GENERAI. IV. F. F. NAFIER'S
HISTORY OF THE WAR IN THE PENINSULA
AND THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.
NOW COMPLETE, IN
6 vols. 8vo. containing 4104 pages, and 55 Plans, price £6.
The Volumes sold separately, price 20s. each.
*' THE FAITHFUXi, IMPARTIAI.; AND ELOQUENT HISTORIAN."
Sir Robert Peel's Speech.
" The great work of General Napier does undoubtedly record it, (national
tribute to (hose engaged in the Peninsular War) and will continue to do so as
long as the English language shall last." — ^Times.
ALSO, BY MAJOR-GENERAL NAPIER.
A REPLY TO LORD STRANGFORD'S " OBSERVATIONS" on some passages
in Colonel Napier's History of the War in the Peninsula. Second Edition, 8vo.
price Is.
A REPLY TO VARIOUS OPPONENTS, particularly to " Strictures on Colonel
Napier's History of the War in the Peniusula," together with Observations
illustrating Sir John Moore's Campaign. 8vo. price 2s.
MAJOR-GENERAL NAPIER'S JUSTIFICATION OF HIS THIRD VOLUME,
forming a Sequel to his Reply to various Opponents, and containing some new
and curious facts relative to the Battle of Albuera. 8vo. price 1^.6^.
A LETTER TO GENERAL LORD VISCOUNT BERESFORD, being an Answer
to his Lordship's assumed Refutation of Colonel Napier's Justification oi' his
Third Volume. 8vo. price Is. 6d.
COUNTER-REMARKS TO MR. DUDLEY MONTAGU PERCEVAL'S RE-
MARKS upon some Passages in Colonel Napier's Fourth Volume of his His-
tory of the Peninsular War. In 8vo. price Is. 6(/.
The above Pamphlets are required to complete the early Editions.
Second Edition, complete in 1 vol. 8vo. with Plans,
THE CONQUEST OF SCINDE,
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE MILITARY TRANSACTIONS AND BATTLES OP
Major-General Sir Charles J. Napier in that Country.
BY MAJOR-GENERAL W. F. P. NAPIER,
Author of" History oj' the War in the Peninsula.''
" As a commentary upon some remarkable political events, and daring military
achievements, this volume vrill rapidly find a place in every soldier's library." — Atlas.
"The Author is the historian of the Peninsular War, whose connection by blood
with the gallant conqueror of Scinde affords a security for the authenticity of his
fcources of information — some of which are the letters of Sir Charles himself — and
whose higli character, as an author, as well as a soldier, is a guarantee for his fidelity
in the use of his ample materials. We may add to the Author's other quahfications,
an unflinching intrepid honesty, which makes him speak out, and utter the plain
truth without considering whether it he unpalatable," — A$iatic Journal.
2 Published by T. & W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street.
Royal Quarto, on Indian Paper, price \s.Qd.
PORTRAIT OF
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR CHARLES JAMES NAPIER,
CONQUEROR OF SCINDE.
FROM A SKETCH BY MAJOR-GENERAL AV. F. P. NAPIER.
" I must say tliat, after giving tlie fullest consideration to those operations, that I
have never known an instance of a general officer who has shewn to a higher degree
than he has done all the requisite qualifications to enable him to conduct great opera-
tions. He has manifested the utmost discretion and prudence in the formation of his
plans, the utmost activity in perfecting his preparations to ensure success; and finally
tire utmost zeal, gallantry, and science, in carrying those plans and preparations into
execution. I must say that the march of General Napier against Emaum Ghur was
one of the most extraordinary marches I ever read of; and it was, I must say, most
completely successful. He marched the army through the desert, with all the heavy
guns, transporting all his materiel as well, and by this extraordinary march he
deprived the enemy of all means of retreat." — Speech of the Duke of Wellington.
" The taking of the fort of Emaum Ghur, was one of the most brilliant affairs ever
undertaken and executed." — Speech of the Earl of Ripon.
" To the example which he set the troops — inspiring an unparalleled confidence in
their commander. — we must mainly attribute the success of the actions of Meeanee
and Hyderabad." — Sjjeech of Sir Robert Peel.
In one volume 8vo. price 7s. boards,
REMARKS ON IVIII.ITARir I.AVr
AND THE PUNISHMENT OF FLOGGING.
BY MAJOR-GENERAL SIR CHARLES JAMES NAPIER, KC.B.
" This work, we have several times taken occasion to remark, is far less known than
it deserves to be, especially among the profession. It abounds in lessons of profound
wisdom, delivered in tiie clearest langua.j;e, and it is as modestly as it is ably written ;
.nor have we often met with a more amusing book. There are to be found in it many
interesting and characteristic anecdotes, and there is a vein of quiet humour that is
very diverting, but which interferes not at all with the serious purpose of the
author, who has left upon every page traces of a benevolent heart and sound iu-
-tellect." — Naval and Military Gazette.
In a Box, price 10s. Gd.
MZI.ITAR7 FIGURES
FOR THE
PRACTICE AND EXPLANATION
OF THE
"EXERCISE AND EVOLUTIONS OF THE ARMY,"
Accordinr) to Her Majesfi/'s Regulations ;
.'\rranged for the Company, Battalion, and Light Infantry, I
EY MAJOR HOSKINS, K.H,
" Major Hopkins, of the old 43rd, in which corps he served with distinction, has
invented a set of Military Figures, arranged for the illustration and practice of the evolu-
tions of the Infantry, according to Her Majesty's regulations, and exceedingly well
calculated to effpct their object. Being adapted to the movements either of the Battalion,
Cojnpany, or Light Infantry, these Figures, which are accompanied by an Explanatory
f arapldet, and are very properly dedicated to Lord Fitzroy Somerset, will be vcrv useful
to young officers of the Infantry.''^ — United Service Journal,
a
Published by T. & W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street. 3
The Third Edition, in one vol. post 8vo. price 10s. 6rf. bds. of
ABVSNTURSS 1^ THB RIFIiB BRIGADE,
IN THE
PENINSULA, FRANCE, AND THE NETtlERLANDS,
FROM THE YEAR 1809 TO 1815,
BY CAPTAIN JOHN KINCAID, First Battalion.
" An admirable little book." — Quarterly Bevieio.
" To those who are unacquainted with Joliii Kincaid of the Rifles, — and few, we
trow, of the old Peninsula bands are in this ijrnorant predicament, and to those who
know him, we equally recommend the perusal of his book : it isa fac-simile of the man
— a perfect reflection of his image, veluti in specula. A capital Soldier, a pithy and
graphic narrator, and a fellow of infinite jest. Captain Kincaid hiis given us, in this
mddest volume, the impress of liis qualities, the beau ideal of a thorough-going Soldier
of Service, and the faithful and witty liistory of some six years' honest and triumphant
fighting.
" There is nothing extant in a Soldier's Journal, whieh, with so little pretension,
paints with such truth and raciness tlie 'domestic economy' of campaigning, and the
down-right business of handling the enemy.
" But we cannot follow further ;— recommending every one of our readers to pursue
the Author himself to his crowning scene of Waterloo, where they will find him as
quaint and original as at his debut. We assure them, it is not possible, by isolated
extracts, to give a suitable impression of the spirit and originality which never flag from
beginning to end of Captain Kincaid's volume; in every page of which he throws out
flashes of native humour, a tithe of which would make the fortune of a Grub-street
Bookmaker." — United Service Journal.
" His book has one fault, the rarest fault in books, it is too short."
Moytthly Magazine, April.
Also, by the same A uihor, Second Edition, in one vol. post 8vo. price 10s. Cul.
RANDOM SKOTS TTLOWL A. H.ZF£.i:MiLN.
" It is one of the most pithy, v/itty, soldier-like, and pleasant books in existence."
United Service Journal.
" The present volume is to the full as pleasant, and what is still more strange, as
original as the last. Criticism would become a sinecure if many such volumes were
written : all left for us is to admire and recommend." — Neio Monthly Magazine.
" The present volume is likely to add to his reputation. It is a useful Appendix
to the larger works of Napier and other military commentators. It is never dull,
tedious, technical, or intricate." — Times.
" Those who have read Captain Kincaid's Adventures in the Rifle Brigade will seize
this volume with avidity, and having dashed through it, will lay it down with only one
feeling of regret — that it is not longer." — Neies.
Elegantly bound in the Uniform of the Regiment, 1 sol. post 8vo. price 10s. Qd.
THE
ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN JOHN PATTERSON,
With Notices of the Officers, Sfc. of the 50th, or Queen's Own Regiment,
FROxM 180 TO 1821.
DEDICATED BY PERMISSION TO QUEEN ADELAIDE.
" This volume contains a well-written, yet unvarnished narrative, of the adventures
of the 50th foot, (better known as the ' Dirty Half-hundred,' from their black facings),
durjn,' the Peninsular war. It argues well for the bravery, as well as modesty, of Cap-
tain Patterson, that throughout his work we have but little of himself, and much of his
brother officers." — Bell's Messenger.
" Captain Patterson's Adventures are the record of a brave soldier — of a dashing,
bigh-minded British officer, who never fears a rival, and never knew what it was to
have an enemy, or to hate any man. His descriptions are remarkable for their vivid-
ness and accuracy, aud his anecdotes will bear repetition once a week for life." — Sun.
" Captain Patterson is one of the pleasantest of the numerous tribe of gallant officers
who has done so much credit to the British name, by fighting md Triting with cquitl
sph'it." —Constitutional.
4 Published by T. & W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street.
In 2 vols. 8vo. cloth, price 24».
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
IIOVAI. MARINE FORCES,
From their Formatioyi to the Present Time,
lUCLuniNG
AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR SERVICES IN CHINA,
BY P. H. NICOLAS,
LIEUT. ROYAL MARINES.
" Mr. Nicolas has had a wide and fertile field to work upon, and excellently has lie
turned Lis materials to account. Impelled by a sincere attachment for his old com-
rades, by an ardent desire for their welfare, by the very natural wish for a more minute
and connected narrative of their daring career than has hitherto been given to the
world, he has produced a himinou» and comprehensive work, than which none Cfin be
better of its class, and which reflects equal credit upon bis feelings as an officer, and
his talents as a writer." — United Service Gazette.
" These volumes cannot fail to prove eminently acceptable to the members of the
gallant corps, whose honours they record, and generally indeed to the military service
of both arms." — Naval and Militari^ Gazette.
" It is historical, and must interest all historical readers; it is proudly national,
and speaks to the heart of every Englishman ; while to the sailor, the soldier, and
especially the marine, whose services it chronicles, it will prove a valuable record.
It is a work, which for historical information, and clearness of arrangement, may
fairly compete with any cf its class." — Literary Gazette.
In Two Volumes, post 8vo. price 21*.
COMMODORE SIR CHARLES NAPIER'S
ACCOUNT OF THE WAR IN FORTUGAX..
BETWEEN DON PEDRO AND DON MIGUEL;
WITH PLANS OP HIS ACTION OFF CAPE ST. VINCKNT.
" If we read the account of that naval action in which, with a force wholly unequal,
had it not been directed by the utmost skill and valour, to compete with the enemy —
if we read the account of that action in which, in the space of five minutes, a signal
victory was achieved, by which the glory of St. Vincent was revived — I say, if we read
the records of such an action, we shall find that the commander bore the name of Na-
pier."— Speechof Sir Robert Peel.
" An excellent and spirit-stiiring book — plain, honest, and straight-forward — the
very stuff of which the web of history alone should be composed. This is indeed an
honest, fair, and impartial history." — Morning Chronicle.
'' 111 spirit and in keeping, from beginning to end. Admiral Napier's ' War in Por-
tugal,' is the happiest picture we could conceive of the battle off Cape St. Vincent —
its especial excellence consisting in a regardless bluntness of manner and language
that is quite admirable and delightful." — Monthly Review.
" It is Csefar's Commentaries in the first person." — Spectator.
" Candid to a degree, and sincere as a sailor's will. This is the very stuff of which
history should be composed." — Bell's Messenger.
" If Admiral Napier be not distinguished by the common-place facilities of author-
ship, he possesses the higher qualities of truth, discretion, and clear-sightedness, in no
slight degree." — Atlas.
" In speaking of himself and his deeds, he has hit the just and difficult medium —
shewing his real feelings, yet steering clear of affected modesty on the one hand, and of
over-weening modesty on the other." — Tail's Magazine.
" This is a very graphic account of the aflFairs in which the gallant author figured so
Ijobly, p.nd added fresh lustre to the name of Napier," — Netos.
Published by T. & W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street. 5
THE HISTORY OF THE GERMAN LEGION,
FROM THE PERIOD OF ITS ORGANIZATION IN 1803, TO THAT OF ITS
DISSOLUTION IN 1816.
Compiled from Manuscript Documents,
Bt N. LUDLOW BEAMISH, Esq. F.R.S., late Major unattacukd.
Two vols. 8vo. complete, with Plans and Coloured Plates of Costumes, price £1. lOs.
The second volume sold separately, price 10s.
*' The work is not like others we could name — a mere compilation from newspapers
and magazines. Major Beamish has left no source of information unexplored; and
the access he obtained to manuscript journals has enabled him to intersperse his general
narrative with interesting personal anecdotes, that render this volume as delightful for
those who read for amusement, as those who read for profit." — Athenceum.
" We are altogether much pleased with the volume, and heartily recommend it to
the British public." — Literary Gazette.
In 2 vols. 8vo. with numerous plates, some coloured, price 36s.
EXCURSIONS, ADVENTURES, AND FIELD SPORTS
IN
CZSVImON;
Its Commercial and Military Importance, and numerous advantages
to the British Emigrant.
BY LIEUT.-COLONEL JAMES CAMPBELL,
Late of the 45th and 50th Regiments, and for many years Commandant of the
Districts of Gallc, and the Seven Korles, and Judicial Agent of Government.
" These two volumes are full of interesting matter." — Morning Herald.
'' We never wish to take up a pleasanter, more fresh spirited production tl]an this
of Colonel Campbell's." — Naval and Military Gazette.
" The book is to be heartily commended to lovers of lively anecdote and good natural
description." — Examiner.
" We have to thank the Colonel for a very entertaining book on Ceylon. The work
possesses the invaluable character both of a long residence in it on the part of the
writer, and the very best means of observation attainable by a British resident."
Foreign and Colonial Review.
In Two Volumes, 8vo.— Price Twenty-four Shillings.
SFAIN ANB THE SFANIARDS IDT 1843.
"WITH ACCOUNTS OF DISTRICTS VERY SELDOM VISITED:
NATURAL HISTORY, GEOLOGY, MINES, ANTIQUITIES, FINE ARTS,
THE CHURCH, PRONUNCIAMENTOS, FALL OF THE REGENCY, etc.
By captain S. E. WIDDRINGTON, R.N., F.R.S.
Author of " Sketches of Spain in 1829, 30, 31, & 32."
" This is a solid well-informed book, written by a man of great experience, of
unusual attainments, and thoroughly acquainted with Spain." — Examiner.
" These volumes contain the plain and unaffected narrative of a well-informed and
experienced man, with much interesting and general information with respect to
Spain, and some judicious observations on recent transactions in that country. As
an authentic account, therefore, of the present social and physical condition of the
Spaniards, we have read the work with interest, and recommend it to the perusal of
our readers." — Morning Herald.
Published by T. & W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street.
In 18mo. cloth, gilt leaves, price 2s. 6d. ; or, postage free, 3s., which may be sent in
postage stamps,
HINTS TO SUBALTERNS of the BRITISH ARMY.
By henry HARDBARGAIiV, Late Regt.
Dedicated to William Higginson Duff, Esq., &c. &c. &c.
" Scribimus indocti doctique."
Containing— Sketches of Commnnding Officerb—The Art of getting Leave of
Absence — Military Miseries — Glossary, §-c.
" I have also added, for the information of those non-military readers who may deign
to peruse tliis small volume, a Glossary of those exclusively military terms, they might
otherwise beat a loss to comprehend; and which, the profound ignorance that great
part of the world are in with respect to military matters, renders it most necessary to
explain : — for instance, I assure my readers, that the other night when I was dining
out, an old gentleman asked me whether the officers who were on guard in London, on
the day of the Derby, did not receive a compensatory pension from government; nay,
so firmly convinced was he that such was the case, that I had some difficnlty in per-
suading him that his impression on the subject was erroneous." — Preface.
in post 8vo. price 5s.
Itx:COZ.Z.SCTIONS AKB II£:FI.£CTI0NS
RELATIVE TO THE
Duties of Troops composing the Advanced Corps of an Army,
By LIEUT.-COLONEL L LEACH, C.B., late OF the Rifle Brigade,
Author of" Rongh Sketches of the Life of an Old Soldier."
A Iso, by the same Author,
A SKETCH OF THE
SERVICES OF THS B.IFI.E BRIGADXS,
From its Formation to the Battle of W^aterloo.
In 8vo. price 2s. 6d. boards.
AN ESSAY ON THE PRINCIPLES AND CONSTRUCTION OF
IVIIi:.ITAB,ir BRIBGSS,
And the Passage of Rivers in Military Operations,
By general SIR HOWARD DOUGLAS, Bart. K.S.C. &c. &c.
The Second Edition, containing much additional Matter and Plates.
8vo. price 20s. boards.
" Of this valuable work we expressed a very high opinion when it was first pub-
lished ; and now that the able author has added much important new matter to it, we
need only say that it is worthy of his own high reputation as a tactician and Military
Engineer; and that no soldier in Europe can know his business thoroughly without
consulting it." — Literary Gazette.
NAVAI. EVOZ.UTiorrs ;
A MEMOIR.
By MAJOR-GENERAL SIR HOWARD DOUGLAS, Bart. K.S.C. &c. &c.
Containing a Review and Refutation of the principal Essays and Arguments advocating
Mr. Clerk's Claims, in relation to the Manoeuvre of the 12th of April, 1782; and vin-
dicating, by tactical Demonstration, and numerous authentic Documents, the pro-
fessional skill of the Biitish Officers chiefly concerned on that memorable occasion.
With plates, 1 vol. 8vo. price 10s. cloth boards.
Published by T. & W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street.
NSW KZSTORXCAIi WORK BV G. P. R. JASIBS, ESQ.
Just published, in 3 vols. 8vo. cloth,
THE
LIFE OF HENEY THE FOURTH,
KING OF FRANCE AND NAVARRE.
By G. p. R. JAMES, Esq.
AUTHOR OF "the LIFE AND TIMES OF LOOIS THE FOURTEENTH."
"Never was historian more scrupulously correct, more rigorously
veracious than Mr. James ; he even deteriorates occasionally from the
interest of his narrative, rather than allow his imagination to colour
the picture, and contents himself in general with an animated detail of
external events, appearing convinced that the duties of the historian
and historical novelist are almost diametrically opposed to one another.
In the ' Life of Henry the Fourth ' he has produced a highly valuable
work, which will retain its standard worth for ever."
New Quarterly Review.
" There are few writers better known or more deservedly popular
than Mr. James : for few have written so many books, and so many
of these charming, instructive, and interesting. He has rendered
fiction as spirit-moving as if it were fact, because he has invested it
with all the vraisemblance of truth ; and in the work before us he has,
by stepping into the wide domain of history, fortunately selected a
hero whose life is full of adventure, and an epoch deeply tinged with
the hori'ors, and in some instances brightly illuminated with the purest
chivalry of the wildest romance. To write the Life and the Times of
Henry IV. of France, required on the part of the author little of
imagination, and nothing of fancy in illustration of its events. The
events have but to be arranged ; they only demand a due research into
contemporary documents, and then, under the pen of a practised
writer, they grow into a narrative of thrilling interest. Such is the
work before us. It is a carefully composed history of that transition
in France in which popular feeling became for the first time an essential
element in polity— in which kings and oligarchies were convinced of
the necessity that it should be baffled, coerced, deluded, cajoled, or
trampled out of the soil of France, as if it were a noxious weed. It
is impossible to read this work without being pleased, and it is equally
impossible to read it without being instructed ; for Mr. James has, by
the abundant use of that valuable series of publications, for which
France is indebted to Louis Philippe, thrown a great deal of light upon
many transactions, which before were either misapprehended or im-
perfectly understood. Finally, we declare that there seldom has been
a more valuable contribution to history than these three volumes of
' The Life of Henry the Fourth of France and Navarre.' "
Morning Herald.
8 Published by T. & W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street.
Foarth Edition, 18mo. cloth, gilt leaves, price 2s. 6d.
SHORT 'WHIST,
BY F. P. WATSON, ESQ.
To which is added,
I.ONG WHIST,
WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUNG PLAYERS,
BY ADMIRAL JAMES BURNEY.
REVISED BY F. P. WATSON, ESQ.
Second Edition, 18mo. cloth, gilt leaves, price 3s.
HAND-BOOK to the GAME OF BII.I.IARDS,
ADDRESSED TO THE NOVICE AND THE PROFICIENT,
'With the Iiaws and 44 Diagrams,
To which is added,
p o ex.,
BY COLONEL b * * * * *.
*' This is a very useful little book, and ought to be in the hands of all beginners."
Bell's Life in London.
" All that the Billiard player can acquire from instruction, he may gaia from this
hand-book ; and having well studied it, it will be his own fault if, by practice, he do not
become a proficient in this most deliglitful pastime." — Argus.
" Every Billiard player, be he novice or proficient, will find this a manual adapted
exactly to his wishes." — Court Journal.
Sixth Edition, 18rao. sewed, price \s.
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BEING
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE PROPER REGULATION OF
PRIVATE CHARITY :
CONTAINING LETTERS ON
THE COAL FUND,
THE WIFE'S SOCIETY,
THE PENNY CLUB,
THE BENEFIT SOCIETY,
THE LOAN FUND,
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SOCIETY,
&c. &c. &c.
BY THE HON. AND REV. S. G. OSBORNE,
Author of " Old Rainy Day," 8vo. price 3d. ; " Hand-bill for the Cottage Wall," &c.
Also by the same Author, Third Edition, 18mo. price Is.
HINTS
FOR THE AMELIORATION OF THE MORAL CONDITION OF
A VILLAGE POPULATION.
CONTENTS.
THE SQUIRE,
THE FARMER,
THE TRADESMAN,
KEEPERS OF PUBLIC HOUSES,
THE LABOURER,
FEMALE SERVICE,
EDUCATION, &c. &c.
iL:i:''miS) vHg^sowMir MisiDS®Er,KoB
as Co
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FROM THE ORIGIlsrjM, SiiETCH IN THE POSSESSION OF
ADMIRAL IHE HON'i:' SIR T. BLADEN CAPEL.KLC.P.
, paq,,-!, c.3>tT »'".«?" Bootj f 1849
MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE
OF
VICE-ADMIRAL
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, K.B.
DUKE OF BROIVTE, ETC. ETC. ETC.
THOMAS JOSEPH PETTIGEEW, F.R.S., F.S.A,
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF THE UNIVETtSITV OF GOTTINOEN ;
ETC. ETC. 7iTC.
Bespleudet gloria Martis.
Ai'mati refer am vires ?
Claudian de Laud, Stil.
" A spirit equal to all undertaking-s, and resoui'ces fitted to all occasions."
Lord Colliiujwood.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON :
T. AND y^, BOONE, 29, NEW BOND STREET.
MDCCCXLIX.
I
LIFE OF LORD NELSON.
CHAPTER I,
1801.
The attack made by the British upon a Danish 40-gun
frigate, the Freja, to enforce the right of searching neutral
ships for contraband of war, led to animosity between
England and Denmark. The taking of Malta by the British,
incensed Paul, the Emperor of all the Russias, and induced
him to lay an embargo upon British shipping in his ports,
amounting to not less than 200 sail. A convention being
entered into between Russia and Sweden, agreeing to an
armed neutrality on the part of these powers, Denmark joined
the confederacy. This brought matters to a crisis. The three
Northern Powers, under the influence of France, thus directed
against the naval supremacy of England, rendered no incon-
siderable effort necessary; and Sir Hyde Parker, with a com-
petent force was dispatched to the Baltic with Lord Nelson,
as second in command. Negotiations, presently to be noticed,
failing to effect a reconciUation, an attack upon Copenhagen
was made.
Few battles recorded in the naval annals of Great Britain
have more redounded to the credit of those engaged, than the
Battle of Copenhagen. It was wisely planned, bravely fought,
and success was followed by the exhibition of distinguished
humanity. In Clarke and McArthur's Life of Lord Nelson,
the secret orders issued by the Admiralty to Sir Hyde Parker,
VOL. II. B
2 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
the Commander-in-chief, have been printed. Properly to
estimate the following letters^ it is necessary to repeat this
statement : —
"The Right Honourable Henry Dundas, one of his Ma-
jesty's principal Secretaries of State, having, in his letter of
yesterday's date, signified to us his Majesty's pleasure, that
whether the discussion, supposed to be now pending with the
Court of Denmark, should be terminated by an amicable
arrangement, or by actual hostilities, the Officer commanding
the fleet in the Baltic should, in either case (as soon as the
fleet can be withdrawn from before Copenhagen consistently
with the attainment of one or the other of the objects for
which he is now instructed to take that station), proceed to
Revel ; and if he should find the division of the Russian
navy, usually stationed at that port, still there, to make an
immediate and vigorous attack upon it, provided the measure
should appear to him practicable, and such as in his judgment
would afford a reasonable prospect of success in destroying
the arsenals, or in capturing or destroying the ships, without
exposing to too great a risk the fleet under his command.
"And Mr. Dundas having further signified to us his Ma-
jesty's pleasure, that, consistently with this precaution, the
said Officer should be authorized, and directed to proceed
successively, and as the season and other operations will
permit, against Cronstadt, and in general, by every means in
his power to attack, and endeavour to capture or destroy any
ships of war, or others, belonging to Russia, wherever he can
meet with them, and to annoy that Power as far as his means
will admit in every manner not incompatible with the fair
and acknowledged usages of war. And that with respect to
Sweden, should the Court of Stockholm persist in her hostile
engagements with that of Petersburg!! against this country,
the same general line of conduct, as hath been stated with
respect to the ships and ports of the latter should govern the
said Officer commanding the fleet in his proceedings against
those of Sweden ; but that, in the contrary supposition (con-
ceived not to be impossible) of this power relinquishing her
present hostile plans against the rights and interests of this
country, and of her renewing, either singly or in concert with
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 3
Denmark, her ancient engagements with his Majesty, it will
in such case be the duty of the said Officer to afford to
Sweden every protection in his power against the resentment
and attacks of Russia ; and Mr. Dundas having also signified
that his Majesty, being no less desirous of bringing the existing
dispute with Sweden to this latter issue, than he has shewn him-
self so disposed with respect to Denmark, and upon the same
principles, it will therefore be requisite that the said Officer
commanding in the Baltic should make such a disposition of his
force as may appear best adapted to facilitate and give weight to
the arrangement in question, provided it should be concluded
with the Court of Denmark, within the forty-eight hours
allowed for this purpose, and the proposal of acceding to it,
which will be made to that of Sweden, should be entertained
by the latter. You are, in pursuance of his Majesty's plea-
sure, signified as above mentioned, hereby required and
directed to proceed, without a moment's loss of time, into the
Baltic, and to govern yourself under the different circum-
stances before stated to the best of your judgment and dis-
cretion in the manner therein pointed out, transmitting from
time to time to our Secretary, for our information, an account
of your proceedings, and such information as you may con-
ceive to be proper for our knowledge. Given under our hands
and seals, the 15th of March, 1801.
*' St. Vincent.
" T. Troubridge.
"J. Markham."»
Sir Hyde Parker consulted with Lord Nelson on the opera-
tions intended to be pursued ; and the following letter, in
consequence of this consultation, is printed from Nelson's own
autograph draft, which differs somewhat, though in no essen-
tial particulars, from that which has been given in the work
above referred to : —
" St. George, March 25, 1801.
" My dear Sir Hyde,
" The conversation we had 5^esterday, has naturally, from
its importance, been the subject of my thoughts ; and the
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol ii. p. 2.'i9.
B 2
4 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
raore I have reflected, the more confirmed I am in opinion,
that not a moment should be lost in attacking the enemy.
They will every day and hour be stronger ; we never shall be
so good a match for them as at this moment — the only con-
sideration in my mind is, how to get at them with the least
risk to our ships.
" By Mr. Vansittart's account, the Danes have taken every
means in their power to prevent our getting to attack Copen-
hagen by the passage of the Sound. Cronenburg has been
strengthened, the Crown Islands fortified (on the outermost
20 guns pointing mostly downwards) , only 800 yards from
very formidable batteries placed under the citadel, supported
by 5 sail of the line, 7 floating batteries of 50 guns each, be-
sides small craft, gun-boats, &c. &c. ; also, that the Revel
squadron of 12 or 14 sail of the line are soon expected, as also
5 sail of Swedes. It would appear by what you have told
me of your instructions that Government took for granted
that you would find no difficulty in getting off Copenhagen,
and that in the event of the failure of a negotiation, that you
might instantly attack, and that there would be scarcely a
doubt but that the Danish fleet would be destroyed, and the
capital made so hot that Denmark would listen to reason and
its true interest. By Mr. Vansittart's account, their state of
preparation far exceeds what he conceives our Government
thought possible, and that the Danish Government is hostile to
us in the greatest possible degree ; therefore, here you are, with
almost the safety, certainly the honour of England, more en-
trusted to you than ever yet fell to the lot of any British officer.
On your decision depends, whether our country shall be degra-
ded in the eyes of Europe, or whether she shall rear her head
higher than ever. Again do I repeat, never did our country
depend so much on the success or defeat of any fleet as on
this. How best to honour our country and abate the pride
of her enemies by defeating their schemes, must be the sub-
ject of your deepest consideration, as Commander-in-chief,
and if what I have to offer can be the least useful in formins:
your decision, you are most heartily welcome.
" I shall begin with supposing that you are determined to
enter by the passage of the Sound, as there are those that
think if you leave that passage open that the Danish fleet
1801.] LOTID VISCOUNT NELSON. 5
may leave Copenhagen and join the Dutch or French. I own
I have no fears on that subject, for it is not Ukely that whilst
the capital is menaced with an attack, that 9000 of her best
men would be sent out of the kingdom. I will suppose that
some damage may arise amongst our masts and yards, but
perhaps not one but can be made serviceable again. You are
now about Cronenburg, if the wind is fair, and you determine
to attack the ships and Crown Islands, you must expect the
natural issue of such a battle — ships crippled — perhaps one
or two lost, for the wind which carries you in will most proba-
bly not bring out a crippled ship. This mode I call taking the
bull by the horns. This will not prevent the Revel ships or
Swedes from coming down and forming a junction with the
Danes. To prevent this from taking effect, in my humble
opinion, a measure absolutely necessary, and still to attack
Copenhagen, two modes are in my view — one to pass Cronen-
burg, taking the risk of damage, and to pass up the Channel,
the deepest and the straitest above the middle grounds, and to
come down the Gaspar, or King's Channel, to attack their
floating batteries, &c. &c. as we find it convenient. It must
have the effect of preventing a junction between the Russians,
Swedes, and Danes, and may give us an opportunity of bom-
barding Copenhagen. A passage also, I am pretty certain,
could be found for all our ships to the north of Southolm,
perhaps it might be necessary to warp a small distance in the
very narrow part. Supposing this mode of attack ineligible,
the passage of the Belt, I have no doubt, would be accom-
plished in four or five days, then the attack by Draco could be
carried into effect, the junction of the Russians prevented,
and every probability of success on the Danish floating bat-
teries. What effect a bombardment might have I am not
called upon to give an opinion, but I think the way would be
cleared for the trial. Supposing us through the Belt, with
the wind fresh westerly, would it not be feasible to either go
with the fleet (or detach ten ships of two or three decks, with
one bomb — two fire-ships, if they could be spared), to Revel,
to destroy the Russian squadron at that place? I do not see
the great risk of such a detachment, with the remainder to
attempt the business of Copenhagen. The measure may be
thought bold, but I am of opinion the boldest measures are
6 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
the safest, and our country demands a most vigorous exertion
of her forces directed with judgment. In supporting you
through the arduous and important task you have undertaken,
no exertion of head and heart shall be wanting, my dear Sir
Hyde, from your most obedient and faithful servant,
" Nelson and Bronte."
Colonel Stewart, in the NaiTative before alluded to, says,
that when Lord Nelson arrived at Yarmouth, his " plan would
have been to have proceeded with the utmost dispatch, and
with such ships as were in readiness, to the mouth of Copen-
hagen harbour; then and there to have insisted on amity or war,
and have brought the objects of Messrs. Drummond and Van-
sittart's negotiation to a speedy decision. He would have left
orders for the remainder of the fleet to have followed in suc-
cession, as they were ready, and by the rapidity of his pro-
ceedings have anticipated the formidable prepai'ations for
defence which the Danes had scarcely thought of at that early
season. The delay in Yarmouth Roads did not accord with
his views." The fleet sailed on the 12th of March, and after
encountering a heavy gale of wind, which in some measure
scattered the vessels, it did not reach Elsinore until the 24th.
On the 29th,i he changed his flag from the St. George to the
Elephant, a lighter ship, and on the following day proceeded
through the Sound, anchoring at noon between Huen and
Copenhagen.
On the 1st of April, an anchorage only two miles from
Copenhagen was effected, the division of ships under the
command of Nelson weighed, and in the evening was off"
Draco. The following day (April 2nd), the battle was fought,
and on the succeeding day he re-hoisted his flag on board the
St. George.
In a letter^ to the Dean of Norwich, Lord Bexley, formerly
IVfr. Vansittart, says, that upon the reported resignation of
Mr. Pitt, and Mr. Addington being appointed Prime Minister
in January 7, 1801, he, Mr. Vansittart, was selected by the
Premier, and recommended to Lord Hawkesbury, Secretary
' See preceding Letter, March 30th. Vol, i. p. 452.
- Lil'e and Correspondence of Lord Viscount Sidmouth, Vol. i. p. 368.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 7
of the Foreign Department, to be a confidential Minister to
Denmark, the Government having received a secret commu-
nication from Prince Charles of Hesse, intimating that the
Danish Government might be detached from the Northern
CoaKtion, formed under the Emperor Paul, if a confidential
person, with full powers, and conciliatory instructions, were
sent to it. Prince Charles being brother-in-law to the King
of Denmark, rendered the Government anxious to attend to
the suggestion as speedily and as secretly as possible. Mr.
Yansittart went, accompanied with Dr. Beeke as his Secretary,
and met Prince Charles at Sleswick, who immediately, how-
ever, expressed his fears that the French influence, combined
with the fear of the Emperor Paul at Copenhagen, would be
too great to render the mission successful.
The Danes refused to receive Mr. Vansittart as a Minister,
unless he would undertake for the unconditional restitution
of the Danish ships, detained under embargo in England, as
a preliminary to all negotiation. * No intercourse, therefore,
took place until the arrival of the Blanche frigate, Captain
Drumraond, who announced the immediate approach of the
British fleet under Sir Hyde Parker and Lord Nelson, and
brought instructions to Mr. Vansittart from the British
Court, authorising him, in case of non-compliance or delay,
to demand his passport, and embark immediately on board
the fleet. Sir William Drummond, the resident Minister,
who had held no communication for some time with the
Danes, was with Mr. Vansittart. They proceeded by land to
Elsinore, and then by the Blanche with the British Consul
and British subjects to the fleet. On board the Admiral
(Sir Hyde Parker's) ship, Mr. Vansittart had a conference
with the Admiral and with Lord Nelson, and what is described
as " a very interesting conversation" with the latter in the
stern gallery, whilst Sir Hyde Parker prepared his letters for
England by the Kite which conveyed Mr. Vansittart home.
On the 25th Mr. Vansittart and Mr. Drummond, the
British Charge d' Affaires left for England. Lord Nelson was
exceedingly impatient of the several delays which occurred
prior to reaching Copenhagen, giving to the enemy so much
time for preparation. This appears not to have been neglected,
for Colonel Stewart writes : " We soon perceived that our
8 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [chAp. I.
delay had been of important advantage to the enemy, who
had hned the northern edge of the shoals near the Crown
batteries, and the front of the harbour and arsenal with a
formidable flotilla. The Trekroner battery appeared, in par-
ticular, to have been strengthened, and all the buoys of the
Northern, and of the King's Channels had been removed."
The line of defence of the Danes extended no less than four
miles, estimating from one extreme point to the other. (See
Plate.) On the afternoon of the 31st a Council of War was
held, and the mode which might be advisable for the attack
was considered, that from the eastward appearing to be pre-
ferred. "Lord Nelson (Stewart says) offered his services,
requiring ten line-of-battle ships, and the whole of the smaller
craft. The Commander-in-chief, with sound discretion, and
in a handsome manner, not only left every thing to Lord
Nelson for this detached service, but gave two more line-of-
battle ships than he demanded. During this Council of War,
the energy of Lord Nelson's character was remarked : certain
difficulties had been started by some of the members, relative
to each of the three Powers, we should either have to engage,
in succession, or united, in those seas. The number of the
Russians was, in particular, represented as formidable. Lord
Nelson kept pacing the cabin, mortified at every thing which
savoiu'ed either of alarm or irresolution. When the above
remark was applied to the Swedes, he sharply observed, ' The
more numerous the better ;' and when to the Russians, he
repeatedly said, ' So much the better, I wish they were twice
as many, the easier the victory, depend on it.' He alluded,
as he afterwards explained in private, to the total want of
tactique among the Northern fleets ; and to his intention, when-
ever he should bring either the Swedes or Russians to action,
of attacking the head of their line, and confusing their move-
ments as much as possible. He used to say, ^ Close with a
Frenchman, but out-manoeuvre a Russian,' "
Nelson having made his last observations on the morning
of the 1st of April, on board the Amazon, returned to the
Elephant and made the signal to weigh. The shout with
which it was received throughout the division, it is said, was
heard to a considerable distance ; the ships then weighed,
and followed the Amazon in succession through the narrow
3
%^ %iLr '1^
!i
^'^Jii*,^ ^'^UJ^ 'yml^
^.i4^
L
r
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 9
channel. The wind was light;, but favourable, and not one
accident occurred.
" On board the Elephant, the night of the 1st of April
was an important one. As soon as the fleet was at anchor
the gallant Nelson sat down to table with a large party of
his comrades in arms. He was in the highest spirits, and
drank to a leading wind, and to the success of the ensuing
day. Captains Foley, Hardy, Fremantle, Riou, Inraan ;i his
Lordship's second in command, Admiral Graves, and a few
others to whom he was particularly attached, were of this
interesting party ; from which every man separated with
feelings of admiration for their great leader, and with anxious
impatience to follow him to the approaching battle. The
signal to prepare for action had been made early in the even-
ing. All the Captains retired to their respective ships, Riou
excepted, who, with Lord Nelson and Foley arranged the
order of battle, and those instructions that were to be issued
to each ship on the succeeding day. These three officers re-
tired between nine and ten to the after-cabin, and drew up
^ Captain Henry Inman was the son of a clergyman, and born near Bristol.
He entered the navy in 1776, with Captain, afterwards Lord Hood. He was in
the Lai-k frigate when D'Estaing's squadron appeared off Rhode Island, and his
vessel being run on shore, and burnt, he was ordered on board the Pearl, Captain
Linzee, and proceeded to the West Indies. Made Lieutenant, in the Santa
Monica, he was wrecked off Tortola, and again lost his property. After Sir
George Rodney's action of the 12th of April, 1782, he was in the Hector, and nar-
rowly escaped with life from shipwreck, after being attacked by two French frigates.
The Hector, although severely crippled by the battle, successfully resisted the attack,
drove off the two frigates, L' Aigle and Le Lion, which were afterwards captured. In
1790, Inman was appointed to the Latona, and then to the Pigmy cutter, fi-om which
he was removed to the Victory, proceeding for Toulon. His exertions in this ser-
vice procured for him the command of L'Am-ore, and he was made Post-Captain,
October 9, 1794. In the Romney he came home with a convoy. After a variety
of service, he was engaged on the blockade of Dunkirk, and in a most gallant
attack, captiired La Desiree, to which he was afterwards appointed, and proceeded
in her to the attack on Copenhagen, where his services were conspicuous, and
called forth the praises of Nelson. Upon the renewal of the war in 1803, Cajj-
tain Inman was appointed to the Utrecht, and then to the Triumph, of 74 guns,
and joined the Channel fleet. He was ordered to the blockade of Rochfort,
whence he was removed to support Sir Robert Caldcr, in his attack on the Brest
fleet. He then cruised with Sir Richard Strachan off the Western Isles, when
his health failed, and he was appointed to the Sea Fencibles at Lynn, and after-
wards made Naval Commissioner at Madras, whence he sailed, February 22,
1809. He reached Madras on the 4th of July, and on the 15th of the same
month expired, at the early age of 47.
10 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
those orders that have been generally published, and which
ou"ht to be referred to as the best ijroof of the arduous
nature of the enterprise in which the fleet was about to be
engaged. From the previous fatigue of this day, and of the
two preceding, Lord Nelson was so much exhausted while
dictating his instructions, that it was recommended to him
by us all, and, indeed, insisted upon by his old servant Allen,
who assumed much command on these occasions, that he
should go to his cot. It was placed on the floor, but from
it he still continued to dictate. Captain Hardy returned
about eleven, and reported the practicability of the channel,
and the depth of water up to the ships of the enemy's line.
Had we abided by this report in lieu of confiding in our
masters and pilots, we should have acted better. The orders
Avere completed about one o^clock, when half-a-dozen clerks
in the foremost cabin proceeded to transcribe them. Lord
Nelson's impatience again shewed itself; for instead of sleep-
ing undisturbedly, as he might have done, he was every half
hour calling from his cot to these clerks to hasten their
work, for that the wind was becoming fair. He was con-
stantly receiving a report of this during the night. Their
work being finished about six in the morning, his Lordship,
who was previously up and dressed, breakfasted, and about
seven made the signal for all Captains. The instructions
were delivered to each by eight o'clock ; and a special com-
mand was given to Captain Riou to act as circumstances
might require. The land forces and a body of 500 seamen
were to have been united under the command of Captain
Fremantle and the Honorable Colonel Stewart, and as soon
as the fire of the Crown Battery should be silenced, they
were to storm the work, and destroy it. The division under
the Commander-in-chief was to menace the ships at the en-
trance of the harbour, the intricacy of the channel would,
however, have prevented their entering ; Captain Murray in
the Edgar was to lead."^
At five minutes past ten the action commenced, and in
about half an hour half the fleet was engaged. By half- past
eleven the action was general, and so ardently was the contest
carried on by both sides, that at one o'clock the chance of
' Hon. Colonel Stewart's Narrative.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 11
victory had not declared itself in favour of either country.
At this time Colonel Stewart reports —
"The London (Sir Hyde Parker's ship) now made signal
for the action to cease. ^ Lord Nelson was, at this time, as
he had been during the whole action, walking the starboard
side of the quarter-deck ; sometimes much animated, and at
others heroically fine in his observations. A shot through
the mainmast knocked a few splinters about us. He ob-
served to me with a smile, ' It is warm work, and this day
may be the last to any of us at a moment ;' and then stop-
ing short at the gangway he used an expression never to be
erased from my memory, and said with emotion, ' but mark
you, I would not be elsewhere for thousands.' When the
signal, No. 39 (to discontinue the engagement) was made,
the Signal Lieutenant reported it to him. He continued
his walk, and did not appear to take notice of it. The Lieu-
tenant meeting his Lordship at the next turn, asked,
' whether he should repeat it ?' Lord Nelson answered, * No,
acknowledge it.' On the officer returning to the poop,
his Lordship called after him, ' Is No. 16 (for close action)
still hoisted ?' the Lieutenant answering in the affirmative,
Lord Nelson said, ^Mind you keep it so.' He now walked
the deck considerably agitated, which was always known by
his moving the stump of his right arm. After a turn or
two, he said to me, in a quick manner, 'Do you know
what's shewn on board of the Commander-in-chief, No. 39 ?'
On asking him what that meant, he answered, ' Why to
leave off action.' ' Leave off action,' he repeated, and then
added with a shrug, ' Now damn me if I do.' He also ob-
served, I believe to Captain Foley, ' You know, Foley, I have
only one eye — I have a right to be blind sometimes ;' and
then with an archness familiar to his charactei', putting the
glass to his blind eye, he exclaimed, ' I really do not see the
signal.' This remarkable signal was, therefore, only acknow-
ledged on board the Elephant, not repeated.""
' Sir Hyde Parker is conceived to have ordered this signal to be made, fearing
that under the intensity of the firing the squadron would be defeated, and that
from the state of the wind and cui-reut, he would be prevented bringing his divi-
sion to their assistance.
* Hon. Colonel Stewart's Narrative.
12 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
M. Thiers calls this disregard of Sir Hyde Parker's signal
a noble act of imprudence, followed, as it often happens to
audacious boldness, by a successful result. ^' Ce fut la une
noble imprudence, suivie, comme il arrive souvent a Tim-
prudence audacieuse, d'un heureux succes.'^^ Dean Pellew,
in his Life of Lord Sidmouth, has stated, in reference to the
interview which took place between the Premier and Lord
Nelson on his return from Copenhagen, that the conversation
turning on the circumstance of Nelson having continued the
action after the Admiral had made the signal of recall, Mr.
Addington told him he was a bold man to disregard the
orders of his superior : to which he replied, that any one
may be depended upon under ordinary circumstances, but
that the man of real value was he who would persevere at all
risks, and under the heaviest responsibility ; but {he added)
in the midst of it all, I depended upon you ; for I knew that,
happen what might, if I did my duty you would stand by me."
The Dean observes, that when relating this anecdote, Mr.
Addington used to remark that he felt the confidence thus
reposed in him, by such a man, on such an occasion, as one
of the highest compliments he had ever received."*
Another hour elapsed and the greater part of the Danish
line had ceased to fire. The Dannebrog, with which the
Elephant had been particularly engaged, was now drifting in
flames before the wind, and spreading terror through the
enemy's line. At half past three she blew up, but not before
our men and boats were actively engaged in endeavouring to
save her crew, who were seen throwing themselves from the
port-holes. At half past two Lord Nelson sent a Flag of
Truce on shore, which was confided to Captain Thesiger, who
had a knowledge of Copenhagen and the Danish language.
The firing from the Crown Battery, and from our leading
ships did not cease until past three o'clock, when the Danish
Adjutant-General Lindholm^ returning with a Flag of Truce,
directed the fire of the battery to be suspended. The action
closed after five hours' duration, four of which were warmly
contested.
' Hist, dii Consulat. de I'Empire, Tom, ii. Liv. Lx. p. 415.
^ Life of Lord Sidmouth, Vol. i. p. 465.
^ A Captain in the Danish Navy.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 13
The message sent by Lord Nelson was thus addressed : —
"to the brothers of englishmen, the Dx\NES.
" Lord Nelson has directions to spare Denmark when no
longer resisting ; but if the firing is continued on the part of
Denmark, Lord Nelson will be obliged to set on fire all the
floating batteries he has taken, without having the power of
saving the brave Danes who have defended them. Dated on
board his Britannic Majesty's ship Elephant, Copenhagen
Roads, April 2, 1801.
" Nelson and Bronte.
" Vice-Admiralj under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker."
The Crown Prince of Denmark requested to know more
minutely the intention of the message :
" His Royal Highness the Prince Royal of Denmark has
sent me, General-x\djutant Lindholm, on board to his
Britannic Majesty's Vice-Admiral, the Right Honourable
Lord Nelson, to ask the particular object of sending the Flag
of Truce."
The Prince received the following reply : —
" to the government of DENMARK.
" Lord Nelson's object in sending on shore a Flag of Truce
is humanity ; therefore consents that hostilities shall cease till
Lord Nelson can take his prisoners out of the prizes, and he
consents to land all the wounded Danes, and to burn or
remove Ins pi'izes. Lord Nelson, with humble duty to his
Royal Highness, begs leave to say, that he will ever esteem
it the greatest victory he ever gained if this Flag of Truce
may be the happy forerunner of a lasting and happy union
between his most Gracious Sovereign and his Majesty the
Kino; of Denmark.
"Nelson and Bronte.^
"Elephant, April 2, 1801."
' This and the preceding messages are printed from the MS. in Lord Nelson's
Papers, and the words in Italics were so marked by Lord Nelson. In connexion
with the letter addressed to the Danes, Mr. Ferguson has told an anecdote which
must not be omitted here, as it is so strongly characteristic of Nelson's coolness
14 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
Lord Nelson also directed the Adjutant- General to the
Commander-in-chief, then at anchor four miles off, for con-
ference ; by which he gained time for our ships, much crippled,
to clear off" the shoals. This was an important measure for
several of the vessels, and among the rest the Elephant ran
aground. Nelson went on board the London, and with the
Commander-in-chief, and the Adjutant -General Lindholm
was engaged in negotiation for an honourable peace. A
suspension of hostilities for twenty-four hours was the result,
and the wounded Danes were taken ashore. Nelson, after
the conference on board the London, returned to the St.
George.
The Surgeon of the Elephant, Mr. Ferguson, has borne
his excellent testimony to the conduct of Nelson on this
occasion : '' At the Battle of Copenhagen (says Mr. Ferguson)
I was amongst the companions of the hero. The attempt was
arduous in the extreme, no common mind would have dared
to conceive it ; but it was suited to the exalted entei'prise of
Lord Nelson. As Ids was the invigorating spirit of the
Council that planned the attack, so in the execution he only
could have commanded success. During the interval that
preceded the battle, I could only silently admire, when I saw
the first man in all the world spend the hours of the day and
night in boats, amidst floating ice, and in the severest weather ;
and wonder when the light shewed me a path marked by
buoys, which had been trackless the preceding evening." Sir
Hyde Parker also, in his official dispatch to the Admiralty,
says : " Was it possible for me to add any thing to the well-
earned renown of Lord Nelson, it would be by asserting, that
his exertions, great as they have heretofore been, never were
carried to a higher pitch of zeal for his country's service."
The Danish force consisted of six sail of the line, eleven
floating batteries, mounting from twenty- six 24-pounders to
eighteen 18-pounders, and one bomb-ship, besides schooner
gun-vessels. These w^ere supported by the Crown islands,
mounting eighty-eight cannon and four sail of the line, moored
in the harbour's mouth, and some batteries on the island of
and intrepidity. When the writing of it was concluded, a wafer was presented to
hira to secure it, upon which he immediately remarked, " No ; bring me wax, and
a match : this is no time to appear hurried and informal."
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 15
Amak. Of these vessels, seventeen sail, that is, seven of the
line, and ten floating batteries, were sunk, burnt, or taken.
Our force consisted of twelve sail of the line, four frigates,
four sloops, two fire-ships, and seven bombs. Three of the
sail of the line were not in action, being on shore ; they were,
however, exposed to the fire of the enemy. The killed and
wounded on our side amounted to 943. Killed: officers,
20 ; seamen, marines, and soldiers, 234. Total 254. Wounded:
officers, 48 ; seamen, marines, and soldiers, 641. Total 689.
Among the killed were Captain Mosse^ of the Monarch, and
Captain Riou- of the Amazon. For his services in this action
Nelson was raised to the dignity of a Viscount. He was also
' Captain Mosse was the officer commanding the Sandwich at the Nore at the
time of the mutiny in 1797. His name is honourably associated with that of
Captain Riou on the monument in St. Paul's.
^ Captain Edward Riou, the officer so highly esteemed by Lord Nelson, was
made a Lieutenant, Oct. 28, 1780, and drew upon him deserved attention and
regard for his conduct in the Guardian frigate of 44 guns, when conveying stores
to the British Settlement at Botany Bay towards the close of the year 1789. This
vessel was saved by the cool and intrepid behaviour of her Commander, when
she had stmck on an island of ice, and was taken, after having been the sport
of the wind and waves for three weeks, into the Cape of Good Hope. Several
of those who were on board of her had quitted the vessel for the preservation of their
lives. Being placed in False Bay for repairs, a hurricane came on, and the ill-fated
vessel was destroyed. Lieutenant Riou, upon his retm-n to England, was promoted
to the rank of Commander, and made Post Captain in 1791. In 1793, he com-
manded the Rose, 28 guns, and afterwards distinguished himself in the Beaulieu
frigate by his services in the West Lidies, whence he was compelled to return by
the ill state of his health in August, 1795. His health restored, he was appointed
to the Amazon of 38 guns in 1799, and served with Nelson in the attack on Co-
penhagen. Here death put an end to his career, but his merits have been duly
appreciated by his country, and recorded on his monument in St. Paul's Cathe-
dral. Lord Nelson was very much pleased with the order and condition of Cap-
tain Riou's frigate, and the very superior discipline and seamanship exhibited by
her on the day of action. The Hon. Colonel Stewart tells us the Captain was
killed by a raking shot when the Amazon shewed her stern to the Trekroner.
" He was sitting on a gun, encouraging his men, and had then been wounded by
a splinter. He had expressed himself grieved at being thus obliged to retreat,
and nobly observed, ' What will Nelson think of us ?' His clerk was killed by
his side ; and by another shot, several of the marines, while hauling on the main-
brace, shared the same fate. Riou then exclaimed, ' Come then, my boys, let us
die all together !' The words were scarcely uttered, when the fatal shot severed
him in two. Thus, in an instant, was the British service deprived of one of its
greatest ornaments, and society of a character of singular worth, resembling the
heroes of romance."
16 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
appointed, on the 21st of April, Commander-in-chief in the
Baltic, and received the thanks of both Houses of Par-
liament.
Among the Nelson Papers 1 find the following certificate
of the number of prisoners taken on this occasion :
" These are to certify the principal Officers and Commis-
sioners of his Britannic Majesty's Navy, that there w^ere on
board of his Danish Majesty's ships, hulks, and praams, which
were taken in the action of the 2nd of April with the British
squadron, 3500 men. In witness hereof, signed by us,
" Jacob Arenfeldt,
" Hans Lemming,
*' Niels West Andresen,
" Captains in the service of His Danish Majesty.
"Copenhagen, May 7th, 1801."
On the evening of the battle Lord Nelson wrote a brief
account of it to Lady Hamilton: —
" St. George, April 2nd, 1801. 8 o'clock at Night.
" My dearest Friend, that same Deity who has on many
occasions protected Nelson, has once more crowned his en-
deavours with complete success. The difficulty of getting at
the Danes from sand-banks was our greatest enemy, for, from
that event, it took us between four or five hours to take all their
floating batteries — this made the battle severe. The Prince
Royal of Denmark was a spectator, and nearly killed. When
all the flower of the Danish marine was in the possession of
your friend, I sent a flag of truce on shore, with a kind note,
which instantly brought off the Adjutant-General of his
Royal Highness with a civil message, only wishing to know
the precise meaning of my flag of truce, to say that the fire
of the State of Denmark was stopped, and that the officer
sent would agree to any cessation of hostilities I pleased.
This was not very inconvenient to me as the Elephant had
run on shore alongside a 74 and two or three floating batteries.
All our ships behaved well, and some of them have lost many
men. Poor Captain Riou has lost his life. A better officer
or better man never existed. In short, of 18 sail, large and
Vv,^VW-} '^^'^'^^ "^ iv-^^VjU-A sCvcrvvX) C^Jt^-^^f^ (^c^i^t-
k
f a-Ctm. Croii J«J».i'
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 17
small, some are taken, some sunk, some burnt, in the good
old way, I do not know how soon Sir Hyde Parker may
send to England, and I must write to several persons, and
am not a little tired, for I have scarcely slept one moment
from the 24th of last month. May the heavens bless you.
Remember me kindly to Sir William, the Duke, Lord Wil-
liam, and all our friends. Ever your affectionate and attached
friend,
"Nelson and Bronte.'^
Although greatly fatigued by his extraordinary exertions
for several days preceding this hard fought engagement, his
attachment to Lady Hamilton was exhibited in the following
lines, which are printed from his own autograph, having
alterations of words, and emendations made in the course of
composition. 1 It has been doubted whether some lines
formerly published, as having been written by Lord Nelson,
were in reality emanations of his muse, no other effusions of
the kind from his pen being known. The following lines,
however, so peculiarly marked and attested as to the time at
which they were written, place his efforts in this line beyond
question : —
"lord nelson to his guardian angel.
" From my best cable tho' I'm forced to part,
I leave my anchor in my Angel's heart :
Love, like a pilot, shall the pledge defend.
And for a prong his happiest quiver lend.
"answer of lord nelson's guardian angel.
" Go where you list, each thought of Angel's (Emma's) soul
Shall follow you from Indus to the Pole :
East, west, north, south, our minds shall never part,
Your Angel's loadstone shall be Nelson's heart.
Farewell, and o'er the wide, wide sea.
Bright glory's course pursue,
And adverse winds to love and me.
Prove fair to fame and you.
" And when the dreaded hour of battle's nigh.
Your Angel's heart, which trembles at a sigh,
' See Fac-simile.
VOL. II. C
18 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
By your mperior dangpr bolder grown
Shall dauntless place itself before your own
Happy, thrice happy, should her fond heart prove
A shield to Valour, Constancy, and Love."
"St. George, April 2nd, 1801, 9 o'clock at night; very tired after a hard
fought battle."
On the 3rd, Lord Nelson wrote an account of the battle
formally to Sir Hyde Parker, which was printed in the
London Gazette of April 15th, together with Sir H. Parker^s
Dispatches, in which Nelson's services are properly noticed.
To the Hon. Henry Addington^ Lord Nelson wrote a par-
ticular detail, 2 in accordance with a wish which the Premier
had expressed to his Lordship. It is a document displaying
great sagacity and tact in diplomacy with the Crown Prince
of Denmark ; but the principal points are alluded to in the
subsequent private letters to Lady Hamilton : —
"April 5th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I am really tired out. Would to God it was all over,
and I safely landed in England. On the 3rd I was sent on
shore to talk to the Prince Royal. I believe I told him such
truths as seldom reach the ears of princes. The people re-
ceived me as they always have done ; and even the stairs of
the palace were crowded, huzzaing, and saying, God bless
Lord Nelson. I rather believe these kind salutations were
not very pleasing to the Royal ears, nor Count Bernstorff,^
to whom I gave a very broad hint that his proceedings were
very foolish. However, he was very civil. The Prince, upon
many points, seemed to quake ; for on his question, ' for what
is the British fleet come into the Baltic ?' my answer was not
to be misunderstood : — ' To crush the formidable armament,
of which Denmark is to contribute her part, preparing against
Great Britain.' However, it has brought forwai'd a negotia-
tion ; and if they have not enough, we must try and get at
their arsenal and city, that will sicken them if they have not
' Afterwards Lord Sidmouth.
^ This will be found in the Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 332, printed from
an autograph in the Sidmouth Papers.
^ Danish Minister for Foreign AflFairs.
ISOI.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 19
had enough. The carnage was dreadful on board all their
vessels. I saw on shore a Captain Biller, now a Commodore,
who commanded a Danish frigate at Naples ; he inquired
kindly after you and Sir William ; he had often been at your
house ; aye, who had not that happiness ? for you ever was,
and ever I am sure will be good. You must know you have
been in the battle : for your two pictures, one done by Miss
Knight, crowning the Rostral Column, the other done at
Dresden (I call them my Guardian Angels ; and I believe
there would be more virtue in the prayers of Santa Emma,
than any saint in the whole Calendar of Rome), I carried on
board the Elephant with me, and they are safe, and so am I,
not a scratch. To-day I have been obliged to write a letter
to Lord St. Vincent, which I hope will touch his heart. God
knows it has mine ; it was recommending to his protecting
hand the widows and orphans of those brave men who lost
their lives for their King and country under my orders. It
positively made my heart run out of my eyes — it brought
fresh to my recollection, that only when I spoke to them all,
and shook hands with every Captain, wishing them all with
laurel crowns, alas ! too many are covered with cypress.
The Commander-in-chief has just told me that the vessel
goes to England this night if possible. May the heavens
bless you, &c. &c.
" Nelson and Bronte.
'' My best regards to Sir William, the Duke, Lord William,
and all my friends. Kindest regards to Mrs. Nelson, if she
is with you, which T hope she is.'^
The statement herein made of the manner in which Lord
Nelson was received by the Danish peojole, is completely at
variance with what Colonel Stewart has written. He says,
" On the 4th (the 3rd, however, was the day, as seen by Lord
Nelson's letter on the 5th to Lady Hamilton) his Lordship
left the ship, accompanied by Captains Hardy and Fre-
mantle, and was received with all possible attention from
the Prince. The populace shewed a mixture of admiration,
curiosity, and displeasure. A strong guard secured his safety,
and appeared necessary to keep off the mob, whose rage,
although mixed with admiration at his thus trusting himself
c 2
20 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I,
among them, was necessarily to be expected. The events of
the 2nd had plunged the whole town into a state of terror,
astonishment, and mourning ; the oldest inhabitant had never
seen a shot fired in anger at his native country. The battle
of that day, and the subsequent return of the wounded to the
care of their friends on the 3rd, were certainly not events that
could induce the Danish nation to receive their conqueror, on
this occasion, with much cordiality. It perhaps savoured of
rashness in Lord Nelson thus early to risk himself amongst
them ; but with him his country's cause was paramount to
all personal consideration." But the Hon. Henry Addington,
in moving the vote of thanks in the House of Commons,
adverts particularly to the reception Lord Nelson received
from the populace. He said, " Lord Nelson in consequence
went on shore, and was received by a brave and generous
people — for brave they had shewn themselves in their defence,
and generous in the oblivion of their loss — with the loudest
and most general acclamations." And Mr. Sheridan
happily remarked : — *' On the subject more immediately
befoi'e the House, only one sentiment could be entertained,
that of admiration and gratitude, which words were inade-
quate to express, particularly towards that noble Lord, who
could gain the plaudits and acclamations of a vanquished
enemy."
TO LADY HAMILTON.
" My dearest Friend,
" I have just got hold of the verses wrote by Miss Knight ;
they belong to you ; the latter part is a little applicable to my
present situation. It is dreadfully cold. I am sure, from
our communication with the shore yesterday, that it is only
fear of Russia that prevents all our disputes being settled.
These people must sooner or later submit, and I long to get
to Revel befoi*e the Russian fleet can join that of Cronstadt ;
but my dear friend, we are very lazy. We MediteiTanean
people are not used to it. Some further propositions are to
come off this day, but I fear it blows too hard.
" Nelson and Bronte.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 21
*' April 6th. 7 in the morning. I am obliged to stop, as I
know not exactly the moment of the vessel's sailing.
^'No. of our Lottery Tickets : —2951— 9308— 42002—
50416. You can send and inquire our luck/^
The following is from Mr. Vansittart to Lord Nelson, who,
as we have seen, preceded him to negotiate with Denmark,
but was unsuccessful in his mission. At the time of his de-
parture for England, it appears that the mode of attack and
conduct of affairs had been discussed with the Commander-
in-chief, Lord Nelson, and Mr. Vansittart : —
" London, April 8th, 1801.
" My dear Lord,
*' The solicitude you expressed that I should undertake the
explanation of the reasons which induced you to propose a
deviation from the original plan of operation designed for the
fleet, would have been a motive with me of the strongest
kind to enter into as early and complete a vindication of
them as possible, if I had been in no respect personally in-
terested in the question. But as your wish at parting Math
me, that I should meet with a foul wind, was completely
gratified, it was not till last Wednesday that we were able to
get ashore at Leith. I got to town on Saturday, and went
immediately to the Admiralty, but not finding Lord St. Vin-
cent in town 1 called on Mr. Addington, to whom I gave a
full account of what had passed in Sir Hyde Parker's cabin
on the 23rd ulto. I have the pleasure to assure you that he
was fully satisfied with the propriety of your advice, and of
Sir Hyde Parker's ultimate resolution, and that he considers
your readiness to take on yourself the responsibility attach-
ing on a deviation from your instructions, as not the least
eminent among the services which you have rendered your
country in so many years of glory. Mr. Addington has
since communicated the whole affair to Lord St. Vincent,
who equally acquiesces in the propriety of the determina-
tion, so that whatever may be the event of the plan (which
Providence must decide) you will have the satisfaction of
meeting with the approbation of those who have the best
right to judge of it ; and I need not say, may depend on the
confidence of the public.
22 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
" Had not our attention been necessarily turned to a sub-
ject of more immediate iaiportance, I should have been
happy in the opportunity of suggesting to your Lordship
some ideas more directly connected with the business on
which I was sent abroad : I mean the measures which it might
be proper to adopt in case Denmark or either of the other
Northern Courts should apply to the Commander-in-chief
for an armistice^ or make any other overtures towards accom-
modation, either in consequence of those successes which such
a fleet under such leaders may be expected to obtain, or of
any change of political sentiment. In case the Admiral has
received no special instructions on this subject, it appears to
me, that he could do no more than receive any proposition
which may be made, and transmit them to England ; grant-
ing at the same time, if he shall think it advisable, a cessa-
tion of arms on such conditions as may enforce the observ-
ance of good faith, and secure the conclusion of a treaty
conformable to the interests of Great Britain. What pledge
it might be proper in each instance to require, you will be
best able to judge if the case should occur, but it seems to
be essential that the fleet of the Power applying should
either be directed to take its orders from the British Admiral,
or disarmed and laid up in such a situation as to be nearly
at your discretion. It might, for instance, be required that
the Danish fleet should retire into the harbour at Copen-
hagen, that the floating batteries and fortified islands at the
entrance should be given up, and the battery on Amack Point,
and that under the citadel on the beach, together with the
guns of the citadel commanding the harbour, should be dis-
mounted. Similar measures with respect to Carlscroon or
Cronstadt might be pursued, but as the surrender of those
fortresses would not be attended with the disgrace and irrita-
tion necessarily consequent on the capitulation of the capital
of a kingdom, there would be less objection to insisting on
this being absolutely put into your hands. I am the more
induced to submit these ideas to your Lordship's consideration,
as I think it very probable that some overture may come,
either from Denmark or Sweden in case you should be able to
give such a blow to the Russian navy, and may deliver them
from the fear of their powerful ally, and at the same time
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 23
add to the terror of the British arms. With respect to an
attempt on Cronstadt ( judging from such plans as I have),
I cannot think the difficulties insuperable, especially if the
means taken to choke up the Northern Channel are ineffec-
tual, which, from its breadth, I think they must be. It is
true that very shallow water is marked at the eastern end,
but from the pains taken by the Russians to destroy the pas-
sage, I apprehend they must in reality know it to be practi-
cable for large ships. I w^as more confirmed in this opinion
from finding that Etches, who seems the most active and
intelligent adventurer I ever met with, and who served some
time in the Russian fleet, thinks an attack there by no means
difficult. Of that, however, you will before this time have
better means of judging.
" Of domestic affairs I have little to say. The King is
getting well; we hope securely, but too slowly for the
wishes of the nation. Mr. Addington, who has been very
ill, is nearly recovered. Believe me, my Lord, with the sin-
cerest wishes for your success and happy return, faithfully
" Yours,
*'N. Vansittart."
The following " minute of conversation with his Royal High-
ness the Prince Royal of Denmark^' corrected by Nelson
himself cannot but be interesting here : —
** Minute of a Conversation with his Royal Highness, the
Prince Royal of Denmark.
'^ His Royal Highness began the conversation by saying
how happy he was to see me, and thanked me for my
humanity to the wounded Danes. I then said, that it was to
me, and would be the greatest affliction to every man in
England, from the King to the lowest person, to think that
Denmark had fired on the British flag, and become leagued
with her enemies. His Royal Highness stopped me by
saying that Admiral Parker had declaimed war against Den-
mark. This I denied, and requested his Royal Highness to
send for the papers, and he would find the direct contrary,
and that it was the farthest from the thoughts of the British
24 LIFE OP VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
Admiral. I then asked if his Royal Highness would permit
me to speak my mind freely on the present situation of Den-
mark ? to which he having acquiesced, I stated to him the
sensation which was caused in England by such an unnatural
alliance with, at the present moment, the furious enemy of
England. His answer was, that when he made the alliance,
it was for the protection of their trade, and that Denmark
would never be the enemy of England, and that the Emperor
of Russia was not the enemy of England when this treaty
was formed — that he never would join Russia against Eng-
land, and his declaration to that effect was the cause of the
Emperor's (I think he said) sending away his Minister, — that
Denmark was a trading nation, and had only to look to the
protection of its lawful commerce. His Royal Highness then
enlarged on the impossibility of Danish ships under convoy
having on board any contraband trade ; but to be subjected
to be stopped, even a Danish fleet, by a pitiful privateer,
and that she should search all the ships and take out of the
fleet any vessels she might please, was what Denmark could
not permit. To this my answer was simply. What occasion
for convoy to fair trade ? To which he answered, Did you find
any thing in the convoy of the Freja? and that no Com-
mander could tell what contraband goods might be in the
convoy, &c. &c. and as to merchants, they would always sell
what was most saleable ; and as to swearing to property, I
could get any thing sworn to which I pleased. I then said.
Suppose that England, which she never will, was to consent
to this freedcm and nonsense of navigation, I will tell your
Royal Highness what the result would be — ruination to
Denmark ; for the present commerce of Denmark with the
warring powers was half the neutral carrying trade, and any
merchant in Copenhagen would tell you the same. If all
this freedom was allowed, Denmark would not have more
than the sixth part, for the State of Passenburgh was as good
as the State of Denmark in that case ; and it would soon be
said, we will not be stopped in the Sound, our flag is our
protection, and Denmark would lose a great source of her
present revenue ; and that the Baltic would soon change its
name to the Russian Sea. He said, this was a delicate
subject, to which I replied, That his Royal Highness had
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 25
permitted me to speak out. He then said, Pray answer me
a question. For what is the British fleet come into the
Baltic? My answer, To crush a most formidable and
unprovoked coalition against Great Britain. He then went
on to say, that his uncle (George III.) had been deceived,
that it was a misunderstanding, and that nothing should ever
make him take a part against Great Britain, for that it could
not be his interest to see us crushed, nor, he trusted, ours to
see him ; to which I acquiesced. I then said, there could be
no doubt of the hostility of Denmark, for if her fleet had
been joined with Russia and Sweden, they would assuredly
have gone into the North Sea, menaced the Court of England,
and probably have joined the French if they had been able.
His Royal Highness said his ships never should join any
power against England, but it required not much argument
to satisfy him he could not help it, by his treaty. In speak-
ing of the pretended union of the Northern Powers, I could
not help saying that his Royal Highness must be sensible that
it was nonsense to talk of a mutual protection of trade with
a Power who had none, and that he must be sensible that the
Emperor of Russia would never have thought of offering to
protect the trade of Denmark, if he had not had hostility
against Great Britain. He said repeatedly, I have offered
to-day, and do offer, my mediation between Great Britain
and Russia. My answer was, A mediator must be at peace
with both parties. You must settle your matter with Great
Britain. At present you are leagued with our enemies, and
are considered naturally as a part of the effective force to fight
us. Talking much on this subject, his Royal Highness said,
What must I do to make myself equal ? Answer, — Sign an
alliance with Great Britain, and join your fleet to ours. His
Royal Highness then said, Russia will go to war with us, and
my desire as a commercial nation is to be at peace with all
the world. I told him, he knew the offer of Great Britain,
either to join us or disarm. And pray. Lord Nelson, what
do you call disarming? My answer was, that I was not
authorized to give an opinion on the subject ; but I con-
sidered it as not having on foot any force beyond the cus-
tomary establishment. Question : And do you consider the
guard-ships in the Sound as beyond that common establish-
26 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
ment ? Answer : I do not. Question : We have always had
five sail of the line in the Cattegat and coast of Nonvay ?
Answer : I am not authorized to define what is exactly dis-
arming, but I do not think such a force will be allowed. His
Royal Highness : When all Europe is in such a dreadful
state of confusion, it is absolutely necessary that States
should be on their guard. Answer : Your Royal Highness
knows the offers of England to keep 20 sail of the line in the
Baltic. He then said, I am sure my intentions are very
much misunderstood. To which I replied, that Sir Hyde
Parker had authorized me to say that upon certain conditions
his Royal Highness might have an opportunity of explaining
his sentiments at the Court of London. I am not authorized
to say on what conditions exactly. Question : But what do
you think ? Answer : First, a free entry of the British fleet
into Copenhagen, and the free use of every thing we may
want from it. Before I could get on, he replied quick. That
you shall have with pleasure. The next is, whilst this expla-
nation is going on, a total suspension of your treaties with
Russia. These, I believe, are the foundation on which Sir
Hyde Parker only can build other articles for his justification
in suspending his orders, which are plain and positive. His
Royal Highness then desired me to repeat what I had said,
which having done, he thanked me for my open conversation ;
and I having made an apology if I had said any thing which
he might think too strong, his Royal Highness very hand-
somely did the same, and we parted, he saying that he hoped
we would cease from hostilities to-morrow, as on such an
important occasion he must call a Council.'^
On the 9th an annistice was agreed upon, and the terms
transmitted to the Admiralty by the Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel
Stewart. They were printed in the London Gazette of April
21st, and are in autograph in the Sidmouth Papers. The
following was adressed by Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton :
" April 9th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend, you will perceive that I am become a
negotiator, a bad one no doubt, but perhaps as upright a one
as any England could send. Count Bernstorff has taken to his
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 27
bed, and was not able (willing) to make me a visit. Yesterday
he had sent off some vague notes to Sir Hyde Parker, and I
sent him a message that I was ashamed of his conduct. Did he
take Sir Hyde Parker for a fool, to play off his ministerial
duplicity, for it would not suit a British Admiral, who came
to treat with their hearts in their hands ? My object is to
make Denmark our friend by conciliation, now we have shewn
we can beat them. In mercy spare. In my opinion, nations
like individuals are to be won more by acts of kindness than
cruelty. We could burn Copenhagen. Would that win an
affection towards England ? The Armistice has tied up Den-
mark, and let us loose against her Allies, for which I think
Russia will go to war with her. If our Ministry do not
approve of my humane conduct, I have begged they would
allow me to retire, and under the shade of a chesnut-tree at
BRONTE, where the din of war will not reach my ears, do I
hope to solace myself, make my people happy and prosperous,
and by giving my advice (if asked), enable his Sicilian
Majesty, my bi nef actor, to be more than ever respected in the
Mediterranean, and to have peace with all the Barbary States.
This, my dear friend, you may write to the Queen, and tell
Prince Castelcicala. I hope the King and Acton will take
care of my estate. Yesterday I was shut up in a room in the
palace half wet through — it was a hard task to make them,
in plain terms, suspend the treaty of the famed confederacy
against England. W^hat will Paul say to all this? 1 am
worn out, no words can express the horror of my situation.
The Prince has been very kind in expressions towards me,
and said the world would think my humane conduct, on the
late melancholy occasion, placed me higher than all my vic-
tories, brilliant as they had been. I dined with the Prince,
as did Colonel Stewart, Captains Foley and Fremantle."
" 9 o'clock at night.
" Having concluded the Treaty of Armistice with Denmark,
I got on board between six and seven, and found to my inex-
pi'essible satisfaction, all your truly kind and affectionate
letters. Colonel Stewart is going home with the Armistice,
and I have wrote to Mr. Addington, that if he does not
approve of it, I beg to be superseded, and to be allowed to
28 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. I.
retire, for God knows I want rest, and a true fiiend to com-
fort me. I have scarcely time to tm-n round ; all here hang
on my shoulders ; but I am trying to finish, and hope to be
home next month. My health will not allow me to remain
here all the summer. I hope, I assure you, to retire. Why
should I fag my life out ? I am not Commander-in-chief.^
None of my gallant Lieutenants are promoted, but I enjoy
that reward, the approbation of such a friend as you and Sir
William, which is all I require. I hope to get Sir Hyde to
let me pass the Channel the moment the wind suits, for we
are losing time, and I want to be home. With best regards
to the Duke, Lord Wilham, &c. &c.
"Nelson and Bronte."
" Your friend was on shore to-day to receive the ratification
of the treaty of armistice. I received, as a warrior, all the
praises which could gratify the ambition of the vainest man,
and the thanks of the nation from the King downwards for
my humanity in saving the town from destruction. Nelson
is a warrior, but will not be a butcher. I am sure, could you
have seen the adoration and respect, you would have cried
for joy."
Lord Nelson also wrote to Lord Minto, and Sir Brooke
Boothby, Bart. To the former he says : " Before you con-
demn the Armistice, hear all the reasons : they are weighty
and most important. Without it we should have gone no
further this year, and with it not half so far as I wish." To
the latter : '^ I but wish to finish Paul, and then retire for
ever." Soon after this Lord Nelson heard of the death of
the Emperor Paul, as on the 11th he wrote thus to Lady
Hamilton : —
" April 11th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I have answered the King of Naples's letter, and have
told him that in six weeks after the peace, I hope to be at
his feet, for that it is my intention to go to Bronte. I can
' He was appointed only April 21st.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NEfcSON. 29
assure you that I am fixed to live a country life, andto have
many (I hope) years of comfort_, which God knows, I never
yet had — only moments of happiness ; but the case shall be
altered. I tell you, my dear good friend, all my little plans,
for I know you did, and I hope always will, take a lively
interest in my happiness. The death of Paul may prevent
the shedding of more human blood in the north. The mo-
ment that is clear I shall not remain one minute, and at all
events I hope to be in England in May. We have reports
that the Swedish fleet is above the Shallows, distant five or
six leagues. All our fellows are longing to be at them, and
so do I, as great a boy as any of them, for I consider this as
being at school, and going to England as going home for the
holidays, therefore I really long to finish my task. I am
glad to hear that Sir William's pictures sold so well, but
believe me, before I would have sold a picture of you, I would
have starved. I wonder Sir William could do it. I cannot
write politics, as my letter probably will be read, but I have
to beg you will remember me most affectionately to our friends
of all ages and sexes, therefore I cannot mention names. I
will endeavour and know to-morrow if you may safely write
to Copenhagen.
" Ever yours affectionately.'^
Mr. Osborn, Secretary to the Commander-in-chief, was
appointed to the agency of the prizes taken at the battle ; but
difficulties arising, he declined the appointment. Lord
Nelson's friend, and agent for the prizes at the Nile, Mr.
Davison, was subsequently appointed sole agent, as appears
from the following to Hely Addington, Esq.
" St. James's Square, 8th May, 1801.
" Sir,
" Having been appointed sole agent for the Baltic Squadron
under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, for the
prizes taken from the Danes in the engagement of the 2nd
April off Copenhagen, I beg the favour of you to inform the
Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury that I am
prevented applying in the regular manner to the Navy
Board for the usual allowance of head money, for want of
30 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
the vouchers required, which could not be obtained by reason
of the prisoners having been immediately set ashore at Copen-
hagen, and that the only paper transmitted to me to ascertain
the number of persons on board the ships and floating
batteries at the commencement of the action is a letter from
Lord Nelson, stating that for the reasons above-mentioned
their number could not be actually ascertained, but from the
best accounts they had been able to obtain, the number of
men on board the eighteen ships and vessels which struck to
his Majstey's squadron under his Lordship's orders, did not
amount to less than six thousand men.
*' As it does not appear possible that regular vouchers can
now be procured, I beg to solicit on behalf of Admu-al Sir
Hyde Parker, Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, Rear- Admiral
Graves, the several Commanders, Officers and ships' com-
panies, that their Lordships will be pleased to dispense with
the regular vouchers (as was done in the case of the victory
of the Nile), and give directions to the Navy Board to pay
the head money upon the authority of Lord Nelson's letter.
" I have the honour to be,
" Sir,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
"Alex. Davison,
" Sole Agent.
" Extract from Lord Nelson's letter : —
'St. George, 22nd April, 1801.
* The Danes being all landed without any declaration as to
numbers, yet this can easily be got over by a dispensing
order — not less than six thousand men can be allowed, and
that is under the number.
'Nelson and Bronte.
' To Alex. Davison, Esq.'
" Hely Addington, Esq. &c. &c. &c. Treasury."
The correspondence with Lady Hamilton continues : —
" AprQ 13th, Copenhagen.
" My dearest Friend,
" All your letters up to the 4th April I received with inex-
pressible pleasure last night. By this occasion of the post
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 31
I only acknowledge them. I wrote you yesterday, but as
they go a round it may be a day later before you receive them.
As soon as we are over the grounds in about two days, I shall
write you fully. I love you for your attachment to your dear
Queen/ and your resolution to live and die with her — she
deserves it all, for her faithful affection to you is beyond all
description. I expect to be in England in May, but let what
will happen, for I do not believe we shall fire another shot in
the Baltic, you will hear that I have been so careful not to
increase the strength of our opponents, who certainly died
hard, that I have only put down six sail of the line instead of
seven, but a ship more or a ship less cannot add to my repu-
tation, and it might injure a poor Danish officer, which I do
not, thank God, want to do. I cannot write politics. Many
thanks for the songs. John Bull has always had faith in me,
and I am grateful. I shall write you more by the brig Cap-
tain Fancourt" desires his regards, as I do mine, to Sir William,
the Duke, Lord William, and all our real friends."
" April 14th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I was in hopes that I should have got off some Copen-
hagen china to have sent you by Captain Bhgh,^ who was
one of my seconds on the 2nd. He is a steady seaman, and
a good and brave man. If he calls, I hope you will admit him,
I have half promised him that pleasure, and if he can get hold
of the china he is to take charge of it. I have this day
pressed on Lord St. Vincent my leave to retire, and told him
' The Queen of Naples.
^ Robert Devereux Fancourt, in the early part of his career, served in the East
Indies, under Sir Richard Bickerton, Bart., and was made Post Captain in 1790.
In the revolutionary war he was employed in protection of the trade in tlie West
Indies and the Mediterranean, and in 1797, served witla Lord Duncan in the North
Sea, after which he joined Vice-Admiral Dickson's squadron, and thence proceeded
with Sir Hyde Parker in the Copenhagen expedition. His vessel, the Agamemnon,
however, unfortunately struck upon a shoal, and he was thereby deprived the honour
of being engaged on that memorable occasion. He was made Rear-Admiral,
April 28, 1808, and a Vice-Admiral, August 12, 1812. He lived to the advanced
age of 84 years, dying June ?th, 1826, an Admiral of the Blue.
' Captain George Miller Bligh, died Oct. 14, 1834.
32 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. I.
I hoped it would be before April was out. If we have peace
with Russia, nothing shall keep me a moment, and to prepare
for it I have sent to the Prince to request that he will give a
general order for my free passage through his dominions in
case I land at Lubeck, which is only thirty-eight miles from
Gluckstadt on the Elbe.
^^ Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" I shall write by the brig Sir Hyde Parker is going to
send home. Best regards to Sir William, the Duke, &c. &e.
I have wrote by the post. Rev. Mr. Comyn^ has not joined.
I hope he was not in the Invincible."-
On this day. Sir Thomas Troubridge, then one of the
Lords of the Admiralty, wrote to Lady Hamilton to acquaint
her with the death of Paul,^ by which it appears that Nelson
was aware of it prior to its reaching the English Govern-
ment : —
"April 14th, 1801.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
" Your great and good friend, magnanimous Paul, is dead,
and the private letters from Mecklenburg, via Hamburgh,
say our fleet is near Lubeck, having destroyed the Danish
squadron. I sincerely hope it is true. One letter asserts
that Lord Nelson said it was warm work while it lasted.
"The death of our inveterate enemy may give a turn to
affairs ; it is reported our seamen are released from prison in
Russia, and a messenger arrived from Russia last night, which
looks well. I cannot say more — burn this.
" Yours, most truly,
«T. Troubridge."
From the following letter, Nelson appears to have been
very anxious to reach England : —
' Lord Nelson's Chaplain on board the Vanguard at the Battle of the Nile.
Nelson solicited of the Lord Chancellor, and obtained for him the Rectory of
Bridgeham, in Norfolk.
^ Rear-Aduiiral Totty's ship, wrecked going out of Yarmouth Roads.
' He was murdered March 24, 1801.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. .3.3
"St. George, April 15th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
"I can get nothing here worth your acceptance, but as
I know you have a vahiable collection of china I send you
some of the Copenhagen manufacture, it will bring to your
recollection that here your attached friend Nelson fought
and conquered. Captain Bligh has promised to take charge
of it, and I hope it will reach you safe. Our guns are all out
of the ship in order to get her over the shallow water. My
Commander-in-chief has left me, but if there is any work to
do, I dare say they will wait for me. Nelson will he -first.
Who can stop him ? I have much to say, and before one
month is over, I hope to tell you in person. You may get
out by management from Troubridge whether ray leave is
come out, if it is not, I will go without it, for here I will not
stay. I have just got a passport from the Prince, which I
shall use when occasion requires.
" Ever yours, most faithfully,
"Nelson and Bronte."
Adjutant-General Lindholm sent to Lord Nelson the
passport alluded to in the preceding letter : —
"Copenhagen, April I5th, 1801.
" Sir,
^^ I have the honour to send your Lordship a German pass-
port for your intended journey ; but I hope to see your Lord-
ship on board the St. George before you set out. His Royal
Highness has ordered me to present his compliments to your
Lordship.
"We hear to-day the interesting news from Hamburgh,
that the Emperor of Russia has offered to give up the Eng-
lish vessels, and the English goods detained in Russia, when
England will give up the Russian, Danish, and Swedish
vessels in her ports. I hope that the northern business will
soon be settled. I am, with the greatest esteem, my Lord,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
" Lindholm.
" Right Hon. Lord Nelson,
" Vice-Adniiral."
VOL. II. D
34 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
On the same clay he wrote to his brother, Maurice
Nelson : —
"April 15th, Copenhagen Roads.
*' My dear Brother,
^' I am glad to find you are in possession of Mr. Hartwell's
place ; but the neglect shewn me in not having placed you at
the Navy Board, is what I cannot forget. We shall see
whether the new Administration treats me as ill as the old. I
think very likely. Lord St. Vincent will either take this late
business up with a very high hand, or he will depress it ; but
how they will manage about Sir Hyde I cannot guess. I am
afraid much will be said about him in the public papers ; but
not a word shall be drawn from me, for God knows they may
make him Lord Copenhagen if they please, it will not offend
me. I only want justice for myself, which I have never yet
had, and leave to go home for the re-establishment of my
health. What has been done with Peyton ?i His son is a
fine lad, and behaves well ; say so if you see him. With my
best regards to Mrs. Nelson, believe me ever,
" Your affectionate brother,
" Nelson and Bronte."
He again removed to the Elephant. To Lady Hamilton he
writes : —
" Elephant, Baltic, April 17th, 1801<
" My dearest friend,
"Once more I am shifted to the Elephant, and Captain
Foley is so good as to be plagued with me. St. George
cannot yet be got over the shallows ; and as the Swedish fleet
Avas at sea the 14th, Sir Hyde desired me to shift my flag. For
my part, I do not expect to fire another gun ; the Swedes
cannot be such fools as to wait for us. My mind is fixed to
be in England the latter end of May ; I hope much sooner.
Nothing shall keep me here. I cannot write politics, therefore
can only assure you that I am ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
' This officer died at Priesland, near Lymington, August 2, 1809, a Rear-Ad-
miral of the Red.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 35
" Elephant, April 20th, off Carlscrona.
"Yesterday, my clearest Friend, we saw the Swedish squa-
dron, not at sea, but shut up very snug in their harbour, inside
of their batteries ; and what is worse for us, their numerous
rocks. Thus all our hopes of getting alongside them is at
an end ; they will not trust themselves out again this summer.
We are, at least I am, anxiously waiting for news from Eng-
land, and expect that we shall be ordered to abstain from hos-
tihties against Russia. In that case, if a ship cannot be given
me to go to England, I shall land at Lubeck, only one day's
journey to Hamburgh, and take a packet to convey me over.
Should the worst happen, and that we have no cessation with
Russia, all must be finished by the middle of May, and then
I will not stay half an hour. Why should I ? No real friend
would advise me to it, and for what others say I care not a
farthing. My health, and other circumstances, imperiously
demand it. I have given up in reason every thing to my
country, but the late Ministers have done less for me than
any other man in my situation. The Commanders-in-chief
made fortunes by their victories, for which Ministers gave
them £1000. a year more than poor Nelson, higher title in
the Peerage, and promoted their followers, whilst mine were
all neglected, and now, what even the custom of the service
and common justice gives me, is attempted to be withheld
from me by force of money and influence. The 25 th of May
is fixed for the day of trial,^ and it is seriously my interest
to be in England on that day. I have this day wrote more
pressingly, if possible, to Troubridge, about my leave of ab-
sence for home. I will go, that is certain.
" Kindest regards and affections administered to those of
our friends and acquaintances as the case requires.
" Yours, &c. &c.''
Mr. Brierly, the Master of the Bellona says, " Lord Nelson
received advice, per letter, from Sir Hyde Parker, of a
Swedish squadron being seen by one of our look-out frigates.
The moment he received the account, he ordered a boat to be
manned J and without even waiting for a boat cloak (though
' The Question of Prize Money with Earl St. Vincent.
D 2
I
36 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. I.
you must suppose the weather pretty sharp here at this
season of the year)^ and having to row about twenty-four miles
with the wind and current against him, jumped into her, and
ordered me to go with him, I having been on board that ship,
to remain till she had got over the grounds. All I had ever
seen or heard of him could not half so clearly prove to me the
singular and unbounded zeal of this truly great man. His
anxiety in the boat, for near six hours (lest the fleet should
have sailed before he got on board one of them, and lest we
should not catch the Swedish squadron) is beyond all con-
ception. I will quote some expressions in his own words.
It was extremely cold, and I wished him to put on a great
coat of mine which was in the boat : — ' No, I am not cold ;
my anxiety for my country will keep me warm. Do you not
think the fleet has sailed ?^ ' I should suppose not, my Lord.^
' If they are, we shall follow them to Carlscrona in the boat,
by God V I merely state this to shew how his thoughts
must have been employed. The idea of going in a small boat,
rowing six oars, without a single morsel of any thing to eat
or drink, the distance of about fifty leagues, must convince
the world, that every other earthly consideration than that of
serving his country was totally banished from his thoughts.
We reached our fleet by midnight, and went on board the
Elephant, Captain Foley, where I left his Lordship in the
morning, and returned to my ship. In our late action,
nothing but his superior abilities, as well as bravery, could
have given us so decided a victory, when four of our ships
ran aground, and in the heat of battle."^
' Naval Chronicle, Vol. v. p. 452.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 3/
CHAPTER II.
1801.
Among many letters of congratulation addressed to Lord
Nelson on his success at Copenhagen that from his Royal
Highness the Duke of Clarence, was not the least accept-
able : —
"Bushy House, Monday Night, April 20th, 1801.
" Dear Nelson,
"I am to acknowledge yours of the 4th instant, which
business and different engagements prevented me from an-
swering by Captain Otway,^ and this evening I have received
' This gallant ofEcer, a native of Tipperary, evinced strong predilection for the
Naval service at an early age, rejected his father's offer to purchase for him a
Cornetcy in the Dragoons, and entered the Navy in 1784, at the age of 13, on
board the Elizabeth of 74 guns, commanded by Sir Richard Kingsmill, Bart. He
served in the West Indies and on the coast of Guinea, and was in 1 794 a Lieu-
tenant in the Impregnable in Lord Howe's memorable action, where he so dis-
tinguished himself by his intrepidity that he was offered by his Commander,
Rear- Admiral Caldwell, the position of First Lieutenant. This, however, he had
the modesty and good sense to decline, as it might excite jealous feelings among
his deserving messmates with whom he lived on good terms. Rear- Admiral Cald-
well being moved into the Majestic, Lieutenant Robert Waller Otway accom-
panied him. He soon after attained the rank of Commander, took La Belle
Creole, a large French schooner, carrying a banditti to be employed against the
inhabitants of St. Pierre, and for this capture the French Royalists of Martinique
presented him with a sword of the value of 200 guineas. He made other prizes,
performed important services, and received the thanks of the House of Assembly.
These services are detailed in Marshall's Naval Biography (Vol. i. p. 694, etseq.).
In 1798 he served in the Gulf of Mexico with Sir Hyde Parker, and was after-
wards on the Jamaica station. Accompanying the expedition to the Baltic he wa3
Captain of the Royal George, and afterwards of the London. He was active in
the Copenhagen attack, took home the Dispatches, and afterwards commanded
the Edgar of 74 guns, in the Channel fleet. He was employed upon the renewal
of the war in 1803, distinguishing himself by his ardour in various ships until his
health gave way, and was obliged for a time to retire from active service. In
1813, however, he was in the Channel fleet commanding the Ajax, and em-
ployed in covering the siege of St. Sebastian. He was made a Rear- Admiral,
June 4, 1814, and succeeded Sir William Johnstone Hope as Commander-in-
chief on the coast of Scotland in 1818. He received the Freedom of the City of
Edinburgh. In 1830 he was made a Vice-Admiral, and an Admiral in 1841. Sir
Robert Waller Otway was made a Baronet in 1831, and G.C.B. in 1845 ; one of
i
38
LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL
[chap. II.
your letter of the 10th, and with your leave will answer them
both. The first gave me the most heartfelt pleasure both for
public reasons as well as private. I must ever rejoice at the
success of my country, and am fully convinced that this is
the most decisive and the most brilliant victory that the navy
of Great Britain ever gained : believe me it is to me more
acceptable because you my best and oldest friend was the hero
that did the act. I cannot help laughing when I hear the
d — d fools of our metropolis exclaiming, ' Why is Lord Nel-
son so much attached to the Duke of Clarence ?' When the
thanks were moved in the House of Lords, I endeavoured to im-
press the public mind with the very great services you have so
repeatedly rendered the King and Country. I am truly happy
ray old shipmate Tom Foley was your Captain, and I rejoice
to find my eleve Brisbane^ has merited your approbation.
" In answer to your second letter, it is a matter of satis-
faction to me to find we think alike upon the Northern
Expedition. I was from the beginning convinced, beyond
Copenhagen, without a truce, the fleet could not proceed to
Revel. I think there will now be no necessity, as Paul, thank
God, is no more. To the principle of searching neutrals I
am a friend, but cannot help lamenting that the arrogance
and ignorance of our former Ministers should have brought
that matter to issue which ought to have been left at rest.
" I am sorry you complain in both your letters of your
health, and hope matters will permit your speedy return
home, indeed I sincerely wish on every account for peace,
but on no one more than that you may have time to recover,
and be ready to head the fleets of this country in a future
war. Adieu, and take care of yourself. God bless you, and
ever believe me in every situation, my dear Nelson,
" Your best and sincerest friend.
the Grooms in Waiting to Her Majesty in 1837, and died suddenly, May 12, 1846,
an Admiral of the White, aged 74 years. See Annual Register for 1846, p. 255.
' Rear-Ailmiral Sir Charles Brisbane, K.C.B. who died in 1829.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSOX. 39
The Premier also wrote to Lord Nelson on the same day.
HON. HENRY ADDINGTON TO LORD NELSON.
"Downing Street, April 20th, 1801,
'^ My dear Lord,
*' You will have heard from Lord St, Vincent how entirely
the whole and every part of your Lordship's conduct is ap-
proved of by the King, and you must have been informed
from various quarters of the impression it has made upon
Parliament and the public. It remains for me only to ex-
press the sentiments of admiration and of complete satisfac-
tion, with which I contemplate what has passed, under your
Lordship's auspices, in the Baltic and at Copenhagen. The
transactions in which you had so distinguished a share, and
of which, indeed, you were the life and soul, joined to the
late event at Petersburgh will, I trust, lead to an honourable
accommodation with the Northern Powers ; but whilst we
hope and expect the best, we must be prepared for the
worst; and I am sure that the minds of the people of this
country will be at ease whilst your Lordship continues in
the Baltic. I must add, that you have gratified and obliged
me by your private communications, which I beg you to
repeat as frequently as may be consistent with your avoca-
tions and convenience. My best wishes on all accounts ever
attend you. Believe me to be, with true attachment, my
dear Lord, you sincere friend and faithful servant,
"Henry Addington."^
The King of Naples also wrote to congratulate Lord Nel-
son on the victory he had obtained : —
" My dear and much esteemed Lord Nelson, I received
your welcome letter dated 10th of April, and I am your
debtor from that date, owing to you a new and sincere com-
pliment for that glorious day of the above mentioned month,
the memorable 2nd, which also will give such advantage's to
your brave nation and all Europe ; and it gives me confidence
and hopes of a general and much desired peace. Therefore,
' Life and Correspondence of Lord Viscount Sidmoutli, Vol. i. p. 379.
40 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
again receive my cordial rejoicings, and be assured of the
great pleasure I shall have to see you again in my kingdoms,
where you will find gratitude, esteem, and affection. 1 beg
you also to believe in my feelings, and the part I take in the
well merited distinctions which your magnanimous Sovereign
has shewn you, and the sensations it must have produced in
his Royal and grateful soul for the important service which
you have again rendered, and joined to so many others
useful and beneficial to your grateful country. I feel the
greatest happiness in expressing to you these deeply engraven
sentiments which I hope soon by voice to repeat, and to as-
sure you of the constant affection of your
" Ferdinand. '^
Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, the bearer of the armistice
to England, wrote to Lady Hamilton on his return to Co-
penhagen as follows : —
" Nelson Arms, Yarmouth, April 23rd, 1801.
" Dear Madam,
" After your having expressed your intentions yesterday
of forwarding under my care the picture to Lord Nelson, I
feel quite distressed that it was out of my power to Mait
longer for it than four o'clock yesterday afternoon, having been
dismissed by Lord St. Vincent two hours even previous to
that time. I feel alarmed at your Ladyship's not thinking
me to be a very civil sort of a gentleman, to have thus left
town without again calling on you for poor St. Cecilia,^ but
the close manner in which I was kept occupied at the Admi-
ralty, Downing Street, and War Office, after T had the honour
of taking leave of Sir William and your Ladyship, really pre-
vented me from so doing. The Favorite sloop of war is,
however, now here, expecting to be dispatched with the
duplicate of my dispatches to the fleet, and if your Ladyship
will send the picture in question to the care of Mr. Stewart,
Agent for the Baltic fleet in this town, with directions for
its being forwarded by the Favorite, or first safe conveyance,
that gentleman will do so with care and with pleasure, for I
have been speaking to him on the subject. I am anxious
that Lord Nelson should have in his cabin so pretty a cadeau,
' Lady Hamilton's portrait painted by Geo. Roumey, R.A.
1801.] LORD VISGOUNT NELSON. 41
as I shall thereby frequently have it in my power also to
admire this interesting fair one. I shall therefore give our
noble friend to expect the receipt of poor Cecilia, and must
beg that your Ladyship will forward it, for it will, I am con-
fident, give our hero great pleasure, and if you do not, I shall
feel convinced that you are angry with me for not having
waited for it. You must excuse this scrawl, written during
the hasty moment of embarkation, from an inn, and believe
me with much truth,
^' Your Ladyship's very faithful servant,
"Wm. Stewart."
The Colonel was also the bearer of the following letter
to Lord Nelson from Alex. Davison, Esq. : —
"St. James's Square, 22nd April, 1801.
"■ My dear Friend,
" Colonel Stewart's return to the Baltic affords me the
happy opportunity of writing to you, and with the general
voice of this nation to repeat again and again our joy on the
most important victory at this particular period ever this
country could have obtained. 1 will refer you to Colonel
Stewart for our political news, who will communicate more
in ten minutes than I could in ^ours writing. I am grieved
to find, though however gratifying the cause, that you are
not likely to obtain leave of absence so soon as you expected,
or your friends here wished. It is said, the service absolutely
requires your aid in the Baltic, and without you nothing
would have been done, and that nothing will be eff'ected
without you. Taking all this for granted, as I believe it to
be true, yet I own I should have been much pleased to hear
of your return immediately, as I see nothing now to be done,
in which you as second can possibly claim that distinct
pointed approbation you, in every act of your life, so justly
^ merit. Fighting for the honour of another ought not to be
your station, and as Sir Hyde is battling for a peerage, in
God's name let him have it, and return quietly home, leaving
you in the command, if it be determined that you are to
remain. I hope it is not true, what I have heard, that it is
the intention of the Government to offer you the dignity of
42 LIFE OF VTCE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
Viscount. That you ought to have had long ago, and any-
additional distinction short of an Earldom, in my humble
opinion, would be degrading. Your last act of service
deserves every acknowledgment which a grateful country
(whatever Ministers may think) can bestow. The nation
would be gratified to see the highest mark of honour con-
ferred upon you.
'• I am truly sorry, my dear friend, to tell you poor Mau-
rice^ is extremely ill, though within these twenty-four hours
appearances have taken a favourable turn. Nine days ago
he was seized with violent pains in his head, which terminated
in an inflammation in the brain. The instant I was informed
of it, I dispatched my own physician. Sir John Hayes,^ to
attend him, in whom I have the most perfect confidence as
a professional character. Sir John this morning assures
me he is out of danger, but that it will require time and great
care to bring him about. I am vexed my own miserable
situation deprives me the satisfaction of being with Maurice.
I have Sir John Hayes's regular report twice a day, and it
gives me pleasure to know your brother highly approved my
sending my own physician. My own health is as good as I
could wish it, but my limbs and ancles so extremely weakened
that I am unable to walk. A very few days will put me to
rights, and the fit (of gout) be productive of benefit to me.
"Whilst fighting for your country's honour, I must not let
you forget yourself, and as the trial in all probability will
come before the court about the end of May, I must entreat
you to give the different opinions annexed to the case some
serious consideration, making such observations and remarks
as you think will weigh in the minds of a jury, for though
however confident we may in our own judgments be respect-
ing the probable issue, yet too great precautions cannot
possibly be taken, when we reflect with whom we are to take
the field against. Your private observations cannot fail
operating most forcibly on the minds of men of common
sense, such as I hope will be on the jury.
"■ If you are certain of being in England at the period, the
less necessity for this precaution, but it would wound my
' Lord Nelson's Brother. - Sir John Macnamara Hayes, Bart. M.D.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 43
feelings were we to fall short of every possible means in our
power to strengthen and arm one's counsel on this important
occasion. It hurts me to write a word on business when
your mind is so occupied with public duty, yet your own
individual interest must not be neglected, and I trust you
will excuse me.
" Your plate at Rundell's is finished, and a complete case
making to contain the whole. I conclude you now woidd
like that it remain until you return. The inclosed letter will,
I presume, tell you how matters stand in Piccadilly. Several
epistles pass daily between us. I conclude Stewart will call
there, and will be the bearer of other packets, as she wrote to
me last night, telling me a note had been sent to him to give
her a visit.
" May every blessing attend you, and that you may soon
return to us, is and always will be the sincere prayer of my
dear friend's affectionate
" Alex. Davison."
On the 23rd Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
'• St George, April 23rd, 1801.
" My dearest amiable Friend, this day we sailed from Pa-
lermo on our tour to Malta. Ah ! those were happy times.
How different, how forlorn ! alas, no wonder. I severely
feel the difference, but as we are retiring to the anchorage
near Copenhagen, I hope a very short time will place me in
London. Yesterday Sir Hyde Parker wrote me word that
the Russian Minister at Copenhagen had sent him a letter,
saying the Emperor had ordered his fleet to abstain from all
hostilities, therefore Sir Hyde Parker was determined to re-
turn to the anchorage near Copenhagen. I am truly anxi-
ously looking out for my leave of absence, or that the whole
fleet may be ordered home ; stay I will not, if the Admiral
would make me Lord High Admiral of the Baltic. Don't
you think I am perfectly right ? If you were to think the
contrary it would break my heart, for I have the very highest
opinion of your judgment.
" Read the inclosed, and send it if you approve. Who
44 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. II.
should I consult but my friends ?^ Remember me in the
most affectionate manner where proper, and respects and com-
pliments as the person deserves to whom you give them/'
He wrote again on the 25th under the influence of her
most powerful fascination : —
" St. George, Kioge Bay, April 25th, 1801.
*' My dearest Friend,
" Sir Hyde has just sent me word that the Arrow sloop sails
for England this day, therefore I have only time to say that
I hope in a fortnight to be in London. I am in expectation
every moment for the removal of the fleet from the Baltic :
be that as it may, I will not remain, no, not if I was sure of
being made a Duke with £50,000 a year. I wish for hap-
piness to be my revjard, and not titles or money. To-morrow
is the birthday of Santa Emma. She is my guardian angel.
It is not in my power to do much honour to her in this place,
but I have invited the Admirals and all the Captains who
had the happiness of knowing you, and of course experiencing
your kindness when in the Mediterranean. You may rely
my saint is more adored in this fleet than all the saints in the
Roman Calendar. I know you prayed for me both at the
Nile and here, and if the prayers of the good, as we are taught
to believe, are of avail at the Throne of Grace, why may
not yours have saved my life? I own myself a BELIEVER
IN GOD, and if I have any merit in not fearing death, it is
because I feel that His power can shelter me when He pleases,
and that I must fall whenever it is His good pleasure. May
the God of heaven and earth, the Protector of those who
truly worship Him, bless and preserve you, my dearest
Friend, for the greatest happiness which you can wish for in
this world, is the constant prayer of your real, sincere and
affectionate friend till death,
" Nelson and Bronte."
" St. George, April 27th, 1801.
'* All your letters, my dearest Friend, to the 1 /th, came safe
on the eve of your natal day. You will readily conceive the
' This probaUy alludes to the paper on the Armistice.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 45
pleasure they must have given me to know that you still take
an interest in my glory. I transfer it all to my guardian
angel, Santa Emrna. Yesterday, I had twenty -four at dinner,
and drank at dinner in a bumper of champagne, Santa
Emma.
" I hope, if the fleet is not ordered home, to go in the
Blanche, for both my mind and body are required in England,
therefore, unless you are sure that we are ordered to attack
the Russian fleet, it is of no use writing more letters. I hope
to be in London as soon as this letter, and I should like a
good lodging in an airy situation. I have directed Hardy to
take care of all my letters, and return them to England. I
have so much to tell you that I cannot tell you where to
begin. I think we shall have a general peace, and then
nothing shall stop my going to Bronte.
" Your affectionate and attached friend,
"Nelson and Bronte."
" St. George, April 28th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" 1 had last night one of my dreadful attacks, and this day
I have applied to Sir Hyde Parker, and he tells me the Blanche
shall carry me to England. I have several letters ready wrote
for you, but I do not send them, as it is more than probable
this will never reach England. Write no more, I hope to be
sailed within a week. Keep this to yourself. Ever your
most attached and affectionate.
" A small vessel sails with letters in two days."
Sir Brooke Boothby, Bart.,i to whom he had written an
account of the engagement, replied as follows : —
"Hamburgh, May 1, 1801.
" A thousand thanks, my dear Lord, for your very kind
' Sir Brooke Boothby, Bart., a minor poet, formed one of the literary coterie
of Lichfield, enriched by the society of Darwin, Seward, and Edgeworth, He
published a letter to Mr. Burke, Observations on the Appeal from the New to the
Old Whigs, and Paine's Rights of Man ; Sorrows sacred to the Memory of Pe-
nelope ; Britannicus, from the French of Racine, a Tragedy ; Fables and Satires ;
and a series of Elegiac Poems on his Daughter. He died March 17, 1824, and
was succeeded in the title by his brother.
46 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. II.
note, written on the evening of your glorious victory. I pre-
serve it as a precious relic. It found me just beginning to
breathe after a painful illness of four months, and really re-
vived me.
" Of all your great actions, the last seems to be deservedly
considered as that in which you have surmounted the most
extraordinary difficulties, and rendered your country the most
immediate and important service ; that of Aboukir not ex-
cepted. From all 1 learn, I cannot help thinking you are the
only man who could have performed what you have done.
" The poor Danes have been the dupes of the madness of
Paul, and the rascality of Buonaparte, who had promised
them Hamburgh and Lubeck ; and their swindling seizure of
this place well deserved the licking they have got, and more.
You cannot conceive what extravagant rhodomontades ap-
peared in the papers here, prophesying confidently, before the
action, that all your glories were to be buried in Copenhagen
roads ; and even afterwards, endeavouring to make out that
the completely beaten had the better of it ; at least, they seem
to content themselves with the honour of having contended
with you, of which they have in truth some reason to be
proud. If these ' fat and greasy citizens ' had been bold
enough to shut their gates, you would probably have saved
them from disgrace, and what I believe they value more, the
loss of 40 or 50,000 marks. The Prince of Hesse had no
preparations for a siege, and the town had provision for at
least a month, and in the meantime the first gun fired against
Hamburgh might have been the signal for the destruction of
Altona. The BouTgeoisie were earnest for resistance, but the
cowardly spirit of riches prevailed. You will find, inclosed,
some remarks I made on the Prince of Hesse's profligate and
foolish manifesto. He has received a very peremptory note
from Berlin to evacuate Hamburgh, but continues to negotiate,
probably for the sake of the 6000 marks a-day.
" Your rapid proceeding, and the death of Paul, seem com-
pletely to derange the impudent plan of his brother tyrant,
whom God confound ! I remember when I saw you I thought
less ill of this robber than you did, but you knew him best.
God send the African expedition, which has commenced so
well, may be finally successful, and then, I think, the century
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 47
opens propitiously for poor Old England. Before the battle
of Copenhagen Roads we were a little chop-fallen, but now
the carmagnoles are down, and we hold our heads high : the
reputation of a country is half its strength."
" May 15.
" Not knowing well how to direct, this letter, with the
General's, 1 has lain by. I learn with the greatest anxiety that
the state of your health obliges you to return. The good of
mankind will neither admit of your being long ill, or of your
retreat ; your services may indeed be soon wanted at home.
The Corsican, whose situation is nothing less than pleasant,
and who, it is said, has taken fright, must find employment
for his troops, and the restless spirit of his new subjects, and
will lead or drive them to the British coasts, to do mischief
and to perish ; both for his purpose.
" The General is almost the only person I see. He is
planting his winter cabbages, and seems really to enjoy the
content of a clear conscience. If it were nothing else, I think
his understanding is of too high a sort for treachery. He
was a good subject of the French (limited) monarchy, and
has been cast out by their pretended democracy ; is he not at
liberty to become a member of any country that might adopt
him?
" I rejoice that my friend, Lord St. Helens, goes to St.
Petersburgh. He will do all that can be done. Will not what
is passing in Italy, Portugal, &c. at last open the eyes of those
blinded kings ? Nothing but uniting all their powers, on the
determined, openly declared ground of putting a stop to
those impudent invaders, can ultimately save Europe. These
detestable people are, I think, made of rather worse stuff than
those of other countries, but when collected and inflamed,
they may be resembled to those fulminating powders, which,
though composed of very ordinary materials, are formidable
in their explosion. Saltpetre may be made from horse-dvmg,
brimstone is used to cure the itch, and charcoal for the basest
purposes, yet these combined are the gunpowder which de^
cides the fate of nations.
" Adieu, my dear Lord, I began a long letter, thinking it
' General Duniourier..
48 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IT.
would find you aboard, and might fill up a leisure moment.
Believe me, ever yours, with the sincerest attachment,
" Brooke Boothby.
" P.S. Amongst other reports equally true, the papers here
gave a circumstantial account of the death of Sir Edward
Berry, fighting by your side. I inclose you an epitaph I made
for a magnificent monument in Westminster Abbey, which
will have the effect, not very flattering, for a serious epitaph
to make you smile. I am, I believe, not accurate in the places,
but that is now, thank God, of no consequence. Pray when
you have read it send it to your charming Poet Laureate/
who, by the bye, I much wish to hear of. Do have the good-
ness to tell her so. I am leaving Hamburgh, but anything
directed under cover to Sir James Crawfurd will find me."
The following is the letter from General Dumouriez/ re-
ferred to in the preceding : —
• Miss Knight.
^ Claude Francois Duperier Dumouriez, a French General, was born at Cam-
brai, Jan. 25, 1739. He served in Germany in the seven years war, and at the
age of twenty-two years had attained the rank of Captain, was a Knight of St.
Louis, and had received twenty-two wounds. Having travelled in Italy, Belgium,
Spain, and Portugal, and acquired considerable knowledge of languages and the
manners and customs of different nations, he was appointed Aide-Marechal General
to the French expedition for the invasion of Corsica in 1768-9. He rose to the
rank of Colonel, and afterwards served in a campaign to Russia. The Due de
Choiseul appointed him Minister to the Confederates of Poland, and Louis XV.
sent him on a confidential mission to Sweden, but the Ministers becoming jealous
of him from his having received instructions immediately from the King, and
unknown to the Foreign Minister, the Due d'Aguillon, he was arrested at Ham-
burgh, taken back to Paris, and imprisoned in the Bastille, where, after six months
confinement, he was banished to the Castle of Caen for three months, and thence
liberated by Louis XVI. on his accession to the throne. He was then intrusted with
the command of the country from Nantes to Bordeaux, whilst the rehgious war
raged in La Vendee, and was successful in calming the minds of thepeople. He fur-
nished to the French Government plans for the conquest of Jersey, Guernsey, and the
Isle of Wight, and was at the commencement of the Revolution connected with
the Girondists. He was appointed Foreign Minister, and prevailed on the King
to declare war against Austria in 1792. The violence of the revolutionary move-
ment alarmed him, and he became an object of hatred to the Jacobins, in conse-
quence of which, he withdrew from politics, and went to serve under General
Luchner on the northern frontiers. He replaced La Fayette in the army opposed
to the Duke of Brunswick, and successfully checked the advance of the Prus-
sians.
Dumouriez distinguished himself also at the battle of Jemappes, and succeeded
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 49
" Ottensen par Altona, No. 43,
le 20 Avril, 1801.
" My dear and glorious Nelson,
" Victoiy is for ever bounded to your name, as my friend-
ship to your character. I hope the peace with the Northern
Powers will give another turn to your constant successes more
profitable for the public cause. Paul's foolish brain destroyed
our hopes, they revive with the successor. If you have the
charge of the Mediterranean sea, we can together deliver
Italy and France of the democratic tyranny. I desire nothing
else. After that take your leave, and spend the remnant of
your life in the calmness, shadowed with the laurels you for
yourself implanted. Farewell, dear Nelson, and be constant
in friendship as you are in triumphing of internal foes and
external ennemys.
" Your for ever affectionate friend,
In the month of May, his correspondence with Lady
Hamilton was frequent, and he was restless to return to Eng-
land, as the following letters will shew : —
in taking Liege, Antwerp, and Flanders. The trial of Louis XVI. took him to
Paris, and after the execution of the Sovereign he became an ardent advocate of
Constitutional Monarchy. Entering into negotiations with Prince Cobourg, he was
enabled to withdraw his army from Holland, and retired to Tournay, evacuated
Belgium, and established his head-quarters at St. Amand, in 1793. Accused of
treason, the Convention of Paris summoned him to their bar, but he refused to
obey the mandate, and imprisoned those sent to arrest him as hostages for the
safety of the Royal Family. His ti'oops, however, refusing to march upon Paris,
he took refuge in the Austrian head-quarters, and afterwards sought an asylum in
Switzerland, then wandered about, hated as a Constitutionalist, and, under the fear
of being taken prisoner, a reward of 300,000 francs having been offered by the
National Convention of Paris for his apprehension, he fled to England ; afterwards
took up his abode at Hamburgh, and is known as the writer of numerous political
works, as well as Memoirs of his own life, which appeared at Hamburgh in 2 vols.
8vo. 1794, and were translated into English, and published in London in 3 vols.
8vo. 1796. He rendered some services to the British Government, and was re-
warded with a pension. He enjoyed intimacy with, and was highly esteemed by,
His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. From 1804, he resided in England, and
died at the age of eighty-four years at Turville Park, near Henley-upon-Thames,
March 14, 1823.
VOL. II. E
50 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
"St. George, May 2nd, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
'' I am waiting for the sailing of the Blanche frigate, which
is destined to carry the answers of the next vessel to England,
and the vessel we have been expecting every day for this
week. I have been so very indifferent, and am still so weak,
that I cannot take the journey to Hamburgh by land, or
I should have been off long ago. I shall get on shore the
first land we make in England, but as it is likely to be Yar-
mouth, I should rejoice to find a line of your friendly hand
at the Wrestlers. I dare not say much, as most probably all
my letters are read.
" Ever your faithful and affectionate."
" 2 o'clock.
" My dearest Friend, from all I now see, it is not possible
that this fleet can be much longer kept here, and I find that
although from others, there may be much self, yet Mr. Ad-
dington v^ishes me to have the sweets of seeing this business
finished : it must soon happen. We must cheer up for the
moment, at present we are in the hands of others. We shall
be masters one day or other.
" Blanche just going."
" My dearest Friend, again and again I thank you for all
your goodness. I cannot say anything, my heart is full and
big. Hardy and Parker are at work sealing up. I hope this
will be the last packet I send off — the next shall be myself.
In the meantime I send you six bottles of Old Hock, 200
years of age, if you believe it — so says the Prince of Den-
mark's Aide-de-camp ; only ten bottles came, so they stole two.
I send you the Danish line of defence,^ correct in the minutest
degree. Have a good glass and frame to put to it. I shall
repay you the expense when we meet — 'tis to add to the Nel-
son Room. There is a print coming out something similar.
I have wrote Mr. Beckford, pray give him the letter. You
may shew the line of defence to Troubridge — it is perfect to
one gun and shape of vessel. Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
Receiving, however, on the 5th, intelligence of his having
' See Plate, ante.
1801.] L,ORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 51
been appointed Commander-in-chief in the Baltic, he was
necessitated to remain : —
" St. George, May 5th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
*^A11 ray things were on board the Blanche, and Sir Hyde
was to have dismissed me this day, but alas, in the night
arrived Colonel Stewart, which has overturned all my plans.
Sir Hyde has worked his leave of absence, he is ordered
home, and I am appointed Commander-in-chief. To paint
or describe my grief is impossible. I have this day wrote to
the Admiralty that my health is in such a state that they
must send out some person who has strength enough to get
on with the business. Sir Hyde sets off in the Blanche. I
will write fully by way of Hamburgh to-morrow.
"Nelson and Bronte."
He wrote on the same day to Mr. Davison and says : " A
Command never was, I believe, more unwelcomely received by
any person than by myself. It may be at the expense of my life ;
and therefore, for God's sake, at least for mine, try if I cannot
be relieved. The time was, a few months ago, that I should
have felt the honour, and I really believe that I should have
seen more of the Baltic, the consequence of which I can guess.
But nothing, I believe, but change of climate can cure me,
and having my mind tranquil, "^ To the Earl of St. Vincent he
likewise wrote : " I am, in truth, unable to hold the very honour-
able station you have conferred upon me." Yet the extraor-
dinary activity of his mind is apparent in the following lines
immediately succeeding the above : " If Sir Hyde were gone,
I would now be under sail, leave six sail of the line off Born-
holm to watch the Swedes, and to cover our communication,
and go to Revel, where I should at least, if not too late,
prevent the junction of the two squadrons : that I shall never
suiFer. I will have all the English shipping and property
restored ; but I will do nothing violently ; neither commit
my country, nor suffer Russia to mix the affairs of Denmark
or Sweden with the detention of our ships. Should I meet
the Revel squadron, I shall make them stay with me until all
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 353.
E 2
52 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
our English ships join ; for we must not joke. As the busi-
ness will be settled in a fortuiglit, I must entreat that some
person may come out to take this command."^
The Armistice, which he had been the chief instrument in
making, was approved of at home under all considerations, and
he wrote to the Hon. Henry Addington : " I am sorry that the
Armistice is only approved under all considerations. Now
I own myself of opinion that every part of the all was to the
advantage of our King and country. I stated many of my
reasons for thinking it advantageous. We knew not of the
death of Paul, or a change of sentiments in the Court of
Russia, if her sentiments are changed. My object was to
get at Revel before the frost broke up at Cronstadt, that the
twelve sail of the line might be destroyed. I shall now go
there as a friend, but the two fleets shall not form a junction,
if not already accomplished, unless my orders permit it. My
health is gone, and although I should be happy to try and
hold out a month or six weeks longer, yet death is no respecter
of persons. I own, at present, I should not wish to die a
natural death."- And again on the 8th : " Forgive me for
one moment, but so much having been said, both by friends
and enemies, why I sent on shore a Flag of Truce on the 2nd
of April, and but few seemed pleased with the Armistice, I
take the liberty of sending the reasons why I sent the Flag
of Truce, and also my reasons why I think the Armistice was
a proper measure. If you and some other friends approve,
I care not. I have dispersed the reasons to several hands,
for I feel hurt."^
One of the papers alluded to was forwarded, together with
the following correspondence, to Lady Hamilton : —
" May 8th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" As both my friends and enemies seem not to know why
I sent on shore a Flag of Truce, the former, many of them,
thought it was a ruse de gmrre^ and not quite justifiable ; the
latter, I believe, attributed it to a desire to have no more
fighting, and few, very few, to the cause that I felt, and
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 285.
^ From an Autograph in the Sidmouth Papers.
' Ibid.
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 53
which, I trust in God, I shall retain to the last moment,
humanity. I know it must to the world be proved, and
therefore I will suppose you all the world to me.
" First, no ship was on shore near the Crown batteries, or
any where else within reach of any shore when my Flag of
Truce went on shore; the Crown batteries, and the batteries
on Amack, and in the Dockyard were firing at us, one half
their shot necessarily striking the ships who had surrendered,
and our fire did the same, and worse, for the surrendered
ships had four of them got close together, and it was a mas-
sacre, this caused my note. It was a sight which no real
man could have enjoyed. I felt when the Danes became
my prisoners, I became their protector, and if that had not
been a sufficient reason, the moment of a complete victory
was surely the proper time to make an opening with the
nation we had been fighting with. When the Truce was
settled and full possession taken of our prizes, the ships
were ordered, except two, to proceed and join Sir Hyde
Parker, and in performing this service, the Elephant and
Defiance grounded on the middle ground. I give you ver-
batim an answer to a part of a letter from a person high
in rank about the Prince Royal, which will bear testimony
to the truth of my assertions, viz, ' As to your Lord-
ship's motives for sending a Flag of Truce to our Govern-
ment it never can be misconstrued, and your subsequent
conduct has sufficiently shewn that humanity is always
the companion of true valour. You have done more,
you have shewn yourself a friend of the re-establishment of
peace and good harmony between this country and Great
Britain.'
^' If, after this, either pretended friends or open enemies say
any thing upon the subject, tell them THEY BE DAMNED.
Get Mr. Este, or some other able man, to put these truths
before the public. Envious men and enemies wish to hurt
me, but truth will stand its ground, and I feel as firm as a
rock. I have wrote strongly to Mr. Nepean to come home.
Why should I stay ?
" Your true and faithful,
"Nelson and Bronte."
54 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
ON THE ARMISTICE.
" Much having been said relative to the bad terms of the
Armistice made with Denmark, I wish to observe, first, that
the Annistice was only intended a military one, and that all
political subjects were left for the discussion of the Ministers
of the two powers.
" Peace, Denmark could not, in the moment, make with
you, as the moment she made it with you, she would lose all
her possessions except the island of Zealand, and that also
the moment the frost set in, therefore there was no damage
we could do her equal to the loss of every thing ; our destruc-
tion would have been Copenhagen and her fleet, then we had
done our worst, and not much nearer being friends. By the
Armistice we tied the arms of Denmark for four months
from assisting our enemies and her Allies, whilst we had
every part of Denmark and its provinces open to give us
every thing we wanted. Great Britain was left the power
of taking Danish possessions and ships in all parts of the
world, whilst we had locked up the Danish Navy, and put the
key in our pocket. Time was afforded the two countries to
arrange matters on an amicable footing ; besides, to say the
truth, I look upon the Northern league to be like a tree, of
which Paul was the trvnk, and Sweden and Denmark the
branches. If I can get at the truyik and hew it down, the
branches fall of course, but I may lop the branches, and
yet not be able to fell the tree, and my power must be weaker
when its greatest strength is required. If we could have cut
up the Russian fleet, that was my object. Denmark and
Sweden deserved whipping, but Paul deserved punishment.
I own I consider it as a wise measure, and I wish my repu-
tation to stand upon its merits.
[" Duplicate originals sent by way of Rostock this day.
Heavens bless you, save our friends ; a letter goes this day
also by the Danish post, and also by Rostock."]
" May 8th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I hope you have received my numerous letters sent by
the post since April 10th, say six or seven or more, but
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 55
perhaps they never will arrive. The Post Office in Denmark
may stop them, although an English merchant^ Mr. Balfour,
said he would take care and send them under cover to his
merchant. The Cruizer arrived yesterday, and Sir Thomas
Troubridge had the nonsense to say, now I was a Comman-
der-in-chief I must be pleased. Does he take me for a
greater fool than I am, for if I had ever such good health,
that I must soon be a complete beggar if I staid, I will
explain to you. Sir Hyde Parker, when he had the com-
mand in the Baltic given to him, had the chance of great
honours and great riches from the prizes to be taken ; but
that was not enough for such a great officer ; he had the
emolument of the whole North Sea command given to him,
and taken from Dickson, and of course I had then the honour
of sharing one-fifth part as much as Sir Hyde Parker, Dick-
son, Totty,' &c. will share for the Danish battle, and Sir
Hyde, I dare say, will get near £5000. Now, what is done
for me ? Orders not to make prizes in the Baltic. My com-
mission as Commander-in-chief does not extend to the North
Sea, therefore I can make no prize-money here, and am
excluded from sharing with Dickson what may be taken in
the North Seas. He shares for my fighting ; but if the
Dutch come out, and he fights, I am not to have one
farthing. I have now all the expenses of a Commander-in-
chief, and am stripped even of the little chance of prize-money,
which I might have had by being in a subordinate situation.
This is the honour, this is my reward — a prison for deht. I
see no other prospect. I have wrote very strongly by the
Arrow, which left us your birth-day. I wrote by Sir Hyde,
desiring they would send out another Commander-in-chief,
and I have wrote it again this day. Why should I die to do
what pleases those who care not a damn about me ? I will try
and bear up and return ; but it breaks my poor heart. My
conduct is surely different, or I know not myself.
" Your truly affectionate,
" Nelson and Bronte."
' This officer commanded the Invincible, which was lost, going out of Yar-
mouth Roads to join the Baltic fleet. He died of an attack of yellow fever in the
West Indies, June 2, 1802, a Rear- Admiral.
56 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
" St. George, May 8th, 1801. Baltic.
<^ My dearest Friend,
" Under your kind care I might recover, and I trust in
God I shall be supported till that time arrives. You under-
stand every thing in what I have said, for this letter will be
read ten times at least before you get it. I trust another
Admiral is on his way to supersede me, for it is downright
murder to keep me here. If I could fight a battle, the smell
of powder and exertion might cheer one for the moment. Had
the command been given me in February, many lives would
have been saved, and we should have been in a very different
situation ; but the wise heads at home know every thing.
I have wrote this day a packet for you with all my public
letters, by way of Rostock and Hamburgh ; therefore if you
see Troubridge, say I have wrote to him, Nepean, and the
Earl, that way. I have wrote you more letters by the
Danish post, but I have not heard of one getting to you,
therefore I must not say a word. How are all our friends ?
They may depend I am firm as a rock — ^tis not a Dukedom
and £50,000. a year could shake me. Whilst I live my
honour is sacred.
*' Yours truly.
" Damn our enemies — bless our friends.
" Amen — Amen — Amen.
*^ I am not such a hypocrite as to bless them that hate us,
or if a man strike me on the cheek to turn the other — No,
knock him down, by God.
'^Some cruel remarks have been made in some of the
papers relative to the first Flag of Truce and the Armistice.
All false, for I feel all honourable for me. I have answered
them by way of Rostock, and you must get some able friend
to fit them out for the public eye, for I will not sit down
quietly and have my public character pulled to pieces.
Colonel Stewart is now my guest ; Hardy, &c. are all well.
Thank Lady Malmesbury for her congratulations. George
Elliot is very well, but cannot be expected to write. May
the heavens bless you."
Sir Hyde Parker had received several letters acquainting
him that many vessels with corn for England, from the
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 57
Baltic, had been ai-rested in the ports of Norway ; Lord
Nelson^ therefore, wrote through Adjutant-General Lindholm
to Count BernstorfF, to require their freedom of passage. To
this application the following replies were given : —
" Copenhagen, May 6th, 1801.
7 o'clock in the afternoon.
« My Lord !
" I have had the honour to receive your Lordship's letter
of this date. I have delivered the letter to Count BernstorfF,
who will inform himself about the corn affair in Norway, and
he will have the honour to send your Lordship his answer as
soon as possible. Count BernstorfF presents his respects to
your Lordship.
" I remember that some Swedish ships laden with corn,
and bound to England, were seized in Norway, but they were
not seized because they were bound to England, but the
reason was, that the people in that part of Norway were in
such a want of bread, that the King's officers were obliged
to buy it, and paid the cargo to the master of the vessels.
*' The Prince Regent presents his compliments to your
Lordship, and his Royal Highness is very sensible of the
attention and kindness which your Lordship has expressed
in the letter which I have had the honour to receive this day.
I beg you to receive the assurance of the great esteem with
which I have the honour to subscribe myself, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient,
'^ and humble servant,
" H. Lindholm.
" Right Hon. Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte,
Vice- Admiral of the Blue, and Knight of
the most Honourable Order of the Bath."
"Copenhagen, May 12th, 1801.
" My Lord,
" I have the honour to congratulate your Lordship as Com-
mander-in-chief of the Baltic fleet, and I wish very sincerely
that your Lordship may enjoy a perfect health.
'^'I hear with great satisfaction that Lord St, Helens is
appointed Ambassador to the Court of Petersburgh, and that
58 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
we can soon expect him in our Roads, passing in his way to
that capital. I hope that the differences between Great
Britain and the Northern Powers will be settled in a short
period, and that peace and friendship will be established on a
fii*m basis. The English Ministers have shewn their inclina-
tion to settle things in a satisfactory manner to all trading
nations, by making a change with the Courts of Vice-Admi-
ralty in the West Indies, whose conduct in many instances
has been highly iniquitous.
" I have the honour to send your Lordship a letter from
Count Bernstorff, and I am assured that he has given a satis-
factory information about the corn ships in Norway.
"The Certificate/ signed by three officers, of the number of
men who were on board the ships on the 2nd of April, is here
inclosed, and some letters found on the coast near Kioge.
'' I have the honour to remain with the greatest esteem,
« My Lord,
^' Your Lordship's most obedient
" and humble servant,
'^H. LiNDHOLM.
" Right Hon. Lord Nelson."
The state of things consequent upon the arrangements
with Denmark on the accession of the new Czar, and his
expressed desire for conciliatory measures and conduct,
rendered an extraordinary mission to Petersburgh essential.
Lord St. Helens was appointed to this important embassy ;
and his Majesty George IIL, in a note to Mr. Addington,
dated from Kew, May 12, 1801, states: — "As the King
relies on every thing being settled to the mutual advantage of
both countries, he shall feel much personally gratified in re-
warding Lord St. Helens on the completion of the business,
by placing him in the British House of Peers."^ The
embassy was entirely successful ; a treaty was signed on the
17th of June, 1801, and the right of searching vessels
belonging to the subjects of either of the contracting parties
when accompanied by one of their own ships of war, was
placed on its proper basis.
* See page 15, ante. * Life of Lord Sidmouth, Vol. i. p. 386.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 59
COUNT BERNSTORFF TO LORD NELSON.
(Received May 18th, at sea.)
*' My Lord,
" I received the day before yesterday the two letters with
which your Excellency has honoured me, and learn with
much pleasure that his Britannic Majesty has approved of
the Armistice concluded here the 9th of last month. My
Court will carefully fulfil its stipulations. It is true the in-
habitants of Holstein were at first uneasy, their province not
being comprised in it. But it appears to me, that the basis
of the arrangement for the re-establishment of a good under-
standing between the two powers is so solidly laid, that the
effect of it will speedily be felt in all parts of the dominions
of the King, my master. My Court has not delayed to make
known its disposition and wishes in that respect to the Court
of London, and anticipates a prompt and satisfactory result.
" With respect to the alleged detention of different vessels
laden with corn for England in the Norwegian ports, I am
ignorant of the fact, unless it applies to some Swedish ships
detained in Norway, in consequence of measures taken by
their own Government to break off her communication with
England ; I shall, however, take care to procure some exact
explanations on the subject ; and I beg your Excellency to
beheve that my Government values too highly the facilities
which Admu'al Parker has given to the provisioning of
Norway, to feel any wish on her part to present obstacles
to the same object for England. If it should be necessary
that further or more precise orders should be given to that
effect, I pledge myself, my Lord, that those orders shall be
given immediately.
'* Accept, I beg, the assurance of the high consideration
with which I have the honour to be, my Lord,
" Your Excellency's very humble,
" and very obedient servant,
" C. Bernstorff.
" Copenhagen, May 8, 1801."
The first part of this letter refers to a communication made
by Lord Nelson when conveying to Count Bernstorff the
60 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
approval of the Armistice, expressing his hope that informa-
tion would be given in Holstcin to assure the inhabitants
that the Armistice extended to that province^ which it appears
some had suspected not to be the case.
On the 11th, in a letter to Lady Hamilton, an evidence
of his superstition creeps out : —
"May nth, 1801.
'' My dearest Friend,
" If I had stayed in Kioge Bay I should have been dead
before this time, for what with ill health and the terrible dis-
appointment of not going home, it would have overpowered
me ; but I trust that long before this time you will know that
somebody is coming out to supersede me. I have wrote so
strongly that they cannot avoid it. I have as much right to
have my health taken care of as any other person in the fleet,
and if they would make me Lord High Admiral of the
Baltic I would not stay ; but my dear Friend, you know
enough of my attention to my duty that whilst I do hold the
command every thing which is active shall go on, but being
stopped fighting. I am sure that any other man can as well
look about him as Nelson. I am now far on my way to
Russia, where I shall be able to form a pretty decisive
opinion as to the views and plans of the new Emperor. I
have, my dear Friend, taken it into my head that within these
few days your picture has turned much paler than it used to
be ; it has made me quite uneasy, I hope to God you have
not been unwell, or any thing happened which could make
you look differently on me. If it has, I care not how soon
I leave this world of folly and nonsense ; but why should I
think so — innocent myself, I feel I deserve, and shall have
a just return. Without friendship this life is but misery, and
it is so difficult to find a true friend, that the search is almost
needless ; but if ever you do it ought to be cherished as an
exotic plant. You will not forget to remember me most
kindly to Sir William and the Duke. Apropos, Mr. Comyn
has not yet joined, I suppose he is with Sir Edward Berry.
He has several letters for me from you,"
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 61
" May 12th, Gtilph of Finland, off Pakerot
Lighthouse, 6 o'clock.
'^ My dearest Friend, here I am very near the latitude of
60'^ degrees North, the air hke a fine January day ; but my
heart as warm towards you as the sincerest friendship can
make it, and as if I were upon the Equator. You deserve every
mark of kindness from me, and by the Uving God, you shall
ahvays experience it whilst I draw breath, which, notwith-
standing the unkindness of some folks, 1 hope will be yet
some years. I did not^ my dear friend, come to the Baltic
with a design of dying a NATURAL death. Who wdll thank
me ? those who care not one farthing for me. Our friend
Troubridge has felt so little for my health that I have wrote
him word I should never mention it again to him. By the
12th of June, or before, I hope to be in London, where I
am fixed as to the plan of life I mean to pursue. It is to
take a small neat house from six to ten miles from London,
and there to remain till I can fix for ever or get to Bronte.
I have never known happiness beyond moments, and I am
fixed as fate to try if I cannot attain it after so many years
of labour and anxiety. Forgive me tormenting you with my
affairs, but I know you take a lively interest in all my aflfairs,
and so do I every day pray for your complete felicity.
'^May 13th. Here I am at Revel, as much to the surprise
of the Russians as to most in the squadron. Expresses are
gone to Petersburgh, and I have wrote to Count Pahlen the
Prime Minister, and I dare say we shall be ordered a very
friendly reception. I have ordered very fine beef and soft
bread for our ships, but there is not a sign of vegetation.
The Russian fleet sailed from hence on the 2nd to join
the Cronstadt fleet at Caskna Gorku, where they are
moored, forty-three sail of the line, but with twenty-five, if
we were at war, I should not hesitate trying what stuff" they
were made of. In about a week I shall return from hence,
and by the time I get down I hope a new Admiral will be
arrived, when I shall proceed direct for England. To the
Duke, Lord William, &c. say every thing. Troubridge has
not been kind, but never mind. I have sent Galuchi, the
child on board Foley, a present in your name. He is a fine
boy but a pickle. Remember me most affectionately to all
62 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II»
our friends, and to those I love most, say you what is proper.
I will soon be in England."
Lieutenant- Colonel Stewart in his Narrative, states that
Lord Nelson arrived in the Revel Roads on the 12th of May,
and that he was disappointed in not finding the Russian fleet
there, the breaking up of the ice having admitted of their
departure for Cronstadt three days before. After some delay
a salute was given and returned. Lord Nelson visited the
Governor- General Sacken, on shore, and was received with
military honours, and a welcome from the inhabitants.
The Governor returned the AdmiraFs visit on the next day,
accompanied by Count Pahlen's son, and many other officers,
and Colonel Stewart observed that the Cossack officers gave
infinitely more attention to what they saw than the Russians.
These circumstances are confirmed by the details in the
subjoined letter to Lady Hamilton : —
"St. George, May 15th, 1801. Revel Bay.
" My dearest Friend,
" After seventeen days not out of my cabin, I was forced
to row seven miles, to make the formal visit to the Governor-
General, and head of the Admiralty here. It cost me about
three hours ; they wanted me to dine on shore ; but if I had
been ever so well I would not. It is a horrid nasty place,
and nothing less than the arrival of the Emperor shall get
me ashore again. As usual, I received all the compliments
to which I have been used, and which have spoiled me.
The crowd was, of course, all the town. This morning the
Governor and Admiral will be on board the St. George, and
to-morrow morning I shall get answers to my letters from
Petersburgh. I have wrote a line, my dear Friend, by the
post; but as the post is a month going, and my letter will
assuredly be read, it is only a date to say where I am. I
have wrote to Lord St. Vincent to say, I expect to find ano-
ther Admiral when I return, or probahly he will never see
me again. I cannot, I will not stay here, that you may rely
upon. Why should I, when my health and happiness can I
hope be perfect by going to England ?
" May 16th. Yesterday I had all the world on board, not
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 63
less than thirty officers and nobles of rank. Except to you,
my own Friend, I should not mention it, 'tis so much like
vanity; but hundreds come to look at Nelson, that is him,
that is him, in short, 'tis the same as in Italy and Germany,
and I now feel that a good name is better than riches, not
amongst our great folks in England ; but it has its fine feel-
ings to an honest heart. All the Russians have taken it into
their heads that I am like Suwaroff, Le jeune Suwaroff.
This evening I expect the return of the courier from Peters-
burgh. I have increased my cough very much by going
round the ship with the Russian officers and my trip on
shore. I only hope the first land I next set my foot upon
will be Old England, and the first house will assuredly be
yours. As you will know when an Admiral is coming out to
supersede me, or that permission is coming out for my re-
turn home, I hope to find you in London, for I have much
to say to you.''
The following relates also to this period and situation : —
J. WOLLSTONECRAFT TO LORD NELSON.
" London, May 12th, 1801.
'' My Lord,
" As your illness, when Sir Hyde Parker sailed, prevented
my having the honour of seeing you, and being now fearfiil
of intruding on your Lordship's time, T take the liberty of
informing you that I passed a winter at Revel some years
ago, and also of sending you what local knowledge of that
place I was thereby enabled to acquire.
" The breadth of the Bay and the situation of the mole
will admit of bomb vessels being placed sufficiently near to
bombard the ships in the mole, and yet be themselves out of
the I'each of point hlanh shot from all the batteries, viz. those
to the westward of the mole, those on the two small islands
to the north north-west of it, and from any that may lately
have been made (there were none some years ago) on the op-
posite side of the Bay and at the head of it.
" The mole is near a mile from the town, and is formed
by a single wharf, which runs straight out towards the oppo-
site side of the bay ; this wharf is mounted with guns, and
64 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
there is deep water on both sides close to it. The rest of
the mole is perfectly open, and presents no obstacles or dif-
ficulties to prevent fire-ships sailing right in among the
ships, which are ranged abreast of each other with their
bowsprits over the wharf. Fire-ships attempting this service
would be but Uttle exposed, as the width of the bay will
allow their keeping well to the eastward of the wharf until
they are above it ; the batteries, supposing any to exist, at
the head of the bay and on the eastern side of it, the only
ones which would then be able to fire at them, being at a
great distance, could not prevent them, and the guns on the
ramparts of the town could not be pointed at them when in
the mole, and previous to their getting there they were too
far off, without firing into their own ships, which from the
manner they are placed in order to be in the deepest water,
could only fire stern chases at fire-ships approaching them
from the head of the bay.
" Supposing your Lordship might wish to cut the ships
out of the mole, permit me to say, it appears to me that if the
guns on the wharf were silenced, which might be facilitated
by ships flanking them from the eastward and southward, in
which situation they would only be exposed to the distant
fire of the batteries at the head of the bay, and on the
eastern side of it, men might be landed on the wharf and from
thence board the ships and burn them, or get them out if
the wind was favourable; for the guns which could be
brought to bear on them from the town are but few, and at
a considerable distance, and the batteries in the different
parts of the bay are still farther off, and a ship placed close
to that j)art of the icharf ichich joins the shore might prevent
any fresh troops from coming on the wharf, to oppose the
landing or to assist the enemy^s ships. Should your Lord-
ship be already acquainted with the above particulars, I beg
you will have the goodness to excuse my troubling you with
them, which I have only done because I have heard different
opinions given to Sir Hyde Parker respecting the practica-
bility of attacking, with success, ships at Revel.
" I have the honour to be your Lordship's
" Most obedient humble servant,
" J. WOLLSTOXECRAFT."
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 65
Upon his arrival in the Bay of Revel, he made application
for pilots to come on board, and give the British ships a
safe anchorage, and he immediately received the following
reply : —
ADMIRAL SPIRIDOW TO LORD NELSON.
.. Revel, ?^^' 1801.
' 12 May,
" Sir,
" Agreeably to your Excellency's wish, I send two pilots
who will point out a good place for anchorage in the Bay of
Revel. I have the honour to be, with great consideration, your
very humble and very obedient servant,
'^Spiridow.
" Right Hon. Lord Viscount Nelson, &c. &c."
He also applied to obtain fresh meat and vegetables, which
was thus responded to : —
GOVERNOR OF REVEl's DISPATCH TO LORD NELSON.
" May 12th. (Received 13th do. off Revel.)
« Sir,
" In reply to the letter with which your Excellency has
honoured me, I have the honour to inform you that an
unarmed sloop may come to Revel for the purchasing of pro-
visions when you think proper ; but that his Britannic Ma-
jesty's squadron, commanded by you, must not approach our
shores within range of cannon shot, until orders have been
received respecting it by General the Baron d'Often Sacken.
" Your Excellency's dispatches were forwarded immediately
to St. Petersburgh.
" I have the honour to be, with the greatest consideration
and profound respect,
" Your Excellency's very humble,
" And very obedient servant,
"A. Balaschoff,
" Military Governor of Revel.
" Right Hon, Lord Nelson."
On the 9th of May, Lord Nelson acquainted Rear- Admiral
Totty that he was desirous of keeping his squadron strong
enough to master the Swedes, should they put to sea, and
VOL. II. F
66 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
gave him directions to that effect as well as to the obtain-
ing of provisions. The following is from Rear-Admiral
Totty :—
"Zealous, off Bornliolm, the 15th May, 1801.
" My Lord,
'* I have the honour to acquaint your Lordship, that I
passed over the Grounds with the squadron under my orders,
on the evening of the 13th instant, and I joined Captain
Murray upon his rendezvous off the north-east end of Born-
holm last night ; and agreeably to your Lordship's directions
I have given orders to Captain Murray to take the ships and
vessels named in the margin under his orders, and proceed
with all possible dispatch towards the Gulf of Finland, and
endeavour to join your Lordship, agreeably to the best infor-
mation he can obtain respecting your situation.
" I have sent some of the small fast sailing vessels with
Captain Murray, as I think they may be useful to your Lord-
ship . I have received a copy of the orders which your Lord-
ship gave to Captain Murray for the government of the
squadron stationed off Bornholm, and your Lordship may
rest assured that I shall strictly regulate my conduct
thereby.
" So soon as the Dart returns from Dantzick, and I receive
any information of the terms upon which fresh beef can be
supplied for the use of the squadron, if the price does not
exceed the sum your Lordship has stipulated, I shall send the
Alkmaar thither for a cargo of bullocks ; and as I find many
of the squadron are short of bread, I shall therefore give
directions to the ships which came with me to go to two-
thirds allowance of that article, as I find Captain Murray
gave similar directions to the squadron left under his orders.
As it was necessary to keep the ships as light as possible, in
order to pass over the Grounds, they could not take any
supply of water in Copenhagen Road, but I understand they
may readily be watered at Bornholm.
" The Zealous and Powerful have each of them eight guns in
their holds, with a proportion of ammunition for the use of
the gun-vessels under your Lordship's command. Fourteen
of the guns are eighteen pounders, the other two twenty-
fom-'s.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 67
** Having so lately transmitted to your Lordship the state
and condition of the ships and vessels under my orders, and
as Captain Murray will deliver those of the ships and vessels
that were stationed off Bornholm, I do not trouble your
Lordship at present upon that head.
" I have the honour to be, with the highest respect,
" My Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient and humble servant,
"■ Thomas Totty.
"P.S. — Since writing the above, the Alecto fire-ship, Cap-
tain O'Brien/ has joined me from Leith. He brings no intel-
ligence. Captain Inman has also just been with me, and he
gives a sad account of the wants of the gun vessels, &c. under
his orders ; many of them are in want of fuel, and cannot
purchase any, as their bills are not negotiable.
Lord Nelson remained in Revel Roads until the l7th.
On the 16th he received the following from Admiral
Spiridow : —
" Revel, May 16, 1801.
«' My Lord,
**Your Excellency's letter to Count Pahlen shall be for-
warded immediately, and the lugger Skylark shall receive from
me all the assistance and attention in my power, whilst she
remains in the port of Revel.
" Accept, my Lord, our best wishes for the accomplishment
of your objects, to the real merits of which we can render
justice, as they are not opposed to Russia. You carry with
you our regrets that circumstances prevent our further culti-
vation of your acquaintance. I write in the name of the
civil and military Governors as well as my own. I fail in
expressing the sentiments of esteem with which you have
inspired me.
" I have the honour to be, with great consideration,
" Your Excellency's very humble,
*' And very obedient servant,
" Spiridow."
' Captain Edward O'Brien attained the rank of Rear-Adiniral, and died in
December, 1808.
F 2
68 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
On the 15th and l7th Lord Nelson wrote to Lady
Hamilton : —
" St. George, Revel Bay, May 15th, 1801.
'" My dearest Friend,
" The Harpy brig sails to-morrow for England. You will
not receive this line for a fortnight after her arrival. I cannot
say a word on politics. I expect to find a new Admiral on
my return, which will be in a very few days.
"Yours, &c.
" Nelson and Bronte.
" Most probably you will never receive this letter. I have
three wrote for you now lying by me. Finish of eight lines to
Lord St. Vincent : — « I expect to find a new Admiral when I
return off Bornholm, or most probably you will never see
again
'* ' Your affectionate,
*' ' N. & B.' "
" St. George, May 17th, 1801. 7 o'clock in the Evening.
Last letter.
" My dearest Friend,
^^I sailed from Revel this morning, and feel I am now
steering for England for the recovery of my health. I expect
to be there a few days after this letter ; for if the Admiralty
have any bowels of compassion, an Admiral must have long
since sailed to supersede me. I have wrote a very strong
letter to the Board in case none is sailed. I shall keep by
Rostock and Lubeck in case I am to go by land ; it is only
one day's journey to Hamburgh. This day I reckon, if Sir
Hyde Parker had not been ordered home, I should have
arrived perhaps in London. What a thought! but the time
shall soon come in spite of all the world, and all my enemies,
damn them. 1 cannot obey the Scriptures and bless them.
" I am rather inclined to believe that the Emperor of
Russia had some fears for his fleet of forty-three sail of the line,
for he seemed very anxious to get rid of my small squadron.
I have much to tell you — the boat is waiting — night coming
on. Adieu.
" Yoiu-s, &c.
*' Nelson and Bronte."
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 69
He quitted Revel in consequence of a letter he received
from Count Pahlen, who, on the part of the Emperor,
expressed his surprise that he should, professing pacific
dispositions, have brought his fleet into Revel Bay. Colonel
Stewart says, Lord Nelson received this letter about 3 p.m.
on the 16th of May, and that it was accompanied by a letter
from General Sacken, expressing a wish that the British fleet
should retire from the anchorage of Revel. Lord Nelson
received it a few minutes before dinner time ; he appeared
to be a good deal agitated by it, but said little, and did not
return an immediate reply. During dinner, however, he
quitted the table, and in less than a quarter of an hour sent
for his Secretary to peruse a letter which, in that short
absence, he had composed. The signal for preparing to
weigh was immediately made ; the answer was sent on shore,
and although contracts had been entered into for fresh pro-
visions, &c. for the fleet, his Lordship would not admit of
the least delay, but caused it to weigh, and to stand as far to
sea as was safe for that evening. In his reply to Count
Pahlen, Lord Nelson says, that his intention was to pay a
very particular respect to his Imperial Majesty, and that he
had submitted it to his pleasure which port he would wish
him to come to. Revel or Cronstadt, and he added : '' Your
Excellency will have the goodness to observe to the Emperor,
that I did not even enter the outer Bay of Revel, without
the consent of their Excellencies the Governor and Admiral.
My conduct, I feel, is so entirely different to what your
Excellency has expressed in your letter, that I have only to
regret, that my desire to pay a mark of attention to his
Imperial Majesty has been so entirely misunderstood.
That being the case, I shall sail immediately into the Baltic."^
Nelson repeatedly affirmed, that had the Russian fleet been
at Revel, he should not have received such a reply. The
officers there received him with great kindness, and were
equally surprised with himself at the nature of the communi-
cation he had received. The fleet in the Baltic at this time
consisted of twenty-two sail of the hue and forty-six frigates,
bombs, fireships and gun-vessels. In the whole fleet there
' Letter Book. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv, p. 373.
70 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
was not a man in the hospital ship, and to use Nelson's own
words, " A finer fleet never graced the ocean." Sir Hyde
Parker had previously to Nelson's taking the chief command
in the Baltic, dispatched Captain Fremantle upon a mission
to Petersburgh. Count Panin wrote to Lord Nelson by
Admiral Tchitchagoff, and expressed the desire of the
Emperor of Russia to return to amicable relations with
England. He also addressed the following to Admiral Sir
Hyde Parker : —
COUNT PANIN TO ADMIRAL SIR HYDE PARKER.
"Charged by the Emperor my master to receive your
Excellency's communications, I am also authorised to reply
to the letter addressed on the 26th current to Count Pahlen,
and I feel greatly honoured by a commission so flattering to
me, of being made the medium of the first conciliatory pro-
posals which may lead to a reconciliation so desirable in all
respects, and so needful to the general welfare. The Empe-
ror has already made his intentions known to the Court of
London, upon the different points which may become claims
on him, such as the release of British subjects and the raising
the embargo on British ships, but as your Excellency could
not yet be informed from your Court of the explanations
given to it in those respects by Count WoronzofF, his Imperial
Majesty has permitted me to communicate to you, Sir, that
he is ready to satisfy every just demand of your Court, as
soon as he shall learn, by the reply which he expects from
London, that his Britannic Majesty shares in his sincere
wish for the re-establishment of peace, and that the com-
pliance of his Imperial Majesty shall meet with a just return
both towards him and towards his Allies, which he has the
more reason to anticipate, as one of the first acts of his reign
has been to put a stop to the detention of English sailors, and
to suspend the sale of the confiscated property of British
merchants. The spirit of justice and moderation which your
Excellency has exhibited unequivocally in causing hostilities
against the flag of the three Courts to be suspended, con-
vinces me that you will perceive the fidelity of my august
master's intentions by this declaration, and likcM'ise an
additional reason to continue the suspension of arms in the
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 7l
waters of the Baltic Sea, and so to give the Cabinets of St.
Petersburgh and of London the opportunity of terminating by
negotiation the unfortunate differences which have troubled
the peace of the North of Europe. His Imperial Majesty
wishes to receive a positive assurance of the prolongation of
this armistice, and expects, Sir, to find it in your reply to
this letter. I send it, as requested by your Excellency, by
Captain Fremantle, and I introduce to him at the same time
Vice- Admiral Tchitchagoff, who is charged by the Emperor
to receive the ultimate explanations you may judge proper to
transmit to me. With sentiments of the highest consideration
I have the honour to be. Sir,
" Your Excellency's
'• Very humble and very obedient servant,
''Panin.
" St. Petersburgh, 29 April, o. s. 1801.
'^ P.S. At the moment of sending this despatch to Captain
Fremantle, a British Cabinet courier has brought us a letter
from Lord Hawkesbury, of which a copy is subjoined. Its
contents announce a disposition on the part of your august
Master perfectly in accordance with that which animates
his Imperial Majesty, for the prompt re-establishment of
good harmony. The explanations entered into might now,
in some degree, be considered superfluous ; but the Emperor,
wishing to give your Excellency a proof of his confidence,
has ordered me to forward this dispatch, notwithstanding
the subsequent communications, which besides can only con-
firm you. Sir, in your pacific intentions.
'* Ut in litteris.
"St. Petersburgh, 29 April, o. s. 1801."
LORD HAWKESBURY TO COUNT PAHLEN, APRIL 17tH, 1801.
" Monsieur le Comte,
" I received the letter your Excellency did me the honour
to address to me by the hands of M. Srairnove, in which you
announce the melancholy news of the death of the Emperor
Paul I. and the happy accession of his august son to the
Imperial throne. I am sensible in the highest degree of your
Excellency's attention, and have hastened to place before the
King my Master, the letter of his Imperial Majesty the
72 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
Emperor Alexander. I congratulate you. Count, on the
accession of a Prince whose virtues and great qualities are
so well known, and feel the value of an event so important,
not merely to his own subjects, but to all Europe. I am
commanded by the King to acquaint you that his Majesty
has dispatched orders to the Commander of his fleet to sus-
pend all hostile operations against Russia, and at the same
time to hiform you that his Majesty will send immediately a
Minister to the Court of St. Petersburgh, who will be charged
to express to his Imperial Majesty the warm interest he takes
in his succession to the Empire, and who will be furnished
with full powers to discuss and arrange the unfortunate dif-
ferences which have arisen between the two Crowns, in order
to re-establish the ancient and intimate connexion which
subsisted between them, the suspension of which has caused
the King great sorrow. I seize this occasion to express to
you. Count, the great satisfaction I experience in witnessing
the renewal of accustomed communications between England
and Russia, and to offer you the respect and high considera-
tion with which I have the honour to be, &c. &c."
The following declaration relates to this negotiation : —
Declaration of Vice-Admiral Tchitchagoff to Lord Nelson^
Dnlie of ]3rovte, Commander-in-chief of his Britannic
Majesty-s Naval forces in the Baltic.
" Charged by the Emperor, my august Master, to enter
into explanations with the Commander-in-chief of his Britannic
Majesty's Naval forces upon some points relative to the
reconciliation of the two Powers, I declare, that his Imperial
Majesty being chiefly animated by the principles of honour,
moderation, and disintei'cstedness, desires to yield to, and
even to facilitate every measure that may tend to terminate
the unfortunate differences which have arisen between the
Powers of the North of Europe and England, and that his
wish is for the re-establishment of the ancient friendship
existing between Russia and England.
" Given on board the St. George,
" His Britannic Majesty's ship,
"the ^°^;_ May, 1801.
" Paul de Tchitchagoff."
1801.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 'J 3
Lord Nelson transmitted his dispatches to the Admiralty
through Sir James Crawfurd, as appears from the following :
SIR JAMES CRAWFURD TO LORD NELSON.
"Hamburgh, 19th May, 1801.
" My Lord,
" I had the honour to receive, by the last post from Copen-
hagen, your Lordship's letter of the 8th instant, accompanying
your dispatches to Mr. Nepean, and various private letters
which I forwarded to England by the first post. Though
it is perhaps rather out of time, I cannot but seize this oppor-
tunity, the first which I have had, of congratulating your
Lordship on the great and glorious event of the second of
April. It is my most sincere prayer that you may long
continue to adorn that country whose name, already the first
in the world, you have so greatly exalted. I desire nothing
so much as to have an opportunity of paying you my court
in person, an honour which I hope you will allow me when-
ever an opportunity may present itself. In the mean time
I beg leave to assure your Lordship of the great respect with
which I am, my Lord, your most obedient and very humble
servant,
"James Crawfurd."
From the Secretary of the Admiralty Lord Nelson received
the following : —
" Admu-alty Office, May 31st, 1801.
" My Lord,
" I received by the Hamburgh mail, through Sir James
Crawfurd, your Lordship's letter of the 7th instant, acquaint-
ing me, for the information of my Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty, of the communication you had had with the
Swedish Admiral, and with the determination you had formed
of shewing yourself with a part of the fleet under your com-
mand in the Gulf of Finland, leaving Captain Murray with
the remainder off the island of Bornholm. I also received
on the 29th instant by the Harpy your Lordship's three letters
of the 17th, one inclosing a copy of the correspondence which
had passed with his Excellency Count Pahlen and the Russian
Governor and Admiral at Revel, the other giving information
of your having left the bay of Revel, in order to rejoin the
squadron off Bornholm, and of the quantity of bread remaining
74 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
on board the fleet ; I lost no time in laying those letters
before their Lordships, and I have received their commands
to acquaint you that they cannot but feel some regret that
your endeavours to mark your respect for his Imperial
Majesty should not have been attended with success, and to
desire you will transmit to me a copy of your letter to the
Swedish Admiral, to which you have referred in your first
mentioned letter. I have their Lordships' further commands
to acquaint your Lordship that vessels are now loaded, and
will proceed into the Baltic immediately with a supply of ten
weeks provisions for the fleet, in order that your Lordship
may send such instructions to the Officer who may be entrusted
Avith the protection of these vessels as may be necessary for
his guidance in respect to his junction with you. I have the
honour to be, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient humble servant,
" Evan Nepean."
On the 20th of May Lord Nelson fell in with Lord St,
Helens in the Latona on his way to Russia, having been
appointed Ambassador to the Court of St. Petersburgh. He
had three hours convei'sation with him. On the preceding
day Lord St. Helens had left copies of his dispatches for
Lord Nelson, as appears from the following letter : —
" Latona, ofif Bornliolm, May 19, 1801.
" My Lord,
" Though I most sincerely hope and trust that I shall have
the satisfaction of meeting your Lordship before I reach St.
Petersburgh, I think it advisable to leave with Admiral Totty
the inclosed duplicates of the dispatches which I am to deliver
to your Lordship from the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty.
^'Admiral Totty has obligingly consented to allow the
Courier cutter to accompany me to Cronstadt ; and I shall
not fail to dispatch her to your Lordship as soon as I shall
be enabled to furnish you with any interesting intelligence.
" I have the honour to be, with great truth and respect,
" My Lord,
" Your Lordship's most faithful and obedient servant,
'• St. Helens.
*' Right Honourable Lord Nelson,
bic. Sic. &c."
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 'j 5
" Latona, at sea, 21st May, 1801.
'^ My dear Lord,
" I return your Lordship, with my very sincerest thanks,
the different papers that you have had the goodness to con-
fide to me. I have taken copies of most of them, but have
not sent any to the Secretary of State, presuming that your
Lordship will forward the whole to the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty with your next dispatches. Those, which I
now inclose to you for Lord Hawkesbury, contain nothing of
a very pressing nature ; but I could wish that they may be
sent as soon as convenient, as his Majesty^s Ministers will
naturally be well pleased to hear that I am advanced so far on
my voyage to St. Petersburgh.
'^ I hope to re-dispatch the Courier cutter to your Lordship
very soon with some satisfactory intelligence. In the mean
time, pray believe me ever with the sincerest attachment and
respect, and most cordial wishes for your speedy recovery,
" My dear Lord,
" Your most faithful and obedient servant,
"St. Helens."
The following letters were addressed by his Royal High-
ness the Duke of Clarence to Lord Nelson : —
"Bushy House, May 27th, 1801.
" Dear Nelson,
^' I am to acknowledge yours of the 2 7th of April, and shall
say nothing at present upon the recall of Sir Hyde Parker,
but shall defer that and many other points till we meet.
Knowing, as you do, my attachment to you, it cannot but be
to me a matter of satisfaction that you succeed to the com-
mand of the fleet. I hope you will give them enough to do,
and keep them in good discipline.
*' I rejoice you feel satisfied with what I said in the House
of Lords ; it was, believe me, but your due, and I shall be
happy to be able to say very shortly a great deal more in
honour of the Hero of the Nile and of Copenhagen. Assure
Sir Thomas Graves it afforded me great pleasure to inform
the country of his services, and I am happy he is pleased
with me.
76 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. II.
*^ My best wishes attend you publicly and privately, and
ever believe me to be,
" Dear Nelson,
"Yours sincerely,
"William H."
"Bushy House, May 31st, 1801.
" Dear Nelson,
^' I am to acknowledge yours of the 10th and l7th instant,
and most cordially agree with you at the improper recall of
Sir Hyde Parker. I really know nothing, and have not yet
even seen him ; but this I am certain of, that a certain person
is not Jit for where he now is. I believe the Armistice with
Denmark, and the correspondence with Russia and Sweden,
has given offence to our Ministry, in my opinion without any
reason. I always considered the fleet being sent to the
Baltic, in the situation this country was at that time, a very
dangerous measure, and might have been veiy fatal. Your
representation of the North is as I have considered it : and
really, after eight years of expensive war, it seems strange
for Government to wish to increase our enemies. I see no
chance of peace with France, and am therefore the more
anxious to have tranquillity restored where you are. I take
the contrary sentiments in Ministers here to have recalled Sir
Hyde Parker.
" I am truly concerned you complain of your health, and
sincerely hope to see you very shortly in this country,
not to drink asses milk, but to enjoy the company of your
friends, amongst whom I hope you number him who was, is,
and ever will be,
" Dear Nelson,
" Yours sincerely,
"William H.^'
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 77
CHAPTER III.
1801.
Whilst in the Baltic Lord Nelson heard of the death of
his elder brother, Maurice Nelson, Esq., of the Navy Office,
who died on the 24th of April, after a few days illness of a
brain fever, leaving Lord Nelson his executor, who, upon
receiving intelligence of his death, immediately wrote to Mr.
Davison to do " every thing which is right for his poor blind
wife.'^ He was ignorant of his brother's circumstances, or
as to the manner in which he had provided for her, for she
was not his wife. Her name was Ford ; she had lived with
him during many years, lost her sight, and become a cripple.
Nelson felt that she was truly an object of compassion, and
that was enough to direct him to take every care of her. He
desires Mr. Davison to see that she has a proper and ample
subsistence, and declares his willingness, if it be required, to
make it up. Alluding to his deceased brother, he says, " It
is the only true regard I can pay to his memory. He was
always good and kind to me." The will printed below^ is a
■ " As the term of this life is at all times uncertain, and being at this time of
sound mind and memory, and judging it unnecessary to employ an Attorney to make
this my last Will and Testament, which I shall sign at the bottom of every page,
should I have occasion to verite more than one. Item, I give and bequeath the
interest of all moneys whatever that I have now in the Funds or may hereafter
have, together with all monies that may be due to me at the time of my decease
from any person or persons, to Mrs. Susannah Ford (alias Nelson), with whom I
have lived in the habits of the utmost friendship for many years, for the term of her
natural life, which she is to enjoy without molestation from any one ; and when it
shall please God she shall depart this life, then my will is, that the sum of five
hundred pounds, five per cents., be given to my brother Horatio Nelson, a Captain
in the Royal Navy, as also the sum of five hundred pounds each to my two nieces,
Susannah and Catharine Bolton, daughters of my sister, Susannah Bolton ; but,
if it should so happen that the aforesaid Mrs. Susannah Ford, alias Nelson, should
die before my said nieces should arrive at the age of twenty-one years, then and in
that case, I do request of my brother, Horatio Nelson, Esq. to take the said sums of
78 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
proof of the great afFection Maurice Nelson entertained for his
brother Horatio. William Nelson, it will be observed, is not
mentioned in it.
On the 23rd of May Lord Nelson wrote to the widow
thus : —
"St. George, May 23, 1801.
" My dear Mrs. Nelson,
"You are, and ever shall be, considered by me as the
honoured widow of my dear brother ; and before I knew in
what circumstances he had left you I had desired our good
friend, Mr. Davison, to take care of you in every manner
w^hich could make you comfortable ; and I can assure you
that I consider myself as only a faithful steward, and that if
any more income is wanted than the interest of my brother^s
little fortune, that I shall have great pleasure in supplying it,
for he was too generous to be rich.
"And ever believe me,
*' Your truly affectionate brother,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" Our excellent friend. Lady Hamilton, will be the inter-
preter of my sentiments, for she is as good as an angel."
He wrote also to Lady Hamilton : —
" St. George, oflF Rostock, May 24th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
*' Yesterday, I joined Admiral Totty, where I found little
Parker with your dear, kind, friendly letters. How can I
five hundred pounds above given to my nieces, Susannah and Catharine Bolton,
in trust for them until they shall attain the age of twenty-one years, or until they
are married, which I request may be left at his discretion : but if both, or either
of my said nieces should die before they attain the age of twenty-one years, then
and in that case I request of my brother, Horatio Nelson, to accept of the said
legacies I have left them, as well as all other moneys I may die possessed of, for
his sole use and benefit : and I likewise request that my said brother will have
the goodness to see the intention of this my last Will and Testament fulfilled.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, as well to this as to the foregoing
page, this sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven
hundred and ninety. five.
"Maurice Nelson."
" Witness the above being interlined,
" Robert Davies.
" C. N. Forbes."
J801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 'J9
sufficiently thank you for all your goodness and kindness to
me, a forlorn outcast, except in your generous soul. My
health I have represented to the Admiralty in such terms that
I have no doubt but an Admiral has sailed to take my place.
The Harpy has carried a stronger letter than any of the for-
mer. This vessel states that I do not know that I shall go to
sea again, as my health requires the shore, and gentle exercise,
and so it does, and really if the Admiralty had allowed me
to go home, and in the event of hostilities being renewed in
the Baltic, I might perhaps, in that case, have been able to
command the fleet, but the Baltic folks will never fight me
if it is to be avoided. In my humble opinion, we shall have
peace with the Northern Powers, if we are just in our desires.
Will you have the goodness to carry the inclosed after you
have sealed it to Mrs. Maurice Nelson, and your own dear
generous heart wdll say every kind thing for me. She shall
be fixed where she pleases, and with every comfort in this
world, and ever be considered as my honoured sister-in-law.
I feel my dear brother's confidence, and she shall feel he has
not mistaken me. Tell Mrs. William Nelson how much I
esteem her for all her kindness, and that I shall never forget
her complying with my request and staying with you, al-
though I hope it has been truly pleasant to herself.
" Ever yours truly,
" Nelson and Bronte."
He gave to his brother's widow an annuity of £100. per
annum, which she received until his death, and she was after-
wards assisted by Lady Hamilton. She died about 1810 or
1811.
To the Earl of St. Vincent on the 24th he wrote, " The
death of my dear brother, which I received only yesterday, has
naturally affected me a good deal ; and if I do not get some
repose very soon, another will go — six sons are gone out of
eight ; but 1 hope yet to see you, and to cheer up once
more.''^
On the twenty -fourth he reached Rostock, and remained
there until June 1st. Colonel Stewart draws a picture of
Nelson's mode of life, whilst with his fleet. After alluding
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 286.
80 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
to his manner of keeping it alert, of supplying it with proper
provisions, preserving the health of all, economising its re-
sources, &c. he says, " His hour of rising was four or five
o'clock, and of going to rest about ten ; breakfast was never
later than six, and generally nearer to five o'clock. A Mid-
shipman or two were always of the party ; and I have known
him send during the middle watch, to invite the little fellows
to breakfast with him, when relieved. At table with them
he would enter into their boyish jokes, and be the most youth-
ful of the party. At dinner he invariably had every officer
of his ship, in their turn, and was both a polite and hospi-
table host. The whole ordinary business of the fleet was
invariably dispatched, as it had been by the Earl of St. Vincent,
before eight o'clock. The great command of time which
Lord Nelson thus gave himself, and the alertness which this
example imparted throughout the fleet, can only be under-
stood by those who witnessed it, or who know the value of
early hours."
Lord Nelson despatched the Speedwell on the morning of
the 25th. The following letter must therefore have been
written on the 26th : —
" St. George, Bay of Rostock.
"My dearest Friend,
" Although I wrote you late last night by the Speedwell all
my proceedings to that time, I yet should think myself a
great beast if I was to omit an opportunity of writing to you
a line by way of Hamburgh, where I am sending off an
express to Sir James Crawfurd. I wrote to the Admiralty
yesterday that I did not think I should be able to write any
more letters to them, for the stooping so many hours hurts
me very much. I trust yet to being in London before June
12th. If the new Admiral would arrive, I should certainly
sail in two hours. I have directed the London to be the
show ship, for I will have no visitors here that I can help. It
is said that the Duke or Prince of Mecklenburg intends to
come here to see the fleet, but nothing, you may rely, shall
force me to go on shore. The hock I ordered to be sent by
the Avaggon. The Harpy will arrive, I ho[)e, to-morrow. The
Speedwell will have a good passage. I have ten millions of
\
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 81
things to say to you, and I long so to let all out. If Minis-
ters had really thought highly of me they should have given
me the command in February, not in May, when I can do no
good. I am sure you will comfort poor blind Mrs. Nelson.
Whatever you do, I will confirm ; and there is an old black
servant, James Price, as good a man as ever lived, he shall be
taken care of, and have a corner in my house as long as he
lives. My uncle left him £20. a-year.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" This day comes on my great cause against the Earl. May
the just gain it. I am glad to hear of your determination
not to leave London 'till my arrival."
I have previously alluded to the misconception of the
Emperor of Russia as to the visit of Nelson in the Revel
Roads. On the 26th a Russian kigger brought a reply to
the letter of Nelson to Count Pahlen upon his departure.
It apologized for the mistake, and expressed an anxious
desire for the restoration of peace, and gave an invitation to
Nelson to Petersburgh in any way most agreeable to himself.
In his reply to this invitation he says, " His Imperial
Majesty's justice has filled the idea I had formed of his excel-
lent heart and head ; and I am sure the handsome manner in
which the embargo has been taken off the British shipping
will give the greatest pleasure to my good and gracious
Sovereign." He added, " I am truly sensible of the great
honour done me by the invitation of his Imperial Majesty,
and at a future time I hope to have the pleasure of present-
ing my humble duty. I have now only to pray, that a per-
manent (which must be honourable) peace may be estab-
lished between our gracious Sovereigns, and that our august
Masters reigns may be blessed with every happiness which
this world can afford."^ When the lugger departed with the
reply she fired a salute, upon which Colonel Stewart says
Lord Nelson observed to his Secretary, upon his return from
the shore, " Did you hear that little fellow salute ? Well,
' Letter Book. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 393.
VOL. IL G
82 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
now there is peace with Russia, depend upon it : our jaunt
to Revel was not so bad after all."
The following was to Lady Hamilton : —
" St. George, Rostock, May 27th, 1801.
'* My dearest Friend,
" A Russian lugger has this moment brought me a letter
from the Russian Minister announcing that the Emperor, to
mark the effect of my letter of the 16th of May, had instantly
taken off the embargo from the English shipping in all the
ports of Russia. This, my dear Friend, is such a strong proof
of peace in the Baltic that this fleet must be home in a very
short time ; but I trust that another Admiral is arrived, or
nearly so, by this time, when I shall set off in two hours.
All the world is come to Rostock to see me, and are much
disappointed at the finding that I do not either go on shore,
or permit them to come on board the St. George. No, never,
I have said so, and would not break my word for all the
world. The London is the show ship. The General of the
troops sent off to desire to make me a visit; my answer was,
that I had no right to expect that honour, as I was unable to
return his visit. However, yesterday, the old General and
three Aides-de-camp came, walked over the ship, such a one as
they had never seen, and went on shore again. I have an-
nounced to the Duke of Mecklenburgh the impossibility of
my going on shore, therefore, he may come or not, as he
pleases, for nothing shall make me go on shore unless to set
off for England, if the Admiralty are unkind enough to refuse
me a ship-of-war to can-y me home, as the late Board did —
but never mind.
" Yours ever,
''Nelson and Bronte.
" Best regards to Sir William, the Duke, Mr. Beckford,
and all our friends. I have just had a deputation of the
Senate to invite me on shore, but jVu."
On the 1st of June Lord Nelson was visited by the Duke
of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, the brother of Queen Charlotte.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 83
To Lady Hamilton he writes : —
"St. George, Rostock, June 1st, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I was in hopes my successor would have been arrived long
before this time, and why he is not I cannot imagine, unless
it is wished to kill me ; for a pistol put to my head would be
charity to keeping me here dying a lingering death. I feel
the cruelty of the measure, for everybody knows my readiness
to serve when I am able, and there is anything to be done,
but in the Baltic there can be nothing, and in fourteen days
I believe we shall not have a ship in the Baltic, for all will be
peace. May God send me safe amongst my friends, who will
nurse and cherish me. I am going to Kioge Bay, there to
wait my successor's arrival, for he cannot be many hours.
Two days ago I had sailed from this place for Kioge Bay,
when, being obliged to anchor with a fine wind, I received a
letter from his Highness the Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz,
brother to the Queen, saying that he was arrived at Rostock
to see me, and desired I would appoint the time for his coming
on board the St. George. I was therefore obliged to return
to this anchorage, and wrote, expressing my sorrow that my
ill health would not allow of the possibility of my going on
shore to wait upon him. Yesterday was a bad day, to-day fine,
and I hope the old gentleman will come off, sixty-one years of
age, and the moment he is gone the anchor shall be at the
bows. Not all the princes in Europe should make me go on
shore. I have said it, and that is sufficient. My word is my
bond. There is one comfort, my dearest friend, they cannot
keep this fleet when it comes peace, which will take place in
ten days at farthest. I do not write all I could, as my letter
goes by way of Hamburgh, and will most probably be read.
" Believe me ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Best regards to Sir William, Hardy, Parker, Stewart, all
desire their respects."
" St. George, June 1st, 1801, 8 a.m.
" My dearest Friend,
" I have been annoyed to death for an hour this day. The
Duke of Mecklenburgh, with his whole Court, men, women,
G 2
84 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP, III.
and children, to the amount of one hundred, I am told, came
on board at two o'clock, but I got rid of them before three.
He is a respectable venerable man, made ten thousand apolo-
gies for the liberty he had taken in bringing so many persons,
for he knew that I had forbid it ; to which I could only reply
that Ju: commanded ; and having given him two salutes of the
whole fleet of twenty-one guns each, he went off quite happy.
He admired your picture most exceedingly, but who does
not ? At daylight I sail for Kioge to wait the arrival of the
new Admiral.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte/'
On the 4th Lord Nelson arrived in Kioge Bay, and wrote
to Captain Ball, the Commander of the Navy at Gibraltar,
pitying the poor Maltese for losing one whose counsel they
anxiously sought, and readily attended to. The apparent dis-
order of Nelson's heart gave rise to a fear of consumption. He
says : " As I know you have always been kind to me, I know
you will be sorry to hear that I have been even at death's
door, apparently in a consumption. I am now rallied a little,
but the disorder is in itself so flattering, that 1 know not
whether I am really better, and no one will tell me, but
all in the fleet are so truly kind to me, that I should be a
wretch not to cheer up. Foley has put me under a regimen
of milk, at four in the morning ; Murray has given me
lozenges, and all have proved their desire to keep my mind
easy, for I hear of no complaints, or other wishes than to have
me with them."^
On the 5th and 8th he wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
"St. George, Kioge Baj', June 5th, 1801.
^' My dearest Friend,
"Little potatoe Harris has this moment given me your
letter. I can only assure you that he brought the best
recommendation in Europe, for if he had brought letters
from all the Kings and Queens, &c. &c. in Europe, they
would have all sunk as they ought before the orders of my
guardian angel. When I consider how my saint Emma has
' Letter Book. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv, p. 401.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 85
protected me, I am always full of gratitude. However, my
devotion ended, as the boy cannot live upon prayers, I have
asked him to dinner, and Hardy has put him in a mess, and
you may rely on my care of him whilst I remain, which I
trust will not be many days. Hardy says our youngsters
amount to thirty-five, and none of them can now be shot at in
the Baltic, if Lord St. Helens manages well. Apropos, you
know him, did you dine with him ? He seems a very mild,
good man, but all our diplomatic men are so slow. His
Lordship told me that he hoped in a month he should be able
to tell me something decisive. Now, what can take two
hours I cannot even guess, but Ministers must do something
for their diamond boxes. I gained the unconditional release
of our ships, which neither Ministers nor Sir Hyde Parker
[could accomplish] , by showing my fleet. Then they became
alarmed, begged I would go away, or it would be considered
as warlike. On my complying, it pleased the Emperor and
his Ministers so much, that the whole of the British shipping
were given up in the following words : ' Je ne saurais donner
a votre Excellence un temoignage plus eclatant de la con-
fiance que I'Empereur mon maitre lui accorda qu'en lui
annon9ant I'efFet qu'a produit sa lettre de 16 de ce mois. Sa
Majeste Imperiale a ordonne sur le champ la lever de I'Em-
bargo mis sur les Navires Anglais.' I must stop, for old
Mr. Sheppard, Purser of the Vanguard, is just come on
board to dine with me. I never forget our old friends, and
Mr. S. is really a good old man, but who is obliged to go to
sea from the extravagance of his children. Old Sheppard
has made his bow to your picture : so I made Harris, and
every one I make do the same, that has the pleasure of
knowing Santa Emma. I am anxious in the extreme at not
getting letters from England, nor any notice of the speedy
arrival of an Admiral.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Best regards to Sir William, the Duke, Lord William,
Mr. Beckford and all friends. Hardy and Parker desire their
regards."
86 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. HI.
" St. George, June 8th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I may now tell you that I have been since April 1 5th
rapidly in a decline, but am now, thank God, I firmly believe,
past all danger. On the 15th of April I rowed five hours in
a bitter cold night, in a boat, as I fancied Sir Hyde Parker
was going after the Swedish fleet. A cold struck me to the
heart. On the 27th I had one of my terrible spasms or
heart-stroke, which had near carried me ofi", and the severe
disappointment of being kept in a situation where there can
be nothing to do before August, almost killed me. From
that time to the end of May I brought up what every one
thought was my lungs, and I was emaciated more than you
can conceive ; but Parker came, and brought me all your
truly aifectionate letters, in particular that of May 5th ; it
roused me, made me reflect that I had still one dear friend
who would not desert me although all the world might. It
gave a turn to my disorder. 1 have been mending ever
since, firmly relying on your goodness, and am perhaps as
V. ell this day as ever I was in my life. I am in momentary
expectation of the arrival of an Admiral, for I must not
remain here. Probably I have lost my cause against Earl
St. Vincent by it ; indeed, after the letters I have wrote,
unless the Admiralty have a desire to see me dead, they can-
not allow me to remain ; but God Almighty has protected
me, in spite of all the little great men. It is this day thirty-
four days since I have had a scrap of a pen from England, so
little do the Admiralty think of us. Merchant ships from
London bring papers of the 23rd of May, but the Admiralty
not a line. Don't you recollect how I got scolded because I
sent letters to them only three ways, and a fourth oflfered —
it happened at Palermo,^ when I was slaving — and for which
the present First Lord of the Admiralty is trying to rob me
of my honourable right; but if I am poor by such unjust
means, what 1 have will wear well, for it is honestly got at
the expense of my blood; thei'efore, never mind them, my
happiness, thank God, does not rest either on their smiles or
frowns. I keep a fast-saihng brig ready to carry me off the
' See Vol. i. page 298, ante.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 87
moment my successor arrives. May the heavens bless and
preserve you, my only true friend. I rejoice that Mrs. W.
Nelson is still with you. I am sureof your goodness to poor
blind Mrs. Nelson ; whatever you promise her I will most
punctually perform. Best regards to all friends.
'' Ever yours,
•'Nelson and Bronte."
Colonel Stewart had been dispatched to Copenhagen, and
wrote to Lord Nelson as follows : —
" Copenhagen, June 8th.
" My dear Lord,
" I came here yesterday by water from Kioge through the
Amack Channel, which is of an infinitely more intricate descrip-
tion than I had formed to myself an idea of. The greater part
of the Strait, which begins across from Draco to the main, is so
very shallow, as to admit of no vessels of any burden or draft of
water above six feet in general, and the shallowest reef begins
and seems to go right across at least four miles from this
town. Yesterday being Sunday, no Ministers were in town,
nor have I yet been able to find either Mr. Lizakowitz or
Mr. WalterstorfF at home, being not returned from the coun-
try. I had, however, occasion to have much explanation
with the Governor, the Prince of Wurtemberg, relative to a
very cavalier manner in which they sent on board the
schooner again one or two of the sailors who had only landed
with the St. George's officers' clothes, and to the circum-
stance of every officer being obliged to be attended by a
Danish serjeant, if walking the streets. The Prince put
everything on the best intentioned footing which I believe he
could, but I could not bring matters to much understanding
about the unpleasant mode in which our officers were followed
by what they call ' military attention,' until Lindholm went
to the Prince about it this morning, who has, I find, given
directions that every such symptom of jealousy should cease
in future.
" I have had fifty reports and informations about the hos-
tility of the Danes towards us, the preparations for future
offence, as well as defence, their breach of the armistice by
88 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
repair and refit of their ships, &c. and have reason to think,
from what could be gathered from a good deal of conversation
with Lindholra this morning, that the sum total is, the whole
nation is enraged at the loss of their colonies, and are cer-
tainly carrying on every preparation in their power, as far as
relates to land operations, w^hich Lindholm will, I think,
explain to your Lordship as a measure of general preparation
against the worst which may come on all sides. As he
intends to be on board the St. George to-morrow, I need
scarcely trouble you, my Lord, with the substance of our
conversation this day, and will only observe, that he seems to
feel equally confident of a peace as we do, but cannot help
expressing the ill-humoured grace with which it will noio be
received, since the loss (which they pretend to call vnex-
pected) of their colonies. To that event, rather than to new
instructions supposed to have been conveyed from Peters-
burgh in the Russian brig, is, I believe, to be attributed the
hostile feature which every thing has borne within these last
ten days, I taxed Mr. L. pretty roundly with the circum-
stance of the refit of their ships, which you will find he will
positively deny : I think, however, I shall ascertain before I
leave this. As to appearances, they are the same to my eye
as when here before ; but I have scarcely had a view. I
have been contending hard with the old lady of the hotel
here to let me send by this conveyance the last three English
papers, but she will not let them leave the club room. I
however perceive no news in them, and no confirmation of
the Guadaloupe surrender. Mr. Lindholm has informed me
that by the Hamburgh mail, which is just amved, the French
are retaking possession of Ehrenbreitstein, and marching
50,000 men into Germany — that the King of Prussia is
receding from Hanover — that 10,000 French have been
shipped from Ancona into Turkey — and that we are in pos-
session of Rosetta, the Grand Vizir's advance being within
three days march of that place.
" Mr. Balfour promises to send this safe ofiT, and also his
newspapers the moment he receives them. I shall proceed to
join you, my dear Lord, to-morrow night, if the Blancldsseuse
be expeditious, if not at least on Wednesday morning, and
shall do so with even more pleasure than I always must feel
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 89
to join you, on this occasion, as the ill-natured and jealous
eye, with which we English are now viewed here, is not very
tempting to a longer residence among the Danes than is
necessary. I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect
and gratitude,
" Your Lordship's most faithful servant,
"Wm. Stewart.
" My head is so annoying with the continuation of my cold,
that I fear I have been penning sadly confused stuff."
The following to Lady Hamilton relates to the feeling of
the Danes in regard to their West India islands : —
" St. George, June 10th, 1801, Kioge Bay.
" My dearest Friend,
"It is now thirty- six days since I received the scrap of a
pen from England, although the wind has blown fair these
four days. What it means is beyond my comprehension. We
have newspapers to the 25th by which I see no movements
of a new Admiral. / duly appreciate the kindness of the
Admiralty, and nothing I believe but God's protection has
saved my life, and thank God, but not them, I am perfectly
recovered, and as far as relates to health, I don't think I ever
was stronger or in better health. It is odd, but after severe
illness I feel much better. I continue my warm milk every
morning at four o'clock. In ten days the fleet must be
ordered home, for no power in the Baltic will fight us this
year. I shall not forget all these things. Yesterday I had
the Prince Royal's Adjutant on board to dinner, with a civil
message from the Prince. The Danes have a great confidence
in my opinion, and we had much confidential conversation,
therefore you may rely that Denmark fights no more against
me, but I find the whole country is in a ferment at the un-
usual and hard capitulation forced upon their West India
islands, and so I think them, such as even the French under
monarchy never imposed when they took our islands last
war.
"June nth. This day twenty- two years I was made a Post
Captain by Sir Peter Parker,^ as good a man as ever lived.
' See Vol. i. p. 7, note.
90 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP, III.
If you meet him again, say that I shall drink his health in a
bumper this day, for I do not forget that I owe my present
exalted rank to his partiaUty, although I feel, if I had even
been in an humbler sphere, that Nelson would have been
Nelson still. My eyes are almost stretched out looking at that
point of land where ships come from England, but alas ! not
a thing to be seen. I begin to be very uneasy. Little Harris
has begged that he may have a full dress suit of uniform,
which I have promised him when we get to England. If he is
kept in order he will be a good young man, and with thirty-
five there is no great danger of his being spoilt, but he is too
much for his age. When will any thing arrive ? May she
bring me as kind affectionate letters as the last, and I shall
bear till our arrival, which cannot be many days."
Captain Ball wrote to Lord Nelson to congratulate him on
his victory : —
" Alexander at sea, 10th June, 1801.
^' My dear Lord,
" Never did I feel a more joyful and happy moment, than
when I heard of your Lordship's most glorious victory over
the Danes. You may now claim the fairest title to Cccsar's
motto, ' Veni, vidi,' &c. and this last brilliant occasion has
proved to the world, that you possess the abilities of a states-
man as well as the qualities of a great hero. May God
preserve your Lordship's health to the end of a long life, that
you may enjoy your great fame and well-earned laurels.
" Mrs. Ball has sent me a copy of your Lordship's letter
to her respecting me, for which I can only offer the senti-
ments of the most grateful heart. It is truly flattering to me
that your Lordship should be exerting every friendly effort
to serve me at a time that yon must be so fully occupied.
Your Lordship has endeavoured to get me established at
Malta ; but I believe it would be much easier for you to gain
another signal victory, than in this one instance, to conquer
the jobbing system, although the Ministers are called to act
patriotically by the unanimous voice of ninety thousand
people, who have only asked this one favour of our Govern-
ment, the refusal of which will not be forgiven ; as the Maltese
perceive that they are treated as a conquered people. When
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 91
Sir R. Abercromby paid a second visit to Malta, where he
staid a month, it was his intention to have sent me on board
of my ship, but the Bishop at the head of the clergy, and all
the corporate bodies waited on him to express their gratitude
to me, and solicit that I might not be removed, which Sir
Ralph found was the effect of real attachment ; and as he
risked losing the island by removing me, he requested me to
remain some time longer. The Maltese were so oppressed
by General Pigot's government, that they had planned an
insurrection, which would have broken out but for the assu-
rances I gave them that their grievances would soon be
redressed. I inclose an extract of a letter from Mr. Paget to
Lord Grenville, and an extract from Sir Ralph's letter to me.^
"General Pigot was second in command of the army under
Sir R. Abercromby, and was landed at Malta to make way
for General Hutchinson to be second, who was a great favorite.
A General Officer told a friend of mine that he might perceive
Sir Ralph's opinion of the improbability of Malta surren-
dering by his giving the command to Pigot, who had orders
to act only on the defensive, and it was agreed on between
Lord Keith and Sir Ralph to withdraw our forces from
Malta the first week in October, and it would have been done
before, but from my sanguine report. Luckily for the credit
of our country, it surrendered in September ; the blockade of
Malta has certainly contributed to strengthen the high opinion
foreigners entertain of our naval abilities and wonderful per-
severance. I expect Hallowell at Malta soon by whom I
shall write more fully. I am very happy to hear that the
worthy Sir William and my dear sister Hamilton are well. I
beg my best respects to them.
" Troubridge has proved himself my warm friend, he has
endeavoured to get me established at Malta, and has spoken
in his strong language very fully his sentiments. Ministers
may be sorry, when it is too late, at not having complied with
the wishes of the Maltese. Adieu, my dear Lord, may God
continue to protect you, and increase your prosperity, is the
fervent prayer of
" Your Lordship's obliged and devoted,
"Alexander John Ball."
' These are wanting.
92 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
The following is from the Danish Adjutant-General, Lind-
holm : —
" His Britannic Majesty's brig the Kite,
June the 10th, 1801, at nooii.
"My Lord,
"I have this moment received a letter from his Royal
Highness the Crown Prince, who has given me orders to
communicate to your Lordship that on the evening of the
8th, some English officers were on shore at Copenhagen, from
his Majesty's schooner the Eling, and that some dispute had
arisen between them and the populace of that city, but for-
tunately being near the guard, the officers thereof interfered
immediately, and prevented any injury being done. The
irritation of the people must be occasioned by the capture
of our West India possessions, and from their idea that the
capitulation is severer than they could have expected, con-
sidering the nature of the dispute between the two countries,
for until that news arrived Sir Thomas Williams, Captain
Devonshire, and other officers were on shore, did me the
honour to call on me, and walked about the city entirely un-
molested, and as a proof that his Royal Highness has endea-
voured to prevent any disrespect being paid to the British
officers since that time he had ordered that a non-commis-
sioned officer should attend them to interfere in case of need.
It gives his Royal Highness pain that this circumstance
should have happened, and he certainly will prevent any
repetition thereof as much as lays in his power ; but his
Royal Highness thinks the surest and most effectual manner
of preventing it, in the present moment of the displeasure of
the people, is, that the British officers should not go on
shore at that city until the so much wished for happy re-
conciliation is settled between the two Courts. I beg your
Lordship will excuse my not stating to you personally what
I have the honour of writing, for in attempting to land last
night at Kioge, it was so dark we could not find the harbour,
and after being three hours in the boat we returned very wet
to the Kite. I am awaiting the abatement of the wind to go
on shore to shift myself, and if the weather is moderate I
will certainly wait on yQur Lordship to-morrow ; but if on
1801.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 93
the contrary it should be stormy, I pray your Lordship will
have the kindness to send a small vessel as near the harbour
of Kioge as is safe, in order to facilitate my wish of waiting
on your Lordship as early as possible.
" Your Lordship^s kind reception of me yesterday, and the
great attention and civility I experienced while on board the
St. George, made that day one of the pleasantest of my life ;
but all the joy that arose in consequence thereof is damped
by this very disagreeable and unpleasant communication
which falls to my lot to be the conveyer of to your Lordship,
as I assure your Lordship it is my private hope and I am
sure it is also that of his Royal Highness, that this unplea-
sant accident may not be the cause of any coolness or altera-
tion in the harmony that has subsisted since the conclusion
of the armistice. With sentiments of the most unfeigned
regard, I have the honour to subscribe myself, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient, and most
" Humble servant,
" H. LlNDHOLM.
"The Right Honourable Lord Viscount Nelson,
&c. &c. &c."
Nelson, always alert, immediately wrote to express his hope
that if any serious insult had been offered by any persons
to British officers, they would be brought to punishment.
Adjutant- General Lindholm writes : —
" Kioge, June 11th, 1801.
'' My Lord,
" I beg your Lordship will excuse me for not having the
honour to wait on you to-day, as I am very unwell, and wish
to go to Copenhagen as soon as possible. I hear that a
Midshipman from the Eling is the cause of a little trouble
which was of no consequence. I was almost sure that our
populace has not been the aggressor, but I will not accuse
any man. I hope and I wish that no animosity will exist
between two nations who have been friends in many cen-
turies.
'* Permit me, my Lord, to ask if one of our frigates who is
94 LTFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL. [CIIAP. III.
arrived in Norway from the Mediterranean can return to
Copenhagen ?
" I have the honour to remain, with the highest esteem,
'^ My Lord,
" Your Lordship's
*' Most obedient and most humble servant,
^'H. LiNDHOLM.
" Right Honourable Lord Viscount Nelson,
Commander-in-chief, &c. &c."
"Kioge, June 11th, 1801.
" My Lord,
" I have this moment had the honour to receive your
Lordship's letter, brought me by an officer of the Kite. I
am very sorry that I cannot, so much I desired, wait on your
Lordship, as I am sick, and am going to Copenhagen this
evening.
" Your Lordship may be assured that our Government
certainly will punish any man who dared give the least insult
to any British subject, and certainly that will never be the
case ; but I am afraid that perhaps some young men will not
always be so cautious as they should.
" I beg once more that your Lordship will excuse me for
not coming. I hope I shall soon have the honour to wait on
your Lordship. I am, with sentiments of high esteem and
respect, my Lord,
' Your Lordship's most obedient, and
"Most humble servant,
" W. LiNDHOl.M,
" Right Honourable Lord Viscount Nelson,
&c. &c. &c."
To this, Nelson replied, " Respecting my permitting a
Danish frigate to pass from Norway to Copeidiagen, I beg
leave to inform his Royal Highness, that I have no power
whatever to grant such permission. On the contrary, the
Government of Denmark having refused to allow of Norway
being included in the armistice, I believe that there would be
no impropriety in any English man-of-war attacking them in
the ports of Norwav, much less if they put to sea, as Den-
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 95
mark has refused the temporary neutrahty for that kingdom ;
but I have no doubt the British Government will do every
thing of that nature, which his Royal Highness may think
proper to ask''
Lord Nelson directed Captain Sutton^ on the 11th to cruise
between the Koll and Zealand to intercept Danish vessels
laden with warlike stores, &c. I find a copy of this letter as
follows : —
" St. George, Kioge Bay, June 11th, 1801.
« Sir,
" Having received information that a ship is bound from
Copenhagen to Norway, loaded with cannon, and also that
some other vessels are about sailing from Copenhagen, loaded
with naval stores, contrary to the terms and spirit of not
only the armistice, but also to the kindness of Sir Hyde
Parker and the Bi'itish Government, who allowed provisions
to pass from Denmark into Norway ; I therefore desire that
you will proceed through the Belt, and cruise between the
Koll and the Island of Zealand, and endeavour to intercept
the ship and vessels above described, as also all other vessels
which may be bound from Copenhagen or other parts of the
Danish dominions to Norway, Iceland, Faro, or Greenland,
loaded with warlike stores or naval stores ; and you will send
such ships as you may seize, of the above description, to
England, and as there is a squadron of Danish ships of war
' Sir John Sutton attained the rank of Post Captain in 1782, and in 1793 was
appointed to the Romulus of 36 guns, in which he proceeded to the Mediterra-
nean, and afterwards commanded the Egmont of 74 guns. He was in the action
in Gourjean Bay in 1 795 with Sir Davidge Gould, and also off the Hieres islands
under Vice- Admiral Hotham. In 1796 he headed a party of boats belonging to
a squadron sent to Tunis by Vice-Admiral Waldegrave, made an attack on some
French vessels, and captured the Nemesis of 28 guns, the Sardine of 22 guns,
and two other armed vessels. He served with Nelson at the evacuation of
Corsica, and assisted in transporting the valuable public stores and other property
to Porto Fei-rajo. He was an able officer on the 14th of February 1797, off Cape
St. Vincent, and received a gold medal on this occasion. He afterwards served
in the Channel fleet, had the command of the Superb, of 74 guns, and in 1801 was
made Captain of the Fleet, under the Honourable W. Cornwallis. In 1804 he
was made a Rear-Admiral, and appointed to the harbour duty at Plymouth. In
this he continued until 1809, when he was made a Vice- Admiral, and appointed
Commander-in-chief on the Halifax station. He was made K.C.B. on January 2,
1815, became a full Admiral in 1819, and died at Ramsgate, an Admu-al of the
White, August 8, 1825, at the age of 67 years.
9fi LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [chAp. HI.
in Norway, who may wish to get to Copenhagen, it is my
direction that you do your utmost in endeavouring to prevent
their coming to Copenhagen ; but you are to acquaint the
Commander of your orders, and if he consents to remain
with you till you receive directions from me or any other,
your superior officer, for your conduct ; in that case you are
to allow him, or them, to keep their colours flying; but if
they refuse your reasonable request, it is my direction, that
you use your utmost endeavours to take possession of him
or them, and acquaint me, or the Secretary of the Admiralty,
as the case may require, of your proceedings.
" I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Samuel Sutton, Esq.
Captain of H.M. Ship Amazon."
Nelson was exceedingly dissatisfied with the conduct of
the Danes. He considered the conditions of his armistice
disregarded. " Ships (he says) have been masted, guns taken
on board, floating batteries prepared ; in short every thing
is doing, as my reporters say, in defiance of the treaty, except
hauling out, and completing their rigging."^ And to Earl
' To Evan Nepean, Esq. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 411. The evi-
dence upon which Nelson makes these complaints, was afforded by the following
report obtained by the Hon. Colonel Stewart, which I find among the Nelson
Papers : —
' ' Note of Ships of War noic in the Harbour of Copenhagen.
"Ten sail of the line, two thereof new ships of eighty guns, viz. the Neptunas
and Waldemar. These ships are in the same state as before the action of the
2nd of April — having their guns on board, lower rigging set up, and topmasts
ready to send up — are supposed to be the best ships in the navy, and have lately
undergone a thorough repairing.
" Two sloops of war of 20 to 24 guns, new ships, the same as above.
" One new line of battle ship of 80 guns — took in her lower masts and bowsprit
last week.
" One ship of 80 guns fitting out with all expedition, may be ready to take in
her masts in the course of a fortnight.
" Three old ships of 60 to 70 guns, supposed to be fitting out for block ships,
such as command the entrance of the Channel, or what is termed the Northern
line of defence.
" One line-of-battle ship at present in dock.
" One frigate of 36 guns fitting out.
" Three cut down frigates, supposed to be intended for block ships or floating
batteries.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 97
St. Vincent on the 14th he writes : '' I see every thing which
is dirty and mean going on, and the Prince Royal at the head
of it ; but your astonishment will cease when I assure you
that a French Republican officer, in his uniform, feathers, &c.
is always with his Royal Highness. The measure is so
indelicate towards England, that you will not be surprised,
if every thing, which is sacred amongst nations of honour,
should be broken. The Armistice, except their ships being
absolutely hauled out, has been totally disregarded."^
His health improved greatly, and he wrote to Rear- Admiral
Totty, and to Mr. Davison of its re-establishment. To the
latter he says, " That great and good Being, who has so often
taken care of me, has still protected me, and I am recovered
contrary, I am sure, to the expectation of myself, and every
one in this fleet : and within these last four days, am got
stronger and better than I almost ever felt myself.^' He
adds : " All my friends in the fleet have been more than kind
to me. If I had not been so ill, I should, perhaps, not have
believed how much I am respected, I may almost say beloved, in
the fleet. Even Admiral Totty, an entire stranger to me, writes
me, — ' Your Lordship talks of going to England. I hope in
God you will not stir from the Baltic until every thing is
settled, and you take us all with you.' " Lord Nelson also
alludes in this letter to '^ poor Mrs. Nelson :" " I am sure you
" One floating battery of 24 guns, saved on the 2nd of April,
" One polacre of 24 guns — formeriy the guard-ship.
" All the gun-boats saved on the 2nd of April have their sails bent, and seem-
ingly ready for sea.
" Copenhagen, y« 8tk June, 1801.
" Ships of War laying in the Inner Roads,
"■ Two ships of the line completely rigged and sails bent.
" One frigate do.
" Three brig cutters.
" Two line-of-battle block ships, and one 24-gun battery, a bomb, forming the
Northern line of defence.
" The new ship formerly mentioned has got in some of her lower-deck guns
this forenoon, and has men on board to rig her out with all expedition.
"Two of the cut down frigates have each twenty carpenters on board, and the
other eighty-gun ship upwards of fifty, they work extra hours.
" Wednesday, 2 o'clock."
' Letters and Dispatches, Vol. iv. p. 412.
VOL. II. H
98 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
have done every thing which is proper and kind for poor Mrs.
Nelson : be Uberal, and let her want for no comfort. I never
wanted to make money of any one. The dead cannot do any
more kindness than to repose a confidence in the living.
Never shall poor Maurice, can he know what is going on, be
sorry for his goodness to me,"
TO LADY HAMILTON.
•' St. George, Kioge Bay, June 12th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
*' I am writing a last line as the Pylades is getting under
sail, and in the moment a cutter is reported to be in sight.
I am all now anxiety, therefore cannot get on, so you must
excuse my short letter of this day, but since I wrote yesterday
not a piece of news nor a boat has been on board. Let me
have good, good news, it cannot be too good. Yes, then it
would distract me with happiness — if bad from you it would
so grieve me that I should become melancholy. Thirty-seven
days, not a scrap of a pen. Bear me up.
" Ever your faithful,
" Nelson and Bronte."
'^ My dearest Friend,
" I am overjoyed. I shall be better and happier than ever,
and be as soon in England as possible. I have sent off four
letters this day, two by Troubridge, and two by Davison —
this makes five.
"• Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
"11 at night.
'■^ June \2tJi. Have only read the Admiral's letter, and that
Admiral Pole is coming. Will write to-morrow if I keep my
senses."
His anxiety to be relieved was now met by the appoint-
ment of Admiral (afterwards Sir Charles Morice) Pole,^ an
» Sir Charles Morice Pole, Bart, was descended from the Poles of Shute in
Devonshire, and born January 18, 1757. He was educated at the Royal Naval
1801.1 LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 99
early friend of Nelson^s. He invested Rear-Admiral Graves'
with the Order of the Bath agreeably to the commands of
College at Portsmouth, sailed as a Midshipman with Captain Locker in the
Thames frigate in 1772, and afterwards accompanied Su- Edward Hughes to the
East Indies, where he was made Lieutenant of the Seahorse^ when he formed ac-
quaintance with Nelson. On the surrender of Pondicherry in 1778 he was made
a Commander, and on March 22, 1779, a Post Captain. He was in the following
year appointed to the Hussar of 28 guns, which, by the unskilfulness of a pilot,
was lost in North America. He conveyed Vice- Admiral Arbuthnot's dispatches to
England, and was then appointed to the Success of 32 guns, in which, in 1782, he
fought a severe action with, and took the Santa Catalina of 34 guns, the largest
frigate at that time in the Spanish service. Upon the establishment of peace in
1783 he was appointed to a guard-ship, and in 1790 to the Melampus, then to
the Illustrious, and was made a Groom of the Bedchamber to his Royal Highness
the Duke of Clarence. Upon the breaking out of the Revolutionary war. Sir
Charles Pole was appointed to the Colossus, and accompanied Vice-Admiral
Hotham to the Mediterranean. Upon his return to England in 1793 he was made
a Rear-Admiral, served in the Channel Fleet, went to the West Indies under Sir
Hugh Christian, displayed great activity and ability, and upon his return was
made First Captain of the Grand Fleet, under the command of Lord Bridport. In
1799 he was moved into the Royal George, joined Rear-Admiral Berkeley's
squadron, and engaged five Spanish line-of-battle ships. He was afterwards named
Commander-in-chief and Governor of Newfoundland, whither he proceeded in
the Agincom-t of 64 guns, but was recalled to take Lord Nelson's place in the
Baltic in 1801, having on the 1st of January of this year attained the rank of Vice-
Admiral. Having seen an end to the Northern Confederacy, he was engaged off
Cadiz, and was for his services raised to the dignity of a Baronet, September 12,
1801. He represented the Borough of Newark-upon-Trent in Parliament in
1802, took an active part in the discussion of Naval matters in the House of
Commons, and was made Chaii'man of a Board to inquire into certain Naval
abuses, after which, in 1806, he was made one of the Lords of the Admnalty, but
retired upon a change of Administration in October of this year. At the general
promotion after the Battle of Trafalgar, Sir Charles Pole was made a full Admiral
and received the honour of G.C.B. He died an Admiral of the White at his
seat, Wolverton Park, Hants, June 10, 1813.
' Sir Thomas Graves was the son of a Clergyman, who settled in the north of
Ireland, and nephew to Admiral Samuel Graves, through whose interest he was
introduced into the navy, prior to the American war. He was selected by Lord
M nigra ve to accompany the expedition to the North Pole. With Commodore
Hotham he was engaged in many services of great peril and difficulty, and uniformly
displayed the greatest gallantry. Upon the bi-eaking out of hostilities with France,
he was sent to the West Indies, and aftei-wards appointed to the Bedford, 74 guns,
and served in America under his relation, Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves, after-
wards Lord Graves, who was Commander-in-chief in North America. He was sub-
sequently engaged in the encounter with the Comte de Grasse, in 1782, and then in
a desperate contest with La Sybille, French frigate. In 1801 he was raised to the
rank of Rear-Admiral of the White, and proceeded to the Baltic with Sir Hyde
Parker At the attack on Copenhagen he was second in command under Lord
H 2
100 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL. [CHAP. III.
George III. as a mark of distinction for his conduct at Co-
penhagen, and according to Colonel Stewart this ceremony
was performed in a very distinguished manner. Nelson laid the
sword across the Admiral's shoulder, in the name of his Sove-
reign, and addressed him in a dignified and animated speech :
" Never (says Colonel Stewart) was Knight more honourably
invested." The same excellent authority also acquaints us
that Nelson's departure from the fleet was matter of deep
regret to all, and that there was a complete depression of
spirits on the occasion.
Nelson was much gratified by the manner in which his
return to England was granted, as the letter from Mr. Nepean
communicating the same was accompanied with the following
expressions : " I have their Lordships' further commands to
acquaint your Lordship, that your services in the Baltic have
met their entire approbation, and to assure you that they
feel the greatest concern that the state of your health should
render it necessary you should quit the command, by which
your country must be deprived (though it is hoped only for
a short time) of the advantage of your Lordship's talents and
experience, which have been so conspicuous on all occasions."
Lord Nelson alludes to the investiture and the levee in the
following letter to Lady Hamilton : —
"June 13th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I was so overcome yesterday with the good and happy
news that came about my going home, that I believe I was in
truth scarcely myself. The thoughts of going do me good, yet
all night I was so restless that I could not sleep. It is nearly
calm, therefore Admiral Pole cannot get on. I wish I had a
rope fast to him, I believe I should pull myself to pieces, but
I will have a little more patience ; but my nails are so long,
Nelson, who has spoken nobly of the services of his friend. The Order of the
Bath was bestowed on him, and Nelson deputed to invest him with it, as will be
seen by Nelson's letters on this occasion. He was made Rear- Admiral of the
Red in 1804, and afterwards commanded in the Home or Channel fleet. In 1805
he was made Vice-Admiral, and obliged to return home from ill health. He
attained the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Blue, and died at his seat, Woodbine
Cottage, near Honiton, March 29, 1814.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 101
not cut since February, that I am afraid of their breaking,
but I should have thought it treason to have cut them, as
long as there was a possibility of my returning for my old
dear friend to do the job for me. How is Sir William —
better ? I shall do as you please about going into the country,
but in the party to Wales there will be Mr. Greville, who
I am sure will be a stop to many of our conversations, for
we are used to speak our minds freely of Kings and beggars,
and not fear being betrayed. Do you think of all this against
my arrival.
"June \4:t?i. Looking out very sharp for Admiral Pole. If
he was not to come I believe it would kill me. I am ready
to start the moment I have talked with him one hour. This
day I am going to invest Sir Thomas Graves with the ensigns
of the Order of the Bath. He will be knighted with the
sword given me by the Captains of the Nile. Your green
chair is to represent the throne, placed under a canopy, made
of the Royal standard, and elevated. Your blue satin pillow
is to carry the ribbon, star, and commission, and Hardy has
trimmed out the quarter-deck in his usual style of elegance.
" Sunday evening, June 14M, 9 o'clock. Our parade is over,
I have acted as King as well as I could. I have letters from
Tyson of April 12th, he seems, poor fellow, very unhappy
about his wife. The wind is fair for Admiral Pole, he must
be here to-morrow, and I shall sail next day.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte/^
'^ June \5th. The wind is fair for Admiral Pole ; he must
arrive in the course of the day. How slow he moves — at
least in my idea. I shall move faster homewards. Best
regards to all our friends. My brother scolds me because I
do not write to him. If he knew as you do what I have
[to do] for near 80 sail of pendants he would not think so,
but he has no patience, and now thinks that what would have
satisfied him before, and which he has neither got, or is likely
to get, is not worth his acceptance. Best regards to Mrs.
Nelson."
Captain Parker also wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
102 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
" H, M. Ship, St. George, Kioge Bay,
June 14, 1801.
" My Lady,
" You are so very kind in every instance to me, and have
been so continually my friend, that I should be most un-
grateful was I not to acknowledge so many and repeated
favours and attentions. I feel most particularly gratified at
the receipt of your friendly epistle inclosed to my most
valuable friend for me, and am happy beyond measure to tell
you he has most perfectly recovered his late indisposition,
which I assure you was such as to excite no little alarm in
my breast, when I first saw him ; but, thank God, the change
of scene, added to the hopes he had of constantly receiving
orders to go home from his own request, buoyed him up
against the indisposition he laboured under, and the fresh
and certain intelligence of another Admiral quitting England
to take this command has altered him to every thing we can
wish. He can, thank God, now eat and drink, laugh and
joke, and in short, I never before saw him in such spirits.
He purposes allowing me the honour of going home with
him, and you can, I am sure, knowing the affectionate esteem
I have for him, well conceive how peculiarly happy such
attentions from him must make me.
<' I got your letter by the Phcenix last night; she left
England on the 5th, at which time Admiral Pole was at Yar-
mouth waiting for the ^Eolus^s arrival to bring him out, and
as the winds have been fair since that time, we are in hourly
expectation of seeing him. The great and good Lord Nelson
is anxious for the moment, and has so judiciously arranged
all his papers that I do not think he will be six hours in
preparing to quit the St. George. The great regret all the
officers feel at losing their noble patron is distressing to
witness. Hardy, who begs me not to forget him to you,
remains with Admiral Pole, and I feel not a little interested,
and indeed enthusiastic at accompanying the hero of Aboukir
and Copenhagen to England. I hope my sister feels as
much obliged to you as I do, and that she has not forgotten
to acknowledge with respect and gratitude your mark of
kindness. I have given her a strict order to wear it and
reverence the man whose conduct claims such general admi-
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 103
ration. I am glad to hear the beautiful Horatia is so well,
and shall not easily forget your proposal, which I leave you
to make to the Admiral. This day we have had grand doings
on board — Lord Nelson, by the command of the King, has
invested Sir Thomas Graves with the Knighthood of the
Bath, and in the most handsome style, all the Captains of the
fleet, full-dressed, present, under the Royal Standard, a grand
guard, and a salute of twenty-one guns. I had the honour
to carry the sword of the Nile with which Sir Thomas was
knighted. At the close of this august ceremony Lord Nelson,
with his usual goodness and ability, made one of the most
appropriate and elegant speeches I ever heard ; it pleased and
awed everybody, and expressed how amply rewarded all
glorious actions were by our Sovereign and our country. My
best respects to Sir William, and Mrs. Nelson, nor do I
forget Horatia, and with great esteem I remain, your Lady-
ship's most grateful servant,
"E. T. Parker.
" You will soon see Lord Nelson in London. He says he
will not let much grass grow under his feet after he lands
until he sees you."
Another of Nelson's favourite Captains, who had heard
that Sir William Hamilton was to be the Governor of Malta,
wrote to congratulate her Ladyship : —
" Minotaur, off Alexandria,
June 15th, 1801.
"Dear Lady Hamilton,
'* Although a considerable time has passed since I had the
honour of taking my leave at Leghorn, believe me, I have
not been backward in my inquiries after your health and Sir
William's, and I have very often thought of writing ; but this
country has been so dull since you left it, that nothing but
misfortunes and scenes of misery have taken place, and the
many comforts we used to enjoy at the different places, are
now vanished, and I am sorry to say, the French, with all
their villainy, have taken possession.
" I shall ever acknowledge the many kind attentions
104 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. Ill'
shewn me by you and Sir William, and I often, very often,
regret the change that has taken place, and most sincerely
hope the new appointment of Sir WiUiam Hamilton will
answer his expectation, and which I most sincerely congra-
tulate you both upon. The Governorship of Malta, which
we are informed for certain is given to Sir William, may he
live many years to enjoy it, and you to partake of every
comfort. No doubt by the time he comes out, we shall have
peace, and with a little of your good management, things
may be brought round in this country, to make it pleasant
once more.
" Our valuable friend. Lord Nelson, has been adding new
laurels ; may he live long to enjoy them. I have to lament
my not going home, when I might have stood a chance to
have been one of his party : I like no better company, I
assure you. I hope if this country is to fall, that it will be
soon, then no doubt it will be Minotaur's turn to go to Old
England, when I shall have the pleasure and satisfaction of
paying my respects to you and all my friends. I beg my
kind remembrance to Sir William and Lord Nelson, when
you see him. Miss Knight I had a line from some time
since. My best wishes to her and Mrs. Cadogan. If I can
be of any service to you or Sir William, in this part of the
world, you have only to command me, and believe me with
great truth, and every sincere wish, your much obliged and
obedient humble servant,
"Thomas Louis.
'* P. S. Part of our army with Turks, &c. are near Cairo.
/ wish they were in it."
Lord Nelson quitted the Baltic on the 19th, and sailed in
the Kite brig for England, being unwilling to deprive the fleet
of a large vessel. He was at this time in correspondence
with the Prince Castelcicala relative to the affairs of Naples,
and received the following from his Highness : —
" My noble and respected Friend,
" I received your obliging and very interesting letter yes-
terday. Accept, my dear Lord, my earnest thanks for the
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSOX. 105
interest you shew for the welfare of the Two SiciKes, in this
important event, a peace ; an interest worthy of you who saved
those kingdoms. We are under great obhgations to Eng-
land. My sentiments, my dear friend, towards the cursed
French, remain unaUered, and I shall ever hate them, but in
my opinion, the state of things in Europe cannot remain very
long as it is ; time will shew, but the prospect is not cheering.
I wrote yesterday to our good King and Queen. Nothing
can possibly more gratify my patrons than the affectionate
expressions of your Excellency's sentiments towards them in
your letter to me, to which they are so greatly indebted, and
of which I am also so gratefully sensible. I have written again
to Sir John Acton what you wrote to me for him. I ardently
wish for your return to London, my dear friend, that I may
have the pleasure of seeing you and talking with you ; the
moment I learn you have returned I shall hasten to you.
My wife presents her kind regards and compliments to you,
as well as all my little family. Ever faithful in my attach-
ment and admiration of your incomparable virtues, my Lord,
until my last breath I shall respect, and with the greatest
gratitude, veneration, and esteem, remain,
" Your Excellency's obliged, faithful,
^^ and affectionate friend,
" Castelcicala.
" To liis Excellency the Duke of Bronte,
Lord Viscount Nelson."
The Queen of Naples directed the following to Lady
Hamilton : —
"Vienna, February 11, 1801.
" My dear Lady,
" I received your letter of the month of November by the
courier sent by the good Prince de Castelcicala. I much wish
to have further news from you, and to know how the Cheva-
lier is, and if he thinks of returning to the genial climate of
Italy, and tell me how you also find yourself situated, whether
you are comfortable, for I am interested in everything that
concerns such friends as you are, and I trust, ever will be.
1 say nothing of our troubles, the public papers have made
106 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. III.
you acquainted with them. The state of this monarchy is so
reduced that the natives and their famihes are shocked by it.
The general quarters of the army is at Schonbrun, and the
insurrectionary Hungarians are one half in Luxembourg, the
other still in Hungary. We were on the point of starting at
Christmas, my people and baggage were already at Brun. Now
I tremble for Italy, for the scoundrel Le Brun will not agree
to an armistice, and I apprehend if he does he will not in-
clude us in it. The King, the Prince, and Princess, are all
well, their two children have had the small-pox naturally, and
very favourably, and are already quite recovered. All was
quiet in our two kingdoms. I live very retired here. Har-
mony is in some degree established in our family. I shall
hold the Empress's child at the baptismal font, and she
will hold Louisa's. I do not go out at all now, for I have
a violent cold, which torments me very much. St. Marco
Corigliano is here. Luchesi also arrived last night. In the
general alarm and departure at Christmas I sent poor
D° Carolina and her family to Trieste. Adieu, my dear
Lady, send me word how you feel, if you are happy, what
your prospects are ; all that concerns you interests me. Bel-
mont has left Russia in very bad health ; he could not stop
there, all their proceedings were insupportable to him. He
travels slowly by way of Germany, and will perhaps be at the
marriage of his brother with the Princess of Courland, which
takes place this month in Saxony. Adieu, my compliments
to the Chevalier, and to the valorous and dear Lord Nelson,
the hero of the Nile. How often I think of him. Adieu, my
dear Lady, I hope some day to see you again, and rely on my
constant friendship, which will cease only with the life of
your tender and sincere friend,
"Charlotte.
" All my dear children make their compliments to you ; they
are all well, thank God, but our misfortunes leave me no hope
of establishing them. Adieu, again adieu."
" March 31, 1801.
" My dear Lady,
** Your letter has quite distressed me, for I see you are neither
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 107
SO happy nor as satisfied as my sincere and grateful heart,
and true friendship for you, would desire you to be, but
these are bad times, and there is nothing but suffering. I
have been ill again, I cannot quite recover, but, thank God,
I am able to move about. My dear daughters are quite well,
thank Heaven, and form my only consolation, though mingled
with sorrow too, seeing, as I do, that there is no establish-
ment for them, and thinking, if I die, what they may be
subjected to ; this often makes me regret escaping the tempest
of the 23rd of December, when, engulphed in the waters,
none with me, I should never have known so many horrors
and such ingratitude ; the entry of the French into the king-
dom, and the horrible peace forced upon us, which brought
me to the brink of death, and now, though I am partially
restored to health, I fear it will not be durable, with my spirits
so tired. Leopold has been very ill, and has been obliged to
lose blood for the first time. I hope to go into the country
soon, that will give me great pleasure, for plants and trees are
not ungrateful. Adieu, my dear Lady, I hope we shall meet
again. Rely on my constant friendship and gratitude ; make
my compliments to the Chevalier, let me often hear from you,
and believe me ever your sincere
"Carolina."
Soon after his arrival in London, Lord Nelson wrote to
the Hon. Henry Addington (July 8th), in which he says :
" Prince Castelcicala has been so pressing that I should bear
my testimony to you of the fidelity of the King of the Two
Sicilies, and his fear that the loss of the island of Sicily may
be the consequence of the want of assistance from this
counti-y ; that it has struck me forcibly that the former plan
of the French is still likely to be carried into effect, either by
treaty or by force. I dare say that plan is much better
known to you than to me, although having for a length of
time seen the correspondence both public and private, from
all the Neapolitan Ministers to their Government, and to the
Queen of Naples, I am perfectly acquainted with the views
of the several Powers. The plan of the French Directory
was, not to have an army of French in Italy on a peace, but
to make all the Powers of Italy dependent upon them ; in
108 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. III.
order to do this, Corsica was to be taken from us, Elba,
Sardinia, Sicily, if possible, Malta, Corfu, and those could be
easily kept, and would awe their enemies in Italy (if any
turned against them), and support their friends, and cut our
trade both with Italy and Turkey to pieces ; indeed, we
could have none. From Castelcicala's conversation, I think
that either by a forced treaty with the King of Naples, or by
force of arms, these people will attempt, and even are
attempting, the getting Sicily, which will be a very severe
stroke upon us."^
It was on the 1st of July that Lord Nelson landed at
Yarmouth, and the first act he performed was to visit the
wounded at Copenhagen in hospital at this place ; after
which he departed for London, being escorted by the Volun-
teer Cavalry as far as Lowestoffe, a distance of eleven miles.
Another act of kindness signalized his arrival ; the following
was directed to Mrs. Maurice Nelson : —
^' My dear Mrs. Nelson,
" I beg that you will stay at Laleham, with horse, wiskey,
and keep every convenience there to make your stay com-
fortable, and by Michaelmas you can determine as to the
mode and manner of your future residence. Nothing, be
assured, shall be wanting on my part to make your life as
comfortable and cheerful as possible, for believe me, with
every respect and regard, your atfectionate friend,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" I send a hundred pounds, which you will accept from
me.
"July 2nd, 1801."
Sir John Orde now courted communication with Lord
Nelson, but failing to meet with him at his hotel, wrote the
following letters : —
" Gloucester Place,
July 6th, 1801.
" My dear Lord,
" I yesterday called ineflfectually at Lothians, to offer you
' From an Autograph in the Sidmouth Papers.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 109
personally my sincere congratulations on the many recent
marks of distinction which your eminent services have ob-
tained. An act of attention due from me as a member of the
community you have so much benefited ; as an officer in
that service you have contributed so highly to distinguish ;
and one greatly interested in your welfare. I felt true satis-
faction in acquitting myself of it, by the first opportunity that
presented since our meeting at Gibraltar.
*' I wished also to offer for your perusal a copy of the
Correspondence which passed between me, the Board of
Admiralty, Lord Spencer, and Lord St. Vincent, on a subject
where your name is implicated, and to add my verbal assur-
ances to its ample testimony, that though I complained, as I
must still do, of the preference given your Lordship over
me, yet that I did so, merely in consequence of my senioriti/,
and some peculiarities in my situation, and without the
slightest intention of derogating from your great sufficiency,
which I shall ever feel true satisfaction in acknowledging.
" This Correspondence also indisputably shews the ground
of my subsequent difference with Lord St. Vincent, and the
cause of my return to England, were totally unconnected
with your Lordship's nomination above alluded to, as in it
Lord St. Vincent assures Sir William Parker and myself he
had no concern in your Lordship's nomination, which he
styles a hard measure, calling for remonstrance on our part.
But there seems a propriety in thus expressly assuring your
Lordship I was not so influenced by it, as I am aware most
uncommon and malicious efforts have been employed to cir-
culate and establish a contrary opinion.
" My fear of occasioning some difference of sentiment in the
Mediterranean fleet whilst Lord St. Vincent was with it,
prevented my sending your Lordship a copy of this Corres-
pondence when first prepared, as I otherwise should have
done, to obviate every appearance of concealment ; which I
hope was in some measure effected by my having the honour
of presenting one to Lady Nelson and your Father for
perusal, who might communicate to your Lordship any part
of its contents they thought expedient.
'* As I shall leave town on Thursday morning. I fear I shall
110 LIFE OP VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
not have the pleasure of seeing you before my return ; I will
therefore now mention my regret at your having found it
needful to put the agency of the Flag share of the Nile Prize
Money in other hands than those of our approved and very
worthy agent, Mr. Purvis, as the change has already occa-
sioned some difficulties to the parties, and may eventually,
from some mistakes, be a means of preventing his getting a
Commission on it, unless your Lordship interferes in his
behalf; though his doing so is, I believe, desired by a great
majority, perhaps the whole of the flag-officers with whom,
I conceive, the appointment of an agent rests.
" I have the honour to be, with great condescension and
regard,
'' My dear Lord,
" T our most obedient humble servant,
"J. Ordk.
" The Right Honourable
Viscount Nelson, K.B."
" Hackwood, July 13th, 1801.
" My dear Lord,
'' As I found some difficulty in reading your letter sent by
Captain Parker, not being accustomed to your writing, I
would not detain him for my answer, and since perusing its
contents, I have thought it prudent before making my reply,
to allow you time to satisfy yourself from the correspondence
put into your hands, as I reasonably thought you might have
done from my letter of the 6th instant, that I have been
very far from saying anything in it against you.
"Ambition is a sentiment natural to the breast of every
good officer, and equally ui'ges him to push by every honour-
able means, at opportunities for distinction, and to complain
when such occasions appear unfairly withheld from him —
liberties, the exercise of which, ought not to be repined at
by the fortunate candidate, nor to be readily given up by the
unsuccessful. We all perhaps have aimed at chief command,
and might, without blame, have employed our friends to
assist in obtaining it. That I have some who are both able
and willing to second my views, I am proud to say, but I
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. Ill
could protest to you, I never solicited their interference with
the Admiralty on my behalf since promoted to the rank of
an Admiral.
*' No idle apprehensions of exposing to the knowledge of
oui' enemies the defects in our naval discipline, and in the
character of some of our highest sea officers (circumstances
of great public notoriety), would have prevented my publish-
ing the correspondence in question immediately on my being
refused the Court-Martial I demanded. Considerations of
a very different nature have hitherto restrained my exercise
of this necessary act of justice to myself, and the service,
such as I trust, however, will now soon be removed, and
leave me at liberty to adopt such measures as in my judg-
ment events shall make needful.
" I did not mention Pujvis to your Lordship in view to
discuss his general claim to your favour, or the propriety of
his conduct in any transactions between you. I did so in
justice to his character as a very honest honourable agent,
and in support of the consistency and propriety of my own
conduct in not abandoning such a man, who your Lordship
will recollect, was in possession of this appointment, when I
conceive my right to continue him in it is equal to your
power of taking it from him. I should not wonder if subor-
dinate officers detached from a fleet when so fortunate as to
make some prizes might wish to appoint a sole agent to dis-
pose of them, although I never remember hearing of any
such instance; and I am ready to allow they might on
solicitiny expect an acquiescence with their views from all
parties concerned when perfectly disengaged; but I must own
I feel distressed and astonished to find your Lordship ex-
pecting such a sacrifice on the part of your brother Admirals
interested in the Nile prize-money, in favour of a man un-
known to most of them, and little acquainted with the
nature of the employment, when it was not solicited on your
part, nor to be effected but at the expense of a man who
had every claim to the continuance of their support and con-
fidence : much more still am I astonished to find your Lord-
ship not only expecting from them such an abandonment of
a faithful servant, but seemingly dissatisfied with your
brother Admirals for starting any objections to your perse-
112 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
vering in the appointment of a man as their agent whom
they are uninterested about.
" I am, my dear Lord,
*' Your most obedient and humble servant,
"J. Orde.
"Right Honourable Viscount Nelson, K.B.
&c. &c. &c."
LORD NELSON TO SIR JOHN ORDE.
"My dear Sir John,
" I return your pamphlet, with many thanks for the
perusal. I cannot but see clearly the cause of Lord St.
Vincent's differences latterly with you — they evidently took
their rise from my being sent up the Mediterranean. The
order you gave out at Gibraltar in contradiction to the
Commander-in-chief, from the slow approach of the Princess
Royal, which hurt your feelings, and from the entirely very
wrong conduct of Captain Draper and Colonel Desborough
relative to the marine. I can now assure you on my word of
honour, that neither Earl St. Vincent nor Lord Spencer were
the original cause of my being sent to the Mediterranean.
The arrangement was made in April I797j a year before I
was sent. It is plain that neither the First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, nor the Commander-in-chief, thought it right to tell
you the causes which naturally sent me in particular into the
Mediterranean ; and I verily believe, that if Admirals, with
flags of the main, had been in the same situation as yourself,
that 1. should have been equally employed in the Mediterra-
nean. I own myself sorry that the pamphlet was ever
printed, and am glad that you saw the propriety of calling
them in ; for if answers had appeared by anonymous writers,
you would have had to contend with a shadow. Excuse my
observations on your book, and believe me,
" &c. &c. &c.,
"Nelson and Bronte."
SIR JOHN orde to LORD NELSON.
" Hackwood Park, July 16th, 1801.
" My dear Lord,
"I did not receive your letter of the 11th until I had
despatched mine of the 13th instant.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 113
" Although, I confess, I cannot help expressing concern at
some of your Lordship's remarks on the correspondence sent
for your perusal, which differs so very materially from all I
had hitherto received from other quarters, yet as they appear
in the shape of a statement, of what you consider to be the
causes of the difference between Lord St. Vincent and
myself; and as they are, in fact, most of them new and ex-
traordinary, I feel some degree of satisfaction from your com-
munication of them : because I trust you will allow me to
indulge a hope of such further explanations as may perhaps
lead to the unravelling a mystery I have hitherto found inex-
plicable. I must own, that from those I am induced to
suspect that some representations, very opposite from facts,
have been circulated, and reached your Lordship, making an
impression on your mind, which I should be very anxiovis to
remove. And for this purpose I must beg to trouble you
with such observations as occur to me, from your ideas, as
they appear at present from your letter, which I wish you to
consider as a sort of inquiry, whether I am right in regard to
the points I suppose you allude to, and as a request for your
fuller information where you may find me wrong in my con-
jectures, and my consequent explanations. But before I
begin, I must state my surprise at your Lordship omitting to
notice some of the reasons assigned in my correspondence, as
causes of our difference, which I cannot conceive as an officer
possessing a high sense of honour, you could deem too insig-
nificant to be urged by me.
" Among the reasons supposed by your Lordship to have
occasioned the difference in question, you mention, ' The
order I gave out at Gibraltar in contradiction to the Com-
mander-in-chief.' What order this alludes to I have no con-
ception ; for until I received your letter I never understood
such a fact had been imputed to me. When about to leave
Lord St. Vincent for Gibraltar, I waited on him, and in the
most respectful manner, as I am certain his Lordship will
bear me witness, requested his verbal explanations on the
instructions he had sent for my future gu dance, in order
that I might be more certain (on this my intended first sepa-
ration from his Lordship to be in port) fully to act in all
things up to his plans and regulations, telling his Lordship
VOL. II. I
114 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAI. [CHAP. III.
that none of my own should interfere with his, aware, as I
was, of the mischiefs that had accrued in the fleet from such
imprudent variance. His Lordship very readily complied
with my wish. I Avent to Gibraltar ; and whilst there, I
solemnly declare it was my first and only study how best
to obey his orders, and faithfully second his views in every
instance. On my rejoining his Lordship oft' Cadiz, I waited
upon him with copies of my journal, and of every order and
memorandum I had issued, whilst absent from his flag, and
most pressingly requested him to peruse them ; saying, that
though I conceived I had most strictly conformed to his
instructions as explained by himself to me, yet it was possible
I might have erred unintentionally, and in such case I should
desire to be set right. His Lordship declined looking at
them, and with great politeness assured me, in the most une-
quivocal terms, he was fully satisfied with my conduct at
Gibraltar, as he had been on every other occasion.
" As a third reason you mention, ' the slow approach of the
Princess Royal which hurt my feelings.' What I am to un-
derstand from this I am at a loss to judge. The Princess
Royal approaching the fleet oft" Cadiz, had every sail set,
which I judged useful to accelerate her junction with it. On
a signal being discovered, and, after some time clearly made
out from the Ville de Paris to the Princess Royal to make
more sail, and reported to me, I directed Captain Draper to
obey it instantly in the fullest extent, which I have no doubt
he did in an ofticer-like manner.
" The next reason you mention, ' The certainly very wrong
conduct of Captain Draper and Colonel Desborough about
the marine.' How far the conduct of Captain Draper and
Colonel Desborough about the marine, which your Lordship
decides to be wrong (from what evidence I know not), was
really so, I will not presume to say, the matter never having
been submitted to my judgment. But, admitting they were
to blame, what is that to me ? My memorandum, ordering
the discharge of a marine from several ships, into Captain
Hardy's brig, will shew I complied most strictly with Lord
St. Vincent's orders on that head ; and as Captain Hardy
made no representation to me afterwards on the business,
how was I to know it had not been fully observed ? Besides,
I
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 115
had Lord St. Vincent thought my conduct exceptionable in
any of these instances, would he have approved of it as he
had done ? or would he have omitted mentioning his objec-
tions to me, had any occurred to make the impression on his
mind you seem to suggest? To judge the contrary, would in
my opinion be a reflection on Lord St. Vincent, both as an
officer and as a gentleman.
'* Lord St. Vincent indeed wrote to me a very extraordinary
letter on the business of the marine, but that he afterwards
declared, with apologies, to have been in mistake for Colonel
Desborough ; but not, as you will have seen, until he had
had my answer to this letter two or three days in his posses-
sion without opening it. His Lordship afterwards refused
to allow this answer, still unopened, to be entered in his letter
book, telling me, incorrectly as I have since found, that Mr.
Purvis has assured him his letter to me had not been so
entered : a conduct, if not calculated to disgust every officer
of common feeling, certainly not conciliatory, or like to prevent
a difference.
" With respect to the point of your being sent up the Medi-
terranean, which I observe you place as the first cause of
difference, I really think it more than unnecessary to trouble
you with a repetition of that representation upon it, which
you will have already read in my correspondence ; but I
cannot help expressing my disappointment and mortification
at finding my assurances of its not being a ground of my
subsequent differences with Lord St. Vincent (although I
allow it hurt my feelings), still fail to produce the eflfects on
your Lordship's mind, I had reasonably looked for. After
Lord St. Vincent's positive denial to Sir William Parker and
myself, of having any concern in your Lordship's nomination,
and his expressing his disapprobation of it, saying it was a
hard measure calling for remonstrance on our parts, T must
have had a worse opinion of his Lordship than I had to have
doubted his veracity; and have been more unreasonable than
I trust I have hitherto approved myself to differ with him on
such a business.
" Your Lordship is good enough to ' give me your word of
honour, that neither Lord Spencer, nor Lord St Vincent,
were the original cause of your being sent into the Mediter-
I 2
116 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
ranean ; that the arrangement was made in 1797? a year
before you were sent/ Strange circumstance certainly (Lord
Spencer being at that time at the head of the Admiralty, and
Lord St. Vincent of the Mediterranean fleet), as the French
had not begun their preparations for the invasion of Egypt,
and such as I could have little idea of. For your Lordship
must recollect the conversation we had together on the
subject at Gibraltar, when you told me, Loi'd St. Vincent had
mentioned to you, that I wished to be sent on detached
service ; and when you gave it me as your opinion, that I
should be sent after you up the Mediterranean, by Lord St.
Vincent, should he find it expedient to augment your small
squadron to ten or twelve ships of the line. Besides, the last
conversation I held with Lord Spencer previous to my leaving
England, and those I had had with Lord St. Vincent on my
first joining him, both events subsequent to the month of
April, 1797} were calculated to convey to me a very different
idea of the importance of the service I was destined to be
employed on.
" But, to take the matter as your Lordship puts it, why
the laboured concealment of such a fact on the part of Lord
Spencer, and Lord St. Vincent, which you notice on the part
of Sir William Parker and myself? Why endeavour to
deceive us, when the simple communication of such particular
motives, as you allude to, might have served to assuage our
wounded feelings, and to satisfy us we ought, on such ex-
traordinary grounds, to be reconciled to the measure ? Surely,
my dear Lord, I must have mistaken your character, or you
do not think such communication would have been too great
a sacrifice to the reputation, or even the prejudices of old
officers ! Surely some little attention to officers, placed in so
unfortunate a predicament, was not too much to expect from
the liberality, or even the justice of their country ! But after
all, in this case, as in every other arising out of my corres-
pondence, I am far from wishing to bias the opinion of any
sea officer, however low in rank, much less that of your
Lordship ; every officer of liberality will judge for himself,
without condemning his neighbour, who maj^ happen to
diifer from^ him in point of sentiment.
" My last letter would have conveyed to you my senti-
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. Il7
ments and resolutions respecting the publication of my cor-
respondence. Be assured I have not recalled a copy of those
I gave out, but in view to increase the circulation of them.
I am not so undecided in my measures as to be deterred from
the execution of any plan I deem necessary to the support of
my own character, or the good of the corps to which I belong,
by silly apprehension of the malicious workings of anonymous
writers, whose impudent efforts I should ever disregard.
" I am, my dear Loi'd,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
'^ J. Orde.
" To the Right Hon. Viscount Nelson, &c. &c."
" Warwick, August 1st.
" My dear Lord,
^' I had purposely avoided every appearance of soliciting
the opinion upon my pamphlet of any naval officer to whom
I addressed it. But I felt much gratified by the voluntary
offer of your Lordship, with your supposed reasons of the
cause of my difference with Lord St. Vincent (although the
former was not exactly conformable to what I might have
expected), as they afforded me some prospect of discovering
the grounds of that inexplicable business, and of counter-
acting the effects of any misrepresentation from whatever
quarter or misconception concerning it made on your Lord-
ship's mind.
'^ The information your Lordship has been pleased to
convey to me, by your explanations on these heads, gives me
perfect satisfaction, except in as far as I have cause to lament
some appearance of a difference in judgment between you and
I in points of discipline, which I consider material.
" Admitting for an instant, in its fullest extent, the only
pretext your Lordship seems to urge as a ground for Lord
St. Vincent's extraordinary treatment of me, that I had issued
an order at Gibraltar on the trifling subject of round hats,
in contradiction to the one given by the Commander-in-
chief, as it is not pretended I did so, knowing it to be
the case, or with any view of opposing his regulations,
which it was notorious I ever promoted, it would not,
I conceive, be deemed by the strictest officer, a ground
for the persecution I have met with ; or for any other step than
118 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. III.
a fuller communication from the Commander-in-chief, of
his wishes on that subject, which I had ever sohcited upon
all, but which, from his Lordship's silence, after general
declaration of satisfaction, he should not be supposed to have
judged more needful upon this than any other occasion.
But the simple fact is, that I know of no instructions given by
Lord St. Vincent on the subject ; and finding that the officers
under my orders suffered extremely in their sight, from the
excessive glare and reflected heat of the Rock, insomuch that
they were generally compelled to wear round hats ; and as
General O'Hara had, by order, permitted the officers of the
garrison to do, I judged it better, and more conformable
with the general system of discipline adopted by Lord St.
Vincent, gen£rally to authorise the practice in a military
form by a public order, than to be a daily witness of officers
wearing an uniform differing from that established, and
thereby forfeiting, in some sort, their just pretensions to mili-
tary compliments from the guards and sentinels of the garrison.
" With respect to the effect which Captain Hardy's state-
ment seemed strongly to have produced on your Lordship's
mind, I think it impossible to apprehend any fnrther bad
impressions of that nature, after the full explanations I have
now given upon the subject of the marine. With respect to
the command of the Mediterranean, I certainly ever thought
that Sir William Parker was best entitled to command the
squadron sent upon that service in May, 1798: and I only
adverted to myself, as your Lordship had mentioned me, and
to remind you of the conversation that passed between us on
the subject. I cannot, however, cease to think that the injus-
tice done to Sir William Parker, under whom I should have
been zealous to serve upon that occasion, did not put me out
of the fair line of next immediate preference, and should not
now make me reconciled to the secondary injury done to
myself, and of which I assuredly complain, without an idea
of thereby detracting from your acknowledged sufficiency.
" I have the honour to be,
" With great consideration and regard,
" My dear Lord,
" Your most faithful humble servant,
"J. Orde.
" To the Right Hon. Viscount Nelson, K.B. &.c. &c. &c."
1801] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 119
In London Nelson took up his residence at Sir William
Hamilton's in Piccadilly, where a party, consisting of the Rev.
Dr. and Mrs. Nelson, with their son and daughter, were as-
sembled to meet him, and they, together with Captain Parker,
went to Box Hill for a change of air for a few days, and
then to Bush Inn at Staines, where Sir WiUiam Hamilton
could indulge his taste for angling. The following lines were
addressed to Lady Hamilton by Lord William Gordon at this
time. Her Ladyship has prefaced the original by the fol-
lowing observations : —
" When our glorious Nelson came home ill, and worn out
with fatigue, after the glorious 2nd of April, we thought it
right to let him change the air and often. We therefore went
for three or four days at a time to different places, one of
which was to the Bush at Staines, a delightful place, well
situated, and a good garden on the Thames. Sir William was
fond of fishing, and Lady Hamilton wrote to the Duke of
Glueensberry and to Lord William Gordon an account of
their occupations, which brought the following verses from
Lord William. The company at Staines consisted of Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, the gallant Nelson, Rev. Dr.
and Mrs. Nelson, Miss Nelson, and the brave little Parker who
afterwards lost his life in that bold, excellent, and vigorous
attack at Boulogne, where such unexampled bravery was
shewn by our brave Nelson's followers.^'
" So kind a letter, from fair Emma's hands,
Our deep regret, and warmest thanks, commands.
Ah ! Lady, could we both, with happier you,
Now form a part of gallant Nelson's crew,
Six sable, foaming coursers, long ere night.
Had brought us, willing, to — the Bush — Tom White,
There to have witnessed Father Thames's pride.
While Anthony, by Cleopatra's side —
While you, I mean, and Henry,' — in a wherry.
Are, cheek by jole, afloat there, making merry ;
But sickness, and old age, resist the will,
And keep us bound in Piccadilly still.
Yet since, nor sickness, nor old age, can bind
The frequent — friendly wishes of the mind.
We send them, fresh and fresh, by every wind.
Though, to say truth, I should not, vastly, like,
To trust my dinner to an uncaught pike,
' Lord Viscount Nelson.
120 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
At five, at Staines, I gladly would take post,
Close to the Cavallero, — and a roast,
And should he, talking, better like, than eating,
Lend him an ear, while mouth was stowing meat in ;
And, on his water pranks, while he was dwelling.
Of bites confirm'd and doubtful nibbles telling,
I still would listen, (though I thought it dull)
Till he was out of breath, and I chokefidl.
Or, if it were his fancy, to regale
My ears, with some long, subterraneous tale.
Still would I listen, at the same time, picking,
A little morsel of Staines ham and chicken.
But should he boast of Herculaneum jugs,
Damme ! I'd beat him, with White's pewter mugs.
The little, reverend Mistress Nelson' next.
Shall be our Muse's very welcome text ;
And, should the verse of praise be longer far,
Than any of her husband's- sermons are,
It will be better listen'd to, I'm sure.
And, what is more, — believed, by all his cirre.
Next to her baby^ — with her cheeks of rose.
Her teeth of ivory — and eyes of sloes !
Ah ! henceforth, never, may she unmov'd look
On the poor worm, — that writhes upon the hook !
Nor seek, with cruel guile, and barbed steel
The gixileless victims of a miirderous meal !
But, recollecting still, the tortur'd fish,
Heave a young sigh, and shun the proffer'd dish.
With glistening eyes, confess the morning's guilt.
And shed atonement, for the blood she spilt.
Not so — the Parson ! on it let him fall,
And, like a famish'd otter, swallow all.
Nor for the gudgeon's sufferings, care a groat.
Unless some bone stick in his o^vn damn'd throat.
Now, here, perhaps, it may not, (by the way).
Be much amiss, a word or two, to say
Of this same Pastor, who, to eveiy claim.
Of individual merit, adds a name ;
A name ! which shall remain, to latest time.
In every nation, and in every clime,
Rever'd and honour'd ! long as Nile shall flow.
Long, as the changeful winds of Heaven shall blow.
' Afterwards the Countess Nelson.
^ Rev. WilUani, afterwards Eai-1 Nelson.
'' Miss Charlotte Nelson, naw Lady Bridport.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 121
Long, as our ships, to northern seas, shall steer,
Or naval glory, be, to Britons, dear !
But, stop, my Muse ! avast ! there, if you please.
Or damme ! you'll run longer than all these !
Though, when you've got brave Nelson on your back,
You'd prove yourself a curs'd unworthy hack.
If you should spurring want, or tire — or jade,
'Ere, round the world, a journey you had made ;
Though, for that job, he has a nag more steady,
For Fame has carried him twice round already.
But, to return to this same worthy Vicar,
Who loves, you say, good eating and good liquor,
Know, Lady, that it is our earnest wish.
That we, ere long, may greet him — Lord Archbish :
For this, no common pains, or I'm mistaken,
Our best of friends, the Duke,' hath lately taken,
And, if a mitre fall not on his head !
Justice and gratitude are gone to bed !
Of Norfolk Sally, you have nothing said,
Though she be such a pretty, black-eyed maid !
But, Lady, lest the Rector go astray,
Read the Commandments to him, thrice, each day ;
Once, — after breakfast — and once, after dinner,
Lest, after full meals, he become a sinner,
Thirdly and lastly, ere he go to bed.
Lest sinful thoughts or strange dreams fill his head.
Nor, by our Muse, shall Allen- be forgot,
Who, for himself, nor bullets fear'd, nor shot,
But for the Guardian AngeP of his master.
Knowing, full well, the Doctor had no plaster.
He wisely, as a lady, and a stranger,
Took her below, and plac'd her out of danger.
Let not, poor Quasheebaw,'' fair Lady, think.
Because her skin is blacker than this ink.
That, from the Muse, no sable praise is due,
To one so faithful, so attached, and true !
Though in her cheek, there bloom no blushing rose,
Our Muse, nor colour, nor distinction knows.
Save of the heart ! — and Quasheebaw's I know,
Is pure, and spotless, as a one night's snow !
' Nelson, Duke of Bronte.
' Tom Allen, Nelson's servant.
' The portrait of Lady Hamilton, so called by Nelson, framed and glazed, and
hung up in Nelson's cabin. It was taken down upon entering into battle, lest it
should sustain injury.
^ A black servant.
122 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. III.
For thee ! and Henry, silent are our lays !
Thy beauty, and his valour mock all praise.
Yet haply, shall these verses serve to prove,
How much, and oft, we think of those we love."
Mrs. Maurice Nelson, the widow of Lord Nelson's brother,
resided at Laleham, two miles distant from Staines. She was
completely blind, and Nelson took the opportunity of visiting
her, and condoling with her, while at the Bush, and made up
the pittance bequeathed to her by his brother to the amount
of a regular annuity of £200. per annum, besides providing
for her immediate exigencies. Although Lord Nelson had
made many attempts to get his brother promoted, he did not
live to be even a principal clerk in the Navy Office more than
four months.
The following is from Major-General Count WalterstorfF,
Chamberlain to his Danish Majesty : —
" Copenhagen, July 13th, 1801.
" My Lord,
" I learn by the newspapers with great pleasure your Lord-
ship's safe arrival in England, and that your health is so far
re-established as to have permitted your Lordship to take
again your seat in the House of Lords. We were in hopes
that your Lordship would have favoured Copenhagen with a
visit, previous to your sailing for England, and I anticipated
the satisfaction of finding an opportunity to return my best
and respectful thanks to your Lordship for your very kind
letter to me of the 16th June, and for the distinguished
favour you have conferred on my son, by sending him your
picture in a very good print, a sketch of your life, and the
medal stinick in memory of your Lordship's victory of the
Nile. The advice to my son, which accompanied that pre-
sent, from your Lordship's hand, is what my son will, I hope,
when six or eight years older, put a still greater value on,
and what will make a deep impression on his mind.
'^ It must give every friend of England and Denmark
equally pleasure to see peace and harmony restored between
the former Power and those of the North, though, as a Dane,
I confess I could wish that my country had been led back to
its former connexion with Great Britain in a more gentle
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 123
manner, and less by the sudden impulsion (if I may be per-
mitted that expression) of another Power. It is, however,
always a great consolation to know, that we shall enjoy
peace, and that short and unfortunate as the war has been
for Denmark, it has not shewn the character of the Danes in
an unfavourable light.
" I wish very much I could make a trip to England for
the sake of my health, and spend next winter at Bath. It
would naturally make me still more happy to go there in a
diplomatic character, and I flatter myself my conduct would
be such as to entitle me to the esteem and confidence of his
Britannic Majesty's Ministers ; but I suppose that Count
Wedel, who before the late unfortunate quarrel between our
two Governments, was Envoy-extraordmary from our Court,
will do his utmost endeavours to get re-appointed. I cannot,
however, give up the hopes of paying my respects to your
Lordship in England, and of renewing to your Lordship the
assurance of the high regard 1 feel for your personal, as well
as for your public character, and of the sincere and respectful
attachment with which I have the honour to be,
" My Lord,
" Your Lordship's
" Most obedient and most humble servant,
"Ernest Frederick Walterstorff."
In a previous letter of the 15th of June the Count re-
marked, " Whoever may be the respective Ministers who
shall sign the Peace, I shall always consider your Lordship
as the Pacificator of the North, and I am sure that your
heart will be as much flattered by that title as by any other
which your grateful country has bestowed upon you."^
In July Lord Nelson made application to have the Barony
of Nelson extended. The King graciously acquiesced, and to
prevent the extinction of the Barony from failure of heirs
male on his own part, on the 18th of August a new Barony,
called Nelson of the Nile and of Hilborough in the county
of Norfolk, was granted. This was limited in default of male
issue of his Lady to his father, and the male issue of his
' From an autograph in the possession of the Right Honourable John Wilson
Croker, printed in the Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 417.
124 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. III.
body, failing which, it was to extend to the heirs male of the
bodies of his sisters Mrs. Bolton^ and Mrs. Matcham respec-
tively. Agreeably to his wish, expressed in his application
to the First Lord of the Treasury, his foreign orders, which
he regarded as honourably obtained and approved by the
King^s Sign Manual, were described in the Patent, which
also declares that any successor to the Barony so created
shall use the surname of Nelson only. The Rev. William
Nelson alludes to this patent in a letter to Lady Hamilton : —
" Hilborough, August 6th, 1801.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
"You can easily conceive what joy your letter gave me
this morning ; thank God, our great, glorious, and invincible
friend is safe. I was at SwafFham when I received it, and
read the Gazette honours to my father. He made but little
obser\"ation upon it, only said he liked him as well plain
Horace as with all these high-sounding titles ; that may be
true, but still I could have wished him to have appeared
pleased with the prospect of his family honours descending
to his posterity, and I could not help remarking to him, that
we ought not to be like the selfish man who is reported to
have said, ' Why should I care for posterity, for posterity
never cared for me.' Mrs. Bolton made no remarks, nor
seemed in the least elated or pleased ; indeed, to say the
truth, there appears a gloom about them all, for what reason
I can't devise, unless they are uneasy. They did not deserve
to have a chance, and I wish it had gone to Charlotte and
her heirs male, but I hope to God it will be a long time
before it leaves the true Nelson line, and that the young
Baron- and Duke (who is now writing by my side) will raise
up posterity, and cut all the others out. The clergy are all
busy here caUing meetings of their parishes for the defence of
the country and coast, and cannot stir from home at present,
but I hope our great hero's doings will set us all at ease.
When you write, give my love to him, and express all my
gratitude to him for what he has already done for me and
mine; I only now hope for a good Deanery for myself.
BeUeve me your affectionate friend,
"Wm. Nelson."
' The present Earl Nelson is the grandson of this lady.
' Afterwards Viscount Trafalgar. He died at the age of 19 years.
1801. J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 125
The following letter I presume relates to the difference
of opinion entertained upon the conduct of Sir Hyde
Parker : —
« Sir,
" You must be sensible that I cannot continue to cor-
respond with an anonymous correspondent. I am convinced
that the partiality of my countrymen, with some very few
exceptions, have far overrated my abilities, and I wish that
placing my talents on its proper level may be useful to my
late Commander-in-chief, but I do not believe that a wish to
detract from me will be consonant to his wishes. I am such
as I am, neither better nor worse, from either the partiality
of my friends, or the envy of my enemies.
" I am, Sir, &c.
"Nelson and Bronte.
"July 24th, 1801."
In a letter to his friend Mr. Davison on the 15th of June,
he writes : " Secret. — They are not Sir Hyde Parker's real
friends who wish for an inquiry. His friends in the fleet
wish every thing of this fleet to be forgot, for we all respect
and love Sir Hyde ; but the dearer his friends, the more un-
easy they have been at his idleness, for that is the truth — no
criminalit3\ I believe Sir Hyde Parker to be as good a
subject as his Majesty has."^
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol, iv. p. 416.
126 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
CHAPTER IV.
1801.
During the summer of 1801, reports of the intended inva-
sion of England by France were very general. The conquests
achieved from the Red Sea to the Baltic had not only
humbled the pride of Buonaparte, but excited him to feelings
of the bitterest animosity and revenge. Camps were formed
opposite to the British coast : one at Ostend, a second
between Gravelines and Dunkirk, and a third at Boulogne.
Added to these martial demonstrations, great activity pre-
vailed along the Dutch and Flemish shores, as well as on the
part of France, whose naval force combined with that of
Spain, now amounted to a fleet of no less than fifty-two ships
of the line, lying in the harbour of Brest.
The people of England generally entertained very little
apprehension with regard to the accomplishment of the
threatened invasion, yet those who were in power, and moving
in the best informed circles, were certainly not at all indif-
ferent to the matter. Lord Nelson and others high in the
Naval service of the country, participated in this alarm, and
from a letter addressed by Mr. Windham to Lord Eldon, and
published in Mr. Twiss's Life^ of the Chancellor, he seems to
have entertained serious apprehensions as to the possibility of
its accomplishment, and under these impressions no precautions
were omitted to be taken for the safety of the country. The
spirit of patriotism combined with military ardoui', and the
general heroism of the British nation displayed in so remark-
able a manner on this occasion, served doubtless to repress
any feelings of terror that might otherwise have prevailed,
and a great and just confidence was placed in the national
courage and resources of the country. Lord Pelham, then
one of the Secretaries of State, issued a circular at the end
of July to the Lord Lieutenants of counties, communicating
' Vol. i. p 391.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 127
to them, " that the naval and military preparations, carried
on in the ports and on the coasts of France and Holland,
had of late been pursued with increasing activity ; and sig-
nifying his Majesty's earnest wish that the several corps of
volunteer cavalry and infantry throughout the kingdom,
might be kept in a state of immediate service." The extent
of and alacrity with which this summons was obeyed, was a
glorious exhibition of British patriotism. The whole country
answered to the call, and constituted a body not only ade-
quate to all the purposes of defence, but one capable of
exhibiting and exercising the utmost defiance. The whole
coast was effectually guarded, and a chain of vessels stretched
across the extent of the Channel. The preparations at Bou-
logne by the French were of a formidable description : a
large army being there assembled, and a flotilla collected. To
this point, therefore, attention was particularly directed ; and
for the arrangements necessary to be made on this occasion.
Lord Nelson was consulted, and appointed to the command
of a force consisting of frigates, brigs, and other smaller
vessels, between Orfordness and Beachy Head. Admiral
Lutwidge had at this time the command in the Downs : but
Nelson's was to be confined to the specific object of watching
the enemy on different parts of the coast in the Channel, and
of making defence against any attack that might be contem-
plated. The following were the instructions received by
Lord Nelson on this occasion : —
" By the Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord
High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, &c.
*' Whereas intelligence has been received that considerable
preparations are making by the enemy on different parts of
the coast between Dieppe and Ostend, and that a great num-
ber of boats and other craft, calculated for the reception of
troops, have been collected, particularly at Boulogne and
Calais, for the purpose of making a descent on some part of
this country ; and whereas by our Commission bearing date
the 24th instant, we have appointed your Lordship Com-
128 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
mander-in-chief of a squadron of his Majesty's ships to be
employed on a particular service, intending to place under
your orders the ships of war and craft described in the
inclosed list, and such others as may hereafter be sent to you,
to be employed in the defence of the mouths of the Thames
and Medway, and all that part of the coasts of Sussex, Kent
and Essex comprised between Beachy Head and Orfordness ;
your Lordship is hereby required and directed to proceed
without delay to the Nore, and hoisting your flag on board
either of the said ships or vessels that you may find there,
carry these our orders, and such farther orders and instruc-
tions as we may judge it necessary to give you, into exe-
cution.
" On your arrival at the Nore, you will communicate with
Vice-Admiral Graeme,^ and infoiin yourself from him of the
an-angements he has already made, and the various orders
and instinictions which have been given by him to the several
Captains and Commanders of the ships and vessels appointed
for this particular service, and having gained such informa-
tion as you may be able, you are to lose no time in satisfying
yourself how far the officers so employed are conducting
themselves in obedience to those instructions, and whether
the ships and vessels are in all respects fitted, stored, and
manned for the performance of the service for which they are
designed.
" And whereas the Corporation of Trinity House has placed
a proper number of vessels at the buoys and beacons in the
Channels leading to the Thames and Medway for the purpose
of sinking or destroying them, in the event of the approach of
the enemy, and one of its officers to superintend and direct
the proceedings of the persons employed on that service ;
your Lordship is to arrange such a plan with the officer so
employed as may in your opinion be most effectual for that
purpose, and in the event of his finding it necessary to cut
away and sink the beacons and buoys, to place such craft on
' This officer distinguished himself when Captain of the Preston in Sir Hyde
Parker's action with the Dutch squadron off the Dogger Bank, in 1781, on which
occasion he lost an arm. He lived to attain the rank of Admiral of the Red, and
died in 1818.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 129
the shoals as may be requisite for securing to us the advan-
tage of the navigation.
" And whereas it is judged expedient that some of the ships
and vessels under your Lordship's command should be placed
in the different channels for the purpose of more effectually
obstructing the passage of the enemy into the Thames or
Medway, your Lordship is to consider of the stations the
best adapted to that purpose, and so station any of the ships
and vessels under your command that may be best calculated
for that purpose in such channels, giving their Commander
the necessary instructions for the regulation of their conduct
under the different circumstances that may arise ; and in
order the more fully to explain our ideas to your Lordship
on this head, we annex a chart, shewing the disposition made
of the force employed for the same purpose in the year
1798, with copies of instructions given to the Commanders
of some of the ships and vesssls so employed, and though we
conceive the plan then settled generally to be well deserving
your attentive consideration, we do not confine your Lord-
ship to a similar disposition, intending, that you shall, after
you have made yourself completely master of the subject at
the spot, and taken the opinion of such persons as you may
think it necessary to consult, adopt such plan as, upon a full
consideration of all the circumstances, you may judge to be
most advantageous for the public service.
" When your Lordship shall have made your arrangements
for defending the passages of the Thames and Medway, and
also made a disposition as may appear necessary for the
protection of those parts of the coast of Essex and Suffolk
within the limits of your command, you will proceed to the
Downs, and make such a disposition of the force intended to
be actively employed as you may judge most advisable for
blocking up or destroying, if practicable, the enemy's vessels
and craft in the ports wherein they may be assembled, or if
they should be able to put to sea, for destroying them : in
the former case your Lordship will have the advantage of no
less than seven bomb vessels, which will be prepared in all
respects for service with all possible expedition, but which
ought not to be brought into action until, after visiting the
VOL. II. K
130 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IV.
coast of France, your Lordship shall be satisfied that they
can be employed with eflfect : in the latter case it must be
obvious to your Lordship that by attempting to capture the
numerous vessels and craft of the enemy, the object will be
totally defeated, and therefore some expedient must be found
if they cannot be destroyed, of effectually disabling them,
and rendering them incapable, by depriving them of the
means of pursuing any direction, they would be likely to take
even for the purposes of reaching the nearest shore.
^^We have ordered the Amazon to be prepared for the
reception of your Lordship's flag the moment she shall arrive
at the Nore, but before she can be ready for that purpose, or
indeed at any time hereafter, your Lordship will feel yourself
at full liberty to hoist it on board any other ship or vessel of
your squadron, and proceed from time to time to those parts
either of the coast or of this country within the limits of your
station as you may judge most convenient to enable your
Lordship to execute the important service entrusted to your
care.
" And whereas Admiral Dickson has ordered his Majesty's
ship Ruby to be placed in Hosely Bay for the purpose of
defending that part of the coast, your Lordship is at liberty
to send any orders or instructions to her Commander that
you may judge necessary, until we shall be able to make such
an addition to your force as to enable you to station a proper
ship in that bay in her stead.
" When your Lordship shall have arranged the whole of
your plan, you are to transmit a copy thereof to our Secre-
tary for our information, and acquaint us, through him, from
time to time of your proceedings, and of all occurrences which
may take place that may be worthy of our knowledge.
" Given under our hands the 26th July, 1801.
" St. Vincent.
'^T. Troubridge.
''J. Markham.
" To the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Nelson, K.B.
Vice- Admiral of the Blue, &c. &c. &c.
" By command of their Lordships.
"Evan Nepean.''
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 131
Lord Nelson hoisted his flag aboard the frigate L'Unite at
Sheerness on the 27th of July, and on that day wrote to
Lady Hamilton : —
" Sheerness, July 27th, 1801,
" My dearest Emma,
" My flag is flying on board the Unite frigate. She will
probably go to the Nore to-morrow, as the wind is easterly.
It is lucky I followed my plan of coming by land instead of
water, for it would have taken me two days. If I have any
ship fit to sail with me on Wednesday, certainly I shall go
either for Margate or towards Hosely Bay. Coffin does not
return till Wednesday, therefore Parker and myself are alone,
and we have enough to do. To-day I dine with Admiral
Graeme, who has also lost his right arm, and as the Com-
mander of the Troops has lost his leg, I expect we shall be
caricatured as the lame defenders of England.
^' Remember me affectionately to my charge, to my father,
brother, &c. Say all that is proper to them, and also to the
good Duke, and Lord William, and ever believe me,
"■ Yours affectionately,
" Nelson and Bronte.
"A little tired."
Many officers were anxious to be with Lord Nelson on
this service. To Lady Hamilton he writes : —
"July 28th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
'^ Ten thousand thanks for your affectionate letter. At
this moment I could do nothing with volunteer Captains,
having no post to give them. Should the enemy really
approach;, the country must have their services, and I should
be glad to have on that occasion our friend Bowen. I have
many offers on that head, but Bowen may rely, if any come
to me, that he shall. My time is so fully employed, that I
am not able to get off my chair. I can only say, that I am
as ever,
" Yours,
"■ Nelson and Bronte.
132 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IV.
'^ I dine at the Admiral's, who seems a good man. It
blows hard. If the Dutch mean to put to sea, this is their
time. How vexed I am at the Spaniaids being able with
impunity to come before Gibraltar, and to protect the French
ships. Parker desires his compliments, and shall expect
your letter to-morrow.^^
"July 29th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
*' Your letter of yesterday naturally called forth all those
finer feelings of the sort which none but those who regard
each other as you and I do can conceive, although I am not
able to write so well, and so forcibly mark my feelings as you
can. Not one moment I have to myself, and my business is
endless. At noon I set off for Faversham to arrange the Sea
Fencibles on that part of the coast ; at nine o'clock I expect
to be at Deal to arrange with Admiral Lutwidge various
matters ; and to-morrow evening, or next day morning, to sail
for the coast of France, that I may judge from my own eye,
and not from those of others. Be where I may, you are
always present to my thoughts — not another thing, except
the duty I owe to my country, ever interferes with you.
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" In about five days I hope to be again upon some part of
the English coast. You shall hear from me every day if
possible. I have not rose from my chair since seven this
morning. A post chaise is at the door. Best regai'ds to my
father, brother, Mrs. Nelson, the Duke of Queensberry, Lord
William Gordon, &c."
" Deal, July 30th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Having finished all my business at Sheerness yesterday
at one o'clock, I set off" for Deal, calling on my way at Faver-
sham, in order to examine into the state of our Sea Fencibles
at that place, and on that part of the coast I found that
reception which I have been so used to, and it seemed the
general opinion, that if I was authorised to say to the seamen
on that coast that it Mas necessary for them to embark on
I
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 133
board our floating batteries, that they would go on the assu-
rance, that when the danger was passed, they should be landed
at their homes again, for the expression was that they never
believed the thing serious until I was appointed to this com-
mand. However, unless the matter comes closer, I hope
the Admiralty will not make me speechifyer ;^ but the fact is,
the men are afraid of being tricked. At nine o'clock I got
to Admiral Lutwidge, not having tasted a morsel since seven
in the morning. At ten we supped. The Admiral and his wife,
Parker, myself, and Captain Bazeley.- My flag was hoisted
this morning in the Leyden, 64, which ship, if the surf will
allow me, I shall be on board of to-morrow morning. I have no
bed, but that does not matter, although I shall doubtless have
much envy against me, yet I wish to shew good people that
they have not mistaken their man. This service must soon be
over, I have sent for the Medusa frigate, in which ship I mean
to go over to the coast of France ; it is William Cathcart's^
> In his letter to Earl St. Vincent (July 30) he says, that he had desired a Mr.
Salisbury to meet him, as he was a person of respectability, rich, (got it by fair
trade) and of great influence amongst the seafaring men on that part of tlie coast,
particularly about Whitstable. " I made him (says he) sensible of the necessity
of our ships, which were to be stationed off the sand-heads being manned. He
thought, if the Admiralty, through me, gave the men assurances that they should
be returned to their homes, when the danger of the invasion was passed, that the
sea folk would go ; but that they were always afraid of some trick ; this service,
my dear Lord, above all others, would be terrible for me : to get up and hai-angue
like a recruiting sergeant ! I do not think I could get through it ; but as I am
come forth, I feel that I ought to do this disagreeable service as well as any other
if judged necessary." — Clarke and MciVrthur, Vol. ii. p. 294.
^ Captain John Bazeley was the son of Admiral John Bazeley, who had seen
a great variety of service under Sir Edward Hughes, Sir Hugh Palliser, Admiral
Keppel, Lord Rodney, Lord Howe, and Lord Hotham. His son, mentioned
above, was in Lord Howe's action of the 1st of June, 1794, being at that time
Third Lieutenant of the Royal George. He served in 1795 under Lord Bridport,
and earned the flag of Rear-Admu-al Harvey in the action ofi" L' Orient as Cap-
tain of the Prince of Wales, of 98 guns, and was afterwards appointed to the
Hind, and stationed in the Channel. In 1797 he joined Admiral Peyton in the
Overyssel of 64 guns, and was at the capture of the Dutch Fleet in the Texel in
1799. He continued in this ship until the Peace of Amiens, and was appointed
to the command of the Sea Fencibles from the mouth of the Humber to the river
Ouse. He was made a Post Captain in 1 794, and superannuated as Rear- Admiral,
July 18, 1814. He was placed on the Active List a Vice-Admiral of the Blue,
July 5, 1827, and died March 21, 1828.
^ The Hon. Captain William Cathcart, eldest son of Lord, afterwards General
Earl Cathcart, died of the yellow fever at Jamaica, June 4th, 1804, when in
command of the Clarinde, being then only twenty-two years of age.
134 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
ship you know. Captain Gore^ of the Amazon, is not yet
arrived in England. Reports are so vague, that it is difficult
to say whence this host of thieves is to pour forth. Your
letters are gone to Sheerness, and I shall be deprived of the
pleasure of receiving them till to-morrow.
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" When you write to Sir William" say every thing which
is kind, also to my father, Mrs. Nelson, the Duke, Lord
William Gordon, who I shall always esteem amongst my
truest friends. Pray have you heard of any house from Mr.
Christie? I am very anxious to have a home where my
friends might be made welcome. Coffin charged me to say
how sorry he should be to lose your good opinion, and that
he never failed calling."
Captain Parker describes to Lady Hamilton the manner in
' Captain John Gore was the son of Major Gore, many years Governor of the
Tower of London, and a brother of Brigadier- General Gore, who nobly fell at
Bergen-op-Zoom in 1814. He was made Lieutenant in 1789 on board the Victory
with Lord Hood, and was at the taking of Toulon in 1/93. He was also at the
taking of Bastia. Engaged in a variety of services, but of no great importance,
he was made a Post Captain in 1794, and was appointed to Le Censeur of 74 guns.
In conveying a convoy home, he fell in with a French squadron vmder Admiral
Richerry, of six ships of the line, besides frigates, and was compelled to surrender
after sustaining a very severe fire. He regained his liberty in 1796, and was
appointed to the Triton of 32 guns, in which he cruised against the French
privateers. In October, 1799, he was at the capture of the Santa Brigida from
Vera Cruz, bound to Old Spain, and received as his share of prize-money, on this
occasion, upwards of ^^40,000. sterling. In 1801 -he was appointed to the
Medusa, under the orders of Lord Nelson. In 1803 ne was again employed,
and sent to the Mediterranean. On the 5th October, 1804, he shared in another
capture of three Spanish frigates laden with specie and valuable merchandize, and
in November took another vessel laden with quicksilver. He received the honour
of Knighthood in February, 1805, and took the Marquis of Comwallis to India,
and had the melancholy task of bringing home the remains of this nobleman
in the Medusa, which made the extraordinary passage of 13,831 miles in 84 days.
In 1806 he was appointed to the Revenge, of 74 guns, and subsequently com-
manded the Tonnant of 80 guns, having been engaged in treating with the Spanish
Commissioners at Cadiz in 1808. He was made a Rear- Admiral, December 4,
1813, and sent to the Mediterranean. In 1815 he was made K.C.B. and appointed
Commander-in-chief in the Medway. He died August 21, 1836, having attained
the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Red.
* Sir William was at this time on a tour.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 135
which Lord Nelson was received, and the activity of his pro-
ceedings upon his arrival, in the following letter : —
"Deal, July 30, 1801.
"My Lady,
" I hope Lord Nelson has told you how busily I have been
engaged ; if not, you must believe me when I say nothing
could have prevented my acknowledging the receipt of your
very kind and affectionate letter before. He is, thank God,
extremely well, and in good health. We got down to Sheer-
ness very quick and well, and were received by the accla-
mations of the people, who looked with wild but most
affectionate amazement at him, who was once more going to
step forward in defence of his country. He is the cleverest
and quickest man, and the most zealous in the world. In
the short time we were at Sheerness, he regulated and gave
orders for thirty of the ships under his command, made every
one pleased, filled them with emulation, and set them all on
the qui vive. How, what, I feel when I reflect how warmly
I am attached to so great and noble a patron ; but I fear I
am a little envied.
" We arrived at Deal last night, and this morning the flag
was hoisted on board the Ley den, but it is to be removed to
the Medusa, and she is now in sight coming in. I believe
we shall then take a peep at them on the coast of France, and
see what can be done.
"Not a word of little Horatia. You don't mean to
mention her for sixteen years I suppose.
" Pray send him cream cheese, and whatever you can get
you think he likes, and / will cut it up.^ I hope you M'ill
write to me often, as nothing can flatter or please me more,
and beheve me, my Lady, your ever obliged and grateful
servant,
" E. T. Parker.
" Remembrances to Mrs. Nelson and Charlotte."
' Extract of a letter from Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton : — "Parker sits nest
me to cut my meat when I want it done."
136 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
TO LADY HAMILTON.
"Deal, July 31, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" My time is truly fully taken up, and my head aches
before night comes. I got to bed, last night, at half- past nine ;
but the hour was so unusual, that I heard the clock strike
one. At this moment, I see no prospect of my getting to
London; but, very soon, the business of my command will
become so simple, that a child may direct it. What rascals
your post-chaise-people must be ! They have been paid every
thing. Captain Parker has one receipt for seven pounds odd,
and I am sure that every thing is paid ; therefore do not pay
a farthing. The cart- chaise I paid at Dartford. Give ten
thousand kisses to my dear Horatia. I did not get your
newspapers ; therefore, do not know what promise you allude
to : but this I know, I have iione made to me. The extension
of the patent of peerage is going on ; but the wording of
my brother's note, they have wrote for a meaning to. The
patent must be a new creation. First, to my father, if he
outlives me ; then to William and his sons ; then to Mrs.
Bolton, and her sons ; and Mrs. Matcham, and hers. Farther
than that I care not ; it is far enough.
"Nelson and Bronte.
" I have failed for poor Madame Brueys. Buonaparte's
wife is one of Martinique, and some plan is supposed to be
carried on."^
At this time Nelson received the following compliment from
the Committee of Lloyds : —
"Lloyd's, July 30th, 1801.
" My Lord,
" Fortunately I have had an opportunity of getting ac-
quainted with the manner that your Lordship acquired your
last very severe illness, the consequences of which might have
been so fatal to the country in the loss of so very valuable a
life as that of your Lordship. 1 informed the Committee for
the sufferers of the glorious action at Copenhagen the par-
ticulars, and they have directed me to inform you that they
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 43.
1801.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 137
have voted five hundred povmds to be laid out m plate, in
such a manner as you will please to direct, as a small token
of their gratitude for the extraordinary exertions of your
Lordship in that ever-memorable victory.
" I am, my Lord,
" With the utmost respect,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
"John Julius Angerstein.
" Lord Viscount Nelson, and
Duke of Bronte, K.B.
&c. &c. &c.
" p. S. The Committee have voted £60 per annum Long
Annuities to Mrs. Mosse^ and her children, and £500 to Sir
T. B. Thompson.^2
The 1st of August must, of necessity, as the Aimiversary
of the Battle of the Nile, have been a day dear to Nelson's
remembrance. He wrote to Lady Hamilton thus : —
" Medusa at sea, between Calais and Boulogne,
August 1, 1801.
*'When I reflect, my dearest Emma, that for these last
two years on this day we have been together, the thoughts,
and so many things rush into my mind, that I am really this
day very low indeed, even Parker could not help noticing it,
by saying, * on this day you should be cheerful,' but who
can tell what passes in my mind — yes, you can, for I believe
you are feeling as I do. When I was in the bustle, perhaps
I did not feel so strongly our separation, or whether being at
sea makes it appear more terrible, for terrible it is. My heart
is ready to flow out of my eyes ; but we must call fortitude
to our aid. I did not intend to have sailed until this morning,
but at ten last night we had intelligence that the enemy were
come out of Boulogne. I put to sea of course, but as yet
have not been able to get off Boulogne. I send you one
receipt for money paid Mr. Dean, and although I have
no receipts for the other journey, you may rely that by
James, Captain Parker says, they were each paid before I ever
took a chaise a second time. It only shews what rascality
there is moving — always get a receipt, and every now and
^ The widow of Captain Mosse, who fell in action on the 2nd of April.
^ This oflScer lost a leg on the same occasion.
138 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
then a receipt in full, or one day or other you will be ruined.
Consider how you are at the mercy of all your servants.
" August 2nd. I am going this morning to take a look at
Boulogne, and shall then send over a cutter with this letter.
Many of the officers here think that the enemy are afraid we
have some design of invading their coast, for they are erecting
many new batteries on this part of their coast. Be that as
it may, in a very short time we shall be so well prepared, that
our sea officers wish they may come forth. I have not had a
letter from you since Wednesday — I only mention this to
shew you, that although we may write every day, yet they
cannot always be as regularly received. I am not unwell, but
I am very low. I can only account for it by my absence
from all I hold dear in this world. Captain Gore is very
good and kind to me, and your nephew Cathcart bears a very
high character as a seaman and an officer, although he cer-
tainly does not possess the graces. To Mrs. Nelson say every
thing which is kind, and to the Duke and Lord William.
*' Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
And on the 3rd off Boulogne : —
" OflF Boulogne, August 3rd, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
" The wind is too far to the northward to allow our bombs
to go on the coast this morning, or some of the rascals should
repent their vapouring nonsense. I believe my head will be
turned with wTiting so much as I am forced to do. You
may assure our friends that between Dieppe and Dunkirk I
will insure them from any invasion for the present. The
French had better be damned than to allow us to catch them
three miles from their own ports. Your dear letters of the
1st I received at eight o'clock last night. Best regards to all
our friends.
" Yours,
*' Nelson and Bronte."
He now resolved on making an attack upon the enemy,
and at break of day, on the 4th, began to throw bombs and
shells into Boulogne harbour. Ten vessels were by these
means disabled, and five sunk. Nelson upon this, though
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 139
undecisive effect, remarked that it would " serve to convince
the enemy that they could not come out of their harbours
with impunity/'
"Medusa, off Boulogne, August 4th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Boulogne is evidently not a pleasant place this morning.
Three of their floating batteries are sunk ; what damage
has been done to the others, and the vessels inside the pier,
I cannot say, but I hope and believe that some hundreds of
French are gone to hell this morning ; for if they are dead
assuredly they are gone there. In tire or out of fire I am,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Tell the Duke and Lord William that the embarkation
of the French army will not take place at Boulogne. Beyond
this I cannot say. In my visits to the bombs in my barge,
my friends think the French have been very attentive to me,
for they did nothing but fire at the boat and the different
vessels I was in, but God is good.''
" Medusa, off Calais, 7 o'clock, August 4th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Your kind and affectionate letters up to yesterday are all
received. Ten times ten thousand thanks for them, and for
your tender care of my dear little charge Horatia. I love her
the more dearly, as she is in the upper part of her face so like
her dear good mother, who I love, and always shall with the
truest affection. I am on my way to Ostend and Flushing, and
shall probably be off Margate on Friday. Captain Gore is
very kind and good to me, for I must be a great plague to
him. I have to thank him even for a bed. I have only one
moment to write this, as Admiral Lutwidge sent his own boat
with my letters of this day's post. Best regards to Mrs.
Nelson, kind love to Horatia, and believe me,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" This goes through my kind friend. Admiral Lutwidge
I wrote to you to-day through Troubridge."
140 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
"Medusa, August 5th, 1801.
'' My dearest Emma,
*' There is not in this world a thing that I would not do to
please my deai'est friend, but you must not take things amiss
that never were intended. I know not that I wrote to my
father more news than to you ; in fact, I know not my own
movements, they are as uncertain as the wind. I can always
tell you where / am when I write, but at what spot where
letters may find me is impossible. I intend going towards
Flushing, from thence towards Margate, Hosely, or Harwich ;
but if I was to die for it, I cannot tell which. I really wish
you would buy the house at Turnham Green. I have £3000.
which I can pay in a moment, and the other I can get with-
out much difficulty. It is, my dear friend, extraordinary,
but true, that the man who is pushed forward to defend his
country, has not from that country a place to lay his head in ;
but never mind, happy, truly happy, in the estimation of such
friends as you, I care for nothing. How great has been Sir
James Samaurez's success !^ From my heart I rejoice. The
Spaniards will never surely go to sea again. My command
is only against small craft, therefore small must be my
services in the taking and destroying way, but you know I
will not be inactive. I hope soon to be able to get to London
for a day or two, at least I will try. Make my best regards
to jVIrs. Nelson, the Duke, and Lord William.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.''
" Medusa, back of the Goodwin Sands,
August 6th, 1801.
^' My dearest Emma,
*' The wind being easterly, and the Sea Fencibles not being
so forward as I could wish them, I have deferred my visit to
Flushing until they are embarked, and our floating batteries
placed in the places assigned them. All your dear kind
letters received yesterday made me much better, for I was
not quite so well as when in London. 1 could not drink
Champagne, a sure sign that all is not right ; but indeed I
' His celebrated victory off Algeziras.
1801,] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 141
am not to call ill, but sometimes the exertion of my mind is
beyond the strength of my body. I hope you will be able to
get the house at Turnham Green, either to hire or buy.
Shall I desire my lawyer to call and talk to you, if you think
it will suit me, and he shall hire or purchase it, Messrs.
Booth and Haslewood, No. 4, Craven Street, Strand, I
really want a house. I am grieved to hear you complain. —
Keep well, get well, for the sake of all your friends, and for
the sake of none more than
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" The Guardian Angels, although lying by in their cases,
are not hung up in this ship. Best regards to Mrs. Nelson,
the Duke, and Lord William .^^
Of the proceedings off Boulogne (which certainly were not
deserving or rather demanding the service of an officer of
the rank and importance of Nelson) he writes on the 5th to
his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence : " The whole of
this business is of no farther moment than to shew the
enemy, that, with impunity, they cannot come outside their
ports." The operations of the 4th were noticed by Nelson
in laudable terms : " Lord Nelson has reason to be very
much satisfied with the Captains of the bombs, for their
placing of the vessels yesterday. It was impossible that
they could have been better situated ; and the artillery officers
have shewn great skill in entirely disabling ten of the armed
vessels out of twenty-four opposed to them, and many others
Lord Nelson believes are much damaged."^
On the 6th he directed the following to Captains Shield,^
Hamilton," Schomberg,^ and Edge^ : —
' To the Squadron. See Naval Chronicle, Vol. vi. p. 160.
' Captain William Shield acquired a notoriety from an action brought against
bim, and tried before Lord Chief Justice Loughborough in the Court of Common
Pleas, in 1792, in which Mr. Leonard, the plaintiff', complained of an assault
and violence offered to him in consequence of the disobeyance of an order of
Captain Shield, at that time Lieutenant of the vSaturn of 74 guns. The usage of
the service was proved, and the thirty-sixth naval article of war authorized
Lieutenant Sliield in the measure he had adopted, and the jury gave a verdict in
his favour accordingly. The Court, moreover, finding that a spirit contrary to
the maintenance of good discipline prevailed among the Midshipmen of the
142 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
" Medusa, August 6th, 1801.
" As there can be no doubt of the intention of the French
to attempt the invasion of our country, and as I trust, and
London and Edgar, submitted to the Admh-alty the propriety of trying Mr. Moore
of the London, for the same, as a necessary means of preserving good order, and
preventing improper combinations. The trial took place, and Mr. Moore was
sentenced to one month's imprisonment in the Marshalsea. Mr. Shield was pro-
moted to the rank of Commander, in La Sincere of 20 guns, one of the Toulon
prizes, and he afterwards commanded the Berwick, and also the Windsor Castle.
He was made a Post Captain in 1794. In 1795 he commanded the Audacious,
and was present at the destruction of L'Alcide off Frejus, July 13th, 1795.
He was then employed in the Southampton under Lord Nelson's orders, harassed
the enemy on the coast of Genoa, and co-operated with the Austrian army en-
camped at Sarone. After this service he was appointed to L' Unite in the North
Sea, was with Nelson off Boulogne, and in 1805 commanded the Illustrious, of 74
guns, on the coast of Spain. In 1807 he was made Naval Commissioner at
Malta, then appointed to superintend the payment of ships afloat at Portsmouth,
thence transferred as Commissioner of the Cape of Good Hope, after which
he was placed at the Navy Board. In 1814 he was made Deputy Comptroller of
the Navy, and in the following year Resident Commissioner at Plymouth. He
retired as Rear- Admiral, January 9, 1829 ; was placed on the Active List, as Ad-
miral of the White, November 12, 1840 ; and died June 25, 1842.
* Sir Charles Hamilton, Bart, is lineally descended from the Earl of Mallent,
in Normandy, whose nephew is celebrated in history for the part he took at the
Battle of Hastings. The Captain above mentioned is the son of Sir John
Hamilton, Bart, who acquired his Baronetcy for his conduct during the siege of
Quebec, where he commanded the Lizard frigate, and was born August 25, 1767.
He sei-ved as a Midshipman with his father, on board the Hector in 1776, and
afterwards studied at the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth. He was made
Lieutenant of the Tobago on the Jamaica station. He was made a Post Captain
November 22, 1790, having previously been elected M.P. for St. Germains in
Cornwall. He afterwards represented Honiton in Devonshire, and Dungannon
in the County of Tyrone. Upon the commencement of the Revolutionary War
in 1793 he was appointed to the Dido of 28 guns, and cruised off Norway, and
then with Lord Hood at Corsica Upon his return to England in 1794 he was
appointed to the Melpomene, and remained in the command of that vessel up-
wards of seven years. He was engaged under Admiral Mitchell in the expedition
against the Helder, at the blockade of Amsterdam. In 1800 he had the chief
command on the coast of Africa, and took possession of Porto Praya. In the Ruby
he commanded the Sea Fencibles at Harwich. In 1802 he acted as Commissioner
at Antigua in the West Indies, and in the following year commanded the
Illustrious of 74 guns, in the Channel fleet. In 1809 he obtained a Colonelcy of
the Marines; in 1810 was made a Rear-Admiral, and Commander-in-chief in
the Thames, and in 1814 was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral. In 1818
he was made Commander-in-chief and Governor of Newfoundland, and returned
to England in 1822. He is the present senior Admiral of the Red, and K.C.B.
^ Captain Isaac Scliomberg was made a Post Captain, November 22, 1790.
He was in Lord Rodney's action in 1782, and commanded the Culloden in
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 143
am confident, that if our sea-faring men do their duty, that
either the enemy will give over the folly of the measure, or,
if they persist in it, that not one Frenchman will be allowed
to set his foot on British soil ; it is, therefore, necessary that
all good men should come forward on this momentous occa-
sion to oppose the enemy, and, more particularly, the Sea
Fencibles, who have voluntarily enrolled themselves to defend
their country afloat, which is the true place where Britain
ought to be defended, that the horrors of war may not reach
the peaceful abodes of our families. And as the Lords Com-
missioners of the Admiralty have been pleased to appoint
me to command the sea defence of Great Britain, within the
limits of your district, it is my duty to request that you will
have the goodness to acquaint all the Sea Fencibles under
your command, and all other sea-faring men and fishermen,
that their services are absolutely required at this moment on
board the ships and vessels particularly appointed to defend
that part of the coast where the enemy mean to attempt a
landing, if unopposed.
" I am authorized to assure the Fencibles, and other sea-
faring men who may come forward on this occasion, that
they shall not be sent off the coast of the kingdom, shall be
kept as near their own houses as the nature of the service
will admit, and that the moment the alarm of the threatened
invasion is over, that every man shall be returned to their
own homes; and also, that during their continuance on
board ship, that as much attention as is possible shall be
paid to their reasonable wants. And I flatter myself, that at
a moment when all the volunteer corps in the kingdom are
Lord Howe's action of the 1st of June, 1794. He was appointed to the Com-
mand of the Sea Fencibles at Hastings. He was afterwards made a Deputy
Comptroller of the Navy, which he resigned, and had a seat given to him at the
Navy Board. He published the Naval Chronology, an useful work. He died
at his house in Cadogan Place, January 20, 1813.
^ Captain William Edge, a Captain of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, to
which he was appointed in 1809 ; was made a Commander in the Alert, a French
brig taken at Toulon and fitted as a fire-vessel. He honourably distinguished
himself in this dangerous service under Sir Sidney Smith upon the evacuation of
Toulon. He was afterwards appointed to the Vulcan fire-ship, and thence re-
moved to the Prince George of 98 guns, in which he was present at the attack
on the French fleet off L'Orient in 1795. On the 29th of June, 1795, he was
made a Post Captain, and appointed to the Sea Fencibles between Harwich and
Yarmouth, aud thus came under Lord Nelson's command.
144 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
come forward to defend our land, that the seamen of Great
Britain will not be slow to defend our own proper element,
and maintain as pure as our glorious ancestors have trans-
mitted it to us, our undoubted right to the Sovereignty of the
Narrow Seas, on which no Frenchman has yet dared to sail
with impunity. Our country looks to its Sea Defence, and
let it not be disappointed.
^' I shall send cutters to bring the Sea Fencibles, and other
sea-faring men to me, in order that I may dispose of them
in the way most proper for the defence of our King and
Country, and, at the same time, in the most commodious way
to the men themselves.
'^ Nelson."
To Lady Hamilton he writes : —
" Medusa, Margate Roads,
August 7th, 1801.
*' My dear Emma,
" I arrived here yesterday evening, and received your kind
letters from the Downs of the 5th. I am vexed such a
racket should be made of these trifling things — consider,
that when I do my utmost they are boats of fifty or sixty
tons ; but I ever have done my best. I grieve, my dear
Emma, to hear you are unwell. Would I could do anything
to comfort you ; try and get well. We shall all meet at
Naples or Sicily one of these days. I thank Castelcicala for
his affectionate note, and send him an answer. To-morrow
morning I go over to Hosely Bay or Harwich, to see what is
to be done with the Sea Fencibles on that coast. I have given
directions to Captain Gore (or rather requested) not to let
any body come into the ship but who had business with me,
for the Medusa would be full from morning till [night].
Fifty boats, I am told, are rowing about her this moment, to
have a look at the one-armed man. I hope Reverend Sir will
be satisfied with the new patent, as it is taken from Hilbo-
rough on purpose to please hun, and if I leave none, he must
breed stock from his own place. A letter to-morrow will
find me at either Hosely or Plarwich, perhaps Troubridge
will send it for you. With my best regards to Mrs. Nelson,
and the Duke, and Lord William, believe me,
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 145
" Captain Gore is very good to me, for I must be a great
plague to him. Parker is very well, and much to do. I de-
livered your message to Allen. He says he has no fear for
his wife whilst she is with you."
"Medusa, August 7th, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
'^ Pray send good Castelcicala's letter. My mind is not so
perfectly at ease as I wish it, but I hope by your next letters
I shall be made better. To our friends say every thing
which is kind.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
The following is the Prince Castelcicala's reply to the letter
above alluded to : —
"London, August 8th, 1801.
" My noble and revered Friend.
" I received your obliging and friendly reply, and perceive
the goodness of heart of the incomparable friend and hero,
whose modesty renders him superior to all others with whom
I am acquainted. There cannot be another Nelson in the
world. I shall inform the King and Queen of what you have
written to me respecting them with so mvich solicitude. My
patrons owe you so many, and such great obligations ; they
love and venerate you so perfectly, that they experience the
highest gratification in your triumphs, and in being constantly
remembered by you. I hope you will soon bring your
enemies here to reason, and that then you will be able to
proceed to save the Sicilies a second time. I beg you to
accept my unbounded thanks for what your goodness induces
you to write to me. Permit me, my dear and worthy Lord,
to solicit care and attention to yourself, to avoid exposing a
person precious to all the world, to your country, to the Two
SiciHes, to your affectionate friends, amongst whom I beg you
to believe me the warmest, for none can put a higher value on
your friendship, and the opinion you deign to entertain of
vol. II. L
146 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [chAP. IV.
me ; believe me until my latest breath, penetrated with enthu-
siasm and respect, with gratitude and friendship,
"• Your grateful, respectful,
" and obsequiously attached,
"Castelcicala.
*' My wife begs to present her best compliments to you."
" To his Excellency,
Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte."
From Margate Roads Lord Nelson wrote to Earl St. Vin-
cent respecting the Sea Fencibles, and received the following
reply :—
" My dear Lord,
" I have to thank your Lordship for the continuance of
your correspondence, touching the arrangement and disposi-
tion you have made of the Sea Fencibles, the whole of which
will be left to your judgment, as it is fitting it should, from the
unbounded confidence we repose in you, I am very sorry
they do not turn out in greater numbers ; it is understood
here that they entered into a written engagement, which is
supposed to be in the hands of the Captains, and we conclude
has been communicated to you.
"The public inind is so very much tranquillized by your
being at your post, it is extremely desirable that you should
continue there ; in this opinion, all his Majesty's servants,
with Sir Thomas Troubridge, agree ; and happy as I should
be to see you, let me entreat your Lordship to persevere in
the measures you are so advantageously employed in, and
give up, at least for the present, your intention of returning
to town, which would have the worst possible effects at this
critical conjuncture. I will explain further when we meet.
De Ruyter was intended to be placed under your command,
and orders will be sent for that purpose ; heartily hoping you
are recovered from the fatigue you have undergone, believe
me to be,
' ' Most affectionately yours,
" St. Vincent.
"Admiralty, August 8th, 1801."
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT IVELSON. 147
Off Yarmouth on the 9th Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton: —
" Medusa, Harwich, August 9th, 1801.
'' My dearest Emma,
" I find from Lord St. Vincent that even my quitting my
post at this moment would create an alarm, therefore I must
give it up ; but, my dear friend, the time will come when I
am more at liberty. I hope that you and Sir William will
come and see me when I can get a little more stationary,
for at present I am running to every port. To-morrow I
intend to go to the Nore, and from thence to Margate, perhaps
the Downs, or over the water, not to fight, I have no such
thing at this moment in my head. Times are when it is
necessary to run risks : I do not mean myself, for I should
be very sorry to place any one where I would not wish to be
myself; but my flotilla must not be wantonly thrown away,
I reserve them for proper occasions. I wish, my dear Emma,
that my name was never mentioned by the newspapers ; it
may create poor Nelson enemies, not that I care, only that I
hate to be praised except by you. My conduct at this time
of service, is not to be altered by either praise, puffs, or
censure. I do my best, and admit that I have only zeal to
bear me through it. Thank our excellent friend. Lord
William, for his new song — the last seems always the best.
How is the Duke ? I saw Sir Edward Berry last night : he
inquired after you kindly. We only got the Medusa into
Harwich at noon. I have been in a cutter since six o'clock ;
apropos, I have seen Captain Dean, late of the King George
packet. You may remember the other cutter which conveyed
us over ; she was dismasted on the Sunday, and very near
sinking. We had a good escape. Make my best regards to
Mrs. Nelson, and believe me,
" Yours, &c.
^'Nelson and Bronte.
" I passed close to our Baltic friends yesterday ; sent a
boat aboard the St. George, got a letter from Hardy, a nod
from George Murray, &c. &c."
" Medusa, Harwich, August 10th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Your letter from Margate I received last night, and those
from the Downs yesterday morning. Although I cannot get
L 2
146 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
to London yet, I hope that the business of the house will go
on. I should think the purchase would be the best, then
I should collect all my little matters together. Having
arranged all my business here, at noon I am going to the
Nore. I may be there two days, but it is impossible to say.
I wish I could fix any time or place where I could have the
happinesss of meeting you, but in my vagabond state I fear
it is impossible. I think 1 could have come to London for a
day, to arrange about the house, without any injury to the
King's service ; but patience, my dear Emma, and be assured
I am,
"Yours, &c.
"Nelson and Bronte.
'* Best regards to the Duke, Lord William, Mrs, Nelson,
and all our real friends."
" Sheerness, August 1 1th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma^
" I came from Harwich yesterday noon ; not having set
my foot on shore, although the volunteers, &c. were drawn
up to receive me, and the people ready to draw the carriage.
Parker had very near got all the honours.
" I came on shore ; for my business lays with the Admiral,
who lives in a ship hauled on shore, and the Commissioner.
Slept at Coffin's : and having done all that I can, am off for
the Downs, to-day if possible.
" As far as September 14th I am at the Admiralty's disposal,
but, if Mr. Buonaparte does not choose to send his miscreants
before that time, my health will not bear me through equi-
noctial gales. I wish that Sir William was returned ; I
would try and persuade him to come to either Deal, Dover,
or Margate ; for, thus cut off from the society of my dearest
friends, 'tis but a life of sorrow and sadness, but yatienza
per for z a !
" I hope you will get the house. If I buy, no person can
say, this shall or shall not be altered ; and you shall have the
whole arrangement. Remember me most kindly to Mrs.
Nelson, the Duke, Lord William. Write to me to the
Downs.
"Nelson and Bronte.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 149
'' The Mayor and Corporation of Sandwich, when they
came on board to present me with the Freedom of that
ancient town, requested me to dine with them, I put them
off for the moment, but they would not be let off. There-
fore, this business, dreadful to me, stands over, I shall be
attacked again when I get to the Downs. But I will not
dine there, without you say approve ; nor perhaps then, if I
can get off. Oh ! how I hate to be stared at."^
Off Margate Nelson wrote to the Premier : " In my com-
mand, I can tell you with truth, that I find much zeal and
good humour; and should Mr. Buonaparte put himself in
our way, I believe he will wish himself even in Corsica. I
only hope, if he means to come, that it will be before the
14th of September, for my stamina is but ill suited for equi-
noctial gales and cold weather.^' On the 12th he wrote to
Lady Hamilton : —
"August 12th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" You must know me well enough that even when I can-
not fully repay an obligation, yet I always wish to do something
which may at least mark my gratitude, so is my situation
with Captain Gore. I therefore wish you to order for me a
piece of plate, value £50, in order that I may leave it as a
memento that I am not insensible of his kindness to me. He
is very rich, therefore, I must take care not to offend. He
has every thing except a silver urn or tea-kettle and lamp,
I think the latter a useful piece of plate, and will come
to about the sum. I propose to have wrote on the kettle,
' From Vice-Admiral Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte, to
Captain John Gore, of His Majesty's ship Medusa, in grati-
tude for the many acts of kindness shewn him when on board
the Medusa in August, 1801 -' and let it be done as soon as
possible, as I expect about next Tuesday to leave this ship
and go into the Amazon. Have it dii'ected for me at Deal,
and a bill sent with it ; but if, my dear Emma, you think any-
thing else more suitable of the same value, be so good as to
order it.
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 47.
150 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
" That beast, Allen, ^ has left behind, or lost all my
papers, but I have sent him after them, and he is such a no-
torious liar, that he never says truth — no, such is his delight
in lying that even to do himself good he cannot resist the
pleasure he has in telling a lie, for I asked him in the boat for
my red case, as I did not see it. His answer was, ' Sir, I put
it in the stern locker.' I then desired him to take particular
care in handing the case up the side, when he knew perfectly
well that he had not put it in the boat, and as all my things
were brought by him from Coffin's house to the landing-place
I never expect to see it more. There is £200 in it, and all
my papers. Huzza f Huzza ! What a beast he is, but I
trust more to other people's honesty than his cleverness. He
will one day ruin me by his ignorance, obstinacy, and lies.
" I am pushing for the Downs, but whether I can stay one
day or two is impossible to say, but it shall not be long before
we meet. As for going out of the kingdom without seeing you,
nothing shall prevent me ; I would sooner give up my com-
mand. We are just off Margate, and I think one of my
vessels may save post. I send it under cover to Sir Thomas
Troubridge.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.'*
On the 13th, he wrote many letters: two to Lady Hamil-
ton, one to Earl St. Vincent, another to Mr. Nepean, and one
also to Mr. Davison.
"Medusa, DownSj August 13th, 1801.
*' My dearest Emma,
" I have received all your truly kind and affectionate letters,
and you may rely it is not my fault that I cannot get to Lon-
don to see you and Mrs. Nelson ; but I believe it is all the
plan of Troubridge, but I have wrote both him and the Earl
my mind. But ' Cheer up, fair Emma,' cheer up, then I
shall be better to hear you are so, for I would not give a
farthing for friendship that could be in good health when the
friend of ray heart is sick. I have had a fever all night, and am
' His old servant.
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 151
not much better this morning. I am going to-morrow morning
over to the French coast, therefore you may be one day with-
out hearing from me ; but I assure you, my dear friend, that
/ am going into no danger. The services on this coast are
not necessary for the personal exertions of a Vice-Admiral,
therefore, I hope that will make your dear good friendly heart
easy, you would naturally hate me if I kept back when I
ought to go forward — never fear, that shall not be said of me.
I find both at Harwich and Margate that they are disap-
pointed at my not going on shore ; the whole gentry of the
country came to see me just as I came away, but a Sir
George Murray, a very loyal gentleman, related to Princess
Augusta,^ came near Margate in a Custom House cutter to
see me. I was in hopes to have seen Lord William. Re-
specting Banti's son I will ask Captain Gore to take him,
and I should hope he would not refuse me, or I will take him
into the Amazon, and fix him with Captain Sutton, and
under Robert Walpole's eye, who is Lieutenant of her. Get
the lad ready and send him to me. Whatever I can do you
may command, for yours are acts of kindness. Look out for
a house for me (to buy, if you like it), but have a dry situa-
tion.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" I have received, I believe, every letter and paper. Never
ask the question, do they bore me ? All others do most dam-
nably. Yesterday I received more than one hundred. Pray
write me everything and of everybody — all you say must be
most interesting to your,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Allen is returned with my case.^*
"Downs, August 13th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
'^ Your letters to-day make me happy. Thank Mrs. Nel-
son for the perusal of Mrs. Whitens letter. She is a woman
' Lady Augusta Murray, who was married to His Royal Highness the Duke of
Sussex.
152 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
of sense. I send you a letter from Mrs. Cannon. I suppose
I must give her the money. What can I do, but it must be
as you please. Keep it secret, I will send an order by return
of post, if you choose, and you shall write her a kind letter.
My head is split.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Send me a translation of the Queen's letter. Must I
write ? I shall write to General Jerningham."
To Earl St. Vincent he sent the Reports of the Sea Fenci-
bles Captains, and asks, " Where, my dear Lord, is our
invasion to come from ? The time is gone ; owing to the
precautions of Government, it cannot happen at this mo-
ment, and I hope that we shall always be as much on the
alert as our enemies." He then goes on to the consideration
of an attack : " Flushing (says he), is my grand object; but
so many obstacles are in the way, and the risk is so great of
the loss of some vessels, that, under all cu-cumstances, I could
hardly venture without a consultation with you, and an
arranged plan, with the Board's orders."^
The Rev. William Nelson never let slip an opportunity of
soliciting preferment. He applied in eveiy quarter to pro-
mote his object. The following was addressed by him to
Lady Hamilton : —
"Hilborough, August 13th, 1801.
" My dear Lady,
" If London, the capital and metropolis of this great em-
pire, which is herself able, single and alone, to keep the rascally
French villains at bay, cannot aiford a subject for a letter, 'tis
no wonder that such an obscure village as this cannot. In-
deed, the truth is, there is but one object, both here and
there, that engrosses our w'hole thoughts and soul, and him
we can for ever dwell upon. Pray God continue to protect
and preserve him. The greatest comfort we have in the
country is in the abundant crops of all kinds of corn we are
now blessed with, and the extreme fine weather to get in the
» Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 298.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 153
harvest. I think things must be cheaper very soon ; hops
are so plentiful, that what was sold last year for £16, are now
offered only at £5, and of best quality, so that your friend,
Tim Brown, must let us have some of his best brown stout
considerably cheaper.
" I was told yesterday by a person who lately came from
Exeter, that Dr. Harward, the Dean, is eighty years old, and
is lately grown very infirm. If a vacancy should happen
there, it would be a most desirable thing if Mr. Addington
would make me Dean of Exeter, 'tis about seven or eight
hundred pounds a-year, and a good house and pleasant town
and country, nothing could scarce be better of the sort, and
is one of the things I desired my brother to mention to him,
only you know Mr. Addington at that time could not be
pinned down to anything. But now we have secured the
Peerage, we have only one thing to ask, and that is, my pro-
motion in the Church, handsomely and honourably, such as
becomes Lord Nelson's brother and heir apparent to the
title. No put off with small beggarly stalls. Mr, Addington
must be kept steady to that point. I am sure Nelson is
doing everything for him. But a word is enough for your
good sensible heart, so I remain,
" Your most affectionate and obliged friend,
"William Nelson."
Lord Nelson was far from well during this service. He
writes : —
"Medusa, at sea, August 14th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
"The fever which I had seems fallen in my head, which is
much swelled, and my poor teeth pain me very much. I fear
my letter will not be in time for the post to-day, and to-
morrow likewise, the winds and tides fall out so cross that the
vessels cannot get over the same day, therefore, do not expect
one ; you know I will write and send over if it is possible, but
W,e cannot command the winds and the waves. Do not be
uneasy about me, as I told you yesterday there is at this mo-
naent no service for a Vice- Admiral j but, my dear Emma, your
154 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
good heart fancies danger for your friend, and a more true-
hearted one does not exist than
" Your faithful,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" I am obliged to send off the cutter, and have not a
moment. The cheese arrived safe and excellent. Send to
some good wine merchant for three dozen of the best cham-
pagne, and order to the Downs by waggon, directed on board
the Amazon, or I shall have nothing to give you, and that
would be shameful in me who receive all good things from
you.^'
Contemplating the intended attack, Lord Nelson writes
thus : —
" Medusa, off Boulogne, August 15 th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
•' From my heart I wish you could find me out a good
comfortable house, I should hope to be able to purchase it.
At this moment I can only command £3000 ; as to asking
Sir William, I could not do it, I would sooner beg. Is the
house at Chiswick furnished ? if not, you may fairly calculate
at £2000 for furniture, but if I can pay, as you say, by little
and little, we could accomplish it. Be careful how you trust
Mr. ; all must be settled by a lawyer. It is better to
pay £lOO, than to be involved in law. I am ver}' anxious
for a house, and I have nobody to do any business for me but
you, my dear friend. If Davison was in town, I would get
him to look about, and settle all the law business for me ;
but as to a house, you are an excellent judge, only do not
have it too large, for the establishment of a large house would
be ruinous. As you may believe, my dear Emma, my mind
feels at what is going forward this night ; it is one thing to
order and arrange an attack, and another to execute it ; but
I assure you I have taken much more precaution for others,
than if I was to go myself — then my mind would be perfectly
at ease, for after they have fired their guns, if one half the
French do not jump overboard and swim on shore, I will
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 155
venture to be hanged, and our folks have only to go on, never
think of retreating. This will not go away till to-morrow.
Many poor fellows may exclaim, Would it were bed-time, and
all were well ; but if our people behave as I expect, our loss
cannot be much. My fingers itch to be at them. What
place would you like to come to, Margate or Deal? Dover,
I fear, would be inconvenient ; Hosely Bay would be also
the same. As for having the pleasure of seeing you, that I
am determined upon. I am fagging here, and perhaps shall
only get abuse for my pains to be half ruined in my little
fortune, but rich or poor, believe me,
" Ever yours,
'^Nelson and Bronte."
On this day he drew up the plan of attack on the enemy's
flotilla at Boulogne, and dispatched memoranda for the ships.
The first division was to be under the command of Captain
Somerville/ the second under Captain Parker,- the third
under Captain Cotgrave,^ and the fourth under Cajitain
Jones.^ There was also a division of howitzer-boats under
Captain Conn.^ Each division was to be subdivided into
two, and to be made fast to 'one another as close as possible.
The utmost silence was to be preserved, and the oars were to
be muffled. The boats were to be manned at half past ten,
and at eleven they were to sail, upon a signal of six lanterns
hung over the guns of the Medusa, Nelson's vessel.^ The
' Captain Philip Somerville was a Post Captain of April 29, 1802.
' Captain Edward Thornborougli Parker.
' Captain Isaac Cotgrave was made a Post Captain in 1802. He was upwards
of fifty years in the service, and many years Agent for French prisoners at Ply-
mouth, where he died in 1814.
'' Captain Richard Jones was a Lieutenant on board the Defence at the Battle
of the Nile, and was made a Commander upon that victory. After commanding
the Diligence sloop-of-war, he was appointed to the Sea Feucibles in the Cliepstow
district. He was made a Post Captain, April 29, 1802, and died December 11,
1829.
* Captain John Conn was a Post Captain in 1802. He commanded the
Dreadnought at the Battle of Trafalgar, and was afterwards appointed to the
Swiftsure, from which vessel, whilst in chase off the Bermuda Islands on the 4th
of May, 1810, he fell overboard and was drowned.
® See Appendix No. 1, for the rough draft of the Plan of attack. The altera-
tions in the wording of it are very few, and the whole marks tbe genius of Nelson
for the service, displaying an attention to the minutest details.
156 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. IV.
watchword was Nelson, and the answer Bronte. The
attack was unsuccessful. The flotilla could not be brought
out of the mouth of the harbour. Great bravery was dis-
played by the officers and men employed, and the loss was
severe. The flotilla, brigs, and flats, were moored by the
bottom to the shore, and to each other by chains, and our
force was severely injured by the firing of musketry from the
shore. In this attack, Captain Parker, one of Nelson's
greatest favourites, received a shot in the thigh, shattering it.
He was saved from being killed or taken prisoner, by the
Honourable Mr. Cathcart, for every man in Parker's boat
was either killed or wounded, and his boat had drifted along-
side a flat full of men. Parker's condition excited Nelson's
deepest commiseration — he truly loved him. In his account
to Mr. Nepean, at the Admiralty, he says : — " Amongst the
many gallant men wounded, I have, with the deepest regret,
to place the name of my gallant, good friend and able
assistant. Captain Edward T. Parker, also my Flag Lieu-
tenant Frederick Langford,^ who has served with me many
years ; they were wounded in attempting to board the
French Commodore." The following letters will shew the
deep interest he took in the fate of his friend and aide-de-
camp : —
" Medusa, August 16th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" You will be sorry to hear that dear little Parker is
wounded, but the doctors assure me he will do well. Langford
has his leg shot through, but will do. The damned French had
their vessels chained from the bottoms to the shore, and also
to each other; therefore, although several of them were taken,
yet they could not be brought off. They will not unchain
them for us to catch them at sea. The enemy have lost
many men, so have we, about 100 killed and wounded.
Nobody acquitted themselves in every respect better than
Cathcart ; he saved Parker from being a prisoner, Parker
shewed the most determined courage; so did Langford.
' Lieutenant Frederick Langford died at Jamaica in 1815, being tlien in com-
mand of the Cydnus. He was made a Commander in 1801, but was not posted
until 1806.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 157
You will believe how I am suffering, and not well into the
bargain, Troubridge has wrote me such letters, that I do
not know if I shall ever write to him again. It is all his
doing, my not coming to London. I shall be two days in
the Downs, but it is just at Sir WilHam's arrival. How I
envy him the sight of your blessed face ! and probably I shall
be gone before you can come. I have no friend but one, as
I wrote Troubridge ; that is you, good, dear, disinterested
Emma. I am agitated, but believe me,
" Yours,
*• Nelson and Bronte.
" This letter will be opened to a certainty, to hear news
from Boulogne.'^
" Medusa, Downs, August 17th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Your kind letter of Saturday I received last night, and I
regret that I cannot find a house and a little piece of ground,
for if I go on much longer with my present command, I must
be ruined. I think your perseverance and management will
at last get me a home. I am now likely to be here till
Thursday. I wish Sir William had been either at home or
not coming. Perhaps you, my excellent friend, and Mrs.
Nelson, might have come down to Deal ; how happy you
would have made me, but I hope to get in again somewhere
after this next trip, and by that time Sir William will have
arranged his affairs in London. As for Troubridge, never
send a letter through him. I shall never write to him again
unless his letters are done away. I am no longer useful, and
we know, ' No longer pipe, no longer dance.' The Admiralty
are beasts for their pains ; it was only depriving me of one
day's comfort and happiness, for which they have my hearty
prayers. Parker will do well, I hope, but he must be kept
very quiet; his thigh is broken in three places, but as he has
youth, the doctors hope it will unite ; it is the only chance
he has. Langford is suffering very much. I have sent and
taken lodgings for them both, and I trust they will get well
as fast as I wish them. Now we shall see whether the
158 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
Admiralty will again neglect me, or whether officers and men
who serve \uider me are to be neglected. We all dine at the
Admiral's to day, and sleep on shore, contrary to my inclina-
tion; but Captain Gore has requested it, that the ship
may be cleaned and purified, for the wounds smell very bad,
and they cannot begin to wash till Parker and Langford are
removed out of the cabin. To-morrow morning I will be on
board again, Mr. Pitt is coming to Walmer Castle. If he
asks me to dinner, I shall go to Sandwich ; at present I shall
not think of it. What pleasure can I derive from it ? Re-
member me to Sir WilUam. I wish you were here.
'* Ever 3^ours,
'* Nelson and Bronte.
'' To Mrs. Nelson, the Duke, and Lord William, say every
thing which is kind. How can the Duke think you would
take his house ? Never."
Parker wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Deal, August 18th, 1801.
" My Lady,
" Your letter has made such strong impressions on me,
that I hardly know how my feelings allow me to answer, but
still I must, as long as nature allows me to hold a pen. To
call me a Nelsonite is more to me than making me a Duke :
oh God, how is it possible for me ever to be sufficiently
thankful for all his attentions ! He is now attending me with
the most parental kindness, comes to me at six in the morn-
ing and ten at night ; both late and early his kindness is
alike. God bless him and preserve him. I would lose a
dozen limbs to serve him. Thank Mrs. Nelson for me.
Excuse me> for I am tired, and believe me,
'* Your most grateful servant,
"E.T.Parker."
In communicating the approval of the zeal and courage of
the squadron by the Lords of the Admiralty, Nelson assures
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 159
them, " that the enemy will not have long reason to boast of
their security ; for he trusts ere long to assist them in person
in a way which will completely annihilate the whole of them.
Lord Nelson is convinced, that if it had been possible for
man to have brought the enemy's flotilla out, the men that
were employed to do so would have accomplished it. The
moment the enemy have the audacity to cast off the chains
which fix their vessels to the ground, that moment Lord
Nelson is well persuaded they will be conducted by his brave
followers to a British port, or sent to the bottom." He
burned with anxiety for an attack in which he might per-
sonally partake. He was desirous of attacking the enemy at
Flushing ; he even contemplated a bombardment of Calais.
To Earl St. Vincent he says, " I own I shall never bring
myself again to allow any attack to go forward, where I am
not personally concerned ; my mind suffers much more
than if I had a leg shot off in this late business. I am
writing between poor Parker and Langford ; therefore I
must beg great indulgences, only believe that I will do my
utmost."^
This service was considered by many as of too petty a de-
scription for an officer of Lord Nelson's rank and character
to be employed upon ; but it was undertaken at the request
of the Hon . Mr. Addington, to satisfy the British people, and
subdue the alarm entertained by many at Buonaparte's
threats of invasion. Nelson was not a man to cavil at a
service when an opportunity offered by which he could benefit
his country. Although his attack on the Boulogne flotilla
was unsuccessful in its object, it failed not to demonstrate
the utter futility of all attempts at invasion. M. Thiers
says, that the confidence of the English in the enterprising
genius of Nelson, was greatly diminished by the failure of his
attack ! " La confiance des Anglais dans le genie entrepre-
nant de Nelson etait fort diminuee.''- The best refutation
of this is to be found in his subsequent career, and the un-
bounded attachment and admiration entertained for him by
the whole British nation.
' Clarke and Mc Arthur, Vol. ii. p. 301.
* Hist, du Consulat. torn. iii. liv. xi. p. 175.
160 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
On tlie 18th he wrote to Lady Hamilton: —
" Dealj August 18th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" I have this morning been attending the funeral of two
young Midshipmen : a Mr. Gore, cousin of Captain Gore,
and a Mr. Bristow.^ One nineteen, the other seventeen
years of age. Last night I was all the evening in the hos-
pital, seeing that all was done for the comfort of the poor
fellows. I am going on board, for nothing shall keep me
living on shore without you were here. I shall come in the
morning to see Parker, and go on board again directly. I
shall be glad to see Oliver : I hope he will keep his tongue
quiet about the tea-kettle, for I shall not give it till I leave
the Medusa. You ask me what Troubridge wrote me ?
There was not a syllable about you in it. It was about my
not coming to London, at the importance of which I laughed :
and then he said, he should never venture another opinion.
On which I said, " Then I shall never give you one.' This
day he has wrote a kind letter, and all is over.
" I have, however, wrote him in my letter of this day as
follows, viz. : — 'And I am this moment, as firmly of opinion
as ever, that Lord St. Vincent, and yourself, should have
allowed of my coming to town, for my own affairs ; for every
one knoics I left it without a thought for myself.' But this
business cannot last long, and I hope we shall have peace ;
and I rather incline to that opinion.
" I hope, my dear Emma, you will be able to find a house
suited for my comfort. I am sure of being happy by your
arrangements. I have wrote a line to Troubridge about
Darby. Parker will write you a line of thanks if he is able.
I trust in God he will yet do well ! You ask me, my dear
friend, if I am going on more expeditions ? And even if I was
' These two poor fellows were Midshipmen in the Medusa. Mr. Gore was a
son of Lieut. -Colonel Gore, and only in his 16th year. In attempting to board
the enemy he was wounded by no less than five musket balls. They were buried
at Deal in one grave. Lord Nelson and eight Captains of the Navy attending the
funeral. His Lordship's sensibility was freely expressed on this occasion by a
flow of tears. A file of marines preceded the bodies, and three volleys were fired
over the place of their interment.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 161
to forfeit your friendship, which is dearer to me than all the
world, I can tell you nothing. For, I go out ; if I see the
enemy, and can get at them, it is my duty, and you would
naturally hate me if I kept back one moment.
" I long to pay them for their tricks the other day, the
debt of a drubbing, which surely I will pay : but when, where,
or how, it is impossible, your own good sense must tell you,
for me or mortal man to say.
" I shall act not in a rash or hasty manner, that you may
rely, and on which I give you my word of honour. Just
going off.
" Ever your faithful,
" Nelson and Bronte."'
And on the 19th: —
"Deal, August 19th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Oliver came on board about two o'clock this morning
with young Banti, who you may be assured I will take every
possible care of. I have all your truly kind and affectionate
letters by Oliver, and also those by the post to-day. You
may rely, that as soon as I can with honour get clear of this
business, I shall resign it with pleasure; but if I was to give
it up at this moment, you would hate me. The whole history
must be over by the 14th of September, if not, I will certainly
think of giving the command up ; but as I have had all the
fag, and what is to come must be playful compared to what
has passed, I may as well have the credit of finishing this
business. I think it very probable I shall never personally
be engaged, therefore, my dear Emma, do not let your dis-
interested friendship make you uneasy. How often have I
heard you say, that you would not quit the deck if you came
near a Frenchman. Would you have your attached friend do
less than you purpose for yourself? That I am sure you
would not. In these bombardments there is no risk for my
rank, therefore I pray be quiet. I have wrote Sir William a
letter, which you will see ; he was so good as to write me one
from Milford on the 12th, by a Revenue cutter, which arrived
' Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 48.
VOL. II. M
162 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
this morning. I had a note from Mr. Trevor ;^ he is at
Ramsgate ; he was saihng about Avith Mrs. T., but did not,
he says, come near the sliip, as he heard I had been unfor-
tunate. I write a line to Mrs- Nelson. I am sure she will
not leave you. I will entreat it of her. I am sure the kettle
is all right, and as it should be ; I shall leave it packed
with a letter to-morrow. I expect the Amazon ; but all my
movements are uncertain ; but this is the most likely place
to find me. The Three Kings I am told is the best house
(it stands on the beach), if the noise of the constant surf
does not disturb you. Dear Parker is much better. I
am sure he will be much gratified with your uniform kind-
ness. When I left him to go on board yesterday, for I would
not stay on shore, he got hold of my hand, and said he could
not bear me to leave him, and cried like a child. However,
I promised to come on shore this morning to see him, and
nothing else could have got me out of the ship, for this beach
is very uncomfortable to land upon. Oliver will tell you
that I have been to the hospital to see my poor fellows, and
altogether it has almost upset me, therefore I have not wrote
so much as I should. Forgive me, and believe me,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Your interest with Sir William is requested to come and
see a poor forlorn sailor .''
" Medusa, Downs, August 20th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,''
*' I approve of the house at Merton ; and as the Admiralty
are so cruel (no, I never asked the Board of Admiralty), as
Troubridge and the Earl are so ci'uel as to object to my
coming to London to manage my own matters, I must beg
and entreat of you to work hard for me, Messrs. Booth and
Haslewood will manage all the law business. I have £3000.
ready to pay to-morrow, and I can certainly get more in a
' John Trevor Hampden, third Viscount Hampden, bom February 24, 1748-9,
was in 1780 Minister Plenipotentiary to the Diet of Raleston ; and in 1783, to
the Coui-t of Sardinia. He succeeded to the title upon the death of his brother,
and with him the title has become extinct.
i
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 163
little time if the people will have patience, therefore pray,
dear Emma, look to it for me. I shall approve your taste.
How often have I, laughing, said I would give you £500. to
furnish a house for me — you promised me, and now I claim
it ; and I trust to your own dear good heart for the fulfilment
of it. I Avrote Sir Thomas Troubridge that I had but one
I'eal friend ; his answer was, that he knew 1 had a hundred,
but I do not believe the ninety-nine. It is calm, and our
men are not arrived, therefore cannot go to sea this day.
How happy I shall be to see you, Sir William, and Mrs.
Nelson here, and how dear Parker will be delighted. He is
much better to-day. I went on shore one minute to see
him, and returned instantly on board. Captain Gore told
me that Mr. and Mrs. Trevor had been alongside, inquiring
for me ; that he had asked them to dinner, and that they
would call again, so alongside they came. Captain Gore
told them he was afraid he had done wrong, for that I was
very busy ; upon this Mr. Trevor came into the cabin, and
begged pardon, but asked for Mrs. Trevor and two ladies to
come in. My answer was, for being acquaintances of yours.
Yes, if they wished to see the ship ; but that I really could
not allow them to stay dinner, for that every moment of ray
time was taken up. I did not go upon deck to receive them.
They stayed ten minutes, inquired after you and Sir William,
hoped you would come down and stay at Ramsgate, and away
they went, making many apologies. I told him no other
person should have come in, but for old acquaintance sake I
could not refuse him. The other ladies were a Lady Some-
body, and a Mrs. Somebody. I neither know or care for
their names. Make my kindest regards to Sir William, Mrs.
Nelson, the Duke, and Lord William. I think if you will
take the trouble for my house you will have country em-
ployment enough without going to Richmond, where you
never can do as you please.
" Ever yours,
"■ Nelson and Bronte.''
About this time, Captain, now Sir Alexander John Ball,
Bart., wrote to Lord Nelson : —
M 2
i64 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
" Minorca, August 17th, 1801.
" My clear Lord,
" Our friend Hallowell, who has had the misfortune to be
captured by Gantheaume's squadron, is arrived here, and will
proceed immediately to England, where on his arrival he will
pay his respects to your Lordship, and communicate the
many interesting naval and military operations which have
been transacted since you left us, and he will assure you of
the ardent wish of the navy to see your Lordship command
once more in these seas.
" I inclose a copy of a letter from Lord Hobart ( Secretary
for Foreign affairs),^ expressing his Majesty's approbation of
my conduct at Malta, and that he is pleased to give me a
thousand pounds for my loss of prize money. Had I not
landed at Malta, your Lordship would have given me the
same friendly protection and advantage which you gave to
' " Downing Street, May 15th, 1801.
" Sir,
" I have to acknowledge your several letters to Mr. Dundas, of the dates men-
tioned in the margin, and to express the great satisfaction which his Majesty's
confidential servants have received from the valuable and interesting communica-
tions they contain respecting the revenues and interior situation of the island of
Malta.
" I am particularly commanded by his Majesty to convey to you his entire
approbation of your conduct during the time you exercised the Administration of
the Island, as a testimony of vt'hich, it is with very sincere pleasure that I have to
inform you his Majesty has been graciously pleased to confer upon you the dignity
of a Baronet of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
" With respect to the loss of Prize Money which you have sustained, by ceasing
the command of the Alexander, you will, I am sure, on reflection, be aware of
the great inconvenience that would arise from entertaining so delicate a question,
by the numberless applications of different cases to which it might give rise.
His Majesty, however, on a consideration of the peculiar circumstances of your
situation, has been pleased to give directions that the sum of one thousand pounds
shall be paid to you from the revenues of Malta ; and you may rest assured that
you will be included in the distribution of the proceeds arising from the shipping,
ordnance and stores captured in the ports and fortresses on the surrender of the
island to his Majesty's arms. Whenever that distribution shall be made, the
claims of the Neapolitan and of the Maltese troops appear to me equally entitled
to attention, and I shall not fail to recommend them to his Majesty's favourable
consideration.
" I am. Sir,
" Your most obedient humble servant,
" HoBART."
"To Captain Ball."
1
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 165
the other Captains, who made from eight to sixteen thousand
pounds, while I was at Malta ; had I remained in the Alex-
ander I should have received three thousand pounds for the
captures made before Malta. With respect to precedent,
Governor Phillip receives £500. a year for his services at
Botany Bay. Lord Minto has a handsome pension. I cer-
tainly do not put my services in competition with those of
Sir Sidney Smith ; but when these gentlemen receive such
handsome rewards, and I only get one thousand pounds to
make up for the loss of several thousand pounds, I must
think that his Majesty's Ministers do not know the diffi-
culties I have had to encounter. They have appointed a Mr.
Cameron Civil Commissioner of Malta, and the line is dis-
tinctly drawn between the civil and military departments.
This gentleman has never been in a public situation ; he is in
distressed circumstances from a mercantile house, in which
either he or his father was concerned, having failed. He
married a sister of Lord ErroFs, whose interest procured him
this situation. The Maltese are astonished at this arrana-e-
ment, and that so little deference is paid to their wishes, and
the great injustice done me ; particularly after Mr. Dundas's
declaration in his letter to General Pigot, an extract' of which
T inclose herewith. If Government suppose that the Com-
missionership is a recompense, I shall regret having applied
for it. I have written for leave to go to England, in the hope
that I shall, with the assistance of my friends, obtain at least
a full indemnification for my losses. Tyson- is still at Malta.
' Extract of a Letter from the Right Hon. Henry Dundas, November 17, 1800,
to Major- General Pigot.
"The judgment and zeal with which Captain Ball, of the Royal Navy, con-
ducted the affairs of the island, dui-ing the whole of the blockade, and tlie esteem
and confidence which have been so justly and frequently shewn him by the inhabit-
ants, render him in every respect a most fit person for you to consult and advise
with as long as the duties of his profession may allow him to remain on the island ;
and I cannot more fully explain to you how much weight is due to his opinions
and suggestions on the subject, than by informing you that his Majesty feels so
forcibly how very materially his indefatigable services, and superior abilities have
contributed to rescue Malta from the French, that it is a matter of regret to his
Majesty, that the nature of the command and government being purely militaiy,
at least for the remainder of the war, precludes Captain Ball from retaining a
situation adequate to his rank, and just expectations in this island."
' Lord Nelson's Secretary.
IG6 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
I shall join him in a few days, and then proceed to Gibraltar.
I wrote to your Lordship about him several months since.
I am under great obligations to him for the assistance he has
given me, which I fear has prevented his joining your Lord-
ship, by which he will be a great sufferer. I believe he has
never received a line from your Lordship since your arrival in
England. Adieu, my dear Lord. My very best respects to
my worthy and good friends, Sir William and Lady Hamilton.
With the greatest respect, I have the honour to remain,
" Your most obliged and devoted,
"Alexander John Ball."
Merton was now an object of attention, and was ultimately
purchased by Nelson. To Lady Hamilton he writes : —
"August 20th, 1801.
*' My dear Friend,
"■ I am very much flattered by Mr. Greville's kindness, and
the great honour he has done me, but independent of that, I
admire his description of the rising prosperity of Milford,^
and the rising of its industrious inhabitants, which will make
proprietor and tenant rich in time, and not like many fools
be like the boy with the golden egg. I hope Grseffer is going
on so at Bronte ; I am sure I take nothing from that estate.
I entreat, my good friend, manage the affair of the house for
me, and believe me, yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" Furniture and all fixtures must be bought.'^
The Rev. W. Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Bmnham, August 20th, 1801.
" Your letters, my dear Madam, though they make us
easy about my dear brother, yet make me very uncomfortable
about poor Parker ; I hope to God his limb may be set again,
so that he may be able in time to return to his duty, for it
will be a wretched thing for so young a man to be set aside
so early in life ; but God's will be done. I am glad Oliver
is gone down to Deal, it will be a comfort to my brother. I
shall be happy when he has done with these boat expeditions ;
' Sir William Hamilton had much property here.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 167
you see, nothing can be done with these rascals, they are too
knowing : they well know nothing but iron chains will keep
their vessels in their own ports when Nelson commands.
Give my love to him when you write, and tell him I don't
write to him myself, as he has so much to do, but ray regard
and love and gratitude to him is, and always willhe, vnaUerahle.
You say I was silly I did not press for the entail of the
peerage on Charlotte and her heirs male, as my brother was
half inclined ; had I known as much, I would have done it,
for I agree perfectly with you, they don't value the thing as they
ought ; they are a little tickled with it at first, and that is all.
However, if he is made an Earl, then will be the time, and I
will get you to try to have it settled on me and my heirs
male, and failure of them, on my daughter and her heirs male,
that will do the business at once.
" I get on very well ; the old gentleman is pretty well, and
seems anxious about my brother's safety. He desires his
compliments to you, and says you promised to write to him
if any thing particular occurred. I shall be glad to know
when Sir William returns, on your account as well as my
own, that you may send my dear jewel to me, for I shall be
quite alone. I shall be home on Saturday, and expect to find
letters.
" Yours most faithfully and affectionately,
''Wm. Nelson."
The Hon. Col. Stewart's practice at Copenhagen with Nel-
son, seems from the following letter, to have inspired him
with the desire of having been present at the unsuccessful
attempt upon the French flotilla at Boulogne : —
" Weymouth Camp, August 21st, 1801.
" My dear Lord,
" The anxiety and interest with which I have entered into
the spirit of your Lordship's late gallant attempt against the
Boulogne fleet, must apologize for my intruding this letter
upon time more seriously occupied than even the perusal of
it can perhaps afford. I know not how it is, but some how
or other, I do not feel comfortable at the not having requested
your Lordship more particularly to have taken me with you,
16S LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
on the late occasion, although out of my line immediately, and
liable to have created jealousy had I been honoured with any
thing like a considerable share of friendship ; be it as it may,
I cannot read your Lordship^s letter, accompanied by our
dear Parker's, without tears coming in my eyes, and wishing
that I might at least have borne some share in the danger
which surrounded that gallant young friend of your Lord-
ship's on the late occasion. How true is it, that fortune is a
capricious dame, and favours our attempts in this world only
when she pleaseth. Those only who understand where to
attach glory to the attempt and to enterprise, and not to suc-
cess, can fully feel all that they ought to feel, or enter into
the grandeur of the action which last Saturday night took
place. How strongly does that admirable line in the tragedy
of Cato come to our minds, when he says,
' 'Tis not in mortals to command success.
But we'll do more, Sempronius ; we'll desene it.'
" After having been on this occasion not so fortunate as
to have been of any use under your command, if chance or
situation can still, my dear Lord, bring me in any manner,
with or without mij willing felloios, into play, where you lead
I shall be made one of the happiest of soldiers, for much as I
before wished to accompany your Lordship, more anxious do
I feel now than ever, since the Goddess of Fortune has
seemed to shew an inclination to be ill-natured, and to dare
us to still harder trials. I am an individual, who from my
situation in life, and from my turn of feelings upon certain
subjects, feel not perhaps more desirous to preserve myself
beyond this war than many of my contemporary officers.
Without being tired of the world, I, perhaps, attach not that
idea of value to it which is so much felt, and am of that turn
of mind which induces a man sometimes to look forward to a
long dull and lingering decline, as in the main less enviable
than a more rapid exit from this world, tinged with a mode-
rate degree of honour.
" I am doing my utmost to bring my young regiment here
into a state worthy of being called upon by your Lordship,
wherever their services may be useful. My Baltic party has
at length joined me, and with heartfelt sincerity, (my friend
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 1G9
Beckwith at their head), submit their hopes of remembrance
to you. With the same feeling, I beg leave to subscribe myself^,
my dear Lord,
" One of your very faithful and humble servants,
"W. Stewart."
Captain Parker again wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
"Deal, August 21st, 1801.
" My Lady,
" How much I feel for your goodness to me. I am as well
as the nature of my wounds will allow, and eat and drink all
the Doctors will let me. I have strong hopes from what my
dear Lord says, that I shall see you all down on his return.
What a joy that will be. I dare say I shall be half well by
that time. Langford is much obliged to you ; he is upon the
mending hand, and I hope will soon be well. Companions
in misfortune are not desirable. I was afraid my friend, my
nm-se, my attendant, my patron, my protector, nay, him
whom the world cannot find words sufficient to praise, would
have sailed ; but he is not yet gone. Remember me most
affectionately to Sir William, with every thing you can say
kind and grateful to Mrs. Nelson, and believe me your Lady-
ship's grateful and obedient servant,
" Edward T. Parker.
"■ Thank you for your plan about the letters. I wish the
newspapers did not say so much ; they are too lavish a great
deal, they do nothing but cut and shoot, and everything that
is dreadful."
And Nelson : —
" Medusa, August 22nd, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
" I shall try and get this letter through Troubridge, but
one day he is angry and another pleased, that, to say the
truth, I do not wish to trouble any of them. I have been
sea-sick these last two days, and I should die to stay here one
quarter of the winter. God knows w^hether those fellows will
try and come over, I can hardly think they are fools enough.
You may rely, my dearest friend, that I will run no unneces-
sary risk, therefore let your friendly mind be at ease. Would
I'JQ LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
to God it were peace, and then I would go to Sicily, and be
happy. I cannot get on shore and afloat again, the surf is so
great, and yet I could have wished to have seen Parker, but
nothing but necessity should have made me remain on shore,
and if I was to go I could not get off. I expect the Amazon
to-day, and shall get on board her, but in a very wretched
state, for I have nothing in reality fit to keep a table, and to
begin and lay out £500. is what I cannot afford, therefore in
every respect I shall be very miserable. I know not why,
but to-day I am ready to burst into tears. Pray God your
friendly letters may arrive and comfort me. I am sure I get
not one scrap of comfort from any other quarter. Banti seems
stout, and will, I dare say, do very well. He is not sea-sick,
which I am — that is very odd, and I am damned sick of the sea.
This moment I have your letters, and although I rejoice from
my heart that you are coming, yet I am fearful I shall not be
here by Wednesday night, but I hope on Thursday, or Fri-
day at farthest. The three rooms next the sea are all sitting-
rooms, with a gallery before them next the sea. I will
desire two of the rooms, if possible, for I believe, except a
dark sitting room, they are the only rooms in the house, and
I will desire good bed-chambers to be kept for you at an inn.
You cannot take rooms without being in the house, for it is
the eating and drinking that is charged, and not the rooms,
but I am sure the house will give you accommodation, and I
will send to say so this day. I will lose no time in returning, for
the meeting of you and Sir William and Mrs. Nelson will be
the day of my life, being yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
'' I send this under cover to Nepean. Your letters for
Parker had better be directed for me at Captain Parker's,
but explain this to him ; but the postage is nothing, therefore
direct to him ; the cost is nothing, for I should not like my
letters to be opened, therefore do away to him the direction
you sent to-day. I hear he is much better to-day ; he will
rejoice to see you. Remember me kindly to Sir WiUiam and
Mrs. Nelson. I am glad she is coming down with you, but
I fancy you will hate the town of Deal, at least I do at this
moment, but I shall think it Paradise when my dear only
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. I7I
friends come to it. Pray get the house and furniture. I
have sent to pay Mr. Salter/ but I have not got the other
bills.
*' Medusa, Downs, August 23rd, 1801.
Six iu the morning.
'^ My dearest Emma.
" I am ready to run mad, I have been at this horrid place
one whole week, and now on the approach of my dearest
friends am forced to go to sea and am fearful that I cannot be
here by Wednesday night, or before Thursday or Friday at
soonest, and I am more fearful that you will hate Deal and be
as tired of it as I am without you. If you were here we would
drive to Dover Castle and Ramsgate if you pleased. Poor little
Parker cannot occupy much of your time, and Sir William
may be so tired as to shorten his visit when I arrive, therefore
had it not better be Friday, by which I hope to be able to
get back, but for two or three days, when we are once afloat
you know no one can answer, witness our voyage to and from
Malta. We are just getting under sail. May God bless
you and believe me,
" Your most faithful,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" If you are here before my arrival, and choose to be
known to Admiral Lutwidge, he is as good a man as ever
lived. I know very little of her ; she is a very good woman,
bu I her figure is extraordinary. Oh that I could stay. How
I hate going to sea. The rooms are taken, and the master of
the inn sends me word everything shall be done. I shall send
a cutter in two days."
" Medusa at sea, August 24th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" So little is newspaper information to be depended upon,
that on Thursday although with a + I was not a quarter of
an hour on shore. I went to Parker, from him to the
Admiral, from the Admiral to Parker, did not stay five
minutes, was very low, did not call upon any of the wounded,
^ The respected Silversmith in the Strand, well known to all Naval Officers.
172 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
nor at the Three Kings, got into the boat, and have not
since been out of the Medusa. If I had staid ashore, I should
not have had Trevor on board. The information I have
received about Flushing is not correct, and I cannot get at
the Dutch ; therefore, I shall be in the Downs I trust on
Wednesday evening, ready and happy to receive you. What-
ever Sir Thomas Troubridge may say, T feel I have no real
friends out of your house. How I am praying for the wind
to carry me and to bring me to your sight. I am tired at not
being able to get at the damned rascals ; but they are pre-
paring against me in every quarter, therefore they cannot be
preparing for an invasion. I agree with you, fight them if
they come out, so I will and reserve myself for it. I believe
the enemy attaches much more importance to my life than
our folks, the former look up to me with awe and dread, the
latter fix not such real importance to my existence. I send
this under cover to Parker in case you are not come, that he
may send it to London. I am making some arrangements
and shall be across directly. With my kindest regards to
Sir William believe me,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
" Medusa, Downs, August 31, 1801.
'^ My dear Emma,
" Sir William is arrived, and well ; remember me kindly to
him, I should have had the pleasure of seeing him, but for
one of imj lords and masters, Troubridge ; therefore, I am
sure, neither you nor Sir William will feel obliged to him.
"The weather is very bad, and I am very sea-sick. I
cannot answer your letter, probably ; but 1 am writing a line,
to get on shore if possible : indeed, I hardly expect that your
letter can get afloat.
'*I entreat you, my dear friend, to work hard for me, and
get the house and furniture ; and I will be so happy to lend it
to you and Sir William !
" Therefore, if you were to take the Duke's (Queensberry's)
house, a cake house, open to everybody he pleases, you had
better have a booth at once ; you never could rest one moment
quiet. Why did not the Duke assist Sir William, when he
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. I'JB
wanted his assistance ? why not have saved you from the
distress, which Sir Wilham must every day feel, in knowing
that his excellent wife sold her jewels to get a house for him ;
whilst his own relations, great as they are in the foolish world's
eye, would have left a man of his respectability and age, to
have lodged in the street. Did the Duke or any of them,
give him a house then ? Forgive me ! you know if anything
sticks in my throat, it must out. Sir William owes his life
to you ; which, I believe, he will never forget.
" To return to the house. The furniture must be bought
with it, and the sooner it is done, the better I shall like it. Oh !
how bad the weather is ! The devils here wanted to plague
my soul out, yesterday, just after dinner. The Countess M.,
Lady this, that, and t'other, came alongside, a Mr. Lubbock
with them — to desire they might come in. I sent word, I
was so busy that no person could be admitted, as my time was
employed in the King's service. Then they sent their names,
which I cared not for, and sent Captain Gore, to say it was
impossible ; and, that if they wanted to see a ship, they had
better go to the Overyssel (a sixty-four in the Downs). They
said, no, they wanted to see me, however, I was stout, and will
not be shewn about like a bicist ! and away they went.
" I believe Captain Gore wishes me out of his ship ; for the
ladies admire him, I am told, very much : but, however, no
Captain could be kinder to me than he is. These ladies, he
told me afterwards, were his relations.
"• I have just got your letters ; many thanks for them I You
do not say in the end, Su' William is arrived. I am glad that
you approve. You may rely, my dear friend, that I will not
run any unnecessary risk ! No more boat work, I promise
you ; but ever your attached and faithful,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" To the Duke and Lord William, say everything which is
kind ; and to Mrs Nelson. I am so dreadfully sea-sick, that
I cannot hold up my head."^
Lord Nelson's father's anxiety became great on his account,
and he wrote the following to Lady Hamilton : —
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 57.
174 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
" Madam,
"I heartily congratulate you upon Sir W. Hamilton's
return from his late excursion, which I hope has firmly
established his health. As your Ladyship flattered me with
the favour of a letter from you, whenever any event respecting
my dear son called forth our immediate notice, I have been
in hope that you might tell me something more than public
papers. His situation is more than usually dangerous, and I
do feel much on that account, perhaps you may have seen
him, certainly you know more of his health and movements
than come to my ear. Anxiety is a continual smart. I am.
Madam, with best compliments to Sir William.
" Your obliged and obedient servant,
" Edmund Nelson.
'^Love to my much esteemed daughter-in-law, Mrs. Nelson."
The parental anxiety of the Rev. Edmund Nelson also
appears in the following letter to Lady Hamilton, who wrote
to the venerable man : —
" Madam,
'* I am much favoured by your polite letter, and the very
friendly regard with which Sir W. Hamilton and yourself
always mention my dear son ; who is, certainly, a worthy,
good, brave man, parental partiality apart. But I myself
am by no means satisfied with his present situation ; as to
its importance, its safety, or its merited rewards. It is his
to sow, but others to reap the yellow harvest, all things, I
trust, however, will work together for good. Captain
Parker's misfortune, I see in every point of view, with a
friendly concern. Langfoi'd will quickly be upon his legs.
" Though the amusements of a dirty sea-port are not the
most refined, good health, and domestic cheerfulness, will be
a happy substitute. I beg the whole party to accept this my
remembrance, and assurance of my regard, respect and love,
and am. Madam,
"Your most humble servant,
"Edmund Nelson."^
Nelson was visited by Sir William and Lady Harnilton,
* Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 190.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 175
and Mrs. Nelson, (Avife of the Rev. William Nelson) towards
the end of August. He was then very anxious about obtaining
Merton, the price of which was to be £S000, but he was
doubtful of his ability to purchase it. The Bronte estate was
threatened by a considerable charge upon it, and Lord Nelson's
agent, Mr. John Grseffer, addressed the following to Sir John
Acton, Bart.
" Bronte, .September 3rd, 1801.
« Sir,
" Your Excellency's attachment towards the welfare of my
Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte, has emboldened me to trans-
mit the inclosed memorial, craving, in the name of his
Lordship, your Excellency's assistance to ease the demand,
so that the same may not become too great a burthen for my
Lord Nelson to support. Permit me to have the honour
to be, Sir,
" Your Excellency's
" Most obedient and most devoted,
"Humble servant,
"John GRiEFFER.
" His Excellency General Sir John Acton, Bart.
Palermo."
SIR JOHN acton's REPLY.
« Sir,
" I have received your letter of the 4th instant, and what
therein you have thought proper to acquaint me of, in regard
to Bronte, is certainly much deserving of attention. I shall
ever be ready to promote whatever may be useful to our
w^orthy and most excellent Lord Nelson. I have taken his
Majesty's order, and the Conservatore Tomasi shall settle and
fix the military service in the proper rule, directed to avoid
certainly that our good Admiral should not be under con-
ditions more grievous than any other Baron in Sicily. I am
going to Naples, but confide that every care in my absence
shall be taken to favour the just demands in Lord Nelson's
name. I remain constantly. Sir,
" Your most obedient and most humble servant,
" J. ACTON.
" Palermo, September 15th, 1801."
l7G LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
" The memorial transmitted to General Acton was a
demand on your Lordship for military service ; to he better
understood, a quota of horses for the King's military use,
maintained at your expense, the number proportioned accord-
ins: to the annual income of the estate, which would have
been no less than twenty fixed for ever on the Bronte estate.
But General Acton interesting himself in behalf of your
Loixlship, the number, from what I can learn, is to be fixed
either at two or three horses.
"J. G."
The attachment of Nelson's officers to his person, their
desire to give him intelligence, and anxiety to be again with
him, are shewn in the following: —
" H. M. S. Kent, Aboukir Bay,
4th September, 1801.
'^ My Lord,
" Presuming on your Lordship's attention to those who
formerly have had the honour of serving with you, I am
encouraged to trouble you on the present occasion. The
surrender of Alexandria, and the entire conquest of the
country by the exertions of our army and navy, will, I doubt
not, afford your Lordship very great satisfaction.
'* It has been my good fortune to render to a detachment
of our army under Major-General Coote, a piece of service
that has called forth the acknowledgments of the General,
and has met with the appi'obation of Lord Keith and Sir
Richard Bickerton ; to the latter, and to the Honourable Cap-
tain Cochrane,^ I am under great obligations for the very
' The Hon. Sir Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane was born April 23, 1758,
entered the Navy early, and having, in 1778, attained the rank of Lieutenant,
was made signal officer to Sir George Rodney in his action with the Count de
Guichen in 1780, on which occasion he was wounded. In 1782 he was made a
Post Captain, and served on the American station. In 1795 in the command of
the Thetis, he took La Prevojante frigate with stores for France. He captured
many American privateers, and in 1800 served with Lord Keith in the Mediter-
ranean, and on the coast of Egypt. In 1803 he was made a Rear-Admiral. He
joined Lord Nelson in 1805 in his pursuit of the French Fleet, and in 1806 was
with Admiral Sir John T. Duckworth in the West Indies. In the Northum-
berland he was engaged in the action with the squadron that had sailed from Brest,
and had a miraculous escape, his hat being carried away by a grape shot early in
the battle. The Corporation of Londoa voted him the Freedom of the City on
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. l77
handsome manner they were pleased to represent my services
to the Commander-in-chief, but excepting the zeal by which
I was animated, I am sensible they were over-rated. The
copies of the letters which passed on the occasion, I have the
honour to inclose, for your Lordship's perusal, they will
inform you of the nature and extent of the service I have
had the good fortune to perform. It may be proper to
observe that the survey and offer to lead his Majesty's
ships into a harbour very little known, M^as a voluntary
act of my own, the survey of the channels being at the
time a service I was not employed on, or had any connection
with.
" Our boats had been driven from the survey of the middle
channel by the enemy, and the Arab Pilot had refused to
conduct the ships through any other, when it occurred to me,
that as the enemy's attention seemed to be directed against
the survey of the middle and eastern channels only, the
western might be examined without being materially annoyed
by the guns of Marabou. I was resolved to try, and was
lucky enough to succeed in the attempt, and in consequence
had the satisfaction to lead the squadron under the order of
Captain Cochrane, through the shoals to a safe anchorage in
the harbour of Alexandria. By transmitting this account to
your Lordship I hope to obtain your approbation of my con-
duct, as it was under your auspices I entered his Majesty's
service, and under whose command I have principally served.
I cannot but look forward to a time when 1 may again have
this ORcasion, and a sword of 100 guiueas value ; the Patriotic Fund a vase valued at
^'300., and March 29, 180G, he was made a Knight of the Bath. The inhabitants
of Barbadoes voted him a piece of plate of the value of ^'500. sterling. In 1807
he was appointed to the Belleisle, of 74 guns, and took possession of the Danish
islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, also co-operated with Lievitenant-
General Beckwith to take possession of Martinique. In 1809 he was advanced
to the rank of Vice-Admiral, and assisted in the reduction of Guadaloupe, and
the Dutch islands of St. Martin, St. Eustatia and Saba. He was made Governor
and Commander-in-chief of Guadaloupe in 1810, and in 181.3 commanded the
fleet on the coast of North America, and distinguished himself by his great activity
in this service. He returned to England in 1815, and in 1819 became full
Admiral, hoisting his flag on board the Impregnable, of 98 guns, as Commander-
in-chief at Plymouth, February 1, 1821. He died January 26, 1832, Admiral of
the White, and G.C.B.
VOL. II. N
178 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
the honour of serving with you. Wishing you the continuance
of your health, I have the honour to be, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient faithful servant,
"Thomas Withers."^
" Success (as Sir Thomas Suckling writes) is a rare paint ;
it hides all manner of ugliness ;" so the want of it excites
discussion and censure, A Mr. Hill, it appears, ventured to
criticise Lord Nelson's conduct in the attack upon the flotilla
off Boulogne, and sent to him a paper entitled, " Remarks
by a seaman on the attack at Boulogne," which contained
severe strictures on Lord Nelson's official dispatch. To this
was appended a note to say, " should Lord Nelson wish the
inclosed not to be inserted in the newspapers, he will please
to inclose, hy return of post, a Bank note of £100. to Mr.
Hill, to be left at the Post Office, till called for, London."
Lord Nelson transmitted it to the Secretary of the Admiralty,
saying, " If their Lordships think it proper to save me from
such letters, they wall be pleased to send proper people to
take up whoever comes for Mr. Hill's letter. I have franked
it with the following direction : —
" Mr. Hill,
" To be left at the Post Office till called for ."2
To Mr. Hill he wrote as follows : —
" Amazon, Downs, 6th September, 1801.
*' Mr. Hill,
" Very likely I am unfit for my present command, and
whenever Government change me, I hope they will find no
difficulty in selecting an officer of greater abilities ; but you
will, I trust, be punished for threatening my character. But I
have not been brought up in the school of fear, and, there-
fore, care not what you do. I defy you and your malice,
"■ Nklson AND Bronte.''^
' This officer died a Post Captain. His exertions as Agent of Transports at
Alexandria were highly eulogised by Major-General Fraser in his Dispatch to *
General Fox on the surrender of the town and fortress on the 20th March, 1807.
^ In the possession of the Right Hon. J. W. Croker.
' Letter Book.
I
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. l79
Mr, Hill was too cunning however to be taken. A porter
sent to the Post Office for the answer, was taken up, but he
either did not or would not know his employer. The confi-
dence in Lord Nelson's zeal and ability entertained at the
Admiralty, was in no degree abated by the discomfiture off
Boulogne, as is seen by the following letters : —
"Confidential. Admiralty, 9th September, 1811.
" My dear Lord,
*' A plan has been in contemplation for attempting the
destruction of the Dutch squadron at Helvoet, and some
communications have taken place with Admiral Dickson on
the subject. The person whose opinions have been taken is
Captain Campbell' of the Ariadne, who, I understand, is an
intelligent, enterprising man, and not likely to take up the
subject lightly, being very well acquainted with the port of
Helvoet.
*' The inclosed paper contains Admiral Dickson, or rather
Captain Campbell's idea of the nature and extent of the
force to be employed on this enterprise. It is wished that
your Lordship would consider the subject in all its points,
and if you think the plan to be practicable, there will be no
difficulty in sending Captain Campbell to you. If it should
be agreed to undertake it, your Lordship must leave it to
Lord St. Vincent to make some arrangement with Admiral
Dickson for placing it under your Lordship's direction. I
cannot send your Lordship the plan of Helvoet to-day, but
you shall have a very good one to-morrow.
"■ Believe me to be,
"My dear Lord,
" Very truly and sincerely yours,
"Evan Nepean.
• Captain Patrick Campbell, K.C.B. died a Vice-Admiral of the Blue, Aug. 13,
1841. He was with Captain Inman in the attack upon the French squadron in
Dunkirk harbour, in which he took La Desir^e, for which he was promoted and
made Post Captain of the Ariadue. In 1805 he commanded the Doris, whicli struck
upon a sunken rock in his progress to Quiberoon Bay, and was ultimately so dis-
abled as to be burnt. He had also a narrow escape at Rochfort, and most laudably
exerted himself to save the life of his Commander, Captain Jervis, who, however,
was unfortunately drowned from the upsetting of his boat. In 1815 he com-
manded L'Unite, was stationed off Corfu, and afterwards moved into the Levia-
than on tlie Mediterranean station. He was made C.B. in June 1815.
N 2
180 LIFE OF VICB-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
" Markham tells me that he thinks you have already a
copy of the chart of Helvoet/^
" My dear Lord,
" Until your Lordship has had a conference with Captain
Campbell, we are not disposed to come to a final determina-
tion on the design against the port in question, and as we
have observed more than common caution, I trust it will not
be let out. The preparations being made under your direc-
tion, is the only mode we can employ to mask it. Happy
should I be to place the whole of our offensive and defensive
war under your auspices, but you are well aware of the diffi-
culties on that head.
" Your's most affectionately,
"St. Vincent.
" Admiralty, 14th September, 1801."
Lord Nelson approved the idea and the spirit of Captain
Campbell. In a letter to Earl St. Vincent he says, "The
attempt is worthy of an English Admiral. It is one of those
judicious enterprises in which we hazard only a few boats,
and may destroy an enemy's squadron."
To the Earl of Eldon Lord Nelson made application for a
living for the Rev. Mr. Comyn, his Chaplain. The following
was the Chancellor's reply : —
" My Lord,
" I am honoured with your Lordship's letter ; I can't agree
with your Lordship's observation that you have no claim on
Lord Loughborough or on me, because I don't know the
individual in this country, upon whom your Lordship may
not be said to have a claim. The living you mention I can-
not promise yonr Lordship, because I have made it a rule,
from which I have never departed, not to promise a living
not yet vacant. I am scrupulous upon this point, because a
Chancellor is but a being of a day, and I think he can't with
propriety promise what it may not belong to him to give ;
and he has no right to embarrass his successor with the hard-
ships which belong to the situation of those whose expecta-
tions are crossed by the accidents which remove Chancellors
ISOL] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 181
from their offices. But I shall not forget that 1 have received
your Lordship's letter upon this subject, and I hope I shall
not be wanting in the attention which is due to your wishes
at any time. I remain, my Lord, with the greatest possible
respect,
" Your obedient humble servant,
'• Eldon.
" 16th September, 1801.
^' P.S. I am the more unwilling, my Lord, to make a
promise upon the subject of a living, though I hope I shall
not be less anxious to attend to your wishes, because in the
five months in which I have been Chancellor, I have hardly
had three vacancies of most trifling livings to answer many
hundred applications."
In the life of the Earl of Eldon, by Horace Twiss, Esq.^
is Lord Nelson's response to the preceding letter : —
" Amazon, September 17th, 1801.
" My Lord,
*^ I feel very much obliged by your open and very hand-
some answer to my request, which so exactly accords with
what my friend Davison told me of your Lordship's cha-
racter; and allow me to consider myself, in every respect,
your most obliged,
"Nelson and Bronte,''
Sir WilHam and Lady Hamilton remained with Nelson
until the 20th September. On this day he wrote to Lady
Hamilton : —
"Amazon, Sept. 20th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
"Although I ought to feel grateful for Sir William, you,
and Mrs. Nelson's goodness in coming to see a poor forlorn
creature at Deal, yet I feel at this moment only the pain of
your leaving me, to which is added, the miserable situation of
our dear excellent little Parker. Dr. Baird- is in great distress
' Vol. i. p. 390.
2 Physician in the Royal Navy. He died July 17, 1843.
182 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL. [CHAP. IV.
about him, and it can hardly be said that he lives at this mo-
ment, and before night will probably be out of this world, and
if real worth and honour have a claim to Divine favour,
surely he stands a fair chance of happiness in that which is
to come. I will not say what I feel because 1 know that your
feelings are similar. We might have comforted each other,
but the Fates have denied us that comfort. Sir William's
business forces him to London, and mine irresistibly forces
me to remain on this miserable spot. I got on board at seven
o'clock, and found what a difference ! I must not think of
it. My sailing to-morrow depends on poor Parker. If he
dies he shall be buried as becomes so brave and good an offi-
cer. Mr. Wallis is just come on board ; he says, there are
no hopes. I am sick to death, but
*' Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" I send you Mr. Haslewood's letter about the furniture.
Do what you think best, I shall be content. We must not
sink under the will of Providence. The valuation had better
be, probably, by Mr. Haslewood's man — it can make no dif-
ference to Mr. Dods ; but do as you please, and see it right."
His mind had endured much suffering on Parker's account.
In his letters of this period to Earl St. Vincent, Mr. Davison,
and others, his case and condition is never omitted to be no-
ticed. He wrote also to Dr. Baird, (whose kindness and
ability made a great impression upon Nelson), on the 20th:
^' Your kind letter has given me hopes of my dear Parker ;
he is my child, for I found him in distress. I am prepared
for the worst, although I still hope. Pray tell me as often as
you can. Would I could be useful, I would come on shore
and nurse him ; I rely on your abilities, and if his life is to be
spared, that you, under the blessing of God, are fully equal
to be the instrument. Say everything which is kind for me
to Mrs. Parker, and if my Parker remembers me, say, ' God
bless him ;' and do you believe me,
'* Your most obliged and faithful friend,
"Nelson and Bronte.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 1 S3
" I have been in real misery. Hawkins' will come off night
or day."-
To Lady Hamilton he writes : —
"Amazon, Sept. 21st, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
" My letter from Dr. Baird last evening, and from the
Assistant-Surgeon at four this morning, again revive my hopes
of our dear little Parker. He is free from fever, and his
stomach got rid of the sickness. He can speak, therefore
I hope the blood is forming again, and if the ligature can
hold fast he» may yet do well. Pray God he may, in which
I know you and all with you most heartily join ; but I dare
not be too sanguine. We have a good deal of swell, and it
blows strong, so that I cannot go under Dungeness, indeed,
I know of no use I am, either there or here. We can do
nothing in future but lay at anchor and wait events. I have
wrote Lord St. Vincent strongly on the subject this day. A
gale of wind is brewing, and I think our communication with
the shore will be cut off. The moon is also eclipsed to-
morrow. Would to God I was on shore at the farm. I
have sent to Mr, Dods to carry you a list of my things at his
house, and to receive your orders what is to go to the farm.
I have not yet any answer from the Admiralty on the subject
of my last letter. Make my best regards to Sir William,
Mrs. Nelson, Mrs, Cadogan, &c. &c. To the Duke, and all
friends of ours, and believe me ever
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Yesterday, if I could have enjoyed the sight, passed
through the Downs 100 sail of West Indiamen. If Sir
William had accepted Mrs. Lutwidge's bribe of the ginger,
I suppose he would now have got it, for Captain Beresford is
' Captain Richard Hawkins was born at Saltash in 1768, and was present in
the Wmdsor Castle in 1793 at the evacuation of Toulon. He distinguished him-
self at Ilieres Bay, and served as First Lieutenant of the Theseus at the Battle of
the Nile, at which he was wounded. He afterwards commanded the Galzo, and
was made Post Captain in 1802. Five years afterwards he was in the command
of La Minerva, and continued in her until 1814. He died in 1826.
' From the Athengeum. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 491.
184 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. IV.
arrived. I send you verbatim a postscript of Admiral Lut-
widge's letter: viz. 'Remember us to your friends who have
just left you, when you write, with the sincere regret we felt
in parting with them.' I shall keep my letter open to the
last moment.
" Noon. I have this moment your kind line from Roches-
ter. I grieve at your accident. I am obliged to send my
letters now, for I doubt if a boat can go at three o'clock."
" Amazon, Sept. 22nd, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
" It blows so fresh to-day that I almost doubt whether a
boat will be able to get on shore with our letters, therefore, if
you ever miss receiving letters, you may be sure that it is
either from bad weather, or that I am gone out of the Downs.
I shall write you every day if it is possible, and you may
always be assured that if you do not get a letter from me,
that no person in London does. At six this morning, I
received a letter from Dr. Baird, saying, dear Parker had
a bad night, and he was afraid for him, he was so very weak,
therefore, we must not flatter ourselves, but hope the best.
I am more than half sea-sick. I can tell you no news, for
we can at present hold no communication ; the surf is very
high on the beach. I shall try if it is possible at three
o'clock, but I do not expect your letters off to-day although
I am most anxious to hear of your safe arrival in town, with
all the news. Your letters are always so interesting that 1 feel
the greatest disappointment when I do not receive them. Have
you seen Troubridge ? I dare say he came the moment you
arrived. I hope you have seen Mr. Haslewood and Mr.
Dods, and that you will be able to get to Merton long before
the 10th of October, before wdiich I hope the Admiralty will
remove me from my command ; much longer than that, I assure
you, I will not stay. I leave the letter open in hopes I may get
a communication with the shore. Charles is very well, is a very
good boy. So is Banti ; but the latter is initiated into the
vices of London, I fancy, at least, he loves to spend money „
Make my best regards to all your party, and believe me,
"■ Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 185
"^ What a difference to when you was here, A boat that
sells things to the people is the only boat that has come to us
since six this morning. He says, he will get on shore, there-
fore, I send my letters. Captain Sutton desii'es his best
compliments. I am very sick.''
The following is from Mrs. Lutwidge, wife of the Admiral,
to Lady Hamilton : —
" Deal, September 23rd.
" Here I am, my dear Lady Hamilton, pen in hand, to
write to you, and so charming is the task, that pleasure, in
her gayest attire, should not for one moment induce me to
relinquish an employment which nothing (but the idea of
affording the fair Emma amusement) can render more delight-
ful. Your welcome epistle I found upon the table this
morning, and it had the good effects of a cordial without the
bad, for it raised my spirits without intoxicating me. I am,
indeed, infinitely indebted to your Ladyship for bestowing
this kind mark of attention upon me, which really was in
some measure necessary to enable us to support the pain
occasioned by your absence. It appears to me that all the
agreeables, like birds of passage, take their flight, and ce 71' est
que les ennuyeux nous restent. We have not seen Lord
Nelson since you left us, for how is it possible he could
remain on shore when his amiable friends were no longer to
be found there. Report says, his Lordship and squadron
are getting under weigh, and if my correspondence in his
absence can be of any use to your Ladyship, you may com-
mand it, and though I cannot boast of affording much amuse-
ment I can assure you of a sincere zeal in your service. I
am truly sorry I cannot give a favourable account of poor
dear Captain Parker; he had a most wretched night, but
though considerably better at present, there is much more
reason for apprehension than hope ; we are all anxiety on his
account, and should be most truly happy to have it in our
power to announce his amendment to your Ladyship. Tell
Sir William, with my best regards, that had he waited one
day longer, I would have had an opportunity of presenting
him with the ginger, as Captain Beresford and two hundred
186 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. IV.
sail of ships arrived on Sunday. However, the ginger is safe
in the closet, whence it shall be conveyed to Piccadilly by the
first safe opportunity, only that I should have been much
more happy in presenting it myself. Adieu, my dear Lady
Hamilton ; forgive this sad scrawl, which has been written
amidst a thousand interruptions. My Admiral desires I'll
say every thing kind and affectionate for him to yourself and
Sir William ; he also desires I will speak our regrets at your
absence, but this I find impossible, for were I to fill a whole
quire of paper, I could not tell you half of what I feel ; how^-
ever, we both live in the hopes of meeting soon, when I hope
to assure your Ladyship by word of mouth, how very sin-
cerely I am your affectionate friend,
" C. LUTWIDGE.
" My Admiral desires to unite in best regards to Mrs.
Nelson, Sir William, and your social circle."
Lord Nelson's correspondence with Lady Hamilton is
continued : —
" September 21st, 1801. Quarter past ten o'clock,
" I send you Dr. Baird's comfortable note, this moment
received. You will find Parker is treated like an infant.
Poor fellow ! I trust he will get well, and take possession of
his room at the farm.
" N. & B."
" Amazon, September 23rd, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
" I received your kind letters last evening, and in many
parts they pleased and made me sad ; so life is chequered,
and if the good predominates, then we are called happy. I
trust the farm will make you more so than a dull London
life. Make what use you please of it ; it is as much yours
as if you bought it. Whatever you do about it will be right
and proper ; make it the interest of the man who is there to
take care I am not cheated more than comes to my share,
and he will do it ; poco, poco, we can get rid of bad furniture,
and buy others : all will probably go to Bronte one of these
days. I shall certainly go there whenever we get peace. I
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 18/
have had odd letters from Troubridge about what Captain
Bedford^ told me of the conversation about officers. Whether
it is intended to quarrel, and get rid of me, I am not clear,
but do not take any notice if you see him, which I dare say
you will, for he likes to come to you. Remember me kindly
to Mr. Este.2 I hope we shall have peace.
'^ Ever yours, faithfully,
"Nelson and Bronte.''
"Amazon, September 23rd, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
" I send Dr. Baird's note, just received ; it will comfort
you. Captain Bedford says he is thought better since the
report.
"Ever yours,
'•Nelson and Bronte.
"■ If he lives till Thursday night I have great hopes."
" Amazon, September 24th, 1801.
" My dear Emma,
*' This morning's report of Parker is very favourable
indeed, and if he goes on well this day I think he will
recover. I should have gone out of the Downs to look about
me this morning, but 1 wish to leave Parker in a fair way.
Sutton is gone on shore to make inquiries, and if Dr. Baird
will allow me to see him for a few minutes, I intend to go on
shore to assure him that I love him, and shall only be gone a
few days, or he might think that I neglected him ; therefore,
' Captain William Bedford served as a Lieutenant during the Russian Arma-
ment, in the Edgar of 74 guns, and afterwards in the Formidable. He was
appointed to the Queen of 98 guns, bearing the flag of Sir Alan Gardner in the
Channel fleet, and was in Lord Howe's action in 1794, and made a Post Captain,
August 15. He was in the attack oiF L'Orient, and afterwards went into the
Royal Sovereign of 110 guns. He remained in this vessel until tlie Admiral
struck his flag, being appointed Commander-in-chief on the coast of Ireland.
He commanded the Leyden, 68 guns, in the North Sea, and was then with Nelson
ofi" Boulogne. In 1803 he commanded the Thunderer of 74 guns, and took the
Venus, a French privateer. In 1805 he commanded the Hibernia, and afterwards
the Caledonia. He was raised to the rank of Rear-Admiral, August 12, 1812,
and joined the North fleet under Sir William Young. He was made a Vice-
Admiral, July 19, 1821, and died in October, 1827
^ Rev. Mr. Este, author of "My own Life," Lond. 1/87, 8vo., and "A
Journey in the year 1793, through Flanders, Brabant, and Germany, to Switzer-
land," Lond. 1795, 8vo.
188 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
my present intention is to sail in the morning at daylight ;
therefore you will not probably get a letter on Saturday, but
you shall if I can, but do not expect it. I would give the
universe was I quit of my present command, and in October,
one way or other, I will get clear of it. The wind is now
freshening, and I do not think I shall be able to land, but I
will write him a line. Dr. Baird is very unwell, and I should
not be surprised if he is seriously ill from his attention to the
wounded under his care. Whether I can afford it or not,
you must have made for me a silver cup, gilt inside, price
about thirty guineas, with an inscription, "As a mark of
esteem to Doctor Andrew Baird, for his humane attention to
the gallant officers and men who were wounded at Boulogne,
August 16th, 1801, from their Commander-in-chief, Vice-
Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte, &c. &c. &c."
What do you think of this ? Will you order it ? I must find
money to pay for it. Never mind the newspapers, they can-
not say we are saving of our money. We give it where it is
wanted. Even Troubridge writes me, he wished you had
stayed at Deal. What can you do in London ? I have
already got cold, but I hope it will go off; I long to hear the
result of your visit to Merton. I hope Mr. Greaves will give
up sooner than the 10th. Mr. Dods will do anything for
you, and have them removed to Merton as soon as you can :
I long to see you at work. I hope Mrs. Nelson will stay
with you as long as possible. Make my best regards to Sir
William. I hope he has had plenty of sport. To Mrs. Nel-
son say every thing which is kind, to the Duke, &c. &c. and
be assured I am
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" All the Captains regret your absence. Charles is a very
good boy, and so is Banti: Captain Sutton is very kind to
them."
" Two o'clock (September 24th).
" Allen has given the inclosed for his wife. Captain
Sutton is this moment come from the shore. Parker's
stump has been dressed, looks very well ; he has taken port
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 189
wine, has eat, and is asleep. I have now great hopes. A
gale of wind I believe is coming on.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" I am very low — bad weather.^'
" Amazon, off Folkstone, September 25th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
*' I got under sail this morning at daylight, intending to
return to the Downs on Sunday or Monday, but receiving a
note from Dr. Baird of our dear Parker's being worse, and
requesting me to stay a day or two longer, and as it is calm,
so that I can neither get to the coast of France or to Dunge-
ness, I am returning to the Downs. My heart, I assure
you, is very low; last night I had flattered myself, I now
have no hopes. I dare say Dr. Baird will write you a line,
but we must bear up against these misfortunes. I have not
had your letters to-day; they are my only comfort. Yes-
terday the Calais flat boats, &c. came out. Captain RusseU
chased them in again, but they can join at any time, as the
season approaches when we cannot go on their coast. You
must, my dear friend, forgive me, for 1 cannot write any
thing worth your reading, except that I am at all times,
situations, and places,
" Yours,
'* Nelson and Bronte"
On the 26th he again wrote to Dr. Baird : '* Although the
contents of your letter were not unexpected, yet I am sure
you will judge of my feelings — I feel all has been done which
was possible : God's will be done. I beg that his hair may
be cut off and given to me ; it shall remain and be buried
vvith me. What must the poor father feel when he is gone !
I shall request Captains Sutton and Bedford to arrange the
funeral, and I wish you to ask Admiral Lutwidge to announce
it by telegraph to the Admiralty; the Board ought to direct
' Of the Gier, he was Post Captain in 1802, commanded the Sea Fencibles
in Argyleshire, and died on half- pay in 1813.
190 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
every honour to be paid to the memory of such an excellent
gallant officer.''
To Lady Hamilton on the 27th :—
"My dearest Emma,
" I had intended to have gone on shore this morning, to
have seen dear Parker, but the accounts of him are so very
bad, that the sight of his misery poor fellow would have so
much affected me, and if he had been in his senses must
have given him pain, that I have given up the idea, unless he
feels better and expresses a wish to see me, then dear fellow
I should be too happy to go. I slept not a wink all night, and
am to-day very low and miserable. Captain Sutton is gone to
see how he is, and should he express a desire to see me, I
will go whatever I may suffer from it, but he will soon be at
a place of rest, free from all the folly of this world.
Sutton is returned. Dear Parker left this world for a
better at 9 o'clock ; I believe we ought to thank God. He
suffered much, and can suffer no more. I have no one to
comfort me. I shall try and keep up, and I beg you will. We
can now do no good. I shall leave the Downs as soon as the
funeral is over,
" Your management of my affairs at Merton, are like what-
ever else you undertake, excellent. I shall write this day to
Mr. Haslewood to order £1000. to be paid for the furniture,
and what you bargained for. Mrs. Nelson's quarter is to
commence October the 1st. If Davison has left no directions
I must pay it. I know not who else to desire. Would to
God I was with you, then I might cheer up a little. I have
wrote to Mr. Haslewood and desired him to call on you at
noon. You will see my letter, it is more regular for me to
desire my agents to pay Mr. Greaves, I can do it by Tues-
day's post, but these lawyers know how to take a regular
receipt, which we do not. Remember me most kindly to
Mrs. Cadogan, Oliver, &c. Sir William gone to Newmarket !
well wonders will never cease. Believe me,
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
"■ My heart is almost broke, and T see I have wrote
nonsense, I know not what I am doing. Send down Dr.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 191
Baird's cup as soon as you can. I shall not write or say any
thing about it."
On the same clay to Mr. Davison Lord Nelson writes :
" My dear Parker left this world for a better at nine o'clock
this morning. It was, they tell me, a happy release ; but I
cannot bring myself to say I am glad he is gone ; it would be
a lie, for I am grieved almost to death."
To Earl St. Vincent also : " The scene, my Lord, with our
dear Parker, is closed for ever; and I am sure your good
heart will participate in our grief, both as a public and private
loss ; not a creature living was ever more deserving of our
affections. Every action of his life, from Sir John Orde to
the moment of his death, shewed innocence, joined to a firm
mind in keeping the road of honour, however it might appear
incompatible with his interest : his conduct in Orde's busi-
ness won my regard. When he was abandoned by the
world, your heart had begun to yearn towards him — how
well he has deserved my love and affection his actions have
shewn. His father, in his advanced age, looked forward for
assistance to this good son. Pensions, I know, have some-
times been granted to the parents of those who have lost
their lives in the service of their King and country. All
will agree none fell more nobly than dear Parker ; and none
ever resigned their life into the hands of their Creator with
more resignation to the Divine will than our Pai'ker. I trust
much to your friendship to recommend his father's case to
the kind consideration of the King. I fear his loss has
made a wound in my heart, which time will scarcely heal.
But God is good and we must all die."^
To Dr. Baird Nelson wrote : " I should be a wretch if I
did not feel sensible of all your kindness to my dear Parker ;
we have the melancholy consolation to think that every thing-
was done which professional skill and the kindest friendship
could dictate. God's will be done ; but if I was to say I
was content, I should lie — but I shall endeavour to submit
with all the fortitude I am able."
And to Mr. Nepean he officially writes: " Captain E. T.
Parker having died in consequence of the wounds he received
on the 16th of last month, I have given directions for his
' Claike andMcArthur, Vol. ii. p. 203.
192 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. IV.
being buried this day with all the honours and respect due
to so meritorious and gallant an officer ; and I have to
request that their Lordships will be pleased to direct the
Sick and Hurt Board to defray all the expenses of his
lodgings, &c. on shore, and also of his funeral.''
To Lady Hamilton : —
"Amazon, September 28th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" We are going this noon to pay our last sad duties to dear
good Parker. I wish it was over for all our sakcs, then we
must endeavour to cheer up, and although we cannot forget
our Parker, yet we shall have the comfortable reflection how
we loved him, and how deserving he was of our love. I am
afraid his father is but in very indifFereiit circumstances ; but
I doubt if the Admiralty will assist him, however, they shall
be tried. I hope the Admiralty will direct all the expenses of
the lodgings, funeral, &-c. to be paid — if not, it will fall very
heavy upon me. Pray write me when I am to direct my
letters to Merton. Is it a post town, or are the letters sent
from the General Post Office ? I wish I could see the place,
but I fear that is impossible at present. I entreat I may
never hear about the expenses again. If you live in Piccadilly
or Merton it makes no difference, and if I was to live at
Merton I must keep a table, and nothing can cost me one-
sixth part which it does at present, for this I cannot stand,
however honourable it may be. God bless you and believe me,
'' Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" If the wind is to the westward, I shall go to Dungeness,
but you must not, by Gore's account, which I send, be sur-
prised at not hearing from me regularly, but you know I
always shall write and send when it is possible. I only send
this that your dear friendly mind should be easy.
" Half past one. — Thank God the dreadful scene is past.
I scarcely know how I got over it. I could not suffer much
more and be alive. God forbid I should ever be called upon
to say or see as much again. Your affectionate letters are
just come, they are a great comfort. The worst, thank God,
is past. I must have plate, &c. at Davison's, and I agree
with you, that nothing but what is mine should be there, and
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 193
that Sir William should always be my guest. I told you so
long ago. I will find out what spoons, &c. I have, and send
you a list to-morrow, but to-day I am done for, but ever
" Yours,
'^Nelson and Bronte.
" I will write to my Father to-morrow."
Captain Parker's funeral took place at D^al on the 27th,
and was conducted as Nelson had determined, with all the
honours due to his rank and distinguished character. His
Lordship attended as chief mourner, and was accompanied by
x\dmiral Lutwidge, Lord George Cavendish, and several
officers of the Army and Navy. The ships in the Downs had
pendants half-mast high and the yards reversed. Minute
guns were fired from the Amazon and shore alternately at
noon.*
To Lady Hamilton Nelson writes : —
" Amazon, September 29th, 1801.
'' My dearest Emma,
" I send by the coach a little parcel containing the keys of
the plate chest and the case of the tea urn, and there is a case
of Colebrook Dale breakfast set, and some other things.
Mr. Dods had better go to the house, for he is Davison's
man. Will you have your picture carried to Merton ? I
should wish it, and mine of the Battle of the Nile. I think
you had better not have Sir William's books, or any thing but
what is my own. I have sent in the parcel by the coach
this day, two salt-cellars, and two ladles, which will make
four of each, as two are in the chest. You will also find
spoons and forks sufficient for the present. If sheets are
wanting for the beds, will you order some and let me have the
bill. 1 also think that not a servant of Sir W^illiam's, I mean
the cook, should be in the house, but I leave this and all other
matters to your good management. Would to God I could
come and take up my abode there, and if such a thing should
happen that I go abroad, I can under my hand lend you the
house that no person can molest you, not that I have at
' Naval Chronicle, Vol. vi. p. 340.
VOL. II. O
194 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP, IV.
present any idea of going anywhere but to Merton. Do you
take black James ? Do as you please. I have no desire one
way or the other. Our dear Parker's circumstances are a
little out of order, but I have undertaken to settle them if the
creditors will give me time, for the poor father is worse than
nothing. I have given him money to buy mourning and to
pay his passage home again. I trust in God that he will
never let me want, for I find no man who starts up to assist
rae. I can with a quiet conscience when all is gone, live upon
bread and cheese. Nevermind so long as I have your friend-
ship warm from the heart. I have got some of dear Parker's
hair, w^hich I value more than if he had left me a bulse of
diamonds. I have sent it in the little box, keep some of it
for poor Nelson.
" Noon. Blows strong. I have just received your kind letters,
they indeed comfort me, and I hope we shall live to see many,
many happy years.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
Sir William Hamilton, who was on a visit to his relative
the Earl of Warwick at this time, wrote the following to Lady
Hamilton upon receiving intelligence of the death of Parker : —
" Wednesday, September 29th.
" I was not, my dear Emma, the least surprised by the
account I received from you of the brave young Parker's
death. What comfort can I give you in a case where there is
no remedy? We must cherish his memory, and ever do him
justice when we speak of the glorious attempt he made at
Boulogne, and the exemplary courage and patience with
which he bore his misfortune, and of which you and I were
eye-witnesses. I am soiTy he died hard ; youth will struggle
with death, but perhaps he might not feel so much as he
appeared to do in the convulsion of death. I flatter myself
that Lord Nelson after he has done everything he can do to
shew his respect for his departed friend, will console himself;
but I am sorry we are not with him at this cruel moment.
The accident of the clock in the Nelson room was really
singular, but 1 hope that you and I think pretty nearly alike
as to such sort of accidents.
"William Hamilton.''
I
1801 ] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 195
To Lady Hamilton Nelson writes : —
" Amazon, September 30th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" I well know by my own feelings that you would think of my
birth-day with a degree of pleasure and pain. I am sensible
of all your goodness. Respecting the farm and all the
frugality necessary for the present to be attached to it, I know
your good sense will do precisely what is right. I only entreat
again that everything even to a hook and a cook at Merton
may be mine. The house should be insured for three or four
thousand pounds, including the furniture, that all may not be
lost in case of fire. The Admiralty have refused to bury
Captain Parker. He might have stunk above ground, or
been thrown in a ditch ; the expense of that and lodgings, &c.
has cost me near £200, and I have taken, poor fellow, all his
debts on myself, if the creditors will give me a little time to
find the money. Dr. Baird has been very, very good indeed.
I wish the cup had arrived, for I have taken leave of hira
with only thanks much against my inclination. You are very
good, my dear Emma, about poor Parker's father. If he calls
you will of course see him, but he is a very diflferent person
from his son. He has £^2. more in his pocket than when he
came to Deal. I wish for his own sake that his conduct had
been more open and generous like mine to him, but never
mind.
" As I shall go under Dungeness to-morrow for three or
or four days, I went on shore at nine to call on the Admiral
(Lutwidge), and to thank him and her for their attentions to
dear Parker, and I presented your regards, &c. I called on
poor Langford, who has got full possession of your chaise.
He removed from the other lodgings to where Captain Bed-
ford's officers are — much more airy. Dr. Baird is in great
wrath with the methodist. — He gave her six guineas as a
present from me, and she was not satisfied. I shall en-
deavour, in a very little time, to get a few days leave of
absence, if not, to get rid of my command. The business
of G. is ov^er, it is gone to Dickson. I wish I could with
jiropriety have undertaken it, it could not fail, if well man-
aged, and it would have made me an Earl. You asked me
o 2
196 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
did I see Parker after he was dead ? I believe if I had it
would have killed me. I intend Flaxman to prepai'e a little
monument, about fifty pounds, for him, on a column or
pyramid. I shall use Sir William^s or your taste on the occa-
sion. I cannot afford one, or it should be handsomer, but
the will must be taken. Remember me kindly to Mrs.
Cadogan, Oliver, and all friends. Langford desires me to
say everything which is kind. To the Duke say all that is
kind, and ever believe me,
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
Nelson, from the day of Parker's death, and for a consider-
able time after that event, sealed his letters with black wax.
Mr. Graeffer forwarded Lord Nelson some intelligence
respecting the state of his Duchy of Bronte.
" Bronte, 2Gth September, 1801.
" My Lord,
"The letter dated' London, July the 5th, your Lordship
was pleased to honour me with, I received under cover from
General Acton, accompanied by one of his Excellency's own
hand-writing, whereof inclosed I have sent a copy, to shew
your Lordship the attachment the General has for your wel-
fare. Your letter, my Lord, has not only quieted my mind
of the fear that none of my letters had reached London, but
it has given both myself and Mrs. Graeffer the most heartfelt
pleasure and satisfaction to hear of your Lordship's health,
after, not only dispersing the Northern cloud that hung so
heavy over Great Britain, but also to change the affairs of the
whole of Europe a second time, to the interest and welfare of
a country which every unbiassed man must and ought to love
and adore. My Lord, I feel proud to have the honour of
being thought worthy by your Lordship to take upon me the
principal management of the Duchy of Bronte. I shall
always think it a glory to sacrifice both health and life for
your advantage ; I flatter myself, that in a very few years,
your Lordship will find that my time has not been foolishly
employed in the improvement of your estate. It is true, my
Lord, and I own it, I am not the man that can augment the
income of your estate from six thousand ounces to thirty
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 197
thousand pounds sterling, either through economical or poli-
tical means ; of the first, I have not aerostatical knowledge
sufficient to build castles in the air, and the second I detest
abominably.
" Mr. and Mrs. Leckie and sister have made a stay with
us above three weeks. Mr. Leckie took an eight days politi-
cal excursion ; he had a great inclination to purchase a woody
mountainous estate, not many miles from Bronte, have since
heard the owner will not sell it, better for Mr. Leckie, al-
though he does not think so ; I am sorry for his thoughts.
The farming utensils and cask with seeds are not as yet arri-
ved ; Mr. Noble, who had some interest in the ship, informed
me, that the ship had put in at Mahon, and discharged her
cargo there, on account of the peace between France and
Naples. I have written to Mr. Noble, and begged of him to
do his utmost to get these packages forwarded : I am very
anxious about them, particularly the seeds, as the season is
already far advanced for sowing. I hope your Lordship's
repose from public employments will not be long first, and
your glorious and ever-memorable actions hasten a general
peace. We are very happy to hear of your intended unex-
pected visit, together with good company, and to have the
honour to kiss that hand which has written the confirmation
of this promise ; this is as true as the Gospel.
*^ I hope we shall see your Lordship and company come
as gentle shepherds and shepherdesses, and peaceable plough-
men, rural amusement alone can be the diversion here. I
am very happy of the determination to stay some time with
us at Bronte. If those gentlemen that have a desire to come
out to settle here with an intent to acquire a fortune by
farming, they are mistaken ; but if they are desirous to culti-
vate and improve a small farm by way of amusement, they
may live thereon comfortably without lessening their annual
income, and this they must not altogether expect the first
two years ; they are to study both soil and climate. Your
Lordship will please to give me leave to say without reserve
several difficulties will arise before a small English family of a
decent income can be fixed or situated comfortably on your
Lordship's estate, or to say more, on any other in Sicily ;
198 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
there is not a house on the farms (a very few excepted), for a
decent English family to live in ; they are, for the most part,
hovels, it is therefore necessary to build, either by the land-
lord or the new settler. The farmer in Sicily lives in the
town, and so do all the ploughmen and other husbandry
workmen, although many of the farms are above six miles
distant from the town. This accursed custom, detrimental as
it is to the advantage of agriculture, yet does not meet with
any reproach. The farmer (except a few industrious ones),
lounges half the day about the market-place, and the labourer,
if the wind blows a little fresh on the Monday morning, is
furled up, and does not venture to leave the town to go to
work, but stands in the street to listen to a cock-and-bull
story ; when he moves he is half tired before he arrives at his
work : this is another difficulty for a new settler, particularly
for an English constitution, not easily to digest. Nothing
would give me more pleasure than to have about four or five
English agricultural famihes about us, I foresee it would in a
short time change this most odious and ignorant system of
Sicilian agriculture.
" It is in your power at present, my Lord, to do that for
Sicily as a great promoter of agriculture, what you have
done for this island as a great warrior. I shall not trouble
your Lordship any longer at present, because your great
national employment giveth you little time to attend to private
affairs. But I hope your repose is not veiy distant, as I
imderstand there is great hopes of a peace with France. I
shall, in my next letter, my Lord, send you my observations
and thoughts of a remedy for the husbandry of this country.
Your Lordship may perhaps have an opportunity to converse
with Arthur Young, Esq. on this subject. Mrs. GraefFer
joins me in duty to your Lordship, and I have the honour to
be, my Lord,
"Your Lordship's
" Most obedient, and most devoted humble servant,
"John Gr^effer.
" The Right Hon. Lord Nelson,
Duke of Bronte in Sicily,
London."
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 11)9
In October the correspondence with Lady Hamilton con-
tinues : —
" Amazon, October 1st, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
'* From various causes it is as well for me to leave the
Downs for a few days to change the scene a little, and also
it is right to look a little at my squadron under Dungeness.
I left the Downs at day-light, and am now writing off Folke-
stone. I shall have Hardy to dine which will be a pleasure
to me, for he is a good man. Captain Sutton has just been
giving me such instances of want of feeling in Mr. Parker,
that I am quite disgusted with him ; he is a dirty dog. How
unlike his worthy son ! but I have done with him. I shall
send this letter on shore to New Romney, but I think you
had better, after a day or two, direct your letters to Deal, for
longer than three or four days I shall not remain here. At
this moment I fancy you setting forth to take possession of
your little estate, for this very day I shall make a codicil to
my will, leaving it in trust for your use, and to be at your dis-
posal until you wish me to leave it to my nearest and dearest
relation.^ We die not one moment the sooner by doing
those acts, and if I die, my property may as well go to those I
tenderly regard, as to those who hate me ; but I trust to live
many years with those who love me. I send you a very hand-
some letter from Lord George Cavendish.- I must return
his visit when I get back to Deal, but shall not dine there
or anywhere else. I hope soon to be done with this com-
mand. I am yet of opinion it will be Peace before this
month is out. Pray God send it calm, and we shall hardly
save post as it goes out at one o'clock. The French have all
gone into Boulogne, but probably they will be out to-day.
Dr. Baird has been very attentive and good to me, and he
gave your good things to Langford.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
' An evident allusion to Horatia.
^ He attended the funeral of Captain Parker with Lord Nelson.
200 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
" Amazon, Dungeness, October 2nd, 1801.
*' My dearest Emma,
" I am sorry the lawyers should have been the cause of
keeping you one moment from Merton, and I hope you will
for ever love Merton — since nothing shall be wanting on my
part. From me you shall have eveiy thing you want. I
trust, my dear friend, to your economy, for I have need of it.
To you I may say, my soul is too big for my purse, but I do
earnestly request that all may be mine in the house, even to
a pair of sheets, towels, &c. You are right, my dear Emma,
to pay your debts — to be in debt is to be in misery, and
j)oor tradespeople cannot afford to lay out of their money.
I beg you will not go too much on the water, for the boat
may upset, or you may catch an autumnal cold which cannot
be shook off all the winter. Wrap yourself up warm when
you go out of the house, and for God's sake wear more
clothes when winter approaches, or you will have the rheu-
matism. I hope you are this moment fixed — damn the
lawyers. If black James has no particular desire to come,
I can have none to have him, he must be a dead expense.
You w^ill do what is right, and I shall be happy in leaving
every thing to your management. I don't wonder Sir Wil-
liam is tired of Warwick Castle. How could he expect to
find anything equal to what he left — he might as well have
searched for the Philosopher's Stone. Poor Mrs. Nelson, I
pity her. She never w^as so happy in her life, but the little
w^oman will try and be with you again veiy soon, and she
will succeed. Tell me how I can do anything for you at this
distance. You command me. I obey you with the greatest
pleasure. Your letters for the next two or three days,
may be directed for me here, but after that to Deal. I have
had dear Hardy on board all the morning, he is a good man
and attached to me ; indeed, so is Bedford, Sutton, Gore,
and others, but these from no interested motive. Make my
best regards to Sir William when you write ; and to Mrs.
Cadogan, say every kind thing.
" Yours,
"Nelson axd Bronte."
Mr. Davison wrote a letter of condolence to Lord Nelson,
on the death of Captain Parker : —
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 201
" Swarland House, 3rcl October, 1801.
" My clear Friend,
" It is very often and justly observed, how serious a mis-
fortune it is to outlive those to whom we have formed an
attachment , The loss of poor dear Parker, I feel most sensibly,
having seen such proofs of the rectitude of his mind — the good-
ness of his heart — the high sense of honour he possessed —
all combined to rivet and cement a friendship, I had fondly
hoped would have been of long duration. If there be a
better world, which we are taught to believe there is, he
must be gone there to enjoy it, and possibly to be relieved of
troubles in this, had he survived, as to have involved him in
misery. Dear fellow — a more sincerely attached friend you
never had, his whole study and delight was how best to
secure your approbation of his conduct.
" I heartily wish you were relieved of your present com-
mand, though however honourable it may be, must, if it be
continued for any length of time, wear you down with fatigue
and incessant anxiety. It will make me very happy when
the post bears me a letter of your being superseded.
" I have been in Scotland with my sister, trying all in my
•power to support her under the most afflicting calamity,
nearly proving fatal to herself,
" If you have settled for the house in Surrey you write me
about, I am sure you must be in want of money to pay for
it, and lest that should be the case, I have written to my
Bankers, Messrs, Vere, Lucadou, and Co., to honour what-
ever bills you may draw on them, with orders to those gentle-
men to charge the same to my account. You may draw at
sight on them whenever you please. In my absence this
will be the easiest mode for you making your payments.
We are all well here, and all unite in constant prayer for
your happiness. God ever bless and protect you, my dear
friend's affectionate
"Alexander Davisox."
To this he replied : " Your kind letter has truly affected
me. Can your offer be real ? Can Davison be uncorrupted
by the depravity of the world ? I almost doubt what I read ;
I will answer, my dear friend, you are the only person living
202 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
who would make such an offer. When you come to town you
shall know all my pecuniary affairs, and if in arranging them
I should want your kind assistance, I will accept it with many
thanks. In my present purchase I have managed tolerably
well."i
TO LADY HAMILTON.
"Amazon, Dungeness, October 3rd, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Your kind letters of Wednesday night and Thursday
morning I have just received, and I should be too happy to
come up for a day or two, but that will not satisfy me, and
only fill my heart with grief at separating. Very soon I must
give in, for the cold weather I could not bear ;besides, to say
the truth, I am one of those who really believe we are on the
eve of peace. As mine can be only guess from various cir-
cumstances, do not give it as my opinion. I think we are
almost signing. You may ask, do you know any good reason
for this joyful idea? I can answer. No, but my mind tells me
it must be. I shall long to have the picture of the little one^
— you will send it to me; but very soon I shall seethe,
original, and then I shall be happy. Do not think I am
seriously unwell, but I am naturally very low. What have I
to raise my spirits ? Nothing. The loss of my friend, the
loss of Parker. The Surgeon recommends me to walk on
shore, but that I cannot do, we lay so far off, and surf, and
what is to become of my business — but it cannot last long.
What you want with all the Heraldry I know not — they are
devils for running up a bill. I shall not agree to Sir William's
keeping house whenever I come, that is impossible. I hope
Mr. Haslewood has done every thing to get you into the
possession, and for the rest and management I give all up to
you. I have had a letter from Lieutenant Turner — he has
got the gout, and desires his kind regards. I have had rather
a begging letter from Norwich, but I cannot at present do
any thing, for I have nothing ; for heaven's sake never do
you talk of having spent any money for me. I am sure you
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 412.
- Horatia.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 203
never have to my knowledge, and ray obligations to you can
never be repaid.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" Make my kind regards where proper. Captains Sutton,
Bedford, and Gore, all inquire after you. Are there any
images standing -in the grounds? Gore says there are. If
so you will take them away^ — they look very bad. Patienza.
Pray is our Belmonte dead at Baden ? Tell me."
The preliminaries of Peace were now entered upon, and
Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
"Just anchored, October 4th, nme o'clock.
" My dear Emma,
"You are right, no champagne till we can crack a bottle
together. Your letter with the papers I suppose are gone to
Romney. I shall have them in the evening.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Send to Castelcicala that from my heart I congratulate
him, and beg to present my duty to his and mine august
Sovereign. The Lutwidges' have sent off congratulations for
you, and I always send your regards and respects."
" Amazon, off Folkestone, October 4th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" Although preliminary articles are signed, yet I do not
find that such lengths are gone towards peace as to point out
a time when hostilities shall cease, and I am directed to be
particularly vigilant, and the Earl says the country has
received so many proofs of my zeal in its service as leaves no
doubt of my remaining at the head of the squadron until peace
is proclaimed.
" I was in hopes that at least all my feeble services might
be dispensed with. This has fretted me a good deal, for they
would perhaps gladly get rid of my claim, at least for poor
204 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IV.
Langford. I have wrote to the Earl, saying that I was in
hopes my humble services were no longer wanted, but at
least I hoped that I might have four or five days leave of
absence, for that I wanted rest, and could not stay in the
Channel when the cold weather set in. I shall try the effect
of this letter, and although my whole soul is devoted to get
rid of this command, yet I do not blame the Earl for wishing
to keep me here a little longer. It is probable disturbances
may break out in these squadrons when I am gone ; I am of
some consequence. If I can I should like to come on shore
good friends with the Administration, or my brother will
stand no chance, probably he does not much at present. I
have wrote congratulations to Mr. Addington, but if Ministers
can shake off those who have a claim on them, they are glad
of the opportunity. If I am forced into this measure for a
month, you and Sir William might come down, and I would
hire a house, and have our own things on shore, and not cost
one-eighth part of the other cheating fellow^s expense. I hear
he has been fool enough to say as nobody goes twice to his
house, he takes care to make them pay enough the first time.
What a fool, but he did not know, if it had been fifty times as
much I should have paid it ^ith pleasure for the happiness
of my Emma's company. I think I shall get off this staying
here, but I hope you will agree with me that a little manage-
ment may not be amiss. Sir Charles Pole has sent the two
pipes of sherry. I have wrote to Portsmouth this day to
have them sent to Merton, therefore the wine cellar must be
prepared.
" It is impossible to get on board in a dark night, heavy
surf, &c. therefore I shall stay on board altogether, unless it
is a very fine day, which is not to be expected. The surf
seldom is little at this season. Make my best regards to
Mrs. Cadogan, and all friends, and believe me,
"Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" To the Duke, Sir William, &c. say every thing which is
proper. Yawkins^ desires to be remembered."
' Master of the King George aired cutter.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 205
"Amazon, October 5th, 1801.
"■ My dearest Emma,
" Give the inclosed to Allen's wife. I have been expecting
the pleasure of hearing from you by the coach, and when the
tide turns, I shall send on shore Jind examine the coach office.
Your kind letters are my only consolation.
" Yours,
^' Nelson and Bronte.
" When does Sir William return ? Say every thing which
is kind to Mrs. Cadogan, &c."
" Amazon, October 5th, 1801.
" My dearest Emma,
" The weather is getting so very bad, that I doubt whether
the letters can be got on shore. I am half sea-sick and
much vexed, but still if the Admiralty would send me leave
by telegraph, it should go hard but I would get on shore at
Ramsgate, or some where. Nothing should keep me ; it is
hard to be kept here, but I should be sorry to quarrel the last
few days. Admiral Lutwidge has offered to dine at three
o'clock, but if I dined it would be almost impossible to get
afloat, and all my wish is to get a-shore for good, as the
folks say.
"Thank God it is peace — may the heavens bless us. Say
every thing kind to Charlotte — hers is a nice innocent letter,
and to Mrs. Nelson, and my brother, you know what to say.
As to Mr. Addington's giving him anything, I do not venture
to believe he ever will. I never had a kind thing done for
me yet. As the Order of Malta will be restored, I suppose
now you and Ball will have permission to wear the order,
however, you shall abroad. I am vexed that you are so much
troubled to get into the house — I wish we were all in it. I
shall only come to town on particular business, or to give a
vote on some interesting question, and that in order to get
something for my brother. I have not yet wrote to my
father, but I shall to-day. It rains dreadfully. Pray take
care and do not catch cold. You have not told me if you
have seen Troubridge. Hallowell will call of course, or he
will behave very ill. Mr. Turner desires his thanks for your
20G LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. iV.
kind inquiries (for I always say those things for you, as I
am sure you do for me), and he will certainly come and see
you when he comes to London. Believe me,
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Your kind letter just arrived — it has quite cheered me up.
May the heavens bless you. I always send your remem-
brances to Admiral and Mrs. Lutwidge. We must think
about Charles and Banti. Charles says he should like to get
into a public office, but I shall do every thing you wish me
for him. Pray God I may soon see you."
"2 o'clock, just going on shore.
" My dearest Emma,
" I did not pay Mr. B. for the drawing of the San Josef,
£10. is the price. Pay him out of the £300. Have you
bought any cows. I wish you were got in, and I with you.
It is dreadfully cold to-day. Good Admiralty, let me get on
shore. I have settled with Lutwidge for them to forgive
my dining with them. How the lawyers torment you.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
'^ I have just got a letter from a Surgeon in the Navy, beg-
ging for money. If 1 do not get away very soon, I shall be
ruined.'^
"Amazon, Oct. 6th, 1801.
'^ My dear Emma,
^^To my astonishment. Captain Sutton, of the Romulus,
sent me word last night that he was arrived, and ordered to
hoist a broad pendant aboard the Isis, and he came on board
this morning at seven. It being a very fine beach, I went on
shore with him and Bedford, to call on Admiral Lutwidge
for the first time since ray return from Dungeness, and for the
second time since your departure. I expected, I own, and
had prepared Allen, &c. with my trunk, and directed Mr.
Wallis to make out the necessary orders, to leave with
Sutton, when in came the letters, and one from Troubridge,
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 207
of which I send you an extract, ' The Earl desires me to
beg of you to remain until the time for hostilities ceasing
in the Channel is fixed, and then, if you wish it, you can
have leave of absence, I think, without striking your flag,
if that is your wish ; in short, everything that can be done
to meet your wishes will, but pray remain for the few days.
The ratification is expected to-morrow, and the time for hos-
tilities ceasing will be settled directly, and in the Channel
very soon indeed.' Under all these desires, I cannot help
staying — fourteen days at the outside — but by complying I
hope to get rid of it long before that time.
" I have had a letter of thanks from Parker's uncle at
Durham. I shall be glad the cup is coming. Dr. Baird
dines on board to-day. What a curious letter of Mrs. Nel-
son's and my brother's. How I regret this fortnight, at all
events Sutton's being here will be ready for me to start when
the Board will give me leave, or otherwise I want no assist-
ance. I shall perhaps go to Dungeness, where we lay, five or
six miles from the shore. As for , he is a fool, and I
dare say we need not carry that article to Bronte. Mr,
Scott,^ who writes Italian and all languages, and is a very
clever man, would be truly useful, and wants to go, but more
of this when we meet, which, pray God, may be soon. I
shall come straight to Merton.
" N. & B."
"Amazon, Oct. Gth, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I have just got your letter of yesterday, and am very
angry with Mr. Haslewood for not having got you into pos-
session of Merton, for I was in hopes you would have arranged
everj^thing before Sir William came home. I shall write Mr.
Haslewood to-day on the subject. The Peace seems to make
no impression of joy on our seamen, rather the contrary, they
appear to reflect that they will go from plenty to poverty.
We must take care not to be beset by them at Merton, for
every beggar will find out your soft heart, and get into your
house. Lord George Cavendish has just been on board to
' See Appendix, No. II.
208 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IV.
make me a visit before he leaves Walmer to-morrow. If the
weather is moderate, I shall return his visit and call on Billy
Pitt, as they say he is expected to-day. I intend to land at
Walmer Castle. But for this visit I should not have gone
ashore till all was finished. Make my best regards to Sir
William. I hope he will be able in bad weather to catch fish
in the water you so beautifully describe. You must take care
what kind of fish you put into the water, for Sir William will
tell you one sort destroys the other. Commodore Sutton has
been on board all the morning, but dines with Admiral Lut-
widge. You will see amongst my things return the round
table and the wardrobe — extraordinary that they should re-
turn again into your possession. You are to be, recollect,
Lady Paramount of all the territories and waters of Merton,
and we are all to be your guests, and to obey all lawful com-
mands What have you done about the turnip field, duck
field, &c. ? Am I to have them ? I wish I could get up for
four or five days. I would have roused the lawyers about.
The Isis is just coming in — Sutton's broad pendant is to be
in her. Yawkins has just been on board, and I delivered
your compliments as directed. He always inquires after you
and Sir William, and he desires me to say that he wishes Sir
William was now here, for there were never so many fish in
the Downs. The beach for two days has been remarkably
smooth — not a curl on the shore. I shall send to Mr. Tur-
ner: you will win his heart by your goodness. Your going
away made a blank in our squadron. Dr. Baird is very much
affected at receiving the cup; it made him really ill, so that
he could not come to dinner, but he deserved it for his
humanity. Lord St Vincent, never, I dare say, gave him a
sixpence. Best regards to Sir William, Mrs. Cadogan^ and
all our friends,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Buonte."
Dr. Baird, who was specially sent down by the Earl of St.
Vincent to attend the wounded at the attack of the Boulogne
flotilla, acknowledged the receipt of Lord Nelson's present
of a silver vase, through Lady Hamilton, in the following
letter :—
ISOl.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 209
"Deal, 7th October, 1801.
" Madam,
" I had the honour of receiving your Ladyship's letter
yesterday, and with it the Duke of Bronte's token of appro-
bation : so flattering a testimony of his Lordship's esteem has
affected me most sensibly, and made such an impression on
my heart as no time can erase ; for indeed, his attention to
me has ever been very kind. I beg your Ladyship to accept
my warm acknowledgments for the share you have taken, and
request you w^ill be so good as to present my respects to Sir
William Hamilton. Mr. Langford reclines on your Lady-
ship's sofa, the comfort of which he enjoys much. His
general health is much improved, he is totally without pain,
and his wounds look w^ell, and if there be no further exfoli-
ation, we may soon look forward to all being well, but in this,
I must not pronounce hastily, for when exfoliation of bone
has taken place, it is difficult to foresee when it will end. I
can, however, assure your Ladyship, in general terms, that
everything has a very favourable appearance. I do not know
anything he wants. I thought the basket you sent for poor
Parker, and which came too late, should go by descent to
Langford, and he had it. I do not mean to prevent your
Ladyship indulging in your usual benevolence in sending him
any little nice things you may wish, for I really do not know
anything that can do him harm at present.
" 1 mean to send his Lordship's present into the different
surgical wards in the hospital, that the wounded may see how
much their Commander-in-chief has been interested about
their well-doing.
" I have the honour to be,
" Madam,
" Your Ladyship's very obliged humble servant,
"Andrew Baird."
vor. II.
210 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL lCHAP. V.
CHAPTER V.
1801.
Upon the return of peace. Nelson received the following
letter from his father : —
"Burnham, Oct. 8tli, 1801.
" My dear Horatio,
" Upon the happy return of peace, I may, with a little
variation, address you in the words of an Apostle, and say.
You have fought a good fight. You have finished your mili-
tary career with glory and honour ; henceforth there is laid
up for you much happiness, subject, indeed, in this present
time to uncertainty, but in a future state immutable and in-
corruptible.
" As a public character, I could be acquainted only with
what was made public respecting you. Now, in a private
station possibly you may tell me where it is likely your
general place of residence may be, so that sometimes we may
have mutual happiness in each other, notwithstanding the
severe reproaches I feel from an anonymous letter for my con-
duct to you, which is such, it seems, as will totally separate
us. This is unexpected indeed. Most likely the winter may
be too cold for me to continue here, and I mean to spend it
between Bath and London. If Lady Nelson is in a hired
house and by herself, gratitude requires that I should some-
times be with her, if it is likely to be of any comfort to her.
EveryAvhere age, and my many infirmities, are very trouble-
some, and require every mark of respect. At present, I am
in the Parsonage ; it is warm and comfortable. I am quite
by myself, except the gentleman who takes care of the
churches. He is a worthy, sensible, sober man, and as far as
rests with him, makes me very happ3\ I cannot do any
public duty, nor even walk to the next house. But, my
dearest son, here is still room enough to give you a warm, a
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NKLSON. 211
joyful and affectionate reception, if you could find an inclina-
tion to look once more at me in Burnham Parsonage. I pray
God to continue his blessings in all stations, places, and un-
dertakings.
"Edmund Nelson."
Lord Nelson's memorandum for reply to this letter is as
follows : —
" I think of writing my poor old father to this eflfect — that
I shall live at Merton with Sir William and Lady Hamilton
— that a warm room for him and a cheerful society will always
be there happy to receive him — that nothing in 7ny conduct
could ever cause a separation of a moment between me and him,
for that I had all the respect and love which a son could bear
towards a good father — that going to Burnham was impossible,
as my duty, even if I was inclined, would not permit it — that as
to anonymous letters, they made no impression where they did
not fit, and that I should ever conduct myself towards him as
his dutiful son.
" N. & B."
To Lady Hamilton, communicating the above, he writes ;
" Tell me, my friend, do you approve ? If he remains at
Burnham he will die, and I am sure he will not stay in
Somerset Street, (Lady Nelson's residence). Pray let him
come to your care at Merton. Your kindness will keep him
alive, for you have a kind soul."
Lord Nelson's letters to Lady Hamilton continue : —
"Amazon, Oct. 8, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I do not expect, although I am writing, that any boat can
communicate with us to-day.
" What can be the use of keeping me here ; for, I can know
nothing such weather ; and, what a change since yesterday ! It
came on, in one hour, from the water, like a mill-pond, to such
a sea as to make me very unwell. If I had gone to make my
visit, I could not have got off again. I rejoice that I did not
p 2
212 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V
go. Until I leave the station^ I have no desire to go on
shore ; for Deal was always my abhorrence.
"That Parker is a swindler. Langford owed our dear
Parker twenty-five pounds, of which there was no account ;
but Langford desired his agents to pay Mr. Parker. Langford
requested, that he would wait two or three months, as it would
be more convenient to him, to which the other agreed —
^ Aye, as long as you please.' He got one pound, eleven shil-
lings and sixpence, from Samuel, by casting his account
wrong. The first thing he does is to desire Langford's agents
to pay £34. for Langford, nine pounds more than the debt.
He is worse than a public thief. His conduct to me was,
absolutely, the worst species of thieving ; for, it w as under
false pretences. He sent Dr. Baird on board to me, to say
that, in London, his pocket-book was stole, in which was
twenty pounds ; and begged my assistance to get him home ;
and that he had not a farthing to buy mourning for his dear
son. At this time, he had £47. in his pocket, besides what
he had sold of his son's. He has behaved so unlike a gen-
tleman, but very like a blackguard, to both Captain Sutton,
Bedford, and Hardy. I am now clear that he never lost one
farthing, and that the whole is a swindling trick. So you
see, my dear friend, how good nature is imposed upon. I am
so vexed that he should have belonged to our dear Parker !
I have now" done with the wretch, for ever. I hope he has
got nothing from you ; and, if you have promised him any-
thing, c/o not send it.
"Nelson and Bronte."^
" Amazon, October 8tli, 1801. Half-past seven.
" My dearest Friend,
" I send on shore one line by the boat which goes for our
letters, to tell you not to be surprised if you get no other
letter to-morrow, for it now blows very hard, and every
appearance of an increasing gale. How I am praying for the
Admiralty. Last night I had one of the attacks on my
heart, which some day will do me up ; but it is entirely gone
off. I know it has been brought on by fretting at being kept
here doing nothing. I shall write late, and if possible get it
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 67.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 213
on shore, but you must not expect. Make my best regards
to Sir William, and believe me,
*' Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
"Amazon, October 9th, 1801.
'■ My dearest Friend,
" How provoked I am at the slowness of that damned
rascal Buonaparte, in ratifying the Treaty. I hope he will,
for if we are involved in a war again, our fools, who rejoiced
that the French could not come to eat them up, will frighten
themselves to death, and our country become an easy prey.
There is no person in the world rejoices more in the peace
than I do, but I would burst sooner than let a damned French-
man know it. Let them rejoice that the English rod (its
navy) is taken from them ; the rod that has flogged, and
would continue to flog them from one end of the world to the
other. We have made peace with the French despotism, and
we will, I hope, adhere to it whilst the French continue in
due bounds ; but whenever they overstep that, and usurp
a power which would degrade Europe, then I trust we shall
join Europe in crushing her ambition; then I would with
pleasure go forth and risk my life for to pull down the over-
grown detestable power of France. The country has so
foolishly called out for peace, that I almost wonder we had
not to make sacrifices. It has been the cowardice and
treachery of Europe that has elevated France, and certainly
not her own courage or abilities. But, I long to get on shore,
and why am I troubling either you or myself with all this
stuff. From my heart I wish I was at Merton, and you
shewing me the place and your intended improvements, for I
have the very highest opinion of your taste and economy. I
have not had an opportunity of sending Mr. Turner your
kind message, and probably he has got the trumpet before
this time ; but you are good and thoughtful to every body.
I am going to send Sutton under Dungeness to watch the
fellows that they do not pick up any of our trade for the few
days that remain. Letters just come off. Lutwidge has sent
me word that the vessel with the ratification arrived at eight
this morning. Mrs. Lutwidge has sent me partridges and a
214 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cilAP. V.
pine-apple, and always inquires for you and Sir William.
Troubridge writes me, that I may rest assured we will not
keep you longer than I have before stated, that is, I suppose,
fourteen days ; and he hopes the exercise ashore will quite
restore me. Now, I never will go on shore but only per force.
I hate Deal, and from my heart wish I was out of sight of it.
Remember me kindly to Sir William, the Duke, and all our
friends, and none but real friends shall come to Merton ; but
you are to manage every thing.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" The wine from Portsmouth is on its journey. Is there a
good wine cellar ? I have a good deal at Davison's. We
will eat plain, but will have good wine, good fires, and a
hearty welcome for our friends, but none of the great shall
enter our peaceful abode. I hate them all. I have had a
real kind letter from Davison, such a one as is scarce in these
degenerate times. God bless you.''
♦'Amazon, October 11th, 1801.
'' My dearest Friend,
" I ought, and do beg you 10,000 pardons for not having
sent the memorandums for Davison's house, but I was really
so unwell that I could not. Would to God I was hberated,
for cooped up on board ship, with my head for ever leaning
over paper, has almost blinded me, and it is impossible to be
sure of a beach for one hour together. Captains Bedford and
Sutton say they will not go any more unless it is perfect
calm, for they got wet with all theh' care and activity, and yet
I ought to return Lord George Cavendish's visit, and I see
Billy Pitt has arrived, as the colours are hoisted. I will see
him before I leave the station ; he may perhaps be useful to
me one day or other. We have now cold fogs, and you
cannot conceive how truly uncomfortable I am. A Bay
Master and Commander is just come, made Post — never per-
formed a jot of semce, whilst dear Parker, Somen'ille, Lang-
ford, and others, smarting and dying of their gallant wounds,
cannot get a step. You cannot conceive how full every body's
mouth is. As to Merton, you are the whole and sole com-
mander. I wish naturally that every thing in the place
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 215
should be mine ; but as to living, we will settle that matter
very easily. I only wish I was with you. I agree with you
— no great folks ; they are a public nuisance. How odd that
the King has had no levee. I hope he is well, but should
almost fear it. I have had a very affectionate letter from
Colonel Stewart, on the death of dear Parker. He desires
something as a remembrance of him. I have secured a book
and a chart. The newspapers are not come. I am out of
patience — a damned rascally Frenchman to be drawn by
Englishmen ! I blush for the degraded state of my country.
I hope never more to be dragged by such a degenerate set of
people. Would our ancestors have done it ? So, the villains
would have drawn Buonaparte if he had been able to get to
London to cut off the King's head, and yet all our Royal
Family will employ Frenchmen. Thanks to the navy, they
could not. Eleven o'clock. Your letters are just come, but
now we cannot get newspapers ; they cannot come the same
day to and from Merton. Soon, very soon, I hope to be
with you, for there can be no use in keeping me here.
Sutton, Bedford, &c. all inquire after you. Old Yawkins I
always give your and Sir William's remembrance to.
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
*' The Bay will come of course, and stupid De Graves'
men, but not my steward ; he is too fine for me. Our navy
is all blank at the peace. If you see the Duke, say every
kind thing. Best regards to Mrs. Cadogan, Oliver, &c."
" Amazon, ten o'clock, October 12, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" This being a very fine morning, and smooth beach, I went
with Sutton and Bedford, and landed at Walmer, but found
Billy fast asleep ; so left my card ; walked the same road that
we came, when the carriage could not come with us that
night ; and all rushed into my mind, and brought tears into
my eyes. Called at the barracks on Lord George (Cavendish) ,
but he is gone to London. From thence to the Admiral's ;
found him up; and waiting half an hour to see Mrs.
Lutwidge, who entreated me to stay dinner, came directly on
216 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. V.
board. I did not even call to see poor Langford, who has
been worse these few days past, and God knows when he will
be well. I am afraid it will be a long time, for several pieces
of bone have lately come away, and more to come.
" But Troubridge has so completely prevented my ever
mentioning any body's service, that I am become a cypher,
and he has gained a victory over Nelson's spirit. I am
kept here ; for what, he may be able to tell, I cannot ;
but long it cannot, shall not, be. Sutton and Bedford are
gone a tour, till dinner-time ; but nothing shall make me,
but almost force, go out of the ship again till I have done,
and the Admiralty, in charity, will be pleased to release me.
I am, in truth, not over well.
'^ Just as I was coming oif I received your packet, and
thank you from my heai't for all your kindness. What can
Reverend Sir want to be made a Doctor for ? He will be
laughed at for his pains. I thank you for the King's letters.
I shall write a kind line to Castelcicala, and answer the
King's very soon, and write to Acton, for he can make Bronte
every thing to me, if he pleases. I dare say I did wrong
never to write to him, but as he treated Sir William unkindly,
I never could bring myself to it.
" I wish you had translated the King's and Acton's letters,
Banti cannot.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."*
" Amazon, October 13th, 1801.
'^ My dearest Friend,
" Sutton and Bedford would fain persuade me, that by the
post to-day the Admiralty will give me leave to go on shore.
I own I do not believe it, or I should not begin this letter,
for 1 should certainly be at Merton to-morrow at breakfast ;
but they have no desire to gratify me. Thank God there is
no more than nine days to the cessation of hostilities, after
that they can have no pretence. My complaint is a little
better, and you cannot think how vexed I am to be unwell
at a time when I desire to come on shore, and to enjoy a
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 73.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 2l7
good share of health ; but at this season, and in this place, it
is impossible that I can be free from colds. The wind is set
in very raw from the westward. Mr. Turner came and dined
with me yesterday, and brought the trumpet with him, and
he has charged me to say how much he feels obliged by
your kind remembrance of him. This is the first time for
five years he has been on board.
" Eleven o'clock. The letters are arrived, and Troubridge
tells me not to think of leaving my station, so here I shall
stay, miserable, shut up, for I will not stir out of the ship.
I told Dr. Baird yesterday, that I was determined never to
mention to Troubridge's unfeeling heart whether I was sick
or well. I wish to my heart I could get to Merton : I had
rather be sick there than well here ; but in truth, I am so
disgusted, that this day I care but little what becomes of me.
" I have this day received a curious letter from the Order
of Joachim, 1 in Germany, desiring to elect me Knight Grand
Commander thereof. I shall send it to Mr. Addington, that
he may give me his opinion, and obtain, if proper, the King's
approbation : — this is very curious. Dr. Baird is just come
on board. Although I am not confined to my bed, I should
be much better out of a frigate's cold cabin ; but never mind,
my dear friend, I see and feel all kindnesses and unkind-
nesses towards me. Make my kindest regards to Sir William,
Mrs. Cadogan, and all friends, and believe me yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Mr. Pitt has just been on board, and he thinks it is very
hard to keep me now all is over. He asked me to dine at
Walmer, but I refused. I will dine no where till I dine with
you and Sir William.
" Yours,
" N. B.
" Sutton and Bedford desire their respects. If I am cross
you must forgive me. I have reason to be so by gi-eat
Troubridge/*
"Amazon, October 14th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
"To-morrow week all is over — no thanks to Sir Thomas.
I believe the fault is all his, and he ought to have recollected
' See App&ndix, No. III.
218 LIFE OP VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
that I got him the medal of the Nile. Who upheld him when
he would have sunk under grief and mortification ? Who
placed him in such a situation in the Kingdom of Naples,
that he got by my public letters, titles, the Colonelcy of
Marines, diamond boxes, from the King of Naples, 1000
ounces in money, for no expenses that I know of? Who got
him £500. a year from the King of Naples? and however
much he may abuse him, his pension will be regularly paid.
Who brought his character into notice ? Look at my public
letters. Nelson, that Nelson that he now Lords it over. So
much for gratitude. I forgive him, but, by God, I shall not
forget it. He enjoys shewing his power over me. Never mind ;
altogether it will shorten my days. The day is very bad —
blows, rains, and a great sea. My complaint has returned from
absolutely fretting ; and was it not for the kindness of all
about me, they, damn them, would have done me up long
ago. I am anxiously waiting for your letters ; they are my
only comfort, for they are the only friendly ones I receive.
Poor Captain Somerville is on board ; himself, wife, and
family, make twenty, without a servant, and has only £100.
a year to maintain them. He has been begging me to inter-
cede with the Admiralty again ; but I have been so rebuffed,
that my spirits are gone, and the great Troubridge has what
we call cowed the spirits of Nelson ; but I shall never forget
it. He told me if I asked any thing more that I should get
nothing, I suppose alluding to poor Langford. No wonder
I am not well.
" Noon. Your kind letters are just come, and have given
me great comfort. Pray tell Sir William that if I can I will
write to him this day, but certainly to-morrow. I have
much to do from Admiralty orders, letters, &c. I rejoice at
your occupation. Live pretty, and keep a pig. Have you
done any thing about the turnip field ? Say every thing
that is kind for me to Sir William, Mrs. Cadogan, &c. I
have delivered your message to Sutton and Bedford. You
may rely on a visit.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
'* Half sea sick. I thank you for Rev. Doctor's letter, and
1801.] LORD VISCOUXT NELSON. 219
Mrs. Nelson's. Her going to SwafFham is mentioned seven
times, and in the postscript. It puts me in mind of the
directions for the Cardinal. I have laughed, but she is a
good wife for him, or he would have been ruined long ago.
His being a Doctor is nonsense ; but I must write to-morrow
and congratulate him, or else the fat will be in the fire.
" Ever yours,
'' N. & B.
'*To the Duke say every thing. I have wrote to Sir
William at Merton ; it goes on shore with this."
On the 14th Lord Nelson wrote to the Admiralty for leave
to go ashore. This letter has been printed from the original
in the Admiralty.^ The original draft now before me makes
an allusion to " revenue vessels, &c. which were added to the
vessels formerly under the command oi" which he afterwards
ran his pen through, and it stands thus : —
"Amazon, Downs, October I4th, 1801.
" Sir,
*' Their Lordships' appointment for my particular service
being now done away by the preliminary articles of peace,
viz. to prevent the invasion of this country, which service I
have not only, by their Lordships' appointing so large a force to
serve under my command, been enabled effectually to perform,
but also to be able to acquaint you that not one boat belong-
ing to this country has been captured by the enemy ; and as
my state of health requires repose on shore, I have, there-
fore, to request that their Lordships will, when they think
the service will admit of it, allow me permission to go on
shore."
On the following day he received orders for the cessation
of hostilities against the French Republic, and a copy of the
prehminary articles of peace between his Majesty and the
Republic. On the 15th he wrote to Lady Hamilton, and
was again ill : —
^ Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 511.
220 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. V.
" Amazon, October IStli, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
^' The Admiralty will not give me leave till the 22nd ; and
then, only ten days. What a set of beasts ! My cold is now
got into my head ; and I have such dreadful pains in my
teeth, I cannot hold up my head : but none of them cares a
d — n for me or my sufferings ; therefore, you see, I cannot
discharge my steward. And yet, I think, upon consideration,
that I will send up my things, and take my chance as to
their sending me down again. What do you think ? At all
events, everything except my bed. I have table spoons,
forks, every thing ; at least, I shall have, soon, two hundred
pounds worth.
"Admiral Lutwidge is going to Portsmouth. Sir W.
Parker is going to be tried for something. Make my kindest
respects to Sir William, and believe me,
" Yours, &c. &c.
" Nelson and Bronte."^
"Amazon, October 15th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I have wrote by the way of London, but as your letter
came regular, mine may go most likely. The Admiralty will
not let me move till after the 22nd, and I have got a dreadful
cold. I send you a letter for my father ; when read, send to
London, to be put in the post. I could not say Jess ; I hope
you will approve. Forgive my short letter, but the tooth-
ache torments me to pieces.
" Ever yours,
^' Nelson and Bronte.
" Sutton and Bedford desire their best respects, and will
certainly come and eat your brown bread and butter."
"Amazon, October 16th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" It being a very fine morning, and the beach smooth, I
went to call on Admiral Lutwidge, and returned on board
before ten o'clock. Mrs. Lutwidge is delighted with your
present. Sutton, &c. were called forth to admire it. She
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 76.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 221
joins in abusing the Admiralty. She pressed me very much
to dine with them at three o'clock ; but I told her, I would
not dine with the angel Gabriel, to be dragged through a
night surf ! Her answer was, that she hoped soon I should
dine with an angel, for she was sure you were one. You are
so good, so kind, to every body ; old, young, rich, or poor, it
is the same thing !
" I called on poor Langford ; who has a long time to look
forward to, for getting well ; he told me your goodness, in
writing him a line : and I called upon Dr. Baird ; he dis-
approves of rhubarb, and has prescribed magnesia and pepper-
mint ;i and I called on Mr. Lawrence. So you see, 1 did
much business in one hour I was on shore.
"The moment I got your letters, off I came, and have read
them with real pleasure. They have made me much better,
I think ; at least, I feel so. 1 admire the pigs and poultry.
Sheep are certainly most beneficial to eat off the grass. Do
you get paid for them ; and take care that they are kept on
the premises all night, for that is the time they do good to
the land. They should be folded. Is your head-man a good
person, and true to our interest ? 1 intend to have a farming
book. I am glad to hear you get fish ; not very good ones,
I fancy.
"It is, I thank God, only six days before I shall be with
you, and be shewn all the beauties of Merton. I shall like it,
leaves or no leaves.
" No person there can take amiss our not visiting. The
answer from me will always be very civil thanks, but that I
wish to live retired. We shall have our sea friends ; and I
know. Sir William thinks they are the best.
'■' I have a letter from Mr. Trevor, begging me to recom-
mend a youngster for him ; but none before your Charles.^
Banti, I suppose, must return ; but, at present, we know not
what ships are to be kept in commission. I have a letter
from a female relation of mine. She has had three husbands ;
and he, Mr. S. three wives. Her brother, a Nelson, I have
been trying, ever since I have been in England, to get pro-
' The irritability of Nelson had at this time occasioned derangement of his
bowels.
* Lady Hamilton's nephew, Charles Connor.
222 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. V.
moted. The last and present Admiralty promised. I never
saw the man ; he is in a ship in the North Seas, forty-five
years of age.
" I have a letter from Troubridge, recommending me to
wear flannel shirts. Does he care for me ? No ; but never
mind. They shall work hard, to get me back again.
" Remember me kindly to Sir William, &c. &c.
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Do you ever see Castelcicala ? He is a good man, and
faithful to his master and mistress.^'^
" Amazon, October 16th, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" I have a letter from Reverend Doctor ; he is as big as if
he was a bishop ; and one from the Bedel of the University,
to say how well he preached. I hope you ordered something
good for him, for these big wigs love eating and drinking.
" N. & B."2
"Amazon, October 17thj 1801.
" My dear Friend,
" Although my complaint has no danger attending it, yet it
resists the medicines which Dr. Baird has prescribed ; and I
fancy, it has pulled me down very much. The cold has
settled in my bowels, I wish the Admiralty had my complaint :
but they have no bowels ; at least for me. I had a very
indifferent night, but your and Sir William's kind letters have
made me feel better. I send you a letter from Lord Pelham ;
I shall certainly attend, and let them see that I may be useful
in council as I have been in the field. We must submit ;
and perhaps, the Admiralty does this by me, to prevent
another application. You may rely, that I shall be with you
by dinner on Friday, at half past three or four at farthest. I
pray that I may not be annoyed, on my arrival ; it is retire-
ment with my friends, that I wish for. Thank Sir William
kindly for his letter; and the inclosure, which I return.
Sutton is much pleased with your letter ; and, with Bedford,
will certainly make you a visit. They are both truly good
and kind to me. Our weather has been cold these two days,
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 81. ^ Ibid. p. 83.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 223
but not bad. I have got a fire in the cabin ; and, I hope my
complaint will go off.
'* May heaven bless you ! I send this through Troubridge,
direct in Piccadilly. I shall, you may rely, admire the pig-
stye, ducks, fowls, &c. for everything you do, I look upon as
perfect. Dr. Baird has been aboard to see me. He thinks I
shall be better ; and that a few days on shore will set me up
again.
*' Make my kind remembrances to Sir William, the Duke,
and all friends ; and believe me, ever, your most affectionate
"Nelson and Bronte."^
Nelson was eager for the interest of those officers who had
served with him, and he accordingly applied to Earl St.
Vincent, who gave the following answer : —
" My dear Lord,
" Your Lordship may rest assured that the interest you
have taken in Captain Somerville's fortunes has not been
lost upon me. I have made inquiry for the passing certificate
of his son, but neither it nor his appointment appear.
" Captain Tobin" has been a little in disrepute with the
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 84.
^ Captain George Tobin entered the Navy in 1780, accompanied Sir George
Rodney to the West Indies, and was in the actions of April 9th and 12th, 1782.
After a variety of service, he learnt that Lord Nelson, whose wife was related to
Captain Tobin's mother, had retained for him the Third Lieutenancy of the Aga-
memnon ; but not then contemplating the eminence to which his Lordship would
arise, he congratulated himself upon being Second Lieutenant to the Hon. Sir A.
Cochrane, of the Thetis. After the Battle of the Nile his efforts to be with Lord
Nelson were unsuccessful, and he was paid otf at Plymouth in October, 1801.
He was made a Post Captain in 1802, and was in the Northumberland, with his
former Captain as Rear-Admiral. In 180.5 he was on the Leeward Island station,
and in the following year had a homeward-bound convoy. He was then on the
Irish station, afterwards escorted a West India fleet of merchant-men, and was
engaged by the Honourable East India Company to bring home the trade col-
lected at St. Helena. He was now employed on the Irish station, and in the
Channel, and in the Bay of Biscay, where he succeeded in making several cap-
tures. He was with Sir George Collier at the siege of St. Sebastian. He cap-
tured La Trave, a large French frigate, and in the Andromache, with Rear-
Admiral Penrose, forced the passage of tlie Gironde. His vessel formed part of
the assembled fleet at Spithead during the visit of the Allied Sovereigns in 1814,
at the expiration of which year she was paid off. He died Rear-Admiral of the
White and C.B., April 10, 1838.
224 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. V.
Board, on account of his pertinacity about refitting, a very
contagious disease in frigates and sloops, extremely difficult
to eradicate ; I apprehend his health to be delicate. Encom-
passed as I am by applications and presumptuous claims, I
have nothing for it but to act upon the defensive, as your
Lordship will be compelled to do, whenever you are placed
in the situation I at present fill.
" Yours, most affectionately,
" St. Vincent.
" Admiralty, October 15th, 1801."
On the 16th Sir William Hamilton wrote Lord Nelson
from Merton : —
"Merton, October 16th, 1801.
" My dear Lord,
" We have now inhabited your Lordship's premises some
days, and I can now speak with some certainty. I have
lived with our dear Emma several years. I know her merit,
have a great opinion of the head and heart that God Almighty
has been pleased to give her, but a seaman alone could have
given a fine woman full power to choose and fit up a residence
for him without seeing it himself. You are in luck, for in my
conscience, I verily believe that a place so suitable to your
views could not have been found, and at so cheap a rate; for
if you stay away three days longer, I do not think you can
have any wish but you will find it completed here ; and then
the bargain was fortunately struck three days before an idea
of peace got abroad. Now every estate in this neighbourhood
has increased in value, and you might get a thousand pounds
to-morrow for your bargain. The proximity to the Capital,
and the perfect retii-ement of this place are for your Lordship
two points beyond estimation ; but the house is so comfort-
able, the furniture clean and good, and I never saw so many
conveniences united in so small a compass. You have
nothing but to come and enjoy it immediately, and you have a
good mile of pleasant dry walk around your own farm. It
would make you laugh to see Emma and her mother fitting
up pigstyes and hencoops, and already the canal is enlivened
with ducks, and the cock is strutting with his hens about
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 225
the walks. Your Lordship's plan as to stocking the canal
with fish is exactly mine, and I will answer for it that in a
few months you may command a good dish of fish at a
moment's warning. Every fish of any size has been taken
away, even after the bargain was made ; for there are many
Trouhridges in this world, but Nelsons are rare. I think it
quite impossible that they can keep you at Deal more
than three or four days longer. It would be ridiculous.
This neighbourhood are anxiously expecting your Lordship's
arrival, and you cannot be off of some particular attentions
that will be shewn you, and which all the world know that
you have merited above all others. I inclose a letter which
I have just received from Count Dillon O' Kelly, who supped
with us at Coblentzall's at Prague. See how your merit is
estimated on the Continent, and shame be it that so little
justice is done you at home. Be so good as to bring or
return the letter, as I must answer it. Adieu, my dear Lord,
and most sincere friend I have in this world.
" Yours,
"William Hamilton."
Nelson continued his correspondence with Lady Hamil-
ton, until his return to London on the 22nd : —
"Amazon, October 18th, 1801.
*' My dearest Friend,
" I am to-day much better than I have been for several
days past, and I believe my cold has taken a favoiu^able turn,
and I trust to being perfectly stout and strong before Friday.
No thanks to the Admiralty. We have had, and it still blows
a very heavy gale of wind from yesterday five o'clock. I
doubt whether any boat will be able to get to us to-day with
your letters, and less do I believe that mine will get on shore,
for the wind blows partly from the land. I could not write
all my thoughts through the Admiralty, for I should not be
surprised if now and then, for curiosity's sake, they wish to
know our truly innocent correspondence. I think it probable
that I shall be obliged, for a week perhaps, to return to Deal,
for T find, and there they are right, to put by all superfluous
VOL. II. Q
226 LIFE OF VJCE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
expenses, and only to keep what 1 call clean men-of-war in
commission till the definitive Treaty is signed. What has
been done already in the Naval department will reduce our
expenses £150,000 a month. We shall make a better treaty
with arms in our hands. I am very angry at the great
rejoicings of the military, and, in some ports, of our naval
men, at peace. Let the rejoicings be proper to our several
stations — the manufacturer, because he will have more mar-
kets for his goods — but seamen and soldiers ought to say,
' Well, as it is peace, we lay down our arms ; and are ready
again to take them up, if the French are insolent.' There is
a manly rejoicing, and a foolish one ; we seem to have taken
the latter, and the damned French will think it proceeds from
fear. I hope to manage so that I shall get something for my
brother ; for myself it is out of the question ; they can give
me nothing as a pension at this time, but good things may
fall. I shall talk and be much with Mr. Addington, if he
wishes it. If not, I can have no desire to go to the House,
and give myself trouble. Lord St. Vincent says two days
ago, ' When you, my dear Lord, hold my place, you will be
obliged, as I am, to act on the defensive against such pre-
sumptuous claims.'
" I am in hopes the weather will moderate after twelve
o'clock, for you will fancy I am ill, but recollect in the winter
it is often a week, has been fourteen days, without any com-
munication with the shore. I received all your letters yester-
day, but you need not direct them to the care of Admiral
Lutwidge. Wednesday will be your last day of writing.
Have you thought of the turnip field ? can we get it ? We
will, if possible, and in any reason of price. I finish my
letter, that, if it is possible, it may get on shore, but I have
no expectation at present. Make my kindest regards to Sir
William, Mrs. Cadogan, the Duke when you see him, and all
our friends. I am certainly in luck not to be ordered to
these court-martials ; they will altogether take a fortnight at
least.
'*' Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" What a gale ! does it blow with you ?"
1 801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 227
• " Amazon, October 19th, 1801.
'^ My dearest Friend,
" What a gale we have had ! But Admiral Lutwidge's
boat came off; and as your letter was wrote, it got on shore ;
at least, I hope so, for the boat seemed absolutely swallowed
up in the sea. None of our boats could have kept above
water a moment ; therefore, I could not answer all the truly
friendly things you told me in your letters, for they were not
opened before the boat was gone.
"They (the Lutwidges) dine with Billy Pitt to-day ; or,
rather, with Mr. Long ; for Pitt does not keep house, in
appearance, although he asked me to come and see him ; and
that I shall do, out of respect to a great man, although he
never did anything for me or my relations.
" I must leave my cot here, till my discharge, when it shall
come to the farm, as cots are the best things in the world for
our sea friends. Why not have the pictures from Davison's,
and those from Dodd's, especially my father's and Davison's ?
Apropos, Sir William has not sat, I fear, to Beechey. I want
a half length, the size of my father's and Davison's. The
weather to-day is tolerable, but I do not think I could well
get on shore ; but Thursday, I hope, will be a fine day. I
shall call on Mr. Pitt, make my visit at the hospital, and get
off very early on Friday morning. My cold is still very
troublesome, I cannot get my bowels in order. In the night
I had not a little fever. Hut never mind ; the Admiralty
will not always be there. Every one has his day.
" Ever yours,
"■ Nelson and Bronte.''^
On the 20th he received another letter from Earl St. Vin-
cent.
"My dear Lord,
" Many thanks for your hints about the block ships, which
are approved by the Board, and will be acted upon ; direc-
tions have been given to the Navy Board to dispose of all
the gun-vessels out of repair ; the twenty last built are
efficient, and will be useful in peace.
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 94.
Q 2
228 LIFE OK VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
" Captain Thomson had justice done him, the moment I
was apprized of his merits, and a notification was sent to
him some time ago. I wish I could provide for Mr. Priestly
with the same facility ; the great number of Pursers out of
employment by the loss and sale of small ships, calls for all
the vacancies which occur, and it is so beggarly and ruinous
an office, that I fear very many of those who fill it will be
thrown into prison at the winding up ; it is no easy matter
for any of them to find security when they do get warrants.
" I heartily hope a little rest will soon set you up, but
until the definitive Treaty is signed, your Lordship must con-
tinue in pay, although we may not have occasion to require
your personal services at the head of the squadron under
your orders.
" Remember me kindly to all those whom we mutually
esteem within your reach, and believe me to be,
" My dear Lord,
" Yours most affectionately,
"St. Vincent.
" Admiralty, 20th October, 1801.
'^Your Lordship acted with great judgment in releasing
the French coaster.
«'St. Vt."
To Lady Hamilton on the 20th, Nelson writes : —
"Amazon, October 20, 1801.
" My dearest Friend,
" How could you think for a moment, that I would be a
time-server to any Minister on earth ! and if you had studied
my letter a little closer, you would have seen that my inten-
tion was, to shew them that I could be as useful in the cabinet
as in the field. My idea is, to let them see that my attendance
is worth soliciting. For myself, I can have nothing, but for
my brother something may be done.
" Living with Mr. Addington a good deal : never, in your
sense of the word, shall I do it. What, leave my dearest
friends, to dine with a Minister? Damn me if I do, beyond
what you yourself shall judge to be necessary ! Perhaps it may
be once ; and once with the Earl, but that you shall judge for
me.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 229
*' If I give up all intercourse, you know enough of Courts,
that they will do nothing : make yourself of consequence to
them, and they will do what you wish in reason; and, out of
reason, I never should ask them. It must be a great bore
to me to go to the House, I shall tell Mr. Addington, that
I go on the 29th to please him, and not to please myself ;
but more on this subject when we meet.
" Dr. Baird is laid up with the rheumatism ; he will now
believe that the cold may affect me. This is the coldest place
in England most assuredly. Troubridge writes me, that as
the weather is set in fine again, he hopes 1 shall get walks
on shore. He is, I suppose, laughing at me ; but, never mind.
I agree wath you in wishing Sir William had a horse. Why
don't you send to the Duke for a pony for him ?
" I am just parting with four of my ships. Captains Conn,
Rowley,^ Martin, and Whitter — who are proceeding to the
Nore on their way to be paid off. The surf is still so great
on the beach, that I could not land dry, if it was necessaiy
to-day ; but I hope it will be smooth on Thursday : if not,
I must go in a boat to Dover, and come from thence to Deal.
Sutton says, he will get the Amazon under sail, and carry me
down ; for, that I shall not take cold : Bedford goes with
a squadron to Margate, so that all our party will be broke up.
I am sure, to many of them I feel truly obliged.
*' Nelson and Bronte."-
" Amazon, October 20th, 1801.
*' My dearest Friend,
" Only two days more, the Admiralty could with any con-
science keep me here ; not that I think they have had any
' This officer appears to have been Samuel Campbell Rowley, who was a brother
of Rear- Admiral Sir Josias Rowley, Bart., and made a Commander April 6, 1 799
He served in the Terror bomb at the attack on Copenhagen, April 2, 1801,
returned to England and was made a Post Captain, April 29, 1802. He com-
manded the Laurel frigate, which, at the commencement of 1812, was wrecked
from 'Striking on a rock called the Govivas, when proceeding through theTeigneuse
passage in company with the Rota and Rhin. On the wreck he was exposed to
a very severe fire most inhumanly directed from the French batteries and field-
pieces, until every officer, man and boy were removed in the boats sent to their
relief. He afterwards commanded the Impregnable, of 104 guns, and was on the
Mediterranean station.
* Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 99.
230 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
conscience. I dare say Master Troubridge is grown fat. I
know I am grown lean, with my complaint, which but for their
indifference about my health, would never have happened ; or
at least, I, should have got well long ago, in a warm room,
with a good fire and sincere friends. I believe, I leave this
little squadron with sincere regret, and with the good wishes
of every creature in it.
" How I should laugh to see you, my dear friend, rowing
in a boat ; the beautiful Emma rowing a one-armed Admiral
in a boat ! it will certainly be caricatured ! Well done, far-
mer's wife! I'll bet your turkey against Mrs. Nelson's; but,
Sir William and I will decide. Hardy says, you may be sure
of him ; and that he has not lost his appetite. You will
make us rich, with your economy. I did not think, tell Sir
William, that impudence had got such deep root in Wales.
I send 3 ou the letter, as a curiosity ; and to have the impu-
dence to recommend a Midshipman ! It is not long ago, a
person from Yorkshire desired me to lend him three hundred
pounds, as he was going to set up a school ! Are these peo-
ple mad; or do they take me for quite a fool? However,
I have wisdom enough to laugh at their folly ; and to be, my-
self, your most obliged and faithful friend,
'* Nelson and Bronte.''^
"Amazon, October 21st, 1801.
*' My dearest Friend,
" It blows strong from the westward, and is a very dirty
day, with a good deal of surf on the beach, but Hardy and
Sutton recommend my going on shore this morning, as they
believe it may blow a heavy gale to-morrow. But what
comfort could I have had, for two whole days at Deal ! I hope
the morning will be fine, but I have ordered a Deal boat, as
they understand the beach better than ours ; and if I cannot
land here, I shall go to Ramsgate Pier, and come to Deal in
a carriage. Has Mrs. Cadogan got my Peei*'s robe ? for I
must send for Mr. Webb, and have it altered to a Viscount's.
Lord Hood wrote to me to-day, and he is to be one of my
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 103.
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSOX. 231
introducers. He wanted me to dine with him on the 24th,
but I will be d -d if I dine fi^om home that day, and it will
be as likely we shall dine out on the 23rd, If you and Sir
William wish me to dine with his brother, it must be the
time of a very small party, for it would be worse than death
to me, to dine in so large a party.
" I expect that all the animals will increase where you are,
for I never expect that you will suffer any to be killed. I am
glad Sir William has got the Duke's pony ; riding will do
him much good. I am sorr}^ to tell you that Dr. Baird is so
ill that I am told it is very probable he may never recover.
This place is the devil's for dreadful colds : and I dont
believe I shall get well all the winter ; for both cough and
bowels are still very much out of order. I am literally
starving with cold, but my heart is warm.
*' Yours, &c.
On the 22nd Nelson first visited Merton, and on the 29th
took his seat in the House of Lords, upon being created a
Viscount. He was introduced by Viscounts Sidneji and Hood.
On the following day he seconded Earl St. Vincent's motion
of Thanks to Rear- Admiral Sir James Saumarez, for his action
with the combined fleet off Algeziras, in the month of July.
He entered into the details of the action, and lauded the con-
duct and skill of the Commander. In this speech he inge-
niously complimented Lords Hood and St. Vincent as forming
the school in which Sir James Saumarez had been educated,
and elicited the warm approbation of the Peers assembled.
On the 3rd of November he again spoke in the House, and
defended the preliminaries of peace. He considered Minorca
as an island of little value to us, and he also held Malta of
no consequence to this country. He yet conceived it to be
an object of importance to rescue it from the French. He
estimated 7000 soldiers to be necessary to man the fortifi-
cations, and expressed his admiration of the extent and
convenience of the harbours. He spoke of the Cape of Good
Hope as a tavern to be called at, and thereby often to delay
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 107.
232 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL. [CHAP. V.
a voyage from India. When the Dutch possessed it, you
could buy a cabbage for two-pence, but since it had come
into our hands, we were obhged to pay a shilling. It could
only be maintained at an enormous expense, and produced
little that made it worth holding. Lord Nelson finished his
address by declaring his approbation of the preliminaries as
honourable and advantageous to the country.
Lord Nelson also spoke on the 12th, upon a motion of
Thanks to Lord Keith and the Officers under his command
for their services in Egypt.
On the following day he spoke in the Debate on the Con-
vention with Russia. He gave his approval of it, and
contended that it had put an end to the principle endeavoured
to be enforced by the armed neutrality in 1780, and by the
late combination of the Northern Powers, that /ree s^/ps made
free goods, a proposition he looked upon as monstrous in itself,
and contrary to the law of nations, as well as injurious to the
maritime rights of this country. The rashness and violence
of the Emperor Paul, he considered, had formed the con-
federacy against us to support and enforce that proposition ;
but the moderation and temper of his successor Alexander
had consented to give it up and renounce it. He approved
of the article restricting the right of search of ships under the
con\oy of a neutral flag-ship of war to our navy, only during
hostilities, and stated what would have been his own conduct
if he had met with such convoy, declaring that he should have
endeavoured to discharge his duty with all possible civility to
the Captain of the neutral frigate, should have inspected his
papers, and if, from the information of any seaman, he was led
to entertain a suspicion that the papers were fraudulent or
fabricated, and that the convoy did contain what was contra-
band or illicit, he should in that case have insisted on a
search, and if he found any contraband articles on board, he
should have detained such ship or ships.
The following letter from his father must have been accept-
able to him : —
" Hilborough, November 2nd.
" My dear Horatio,
*' I have to acknowledge many kind and polite invitations
from yourself and Lady Hamilton to visit Merton, which it is
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 233
my intention to accept before my winter residence commences
at Bath. My journey to London is very slow, not only from
infirmities, but by necessary and pleasing visits with my chil-
dren, whose kindnesses are a cordial for age such as few
parents can boast of. After finishing some necessary business
in town, if convenient to your family, I shall, with the highest
gratification a fond parent can receive, pass a time with you.
I am, with all proper regards to the family at Merton,
" Yours most affectionately,
" Edmund Nelson.^'
Hercules Ross, Esq. whom he had known at Jamaica in
1779 and 1 780, and from whom he had received great atten-
tion, solicited Lord Nelson to become godfather to his child.
He readily assented, and the boy was named Horatio. In
his reply to this request. Nelson writes : " Whatever call the
public duty has to my services, yet I must not altogether for-
get the duty of private friendship. You do not think me
capable of forgetting when your house, carriages, and purse
were open to me ; and to your kindness, probably, I owe my
life, for Green Bay had very often its jaws open to receive
me. But as money never was my object, so I am not much
richer than when you knew me, except by my pension. No !
the two Parkers have had the sweets of Jamaica, but I would
not change with them. I pray God we may have peace, when it
can be had with honour ; but I fear that the scoundrel Buo-
naparte wants to humble us, as he has done the rest of Europe
— to degrade us in our own eyes, by making us give up all
our conquests, as proof of our sincerity for making a peace,
and then he will condescend to treat with us. He be d — d,
and there I leave him.^'^
This letter is acknowledged by the following : —
" My dear Friend,
" So many important events have crowded into the last
six weeks, that I thought it better for a time to delay intruding
my grateful acknowledgment of your kind letter from the
Downs, of the 12th September. Be pleased now to accept
' From an autograph in the possession of Horatio Ross, Esq. printed in Dis-
patches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 488.
234 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
my best thanks and high sense of the honour done me, by
your Lordship's remembrance of our early friendship, your
good wishes for my son, and the affectionate sentiments of
regard so warmly expressed. It shall be carefully preserved
as a record, a valuable one, for your godson, to hereafter shew
why and wherefore he was named Horatio. On the 27th of
last month the baptismal ceremony was performed ; Sir John
Wedderburn had the honour of representing your Lordship,
Lady Northesk (Lord St. Vincent's niece), and Lady Jane
Stuart, daughter of the Earl of Leven, were godmothers.
" I am particularly instructed by the partial mother, to
assure your Lordship, that our young Horatio is one of the
finest children imaginable, and likewise to request that you will
be so good as to express our just sense of Sir William and
Lady Hamilton's compliments.
*' I shall not attempt to congratulate your Lordship on the
peace, such a diversity of opinion prevails ; at the same time,
I confess my firm belief that it is the best our Ministry could
make. An enormous sum has been expended, but in fact, I
know no better way in which money can be spent than for
the safety of our country and the preservation of our honour.
Speaking of money, I note what you say about the two Par-
kers, and I wonder what has become of our old friend Sir
Peter. The other day, tumbling over some old papers, I fell
in with a letter of yours of the 12th of June, 1 7^0, from Lady
Parker's Mountain, it will amuse you one day or other, when
we shall have the happiness of meeting here. By the news-
papers, I remarked you lately in the House of Peers, thence
I conclude in good health, otherwise your Lordship would pre-
fer the country. Nothing can give me higher pleasure than
learning that you enjoy that blessing.
*' We have some thoughts of a trip to London in the spring,
as a jaunt of variety to our eldest daughter in her 15th year ;
I shall then hope to have the happiness of shaking my noble
friend by the hand. May the Almighty bless and preserve
him, says his faithful and affectionate
"H. Ross.
*' Rossie Castle, North Britain,
7 th November, 1801.
" I must not forget your remembrance of the Nurse.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 235
What ! couldn't you trust that pecuniary matter to your old
Agent ?"
Lord Nelson was gratified by a letter from Lord Elgin : —
"Constantinople, November 24th, 1801.
'* My dear Lord,
" In forwarding to your Lordship the accompanying letter
from the Porte, and the remaining insignia of the Order of
the Crescent, it is but justice to add, that they have a very
peculiar degree of pleasure in recollecting your services, and
their infinite obligations to you. Your naming the Order of
the Crescent, in your Convention at Copenhagen, suggested
to them the idea of extending that decoration on the occasion
of the conquest, of which you had laid so solid a basis, and
really one of their principal inducements in it, was the oppor-
tunity it afforded them of saying once more, how proud they
are of being connected with you.
" They have followed your glories in the North with in-
finite satisfaction ; indeed, I say a great deal when I can
assure you, the interest in you is as alive here as it ever was. I
rejoice in every incident that brings me to your Lordship's
recollection, and enables me to express the respect and sincere
regard with which I have the honour to be,
'' Your faithful humble servant,
"Elgin."
The Rev. Edmund Nelson visited his son at Merton, and
upon his return to Bath, wrote as follows on the 5th, 13th,
and 19th:—
[Bath, December 5th, 1801.]
" My dear Horatio,
" The affectionate and kind manner in which you received
and entertained me at Merton, must have excited all those
parental feelings which none but fond parents know ; and
having seen you safe through the perils which infancy,
childhood, and even the early years of manhood are exposed
to, how must I now rejoice to see so few impediments to as
much felicity as falls to the share of mortals. What you
possess, my good son, take care of — what you may still want,
consult your own good sense in what way it can be attained.
236 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
Strive for honours and riches that will not fade, but will
profit in time of need. Excuse my anxiety for what I esteem
your real good.
" My journey here was cold, yet safe — arrived last night ;
met with a kind and warm reception from your good sister
and her indulgent husband. Am now going to a warm
lodging. No. 10, New King Street. Though tired with scrawl-
ing, yet must add my best thanks to Sir William and Lady
Hamilton for their very many civilities to me. Your sister
and Mr. M.'s best regards as ever with you.
" Affectionately,
"E. Nelson.
" December, Friday."
" My dear Horatio,
" The little addition you are likely to make to your landed
property will, I hope, bring some further pleasure and do-
mestic comfort, such as the real comfort of a private and
independent life must consist of, and every event which you
are so good as to communicate to me, which is likely to
increase your happiness, adds a prop to my declining life,
and the little incidents, even of indifference, which Lady
Hamilton politely communicates to me, are at all times very
acceptable. Your sister's daily care in watching my infir-
mities, and rendering them as easy as in her power, I feel
with delight. She is, as usual, cheerful, often regretting not
having been able to see you, and even still she and Mr. M.
[Matcham] meditate a visit to Merton for a day or two, to
wait upon Lady Hamilton and yourself, if the weather is
tolerably good, and she herself can prudently undertake such
a journey five or six weeks hence, when the Bairns are all
returned to their several academies. The box came safe, as
did the plaid — very handsome. Lady Hamilton will accept
my thanks for her care about it, to whom with Sir William
present my respects, as also to the whole party.
" I am,
" My dear,
" Your aflTectionate Father,
" Edmund Nelson.
"December 13th, 1801.
180L] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 237
" By Inclosing a letter now and then I would not infringe
upon your privilege."
" My dear Horatio,
" From an old man you will accept the old fashioned
language at the approaching happy season, which is, I wish
you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
" For multiplied favours Lady Hamilton has my respectful
thanks.
"E. N/'
The Rev. Edmund Nelson also wrote to Lady Hamilton :
" Madam,
'^ The intelligence you have troubled yourself to commu-
nicate to me, respecting the lad Cook, vexes me more than a
little, as I am concerned that any act of mine should have
given any the least anxiety, or for a moment interrupted the
domestic quiet of my good son, who is every day so affec-
tionately shewing marks of kindness to me ; but the idleness
of youth and their easiness of receiving bad examples are
not to be guarded against. The lad^s mother must also be
very much grieved, and his brother is greatly disappointed
by this rash act, who I think is too good a youth to have
given any advice so contrary to their mutual interest. But
I hope it will blow over without much blame on my recom-
mendation, who would avoid whatever should hurt or bring
expense upon so good and benevolent a mind.
^' Even the severity of the season, which makes many a
poor creature, such as myself, to shake, gives much pleasure
to the skating parties, so that I hope all in their turns have
their hours of enjoyment at a season when all the Christian
world do celebrate with songs of praise the return of Christ-
mas. Long may you all feel the happy influence of such an
event here^ and the inestimable benefit of it hereafter.
"Edmund Nelson.
" December 21.''
Apartments were prepared at Merton Place to receive the
Rev. Edmund Nelson, after passing his winter at Bath, it
238 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
being his intention (according to a statement made in Harri-
son's Life of Lord Nelson)' to return in May, and then to
take up his residence entirely with his son, and Sir William
and Lady Hamilton. His death in April, of course, pre-
vented this being carried into elFect. He had for many
years been a great invalid, sutFering from paralysis and
asthma. He was not able for several hours after rising in
the morning to hold any conversation, and was compelled to
pass his winters at Bath.
About this time Lady Hamilton received the following
from the Queen of Naples : —
" December 6th, 1801.
" My dear Lady,
" I take the opportunity of the departure of the courier,
to write to you. You have, I know, shared in the sad mis-
fortune which has befallen me in the loss of my dear and
good daughter-in-law, which destroys the only happiness
remaining to me, in a perfect union and domestic peace ; this
dear and good princess died like a saint. Her husband is in
the most profound grief; my poor children do nothing but
weep for a sister-in-law, who was a tender sister, and who at
my death (to which my sorrows and troubles are hastening
me) would have been a mother to them. I flatter myself
that, though you do not write to me, and I think myself half
forgotten, yet that you preserve so much recollection of me
as to feel this cruel trial which is so much more painful now,
a thousand untoward circumstances preventing my establish-
ing my dear children, whom I must take back to Naples,
where, without their sister and friend, they will probably re-
main for life. Let me hear how you are, and the Chevalier
also — they say he has bought an estate near London. My
compliments to the worthy, valorous Lord Nelson, to whom
I shall feel grateful as long as I live, notwithstanding his
speech in Parliament against the importance of maintaining
a position in the Mediterranean, Malta, &c, has greatly dis-
tressed me ; it is true, he only followed the bitter and unjust
Lord Hawkesbury, even Pitt and many others, who have
decided to leave Italy as a mere French dependent province,
' Vol. ii. page 379.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSOTf. 239
and the Mediterranean free for them, where they will find all
the needful resources for the Levant, Egypt, &c. and all the
commerce ; but it is not for females to reason, we can only
sigh and weep. My attachment to England has been perfect,
entire, all our movements, misfortunes, losses and sufferings
have shewn it, therefore I own this complete abandonment
is cruel, and so much the more so as one must be silent even
when laughed at, and asked if our Anglo-mania is cured. I
grieve, and my tears suffocate me. My attachment may be
unfortunate, but cannot be destroyed, and leads me to hope
that England will not before ten years have to repent of this
peace, now concluded with a nation whose activity, pugnacity,
and good fortune, will make such efforts as will surprise and
incommode her ; but I am a woman, and have no right to talk
about it, and must endeavour neither to think nor to trouble
myself further with it. Tell me all that concerns you, for my
heart is interested in it. I can say nothing to you at present
of my intentions and movements, as they depend on the
orders of the King, on the evacuation of the French, and
the season. I think at the commencement of the spring of
going to die at my post — if my children were established,
their position certain, I should regard such an event as my
deliverance from this prospect of further misfortunes, but
until my children's condition is fixed (I do not say perma-
nently secured, for no one could, in such times as these), I
should wish to live to be serviceable to them, and then I
would quit life without regret. Adieu, my dear lady, I have
spoken to you with sincerity and frankness, as I have always
been accustomed to do. I hope that your sentiments are not
changed, mine are unchangeable, and believe me for life,
your very sincere and grateful friend,
" Charlotte.
" A thousand compliments to the good Chevalier Hamilton,
and the hero of the Nile, the valorous Nelson."
A letter to his agents, Messrs. Marsh, Page, and Creed,
will shew that the demands upon Lord Nelson's purse had
placed him rather in embarrassment, and that he had been
obliged to dispose of the diamonds which had been at different
240 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
times presented to him. Allusion to a valuation of these is
made in a letter to A. Davison, Esq. December 18th, 1801,
in which he says, " The valuation of the diamonds is, as far
as I have been told, shameful ; therefore, although I am
naturally very anxious not to obtrude more on your goodness
than necessity obliges me, yet I wish to talk to you on the
subject of being even a little longer in your debt, taking care,
which I hope I shall be able, to secure the payment to you :
but more of this to-morrow."
The subjoined letter shews Nelson's anxiety to relieve his
Secretary, Tyson, from whom he received the following
letter : —
" Malta, 21st October, 1801.
"' My Lord,
" I refer your Lordship to Sir Alexander Ball, Bart, the
bearer of this, for all the particulars of my cursed detention
in this country, and the difficulties I have had to encounter
in the final settlement of my accounts, a thing beyond all
calculation grievous to me, and hath very materially affected
my health. 1 have been ill for near two months last past, of
a slow fever, attended with boils, with which I have been
covered from head to foot, and even to the finger ends, a
more miserable wretch never crept on the face of the earth
than I was for some time — disease added to disappointment
in the adjustment of my affairs, have all added to make me
extremely unhappy. However, I hope in a few days to take
my departure with Captain Louis to Mahon and Gibraltar.
I have yesterday received from Mr. Brown on your Lord-
ship's account the sum of «£767- 13.s 5d sterling, which is all
he says that is as yet payable, and if there is any payable at
iVl ahon or Gibraltar, he will give me orders to receive it also.
The utensils for Grgeflter at Bronte arrived a few days ago,
and I got Captain Martin's and Captain Louis's launches to
land them in the dockyard here. Mr. Lawson, the late
Master of the Alexander, who is now the Master Attendant,
has them in his care, but I have to mention to your Lord-
ship that all the seeds which were stowed in one cask, were
dropped overboard ; we had them immediately opened and
spread to dry, and I believe the most of them are yet good.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 241
except the flax seed, which seems to have been rotten before,
by stowing it in a damp place. The villain that landed them
at Mahon, although by license of the Court of Admiralty,
ought not to have been paid his freight : there is a charge on
those packages of 1144 dollars with the agio on them, and
Mr. Lempriere has drawn on Noble for the sum, which I
shall pay on your Lordship's account. Should Graeffer send
for those things or the seed. Noble will send them over;
Captain Sayer brought them up from Mahon in the Ulysses
troop-ship. I sail for Mahon, as I am told, in six days.
God be thanked it is a peace, and that your Lordship will
not have any more dangers to encounter, in small vessels
particularly. We are not yet informed of the terms of peace,
but expect them soon. Sir Alexander will tell you all the
news of and about the Great Chief and his Secretary, and
in the hope of seeing your Lordship in two months from this
date, I have the honour to be, with the most sincere respect
and esteem,
" My Lord,
" Your Lordship's
*^' Most obedient and most faithful servant,
"J. Tyson.
" I beg your Lordship to make my most respectful com-
pliments to Sir William and Lady Hamilton."
To his Agents, Lord Nelson wrote thus : —
"Merton, December 29th, 1801.
" Most private, to be returned to me, as I consider this
letter as a confidential communication to my friends.
" Mr. Tyson, my Secretary, and as good a man as ever lived,
is arrived, and I have an account with him which makes me
his debtor about £4000. There may be some set off, but I
choose to consider that the sum, and I not only wish, but
am fixed to pay him the day after he gets to London, there-
fore I wish to prepare this money for him. If I have money
in the funds (and I think I have Indian Stock) it must
directly be sold ; this, with my arrears of pay, will, I hope,
go far towards raising the money, and if it will not, I must
trespass on your indulgence. I have the means to repay
VOL. II, R
242 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. V.
you in (even if I lose my cause with Lord St. Vincent)
£5000. from the Alcmene prizes, and near £3000. from the
Lima convoy, and even Merton, any part of which I shall
with pleasure make over to secure you in any advance. I
have sold diamonds to pay one person to whom I was in-
debted by his goodness in trusting me £3000. I take no
SHAME TO BE POOR; ucvcr for myself have I spent six-
pence, it has all gone to do honour for my country, and in
a way which, whether the persons have deserved it or no, is
for their consideration not for mine. I intended to have
gone to town to-day, but I am not very well, and perhaps I
have explained myself better in writing than by speaking,
and give you time to reflect whether you can or not comply
with my request,"
UdDffiJH) IJlElLSOirS- STATEMTEI^T ©F MIS WdDUMBS.
iJIS m' j)OJsej^ww of th& JiuJw/- J
T (yoftxm Crokir.- Ltl}i^q:
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 243
CHAPTER VI.
1802—1803.
In the year 1802 we find Lord Nelson living at Merton,
enjoying the society of Sir WilUam and Lady Hamilton, who
resided with him, and a select few of his friends.
It was at this time probably pondering over the»proceedings
during the war, that he marked down the following summary
of the wounds he had received in the defence of his country :
(See Facsimile.)
" Wounds received hy Lord Nelson.
" His eye in Corsica.^
« His belly off Cape St. Vincent.^
" His arm at TenerifFe.^
" His head in Egypt.*
** Tolerable for one war."
The Queen of Naples addressed Lord Nelson : —
" I received, my worthy Lord, your letter of the 24th of De-
cember, and was much aifected by your expressions of attach-
ment. I was very sorry that amongst other speeches in
Parliament, my Lord, even yours was in favour of the plan of
abandoning Malta to the domination of the masters of the
world, to execute their sway without hindrance over us — this
is very painful to me, and my frank and loyal sincerity compels
me to say so. But I shall never forget what we owe to you.
A lively and sincere gratitude towards you will accompany me
to the grave. And I fervently hope that the opportunity
may once more occur to enable me personally to tell you,
that I am your sincere and grateful friend,
"Charlotte.
"Vienna, the 5th February, 1802."
' At the siege of Calvi.
* He was struck by a splinter on the Hth of February, 1797, in Sir Jolin .Tervis's
action.
•'' The unfortunate attempt on Santa Cruz.
'' Scalp wound from a langridge shot at the Battle of the Nile.
244 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VI.
Although away from his command between Orfordness and
Beachy Head, Lord Nelson was only on leave, and did not
strike his flag until the 10th of April. He made many appli-
cations to the Admiralty in favour of those who had served
with him, but with very limited success, and he got some
provided for by the aid of some of his officers who were con-
tinued in service.
In the previous year he had received a communication from
Lord Elgin of the honour conferred upon him by the Grand
Signior for the Battle of Copenhagen, and on the 30th of
January he received the letters and ribbon of the Order.
He forwarded the same to the Hon. Henry Addington with
the following letter : —
" Merton, January 31st, 1802.
" My dear Sir,
" I have received yesterday from Lord Elgin the letters
and ribbon sent herewith, and I have to request that you will
have the goodness to lay them before the King, in order that
I may know his Royal pleasure as to wearing the ribbon.
This mark of regard from the Sultan has made a strong
impression on my mind, as it appears that the Battle of
Copenhagen has been the cause of this new decoration from
the Porte. If his Majesty should, from regard to the Sultan
or honour to me, intend to place the ribbon on me, I am
ready to attend his commands, but I own, my dear Sir, that
great as this honour would be, it would have its alloy, if I
cannot wear the medal for the Battle of Copenhagen at the
same time, the greatest and most honourable reward in the
power of our Sovereign to bestow, as it marks the personal
service of,
" My dear Sir,
"&c. &c. &c."i
Nelson was very much annoyed that no medals had been
voted for the Battle of Copenhagen, which he designated,
and always looked upon, as, under all its circumstances, the
most hard fought battle, and the most complete victory that
ever was fought and obtained by the Navy of this country.
' This lette- is printed from Lord Nelson's autograph, and differs a little from
that in the Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 3.
1802.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 245
He had been led to expect, from a conversation he had with
the First Lord of the Admiralty, that they were intended to
be granted, and he did not hesitate to communicate the same
to several of the officers who had been engaged in this
honourable service. When, therefore, he received from Earl
St. Vincent a letter which stated that he had never given
encouragement to the expectation of receiving medals for
the action of the 2nd of April, he was exceedingly astonished
and mortified. On the 20th of November, 1801, he wrote a
letter to the Lord Mayor of London, having seen that the
thanks of the City had been voted to the army and navy,
who brought the campaign in Egypt to an honourable con-
clusion. Nelson expressed his satisfaction at this vote so
truly deserved, and after noticing the attention of the citizens
to services in honour of the country, remarked, that there
existed only one exception, namely, that of the action of the
2nd of April, 1801; "a day when the greatest dangers of
navigation were overcome, and the Danish force, which they
thought impregnable, totally taken or destroyed by the con-
summate skill of the commanders, and by the undaunted
bravery of as gallant a band as ever defended the rights of
this country." He appealed to the Lord Mayor, as the
natural guardian of the characters of the officers of the navy,
army, and marines who fought, and so profusely bled, under
his command on that day. In no sea action during the war
had so much British blood flowed for their King and country.
He forwarded this letter to the Hon. Henry Addington, and
solicited his opinion ; but three days having elapsed without
a reply, his impatient spirit could brook no further delay, and
he sent off the letter. Mr. Addington, however, was averse
to the communication, and was led to be so upon private as
well as public grounds, and he expressed his willingness to
state them to Lord Nelson at Downing Street. They were,
it may be presumed, sufficiently convincing at this time, as
Lord Nelson in consequence withdrew his letter.^
' The following is from the rough draft of this letter, found among the present
collection of Lord Nelson's papers : —
" My Lord,
" I have seen in this day's papers that the City of London have voted their
thanks to the brave Army and Navy who have so happily brought the campaign
246 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
To have services of so arduous and important a nature
unacknowledged by the City, and so disregarded by the
Government in refusing the medals, occasioned Nelson the
greatest disappointment. He declared to Captain Foley that
he never would wear his other medals until that for Copen-
hagen was granted, and he refused to dine with the Lord
Mayor in his official capacity until justice was done to his
companions in arms on the 2nd of April. He never ceased
to urge these subjects even two years posterior to the action,
and when Lord Melville had been placed at the head of the
Admiralty. Nor did the officers, many years after his death,
cease to put forth their claims to such a distinction. When
his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence was appointed
Lord High Admiral in 1828, a memorial was presented to
him, praying him to obtain for them the medals they felt they
had so strong a claim to possess, and also the rank of
Commander of the Bath, to which some of the officers
conceived themselves entitled. Time, however, only served
to render the matter more difficult, and it was never accom-
in Egypt to a glorious conclusion ; and no thanks were certainly ever better
deserved. From my own experience I have never failed seeing that the smallest
services rendered by either Navy or Army to the country, have missed being
noticed by the Great City of London, with one exception — I mean, my Lord, the
glorious second of April, a day when the greatest dangers of navigation were over-
come, and the Danish force, which they thought impregnable, totally taken or
destroyed by the consummate skill of the Commanders, and by the undaunted
bravery of as gallant a band as ever defended the rights of this country. For
myself I can assure you that if I was only personally concerned, I should bear
the stigma, first placed upon my brow, with humility ; but, my Lord, I am the
natural guardian of the characters of the officers of the navy, army, and marines
who fought and so profusely bled under my command on that day. In no sea
action this war has so much British blood flowed for their King and country.
Again, my Lord, I beg leave to disclaim for myself more merit than naturally
falls to a successful Commander ; but when I am called upon to speak of the
merits of the Captains of his Majesty's ships, and of the officers and men, whether
seamen, marines, or soldiers, I that day had the happiness to command, I say,
that never was the glory of this country upheld with more determined bravery
than on that occasion, and if I may be allowed to give an opinion as a Legislator,
then I say that more important service was never rendered to our King and
country. It is my duty, my Lord, to prove to the brave fellows, my companions
in dangers, that I have not failed at every proper place, to represent, as well as I
am able, their bravery and their services. When I am honoured with your Lord-
ship's answer, I shall communicate it to all the officers and men who served under
my command on the 2nd of April last."
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 247
plished. The Lord High Admiral would not advise the King
at that late period to issue the medals, and although the
subject was again revived when William IV. ascended the
throne, it was not attended with better success.
In the month of September, 1801, Lord Nelson received
from Germany an Order of Knighthood — that of St. Joachim,^
and he, in October, wrote to Mr. Addington to have his
Majesty's opinion relative to accepting or refusing it. The
following is the reply of the First Lord of the Treasury
to this application, as well as to the Order of the Grand
Signior, and to a solicitation to promote his brother in the
Church : —
" Downing Street, February 19th, 1802.
" My dear Lord,
'^Many considerations combine to make me particularly
desirous of giving effect to your wishes in favour of your
brother ; and I can only repeat that I shall not miss an
opportunity of doing so, of which I can avail myself con-
sistently with claims and engagements which leave me no
alternative.
" On Wednesday last, I communicated to his Majesty the
wish entertained by the Grand Signior that you should wear
the Insignia of the Order of the Crescent, and likewise that
of the Order of St, Joachim, that you would accept the
dignity of Knight Grand Commander thereof ; and I have great
satisfaction in assuring your Lordship of His Majesty's most
gracious and entire acquiescence.
" With true regards,
*' I am ever, my dear Lord,
" Your faithful and obedient servant,
" Henry Addington."
The question of prize-money for Copenhagen was brought
under Nelson's consideration by the following letter : —
• The letters relating to the Order of St. Joachim will be found in Appendix,
No. III.
248 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
" Yarmouth, March 31st, 1802.
" My dear Lord,
" I have a letter from Sir Hyde Parker respecting some
money which is to be paid on account of the Baltic expedi-
tion. He tells me that Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, with the
detachment of troops, was borne as supernumeraries on board
the fleet ; but, according to the regulation of Prize Laws, to
share, they can only share in one class officers and soldiers
together, not being part of the complement of the ship. We
will allow being on the expedition joint with the fleet they
then can only share if His Majesty should be pleased to direct
a proi)ortion agreeable to their different rank ; in that case, it
cannot affect the Admiral's right. Sir Hyde says, they mean
t© Memorial the King, and it is become a question whether it
would not be better to allow them to share according to their
several ranks, as he understands it has been the case, in most
of similar kind, instead of keeping back the distribution of
£30,000., he says, now in the hands of Mr. Davison, to be paid;
there can be no objection, I should suppose; and had there been
a Major-Gcneral sharing in the different classes, in that case,
1 rather think the Major-General Commander-in-chief of the
army would have shared with the Commanders-in-chief, as at
the Texel, and other places, hi/ the King's order ; but Sir Hyde
tells me, it has been suggested that Lieutenant- Colonel
Stewart's proportion should be, with the Junior Flag Officers.
We cannot allow, my dear Lord, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the
Army to share with us, it never has been, and I hope we shall
not be the first to make a precedent ; I have no objection to
making Colonel Stewart a compliment equal to what you
think is right. Sir Thomas Young is with me, and begs me
to say, he is ready, as well as myself, to do whatever you
think is right.
" I am, my dear Lord,
" Yours faithfully,
"Archibald Dickson.*
' Sir Archibald Dickson, Bart, was a brother of Admiral William Dickson.
(See Note, Vol. I. p. 438.) Sir x\rchibald was made a Post Captain in 1773, a
Rcar-Admiral in 1794, a Vice-Admiral in 1795, and an Admiral of the Blue
Squadron in 1801. His Baronetcy was created July 13, 1802. He died in the
early part of the year 1803.
1S02.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 249
" I long much to see you to ask your advice similar to what
you are contending for respecting sharing of prize-money.
You would see the opinion 1 gave to Booth ; mine is a strong
claim."
Nelson's opinion is given in the following Memorandum,
found among Mr. Davison's papers : —
" From the very particular situation in which the Honour-
able Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, with the troops under his
command, were placed on board the fleet under the command
of Sir Hyde Parker, for they certainly did not belong to any of
the ships, therefore, they were borne as supernumeraries, and
they cannot be considered merely as passengers, therefore, they
must, in fairness, be considered as connected with the services
of the fleet, and, as the situation is entirely new, and being
truly sensible that the Army shared with us the toils and
dangers of the expedition, we do, therefore, (as the Proclama-
tion for the distribution of prize-money, nor any joint expe-
dition, is in the smallest degree similar to the present), as
a mark of our high sense of the services of the Honourable
Colonel Stewart and the Army, agree to give up a proportion
of the Admiral's one-eighth of prize-money, so as to make
Colonel Stewart's share of prize-money equal to that of a
Junior Flag-Officer; and we hereby authorize our Agent,
Alexander Davison, Esq., to take from the one-eighth due to
the class of Admirals such a sum as will make Colonel Stewart's
share equal to a Junior Flag Officer ; and we are of opinion,
that the Field Officers of the 49th Regiment ought to share
with the Captains of the Navy, and the other classes accord-
ing to their rank with the Navy."^
His mind was very actively directed to improvements in the
Navy. His observations on the culture of oak in the forest
of Dean have been already printed ;" and a proposal for build-
ing superior line-of-battle ships at a small expense to the
nation was transmitted for his consideration by Lieutenant
Layman.^
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 22.
^ From an Autograph in tlie Sidmouth Papers in the Dispatches and Letters,
VoL V. p. 24.
' See Appendix, No. IV.
250 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
On the 24th of April, Lord Nelson was made acquainted
by his brother-in-law with the serious illness, which terminated
in the death of his venerable parent : —
" My dear Lord,
" Your good old father is very ill, and I have directions
from Dr. Parry and Mr. Spry to say to you that he is cer-
tainly in great danger. Whatever orders you send me shall
be executed. Believe me, my dear Lord,
" Yours affectionately,
*' G. Matcham.
"April 24th, 1802."
The Rev. Edmund Nelson died at Bath on the 26th of
April in the 79th year of his age. Sir Alexander Ball sent
the following letter of condolence to Lady Hamilton : —
" Clifford Street, April 30tli, 1802.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
*' I most sincerely condole with our dear friend Lord Nel-
son, on the death of his Father, an event which his mind
has been prepared to receive by the advanced age and gradual
dissolution of the Doctor.^ I therefore hope that he will
soon recover from the shock which this melancholy separa-
tion has occasioned, and I am very glad that he did not go
to Bath, as it would have added considerable distress to his
afflicted mind without answering any one good purpose. I
shall visit Merton early next week ; you have, no doubt,
great reason at times to feel some of the indignity and con-
tempt of a misanthrope, but a little reflection will make your
mind rise superior to such petty neglects and ingratitude. I
have to regret that I have never had the power to prove to
you and Sir William how very much I feel your kindness and
friendship to me on many occasions.
" I called yesterday on Sir Thomas Troubridge, and re-
quested him to move Mr. Rhode to a ship building, and I
named the Ocean — which could not be done, as the Admiralty
have determined not to appoint Pursers to ships which are
upon the stocks. I shall call upon Mr. Rhode to know in
what manner I can be useful to him.
' The Rev. E. Nelson was not a Doctor of Divinity. His degree was that of
Master of Arts.
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 251
'^ Entre nous, the Cabinet Ministers are of opinion that I
am fitted for the station of Minister at Malta. Mr. Cameron
is to be provided for, and an oifer has been made to me un-
solicited to go to Malta ; but the salary is so inadequate to
maintain that appointment, so as to render the services which
will be expected of me, that I have refused to accept of it.
Lord Hawkesbury has desired to talk to me on the subject
early next week, and I am likewise to have a meeting with
Lord Hobart. I am determined, however, not to accede to
the terms they first proposed. Adieu, my dear sister, be
assured of my unalterable regard. My best regards to Lord
Nelson and Sir William, and believe me truly, your obliged
and devoted,
" Alexander John Ball."
From a variety of letters entering into private matters and
family affairs, it appears that the Rev. Edmund Nelson was
buried on the llth of May, at Burnham Thorpe, and that
the Rev. William Nelson, D.D. conducted the melancholy
duties. Lord Nelson was exceedingly ill at Merton at the
time, and in one of the letters, his brother recommends him
to consult Mr. Hawkins or Mr. Everard Home, as his case
appeared to be a surgical one, and might be serious.
The Reverend Doctor was desirous of the living of Burn-
ham Thorpe, and writes : —
" If Lord Walpole had a proper feeling for the family, or
had a pride in the name of Nelson being related to him, be
would give it me, and not barter it away to some elec-
tionering purposes. The parishioners say enough about it,
if their wishes would do ; however, that is kind and flatter-
ing on their part, I can't say but the sight of the place
brings many pleasant things to remembrance, but then, that
is alloyed by the reflection of what I am here for, and per-
haps for the last time, at least the last time one can call it
home."
On the 6th of May the Rev. Dr. Nelson heard of the
severe illness of the Dean of Exeter (Dr. Harward), and that
he was talked of as his successor. He writes to his brother :
" I wish it may be so. If you see Mr. Addington soon, you
252 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
may offer my vote for the University of Cambridge, for
Members of Parliament, and for the county of Norfolk to
any candidates he may wish/^ The Dean died on the 15th
of July, and Lord Nelson applied to Mr. Addington, but
Dr. Nelson was not appointed. Exeter failing, in a short
time he directed his views to Durham, as is shewn by the
following letter to Lady Hamilton : —
" Dear Lady Hamilton,
" The Doctor says that he is very angry with you for not
calling him Doctor, and for degrading the name and dignity ;
for a Doctor in Divinity of the ancient and learned Uni-
versity of Cambridge, is as much superior to a Doctor of
Physic in any of your Scotch Universities (where they confer
a diploma for two guineas on every quack who applies) as
an arch-angel is to the arch-fiend.
"■ If the old Earl^ should slip his cable, and be forced to
resign, I hope our Great Defender will be able to get into
his anchorage. He must try hard to get to windward of the
Minister (in spite of the R — 1 Duke), speak often, and lay
his plans accordingly, it will be a nice town house.
"■ We have sent half-a-dozen apple trees, which we hope
will arrive safe at Merton on Thursday ; some have been
grafted two, some three years, and some only last spring, I
would recommend them to be trained as standards, and of
course not headed down ; they don't do so well to be trained
as Espaliers, your gardener will understand me. They are
the true Norfolk Beefen, such as we have sent in the large
hamper. I call them ^ Lord Nelson's Norfolk Beefen.'
" If the Earl is only going to the south of France for his
health, I am afraid he will not resign, he will have leave of
absence for the winter, and the other Lords of the Admiralty
will do the business ; any three, I think, are sufficient. Let us
hear every thing that goes on, your letters are better than the
newspapers, and we look for them with greater anxiety and
receive them with greater pleasure. I see by the papers that
there is a stall vacant at Durham, I suppose worth a thou-
sand a year, in the gift of the Bishop (Barrington). I re-
' St. Vincent.
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 253
member some years ago, when the Duke of Portland was
Prime Minister, he secured one for Dr. Poyntz, at Durham.
There is another vacant at York (if not filled up), in the
gift of the Archbishop, but I don't know the value, no very-
great sum I believe.
" I beg my compliments to Sir William and Mr. Greville
when you see him, and love to my brother.
'^ And believe me,
*' Yours very faithfully and affectionately,
"^William Nelson."
Sir Alexander Ball, who was sent to Malta, wrote Nelson
from Portsmouth.
"Portsmouth, 14th June, 1802.
" My dear Lord,
" I regret extremely that I had it not in my power to pay
your Lordship another visit before I left town. I had the
pleasure of seeing Sir William Hamilton, who informed me
of your having discovered the cause of your stomach and
bowel complaint, which being removed, I hope to hear of
your Lordship soon enjoying the most perfect health. When
I was at Malta I was often much indisposed, and could not
find the cause until I met with a medical book of Dr. Town-
send, and found out my case so minutely described, that I
immediately proved it to be a worm case, and soon recovered
better health. I had before this read Buchan and many
other medical books, without fancying any of the numerous
complaints so fully detailed. The Penelope is having her
people paid to-day, and we are to sail this evening. I shall
write to your Lordship from Malta, and give every informa-
tion I can collect of Bronte. I write this in great haste, and
have only time to offer my sincere wishes to your Lordship
and kind compliments to Sir William Hamilton, with my
love to my dear sister Emma.
" Ever your Lordship's obliged and devoted,
" Alexander John Ball."
In the month of June, Lord Nelson resumed his corres-
pondence with the Lord Mayor, upon observing a notice of
254 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
motion in the Court of Common Council to vote Thanks to
him for his conduct in taking the command of a force destined
to prevent any designs the French might have of approaching
the City of London. He entreated that such notice might
be withdrawn, as the Battle of Copenhagen had not been
approved by the City of London in the way they were in the
haljit of doing, and stated that he should feel mortified to
receive their proposed Thanks for a service so inferior in its
nature to that which remained unrecognized by them. In
September he declined dining with the Lord Mayor, but
offered to be his private guest on any day he would name
after his Mayoralty, but not in his public capacity, as he had
determined that until the City of London thought justly of
his brave companions in arms on the 2nd of April, 1801, he
as their Commander could not receive any attentions from the
City of London. The following is printed from a rough
draft among the Nelson Papers : —
" My Lord,
" A few days past, I saw in the newspapers a Motion had
been made in a Court of Common Council to thank me for
my conduct in taking the command of a force destined to
prevent any designs our enemies might have of approaching
the City of London ; but which question stands over for some
future Court. I have therefore, my Lord, to entreat that
you will use your influence that no such question may be
brought forward.
" There is not, my Lord, one individual in the world who
appreciates the honour of having their conduct applauded by
the City of London, higher than myself. I was desired, my
Lord, to take the command in question when in a very indif-
ferent state of health, as I was flattered with the opinion it
would keep quiet the minds of all in London, and on and
between the coast of Beachy Head and Orfordness. This
would have been a sufficient reason for me to have laid down
my life, much less suffering from ill health; and my Lord,
his Majesty's Government gave me such a powerful force,
that the gallant officers and men I had the honour to command
almost regretted that the enemy did not make the attempt of
invasion. Therefore, my Lord, you see 1 have no merit, I
1802] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 255
only did my duty with alacrity, which I shall always be ready
to do when directed. But, my Lord, if any other reason was
wanting to prevent the City of London from thanking me
for only shewing an anxiety to step forth in time of danger,
it is this : — that not four months before, I had the happiness
of witnessing, under all its circumstances, the most hard fought
battle and the most complete victory, as far as my reading
goes, that ever was fought and obtained by the navy of this
country — a battle in Avhich the honour of the British flag was
supported, and the just rights of our country defended. This
battle had not, my Lord, the honour of being approved in the
way in which the City of London has usually marked their
approbation : therefore may I entreat that you will use your
influence that no vote of approbation maybe ever given to me
for any services since the 2nd of April, for I should feel, when
I reflected on the noble support I received that day from Sir
Thomas Graves, the Captains, Officers, Seamen, Marines and
Soldiers I had the honour to command, much mortified at
any intended honour which would separate me from them,
for whatever my demerits may be, I am bold to say they
deserve every honour and favour which a grateful country
can bestow. I entreat your Lordship's indulgence for thus
expressing my feelings, and again request that the intended
motion of Thanks may not be brought forward. I trust your
Lordship will give me full credit for the high estimation in
which I hold the City of London, and with what respect I
am,
" Yours, &c. &c."
In 1801 it will be recollected Lord Nelson made application
to the Lord Chancellor to promote the Rev. Mr. Comyn,
Lord Nelson's Chaplain on board the Vanguard at the Battle
of the Nile, and one of his Domestic Chaplains. From an
autograph in the possession of Robert Cole, Esq., it appears
that so far back as August 4th, 1799^ when on board the
Foudroyant in Naples Bay, Lord Nelson drank at supper to
Mr. Comyn, with his good wishes for a good living. Lady
Hamilton promised to write to Lord Loughborough, the
Chancellor, and this letter was signed by Lord Nelson and
Sir William Hamilton, to the latter of whom Lord Lough-
25G LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
borough was well known. Lord Eldon's reply to the renewed
application will be seen (page ISO), and the following letter
will shew the recollection he bore of the solicitation : —
"June 23rd, 1802.
« My Lord,
** I received the honour of your Lordship's letter, and I
presume that the living which you state to be vacant is Bridg-
ham, though your Lordship has not named it. Upon that
supposition I state to your Lordship that I formerly refused
to promise it, because I hold it contrary to my duty, to my
station and my successors to make promises, which, as I may
not be in office when they may reqmre it to be made good, I
may be unable to perform. This living I could certainly make
use of to gratify strong personal wishes of my own, founded
on strong claims Avhich individuals have upon me to be at-
tentive to their w^elfare. But I don't hesitate a moment to
assure your Lordship, that I think public duty calls upon me
to make use of the opportunity which public situation gives
me, to accede to the wishes of a person to whom the country
is so largely indebted as to your Lordship, and I shall give
orders to my Secretary to prepare the necessary papers for
presenting your friend to Bridgham. I am, with all possible
respect,
'* Your obedient humble servant,
" Eldon.''
Lord Nelson, upon the receipt of this, sent an express off
to the Rev. Mr. Comyn, with information of his appointment.
From General WalterstorfF Lord Nelson received the
following : —
" St. Croix, 30th June, 1802.
" My dear Lord
" I have had the happiness of receiving your Lordship's
letter in answer to mine from Madeira, and you do me justice
in thinking that the attachment I profess for you is as unalter-
able as it is sincere. I hope your Lordship has received a
small box with liqueurs, which I did myself the honour of
sending you from Martinique, per the ship the Union. But
where this letter shall find you I really do not know. About
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 257
three months ago, we expected your Lordship in the West
Indies, and I was thinking of going to Martinique to pay you
my respects there. The newspapers have since mentioned
your having been appointed Commander-in-chief in the
Mediterranean, I have not been able to find out if it be true
or not ; at all events I direct this letter to be left at the house
of Sir William Hamilton.
" I have now finally settled my business with Mr. Swin-
burne, and have found that gentleman exactly as Lady Ha-
milton described him to me. We have, upon the whole,
agreed very well, and have parted upon the most friendly
terms. Only few claims have been referred to Ministerial
discussion and decision, and the number of them should have
been still less had not Mr. Swinburne sometimes suffered
himself to be influenced by those whose interest it evidently
was CO defend, or to draw a veil over those numerous irregu-
larities which have been committed here. Mr. Swinburne
is certainly a good and very honest man, but sometimes
rather weak.
"■ I long extremely, my dear Lord, to hear how your health
has been this spring ; I hope you have followed the advice
and prescriptions of your friends, and exposed yourself as
little as possible to cold and moist weather. But were it not
that the public ought sometimes to be gratified with the
sight of those who have been the saviours of their country,
and that the presence of Lord Nelson must give an additional
lustre to any festivity, I should have found fault with your
Lordship's going to the Lord Mayor's feast. I am afraid that
the French West India islands are as yet far from having
their tranquillity secured ; I cannot approve of the plan
adopted by the Commander-in-chief at St. Domingo, and
still less the measures adopted at Guadaloupe, where the
new Government already finds itself too weak. The negroes
at Martinico are ripe for an insurrection. General Rocham-
beau is the man who ought to have been sent to that island.
'' It will hardly be in my power to leave the West Indies
before the month of April next, but I anticipate already the
agreeable moment when I shall again take your Lordship
by the hand, and when I shall have the happiness of spending
some days at Morton, where I hope to renew my respects to
VOL. II. s
258 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
Sir William and Lady Hamilton. I am^ with the sincerest
sentiments,
" My Lord,
" Your Lordship's
" Faithful, obedient and obliged servant,
"Ernest Frederick Walterstorff."
The Rev. Dr. Nelson went to Cambridge on occasion of an
election of Members for the University. He thus writes to
Lady Hamilton : —
" Christ CoU. July 6th, 1802.
^' My dear Lady,
" Dr. Fisher is very much flattered by your kind and
friendly expressions towards him, and desires his best respects.
The election for the University took place yesterday, the
whole was over in five minutes. Mr. Pitt and Lord Euston
are re-elected. I had a bow this morning from Billy in the
Senate House, so I made up to him, and said a word or two
to him. I purpose leaving this place to-morrow morning,
but I don't think I can possibly be at Merton before 5 o'clock,
so don't wait for me, for if I could get there sooner I should
not like the trouble of dressing and going out to dinner im-
mediately ; no doubt I shall find enough to dine upon at
home ; a beef-steak, or any thing will do for me. I am glad
you think the jewel so well. Make my love to my brother,
&c. &c. and believe me your most faithful, obliged, and affec-
tionate friend,
" William Nelson.
"P. S. The bells are now ringing for the re-election of the
members for the Town of Cambrid(/<\''
Lord Nelson made a tour into Wales in the months of July
and August, and was every where received with the liveliest
joy and satisfaction.
The principal object of this tour was to view Milford Haven,
and examine the improvements made by Mr. C. F. Greville
upon his uncle's estate, under the powers of an Act of Par-
liament passed in 1 790. Besides Lord Nelson, Sir William
and Lady Hamilton, there were the llev. Dr. Nelson, Mrs.
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 259
Nelson and their son. At Oxford they were joined by Mrs.
Matcham, Lord Nelson's sister, her husband and son. Lord
Nelson was presented with the Freedom of the City in a gold
box, and the University confei'red upon him the degree of
Doctor of Laws, and also upon Sir William Hamilton. Lord
Nelson's brother being already a Doctor of Divinity of Cam-
bridge University, was admitted ad evndem — thus they were
all complimented on this occasion. The party visited Blen-
heim ; but were annoyed at not being received by the Duke
of Marlborough, who was there at the time. Refreshments
were sent to them, but were declined. This apparent neglect
of civility and attention due to so distinguished a naval
warrior, from the descendant of so renowned a military chief
was attempted to be explained by the absence of the usual
ceremonials of introductory etiquette, which the Duke's shy
and retiring habits prevented him from putting aside on the
occasion.
At Gloucester the bells were rung upon their arrival, the
cathedral and other objects of interest were visited, and here
separating from the Matchams, who left for Bath, Lord
Nelson, Sir William and Lady Hamilton proceeded to Ross.
Preferring the passage to Monmouth by the River Wye to
that by land, a vast concourse of people attended them in
boats, that which Nelson occupied being tastefully decorated
with laurels. The shore was lined with spectators, guns
fired, and other demonstrations of delight manifested. Nelson
was made a Burgess of the Borough, and escorted into the
town by the bands of the Monmouth and Brecon militia,
playing " God save the King," and " Rule Britannia." Nelson
visited his old friend Admiral Gell. At Brecon he was warmly
greeted by the farmers, and at Milford, where preparations had
been made, the reception was most enthusiastic. Here Sir
W^illiam Hamilton visited his tenants, from whom he had been
absent many years. The first of August was of course selected
as a grand fete day ; all the nobility and gentry round had
been invited by Mr. Greville to do honour to Nelson, and to
commemorate this visit and the victory of the Nile. An
annual rowing match, fair day, and exhibition of cattle were
established. At the dinner Lord Nelson was peculiarly
happy, and delighted every one with the judicious observations
s 2
CO LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP.VI.
he made upon the harbour at Milford, which with that at
Trincomalee, he observed, were the two finest he had ever
beheld.
Lord Nelson put up at the New Hotel during his stay in
this place, and Sir William Hamilton left a fine whole length
picture of his Lordship, which had been painted in 1 799 by
Leonardo Guzzardi of Palermo, to be preserved there for the
gratification of the visitors. This portrait has been recently
purchased by the Lords of the Admiralty, and now hangs up
in the Council Room at the Admiralty, facing that of his late
Majesty William IV.^
Lord Nelson visited Lord Cawdor, Lord Milford, Lord
Kensington, Mr. Foley, the brother of his friend Captain
Foley, and many others. At Haverfordwest he was drawn
through the streets by the populace, and at Swansea he
received the same attention from a body of exulting tars.
Lord Nelson and Sir William Hamilton received the Freedom
of this place. Returning to Monmouth he dined with the
Mayor and Corporation, according to a promise he had made ;
thence he proceeded to Ross, where a triumphal arch had
been erected for the hero to pass through, after which he
went to Herefoixl, and received the Freedom of that city
inclosed in a box, cut from the wood of the apple tree, the
pride of that county. Nelson viewed the cathedral, and
afterwards paid a visit to the Bishop, who was confined by
illness to his room. He then departed for Downton Castle,
near Ludlow, the seat of Richard Payne Knight, Esq. where
he was received by similar marks of regard, and had conferred
upon him the Freedom of the Borough of Ludlow. Thence
he proceeded to Worcester, where he partook of a collation
prepared by the Corporation, and was admitted a freeman of
the city. He visited the China manufactory of Messrs.
Chamberlain, the cathedral, &c. and then left for Birmingham,
arriving there two hours before the time he was expected, to
avoid tumult in so populous a place. He examined the
principal manufactories of this town, saw medals struck to
commemorate his visit, attended the theatre, where he was
' I have thankfully to acknowledge the kindness of their Lordsh'ps in granting
me permission to engrave this portrait for tlie present biography of the celtbrated
Admiral.
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 261
received with the most heartfelt pride, and after the per-
formance escorted to his hotel by an immense throng carrying
hundreds of lighted torches. At Warwick and at Coventry
similar honours awaited him. He then paid a visit to the
Earl Spencer at Althorp, and returned to Merton on the
5th of September. The excitement attendant upon this
journey tended to the perfect restoration of his health, and
he could not fail to have been exquisitely delighted by the
grateful and affectionate manner in which he had been every
where received by all classes of society.
During his tour he made many inquiries respecting the
growth of oak timber, and recorded notes upon the subject.
By the following letter Lord Nelson learnt of the death of
his steward at Bronte.
"Naples, 21st August, 1802.
" My Lord,
" I take the liberty of accompanying a letter from Mrs.
Graeffer, which I am sorry to say conveys your Lordship the
sorrowful tidings of the sudden death of poor Graeffer. From
my own feelings for the loss of so worthy a character, I can
judge what distress it must give your Lordship, and more
particularly Mrs. Graeffer on so trying an occasion ; but I
have endeavoured to console her, and hope that as we must
all be deprived of our nearest and best comforts, she will bear
her loss with fortitude and resignation. Mrs. Graeffer entreated
I would apply to General Acton and press him to allow her
to continue the administration of the estate until your Lord-
ship's answer, but the General told me this afternoon that a
proper person had been already named at the request of
Cavalier Forcella, as a necessary step that your Lordship's
interest might not be prejudiced, and which the General
seemed to have much at heart. I presume Cavalier Forcella
will have written to your Lordship every circumstance that
has occurred. Tf it should be your Lordship's intention to
send out a farmer from England, he must take with him all
the implements he may want, as the former ones sent out
were mostly lost or spoilt.
" The Revolutionary principles in Italy are nearly the same ;
no social order or steadiness in the Government are re-esta-
262 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
blished, and consequently there can be no security given to
individuals, which prevents many commercial people from
fixing their residence in Italy. General Doyle is here, and
General Fox is hourly expected — they have no orders as yet
for evacuating Malta. The Queen returned here last Tuesday,
and will shortly accompany the Prince and Princess to Bar-
celona ; it is considered it would not be prudent for the King
to quit the capital.
" Permit me to request your Lordship to present my best
respects to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, and to Mrs.
Cadogan, and I have the honour to be,
" My Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient and
" Most humble servant,
"Abraham Gibbs.
" The Statel}^ and Hydra are here, and the Medusa is at
Clvitu Vecchia. The Greyhound, Captain Hoste, is going to
the Levant. General Acton considers that nothing is forth-
coming to the British officers for the reduction of Civita
Vecchia and Rome, since those places have been given up
again.'^
Lord Nelson wrote to Mr. Davison on the subject : " How
short-sighted we are ! I have lost Mr. Grseffer, my Governor
of Bronte : he died August 7- It embaiTasses me a little,
but I endeavour to make the best of things, and it may pos-
sibly turn out to my pecuniary advantage. I have his full
account of my estate ; rather more than £3000. a year nett,
and increasing every year in value. General Acton has taken
possession of every thing for me, and is behaving very
friendly."^
From an old schoolfellow Lord Nelson received the fol-
lowing curious epistle : —
" My Lord,
*^ Dean Swift closes, or terminates, a letter to the great
Earl of Peterborough, by telling that nobleman — 'That he
should be happy to have it in his power to shew one of his
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 30.
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 2G3
Lordship's to his Parishioners/ You, my Lord, have not
suffered me to languish respecting that point. For these
some months past 1 have had it in mind to shew to my
acquaintance and friends a letter from you, and thereby to
convince them I had once the pleasure of being your school-
fellow, and have now the honour to be considered by you as
a friend. In truth, my Lord, we never were otherwise,
though not intimate.
" Your Lordship, though in the second class, when I was
in the first, was five years my junior, or four at least, and at
that period of life such a difi'erence, in point of age, is con-
siderable. I well remember where you sat in the school-room.
Your station was against the wall, between the parlour door
and the chimney : the latter to your right. From 1769 to
1771 we were opposites. Nor do I forget that we were under
the lash of Classic Jones, as arrant a Welshman as Rees-ap-
Griffith, and as keen a flogger as merciless Busby, of birch-
loving memory ! Happy am I indeed, my Lord, to find, by
your very kind letter, that Hac meminisse javat ! According
to an old sentimental toast, we imprecate the meeting an
* old friend with a new face :' consequently, how very pleasing
it is to find that not to be the case, respecting an old school-
fellow ! As a philosopher, I obsei*ve, my Lord, with great
satisfaction, that your honours have not changed you. Rea-
sonable men always behold those things through the proper
medium. Titles and Peerages may honour Lord Barrington,
or Lord Carrington, or Lord Lavington, or Lord Borringdon :
Lord Nelson confers honour upon them by his acceptance.
/ regard my old schoolfellow as the saviour and deliverer of
Europe in general, and of his country in particular : and in
my eyes, those titles are superior to all others. Nevertheless,
far be it from me to despise honours. That I never do, nor
those who bestow them. But I often do those upon whom
they are bestowed. Animated by these principles, and con-
sidering your Lordship as the hero of this age, I particularly
suggested to my friend, the Baron d'Ednor, the idea of the
Chapteral Order of Saint Joachim's requesting you to accept
the dignity of Knight Grand Commander of that Order,
according to a particular clause in the statutes of that body.
This I mention without pretending to arrogate any merit to
264 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI*
myself, since my advising such a measure could not have had
any effect, unless the whole Chapter was unanimous. It was
I likewise who advised M. Rlihl, the Chancelist of that Order,
to dedicate his learned history of all the Existing Orders of
Knighthood to your Lordship, and procured him the assist-
ance of one or two learned men, to facilitate the completion
of that ingenious work, upon which he has bestowed inde-
fatigable perseverance. In my last letter I observed to your
Lordship, that like the Senator, who boasted that he possessed
the Curule chair, on which Caesar, the Dictator, sat when he
was assassinated, and was married to Terentia, the widow of
Cicero ; so would it ever be my boast — that I was two years
your schoolfellow ; and so long the fellow student at the
University with Mr. Pitt: I now, my Lord, beg leave to add,
that were I ambitious of monumental fame, these two circum-
stances should form parts of my epitaph ; but I should only
imitate Sir Fulke Greville, (first Lord Brooke of Beauchamps
Court, and a collateral ancestor of Sir William Hamilton's
nephew, the present Earl of Warwick), whose epitaph is as
follows : —
' Fulke Greville,
Servant to Queen Elizabeth,
Councellor to King James,
And friend to Sir Phihp Sidney,
Trophoeum Peccati.'
" I wish, my Lord, as well as this epitaph, I could send
you the Dictator's curule chair, and a joint of the little finger
of the Centagenary Terentia. What a treat it would be to
Sir W^illiam Hamilton ! ! ! I am sure he would prefer the
chair to those of the Speakers of both Houses ; and the tip
of Terentia's little finger to that of any one woman, save
Lady Hamilton ! Respecting Mr. Riihl's work, I trust, my
Lord, you will patronise it amongst your friends and ac-
quaintance; since it is certain we have not so complete a
compendium, on that subject, in our language. I think his
accounts of the Orders of Saint Joachim, the Crescent, the
Bath, and Saint Ferdinand are drawn up — de main de maUre
as old Jemmy Moisson, the French master at N. AValsham
school, used to express himself. Pray, my Lord, are we to
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 265
have a commercial treaty with the French or not ? If we are, I
wish your Lordship could procure me a place of Consul in some
one of the ports of the Eepvblic. I am sure, if you would
ask for it, it would not be refused you. With the topography
of the French nation, its resources, manufactures, commerce,
exports and imports, I am perfectly well acquainted ; having
lived ten years, and upwards, in that country. As to the
language, I know it as well as my own. Of the Italian and
German I have a competent knowledge. With Mortimer's
Lex Mercatoria I should be able to make my way. It is
not that I want this to live. Thank God, no — but it would
be some employment for me ; and no bad thing when joined
to Cuptahi's pay ! I could bear being under an obligation
to you, my Lord, whom I venerate beyond expression : but
I should be sorry to be so to many, and many of those whose
names enjoy a niche in the red book. If you and Sir William
Hamilton could compass this, I could manage to pay the
official fees, and you would enable me to bless you every day
for the additional comforts of life you procured me. Excuse
my taking the liberty of inclosing to you this letter for Sir
William Hamilton, and believe me with every kind wish for
your health and felicity,
^' My Lord,
" Your much obliged old friend,
"Levett Hanson.
'^ P. S. I suppose, my Lord, it is not necessary for me to
observe to your Lordship, that twenty-five guineas are the
usual doucevr which is bestowed upon any one for a dedication
when it is accepted : and as this honest man Riihl has nothing
save a place of eighty pounds a year, and official fees ; I think
therefore, that in case you doubled that sum, (as he was
charged with the whole of the correspondential business
relative to your Lordship's promotion), that you will do no
more than is proper. In case you think fit, my Lord, to
make him this compliment, I will pay him that sum in your
name, and will, when you permit me so to do, draw upon you
for the same through the channel of Messrs. Hammersleys
and Co. my Bankers, and will finally send you Mr. Riihl's
receipt as my voucher. Since the month of June I have
been at Hambro' to see several old acquaintances. You may.
266 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
my Lord, send your answer under cover, or for me at Messrs.
Thornton and Power's, who are my friends and bankers, as
they are, I find, of all English travellers. Ever yours ! I
shall not fail to drink your Lordship's health to-day, nor so
long as we live, to celebrate that and the Anniversaries of
Aboukir and Copenhagen.
"Hamburgh, September 29th, 1802."
Mr. J. Hiley Addington of the Treasury alludes to the
hearty reception given to Lord Nelson in his Welsh tour : —
" Langford Court, October 4th, 1802.
' ' My dear Lord,
" I was honoured with your letter just as I was stepping
into my carriage on Friday morning, to wing my flight west-
ward. You may be perfectly assured that I will do every
thing in my power to give effect to your wishes in favour of
Mr. Brent, as I am certain that my brother will be well dis-
posed to do ; and trust that it will not be long before some
means may present themselves.
^' It was matter of real regret to me that I had not the
good fortune to be at home when you w^re so good as to call
in Great George Street, when I should have been glad to
have talked over with you your Welsh tour. We almost trod
upon your heels. I heard with infinite satisfaction your
reception in every part of the principality, which was highly
creditable to the honest Cambrians, who know how to appre-
ciate eminent services and superlative merit.
^' With the most cordial esteem and respect,
" I am ever, my dear Lord,
" Yours very faithfully,
"■ J. Hiley Addington."
The Hon. Colonel Stewart had been unsuccessful in an
attempt to get into Parliament. Lord Nelson had written to
him on the occasion, and the following was the reply : —
" Shorne ClifFe Barracks, Sandgate,
October 10th, 1802.
" My dear Lord,
" I have the honour of having now at my elbow your Lord-
ship's two letters of the 27th and 28th of last month, and
1S02,] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 267
should apologize for not having earlier answered the appli-
cation in favour of Mr. Porter, did I not conceive that the
last ten days^ mode of occupation, marching, preparing my
regiment for a march, and arranging it in very uncomfortable
cantonments, will in some measure plead my excuse. Having
earnestly solicited a removal of m}^ young regiment from the
iniquity of Chatham, we have been ordered into these barracks,
and into the three forts which are in front of Hythe, and shall
probably be stationed here for the ensuing winter, the country
is excellent for the movement of Chasseurs, and the neigh-
bourhood seems tranquil and good ; very ill equipped bar-
racks, and much dispersion of my corps is my only complaint,
but as a soldier and a man I, as well as my neighbours, find
the world much composed of contrarieties, ' J^t quil n'l/ a
point de roses sans le.urs epines.'
"Your Lordship's letter of the 2Sth September contains
many sentiments of kindness towards me, and my private
concerns of a political nature, which I must ever feel grateful
for; on the subject of my late unsuccessful canvas in Scotland,
you are pleased to express yourself with a degree of interest
which no merits of mine have called for, and the whole his-
tory of Parliamentary representation, (as it is carried on at
least in that part of our island) has moreover blunted all my
feelings so much, that I am not worthy to have an interest
felt for me, whilst I am totally careless of the matter myself;
for the six years that I represented the County of Wigton,
I did my best to deserve well of it ; it was apparently thought
otherwise, and feeling tranquil in my own conscience upon
the occasion, the present choice of that shire meets with my
quiet acquiescence. I shall not be apt to try the seat again,
feeling as I now do ; but enough, my dear Lord, of personal
concerns. Mr. Porter shall, upon the strength of your
Lordship's recommendation, have my support and voice at
the Magdalen. 1 have written to this purport to the clergy-
man of the Institution, Mr. Prince, who will inform me if
any forms but that of my epistolary promise be necessary.
I should like, if a leisure half hour bring the recollection of
what I might like into your Lordship's memory ; I should
like, I was observing, to have your opinion upon the probable
268 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
chance of long tranquillity to us all in this country, from the
other side of the Channel.
" Some things which were in yesterday's newspaper, and
the view of the Boulogne shore from my barrack window
have together united, to make me think more than usual of
this possibility, and when I have before me the spot where,
little more than one twelvemonth ago, nearly the last gallant
effort of our country was made under your guidance, and
poor Parker fell, the thoughts of renewed hostilities run much
in my mind. Heaven grant that there may be no necessity
for such an event; but may Heaven also grant that we may
not be so wanting in spirit as to await provocations and
encroachments too long !
"Adieu, my dear Lord. May I request that my respects
may be made to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, and that I
may ever sign myself, with the greatest truth,
^' Your Lordship's very faithful friend,
" And very humble servant,
" Wm. Stewart.
'^' I hear nothing from our Agent about the Baltic prize-
money being arranged."
From Jamaica, Lord Nelson received the following : —
" Kingston, Jamaica, Oct. 15tb, 1802.
" My dear Lord,
" I am favoured with your Lordship's kind letter to me of
12th of July, informing me your Lordship had seen Mr.
Pedly, who had informed your Lordship that I was still alive.
I am also very happy to congratulate your Lordship that you
are alive too, after the great number of perils, dangers, and
battles, your Lordship has been engaged in, and I most sin-
cerely hope and wish that your Lordship will live many,
many more years to enjoy the honour your Lordship has so
gloriously earned, and to experience the gratitude your Lord-
ship is so well entitled to from a nation to whom your Lord-
ship has been so great a bulwark and support. I am much
afraid, and indeed know, that we unhappy Colonists will want
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 2G9
the aid and assistance of any friend we have in the new Par-
Hament, for Mr. Addington's speech on the 27th of May, seems
to prognosticate to us nothing but evil ; indeed, if there is
not a totally new system adopted towards the Colonies to what
has been followed and carried out for these many years past,
they will become altogether useless to Britain, as they must
be abandoned by the white inhabitants, for it will be impos-
sible to carry on the culture of them, from the numberless
i mpediments that are thrown in their way. Myself, and our
whole country, must consider ourselves under the highest
obligations to your Lordship for your intended support of us
in the arduous trial that we expect will come on in the next
Session of Parliament, and consider it will decide whether in
future Britain shall have West India Colonies, or not, or
whether eighty millions sterling, and the lives of all the white
people in them are to be sacrificed or not. Ministers, before
they are in too great a hurry, should contemplate the scene
that St. Domingo just now presents. The first Colony that
ever was in the world, covered with the vestiges of houses,
and works burnt, and bushes growing where the most fertile
crops were raised. Forty millions of property annihilated,
200,000 Negroes and Mulattoes, as well as 30,000 white
people butchered, massacred, and murdered, in consequence
of the dream of Liberty having been promulgated among
them under the pretence of humanity. Of 25,000 military
that have been sent there from Europe since the Peace, not
3000 alive. Those that are arriving are melting off as ice in
a hot sun, and it will require 100,000 more troops to settle
tranquillity in this island, and from eighty to one hundred
millions sterling money to put it into the state it was in in
1 787, and 700,000 Negroes to be imported from Africa. There
is not a proprietor on the north side of the island that is re-
stored to, or in the possession of, his former property, or who
dares to go out to look at it. Four gallows were erected in each
of the towns of that island, on which every Negro is hung with-
out the least ceremony, or question asked, who is found in the
streets after dusk, and it will be an utter impossibility ever
to settle that island or Guadaloupe again so as to become use-
ful Colonies to France, or any other European nation, until the
whole present breed of Negroes on them is totally extirpated.
270 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
With all these matters staring him in his face, a British
Minister is still paying attention to those men who have been
by their writings, and going to France, encouraging the
visionaries there to effect these things in their Colonies, and
who are now endeavouring to scatter the same through the
British ones, and who have as far blinded him as to keep still
regimented and armed black troops in the islands, who will
not fail, whenever opportunity offers, to aid and assist those of
their colour to act the same part in our islands as has been
done in St. Domingo and Guadaloupe, and they cannot plead
ignorance, after what has happened at Dominica, where they
murdered their white officers. I have thoughts, and do intend
to go to England in the spring, and your Lordship may be
assured that I shall do myself the honour to pay my respects
to your Lordship wherever you are, and to return my grateful
thanks for your Lordship's good intentions and wishes
towards me and my native country, and I have the honour to
be, with the greatest respect,
" My dear Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient humble servant,
"SiMOxN Taylor."
From Malta, Sir Alexander Ball wrote to Lady Hamil-
ton : —
" Malta, 8th November, 1802.
" My dear sister Hamilton,
" I participated in the gratifying scene you and your good
Sir William witnessed in the national testimonies of gratitude
which our brave and good Nelson received in his journey to
Wales. I desired all the paragraphs in the newspapers which
mentioned it, to be marked for my perusal. I think his
Lordship and Sir William must have been almost overpow-
ered by such a load of caresses and kindness, and w^ould feel
relieved at the sight of Merton and the prospect of repose;
as for your Ladyship, I believe you could hip, hip, hij?, your
Nelson when every other power was exhausted. I have in-
troduced your relation to my son, who has carried him about
the country, and delighted him much. Captain Capel is very
kind to all his young gentlemen, and attends particularly to
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 27l
their improvement. I am glad to hear the Tysons are well,
have the goodness to tell honest John that I have written to
the Treasury, and represented his losses by undertaking the
commission of purchasing corn for the Island of Malta. I
shall write to him soon. Miss Charlotte Nelson, I dare say,
is fully sensible of the great and very rare advantages she has
in the tuition of so accomplished a patroness. Pray give me
all the traits you know of the Prince of Pantelaria, who is
the Neapolitan Minister here ; he has a difficult task ; he is
afraid of offending the French Minister, and it is to be appre-
hended that this passion will operate more powerfully than
love for the English — time will prove this.
" The Deputies often talk of the kind attention and hospi-
tality with which they were honoured by your Ladyship, Sir
William, and Lord Nelson. Our business here is a jumble,
and it is difficult to say what will be finally arranged.
" Adieu, my dear sister, present my best respects to good
Sir William, and believe me ever
" Your obliged brother and friend,
'* Alexander John Ball."
Lord Nelson was anxious to have something done for his
eye, as appears fi-om the following letter to his Physician,
Dr. Benjamin Moseley: —
" Merton, October 26th, 1802.
'' My dear Sir,
" I shall be in town in a few days, and will endeavour to
see you . I agree with you, that (if the operation is necessary)
the sooner it is done the better ; the probable risk is for your
consideration ; I cannot spare very well another eye.
" Ever yours, faithfully,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" To Dr. Moseley."
The military successes on land by France, and the naval
glory of England established by her victories at sea, had
rendered the contending nations unable to prosecute further
the war with vigour. The French navy was not only reduced
272 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
in number, but its spirit was completely disheartened. The
force of the British navy had been augmented by captures
and newly built vessels of war to a considerable extent. It
is stated that at the time of the Peace of Amiens, we had
nearly 800 war vessels of one description or other, ready to
be arranged against an enemy. Two hundi'ed and ninety-
eight French vessels had been taken, and fifty-five ships de-
stroyed. James, in his Naval History records, that in 1796,
eighty-two ships were added to the British Navy, and in 1798,
sixty-three; the former measuring 64,847 tons, and the latter
30,910. To the prizes obtained from the French, the
Spanish and Dutch forces, taken and destroyed, are to be
enumerated ; and the loss sustained by the Danes in the
attack on Copenhagen is also to be considered. Whilst the
British navy held itself to be invincible by sea, France re-
garded herself as unconquerable by land ; the former triumph
had been achieved principally by the genius and valour of
Nelson, the latter by the sagacity and vigour of Buonaparte.
The object of France in obtaining a recognition of the
Republic on the part of England, the last of the powers to
do so, was accomplished by the Peace of Amiens, which was
entered into on the one side by that of his Majesty the
King of Great Britain and Ireland, and on the other, by
that of the French Republic, the King of Spain and the
Indies, and the Batavian Republic. The preliminaries were
agreed upon October 1, 1801, but the Treaty was not signed
until March 27, 1802. There were but few sanguine enough
to regard the Peace of Amiens as likely to enjoy any per-
manence, for even whilst the negotiations for the definitive
treaty were in progress, a French fleet, with a large arma-
ment, departed from Brest to San Domingo, to recover that
place from the revolted, or the free and independent negroes.
This measure, which compelled England to maintain a force
of thirty-five sail of the line in the West Indies, so directly
undertaken, naturally excited distrust, and the naval and
military forces of Great Britain Avere directed to remain un-
reduced for three months. Buonaparte's views with regard
to Italy, as shewn in his transactions with the Cisalpine
Republic at Lyons, increased the suspicions already enter-
tained, and Mr. Addington obtained the sanction of the
1802.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSOX. 27-3
House of Commons on the 3rd of March to a supply on the
war estabUshment for sixty-one days more.
When the French landed under General Le Clerc at St.
Domingo, they found every negro in the island hostile to
them ; which, added to the destructive nature of the climate,
rendered the warfare one of the most perilous descrip-
tion. Early successes had given to the French a dan-
gerous confidence, inspiring hopes of conquest that never
were to be realized, and although Toussaint L'Ouverture, a
black slave of considerable ability, and the leader of his race,
decoyed by false promises of amnesty, honours, and the vice-
royalty of the island was entrapped and sent a prisoner to
France, loaded with chains, and confined in a loathsome
dungeon, the opposition rendered by Henri Cristophe and
others, supported by the bravery and revengeful feelings
of the negroes, and above all, the mortality among the
French troops from the yellow fever, proved so destructive,
that the army was reduced down to a few hundreds. Under
General Rochambeau, however, Le Clerc having fallen a
victim to the fever, a reinforcement of 15,000 men arrived,
but they fared little better than those by whom they
had been preceded, and the war recommencing between
France and England, neither more troops nor ships could be
afforded to follow up so hazardous an enterprise. A capitu-
lation was therefore entered into ; Cape Frangais was evacu-
ated, and the French under Rochambeau, together with a
number of white families, who left the island fearing the
revenge of the black population, departed. The fleet or
convoy, together with the remaining troops, &c. fell into the
power of the English, being captured by the British squad-
rons ; Rochambeau was brought a prisoner to England, and
not less than 8000 Frenchmen are reported to have been
taken on this occasion.
The Irish exiles in France were at this time carrying on an
active correspondence with their countrymen, and endeavour-
ing to provoke insurrection and civil war. At Paris this
movement was warmly cherished, and the exiles had pledged
themselves to its success if provided with money, arms,
artillery, and troops. The shores of England were ako
threatened with invasion, and Buonaparte, although fully
VOL. II. T
274 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
alive to the difficulties and the chances against his success,
yet in his interview with the British Minister, Lord Whit-
worth, did not hesitate to declare his determination [to
attempt it, should the war be renewed. This threat, how-
ever, failed to disturb the equanimity of our Ambassador.
Buonaparte collected all the fugitive or disaffected Irish on
the Continent, embodied them in what was called the Irish
Legion, and contemplated effecting a universal civil war.
The speech from the Throne delivered November 16, 1802,
clearly intimated the probability of a renewal of hostilities.
His Majesty said : " In my intercourse with foreign powers
I have been actuated by a sincere disposition for the mainte-
nance of peace. It is nevertheless impossible for me to lose
sight of that established and wise system of policy, by which
the interests of other States are connected with our own ; and
I cannot therefore be indifferent to any material change in
their relative condition and strength. My conduct will be
invariably regulated by a diie consideration of the actual
situation of Europe, and by a watchful solicitude for the per-
manent welfare of my people. You will, I am persuaded,
agree with me in thinking, that it is incumbent upon us
to adopt those means of security which are best calculated to
afford the prospect of preserving to my subjects the blessings
of peace."
Lord Nelson seconded the address, moved in the House of
Lords by Lord Arden, on the 23rd of November, and in
doing so, emphatically declared, " I, my Lords, have in dif-
ferent countries, seen much of the miseries of war. I am,
therefore, in my inmost soul, a man of peace. Yet I would
not, for the sake of any peace, however fortunate, consent to
sacrifice one jot of England's honour. Our honour is in-
separably combined with our genuine interest. Hithei'to
there has been nothing greater known on the Continent than
the faith, the untainted honour, the generous public sympa-
thies, the high diplomatic influence, the commerce, the
grandeur, the i-esistless power, the unconquerable valour of
the British nation. Wherever I have served in foreign coun-
tries, I have witnessed these to be sentiments with which
Britons were regarded. The atlvantages of such a reputation
are not to be lightly brought into hazard. I, for one, rejoice
1802.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSOX. 275
that his Majesty has signified his intention to pay due re-
gard to the connection between the interests of this country
and the preservation of the Hberties of Europe. It is satis-
factory to know, that the preparations to maintain our dignity
in peace, are not to be neglected. Those supplies which his
Majesty shall for such purposes demand, his people will roost
earnestly grant. The nation is satisfied that the Government
seeks in peace or war no interest separate from that of the
people at large ; and as the nation was pleased with that
sincere spirit of peace with which the late treaty was nego-
tiated, so, now that a restless and unjust ambition in those
with whom we desired sincere amity has given a new alarm,
the country will rather prompt the Government to assert its
honour, than need to be roused to such measures of vigorous
defence as the exigency of the times may require."
On a motion for the Army Estimates, the House of Com-
mons readily acceded to the proposal of the Secretary of
War, Mr. Charles Yorke, and in the course of the debate on
this occasion, Mr. Sheridan observed that " the ambition of
the ruler of France must now be principally directed against
this country. Prussia was at his beck, Italy his vassal, Spain
at his nod, Portugal at his foot, Holland in his grasp, and
Turkey in his toils. What object then remained for his de-
vouring ambition greater than, or equal to the conquest or
destruction of England ? This is the first vision that breaks
on the French Consul through the gleam of the morning :
this is his last prayer at night, to whatever deity he may
address it, whether to Jupiter or Mahomet, to the Goddess
of Battle or to the Goddess of Reason."
The whole country was in favour of war — the expense
attending an armed truce was severely felt and disliked, and
it was only to be lamented that through the stratagems and
cunning of Buonaparte and his Minister Talleyrand, our
ambassador. Lord Whitworth, could not sooner obtain his
passport and quit the soil of France, as the delay served
only to give time to France to recruit her strength and pre-
pare for renewed hostilities.
On the 21st of December Lord Nelson spoke with great
fervour in the House of Lords in favour of the Naval Com-
missioners' Bill; he gave his opinion that great abuses
T 2
276 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. VI.
existed in the navy, and were most especially practised by
the Prize Agents. He stated the difficulties of getting
money out of the hands of the Agents, and frequently the
impossibility of obtaining it at all. The Bill gave great
powers, but they were necessary to correct the abuses com-
plained of. He afterwards gave evidence before the Com-
mittee of Naval Inquiry.
Lord Nelson was always eager to serve his friends, either
by advancing their interest, or contributing to their comfort..
He had spoken in great praise of the Maltese asses, and un-
dertook to obtain one for his old friend, Mr. Richard Bulkeley.^
' Mr. Bulkeley was with Lord Nelson at the attack on St. Juan, and as one of
the very few who survived that disastrous affair was naturally much attached to him.
They maintained an occasional correspondence, and Lord Nelson obtained ad-
mission into the Navy for one of Mr. Bulkeley's sons. The following is the
letter, making request for this purpose, and also alludes to the present most able
Hydrographer of the Admiralty, Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, K.C.B.
" Chaceley, Tewksbury, 12th March, 1800.
" My dear Nelson,
" Your very kind letter of the 8th October reached me about six weeks ago, it
came by the way of Cork. Accept my sincere thanks for the manner in which
you received my recommendation of Mr. Beaufort. I trust and believe he will
not prove a discredit to either of us. I have been twice in London within the
last four weeks, both times I saw, as you may suppose. Lady Nelson very often,
and your good old father, on whom the hjind of time presses hard ; he appears
gradually to sink, and witli Christian resignation to look forward to those blissful
regions which are the ultimate abode of such men as him. God grant him an
undisturbed journey, and the reward he merits. Lady Nelson's health appears
much mended since last summer ; she looks anxiously for your return, but as
well as the rest of your friends, knows not how to flatter herself; reports have
been so many and positive, that, at last, I expected to see you so soon as to deter-
mine me not to write, however, I find it is so uncertain, that I can withhold no
longer, and the report of an expedition from home to the Mediterranean almost
assures me that yoti can't come home for the present for the sake of the general
cause. I wish from my heart that I may not see you till you have given frenh
cause for envy ; to be envied by the brave and deserving may be reconcileable, for
from such men one expects liberality, but to be the envy of blockheads and fellows,
who, if the opportunity presented itself, could not, and would not if they
could, avail themselves of the precious moment, quite drives me mad. For one part
of the many things said of you, you may have some reason to be vain, for it has
begot you the prayers and praises of the fair sex, who all impatiently wait your
return.
*' In three or four weeks I hope to move to a house, which I have just jiurchased
in Shropshire ; my address, remember, when you write, will be Ludlow, Sln'opshire.
You may recollect, one evening I called on you and Lady Nekon in Bond Street ;
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 277
The following is an acknowledgment of the arrival of the
animal : —
"Ludlow, Saturday, 8tli January, 1803.
" My dear Nelson,
" I am very sincerely obliged to you for your letter of the
6thj giving me information of the arrival of the Maltese, for
which I shall dispatch a messenger to-morrow, and I have by
this day's post written a letter of thanks to Captain Max-
well, and have directed a person at Portsmouth to give a
guinea to the man who took care of the ass on the passage,
and to pay other charges. I look with impatience to the time
when I shall get the animal into my stable. Sir A. Ball's
account of him raises my hopes, and I expect a nonsuch.
" In your last letter, you told me that he cost thirty pounds,
which I now send you an order for, and to which I have added
five pounds, as I recollect my son's writing to me from on board
the St. George, in the Baltic, to tell me that you had given
him five pounds, and when I mentioned it to you at Merton,
my boys were with me ; you then shewed them your sword, that with what passed
at the same time, and frequently hearing me speak of you, made such an impression
on one of them, who is in his thirteenth year, that for two years past, he has been
secretly indulging a fancy to go to sea : this, however, he cautiously kept to himself,
believing I would not give my consent ; however, within the last six weeks, he de-
termined on writing himself to you to solicit your intercession with me. He actually
wrote the letter, which I intercepted, and this made a discovery which surprised, and
of course, led to a conversation, in which I found him so determined, that no
arguments I was master of could move him from his purpose, and, at last, I have
been forced to make him happy, by promising him that if he applies diligently
to Mathematics, French, and Italian, tUl he is fourteen, he should then pursue his
inclination, and by that time I trust in God peace will be restored, so that he will
liave quite an uphill game before him. However, as you have bit him, you must
be his physician. I hope you may be back by the time Pat takes his seat in the
Imperial Parliament, for it will be necessary some cool and determined hands
should be in each House to keep my poor countrymen m order. I am endea-
vouring to be one of the Hundi-ed in the Lower House, but I fear I have not
much chance.
"Mrs. Bulkeley desires her best regards, and compliments to you, and I am,
" My dear friend,
"Very affectionately yours,
Richard Bulkeley."
Mr. Richard Bulkeley served as a Midshipman on board the Victory, and was
at the Battle of Trafalgar, and wounded on that occasion. He was made a Lieu-
tenant in 1806, and died in 1810.
278 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VI.
you said, * Hardy will settle it/ but when I paid him his
advance to Dick, he took no notice of the money that you
advanced ; it therefore remained unpaid, and for that reason
I have included it in the present draft. I have heard from
one or two quarters that the Amphion is intended for the
East Indies ; it therefore occurs to me to suggest, what ap-
pears to me of some moment to Dick. Next month, he will
have served three years, and I hope and believe that when he
shall have served his time, he will be found perfectly qualified
to be made ; supposing him then to be in the East Indies
at that period, and that the then Commander-in-chief should
be a person of whom you may not like to ask a favour, and that
the Captain of Dick's ship should not have weight with the
Admiral, may he not miss his promotion ? This reasoning
you can easily enter into, and judge of its propriety better
than I can. I am, therefore, particularly desirous of know-
ing your opinion, by which I shall be entirely guided. If you
say, Let him go, I shall be satisfied ; but should you prefer
his being on the Home or Mediterranean station, I shall be
equally pleased. Do, therefore, my dear friend, let me hear
from you on the subject.
" Mrs. Bulkeley desires her best remembrance to you,
and joins me in compliments to Sir William and Lady
Hamilton.
" I am, my dear Nelson,
" Most affectionately and truly yours,
" Richard Bulkeley.''
From Captain Louis : —
" Chilston, Newton Abbott, January 16th, 1803.
"My Lord,
*' I have had the honour of receiving your Lordship's letter
of the 11th instant, and that of my good friend Lady Hamil-
ton, of the 13th. I can never sufficiently express my grati-
tude for the warmth in which you have interested yourself
in my behalf; the recollection of your Lordship's letter will
ever be highly gratifying to me ; and though the result has
not been favourable to our wishes, your Lordship's taking-
it up so kindly is so great a mark of your attachment to me.
1S03.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 279
that it never can be erased from my memory, and considerably
lessens the disappointment. How truly happy should I feel
myself, my Lord, were it ever in my power, in the least
degree, to be useful to your Lordship.
" My best respects to all at Merton ; and I beg to remain,
" Your Lordship's faithful
" and grateful humble servant,
"Thomas Louis."
Rear- Admiral Duckworth wrote on the question of Prize-
Money : —
« My Lord,
"The November and December packets having trod so
close upon each other as to be here together, 1 have by the
former to express my warmest thanks for your friendly letters
of October 9th and November 28th, which drew forth my
admiration at the glorious uncertainty of the law, even when
all the combinations of it, turn them in common sense which
way you will, must be operative in our favour; but if
influence or power can cause the palladium of our liberty to
be thus perverted, I shudder for our posterity. Yet, as I am
convinced you will take every just care of our interest, let it
turn as it will, I shall be satisfied in having endeavoured to
protect the rights of our profession against what appears to
me a most unjust and unprecedented claim ; and from the
arguments which appear in the paper, they dwell much upon
the cause of the St. Ann with Admiral Murray, which, in
my opinion, is quite irrelevant, as he was a Flag Officer,
serving alone, and consequently, when not relieved, is like
other Flag Officers coming from abroad, entitled to share till
under other orders, or his flag struck. With respect to the
Marquis de Niza, the law of reciprocity must prevent him
from sharing for the capture of vessels of a nation with which
he was in amity, and I shall think even for French, if the
Portuguese colours were not in sight; but should common
sense lose its force in these, we must have a claim upon the
captures made by his squadron from the Tunisians, &c.
" I cannot but feel sensible of your Lordship's friendly
sentiments of the public benefit by my continuance in this
280 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. VI.
command, but I consider, whilst a peace lasts, an officer that
has been above forty out of forty-four years servitude on
board ship, and for these last ten years never had a moment
to attend to his private affah's, or see a favourite daughter for
six years, has a full claim to relief, and I trust we have a
thousand as good as he to occupy the place ; besides, if I
was to stay till Buonaparte's ambition was satiated, or St.
Domingo in a perfect state of tranquillity, I must have a
longer tenure in this world than I expect. I therefore, my
good Lord, cannot but be anxious to return, on which event
I anticipate much pleasure in paying my respects at Merton,
and personally assuring your Lordship that I have the honour
to feel, with real regard,
" Your much obliged,
" and faithful humble servant,
" J. T, Duckworth.
'* P. S. I will beg your Lordship to say all that is kind and
respectful to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, believing me
ever yours,
«J. T. D.
" Leviathan, Jamaica, January 16, 1S03."
And Captain Hardy : —
"Amphion, Portsmouth Harbour, January 20th, 1803.
« My Lord,
" The Amphion is to be paid off in a few days, and I shall
be happy to take the youngsters your Lordship wrote to me
about. Young Bulkeley continues to behave very well, and
I have no doubt but he will make a very good officer. I have
not the least idea what is to become of us, but shall always
be proud to follow your Lordship, in whatever part of the
world I may be in, should the country call for your Lord-
ship's services again. I will trouble your Lordship to make
my best compliments to Sir William, Lady Hamilton, and
all friends at Merton. I have the honour to be, with the
greatest respect,
" Your Lordship^s obliged,
" very humble servant,
"T. M. Hardy.^'
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 281
In Lady Hamilton's handwriting, probably by the dic-
tation of Nelson, I find the following letter, the autograph of
which is in the Sidmouth Papers,^ addressed to the Earl St.
Vincent : —
" 23, Piccadilly, January 28th, 1803.
" My dear Lord,
**As your indifferent state of health will, I fear, prevent
your coming to town for some time, I write to your Lordship
on a subject which we once entered upon, but which you
desired to defer till the Dutch ships were paid for, when you
would settle our Copenhagen business with Lord Hawkes-
bury. I am now, by desire of several Captains, asking your
Lordship if any decision has taken place on this business. If
you refer me to Lord Hawkesbury as the proper Minister for
this business, or any other Minister, I shall address myself to
him (or them) ; or if you think that a public letter to the
Secretary of the Admiralty is the proper channel, I will
write one to him. It is now two years since that battle was
fought.
" I own myself exactly of the same opinion as when I wrote
to you from the Baltic, that under all the peculiar circum-
stances of the case, no war with Denmark, therefore, no con-
demnation could take place ; that it would be better to give
a gratuity for our services ; I said (I believe) £100,000. was
as little as could be offered. You differed from me, but wrote
me that you would recommend a large price to be given for
the Holstein. You will, my dear Lord, see the situation I
am placed in, and excuse my resorting to you to advise me
in what channel I shall proceed, to bring our Copenhagen
prize business to a close. With every kind wish for the
re-establishment of your health, believe me yours,
« Most faithfully,
" Nelson and Bronte.'^
Another letter from Captain Hardy prefers a request for
Mr. Danes : —
' Printed in the Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. H.
282 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
" Amphion, Portsmouth, February 2nd, 1803.
'' My Lord,
" Mr. Daniel Danes, who was pilot on the Downs station
nnder your Lordship's command (and a short time in the
Isis) will be thankful if you can intercede with Mr. Pitt to
get him a branch for that place. I am convinced that your
Lordship has already asked so many favours, that you will
not like to do it, and I shall not press it unless quite con-
venient. Thomas Ramsey has requested me to ask your
Lordship if you received a letter from him lately, which he
thinks (without cause, I suppose) has miscarried. I will
trouble your Lordship to make my best compliments to Sir
Wilham and Lady Hamilton. I have the honour to be,
'* Your Lordship's obliged humble servant,
"T. M. Hardy.
*' Mr. Danes commanded a small lugger, I believe, under
your Lordship's command."
Mr. Davison was very liberal in his offers of assistance to
Lord Nelson : —
" Calais, February 3rd, 1803.
" My dear Friend,
'* Long ere this I had settled my return to St. James's
Square, after having reached Paris, spending a fortnight there,
and setting off from thence in great good health for Bruxelles
and Antwerp, my dear boy William^ was taken extremely ill
at Lisle, and it was with difficulty I could get him with safety
on to this place. He has now been confined to his bed a
fortnight, in a delirium, and only within these two days the
fever has taken a favourable turn, and the physician considers
him out of danger. You may well believe the vexation and
concern this unfortunate circumstance occasions me. I shall
hope the best, though the doctor tells me 1 must not expect to
move from hence sooner than the 15th. What a prison —
state of misery. If my absence occasions to you any
pecuniary inconvenience, apply to my bankers, and shew to
' The William Davisou was afteiTvards Lieutenant-Colouel William Davison,
K.H.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 283
them this side of my letter, and I authorise them to pay to
your order five thousand pounds sterling. This possibly
may supply your present wants. If an extension be neces-
sary, command the purse of your ever
'^ Unalterably affectionate friend,
" Alexander Davison."
Nelson acknowledged this letter on the 8th, and says,
" Your kind offer I feel most sensibly, but at present I have
no wants ; and I hope soon to be in that state of complete
independence, which you so really wish. But ' a friend in
need is a friend indeed' is an old adage, but not the less true,
and I am truly thankful and grateful for all your kindness.
I am just got to work on the Copenhagen business, and I
hope to get from Mr. Addington 50 or £60,000. for the cap-
tors, including the Holstein. Sir Hyde has given up the
management of this matter to me. At another Board, they
are still disputing, but the Secretary and myself are feeling
towards each other as we ought (I do not choose to mention
names). Yesterday I was at Colonel Despard's^ trial, sub-
poenaed by him for a character. I think the plot deeper than
was imagined; but as to the extent, nothing except the
Guards has come out. I have been, and am, very bad in
my eyesight, and am forbid writing ; but I could not resist.'^^
At this time Nelson's eye was very bad, and he was for-
bidden to write ; but in personal matters he could disregard
injunctions. Mr. Bulkeley writes : —
" Ludlow, Thursday, February 17th, 1803.
" My dear Nelson,
" I am aware that I ought not to call upon your eyes to
read my letter, after the restrictions of Moseley, and the
account that you give of yourself, which I can with strict
truth say grieves me very much, and though I don't desire
you to answer me, but on the contrary, request you not to
write, still I cannot impose silence on myself, and do so much
injustice to my heart, as not to express my deep concern at
' See Vol. i. p. 12, ante.
• Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 42.
284 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VI.
what gives you any serious cause for alarm, and which seems
to threaten a severe misfortune to our country. My con-
solation in the present instance arises from my confidence in
Moseley's skill, and my conviction that he will not trifle, or
practise experiments, where so much is at stake, and I am
sure that your resolution to withstand every temptation to
deviate from his rules is sufficient to ensure him success.
I shall be impatient to hear how you go on, and therefore beg
that if any material change takes place, you will employ the
pen of some one about you to communicate the intelligence
to me, which I most ardently hope will be of the most pleas-
ing kind.
" From every thing that the papers related as appearing
upon the trials, I had no idea that the detestable conspiracy
had gone the lengths which you seem to imagine, or involved
in it any (poor Despard excepted) but of the lowest orders.
I am sorry that you think it so extensive, and of so serious a
natm'e ; however, I still think and hope that the countiy at
large is staunch to the constitution : in that case, the dis-
affection of a great majority of the Guards would not, I trust,
when joined only to the rabble, without their officers, be able
to effect more than partial evils, though certainly thousands
on all sides might fall, and many families be reduced to
penury.
" I rejoice that you have given your attention to the sub-
ject of our seamen ; if we don't keep them in good humour,
and firm from principle^ our decline must be very rapid
indeed. I can have no doubts of the Ministry paying eveiy
attention, and giving the greatest weight to your recom-
mendations upon this subject. In all your systems you have
shewn your preference for decision and vigour, and the good
effects have been proved in all your actions. Even in matters
of less moment I am an enemy to half and timid measures,
and in the unfortunate executions which are to take place, I
would have Government make all the parade which the case
will admit of, and shew that it is undaunted. Despard ought
not to be spared. The King owes to the country that the
execution should take place.
"The Maltese is perfectly well, and recovered from the
effects of his voyage. He is beautiful, and as fond of biting
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 285
and kicking as any of his fraternity. Those of this country
are all heavy and stupid looking, but this, on the contrary,
is most playful, with a very animated eye.^
" Offer Mrs. Bulkeley's and my kind respects to Sir Wil-
liam and Lady Hamilton, Dr. and Mrs. Nelson, and believe
me, my dear friend, most sincerely and affectionately,
" Yours,
" Richard Bulkeley.''
The allusion made to Nelson's attention to the subject of
seamen refers to a communication made by him to Earl St.
Vincent, on the manning of the Navy.-
Sir John Acton wrote from Caserta : —
" Caserta, 2n(i March, 1803.
" My Lord,
" A messenger arrived to Mr. Drummond, has brought to
me your Lordship's kind favour of the 6th of February. I
hear this moment that the same person goes back again in a
few hours. I present these few words in answer. I shall
employ my best cares and attentions in every respect for the
welfare of your business in Sicily, and the success of your
demands on the same. I have given the proper commissions
for the best regulation and surest march of the propositions
to come from Sicily on the same purposes. Your Lordship
may be assured of my readiness to contribute to eveiy wish
that may afford you any satisfaction, if in my power.
" I have seen with sorrow what your Lordship mentions
on treasons and spirit of revolutions still in agitation. I am
sorry to hear that the Guards themselves could be corrupted
in these times ! ! ! So everywhere the same and horrid dis-
temper has afflicted every class of men ! It seems, however,
that the principles which were the cause, and gave room to
so many mischiefs, is at least out of mode and fashion at
present.
' The asses of Malta are remarkable for tlieir strength and beauty ; they sell for
a high price, and are called Janets.
^ See Paper in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., and
letter to the Right Honourable Sir William Scott; printed in Dispatches and
Letters, Vol. v. pp. 41 and Gl.
286 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
" What you favour to explaiu to me on the perfidious pro-
jects of Despard is horrible, and could that plan have its
effects in England? I hope not, but many and many
calamities might have taken room and affect the prosperity of
the nation, but never, I confide, overcome its system of
government at large. I am speaking on what I feel and
desire, but find myself thoroughly unacquainted with the
particular situation of that and my country.
" I hope that for some time peace will continue, though
nobody can answer to that question certainly, whether we
shall have peace or war as the things are at present. Buona-
parte does not wish for war, though he detests the only
nation which he could not subdue nor influence. He makes
conquests in peace as well as in war. If however, a rupture
takes room again, poor Italy is lost : no remedy can save it
as the circumstances stand in the Continent at this moment.
The more, however, that is left to operate to Buonaparte in
the peaceable way, the more he seems to intricate himself in
difficulties. He loses every day in the opinion of his people,
and exposes himself to the highest danger — he cannot stop
neither in his projects — his fall might happen every moment.
" I see that you have that ungrateful and dangerous
woman the Belmonte, in London. I hope, by what you
please to mention to me, that she will find there the same
credit which she found established even at Paris, of a most
horrid revolutionist. I am glad to hear that Sir William
Hamilton is in a fair way as to his health. I beg Lady
Hamilton to receive and agree my best compliments and
wishes. I return you my thanks, ray Lord, for what you
are so good to tell me on my estates in Shropshire. I find
that Mr. Haslewood of Bridgenorth, has given you proper
informations. I think that I must go as soon as possible to
visit that country with my little family, and judge better of
my business on the spot. I shall have the pleasure then to
see your Lordship, and rely much on this satisfaction. I shall
be glad to be acquainted with those gentlemen of Shropshire
which you are so good to recommend. I have agents, but
could till now take very little care of those business of mine.
All my cares have been taken for the best of Sovereigns,
which I have the honour to serve. They have been glad to
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 28/
hear the news of your Lordship, and your loyal and cordial
declaration on their regard.
^' I beg your Lordship to be sure of my best wishes and
constant sincere friendship, as well as of the highest regard
and consideration of
" Your Lordship's
*' Most obedient and most humble servant,
"John Acton."
Nothing can speak more favovirably for the kindness of
Nelson's nature than the repeated applications made to hiin
by the parents of the officers who had served with him to
promote the welfare of their families.
Captain Louis wi'ites : —
" Chelston, Newton Abbott, March 8th, 1803.
" My Lord,
"The kindness with which your Lordship entered into my
views respecting my son to India, induces me to be trouble-
some to you again on his behalf. I doubt how far I might
attempt getting him into one of the public offices to bring
him forward in the diplomatic line, which would be my next
wish to that of India.
" If that is not practicable I think of placing him at
Woolwich, could I obtain from my Lord Chatham an ap-
pointment of a Cadet. He is now fourteen, and in order to
lose no time, I have written my Lord Chatham on the sub-
ject. I am well aware, at the same time, how very essential
a line from your Lordship would be to strengthen my appli-
cation to Lord Chatham, which, I make no doubt, would
procure the desired appointment. I have two sons unpro-
vided for, and I am sorry to say, although my services during
my life have been devoted to the public, that I find the
greatest difficulty in getting my sons forward ; but I shall
ever feel most grateful to your Lordship for the kindness and
attention with which you have endeavoured to assist me.
My best wishes attend all at Merton, and believe me with
every respect,
" Your Lordship's faithful humble servant,
'■'Thomas Louis."
2S8 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
The following relates to the widow of Colonel Despard : —
" Ludlow, Wednesday, 9th March, 1803.
"My dear Friend,
" Your last letter gave me great concern, because it speaks
of your suffering eye, but is perfectly silent as to any proba-
bility of speedy relief. Do, my good friend, tell me who you
have considted besides Moseley, who though an excellent
physiciav, is not, I apprehend, a professed oculist. And you
have given so much reason to the country, to look with
confidence for essential advantages from your future services,
that it has some right to require of you to seek for every aid,
and to do every thing in your power to preserve your health.
Let that claim then which your country has upon you, call
forth your utmost exertions.
" I highly approve of your withholding the money which I
intended for an object, who as I conceived ?/om interested your-
self about, I concluded might be deserving, and if you think
her so, my donation is still at your service to appropriate
as you think proper, but 1 am by no means ambitious of
classing myself, or being a contributor with her late husband's
associates, or with such villains as Citizen Hardy.
" I find that the Board of Admiralty has established Club
Law, and that the First Lord has a most powerful support in
a man who has often proved his readiness and courage in a
more honourable way than that of frightening an emaciated
Secretary. Ministers would, by all accounts, gladly get rid
of the Earl, but he loves power and patronage too well to
indulge them by taking miff. Have we any chance, in case
of a vacancy, of seeing the place filled by a man who would
most ably and honourably execute the duties of the office,
and who I wish to see gratified in every desire of his heart ?
You can't be at a loss to guess who I mean, you know my
sentiments too well, and that I am at all times,
" My dear Nelson,
" Your Lordship's very affectionate and sincere,
" Richard Bulkeley.
'- P. S. I just understand that the Amphion is ordered
to Ireland to receive seamen. Give my compliments to Sir
William and Lady Hamilton."
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 289
The following is a good sailor's letter : —
"Le Renard, Waterford,
March 17, 1803.
" My Lord,
" I take the liberty of writing to solicit your Lordshij) to
have the goodness (should a war take place, which God forbid
there should be a doubt of) to do me the honour of applying
for Le Renard to be under your Lordship's command, as I
trust you would find her a tolerable fast sailer, and I hope at
least as prompt as her neighbours in executing any orders it
may be her good fortune to receive.
" We are at present at Waterford, twenty miles up the
river Suir, employed day and night pressing.
" For the trade carried on (which except in the Salt Provi-
sion line is very ti'ifling, there being only thirty vessels here)
have been fortunate. I have ready to ship for his Majesty's
service fifty prime seamen, and about thirty ordinary and
landsmen. The seamen are all White Haven men, which in
my opinion enhances their value, though I must say I found
the potatoe diggers very quiet. Le Renard is full and well
manned.
" They were so nice at Plymouth as to reject some of my
new raised men, because their wrists were too small, and they
had had broken shins. Some of those men on their return I
entered for Renard, and T have found them as good as ever
came into a ship.
" I beg leave to transcribe a part of my last letter to the
Admiralty, which I wrote fearing they might charge the ex-
pense of these rejected men against my wages, which would
not have been very agreeable entertainment to me. ' 1 beg
leave to add that the volunteers are all raw potatoe diggers,
lightermen, &c. I believe to get them without broken shins
and mutilated carcases must remain among the desiderata ;
as by my experience here, I can affirm, those complaints to
be their general characteristics. The volunteers that were
rejected at Plymouth from this place, were the best to be
procured, being only slightly afflicted with the above-men-
tioned maladies.'
" I will conclude by begging your Lordship to excuse the
liberty I have taken in addressing this scrawl to you, and
VOL. II. u
290 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
after adding that it is my most fervent prayer soon to have
the happiness of seeing Renard's answering Jack to signals
addressed her by blue at the fore, will subscribe myself
ever
" Your Lordship's
'' Obliged humble servant^
"W. Cathcart."
The applications to Nelson to accompany him, should he
go to sea, were most numerous. Even the Chaplain was
anxious to quit his living and attend him : —
" Southminster, Essex, March 20th, 1803.
" My Lord,
" Under the impression that your Lordship would take
me with you to the Mediterranean, I hastened to take pos-
session of my living here ; intending as soon as that was
secured, to mention the matter to you : I am sorry to say
that ill health detained me a day and night at Chelmsford, and
this circumstance will prevent my getting through the neces-
sary forms and ceremonies so soon as I anxiously desire. I
am out of the world here, and know not what turn things take,
but I will not lose a moment in getting to London as soon
as I possibly can, where I hope to pay my respects to your
Lordship.
" I have likewise to beg your Lordship, when at leisure,
to send the certificate which I took the liberty to request of
you, to Mr. George Rose, of Palace Yard, and to repeat to
your Lordship how devotedly
" I am, with respect, your faithful humble servant,
"A. J. Scott."
Sir Edward Berry was desirous of again sailing under
Nelson : —
" Catton, near Norwich, 21st March, 1803.
« My dear Lord,
"■ Seeing the continual reports in the newspapers of your
Lordship having an appointment to a command, I can no
longer resist again offering myself as a candidate to serve with
180?.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 291
you, either temporary or permanent, in any way your Lord-
ship will accept of my exertions in the event of war. I have
hardly thought it probable that we actually should again
commence hostilities, I have therefore not made any appli-
cation to the Board, from an idea that I should be put to
some expense and a great deal of trouble for nothing, by being
turned to the right-about again in a few months.
" When you can spare time, pray have the goodness to give
me a line on the subject. By a letter from Tyson the other
day, he says you are not very well ; I hope it is nothing ma-
terial. Every body here is complaining of La Grippe. I
am but so-so. Pray remember me kindly to Sir William and
Lady Hamilton, and believe me ever
*' Your Lordship's
'* Faithful and obliged
"E. Berry.
^' I am in great distress about a berth for a Midshipman,
a relation of mine, a very good young man. I wrote to
Hardy about him, but fear he sailed before my letter reached.
Can your Lordship assist me ? I would see the Admiralty
folks at Bagdad before I ask them. Is the Arch Jesuit (as
the Duke of Clarence calls him) going out ?"
Reports of Lord Nelson's appointment to be Commander-
in-chief of the Mediterranean were rife, but it did not take
place until May 16th. Mr. Bulkeley writes : —
" Ludiow, Wednesday, 23rd March, 1803.
'■' My dear Friend,
*' This infernal threat of war, and consequent bustle, I am
sure, has entirely engaged all your time and thoughts ; there-
fore,from the moment that the subject was announced officially,
I knew that I was not to expect to know any thing about you
but through the newspapers. Satisfied as I am as to your dis-
like to writing, and knowing that it is not an easy task with
the left hand, and that you have at such a time no leisure for
letter-writing, still my anxious friendship and desire to be
acquainted with every thing that concerns you, has made me
look with impatient hope for the arrival of every post for the
last fortnight.
u 2
292 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL, [CHAP. VT.
" You have proved yourself too true a prophet, for you have
said ever since the peace, that it could not be of long duration ;
and though I hoped you might be mistaken, still I had my
fears, and now confess that if war was inevitable, in the course of
a very few years from the peace, I am better satisfied that
we should embrace the first justifiable cause for war, while
our brilliant achievements in the last are fresh upon our own
and that of our enemies' memories, and whilst the breasts of
every effective sailor burns with desire to follow the unex-
ampled example that you liave set them. Tell me, my dear
Nelson, when you can, all you can, (consistently with State
secrecy) as to your own probable destination. Poor Vardon
is gone to town to ofier; I wish that he had his flag and at
quiet in Ludlow. He is a very venerable and good old man.
I offered during the late war, repeatedly, my poor services
without fee or reward. I was coolly thanked, but not ac-
cepted, and I did not think it necessary to exert much interest
to put myself to great inconvenience by undertaking the
training and commanding a set of fellows in a profession for
which, in our country, I have the most thorough contempt,
notwithstanding Lords Moira and Hutcheson's figs to each
other. If I was a sailor, which I ought to have been, I would
cut off both my arms rather than be idle at such a time.
Can you tell me where the Amphion is gone ? Dick is now
old enough to enter into the glory and honour of his profes-
sion. He must earn those laurels which his father missed,
and perhaps was not equal to the attainment of.
" My best compliments to Sir William and Lady Hamilton.
" I am, my dear Nelson,
'* Ever sincerely yours,
'* Richard Bulkeley."
Dr. Baird recommended a Surgeon : —
" Portsmouth, 24th March, 1803.
" My Lord,
'* My unexpected and hasty departure from London on
Saturday night totally precluded me doing myself the honour
of waiting on you, and since I have been here, I have been
so engaged on board the Neptune, that I have scarcely
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 293
time to write a daily report to the Admiralty. She is now,
I trust, in good health, and the means pursued will preserve
it. The newspapers of to-day announce the Victory com-
missioned for your Lordship, if so, Mr. Allen, the Surgeon of
the Venerable, is the Surgeon I would reccommend, if Mr.
Bell stays with Lord Keith — perhaps your Lordship might
ask Lord Keith that question. I am solicitous that your
Lordship may not think me forgetful of so necessary an ap-
pointment as a good Surgeon, and your Lordship may rest
assured if it be your wish to delay on that head, that I shall
not fail to accommodate you with an eligible person.
" I take the liberty of offering most respectful compliments
to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, I have the honour to
be, my Lord, with every sentiment of gratitude,
" Your Lordship's dutiful servant,
" Andrew Baird.''
The prospect of being with Nelson put them all alive ; Cap-
tain Louis writes : —
" Plymouth Dock, March 23rd, 1803.
" My Lord,
" I have the pleasure to inform your Lordship of my
having joined the Conqueror at Plymouth. I think her a
very fine ship indeed, and equal to Minotaur. I have now
only to hope that she may be as useful to your Lordship
whenever you may be pleased to call upon her services,
though I agree with you very much that I do not think we
shall go to war ; appearances are strong for it, and I only
wish Johnny came forward to man us. Several ships here :
Sir Edward Pellew, Murray, BuUer, Sutton, and yesterday
arrived Admiral Campbell, whose flag goes to CuUoden. No
doubt we shall soon hear when your Lordship moves. I
hope you enjoy your health, as well as my good friends Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, to whom I beg my best regards.
" I remain, my Lord,
*' Your most obliged and faithful servant,
*' Thomas Louis.
*'P.S Pray command me if I can serve in any shape
whatever. Youngsters, or any thing else."
294 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
Lord Nelson turned his attention seriously to the state of
his pecuniary affairs in the month of March, and forwarded a
statement to the Right Hon. Henry Addington, by which it
appeared that his whole real property did not amount to more
than £10,000, and that, deducting from his income the
amount apportioned to Lady Nelson, the interest due on
money borrowed, the pension to his brother's widow, and the
assistance he rendered towards the education of his nephews,
that he had only the sum of £'J68 per annum to answer
all demands made upon him. This sum, so far beneath that
which his station and rank demanded, induced him to apply
to the Government for an increase of means. The particulars
given to shew the justice of such an appeal, are to be found
in his letter to the First Lord of the Treasury .^
On the 9th of March, 1803, a Debate took place in the
House of Lords on the King's message respecting military
preparations in the ports of France. Nelson was present, but
did not speak. He, however, watched narrowly what was
going on, and retiring from the body of the House, he wrote
the following laconic epistle to the Premier, the Hon. Henry
Addington : —
" House of Lords, 4 o'clock, March 9th, 1803,
*■ Whenever it is necessary, I am your Admiral."
"Nelson and Bronte."^
Lord Nelson commenced the month of April by delivering
his evidence upon oath before the Committee of Naval Enquiry,
and gave his opinion on the conducting of Prize Money in
future.^
Writing to Captain Murray on the 2nd, he congratulates
him upon the anniversary of the Battle of Copenhagen, and
says : " No man sets a more just value on your gallantry and
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. V. p. 47. See also p. 59. From the original
draft of this application now before me, the chief part appears to have been written
by Sir George Rose, and is in his hand -writing ; the latter part is in Lord Nelson's
autograph.
'^ Life of Lord Sidmouth, Vol. ii. p. 1/0.
^ A copy of the examination of Lord Nelson is preserved at the Admiralty.
Certain passages within brackets have been supplied by Nelson himself, and
written in his own hand. Sir Harris Nicolas has printed it in his Dispatches and
Letters, Vol. v. p. 53.
1803 ] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 295
important services than myself." To Captain Sutton he
writes on the 4th, to tell him that the Victory (the ship des-
tined for Nelson) was to be commissioned on the 7th or 8th,
and that he had sent a list of six Lieutenants, which was
enough to begin with. He was under much distress at this
time on account of the serious illness of Sir William Hamilton,
who died on the 6th in his and Lady Hamilton's arms. Lord
Nelson sat up with Sir William Hamilton for six nights prior
to his decease, upon the occurrence of which he removed into
lodgings in Piccadilly. To his Royal Highness the Duke of
Clarence he wrote : " My dear friend Sir William Hamilton
died this morning : the world never lost a more upright and
accomplished gentleman.'^
Among Nelson's papers is the following written by Lady
Hamilton : —
"April 6th. Unhappy day for the forlorn Emma. Ten
minutes past ten dear blessed Sir William left me."
Nelson appears from the following letter from Lord Mel-
ville, to have made some application relative to Lady Hamil-
ton : —
*' Wimbledon, 17th AprQ, 1803.
" My dear Lord,
" I have received your Grace's letter, together with one
from Lady Hamilton herself. I had an opportunity of speak-
ing with Mr. Addington yesterday, agreeable to your and her
wishes ; but I had no occasion to press any thing with im-
portunity, as he seems fully possessed of the circumstances of
the case, and disposed to give a favourable attention to them.
I need not trouble Lady Hamilton with a separate letter, as
your Grace will communicate to her the contents of this,
and I remain, my dear Lord,
" Yours very truly,
"Melville.
" I will take an opportunity soon of calling on Lady Ha-
milton."
The Marquis of Douglas and Clydesdale (now Duke of
Hamilton) kindly sympathized with her: —
"The inclosed letter, my dear Lady Hamilton, I received
29G LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cilAP. VT.
3^esterclay. It was my intention to have given it into your
own hands ; but having been prevented, I think it my duty
to send it to you by the earhest opportunity. In the course
of the day I am in hopes of being able to call and inquire
after you. I shall hope to find that necessity will have begun
to work upon your mind, and that you will feel that whatever
are the misfortunes under w^hich we labour, patience and
resignation are the only proper, only efficacious remedies. I
will not preach, because I feel myself inadequate to it. My
own love and affection for our much lamented friend far
supersedes any sensations that philosophy and reflection can
possibly suggest, and in uniting a sigh with yours, I only
bestow what my heart acknowledges, and my every thought
approves. Believe me, with regard, dear Lady Hamilton,
" Your affectionate friend and relative,
"Douglas and Clydesdale.
"April 19th, 1803."
Lord Nelson intended Murray for his Captain, but he was
already in the Spartiate : " You are fixed as fate my First
Captain, and it is only on that score that I can speak to the
Earl soon, if nothing is decided soon as to peace or war, to
beg that you may not be sent out of the way, and then, if
you authorize me, I will mention to him that if the Spartiate
is wanted to go to sea, that you submit to him whether it
would not be better to give her up — there are scores wanting
her. I congratulate you on the birth of a son ; if one of his
names is not Baltic, I shall be very angry with you indeed —
he can be called notlnng else,'" Sutton and Hardy were,
liowever, his Captains. The Duke of Clarence wanted Lord
Nelson to take Lieutenant the Hon. Edward Rodney, the
son of Admiral Lord Rodney, but his number was complete,
and he had twenty on his list. " Had I known (he says)
that there had been this claimant, some of my own Lieu-
tenants must have given way to such a name, and he should
have been placed in the Victory."^
On the 6th of May he was ordered for departure. He
went to Merton to settle his affairs there. He received his
appointment as Commander-in-chief on the Mediterranean
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 58.
^ Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 312.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 297
station from the Admiralty on the 16th, and on the ISth set
ont for Portsmouth, where he hoisted his flag on board the
Victory, and in communicating this to the Earl of St. Vincent,
he says : " You may rely, my dear Lord, that nothing shall
be left undone by me, by a vigorous and active exertion of
the force under my command, to bring about a happy peace."
His anxiety now was to get off, for on the following day, the
19th, he wrote to the Earl, " If the devil stands at the door,
the Victory shall sail to-morrow forenoon."
Admiral Lord Gardner^ was the Commander-in-chief at
Portsmouth. Nelson saluted him with thirteen guns, and the
salute was returned. He sailed on the 20th.
' Lord Gardner has been universally esteemed a Naval officer of distinguished
ability. Lord Collingwood gave it as his opinion that there was no officer on the
list who had the skill of Lord Gardner, and expressed his surprise in 1804 that he
was not appointed to any situation of importance. The Right Hon. Alan Lord
Gardner was boi'n at Uttoxeter, April 12, 1742, and commenced his naval career
under Captain Peter Denis of the Medway, 60 guns, in May, 1755. He was at
the taking of the Raisonable by the Dorsetshire in 1758, and in 1759 in the
action off Belleisle between Sir Edward Hawke and Marshal de Conflans. He
was made Lieutenant in 17C0, and appointed to the Bellona ; was at the capture
of Le Courageux of 74 guns, and in 1762 made a Commander. He was made
Post in 1766, and sent to the West Indies in the Preston, the flag-ship of Rear-
Admiral Parry. He returned to England in 1771, but in 1775 was again sent to
Jamaica, and in 1778 cruised off the coast of America in the Maidstone of 28 guns,
in which he captured the Lion of 40 guns. Arriving at Antigua he was appointed
to the Sultan, 74 guns, and was in the action with Count D'Estaing in 1779,
distinguishing himself by his intrepid conduct. In 1781 he was ordered to join
Sir George Rodney's fleet in the West Indies, and was engaged on the 12th of
April, 1782, being the first to have the honour of breaking through the enemy's
line. In 1785 he was appointed Commander-in-chief on the Jamaica station,
where he remained three years. In 1790 he was appointed to Le Courageux,
and afterwards made one of the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord
High Admiral, and remained at the Admiralty Board until 1795. In 1796
he was elected one of the Representatives in Parliament for Westminster, having
previously sat for the Borough of Plymouth. At the commencement of the
Revolutionary war he was made a Rear- Admiral, and appointed to the command
of a squadron in the West Indies. He hoisted his flag in the Queen, 98 guns,
and afterwards joined the Channel Fleet under Earl Howe, and was in the glorious
1st of June ; was appointed Major-General of the Marines, and was made Vice-
Admiral of the White, June 1, 1795, and created a Baronet, on the 6th of August.
He was second in command in Lord Bridport's action with Admiral Villaret de
Joyeuse off Port L'Orient. In 1797 he was appointed to the Royal Sovereign
of 110 guns, and was active in suppressing the mutiny in the Channel Fleet. In
1 799 he was made Vice-Admiral of the Blue, and in the following year Commander-
in-chief on the coast of Ireland. He was created Baron Gardner of Uttoxeter,
a Peer of Ireland. He died January 1, 1809, at Bath, in the 66th year of his age.
2i)8 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VI.
Three days previously to Nelson's departure, an Order of
Council was published, directing that reprisals be granted
against the ships, goods, and subjects of the French Repub-
lic, and a proclamation was issued for an embargo on the
French and Batavian vessels in British ports. On the 18th,
the Papers forming the Diplomatic Con-espondence between
France and England, from the Peace of Amiens, were laid be-
fore Parliament. A Royal declaration was also issued on the
subjects of complaint against France ; it especially noticed
and repudiated the opinion of Buonaparte that Great Bri-
tain had no right to take an interest in the affairs of the
Continent, or to interfere with the proceedings of France in
any point which did not constitute part of the stipulations
in the Treaty of Amiens, and demonstrated the incompatibility
of such a principle with the spirit of treaties in general, and
the national law of Europe. The sentiments of the King,
and the Declaration, were approved by the Parliament on the
23rd. In June, additional forces were raised, and a Bill was
brought in by Mr. Yorke to enable the King to raise a levy
en masse, in case of invasion, which was carried nem. con. The
King's Speech and debates thereupon, excited the rage of the
First Consul, and after many conferences with the Minister
Talleyrand, and also with the First Consul, and a variety
of subterfuges employed to cause delay, the English Ambas-
sador obtained his passports and quitted France. Two days
after Lord Whitworth's return, an Order of Council for
granting reprisals and letters of marque, and a proclamation
for an embargo, were issued, and the detention and capture of
French and Dutch vessels, estimated at the value of three
millions sterling, were effected. The First Consul ordered
all English of every condition in the French territory, to be
considered as prisoners of war, and not less than 10,000
Bi-itish subjects were thus detained. The Peace was thus at
an end.
1S03.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 299
CHAPTER VII.
1803.
On his road to Portsmouth, at Khigston, Lord Nelson
wrote a few lines to Lady Hamilton, and upon his arrival : —
" May 18th, 1803, (Portsmouth).
" My dearest Emma^,
" I wrote you a line from Kingston by the Duke's servant,
and having breakfasted at Liphock, arrived hei*e almost
smothered with dust exactly at one o'clock. I found Hardy
and Sutton waiting for me. They both agreeing with me
my flag is hoisted in the Victory, to prevent, without the
service absolutely requires it, the indelicate removal of an
Admiral. To-morrow night or Friday morning at daylight
she sails. My things only begin to arrive this evening, and
till noon to-morrow. Lord Gardner dining out, I have Hardy,
Sutton, Mr. Scott, and Murray to dine with me — but what
a change — it will not bear thinking of, except in the sweet
hope of again returning to the society of those we so sincerely
love. Either my ideas are altered or Portsmouth, it is a
place the picture of desolation and misery, but perhaps it is
the contrast to what I have been used to. Hardy is in good
health and spirits. The Victory lays so far off that I can
hardly see her, and the Amphion is beyond my vision. I am
writing to the Admiralty — must keep them in good humour.
When you see my eleve, which you will when you receive
this letter, give her a kiss for me, and tell her that I never
shall forget either her or her dear good mother, and do you
believe me,
" Yours,
"Nelson and BrOnte.
" Write to the Duke of Glueensberry and say how truly
sensible I am of all his kindness. When I am onboard I will
write him a line ; and say every thing for me to the Duke of
Hamilton, and the Marquis of Douglas, Mr. Este, &,c. : and
to the Doctor and my sisters you will say every thing that is
kind, and never forget me to your good mother."
300 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL. [cHAP. VII.
A lul at the moment of departure : —
'^ BY MESSENGER.
" May 20th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
" The boat is on shore, and five minutes sets me afloat.
I can only pray that the great God of heaven may bless and
preserve you, and that we may meet again in peace and in
true happiness. I have no fears. Your dear kind letters
are just come.
" Yours,
'* Nelson and Bronte."
When arrived on board the Victory he penned another
letter, and again on the 21st.
"Victory, May 21st, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
"This morning we stopped a Dutch ship from Surinam, of
some value. Hardy carries her into Plymouth. We have a
fine wind. I have only a moment to say, God in heaven
keep you.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
" May 22nd, 1803.
Eight o'clock in the morning.
" My dearest Emma,
" We are now in sight of Ushant, and shall see Admiral
Cornwallis in an hour. I am not in a little fret, on the idea
that he may keep the Victory, and turn us all into the Am-
phion. It will make it truly uncomfortable ; but I cannot
help myself. We are very comfortable. Mr. Elliot is happy,
has quite recovered his spirits ; he was very low at Portsmouth.
George Elliot is very well ; say so to Lord Minto. Murray,
Sutton, in short every body in the ship, seems happy; and if
we should fall in with a French man-of-war, I have no fears but
they will do as we used to do. Hardy has gone into Ply-
mouth to see our Dutchman safe. I think she will turn out
a good prize.
" Gaetano desires his duty to Miledi ! He is a good man ;
and, I dare say, will come back : for, I think, it cannot be a
long war ; just enough to make me independent in pecuniary
matters. If the wind stands, on Tuesday we shall be on the
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 301
coast of Portugal ; and before next Sunday, in the Mediterra-
nean.
" I shall now stop till I have been on board the Admiral."
" May 23rd.
'' We were close in with Brest yesterday, and found by a
frigate that Admiral Cornwallis had a rendezvous at sea,
thither we went, but to this hour cannot find him. It blows
strong. What wind we are losing ! If I cannot find the
Admiral by six o'clock, we must all go into the Araphlon, and
leave the Victory to my great mortification. So much for
the wisdom of my superiors.
" I keep my letter open to the last, for I still hope ; and I
am sure, there is no good reason for my not going out in
the Victory. I am just embarking in the Amphion : cannot
find Admiral Cornwallis.
'* May God in heaven bless you ! prays your most
sincere,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Stephens's^ publication I should hke to have. I have left
my silver seal ; at least I cannot find it."
' Alexander Stephens, Esq., author of a " History of the Wars of the French
Revolution," 2 vols. 4to. Lond. 1803. He applied to Lord Nelson for informa-
tion relating to the proceedings in the Bay of Naples. The fallowing is printed
from the draft of Nelson's reply, and is in Lady Hamilton's hand- writing : —
" 23, PiccacUlly, February 10th, 1803.
" Sir,
" By your letter, I believe that you wish to be correct in your History, and
therefore desire to be informed of a transaction relative to Naples. I cannot, at
this moment, enter at large into the subject to which you allude ; but I shall
briefly say, that neither Cardinal Ruffo, Captain Foote, nor any other person had
any power vested in them to enter into any Treaty with the rebels — that even the
paper which they so improperly signed, was not acted upon, as I very happily
arrived at Naples, and prevented such an infamous transaction from taking place.
I put aside the dishonourable Treaty, and sent the rebels notice of it ; therefore,
when the rebels surrendered, they came out of the castles as they ought, without
any honours of war, and trusting to the judgment of their Sovereign.
'* If you allude to Mrs. Williams's book, I can assure you that nearly all she
writes relative to Naples, is either entirely destitute of foundation, or falsely
represented. If you wish to have any conversation with me on this subject, I am
at home every morning at 10 o'clock, and am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
"Nelson and Bronte."
The Mrs. Williams alluded to by Lord Nelson, was Miss Helen Maria Williams,
author of " Sketches of Manners and Opinions in the French Republic," 2 vols.
8vo. and has been well described in the Pictorial History of England (Vol. viii.
302 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
" May 25th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
*' Here we are in the middle of the Bay of Biscay — nothing
to be seen but the sky and water. I left the Victory at eight
o'clock last night, a reflection I think on those who ordered
me, for I am sure she is not wanted off Brest. Hardy takes
good care of us, and the Amphion is very comfortable.
" May 26th. We have now got a foul wind, thanks to the
Admiralty and our not finding Admiral Cornwallis off Brest,
for we could with ease have been round Cape St, Vincent,
when this would have been a fair wind. Not a vessel is to
be seen on the face of the waters.
" May 30th. Our wind has been foul, blowing fresh and a
nasty sea. We are still off Cape Finisterre. We have seen
some Spaniards but not one Frenchman. We speak nothing
for I am very anxious to get to my station. This is all lost
time, and the sooner I get to work, the sooner, if it please
God, I shall return. Perhaps by my being delayed much
harm may arise, and even Sicily may fall into the hands of the
French, but we are carrying sail, doing our utmost. Patience
is a virtue at sea. Your dear picture and Horatia's are hung
up, it revives me even to look upon them. Your health is
as regularly drank as ever— the third toast, and that is all
we drink. Sutton was in desperation when we left the Vic-
tory. As to news, you will not expect after what I have told
you that we have not spoken a vessel. Gaetano has been
tolerable — William very sea-sick.
*' June 2nd. We have just passed the rock at Lisbon,
and with a gentle fair wind, if it holds, we shall be off Cape
St. Vincent in the night.
" June Srd. We have had a fresh breeze and fair ; at this
moment, two o'clock, we are entering the Straits of Gibraltar,
having run more than 100 leagues since eight o'clock yester-
day morning. I have caught a little cold, but am otherwise
very well. I am anxious to hear what is passing. I hope
that we shall anchor at Gibraltar at eight o'clock.
^^ Jane ^th. I am saihng at one o'clock, having just been
p. 16), as "a rabid Republicaness, a vain, conceited, heartless woman, who had
fixed her abode in France as a new and enlarged Goshen, and who had scribbled
and printed a stupendous quantity of nonsense in praise of the whole Revolution,
and in dispraise of all Kingly Governments, and all Kings, whether constitutional
or despotic."
1803.] LORD VISCOUVT NELSON. 303
to pay my respects to the Governor. We captured a brig
from the West Indies yesterday, and our boats another brig
this morning. Buonaparte's brother, Jerome, passed a few
days ago in a ship of the line from Martinique.
'^ Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
'* I am much hurried, for they know nothing of the war.''
The following from John Scott, Esq., Lord Nelson's Secre-
tary, to Lady Hamilton, explains his removal from the Victory
into the Amphion.
" Amphion in Gibraltar Bay,
8 o'clock, P.M. 3rd June, 1803.
" Dear Madam,
'^We have this moment anchored here, and I have the
pleasure of acquainting your Ladyship that Lord Nelson is
in excellent good health and spirits. We were hopeful when
we left Spithead to have fallen in with Admiral Cornwallis off
Brest, and that he would have allowed the Victory to have
gone on with us, but we were much disappointed at not finding
the Commander-in-chief, particularly as his Lordship con-
sidered it proper to leave the Victory to add to the show off
Brest, and proceed in this ship. This change gave a good
deal of trouble, besides the many inconveniencies which must
be submitted to before the Victory may join. His Lordship
left his steward with all his stock, &c., a few trunks of linen
excepted, on board that ship, so that until we get her, we
shall not be able to commence regular ^owsckeeping, but I
beg to assure your Ladyship, the moment that is the case,
the most strict regard shall be paid to everything that con-
cerns his Lordship's interests. We only remain here a few
hours, so that I shall not be able to give your Ladyship the
news of the Rock till my next. His Lordship has been
particularly anxious to get here, but I am happy to ob-
serve that his health has not been in any degree affected by
it, nor has it brought on any internal complaint ; I have the
remedy ready in case it should be wanted, and have directed
Gaetano to watch narrowly the least appearance of any indis-
position. His Lordship's life is so valuable and dear to his
friends and country, that I trust Providence will ever guard
304 LIFE OP VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
and defend him from all danger ; if the assistance of man can
contribute to his happiness, or avert any danger, I am sure
his Lordship will be in the full possession of the former, and
never in any risk of the latter, for every one about him ap-
pears more anxious than another for his welfare. I have the
pleasure of seeing your Ladyship's picture, it is hung up in
the cabin, it is an excellent likeness, and one of the hand-
somest I ever saw. We have the honour every day of drink-
ing a bumper to the health of the original, as our Guardian
Angel, and I sincerely hope our wishes may contribute to
that desirable end. I have many thanks to return your
Ladyship for the kind and polite attention I had the honour
to receive from you when in London, and to assure you that
I shall ever think of it with grateful remembrance, and be
particularly happy if it shall ever be in my power to shew
your Ladyship how sensibly I feel your much respected kind-
ness. I hope Dr. Nelson and his good family are well : may I
presume on your Ladyship's kindness to make offer of my
best compliments when you write them. With every wish
for your Ladyship's health and happiness, I have the honour
to be with great and due regard,
" Dear Madam,
" Your most obedient and faithful humble servant,
" John Scott."
Nelson's correspondence with Lady Hamilton thus con-
tinues : —
"June 10th, twenty leagues east of Algiers.
^' My dearest Emma,
'* We left Gibraltar at three o'clock, June 4th. The next
day we took a French brig from Cette, and a Dutch one from
the same place. We have had foul winds, but by exertion
are got so far on our voyage, and at present our wind is
favourable, but with a nasty sea. The Admiral has had a
severe cold, and is a little feverish. I really believe from anxiety
to get on his station. Mr. Elliot, if this wind continues,
leaves us to-morrow, as he passes over to Sardinia, and we
inside the island of Galeta, passing Turin and Cape Bon.
Gaetano will go in the Maidstone, and I hope return in her ;
but I think that very doubtful, when he once gets with his
wife and familv.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSONT. 305
*' How this letter will get home I know not. It will be
read by every post office from Naples to London.
*' The Admiral does not mean to stay at Malta jnore than
twenty-four hours, for he is very anxious to get off Toulon.
News I can tell you none, except from vessels spoke. We
find that it was the Jemappe, seventy- four, passed the Straits
a little before us, she was in a calm off Majorca, the 31st of
May, so that if we had proceeded direct in the Victory, we
should have had her to a certainty. This letter will probably
find you returning from Hilborough, where my fancy tells
me you are thinking of setting out, for it will amuse you by
change of scene. I have wrote Gibbs a long letter to know
something about Bronte — this is a matter 1 am determined
to settle as speedily as possible, for the Admiral says it is
shameful the way it has been managed. I have also wrote
about your things at Malta. You forgot to give me the
order, but I suppose they will believe me.
^^ June Wth. Mr. Elliot just leaving us, but this letter I
send to Gibbs to send by the post, therefore I cannot write
all I wish, but when the Admiral gets off Toulon, he mtends
sending a vessel direct to England.
" Yours, &c."
Nelson wrote the same day to Sir John Acton, and com-
municated to him his orders in regard to Naples, viz. : —
" Your Lordship is to be very attentive in observing if the
French have any design of attacking the kingdoms of Naples
or Sicily, and your Lordship is to exert yourself to coun-
teract it, and to take, sink, burn, or destroy any ships or
vessels which may be so employed, and to afford to his Sici-
lian Majesty and his subjects, all the protection and assist-
ance may be in your power, consistently with a due attention
to the other important objects entrusted to your care.'"
He also wrote to the King and the Queen of the Two
Sicilies. The Ambassador left the Amphion on the 11th.
The Queen wrote thus to Lord Nelson : —
" July 6, 1803.
" I have read your letter, my worthy and respected Lord?
addressed to General iVcton and to Elliot, which has pro-
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 82.
VOL. II. X
.106 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
duced a lively sensation. You enter into our position and cir-
cumstances perfectly, in prudently employing the strictest
vigilance both by sea and land, so that we may not be com-
promised, and no pretext supplied to the destroyers of the
human race for devouring us. You render us the most
essential service, and have another claim on our eternal
gratitude — depend on our vigilance, which is excited by a
complete mistrust, and knowledge of the activity and per-
fidity of those we watch, and you shall be informed of every
thing. What you send me increases my gratitude towards
your loyal Government, and my satisfaction at their having
chosen your worthy self for the command in the Mediterra-
nean is infinite, and adds greatly to my tranquillity and
safety. The stationing a ship constantly in the Gulf of
Naples to be ready for any occasion augments the obligations
of my family and myself towards you. You know that the
Algerines have dared to declare war against the British flag,
which renders the navigation still more difficult. I should
be infinitely obliged could you send a first-rate frigate to
Naples, which cruising th^ Adriatic would observe Tarento,
OtrantO; and carry the letters to Trieste, and our Minister
to Vienna, the Commander RufFo, without such protect on,
has no safe means of proceeding to his appointment. Pardon
these demands and inconveniences, but I know your obliging
attention. Rely also upon my esteem and eternal gratitude.
Your sincere and very attached friend,
'^ Charlotte.
" The King my husband, and all my dear children desire
me to present their compliments and assurance of eternal
esteem and gratitude.*'
Nelson wrote on the 14th to the Capitan Pacha, and
acquainted his Highness of his appointment as Commander-
in-chief of the Fleet in the Mediterranean, and that he had
instructions to prevent the French from disturbing the tran-
quillity of the Ottoman empire, and to give every assistance
in his power to the Sublime Porte and its subjects. He also
addressed the Government of the RepubUc of the Seven Isles
to the same effect, and referred to Mr. Spiridion Foresti for
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON'. .?07
the sentiments of respect he entertained towards them, recol-
lecting very vividly the testimony offered to him by the
Presidents of the island of Zante, after the Battle of the Nile.
He directed Captain William Edward Cracraft/ of the Anson,
to cruise between Cape Matapan, and the south-west end of
Candia, for the protection of commerce, and the destruction
of the enemy, having received information that the French
had a squadron of frigates in the Archipelago. The Maid-
stone, Captain Mowbray," was dispatched with Mr. Elliot to
Naples, and in her passage captured a French brig, L'Arabe,
' This ofiBcer commanded the Sea Fencibles on the coast of Sussex, and died at
Chichester after a few days illness, in 1810, at the age of 48 years.
' Richard Hussey Mowbray was a native of Plymouth, born March 16th, 1776,
and related to Sir Richard Bickerton, with whom he first went to sea in 1789.
Re served on the Newfoundland, Channel, and Jamaica stations. He had an op-
portunity of seeing much service, and was soon made a Lieutenant, and appointed
to the Magicienne of 32 guns, and was at the taking of Port-au-Prince, after
which, in 1794, he commanded the Fly, and brought home the bearers of the
Disjiatches on that occasion. He afterwards conveyed His Royal Highness the
Duke of York from Helvoetsluys to Harwich, and assisted at the capture of two
Dutch line-of-battle ships, one frigate, two sloops of war, nine East Indiamen,
and about sixty other vessels in Plymouth Sound. In April, 1797, he was made
a Post- Captain, and served as a volunteer with Sir Richard Bickerton in
the Ramillies and the Terrible. In 1801, he was commissioned to the Maid-
stone frigate, and sent to the Mediterranean with information of the Peace of
Amiens. Conveying the Russian Ambassador from Naples to Constantinople, he
received a pelisse from the Grand Vizir. In 1803, he captured the brig L'Arabe
with the antiquities as above stated, and in August of this year Lord Nelson ap-
pointed him to the Active, and stationed him as a frigate of observation off Toulon.
In 1805, he, together with the Seahorse, Capt. the Hon. Courtenay Boyle, waschased
by the French fleet, but they effected their escape. He afterwards cruised on the
Irish station, and in 1807 accompanied Sir J. T. Duckworth to the Dardanelles, and
most gallantly distinguished himself in the battle off Point Pesquies. On the return
through the Dardanelles, his ship received one of those tremendous granite balls
already mentioned, weighing 8001bs., and measuring six feet and a half in circum-
ference. It struck the vessel two feet above the water, lodged oia the orlop deck
close to the magazine scuttle, without injuring any one ! Proceeding to Malta
with the Russian Ambassador, the Active was repaired, and afterwards em-
ployed in the Adi-iatic. He then commanded the Montague of 74 guns, and was
at the reduction of Santa Maura. In 1811, he was employed in the Rejjulse in
the in-shore squadron off" Toulon, and then in arduous sei-vice with Rear-Admiral
Hallowell. Off" Port Morjean and in the Gulf of Genoa, he subsequently ren-
dered much service, and in 1814 escorted a fleet of merchantmen from Malta
to Kngland. Tn 1815, he was made C.B., attained the rank of Rear-
Admiral, July 19, 1821, and died Senior Vice- Admiral of the Red, and K.C.B.
in November 1842.
X 2
308 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
which had on board several cases of antiquities from Athens,
supposed to be for Buonaparte and the French RepubHc.
They were, however, for the Count de Choiseul Gouffier,^ as
appears by the following letter : —
"Aux Eaax de Bareges,
1st Sept. 1803.
*' My dear Lord,
" I am informed that a number of antiquities, &c. belonging
to the Comte de Choiseul Gouffier, formerly French Ambassa-
dor at Constantinople, have lately been captured on board a
French corvette, which was taken by an English frigate off
Sicily. Your Lordship can be in no doubt what these vessels
were, though I am ignorant of their names. But as I take upon
myself to assure your Lordship, that the articles claimed by
the Comte de Choiseul are really his private property, and as I
had occasion to witness the treachery and losses to which he
was subjected in regard to similar matters, from his country-
men and dependents in Turkey, I feel anxious to recom-
mend his case, in a particular manner, to your Lordship's
goodness.
" I am aware that these effects must be disposed of accord-
ing to the general rules of the service ; still, I am confident
your Lordship will have the kindness to order every indulgence
' Count de Choiseul Goviffier, an eminent scholar and antiquary, was born at
Paris, Sept. 27, 1752. He studied under the Abbe Barthelemy, from whom he
derived his taste for learning, and the study of history and antiquities. He visited
many countries, travelled in 1776 through Greece and Asia Minor, and com-
menced the publication of the results of his studies upon his return to France
in 1782, in a splendid volume, entitled, "Voyage Pittoresque de la Grece."
Louis XVI. named him his Ambassador to Constantinople in 1784, where he
erected an observator)', and established a printing press. Corresponding with
Louis XVL his papers were seized in 1792, and he was proscribed. He sought
an asylum in Russia, and was protected by the Empress Catherine IL The Em-
peror Paul named him a Counsellor of State, and Director of the Academy of
Arts, and of the Imperial Library. In 1802, he returned to France, and although
deprived of the principal part of his fortune, he collected around him many
friends of arts and letters, and in 1809, published the first part of the second
volume of his splendid work, the remaining portion of which appeared after his
death, under the editorship of M. M. Barbie du Bocage and Letronne. Upon
the restoration of the Bourbons, Choiseul Gouffier was made a Peer of France, a
Minister of State, and Privy Counsellor. In 1816, he returned to his former
seat in the Royal Academy, and contributed to the transactions of that learned
body. He died of an attack of apoplexy at AL\-la-Chapelle, June 20, 1817.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON'. 309
to be shewn to the Comte which can be granted to him. If
they are necessarily to be sold, it would be an essential obli-
gation to him, that the purchase could be made for hitii
agreeably to the instructions he may send for the purpose.
If the purchase were better made in the name of an English-
man, I would then beg you to authorize its being transacted
on my account, according to the Comte's instructions, and to
be paid for by his agent, or by drafts, on Messrs. Coutts, for
my behoof, which will be immediately honoured. The unfor-
tunate situation in which I stand will apologize to your Lord-
ship for my not adding more than the expression of my very
best wishes which ever attend you, and with which, I have
the honour to remain,
" Most faithfully and truly yours,
" Elgin.
" It were, I am sure, unnecessary for me to recommend to
your friendship and assistance the several matters in which
Sir Richard Bickerton, and my other friends, had taken a
warm interest for me. I am confident of your Lordship^s
kindness.^'
Arrived at Gibraltar, Lord Nelson had the Guerrier fitted
up for the reception of between 3 and 400 prisoners, and
suggested to the Admiralty the appointment of a Lieutenant,
Purser, and proper officers to her as a guard of safety. He
suggested also the propriety of a similar establishment at
Malta. He was much pleased with the Amphion, and de-
scribed her to Captain Sutton as one of the nicest frigates he
had seen. Off Messina he heard with much displeasure
that a breach of neutrality had been committed by Captain
FyfFe of the Cyclops, and by the Experiment, in the Bay of
Naples, at anchor, in sending their boats to capture two
French vessels coming into the port. One was immediately
restored, and the other directed to be so when it should
arrive at Malta. Nelson was very rigid in observing a strict
neutrality, and would not allow it to be broken with impu-
nity. He had upon his arrival at Malta, on the 15th, been
enthusiastically received. He left it on the l7th, and as the
310 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CilAP. VII.
following letter shews, was in the passage of the Faro on
the 20th :—
"June 20th, 1803.
" My dear Emma,
" I am now in the passage of the Pharo. Charles is with
me, and Captain Capel says behaves very well. I dare not
say more, for I never expect you will ever receive this letter
from
On June 25th :— '
" Yours."
" June 25th, off Capri.
" My dearest Emma,
" Close to Capri the view of Vesuvius calls so many cir-
cumstances to my mind, that it almost overpowers my
feelings, I do not believe that I shall have any opportunity
of sending this letter to Naples, and if I did, Lord Nelson
does not believe Mr. Elliot would have any opportunity of
sending it safely to England, therefore I can tell you little
more than here we are. AVe arrived at Malta June 15th, in
the afternoon, and sailed Thursday in the night. Lord Nelson
being so very anxious to join the fleet off Toulon. Sir A.
Ball is very well, but I think he looks melancholy. It was so
hot that I was glad to breathe the sea air again. I saw the
Marquis Testefatte — I think that is the name; he inquired
after you. What is going on in Italy I cannot tell you, and
if I could, dare not by this conveyance. The Admiral tells
me that very soon he shall have a good and safe opportunity,
therefore believe all the kind things I would say, and your
fertile imagination come up to them.
'* Yours.
" Charles is very well. The Maidstone is just in sight
from Naples, where she went with Mr. Elliot. Reports say,
by the Maidstone, that all at Naples have great confidence in
Lord Nelson."
' This, and the preceding letters, are without signature, and from the mode in
which they were written, display his caution in a correspondence through the
post.
1S03.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 311
Nelson was now much occupied in corresponding with
Mr. Elhot and Sir John Acton as to the conduct to be
pursued in order to preserve the Two Sicilies. Lord Nelson
was charged by the Government with the exercise of his
discretion as to the steps to be taken with regard to the Two
Sicilies and to the possession of the Citadel and Fort of
jSIessina. He was anxious to prepare against any accident ;
and to secure an asylum and safe retreat to the royal family,
he proposed to leave either a ship of the line or a frigate
always at Naples. In a private letter to Sir John Acton he
says, " If I know myself, it is to know that the more my friends
are in distress, the more I am anxious to save them. A mouse
assisted a lion, which is the only comparison I can make in
arrogating to myself the power of assisting a King of the
House of Bourbon ; and I am sorry to say, the only one who
has strictly preserved his honour, or dignity and fidelity to
his Alhes, and I shall feel proud in aiding you, my dear Sir
John, in saving these two fine kingdoms, and Mr. Elliot wdll
join us most cordially in this good work. All we must take
care of is, not to run the risk of Sicily, beyond the line of
prudence ; on this point, we rely (as the seaman's phrase is)
on your Excellency's look out. You must be aware of our dis-
tance, and be in time. I will, if you send to me off Toulon,
either attend myself, or send Sir Richard Bickerton.''^
Lord Nelson upon quitting Capri furnished his Excellency
Mr. Elliot with an order, directed to the Senior Captain of
His Majesty's ships in the Bay of Naples, to take on board,
upon its presentation, the King, Queen, and Royal family
of Naples and convey them to Palermo or such other place as
the King might choose to proceed to. The order also ex-
tended to His Majesty's Minister and suite, and also to afford
as much pi'otection as possible to British subjects and their
property. Nelson ordered Captain Richardson" of the Juno,
to cruise off Cape Spartivento and on the coast towards
Tarento for the purpose of interrupting French troops which
Nelson suspected would be conveyed along shore. His
orders were to take, sink, burn, and destroy them without
' From a copy in the Elliot Papers : Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 99.
^ This officer died after a long illness, December 28th, 1815.
312 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
regard to their being in any ship or vessel bearing a Neutral
flag. This determined measure arose from the French
having taken possession of Pescara, Brindisi, Otranto and
Tarento, and his fears that troops might thence be sent into
Sicily or on the coast of Calabria opposite. He also issued
orders to Captain Schomberg^ of the Madras, or the Senior
Officer of the ships at Malta to give any assistance that might
be required by General Villettes to 'convey troops from Malta
into Sicily. The importance of a Commander-in-chief of
Nelson's vigour and capacity was strongly manifested at this
time. His paper" to the Right Hon. Heniy Addington,
giving in brief the condition of Gibraltar, Algiers, Malta,
Sicily, Sardinia, Rome, Tuscany, Genoa or Liguria, and the
Morea, and his suggestions to the Government as to measures
which it might be deemed advisable to adopt, exhibits
Nelson's powers in a very prominent and effective manner.
The Rev. Mr. Scott, Lord Nelson's chaplain and translator,
' Cheu-les Marsh Schomberg was the son of Sir Alexander Schomberg, born at
Dublin, and went to sea with his father. He was in active service during the
Revolutionary war under Admiral Macbride with whom he continued until he
was made a Lieutenant in 1795. He served under Captain Louis of the Minotaur,
and with the Fleet off Cadiz was engaged in various daring enterprises with the
Spanish flotilla and land batteries. In 1798 he went to the Mediterranean and
was at the Battle of the Nile, where he took possession of the Aquilon. He was
afterwards actively engaged on the coast of Italy, as already described in the account
of Captain Louis's proceedings in the Minotaur. Lieutenaiit Schomberg accom-
jianied Lord Keith to Egypt in the Foudroyant, and was Flag Lieutenant on that
occasion. Advanced to the rank of Commander, he was appointed to the Terma-
gant sloop, and received the gold medal of the Imperial Ottoman Order of the
Crescent. After the evacuation of Egypt, he went to Tunis, and obtcdned the thanks
of Governor Ball, and the present of a piece of plate for his services. Upon his
return to England he was appointed to the Hibernia, and went to the Tagus. In
1 8 1 0 he commanded the Astrea, went to the Cape of Good Hope, was detached to the
^Mauritius and fought an action with a French squadron near Madagascar, May 21,
1811. In 1813, he was appointed to the Kisus, sent to Brazil, and convoyed
home a large fleet of merchantmen. In 1815, he was made C.B. and appointed
to the Rochfort, 80 guns, the Flag ship of Sir Graham Moore in 1820. He
returned in four years and was paid off at Chatham. He attained the rank of
Rear-Admiral, was, in addition to the Companionship of the Bath, a Knight
Conimander of the Guelphic Order, and of the Royal Portuguese Order of the
Tower and Sword. He died Lieutenant-Governor of Dominica, January 1st, 1835.
* See Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. lOG-11 ; from Autograph in the Sid-
mouih Papers.
1
1S03.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 313
says^ that the services in which Lord Nelson was at this time
engaged, were so comphcated and harassing, and requiring so
much untiring patience and watchfuhiess, that they gave full
and anxious employment not only to himself but to all who
were in his confidential service.
Off Monte Christo on the 1st of July, Lord Nelson ordered
Captain Hardy of the Amphion to seize all vessels and
property belonging to Genoa or the Ligurian Republic, the
Government of the RepubUc having adopted the wishes of
the French Minister as acts of their own Government, and
thei-eby become hostile to Great Britain. He transmitted
intelhgence of these transactions to Sir Evan Nepean, Bart,
for the Admiralty, and strongly advised an immediate block-
ade of Genoa in order to cut off supplies for the southern part
of France and the northern parts of Italy. On his course
from Monte Christo to Toulon, which voyage was unusually
slow from the frequent calms and contrary winds, Nelson
wrote the following letter to Lady Hamilton : —
" July, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
" Although I have wrote letters from various places, merely
to say ' Here I am,^ and ' There I am,'- — yet, as I have no
doubt but they would all be read, it was impossible for me to
say more than ' Here I am, and well,^ and I see no prospect
of any certain mode of conveyance, but by sea ; which, with
the means the Admiralty has given me, of small vessels, can
be but seldom.
'' Our passages have been enormously long. From Gib-
raltar to Malta, we were eleven days, arriving the 15th in the
evening, and sailing in the night of the 16th, that is, three in
the morning of the 17th, and it was the 26th before we got
off Capri ; where I had ordered the frigate, which carried
Mr. Elhot to Naples, to join me.
" I send you copies of the King and Queen's letters. I am
vexed that she did not mention you ! I can only account for
it, by her's being a political letter. You will only shew the
King and Queen's letters to some few particular friends. The
314 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIT.
King is very low ; lives mostly at Belvidere ; Mr. Elliot had
not seen either him or the Queen, from the l7th, the day of his
arrival, to the 21st. On the next day he was to be presented.
" I have made up my mind, that it is part of the plan of
that Corsican scoundrel, to conquer the kingdom of Naples.
He has marched 13,000 men into the kingdom, on the
Adriatic side ; and he will take possession with as much
shadow of right of Gaeta and Naples : and if the poor King
remonstrates, or allows us to secure Sicily, he will call it war,
and declare a conquest.
^'I have cautioned General Acton, not to risk the Royal
family too long, but Naples will be conquered, sooner or
later, as it may suit Buonaparte's convenience. The Morea
and Egypt are likewise in his eye. An army of full 70,000
men are assembling in Italy. I am, you may believe, very
anxious to get off Toulon, to join the Fleet. Sir R. Bickerton
went from oflP Naples, the day I left Gibraltar. We passed
Monte Christo, Bastia, and Cape Corse, yesterday ; and am
now moving slowly direct for Toulon. What force they
have I know not ; indeed, I am totally ignorant, some say
nine sail of the line, some say seven, some five. If the former,
they will come out, for we have only the same, number,
including sixty-fours, and very shortly manned. However,
I hope they will come out, and let us settle the matter. You
know I hate being kept in suspense.
''July 8th. — I left this note, to put down what force the
French have at Toulon. Seven sail of the line ready, five
frigates, and six corvettes. One or two more in about a week.
We to-day, eight sail of the line, to-morrow, seven, including
two sixty -four gun ships.
" I have not mentioned my Bronte affairs to Acton, as yet ;
but, if Naples remains much longer, I shall ask the question.
But I expect nothing from them. I believe, even Acton
wishes himself well and safely removed. I think from what
I hear that the King's spirits are so much depressed, that he
will give up the reins of Naples, at least to his son, and retire
to Sicily, Sir William, you know, always thought that he
would end his life so. Certainly, his situation must be
heart-breaking.
]803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 315
" We joined this morning the fleet. The men in the ships
are good ; but the ships themselves are a little the worse for
wear, and very short of their complements of men. We shall
never be better: therefore, let them come, the sooner the
better.
'^ I shall write a line to the Duke,^ that he may see I do
not forget my friends, and I rely on your saying every kind
thing for me to the Doctor, Mrs. Nelson, ^c. &c.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."'^
The following appears to be the letter of the King of
Naples to Lord Nelson, referred to in the preceding letter : —
" Admiral Nelson, Duke of Bronte,
" Your letter of the 10th of June gave me the liveliest
satisfaction, which would have been complete, could I have
had the pleasure of seeing you, but the reasons which induce
you to abstain from granting it to me I quite appreciate. I
recognize in that attention another proof of the constant
attachment which I have experienced on so many other cri-
tical occasions. The hand of Providence again weighs on me
and on my people. I see no hope or consolation but in the
friendship of your august Sovereign, who was always my
faithful and sincere ally. His support is certain, since he
has appointed you to the command in these seas. I shall
assuredly be under new obligations, and shall receive new
succour from your valour and activity, to which I am infi-
nitely indebted, as well as to the friendship of the British
nation. I must solicit your immediate consideration of my
position. I may lose the Kingdom of Naples, and must act
with circumspection, in saving one part, not to risk the whole
of the kingdom. Yon are too attached, and see too clearly
all the circumstances, for me to fear being compromised,
whilst I am also assured of being supported and perhaps
saved a second time. I am very desirous of making Monsr.
' Queensberry. " Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 123.
316 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIUAL [cHAP. VII.
Elliot's acquaintance. I knew his excellent father, and
have heard his praises spoken of. I trust in his intelligence,
and in yours. You know my mode of thinking, it will remain
the same to my last moment. Receive my wishes for all that
interests you in every respect ; and I pray God to have you,
Admiral Nelson, Duke of Bronte, in his holy keeping.
" Your affectionate
"Ferdinando B.
" At Naples, the 20th June, 1803."
Lord Nelson also wrote to his Royal Highness the Duke
of Clarence, and observed : —
" It is, perhaps, very difficult for any one to say what are
the plans of Buonaparte ; he is assembling a very large army in
Italy, and has ah'eady placed 13,000 men in the kingdom of
Naples. I think it can only be with a view to conquer it,
when it may, on some pretence or other, suit his convenience.
The Morea, and ultimately Egypt, are in his view ; therefore,
his assembling so many troops in Italy — they say full
80,000 — can only be for the purpose of removing them across
the Adriatic. With this idea, I fully expect that the French
fleet from Brest wil assuredly come into the Mediterranean,
to protect his army across the water, and along-shore from
Genoa, Leghorn, &c. which are full of troops. We must
keep a good look-out, both here and off Brest ; and if I have
the means, I shall try and fight one party or the other, before
they form a j unction.^' ^
On the 8th Lord Nelson joined the fleet with Sir Richard
Bickerton ; he found them looking well, but short of men.
Sir Richard was desirous of remaining with Nelson in the
Mediterranean, and requested him to communicate the same
to Earl St. Vincent, which he did, adding that he had no
objection, as he had always heard him spoken highly of as an
officer.
Captain Gore, of the Medusa, gave Nelson information of
' Claike andMcArthur, Vol. ii. p. 313.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 3l7
the strength of the French fleet in the harbour of Toulon,
and he determined on watching their movements most
strictly.
The following interesting letter to Lady Hamilton is from
Lord Nelson's Secretary : —
" Amphion, ofF Toulon, 8th July, 1803.
"Dear Madam,
" I had the honour of writing your Ladyship on the 3rd
ultimo, and in order that I might not be too late, sealed up
my letter just as we were going into Gibraltar Bay, on that
evening. His Lordship went on shore next morning at five
o'clock, after breakfast, to examine the state of the Yard, and
pay his respects to the Governor. He returned about twelve,
and after having finished his public dispatches, we left the
Rock at four in the afternoon. I had not an opportunity of
getting on shore to see the beauties of that place, nor did I
much desire it. War was considered there as inevitable, but
they had no account of it till our arrival ; there was no news
on the Rock. His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent had
been some time gone previous to our arrival ; Sir Thomas
Trigge, notwithstanding, continues to act under his Sign
Manual, but is now and then obliged to suspend some of his
orders (which, however well they may answer, with Royalty
to enforce them, are not perhaps so well calculated for
another officer). His Royal Highness's aides-de-camp con-
sider his return as certain ; it is not, however, the public
opinion, that such a desirable event is likely to take place,
and therefore they are endeavouring to reconcile themselves
to the absence of that illustrious military character. I forgot
to mention to your Ladyship that we captured a French
merchant brig off Tangier, and carried her into Gibraltar ;
she is supposed to be worth about £8000. On the 5th
ultimo we captured another French merchant brig and a
Dutch ship, and sent them to Malta. On the 11th his Lord-
ship sent the Maidstone to Naples with his Excellency Mr.
Elliot, who is really a pleasant, well-informed man. Gaetano
went with him to see his wife, and was in very high spirits
on the occasion. What a remarkable proof of his Lordship's
318 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. VII.
goodness of heart to jiart with a man, even for a short time,
so essentially necessary to his comfort, as a servant. We did
not set to Malta till the 15th, about four in the afternoon.
Sir Richard Bickerton had left that place on the 18th of May,
in consequence of the enemy's movements, and was informed
of the war on the 4th of June, by the Niger from Naples, the
French Minister at that Court having received the official
account of it some days previous to that, and long before it
was known through any other channel. It was not known
at Malta till we went there. We left that place on the l7th
ultimo, early in the morning. It is certainly one of the best
fortified towns in the world, and is worth every sacrifice we
have made to possess ourselves of it. I hope we shall never
give it up ; its local advantages to England are incalculable,
although the possessing it may cost a considerable sum. We
got off Naples on the 20th of June, and were joined by the
Maidstone, who brought Gaetano back ; this is a wonderful
proof of his attachment, and really more than I expected.
William did his best in the interval, though I fear was very
deficient in many instances. We are now on our way to
Toulon, where I hope we may soon arrive, and find the Vic-
tory before us, for although Captain Hardy's kind attention
cannot be excelled, yet the comfort of a large ship in this
climate is so desirable, that we are all wonderfully anxious to
fall in with her, and get settled. His Lordship, I have the
pleasure to tell your Ladyship, is quite well, and in excellent
health ; he has been very anxious (and no wonder, when it is
considered how necessary his presence is off Toulon.) to join
Sir Richard Bickerton. I have heard much of Lord Nelson's
abilities as an Officer and Statesman, but the account of the
latter is infinitely short. In my travels through the service
I have met with no character in any degree equal to his Lord-
ship ; his penetration is quick, judgment clear, wisdom great,
and his decisions correct and decided: nor does he in com-
pany appear to bear any weight on his mind, so cheerful and
pleasant that it is a happiness to be about his hand ; in fact,
he is a great and wondei'ful character, and very glad and
happy shall I be, if in the discharge of my duty, private and
public, I have the good fortune to meet his Lordship's aj)pro-
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 319
bation. With every uish for your Ladyship's health and
happiness, I have the honour to remain, \^'ith great regard,
'* Dear Madam,
" Your most obedient and faithful humble servant,
"John Scott.
" P.S. We arrived off here yesterday forenoon, and this
morning, 8th of July, fell in with Sir Richard Bickerton and
his squadron. We hear the Victory is in this country. I
hope in fourteen days she will be with us."
Lord Nelson also wrote to Lady Hamilton on the 1 2th : —
" Amphion, July 12th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
" 'Tis now near two months since my departure, and
thanks to the Admiralty, nothing is yet arrived, nor have I
heard the least bit of English news. It is my intention, the
first money I get, to pay off Mr. Graves* £2000 mortgage,
which is due 1st October next, and after that Mr. Davison ;
then I shall have Mr. Matcham's mortgage money lodged,
after which I shall send you some to begin next spring our
alterations ; but first 1 will, if I can, get out of debt, I am
talking as if I had made a fortune, and God knows, as yet I
have not received one farthing of Prize Money. Some vessels
are taken, but they, even if they are condemned, will not give
me much. Prize Money does not seem mj lot. However,
time must give me something handsome, and I shall keep
everybody alive, and on the look-out ; for although money may
not absolutely constitute the whole of happiness, yet we both
know that happiness sits much more easy when we have a
purse of money to resort to, and we must allow that there is
great comfort in it.
"July ISt/i. Off Toulon. We have just had a three
days gale, but we are close off Toulon, looking at them. 1
have not seen a single vessel these five days, except our own
fleet ; therefore, I neither can tell you news, nor have received
any. The happiness of keeping a station is always to have a
foul wind, and never to hear the delightful sound. Steady.
Victory, I hope, will soon join. I have heard Sutton has
made £8000. in her in his way to join me, but I fear with
320 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. VII.
my usual prize luck I shall not share for his prizes ; but
perseverance will do wonders, and some day I shall get very
rich. Hard}- has been very unwell, indeed I was afraid that
he would have been obliged to go home, but he is much
better. His loss would have been a most serious one to me.
Rev. Dr. Scott^ is very busy translating; his health is much
recovered. Murray, Hardy, and Mr. Scott are on a Court
Mai'tidl, so I have all the ship to myself. My Secretary I
esteem a treasure ; he is not only a clever man, but inde-
fatigable in his business, and an extraordinary well behaved,
modest man ; in short, I feel very well mounted at present,
and I trust shall have no reason to wish for any alteration.
I long to hear of your Norfolk excursion, and everything you
have been about, for I ever am most warmly interested in all
your actions.
'■'■ Jnhj 2\st. We have not seen a vessel these many days.
The Medusa and Termagant have been up the Gulf of Lyons,
they spoke some Spaniards from Marseilles who tell them
that all the seamen are sent to Toulon, and the merchant
ships laid up. We are anxious for the Victory joining, as we
are almost eating salt beef. Make my kind regards to Mrs.
Cadogan, and all our friends, and be assured I ever am,
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
On the 17th, Captain Langford, who was wounded at the
attack upon the Boulogne flotilla, wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" H. M. Ship Fury,
Downs, July 17th, 1803.
" My dear Lady,
^' Your kind mention of me to my family, believe me, is
very flattering to me, and has made me both proud and
grateful. I trust you will do me the justice to suppose I
should lose no opportunity in assuring you of my respects,
as well as informing you the moment I have any intimation
of following our noble Admiral to the Mediterranean — for
this you may guess I am extremely anxious. But I guess
Lord St. Vincent, in his great goodness, does not think the
' The Chaplain, not a Doctor at that time. See Appendix, No. II.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 321
Fury's services absolutely necessary in that quarter. After
having so long followed the fortunes of our noble friend^ I
confess I do not feel a relish for serving under any other, I
intend writing to Lord St. Vincent on the subject, and any
service you can be to me on the part of Lord Nelson, in this
case, I shall ever acknowledge with much gratitude. I am
grieved to find Sir William Bolton is still unemployed ; I had
expected from the Earl's promises, he would immediately on
the war have been called on.
" I am sure he must be happy in governing his present
command. I have not been as yet very successful ; in fact,
the station I am on (which is the Downs) does not admit of
it, being too far to the eastward to get prizes. I have had a
brush with our friends the Boulognese — but no mischief done.
My protegee is doing very well. I am much obliged to you
for your good intentions towards him.
' I hope you found the great County of Norfolk agreeable.
I am no friend to it. l*ray assure every body under your
roof of my respects, and believe me ever,
"Your much obliged,
" Fred. Langford."
Nelson was full of activity and eagerness regarding the
French fleet, and on the 21st wrote to Captain Gore, of the
Medusa, to gain every information respecting their move-
ments, fearing they might be joined by a squadron from the
West Indies or from Brest.
Sir Alexander Ball wrote to Lady Hamilton on the 23rd : —
" Malta, 23rd July, 1803.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
" I was happy to hear from our most worthy Nelson that
you were in good health, and supporting with as much for-
titude as possible the greatest loss which could happen to you,
but which you must have foreseen, and knowing it to be
unavoidable, your mind would be gradually preparing for
the awful event. I hope that you will now be many years
Mdthout meeting any misfortune to interrupt your peace of
mind.
" I have great satisfaction in acquainting you that Lord
vol. II. Y
322 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII,
Nelson never looked in better health than when here. He will,
I trust, return soon to his favourite spot with additional
honours and wealth. If you should have any person coming
here to whom I can be of use, pray command me, and con-
sider me among your zealous friends. I have had a great
deal of plague with the Foreign Ministers here. I found the
Prince of Pantellaria disaffected to his Sicilian Majesty's
Ministers, and very unfriendly to the English; he seemed
devoted to the French.
*' My family enjoy good health here. My son is grown
very much, and desires to be respectfully remembered to you.
Adieu, my dear Lady Hamilton. Believe me, with every
wish, your obliged and affectionate friend,
" Alexander John Ball."
The Queen of Naples wrote to Lady Hamilton at this
time : —
" My dear Lady,
*' I take advantage of the departure of Mr, A'Court.^ to
write to you. It is really so difficult now to find an oppor-
tunity of communicating with England, that one is glad to
seize any offer. I embrace this in order to assure you of my
constant and unchanging sentiments towards you. I learnt
with great interest and regret the loss you have sustained of
the good Chevalier, and what much distresses me is, that you
are left so indifferently provided for : that, I am really much
grieved to hear, for I take the liveliest interest in all that
concerns you. My health is always ailing; that of my
dear children, thank God, is good. We all recall with gra-
titude the many attentions you bestowed upon us, and only
desire to be able to shew you how we appreciate them. The
command in the Mediterranean being given to the brave and
virtuous Lord Nelson has filled us with joy, and we already
feel the happy results of it. Adieu, my dear Lady ; let me
have news of you sometimes, and believe me for life your
grateful friend,
" Charlotte.
" The 26th July, 1803."
' Afterwards Lord Heytesbury.
1803.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 323
Lord Nelson wrote to her Majesty the same day : —
"Off Toulon, July 26, 1803.
" Madam,
*' The first great object which is always nearest my heart
is the safety of the persons of your Majesties, and of all the
Royal Family. The second, so far as it is in my power, is
that of the Kingdom of Naples, which is a very difficult
affair.
"If your Majesty were to act with all the circumspection
in your power, either the French would feel themselves
offended, or, what is worse, if possible, their assistance would
be given by force to the King, for the preservation of Sicily.
The great wisdom of your Majesty will know all that I could
allege upon this subject. I shall therefore only say, that if
Sicily is lost, Europe will blame the councils of his Sicilian
Majesty, and Lord Nelson, for having been so weak as to
pay attention to, or credit what is reported by the agents of
the present French Government,
" 1 have written to the English Government, declaring
fully the unhappy position of the Kingdom of Naples ; regret-
ting the orders given for the return of the army of Egypt,
and setting forth with energy the necessity for sending troops
not only to assist in the defence of Sicily, but in sufficient
numbers to place garrisons in Gaeta, in the castles of Naples,
if it should be expedient, and to send a body of men into
Calabria, to support the loyal and brave inhabitants of that
country of mountains, in case the French should be too
imperious in their demands.
" His Excellency, Mr. Elliot, will inform your Majesty of
the difficulty I have in leaving a ship of the line at Naples,
considering the present state of the enemy's fleet at Toulon ;
but I will never permit my personal feelings to weigh against
the sacred interest which I shall always take in the safety
and well-being of your Majesties, and of all the Royal
Family; and I assure your Majesty that I am always
" Your most devoted and faithful servant,
"Nelson and Buonte.'^'
' Life of the Rev. Dr. Scott, p. 111.
Y 2
324 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAI- [CHAP. VII.
Nelson was rendered unhappy at this time by intelHgence
that his friend Mr. Davison had got into trouble, and been
prosecuted for bribery at the Ilchester election, and for which
in April, 1804, he was sentenced by the Court of King's
Bench to twelve months imprisonment in the Marshalsea
prison. In a letter of the 27th, Nelson says, " I hope in
God. my dear Davison, that you will get over these damned
prosecutions for the election. It has, and does give me very
serious uneasiness."^ And on the 24th August : " I was glad
to hear, and hope it will prove true, that your damned elec-
tioneering business will be got quit of. It has cost me many
bitter pangs : and without those feelings for our friends,
there can be no friendship."^
On the 1st of August, Lord Nelson wrote off Toulon to
Lady Hamilton : —
"Victory, off Toulon, August 1, 1803.
*' My dearest Emma,
"Your letter of May 31, which came under cover to Mr.
Noble, of Naples, inclosing Davison's correspondence with
Plymouth, arrived by the Phoebe two days ago ; and this is
the only scrap of a pen which has been received by any per-
son in the fleet since we sailed from England. You will
readily conceive the sensations which the sight and reading
even your few lines [occasioned]. Sutton joined me yester-
day, and we are all got into the Victory, and a few days will
put us in order. Everybody gives a very excellent character
of Mr. Chevalier, the servant recommended by Mr. Davison ;
and I shall certainly live as frugal as my situation will admit.
I have known the pinch, and shall endeavour never to know
it again. I want iJ2000. to pay off Mr. Greaves,'' on October
1st, but I have not received one farthing; I hope to receive
some soon. Mr. Haslewood pi'omised to see this matter kept
right for me.
" Hardy is now busy, hanging up your and Horatia's pic-
ture ; and I trust soon to see the other two safe arrived from
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 143. From an autograph in the possession
of Colonel Davison. ^ Ibid. p. 175.
^ On account of the purchase of Merton.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 325
the Exhibition. You will not expect much news from us.
We see nothing. I have great fear that all Naples will fall into
the hands of the French ; and, if Acton does not take care,
Sicily also. However, I have given my final advice so fully
and strongly, that, let what will happen, they cannot blame
me. Captain Capel says, Mr. Elliot cannot bear Naples.
I have no doubt but that it is very different to your time.
" The Queen, I fancy by the seal, has sent a letter to Castel-
cicala ; her letter to me is only thanks for my attention to
the safety of the kingdom. If Dr. Scott has time, and is
able, he shall write a copy for you. The King is very much
retired. He would not see the French General St. Cyr;
who came to Naples, to settle the contribution for the payment
of the French army. The Queen was ordered to give him
and the French Minister a dinner, but the King staid at Bel-
videre. I think he will give it up soon, and retire to Sicily,
if the French will allow him. Acton has never dared give
Mr. Elliot, or one Englishman, a dinner.
" The fleet are ready to come forth ; but they will not come
for the sake of fighting me. I have this day made George
Elliot, Post ; Lieutenant Pettit, a Master and Commander ;
and Mr, Hindmarsh, the gunner's son of the Bellerophon,
who behaved so well this day five years, a Lieutenant. I reckon
to have lost two French seventy- fours by my not coming out
in the Victory ; but I hope they will come soon, with interest.
This goes to Gibraltar, by Sutton, in the Amphion. I shall
write the Doctor in a day or two. I see by the French
papers he has kissed hands. With regards, &c. &c.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."^
Lord Nelson dispatched Captain Sutton of the Amphion
to cruise from Cape Spartel towards Madeira, and thence to
Cape St. Vincent and to Cape Spartel, to gain information
of the French fleet, and acquainted the Admiralty that the
enemy's force consisted of seven sail of the line, five or six
frigates, and six or seven corvettes. At Genoa there were
three Genoese vessels of war, about forty sail of merchant
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 129.
326 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
ships, and throe Dutch merchantmen ; and at Marseilles, he
learnt from vessels that had been spoken with, they were
putting in requisition eighty or ninety sail of vessels of about
forty tons each, to be fitted as gun-boats, and to proceed by
the Canal of Languedoc to Bordeaux. He directed Captain
Sir Richard Strachan, Bart., of the Donegal, to proceed to
the Straits of Gibraltar, and look after a French seventy-four
and some frigates at Cadiz, impeding our trade.
To Lady Hamilton he wrote on the 10th : —
"Victory, oflf Toulon, August 10th, 1803.
"■ My dearest Emma,
" I take the opportunity of Mr. A^Court's going through
Spain with Mr. Elliot's dispatches for England, to send this
letter : for I would not for the world, miss any opportunity of
sending you a line,
*' By Gibraltar I wrote you as lately as the 4 th ; but
all our ways of communicating with England are very un-
certain ; and I believe the Admiralty must have forgot us ;
for not a vessel of any kind or sort has joined us since I left
Sj)ithead. News I absolutely am ignorant of; except that a
schooner, belonging to me, put her nose into Toulon ; and
four frigates popped out and have taken her, and a transport
loaded with water for the fleet. However, I hope to have an
o]}portunity, very soon, of paying them the debt with interest.
"Mr. A'Court says, at Naples they hope that the mediation
of Russia will save them : but I doubt if Russia will go to
war with the French for any kingdom ; and they, poor souls !
relying on a broken reed will lose Sicily.
" As for getting anything for Bronte, I cannot expect it ;
for the finances of Naples are worse than ever. Patienza,
however, I will.
" I see many Bishops are dead. Is my brother tired of
Canterbury ? I wish I could make him a Bishop. If you
see him, or write, say that I have not ten minutes to send
away Mr. A'Court, who cannot be detained.
" I hope Lord St. Vincent has sent out Sir William Bolton.
As soon as I know who is first Lord, I will write him.''^
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 130.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 327
Lord Nelson ordered Captain Cracraft of the Anson to
proceed off Cape Sparticnto, and between that and the
entrance of the Adriatic, learning that the French intended
sending a squadron of frigates into the Adriatic to protect
their army at the heel of Italy. He lost no opportunity with,
it must be admitted, very inadequate means, to protect our
commerce in every direction.
In this month he endeavoured to effect an exchange of
prisoners with the French Admiral, but his letter was refused
acceptance. His offer was again made to Admiral La Touche,
and the reply to this was, from the singular course adopted by
the French Admiral by sending it through Paris, only received
by Lord Nelson by the attention of Lambton Este, Esq. who
addressed his Lordship as follows : —
" Malta, July 7th, 1804.
" My Lord,
" While searching, this morning, the old papers at the
Post Office for certain letters of my own, concerning which
not any accurate account could be given, I accidentally met
with the inclosed ; from the signature on the direction, per-
ceiving it to be on public service, I can feel but doubly
assiduous in forwarding it to your Lordship.
*^The letter brought by the Italian post from Sicily to
Malta, about the middle of the month of May, has been laying
at the office ever since, and but for a mere chance might have
continued there to remain.
" This instance, one among very many others it has been
my fate to witness generally through the Mediterranean
during the Egyptian expedition, no less than in the course
of my present voyage, may serve to convince your Lordship,
how from want of arrangement and regularity, the general
service may suffer ; while scarcely any individual can escape
the inconveniences occasioned thereby.
" I venture thus to trouble your Lordship, as in the course
of my various voyages at different periods, and in different
parts of the Mediterranean, with the greatest deference to your
Lordship's better judgment and opinion, it has ever appeared
that were the general inspections and superintendence of the
posts given in charge to some active intelligent person well
328 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
acquainted with the Mediterranean, the service might be
materially benefited, and every individual embarked in its
different departments, not only at Gibraltar and Malta, but
generally ; while such as are engaged in civil and commercial
pursuits, along the Barbarese-Levant and Adi'iatic, together
with the former, might thence derive most material and
important accommodation.
" I have the honour to remain,
"My Lord,
" With the greatest consideration and profound respect,
" Your Lordship's most humble and obedient servant,
"Lambton Este.
" Private Secretary to the Consul General in Egypt.
" Vice- Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson^
&c. &c. &c."
This was acknowledged by Lord Nelson, August 3rd, 1804 :
" I feel very much obliged by your letter of July 7th, and for
Monsieur La Touche's letter, who, I suppose, not knowing
irJicre to find me, directed to Malta. I most perfectly
agree with you on the great irregularity of our Post Offices in
this country, but the mending them does not only not rest
with me, but, probably, if 1 was to meddle or recommend, it
might make had worse. I hope you left your worthy father
well : do little wonder that you are not at your post in Egypt.
I had a line from Mr. Lock from Naples : reports say that
he is first going to Constantinople."^
' Mr. now Dr. Lambton Este, was the son of the Rev. C. Este, well known to
Lady Hamilton, and was introduced to Lord Nelson by the following letter : —
" My most dear and greatly to be honoured Lord, I cannot help troubUng you
with a line or two, for a beloved son of mine, who once dined with you at Merton,
is again going through the Mediterranean to Egypt. When there before he was
one of the Surgeons to the Guards. Now he goes with the mission of Mr. Lock
as the Secretary and Physician. In the strange vicissitudes of Time and Chance
it may so happen that he may come into your notice and correspondence : if it
should be so, my dear Lord, I will answer for his manly conduct and unoffending
manners ; for the faithfulness and good aiTections of his heart.
" Adieu, adieu, Sir, the time and my spirits fail me to say more, than that the
order for going to Portsmouth came with cruel abruptness but a few hours ago,
and that my Lady, the most noble creature living, has been writing for us ever
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 329
In the exercise of these great and unwearied exertions
requiring incessant attention and watchfulness, Nelson pre-
since. With kind emotions more than I can utter, and with esteem and admiration
too, my most dear Lord, again and again, very tenderly adieu.
" Your most obHged servant,
" C. ESTE.
"Feb. 3, 1804, at midnight."
Mr. Este thus acknowledges Lord Nelson's letter : —
" Malta, August 20th, 1804.
" My Lord,
" Your Lordship's favour of the 3rd of August, I had the honour of receiving
duly by the Amazon ; not at all surprised that Monsieur Latouche Ti-eville should
be endeavouring to find your Lordship any whei'e where your Lordship does not
happen to be — cannot abandon hope that your Lordship may yet have fair oppor-
tunity of letting him know, and in the most unequivocal manner, precisely where
it is, your Lordship may, occasionally, be met with, in order not to leave room
for mistakes in future.
"The administration of the posts — I never should have ventured to mention
to your Lordship — had the inconveniences thereof been confined to myself or to
my friends. But in the course of present and preceding voyages, 1 never remember
meeting a single individual in any rank or situation, who had not been to greater
or less degree a sufferer.
" Under such an impression, and the remembrance of certain observations,
not in the way of every person to make, I felt it incumbent upon myself, as a kind
of duty, to communicate the result of my experience to your Lordship ; especially
on an opportunity, and an act of irregularity, like that of Monsieur Latouche
Treville's letter.
' ' The inclosed will afford further confirmation of any thing that may have been
before mentioned ; no account is given of it — the present letter did not appear at
the Post OfBce till very lately — probably came from Gibraltar in the Termagant,
and for some trivial reason or other had been thrown into that part of the office,
commonly called in England, the Dead Letter Office, whence I have the honour
of redeeming and of forwarding it.
" My father, concerning whom your Lordship makes such kind inquiries, I
parted with in high health in London ; on leaving him he put the annexed into
my hand, and desired me to deliver the same unto your Lordship- — I have since
been preserving it, under vain but flattering expectations that the chapter of
accidents might have afforded me the satisfaction of so doing.
" Mr. Lock on the 19th of June, with Captain Vincent of the Arrow, sailed
for Smyrna. Captain Vincent has since written to announce their speedy voyage.
Mr. Lock may be expected daily, on return to Malta before taking a fresh depar-
ture for the Levant, or will send such instructions as will determine and guide the
movements of,
" My Lord,
" With the greatest cons^ideration and respect,
" Your Lordship's
" Most humble and most obedient servant,
" Lambton Este."
330 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII'
served his health and spirits, as appears from the following
letter from his Chaplain to Lady Hamilton : —
"August I8th, 1803.
" Dear Lady Hamilton,
'^' I have the pleasure to assure you upon my honour that
Lord Nelson is well both in health and spirits, hoping as he does
most sanguinely to meet the enemy's fleet, and gather some
more laurels. I have just read your letter, and can solemnly
declare no one circumstance for years past has given me so
much pleasure as this proof of your remembrance of me. In
attaching myself to Lord Nelson I really considered you, as
it were a part of him, and to say truth was sorry you did not,
as I thought, like me enough. You have written to me, and
I am contented. If you knew me long, you would rely upon
my word, when I assure you that I hold as sacred this pro-
fession of attachment to you and Lord Nelson.
" I ought, perhaps, to have written to your Ladyship in a
more distant and formal manner, but as it comes from the
very bottom of my heart, you will pardon me on account of
my sincerity. I am happy to hear all the family are well,
and hope they will remember me, and accept of my best wishes
and respects.
" I am ever,
" With the most devoted regard,
" Your Ladyship's faithful friend and humble servant,
" A. J. Scott.
*' I have been so delighted with hearing from your Lady-
ship, that I have not thanked you for the verses, which are
excellent.
" Addio I e qualche volte almeno
" Ricordati di me."
" Lazaretto, Malta, September 18th, 1804.
" My Lord,
"The inclosed dispatch, left open for your Lordship's perusal, contains the
particulars of the unhappy fate of Charles Lock, Esq. late Consul-General in Egypt,
Again, my Lord, I remain,
" &c. &c. &c.
" Lambton Este."
Mr. Lock died of the Plague in the Lazaretto at Malta, September 12, 1804.
Mr. Este placed himself in the Lazaretto, and attended him and two of his suite,
who also fell victims to the pestilence.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 331
On the 21st Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
*« August 21st, 1803.
" We have had, my dearest Emma, two days pretty strong
gales. The Canopus has lost her fore-yard, but we shall put
her in order again. This is the fourth gale we have had since
July 6th, but the Victory is so easy at sea, that I trust we
shall never receive any material damage. It is never my
intention, if I can help it, to go into any port — my business
is to be at sea, and get hold of the French fleet, and so I shall
by patience and perseverance. As for Malta you know what
I said about it in Parliament — it is useless to us for the
blockade of Toulon, and nothing but an action, and probably
not that, can ever make me go there — it takes upon the
average seven weeks to get an answer to a letter. Malta and
Toulon are entirely different services. It struck me that it
was a horrid place, and all the captains who have been laid
up there detest it. Our friend Ball, if I am not mistaken,
wishes himself afloat, but he is too proud to own it. He is,
I can assure you, a great man, and on many occasions appears
to forget that he was a seaman, he is bit with the dignity of
the Corps Diplomatique ; but I differ with no one, however
I can think a little, and can see a little into a mill-stone.
" I entreat that you will let nothing fret you, only believe
me, once for all, that I am ever your own Nelson. I have
not a thought except on you and the French fleet — all my
thoughts, plans, and toils tend to those two objects, and I
will embrace them both so close when I can lay hold of either
one or the other, that the devil himself should not separate us.
Don't laugh at my putting you and the French fleet together,
but you cannot be separated. I long to see you both in your
proper places, the French fleet at sea, you at dear Merton,
which in every sense of the word, I expect to find a paradise.
I send you a copy of Gibbs's letter, my answer, and my letter
to Mr. Noble about your things, and I will take all care that
they shall get home safe."
Lord Nelson was anxious that Mr. Abraham Gibbs of
Palermo should undertake the management of his Bronte
estate, and wrote to him on the subject August 1 1th, 1 2th, and
332 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP, VII.
13th. It appears from some fragments of letters among his
papers that his property at Bronte had been much mis-
managed. In one of these he says: —
" I see that Grseffer has pensioned some man that is said
to have gained my cause, 65 ounces a year, and Gibbs recom-
mends me to buy him off. This is one thing that I never
heard of before, however I have sent Gibbs an order to
receive this year's rents, and to sell the stock on the farm,
that the debts may be paid as soon as possible. You may
rely that I shall take care and settle something, if possible,
solid before I leave this country. It is more than two months
since I have heard from Naples, and till yesterday five weeks
since I heard from Malta. I had a letter from poor Macaulay,
he desires to be most kindly remembered to you. I hear
Mr. Elliot does not like Naples, indeed I can conceive it is
very different to what it was in our time. Do you ever hear
from the Queen ? I fear that she is a time-serving woman,
and cares for no one except for those at the moment who may
be useful to her. However, time will shew. I am every day
taking care of them. It is seven weeks since I heard from
Gibraltar, for I have no small vessels to send about. We
are cruising here in hopes some day to get hold of the French
fleet, and that will repay us for all our toils."
In another fragment he writes that he is determined to lay
out no more, and adds : —
"They say the house which is fitted up is ridiculous.
Instead of a farm house it is a palace — quite a folly in Graeffer.
" I had yesterday Charles on board to dine with me ; he is
not much grown, but Captain Capel says he behaves very
well. I want to know what changes have taken place at the
Admiralty — the French papers have announced Lord Castle-
reagh. I have wrote to Mr. Booth, and to Mr. Haslewood,
and ordered home from Gibraltar £2100. to pay off Mr.
Greaves, and I hope it will arrive before the 1st of October,
but if it should not, I trust that Haslewood will manage that
I get into no scrape. It is the first-fruits of prize-money,
not much you will say, but I am not over fortunate in that
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 333
respect. Be so good as to write a note to Haslewood. I
long to be out of debt. I see by the papers that my cause
has been argued and judgment deferred, I hope I shall get it,
I long to know Haslewood's opinion. You will be sorry but
not surprised to hear of Lord Bristol's death. ^ We are all
well, and with kindest regards to Mrs. Cadogan, and all friends,
believe me,
*' Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
The following is Mr. Gibbs's reply to Lord Nelson : —
" Palermo, 12th September, 1803-
" My Lord,
" I have had the honour of receiving your Lordship's kind
letters, 11th, 12th, and 13th ultimo, which are highly flat-
tering to me. Allow me to assure your Lordship, that I regard
the Bronte estate as if it belonged to myself, and have the
satisfaction to acquaint you, that by the pressing orders given
since my an-ival, matters are already in a great state of forward-
ness. The old accounts are under examination, pai't of the un-
necessary expenses diminished, the Baschetto farmed out, and
the debt of four thousand ounces to the Archbishop of Bronte
ordered to be discharged from this year's rents.
" Your Lordship is right, that nothing was repaid of the
seven thousand ounces borrowed, which, with interest from
the first period, is swelled to near eight thousand ounces.
The occasion of there being no money resulting from the
estate was, that poor Grseffer employed three years' rent for
fitting up the house and improving the farm, instead of two
years' rent as first intended, for reasons that he wrote your
Lordship at the time. I have thought, therefore, that these
four thousand ounces might as well be paid out of the full
rental due next August, 1804, and there would remain over
at that period another thousand pounds to remit to your
' This nobleman before mentioned was fourth Earl of Bristol, and also Bishop
of Derry. He died on the 8th of July, 1803. To avoid any superstitious ex-
hibition on the part of sailors, who entertain a dread of having a corpse on board,
his Lordship's body was packed up in a case, and shipped as an antique statue !
Could he have anticipated such a circumstance, it would have afforded him a
capital subject to have written upon.
334 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VII.
banker, when the estate will be quite clear, so as to enable
you to have the full rental of the year 1805, unless, however,
it should be your Lordship's pleasure to accept of the best
offer made for the hire of the farm for a certain number of
years.
'* I have written last past to Mr, Broadbent to entreat him
to renew his offer, that it may be in my power to decide upon
the plan most suitable to your Lordship's interest, and as soon
as Sir John Acton may have been pleased to communicate to
me his Sicilian Majesty's determination relative to your Lord-
ship's desire, to receive the value of the estate. I addressed
Sir John the 9th instant upon the subject, in the manner you
directed me, and sent my letter under cover to Cavaliere
Gerardi, who is his present secretary, and my friend. I flatter
myself therefore, that I shall shortly have the pleasure of
sending your Lordship some satisfactoiy answer from Sir
John Acton.
" In the event of the estate being hired, I shall be mindful
of all your Lordship's orders ; but supposing his Majesty
should insinuate your Lordship's selling the estate to the
best bidder, and that I should be able to find an equitable
offer for it, would this be anyways against your Lordship's
inclination ?^
" I expect hither Mrs. Graeffer every hour from^Bronte ;
her presence will facilitate the classing of the past concerns,
she is very desirous of remaining some time longer at Bronte,
and considers it would be for your Lordship's interest.
" How very fortunate it was my landing dear Lady Hamil-
ton's cases at Girgenti from the vessel that was taken in
returning to Malta, and sent to Tunis : I had a foresight of
this accident, owing to the number of French privateers in
the south parts of Sicily ; 1 expect the cases are embarked
for Malta at this hour to Mr. Noble's care (either by the
Spider brig or Cyclops), who writes me that he had received
your Lordship's directions to forward them to England.
" The Arms of Bronte" are ordered, and will be sent to
your Lordship immediately. Those of your Lordship are
' Lord Nelson has written ' Quite the contrary,' against this paragraph.
* Lord Nelson was desirous of having them for the Herald's College.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 335
sought for here to be placed among the rest of the nobility
of the island, and at Bronte particularly.
" Mr. Taught and me, and Mrs. Porcelli are extremely
flattered by your Lordship's remembrance ; the former lost
his wife the 9th instant. Your godchild really grows a fine
boy, and is the comfort of the family.
^' We can have no news here but what is known to your
Lordship through Mr. Elliot.
" I hope I have not trespassed upon your Lordship's time,
and have the honour to be, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's most obedient, and
" Most humble servant,
" Abraham Gibbs.
"The Right Hon. Lord Nelson, K.B.
Duke of Bronte, &c. &c. &c."
On the 24th, Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
"Victory, August 24th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
"Yesterday brought me letters from Mrs. Grseffer,via Malta.
As far as my own private concerns can occupy my attention
in these times, they have made me angry, but I have done.
I am glad I wrote to Gibbs ; if I have time I will send you
copies. In one part, she says, that if I had been there, I
should have spent more ; that might be, and yet very improper
for them. She says, the house cost so much. Why did it?
it was not my ordering. Graeffer thought that I approved
giving to the poor ; so I am to be held forth as angry at a few
ounces given to the poor, but I have done ; what I have
promised shall be punctually and regularly paid. From some
expression in her letter, I think she means to say that she
cannot live for £200. a-year. I suppose she will say some-
thing of it to you. She intends to reside at Palermo, and she
wants me to apply to the Court for a pension. Do yoi know
the King never knew of my wish to resign Bronte ; it is
said, Acton dare not tell him, and now I fear the French will
have Sicily, so that I shall be well off. If that does not
happen, 1 shall hope to get regularly £2000. a-year — that
will be a pretty addition to our housekeeping.
" Mr. A'Court told me that Castelcicala was as great a
favourite as ever with the Queen, and that if Acton went
away she would try and have him Prime Minister — then I
336 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
believe the kingdom would be well governed. If she has not
wrote you she is an ungrateful . Admiral Campbell is
on board, and desires his best compliments. He has made a
large fortune in the Channel Fleet — so much the better — the
more we take from the French the less they have, and the
sooner, I hope, we shall have peace. I have given Mrs.
Johnson's letter to the lad South, and have promised him my
protection if he is a good boy. Whenever young Faddy
comes, he shall be promoted.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
Small as was the amount of prize-money Lord Nelson was so
fortunate as to obtain, the appointment of Agents seems to
have given him no little trouble. The following fragment of
a letter applies to one of these occasions : —
" To say the truth, I am so situated between Davison and
Mr. Marsh that I do not think I ever can name an Agent
again. I have had many and great obligations to both of
them, and I never put a sixpence into Mr. Marsh's pocket —
to Davison it has been twice in my power. Say he has touched
(besides the use of the money, which you may lay at £10,000),
full £15,000, and when I told Davison how I was situated
with Mr. Marsh, and that I wished to name them together,
Davison declined it, and said, ' Whatever you do, let me stand
alone.' I may never have the power of naming one alone,
for Secretaries and other Admirals will naturally look to the
compliment being also paid them of joining together ; there-
fore, if Davison will never be joined, I see but little chance
of my being able to name him alone, and indeed. Captains
have naturally so many friends of their own, that it is not to
be expected. I have wrote Davison pretty near as much
some time ago, but he may be assured that I shall never omit
an opportunity when it can be done with propriety, and I am
sure he is too much my friend to wish to place me in difficul-
ties ; but keep this to yourself. I will for a moment suppose
a case which may happen : We take the French fleet, the
' Sir George Campbell, G.C.B., attained the rank of Admiral of the White,
was appointed Commander-in-chief at Portsmouth, and in a fit of derangement,
shot himself, January 23, 1821.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 337
Captains name the three Secretaries, and pay me, perhaps,
the compliment of asking me to name a person in England
to do the business. I should, of course, wish to join Mr,
Davison and Mr. Marsh ; it would hurt me for him to refuse
to be joined to Mr. Marsh and the Secretaries here, and yet
he would do it; I know he would give up the proportion,
and only ask to have his name stand alone, but neither the
captors nor the other parties would agree to it ; therefore, I
know of no other way but not taking the French fleet, and
that would be very hard upon me ; but I have done with that
subject. What is it that Mrs. Denis thinks that I can be
useful to Mr. Denis in at Civita Vecchia ; no prizes can be
carried in there; even if the Pope would allow it, nobody
would trust their property under the Pope's care, therefore,
I know of nothing. I shall never have any communication
with that place now Lord Bristol is dead. It cannot be an
object for them to go out, the pay will not hire their lodgings,
and there can be no trade till the Peace.
" N. & B."
On the 26th he again wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
"August 26th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
" By the Canopus, Admiral Campbell, I have received all
your truly kind and affectionate letters, from May 20th to
July 3rd, with the exception of one dated May 3 1st, sent to
Naples.
" This is the first communication I have had with England
since we sailed.
" I do not think it can be a long war ; and I believe it will
be much shorter than people expect : and I shall hope to find
the new room built ; the grounds laid out, neatly but not
expensively ; new Piccadilly gates ; kitchen garden, &c. Only
let us have a peace, and then all will go on well. It will be
a great source of amusement to you ; and Horatia shall plant
a tree. I dare say she will be very busy. Mrs. Nelson, or
Mrs. Bolton, &c. will be with you ; and time will pass away
till I have the happiness of ariving at Merton.
" I feel all your good mother's kindness ; and, I trust, that
w^e shall turn rich by being economists. Spending money to
please a pack of people is folly, and without thanks. 1 de-
VOL. II. z
338 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
sire that you will say every kind thing from me to her, and
make her a present of something in my name.
*' Dr. Scott^ is gone with my mission to Algiers, or I would
send you a copy of the King and Queen's letter. I send you
one from the Queen. Both King, Queen, and Acton, were
very civil to Sir William Bolton. He dined with Acton.
" Bolton does very well in his brig ; but he has made not
a farthing of prize-money. If I knew where to send him for
some, he should go ; but, unless we have a Spanish war, I
shall live here at a great expense ; although Mr. Chevalier^
takes every care, and I have great reason to be satisfied.
" I have just asked William, who behaves very well, whe-
ther he chooses to remit any of his wages to his father ; it
does not appear he does at present. He is paid, by the King,
eighteen pounds a-year, as one of my retinue ; therefore, I
have nothing to pay. I have told him, whenever he chooses
to send any, to tell Mr. Scott, or Captain Hardy, and he
will receive a remittance bill ; so he may now act as he
pleases.
"Apropos of Mr. Scott. ^ He is very much obliged to you
for your news of Mrs. Scott's being brought to bed. No
letters came in the cutter but to me, and he was very uneasy.
He is a very excellent good man ; and I am very fortunate in
having such a one.
" I admire your kindness to my dear sister Bolton. I h^ve
wrote her that certainly I will assist Tom Bolton at College.
It is better, as 1 tell her, not to promise more than I am sure
I can perform. It is only doing them an injury. I tell her,
if vacancies, please God, should happen, that my income
will be much increased.
" With respect to Mr. Bolton — every body knows, that I
have no interest ; nobody cares for me : but, if he will point
out what he wants, I will try what can be done. But I am
sure, he will not be half so well off as at present. Supposing
he could get a place of a few hundreds a-year, he would be a ten
times poorer man than he is at present. I could convince you
of it, in a moment ; but if I was to begin then it would be
said 1 wanted inclination to render them a service.
' His Chaplain and Private Secretary.
■^ His Steward. ' His Secretary.
1803,] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 339
'^ I should like to see Sir Home Popham's book. I cannot
conceive how a man that is reported to have been so extrava-
gant of Government's money, to say no worse, can make a
good story.
" I wish Mr. Addington would give you five hundred
pounds a-year ; then, you would be better able to give away
than at present. But your purse, my dear Emma, will always
be empty : your heart is generous beyond your means.
" Your good mother is always sure of my sincerest regard ;
pray tell her so. Connor is getting on very well : but, I can-
not ask Captain Capel to rate him ; that must depend upon
the boy's fitness, and Capel's kindness. I have placed another
year's allowance of thirty pounds in Capel's hands, and given
Connor a present.
" I have wrote to Dumouriez ; therefore, I will only trouble
you to say how much I respect him. I fancy he must have
suffered great distress at Altona. However, I hope he will
now be comfortable for life. He is a very clever man, and
beats our Generals, out and out. Don't they feel his coming ?
Advise him not to make enemies by shewing he knows more
than some of us. Envy knows no bounds to its persecution.
He has seen the world, and will be on his guard.
*' I put Suckling into a frigate, with a very good man, who
has a schoolmaster ; he does very well. Bulkeley will be a
most excellent sea officer ; it is a pity he has not served his
time. I have answered Mr. Suckling's letter.
" Mr. Denis's relation has been long in the Victory ; but,
if the Admiralty will not promote my Lieutenants, they must
all make a retrograde motion. But, I hope, they will not do
such a cruel thing. I have had a very affectionate letter from
Lord Minto. I hope George will be confirmed ; but the Earl
will not answer his application. I shall send you some sherry,
and a cask of paxoretti, by the convoy. Perhaps it had
better go to Merton at once, or to Davison's cellar, where
the wine-cooper can draw it off". I have two pipes of sherry
that is bad ; but, if you like, you can send the Doctor a hogs-
head of that which is coming. Davison will pay all the
duties. Send it entirely free, even to the carriage. You
know, doing the thing well, is twice doing it ; for, sometimes,
carriage is more thought off" than the prime cost.
7 9
340 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VII.
" The paxoretti I have given to Davison ; and ordered one
hogshead of sherry to Canterbury, and one to dear Merton.
Captain Donnelly, afterwards Rear- Admiral Sir Ross Don-
nelly,- K.C.B., was ordered by Lord Nelson to repair in the
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 146.
^ Ross Donnelly, a distinguished officer, entered the Navy early in the Ameri-
can war, under Vice- Admiral Arbuthnot, and was at the siege of Charlestown in
1780. He had the misfortune, after the capture of that place, to be taken pri-
soner, and was inhumanly turned adrift, with his crew, in an open boat, without
either sails or provisions ; but he fortunately reached Trepassay, almost exhausted,
after a pull of two days and a night. On the Newfoundland station in the follow-
ing year, he was made a Lieutenant, and appointed to the Morning Star of 16
guns, after which, he served in the Cygnet and the Mediator to the end of the
war. In 1785, out of employ in the Navy, he became mate of an East Indiaman,
and continued in this service until the revolutionary war commenced, when
he was appointed First Lieutenant of the Montague of 74 guns, was in the
battle of the 1st of June, 1794, and honourably mentioned by Earl Howe on
this occasion. In 1795, he was made Post Captain, and during the remainder of
the war commanded the Pegasus and Maidstone frigates. The merchants of
Oporto voted him a handsome piece of plate, for his protection of their trade, and
his escort of a large homeward bound fleet to England ; but as he had not had an
opportunity of fighting any of the numerous privateers then hovering about, he,
much to his honour, declined accepting their generous offer. 32,000 pipes of
wine, the largest quantity ever imported at one time into this country, were con-
veyed by this fleet. In 1801, he was appointed to the Narcissus of 32 guns, and
took out the Algerine Ambassador and his suite, receiving from the Dey a
handsome sabre. He then went for Malta and the Archipelago, and was engaged
in a survey of the principal islands. Discovering some pirates ofi" Miconi, he
landed his men and secured thirty-six, whom he placed at the disposal of Lord
Elgin, the British Ambassador then on board the Narcissus. The Capitan Pacha
rewarded him with a Damascus sword for this service — it was presented by him
to the Prince of Orange three days before the Battle of Waterloo, and used by
the Prince on that memorable occasion. At Alexandria he hoisted a broad pen-
dant, and after the evacuation of that place, he escorted General Stuart's army,
and the French prisoners, to Malta. He afterwards went to Toulon and thence
to Palermo, where he entertained the King of the Two Sicilies and his Court.
Off Sardinia, in 1803, he captured L'Alcion, and was afterwards entrusted by
Lord Nelson to watch off Toulon, and he possessed the Admiral's confidence in
no small degree. He was employed on several missions to the Barbary States,
and succeeded in obtaining the liberation of several English merchantmen that
had been taken by the Corsairs. Under Sir Home Popham, he went to the Cape
of Good Hope, took several vessels, and upon the subjugation of the Cape, accom-
panied Sir Home Popham to the Rio de la Plata, and brought home the dispatches
giving an account of the capture of Buenos Ayres, and the specie, amounting to
1,086,208 dollars, found in the treasury of that place. He was immediately ap-
pointed to the Ardent of 64 guns, and took out a reinforcement of troops to
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 341
Narcissus to interrupt the French, and prevent them landing
or forming a junction with the Corsicans at Ajaccio, and
should they escape, he was directed to pursue them, even
into the port of Sardinia. This order was given in conse-
quence of a report which had reached him, that an embarka-
tion of troops at Toulon or Marseilles was intended to join
the Corsicans and invade Sardinia.
Sir N. Harris Nicolas has printed fi-om White's Memoirs
of Nelson, a letter supposed to have been written about the
6th of September to Mr. Haslewood, Lord Nelson's Soli-
citor, in which he inclosed him a codicil to his will to be
drawn up properly and sent to him for execution. The
following letter of the 8th will shew the nature of the in-
tended instrument: —
" Victory, off Toulon, September 8th, 1803.
" I have, my dearest Emma, done what I thank God I have
had the power of doing — left £4000. to my dear Horatia,
and desire that she may be acknowledged as my adopted
daughter, and I have made you her sole guardian ; the
interest of the money to be paid you until she is eighteen
years of age. I trust, my dearest friend, that you will (if it
should please God to take me out of this world) execute this
great charge for me and the dear little innocent, for it would
add comforts to my last moments to think that she would be
educated in the paths of religion and virtue, and receive as
far as she is capable, some of those brilliant accomplishments
which so much adorn you. You must not allow your good
heart to think that although I have left you this important
charge I fancy myself nearer being knocked off by the
French Admiral. I believe it will be quite the contrary, that
La Plata, but before his arrival, Buenos Ayres had been retaken by the enemy.
Monte Video was therefore invested, and Captain Donnelly co-operated with the
army in this service. In 1808 he commanded the Invincible of 74 guns, and
fitted out in the short time of eight days the Spanish fleet at the Caraccas, and
thereby prevented them falling into the possession of the French. He then joined
Lord Collingwood off Toulon, and, from the failure of his eyesight, was com-
pelled to retire from service for a time. Upon recovering, he was appointed to
the Devonshire of 74 guns, but Peace being made, he did not again go to sea.
He was made a Rear- Admiral in 1814, and died Admiral of the Blue, and K.C.B.,
September 30th, 1840.
342 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
God Almighty will again and again bless our just cause with
victory, and that I shall live to receive your kind and affec-
tionate congratulations on a brilliant victory. But be that
as it may, I shall support, with God's help, my unblemished
character to the last, and be
" Yours,
*' Nelson and Bronte."
Lord Nelson having ascertained that French privateers
had, under colours of the Bey of Tunis captured the Pomona,
he sent Captain Donnelly to represent the same, and to claim
the restitution of the ship. At the same time the Bey was to
be informed that if Tunisian vessels were permitted to carry
cargo belonging to the French, such property could not be
respected, though conveyed in vessels belonging to the Bey.
The foresight of Nelson was remarkable : whether it re-
lated to the victualling or the repairing of the ships, or to
the health of the seamen, it was always considered by him,
and as far as means would permit, provided for. By this
conduct he kept his fleet in as good condition as possible, and
often under adverse circumstances there would not be a single
man sick in the whole fleet. Contemplating the necessity of
being at sea during the whole of the winter, at this period he
wrote to the Admiralty to obtain a supply of topmasts, top-
sail-yards, and spare sails, as the Gulf of Lyons was remark-
able for the number and severity and suddenness of its gales.
To these gales the following letter alludes : —
" September 26th, 1803.
*' My dearest Emma,
" We have had, for these fourteen days past, nothing but
gales of wind and a heavy sea. However, as our ships have
suffered no damage, I hope to be able to keep the sea all
winter. Nothing but dire necessity shall force me to that
out-of-the-way place, Malta. If I had depended on that
island for supplies for the fleet, we must all have been knocked
up long ago, for Sir Richard Bickerton sailed from Malta the
same day I left Portsmouth ; so that we have been a pretty
long cruise ; and if I had only to look to Malta for supplies,
our ships' companies would have been done for long ago.
1S03.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 343
However, by management, I have got supplies from Spain
and also from France, but it appears that we are almost shut
out from Spain, for they begin to be very uncivil to our ships.
However, I suppose by this time, something is settled ; but
I never hear from England. My last letters are July 6th,
near three months ; but as I get French newspapers occa-
sionally, we guess how matters are going on. I have wrote
Mr. Gibbs again a long history about Bronte, and I hope, if
General Acton will do nothing for me, that he will settle
something, but I know whatever is settled, I shall be the
loser.
'^N. & B."i
Lord Nelson's chief thoughts were directed to attacking the
French fleet. Taking of prizes with him, much as he stood
in need of money, was a secondary consideration. In a letter
to Alexander Davison, Esq., he says : " I am truly sensible of
your good wishes for my prosperity. I believe I attend more
to the French fleet than making captures ; but what I have,
I can say as old Haddock" said, ' it never cost a sailor a
tear, or the nation a farthing.' This thought is far better
than prize-money ; — not that I despise money — quite the
contrary, I wish I had 100,000 pounds this moment, and I
will do every thing consistent with my good name to obtain
it. We are healthy beyond example, and in great good
humour with ourselves, and so sharp set, that I would not be
a French Admiral in the way of any of our ships for some-
thing. I believe we are in the right fighting trim, let them
come as soon as they please. I never saw a fleet altogether
so well officered and manned ; would to God the ships were
half as good, but they are what we call crazy. "^ The fact is, as
stated by Nelson in a letter to Earl St. Vincent : " All the ships
have expected every day before the war to go to England ;
therefore, when the war came, they wanted for everything,
wore especially to go to England. However, a good deal of that
fever is worn off, and we are really got to a state of health
which is rarely witnessed. I have exerted myself to get all
' Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 154.
^ Admiral Sir Richard Haddock, of the reign of William III.
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 219.
344 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
the good things we could from Spain, and latterly our cattle and
onions have been procured from France ; but from the apparent
incivilities of the Spaniards, I suppose we are on the eve of
being shut out. Our length of passage from Malta is terrible.
We have not procured one single article of refreshment from
them since the fleet sailed (May 18th) ; therefore, if a fleet here
had only Malta to trust to, the fleet must go to Malta, for the
good things of Malta could never come to us ; and in that case
the French might do as they pleased between here and Gibral-
tar for two months together. At this moment I think the squad-
ron, us far as relates to me, are fit to go to Madras. Their
hulls want docking. I hope to be able to keep the sea all the
winter — in short, to stay at sea till the French choose to come
to sea ; and then I hope to send many of our ships who want
what I cannot give them to England, towing a line-of-battle
ship. I believe we are uncommonly well disposed to give the
French a thrashing, and we are keen ; for I have not seen a
French flag on the sea since I joined tlie squadron. A fort-
night ago, three or four sail of the line were under sail, and
some had got a few miles from Sepet, but I believe it was
only for an exercise. Reports say, they are hard at work,
fitting out two new 80-gun-ships ; their lower rigging is over
the mast-heads. I wish tliey would make haste, for our gales
of wind, Admiral Campbell says, are harder and more frequent
than ever. I believe them mucli the same — always very
violent, and a heavy sea.''^
The following letter from Lord Elgin was received by Lord
Nelson : —
" Aux EaiLx de Bareges,
September 30th, 1803.
" My dear Lord,
" As Prince Maurice and Prince Louis Lichtenstein may
endeavour to visit Malta in the course of this winter, I wish
to introduce them to your Lordship's acquaintance, and to
mention, that I have recommended them to any British
officers they may find cruising off the coast of Italy, and
who may be able to give them a passage to La Valctta, in a
British man-of-war.
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 214.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 345
*' They are officers of distinguished merit in the Austrian
service, travelling on account of severe wounds ; and having
passed two months with them here, previous to their going
southward, which their health obliges them to, I have ad-
vised their going to Malta as not less worthy notice than
Italian antiquities. I hope they may have the good fortune
to fall in with your Lordship. If they have that good for-
tune they will mention to you the melancholy situation to
which Lady Elgin and I are reduced — God knows where or
how it may terminate.
" Your Lordship will have learnt the nature and circum-
stances of the interests I have left behind me in the Levant.
I am confident of your kind concern to objects so important
to me, and that you will have been so very obliging as to
give me essential and effectual assistance at Cenjo, and in the
various points on which Sir Richard Bickerton, as well as
Sir A. Ball and Mr. Macaulay are well informed.
" Wishing your Lordship success, which can add to your
glory and comfort, I remain,
'^ My dear Lord,
" Most faithfully,
"Your humble and obedient servant,
"Elgin.^'
And Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton on the 5th and
6th of October :—
"Victory, off Toulon, October 5th, 1803.
" By a letter from Davison of the 15th of August, sent by
Lisbon, which reached me on the 1st of this month, I was
made truly happy by hearing that my dearest Emma was at
Southend and well, and last night I had the happiness of
receiving your letters of June 26th from Hilborough, and of
August 3rd from Southend, and most sincerely do I thank
God that it has been of so much service to your general
health. You jdesire to know my opinion of your coming to
Malta or Sicily, &c. &c. I will tell you as I told you before
my situation here, therefore you must let your own good
sense have fair play. You may readily believe how happy I
should be to have peace and live quietly at Merton. At this
346 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
moment I can have no home but the Victory, and wherever
the French fleet may go, there will the Victory be found.
As to Malta or Sicily, or Naples, they are places which I
may see from some extraordinary occasion, such as an action,
a landing in Sicily, and then probably only for a few days ;
but should the French fleet travel westward, then I shall
never see either Malta or Sicily. I assure you that Merton
has a greater chance of seeing me sooner than Malta. How
would you feel to be at that nasty place Malta, with nothing
but soldiers and diplomatic nonsense, and to hear that the
fleet has gone out of the Straits ? The time will come, must
come, that I shall see Merton, if God spares me. Malta, it
is possible, I never may see, unless after a battle, and then
that is not certain, for if it takes place down the Mediterra-
nean it would be Gibraltar ; in short, I can see nothing but
uncomfortableness for you by such a voyage, and however
much we feel, and I believe mutually the pain of being sepa-
rated, yet the call of our country makes it indispensable for
both our honours — the country looks up to the services of
the poorest individual, much more to me, and are you not a
sharer of my glory ? These things must have their due
weight in your mind, and therefore I shall only assure you
that I am
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
" October 6th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
'* I have had a letter from Mr. George Moyston, who is at
Naples, and a very kind one. He has been to the Cataracts
in Upper Egypt, through Syria, Palestine, Greece, &c. but
has nearly died two or three times, and is now a prisoner on
parole to the French, being in quarantine at Otranto when
the French went there.
" I beg that you willjnot give^credit to any reports which
will reach England of the battle — trust to Providence that it
will be propitious to your most sanguine wishes, and I hope
that Captain Murray will be the bearer of a letter from me
to you. Never fear, our cause is just and honourable. From
Davison's letter of August 15 th, I expect a ship of war every
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 347
moment ; it is now three months I see by the papers that
Bolton has got the Childers. Had he been here he would
have been Post. The Admiralty will send him out of course,
and if I know how, I must try and put £5000 in his pocket.
Don't you laugh. How I talk of thousands when I do not
know how, or rather have not tried, to put money in my own
pocket, but they will come. I wish you would have the plan
made for the new entrance at the corner. Mr. Linton should
give up that field this winter, and in the spring it should be
planted very thick to the eastward, and a moderate thickness
to the north. The plan for filling up the water on the south and
east sides of the house [is good], but care must be taken that
the house is not made damp for want of drains. A covered
passage from Downings must be made beyond the present
trees, and rails, and chains, in a line with it to keep carriages
from the house. An opening can be left with a post, that
foot-passengers may go to the kitchen. This may be done
even before you begin the room, it will amuse you, and be of
no great expense.
'' Yours,
*' Nelson and Bronte."
The representations made to the Government by Lord
Nelson with regard to Genoa occasioned orders to be sent
out in accordance with his suggestion for a blockade of that
port and of Port Especia. He was also instructed to demand
the delivery of all Maltese taken by the Algerine cruisers.
The intelligence given by Nelson to the Government was so
highly estimated and his judgment so regarded, that he was
now requested to transmit his correspondence upon all
political subjects to Lord Hobart, one of the Secretaries of
State, direct, that they might be laid before the King, and
his Majesty's commands taken thereon. This was highly
gratifying to Nelson, who writes to Sir John Acton on the
8th : — " I have the pleasure also to inform your Excellency
of his Majesty's most full and entire approbation of my con-
duct, and that he places full confidence in all my actions for
the honour of his crown, and the advantage of his faithful
friends. The testimonies of private confidence and approlja-
tion from the other Members of the Cabinet, are too flatter-
348 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
ing for me to repeat ; therefore I shall only request your
Excellency to lay me with all humility at the feet of the
King and Queen, and assure them of my eternal fidelity and
vigilance for their safety."^
On the 4th of October, Lord Nelson issued orders to the
Fleet in the Mediterranean, announcing the establishment of
the blockade. The condition of his men at this time was
remarkable. " Never (he writes to Mr. Elliot) was health
equal to this squadron ; it has been within ten days of five
months at sea, and we have not a man confined to his bed."
On the 13th Lord Hood wrote to Lord Nelson.
" Royal College, Greenwich,
October 13th, 1803.
*^ My dear Lord Duke,
*' I give your Lordship a thousand thanks for your very
affectionate letter of the 21st of August, am happy to hear
you enjoy health, and flatter myself the day is not far distant
when we shall be informed of your having taken or destroyed
the greatest part of the Toulon fleet.
" I had much satisfaction in being somewhat useful to
Mr. Nelson, whenever I have given a promise, I bear in
constant remembrance the fulfilling of it.
" I am too sore, my dear Lord, from the harsh and unmerited
treatment I have experienced with respect to my late Secre-
tary, to say a word upon the subject with any degree of
temper, and have been so accustomed to mortifying dis-
appointments in all my views for the last eight years, that I
have constantly expected them, am therefore become callous,
but feel some consolation that I have mustered sufficient
fortitude and resolution to enable me to bear up against them.
Your Lordship will hear from all quarters that Buonaparte
threatens us hard, and perceive that his Majesty's Ministers,
and in consequence the nation in general, believe he will
certainly attempt to carry them into execution ; but I am very
confident he will fail. At the same time, however, I am free
to confess, that should he by good luck make a landing with
any considerable force, either in England, Scotland, or Ireland,
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 241. From a copy in the Nelson
Papers.
i
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 349
the country would be thrown into such confusion, there is no
saying to what extent the evil might go. We are, I am
happy to tell you, well prepared, and are improving daily.
" I am grieved to inform your Lordship that my dear Lady
Hood still continues a very great invalid. She has not been
out of her house but for an hour in a day in her coach since
you left England ; she is however better to-day than she has
been for many weeks past, but I cannot flatter myself with
any hopes of her being well enough to enjoy the society of
her friends again.
'• I saw Mr. Addington yesterday, and we had a good deal
of conversation about you ; he is in high health and good
spirits.
" Lady Hood most cordially unites, as does Mrs. Hodwell
in all kind wishes for your Lordship's health and success,
with,
" My dear Lord,
*^ Your very affectionate and faithful,
" Hood.
" P. S. Mr. Hood is at Southampton with his corps of
Yeomanry and Wheler is Aide-de-camp to General Grosvenor,
in the neighbourhood of Exeter."
Another old friend's letter he acknowledged on the 14th.
*' to admiral sir peter PARKER.
" 14th October, 1803.
"Your grandson^ came to me with your kind letter of
August 20th on October 6th, nothing could be more grateful
to my feelings than receiving him. I have kept him as Lieu-
tenant of the Victory, and shall not part with him until I can
make him a Post Captain ; which you may be assured I shall
lose no time in doing. It is the only opportunity ever offered
me, of shewing that my feelings of gratitude to you are as warm
and alive as when you first took me by the hand : I owe all
my honours to you, and I am proud to acknowledge it to all
the world. Lord St. Vincent has most strongly and kindly
• Afterwards Captain Sir Peter Parker, Bart, who fell at the storming of an
American cainp near Baltimore, August 30th, 1814,
350 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
desired your grandson's promotion ; therefore I can only be
the instrument of expediting it. Believe me ever, my dear
Sir Peter, your most grateful and sincerely attached friend,
*' Nelson and Bronte. '^^
To his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence he wrote on
the 15th, described the bad state of the weather, and expressed
his hope of soon falling in with the French fleet: "Your
Royal Highness will readily imagine my feelings, although I
cannot bring my mind to believe they are actually out ; but
to miss them — God forbid ! They are my superior in num-
bers, but in every thing else, I believe, I have the happiness
of commanding the finest squadron in the world — Victory,
Kent, Superb, Triumph, Belleisle, and Renown. Admiral
Campbell is gone to Sardinia, and I have been anxiously
expecting him these ten days. If I should miss these fellows,
my heart will break : I am actually only now recovering the
shock of missing them in 1798, when they were going to
Egypt. If I miss them, I will give up the cudgels to some
more fortunate commander ; God knows I only serve to
fight those scoundrels ; and if I cannot do that, I should be
better on shore."-
The destruction of the French fleet was a matter of much
uncertainty. Lord Nelson wrote to Lord Hobart : " What
the real destination of the French fleet may be is very difficult
for me to guess. Mr. Elliot thinks they will try to have
Sicily previous to their going to Egypt ; others think they may
go to Trieste to cover thie army across to the Morea ; others,
that in the present unsettled state of Egypt, they may push
with 10,000 men to Alexandria, and they may be bound out-
side the Mediterranean. Plausible reasons may certainly be
given for every one of these plans, but I think one of the
two last is their great object ; and to those two points my
whole attention is turned. If they put to sea, I hope to
fall in with them, and then I have every reason to believe
that all their plans will be frustrated.''^
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 330. =" Ibid,
^ Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 249. From the Original in the Colonial
Office.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 351
Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton on the 18th : —
"Victory ofFTuulon, October ]8th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
"Your truly kind letters from July l7th to August 24th,
all arrived safe in the Childers, the 6th of this month. Since
September the 1st, we have not had four fine days ; and, if
the French do not come out soon, I fear some of my ships
will cry out. You know that I am never well when it blows
hard. Therefore, imagine what a cruise off Toulon is ; even
in summer time, we have a hard gale every week, and two
days heavy swell. The other day we had a report that the
French were out, and seen steering to the westward. We
were as far as Minorca, when the alarm proved false.
*' I have received your letter with Lord William's and Mr.
Kemble's about Mr. Palmer : he is also recommended by the
Duke of Clarence, and he says, by desire of the Prince of
Wales. I have, without him, twenty-six to be made Captains,
and list every day increasin":. It is not one whole French fleet
that can get through it. I shall probably offend many more
than I can oblige. Such is always the case : like the tickets —
those who get them, feel they have a right to them ; and those
(who) do not get them, feel offended for ever. But I cannot
help it, I shall endeavour to do what is right, in every
situation; and some ball may soon close all my accounts
with this world of care and vexation.
" Naples, I fancy, is in a very bad way, in regard to money.
They have not, or pretend not to have enough to pay their
officers ; and I verily believe, if Acton was to give up his
place, that it would become a province of France. Only
think of Buonaparte's writing to the Queen, to desire her
influence to turn out Acton ! She answered properly ; at least,
so says Mr. Elliot, who knows more of Naples than any of us ;
God help him ! and General Acton has, I believe, more power
than ever.
" Our friend, Sir Alexander, is a very great diplomatic
character, and even an Admiral must not know what he is
negotiating about : although you will scarcely believe, that
the Bey of Tunis sent the man at my desire.
" You shall judge, viz. * The Tunisian Envoy is still here,
352 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL. [CHAP. VII.
negotiating. He is a moderate man ; and, apparently, the
best disposed of any I ever did business with.' Could even
the oldest diplomatic character be drier? 1 hate such parade
of nonsense ! But I will turn from such stuff.
"N. & B."i
On the 21st of October Lord Nelson wrote his first letter
to his child, addressing it to Miss Horatia Nelson Thomson : —
•'Victory, offToxilon, Oct. 21, 1803.
" My dear Child,
" Receive this first letter fi:'om your most affectionate father.
If I live, it will be my pride to see you virtuously brought
up ; but if it pleases God to call me, I trust to Himself, in
that case, I have left Lady Hamilton your guardian. I there-
fore charge you, my child, on the value of a father's blessing,
to be obedient and attentive to all her kind admonitions and
instructions. At this moment I have left you, in a Codicil
dated the 6th of September, the sufti of £4000. sterling, the
interest of which is to be paid to your guardian for your
maintenance and education. I shall only say, my dear child,
may God Almighty bless you and make you an ornament to
your sex, which I am siu'e you will be if you attend to all
Lady Hamilton's kind instructions ; and be assured that I
am, my dear Horatia, your most affectionate father,
" Nelson and Bronte."^
On the same day Sir John Acton wrote the following to
Lord Nelson : —
"Palermo, Oct. 21st. 1803.
^' My dear Lord,
*' I must return your Lordship my best thanks for the
copies of the letters wrote to her Majesty and to Mr. Elliot.
The Queen has sent me the original, but the secret shall be
kept of your kindness to me, as well as with Mr. Elliot. I
return your Lordship the copy of this last.
• Collection of Letters, Vol. i. p. 168.
^ Dispatclies and Letters, Vol. v. p. 260. From an autograph ia the pos-
session of Mrs. Horatia Nelson Ward.
1
1S03.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 353
"Your reflections, my Lord, are just in every respect on
our position, and the general situation indeed of all Europe.
" I hope most earnestly, my Lord, that we may see you
soon in these seas again, where your presence is so much
desired, and. with so very true and interested reasons.
" I am glad that Mr. Este was satisfied with this country
for the short time that he favoured us with his company.
" Every thing that may depend on me, my Lord, shall be
employed with energy in regard to your intentions and desires
about Bronte. In the mean time I shall with pleasure
concur on my part with whatever Mr. Gibbs shall desire for
the management of these manors. I have inclosed a letter
in the article of Sir Thomas Troubridge. Lady Acton begs
leave to present her best wishes to your Lordship for your
health and general satisfaction. I join with her, and so shall
for ever do. Give me leave to repeat this assertion, and with
the most faithful and sincere attachment,
"Your Lordship's
" Most obedient and most humble servant,
" J. Acton."
The Queen also wrote to Lord Nelson : —
" My dear and worthy Lord,
" I hasten with great satisfaction on the present occasion
to renew my sentiments of esteem, attachment and gratitude
for all that you have already done, and continue to do for us,
not only having saved us from being compromised, by the
painful and disagreeable circumstances in which we were
placed, but also for continuing with your usual vigilance to
watch over our safety. We are on the eve of a great crisis,
may heaven vouchsafe our prayers, and your great nation
reap the advantage and glory that my heart desires for it,
which would have an important influence on our situation,
and that of all Europe — ours is always dangerous and painful,
having pretended friends but real enemies in the centre of
our kingdoms practising injustice solely. I place our interests
in your worthy hands, my Lord. I rely on your care, pru-
dence and friendship, and I pray you to believe in my eternal
gratitude and esteem, which my dear family desire me to
VOL. II. 2 A
334 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. VII.
assure you they also feel, and believe me for life, my very
worthy and respected Lord, your attached and grateful friend,
"Charlotte.
" lOth December, 1803."
To this Lord Nelson replied : —
"Victory, December 29, 1803.
" Madam,
" Yesterday evening I had the honour of receiving your
Majesty's gracious and flattering letter of the 10th of Decem-
ber, and it is only possible for me to repeat my assurances,
that my orders for the safety of the Two Sicilies will be
always exactly executed, and to this end my whole soul goes
in unison with my orders. The Gibraltar shall not be sent
away, for I would rather fight twice our number of forces,
than risk for a moment the seeing your royal person and
family fall into the hands of the French. I see no hope of a
permanent peace for Europe during the life of Buonaparte.
I ardently wish, therefore, that it would please God to take
him from the world.
*' Your Majesty's letter to my dear and good Lady Hamilton,
shall set out by the first opportunity. Her attachment to
your Majesty is as lively as ever. Her heart is incapable of
the slightest change ; and whether in prosperity or in adver-
sity, she is always your devoted servant; and such, permit
me to say, remains your faithful
^' Nelson and Bronte.
" I beg to be allowed to present my humble respects to the
Princesses, and to the Prince Leopold."^
Her Majesty replied on the 2nd January, 1804 : —
" My dear and very worthy Lord and Friend,
" I received your two letters ; penetrated with the liveliest
gratitude I trace in each line, the grandeur and attachment
of your soul, and am deeply grateful. I should have wished
to have sent you twelve others of your own ships with the
Gibraltar, but that grand quality (so well known) with which
' Life of tlie Rev. Dr. Scott, p. 113.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 355
you inspire others, as so often witnessed, has no need of
numbers. My vows will be offered to heaven for your com-
plete success and happiness. We are always in a painful
position, but which, thanks to the friendship of your Sovereign
and Government, and your care and attention is only painful,
not dangerous. Receive with the new year, my dear and
worthy Lord, my wishes for your perfect happiness. The
happiness of all Europe, and of all the right thinking is
blended with it. May the wishes I form for you be fully
realized, and your toils and cares be crowned with full success.
Such are the wishes formed for you by her who is, and will
be all her life, with the highest esteem and sincere gratitude,
your very attached and true friend,
"Charlotte.
"The 2nd January, 1804.
" My children, son and daughters, desire me to assure you
of their eternal gratitude, esteem and attachment."
Whilst in the Bay of Rosas, where the ships had gone for
wood and water, several seamen deserted from the fleet.
The following admirable memorandum addressed to the
Captains and Commanders of the ships and vessels on the
Mediterranean station was issued by Lord Nelson : " When
British seamen and marines so far degrade themselves in
time of war, as to desert from the service of their own country,
and enter into that of Spain ; when they leave Is per day,
and plenty of the very best provisions, with every comfort
that can be thought of for them — for 2c? a day, black bread,
horse beans, and stinking oil for their food ; — when British
seamen or marines turn Spanish soldiers, I blush for them :
they forfeit, in their own opinion, I am sure, that character
of love of their own country, which foreigners are taught to
admire. A Briton to put himself under the lash of a French-
man or Spaniard must be more degrading to any man of
spirit than any punishment I could inflict on their bodies.
I shall leave the punishment to their own feelings, which, if
they have any, and are still Englishmen, must be very great.
But, as they thought proper to abandon voluntarily, their
wives, fathers, mothers, and every endearing tie, and also,
2 A 2
356 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII
all prospect of returning to their native country, I shall
make them remain out of that country, which they do not
wish to see, and allow others, who love their country, and
are attached to their families, to return in their stead. And
as they have also thought proper to resign all their pay, I
shall take care that it is not returned to them, nor their
^ R.'^ taken off; but it shall be noted against their names,
* Deserted to the Spaniards,' or ' Entered as a Spanish soldier,'
as the case was.
''Nelson and Bronte.
" The above memorandum respecting the desertion of
British seamen or marines is to be read to the respective
companies of his Majesty's ships and vessels under my com-
mand, and copies thereof to be stuck up in the most public
places of the ships, in order that the magnitude of the crime
may be properly impressed on their minds.
" Nelson and Bronte."^
The sum of forty shillings was allowed by him to Mr.
Gibert the Vice-Consul at Barcelona for the apprehension
of every deserter, with an allowance of ninepence per diem
for the subsistence of each while in custody. The foregoing
excellent address did not, however, it would appear, put a
stop to desertion, for at the Madalena Islands, November
7th, he issued another memorandum : — " Lord Nelson is
very sorry to find that notwithstanding his forgiveness of the
men who deserted in Spain, it has failed to have its proper
effect, and that there are still men who so far forget their
duty to their King and Country, as to desert the service, at
a time when every man in England is in arms to defend it
against the French. Therefore Lord Nelson desires that it
may be perfectly understood, that if any man be so infamous
as to desert from the service in future, he will not only be
brought to a Court Martial, but that if the sentence should
be death, it will be most assuredly carried into execution.
" Nelson and Bronte."^
* Otherwise Run, the mark afl&xed in the ship's books against the names of
those who have deserted.
* From a copy in the Nelson Papers.
3 Ibid.
1803.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 357
At the end of October, Lord Nelson left for the Madalena
Islands to wood, water, obtain oxen, sheep, onions, &c. for the
squadron, and Captain Donnelly was entrusted to watch the
enemy off Toulon during his absence. On the 10th of
November Lord Nelson sailed for Toulon, and on the 24th
advised Sir John Acton that he had ascertained the French
fleet to consist of eight sail of the line, eight frigates, and several
corvettes. He describes them as being in high feather, as fine
as paint could make them ; but doubts not that his weather-
beaten ships would make their sides like a plum-pudding.
On the 4th of December he renewed his application to the
French Admiral for an exchange of prisoners, which he had
before ineffectually made. He also offered to allow a number
of French officers to return on their parole of honour until they
should be regularly exchanged by their Governments. At the
end of November he had again put to sea, intending to proceed
with the squadron to St. Pierre, near the island of Sardinia,
leaving Captain Mowbray in the Active to watch the enemy.
On the 7th of December he was again off Toulon, and wrote
to his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence : "The French
fleet kept us waiting for them cj^ring a long and severe
winter's cruise ; and such a place as all the Gulf of Lyons,
for gales of wind from the north-west to north-east, I never
saw; but by always going about large, we generally lose
much of their force, and the heavy sea of the Gulf, however,
by the great care and attention of every Captain, we have
suffered much less than could have been expected."^
On the 10th he departed for the Madalena Islands to com-
plete the necessaries for his ships. He preferred the Gulf of
Parma to St. Pierre, and was there on the 11th, whence he
wrote to Mr, Davison, and therein states that he had signed
his proxy for Lord Moira, and in doing it had broken
through a resolution he had made never to give a proxy, nor
could any thing have induced him to swerve from it but to
such a man as Lord Moira : "■ Whether he is in or out of
office (says Lord Nelson), my opinion of him is formed for
ability, honour, and strict integrity, which nothing can shake,
even should ever we unfortunately differ on any particular
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 341.
358 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VII.
point." In this letter he also speaks of the state of his
fleet and of his own personal condition : " My crazy fleet are
getting in a very indifferent state, and others will soon follow.
The finest ships in the service will soon be destroyed. I know
well enough that if I was to go into Malta, I should save the
ships during this bad season ; but if I am to watch the French,
I must be at sea, and if at sea, must have bad weather; and
if the ships are not fit to stand bad weather, they are useless.
I do not say much , but I do not believe that Lord St. Vincent
would have kept the sea with such ships. But my time of
service is nearly over. A natural anxiety, of course, must
attend my station ; but my dear friend, my eye-sight fails me
most dreadfully. I firmly believe that, in a very few years.
1 shall be stone blind. It is this only, of all my maladies,
that makes me unhappy ; but God's will be done. If 1 am
successful against the French, I shall ask my retreat ; and if
I am not, I hope I shall never live to see it ; for no personal
exertion on my part shall be spared.''
To his brother, the Rev. Dr. Nelson, he also wrote on the
14th : *'The mind and body both wear out, and my eye is
every month visibly getting worse, and, I much fear, it will
end in total blindness. The moment the battle is over, if I
am victorious, I shall ask for my retreat — if, unfortunately,
the contrary, I hope never to live to see it. In that case,
you will get an early seat in the House of Lords. If Mr.
Addington does not give me the same pension as Government
gave to the rich Lord St. Vincent and Duncan, I shall con-
sider no great favour done to me, and the country never could
avoid giving the pension to you : therefore, unless the other
is tasked to it, I would not give thanks or sixpence to have
it brought before Parliament to benefit Lord St. Vincent's
heirs, and certainly, from circumstances, not mine. The
putting the stone over poor Maurice was well done, and I
approve very much. I do not know that you owe me any
thing respecting Hilborough ; but if you do, I fully acquit
you of the debt, and so let it be considered."^
On the 19th December, Lord Nelson quitted the Gulf of
' From an autograph in the Nelson Papers. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v.
p. :J11.
1S03.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 359
Parma, '^ the finest open roadstead he had ever seen ;'' was
again at the Madalena Islands on the 24th, whence he wrote
the following to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, Madalena, December 2Gth, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
"After closing my dispatches the weather was so bad,
that we could not unload our transports at sea, therefore I
anchored here on Saturday, and hope to get to sea on Wed-
nesday. The Phoebe joined me here, and carries my letters
to Gibraltar. I had Charles on board yesterday to dinner.
Capel gives a very good account of him, and I have impressed
upon his mind that if he behaves well, he will never want a
protector in you and me. He had about three months ago,
something wrong in his head. The killing a Lieutenant and
some men belonging to the Phcebe, made such an impression,
that he fancied he saw a ghost, &c. but Dr. Snipe thinks it is
gone off. Was any of his family in that way ? He is clever,
and I believe Capel has been kind to him. I have had violent
colds, and now and then a spasm, but Dr. Snipe takes care
of me, and would give me more physic, but he says I am a
bad patient ; but I trust I shall do very well till the battle,
and after that, if it pleases God I survive, I shall certainly ask
permission to go home to recruit, and in this world nothing
will give me so much pleasure as to see my dear Emma,
being most faithfully,
" Nelson and Bronte."
At the close of this month he was busily engaged in
making proper arrangements for the new Naval Hospital
established at Malta, and entered minutely into every par-
ticular for its perfection. He was much impressed with the
importance of Sardinia, and wrote to the Secretary of State
thus : " God knows if we could possess one island, Sardinia,
we should want neither Malta, nor any other ; this, which is
the finest island in the Mediterranean, possesses harbours fit
for arsenals, and of a capacity to hold our navy, within twenty-
four hours sail of Toulon. Bays to ride our fleets in, and to
watch both Italy and Toulon ; no fleet could pass to the
eastward between Sicily and the Coast of Barbary, nor through
360 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VII.
the Faro of Messina : Malta, in point of position, is not to be
named the same year with Sardinia. All the fine ports of
Sicily are situated on the eastern side of the island, conse-
quently of no use to watch any thing but the Faro of Messina.
And, my Lord, I venture to predict, that if we do not — from
delicacy or commiseration of the lot of the unfortunate King
of Sardinia — the French will get possession of that island.
Sardinia is very little known. It was the policy of Piedmont
to keep it in the back ground, and whoever it has belonged
to, it seems to have been their maxim to rule the inhabitants
with severity, in loading its produce with such duties as
prevented the growth. I will only mention one circumstance
as a proof: half a cheese was seized because the poor man
was selling it to our boats, and it had not paid the duty. Fowls,
eggs, beef, and every article, are most heavily taxed. The
Court of Sardinia certainly wants every penny to maintain
itself; and yet I am told after the wretched establishment of
the island is paid, that the King does not receive £5000
sterling a year. The country is fruitful beyond idea, and
abounds in cattle and sheep, and would in corn, wine and
oil. It has no manufactories. In the hands of a liberal
government, and freed from the dread of the Barbary States,
there is no telhng what its produce would not amount to. It
is worth any money to obtain, and I pledge my existence it
could be held for as little as Malta in its estabhshment, and
produce a large revenue."^
' Clarke and McArtliur, Vol. ii. p. 344.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 361
CHAPTER VIII.
1804.
On the 4th of January 1804, Lord Nelson again quitted
the Madalena Islands with his squadron ; writing to Lord
Hobart,^ that his heart was warm, his hand firm, but his
body unequal to his wishes. It is astonishing the patience
he exhibited in watching for the French fleet, exposed as he
was at such a season of the year to all the vicissitudes of the
sea. With small means he yet contrived to dispatch his
officers to observe in various places, and to be alive to any
circumstance that might occur. Every one was on the look
out for intelligence. The political position of the different
countries, particularly Sardinia and Sicily, escaped not his
intelligent observation. The former place, as already stated,
was of much advantage in his estimation, and his zeal in the
cause of the King and Queen of the Two Sicilies, rendered
him willing to undertake any measures for the defence of
the latter. He was sensible of the misgovernment of both
these countries and lamented their impoverished state. He
received information of an intended attack by the French in
Corsica upon Sardinia, and he did all within his power to
check it, and to afford assistance should it take place. The
invasion, however, was not undertaken — other views actuated
Buonaparte, and to be master of the Continent was evidently
his ambition. Nelson, however, offered his aid to the
Viceroy his Royal Highness Prince Charles Felix Joseph,
Duke of Genevois in Savoy,- from whom he received the
following letters: —
1 Afterwards the Earl of Buckinghamshire.
' Charles Felix of Savoy, brother of Victor Emanuel, the then reigning King of
Sardinia. In 1792, and the succeeding year, the Sardinians under Victor
Amadeus III. bravely resisted the French and repulsed their invaders witli consi-
derable loss. The state of the elements likewise favoured them, for the French
fleet was dispersed by a furious hurricane, and Truguet, the Admiral, was com-
pelled to seek shelter in the Gulf of Palmas, where with eleven sail of the line
362 LIFE OF VICK-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. VIII.
*' De Cagliari, 17th December, 1803.
« Sir,
" Accept my thanks for your attention in acquainting me
with the motive which induced you to anchor your fleet in
the Gulf of Palma, which I regret that bad weather should
he was detained nearly a month. The King of Sardinia though delighted at the
brave conduct of the Sards, and the success attending their exertions, was yet
unwilling, and absolutely refused to yield to their constitutional demands. These
were five in number: — 1. The Convocation of the Stamenti. 2. The confirma-
tion of their laws, customs, and privileges. 3. The exclusive right of holding the
national offices. 4. The establishment of a Council instead of a Secretary of
State, to advise the Viceroy. 5. The permission to send a Minister to reside at
the Court of Turin. The refusal to grant these requests irritated the people and
disposed them to rebel, but after a slight emeute in April 1794, they were reduced
to submission, and a new form of Government established, which stipulated that
the Viceroy and the Piedmontese should immediately return to the Continent and
the reins of Government be confided in the interim to the native members of the
Royal Audience and the Stamenti according to the old constitution of the island.
Another rising, however, took place on the 6th of July 1795, from the conduct of
the Court ; and CavaUer Pitzoln, the Intendant General, was dragged forth from
his confinement in the Elephant tower and shot in the castle square. The pro-
ceedings had thus assumed a sanguinary character, and a remonstrance was sent
to Turin in some measure to exculpate the people. An investigation followed,
the Archbishop of CagUari was dispatched to the Pope of Rome, and on the
8th of June, 1796, a diploma was obtained, which gave a general act of oblivion
on the late events, the ratification of their laws, customs, and privileges, and the
exclusion of foreigners from all public offices, except that of Viceroy. The
finances of the kingdom were, at tliis time, exhausted by the expense attending
the army, which had been much increased by this monarch, who was fond of
great miUtary parade. By the storms of the Revolution, Savoy and Nice had been
lost in 1792, and Oneglia in 1794. An expensive warfare along the line of the
Alps was continued for two years, and although the Piedmontese displayed great
valour, the French ultimately succeeded by passing the Ligurian Apennines, and
thus poured down into the plains of the Po. A hasty peace was the consequence,
and the dominions were principally at the mercy of the Fi-ench. Victor Amadeus
died in October, 1796.
Savoy, Nice, and Oneglia thus lost, and Piedmont overrun by the French, a de-
plorable position of affairs presented itself when Charles Emanuel ascended the
throne. The French in the course of two years gained admission into the strongest
fortresses of the island. Emissaries and propagandists were actively employed by
Buonaparte to work discontent in Cagliari and urge the people to an union with
the French Republic, and his subjects favouring republicanism, demanded the ab-
dication of the King. His Majesty went to Leghorn and received the deputies of
the Stamenti of Sardinia, who assured him of the fidelity of the Sards. The
Royal family and suite arrived at Cagliari, March 3, 1799, conveyed by an
English frigate, and were enthusiastically welcomed ; but the King was induced
to return to the Continent, and hearing of the Battle of Marengo, determined to
remain in the South of Italy. His Queen Clotilde, sister of Louis XVI. dying
1S04.] LORD Vli^COUNT NELSON. 363
have rendered necessary. The bearer will inform you of the
condition of the country, and of the threats of our neigh-
bours, but whatever may occur, I shall rely on receiving your
aid, convinced that it will be employed with skilfulness to
meet the actual circumstances of the King my brother, and
begging you to give me an opportunity of proving to you
the sentiments of esteem which animate me, I am, with the
highest consideration, my Lord,
" Your good friend,
" De Cagliari, 14th January, 1804.
« Sir,
" By your letter of the 2nd current I learn with less sur-
prise than indignation the contents of the letter from the
French Minister at War to the General of Ajaccio, and I
may confidently inform you that the conduct of the Com-
missary-General for commercial affairs here, tends to con-
firm, I think, your suspicions as to a project for attacking
this island. Firm to my duty of executing on all occasions
the orders of the King, my brother, I shall neglect nothing
in March 1802, he became inconsolable for her loss, abdicated the throne, resign-
ing, as he said, "a crown of thorns," in favour of his brother Victor Emanuel
at that time a resident at Naples. Having withdrawn from the toils and exertions
of royalty, Charles Emanuel lived in great privacy, devoted himself to pious
exercises at Rome, became totally blind, and died in 1819.
Victor Emanuel relied upon British assistance to regain his Continental dominions.
He remained in Italy, but the Peace agreed upon at Amiens being at an end, and
the French advanced upon Naples, he embarked for Sardinia in February 1 806.
His endeavours were directed to improve the country by attention to its agricul-
ture, whilst at the same time he was organizing the forces of the island and
improving the administration, but his means were very limited to effect such
objects. In the year 1814 he went to Turin. An insurrection in Piedmont,
excited by the constitutionalists, induced him to abdicate in 1821, in favour of his
brother, Charles Felix, who, supported by Austria, quelled the insurrection, in-
troduced many improvements benefiting his country, and became popular with his
people. His reign was distinguished by mildness and an attention to the culture
of the natural products of the country. He estabhshed an Agrarian Society, and
also a Museum of Antiquities, and the Natural History of Cagliari. He died
April 27, 1831, and having no male issue was succeeded by his collateral relative,
Charles Albert of Carignano, the present Sovereign.
364 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. VIII.
for the defence of all now remaining to him, and which he
has confided to me ; but I will not conceal from you that my
means are very feeble, being equally deprived of money and
troops. In consequence of which I can only rely upon your
generous offers, persuaded that in such circumstances you
will display the same interest that you have always manifested
in favour of the King and of our family, and that to you we
shall owe the safety of this state. Accept in anticipation,
the assurance of the liveliest gratitude, and the expression of
my sentiments of perfect esteem and of the highest consi-
deration with which I am, my Lord,
" Your good friend,
" Charles Felix de Savoye.
" P.S. There is no doubt that the General Colli spoken
of is an old Piedmontese officer, a bad man, but very intel-
ligent. It would be very desirable if you could furnish me
with the order of the Minister of War to give rations and
and pay to the Sardinian refugees, who in fact are but revo-
lutionists ; that commission would enable me to expose to the
King and his friends how the good faith with which he has
always acted is responded to.^'
" 25th February, 1804.
" Sir,
" I hasten to reply to your letter of the 1 7th current, and
to thank you for the interest you take in the defence of Sar-
dinia, and the counsels you are yjleased to give me respecting
it, assuring you that it will always be a great pleasure to me
to act according to your advice. I indeed expect the King's
galley from Civita Vecchia, and two half galleys which have
been ceded to us by the King of Naples, their destination is
to destroy Bonefaccio. I can rely upon the merit and zeal of
the officers commanding them, and am persuaded that nothing
will be neglected on their part to ensure the execution of the
orders given to them — I should have wished to put them
directly under the orders of the Commander of the English
corvette which your Lordship may appoint to the station of
that Straits, but as we are not openly at war with France, I
cannot take such a step on my own authority ; it rests with
the King, but it appears to me that the best measures for
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 365
opposing the enemy might be secretly concerted with the
oflEicers charged with your instructions, for which object I
shall send my orders to the Brigadier commanding the galley,
Baron Desgenays, The report is current that you have
seized a packet of French correspondence addressed to Sar-
dinian Jacobins, and that some of the letters were for per-
sons of consequence, and that you have sent them to me.
As I know nothing of this affair I cannot give the least
credence to it, but nevertheless think it better to mention it
to you in case you really have written to me and the packet
has been lost. If the bad weather has detained you in the
same anchorage, doubtless you have seen Major Lowe,^ who
came from Naples to Cagliari, and afterwards crossed the
kingdom to rejoin you. I agree entirely with what he will
tell you respecting us, and am persuaded that you will fur-
nish us with every thing requisite, and procure for us that
assistance so indispensable to us in this emergency. I con-
clude by assuring you of my undivided sentiments of esteem,
and of the very high consideration with which I am, my
Lord,
"Your very good friend,
"Charles Felix de Savoye."
The importance of Sardinia dwelt strongly on Lord Nelson's
mind : most of his letters at this period allude to it. To
Lord Hobart we have seen he pointed out the advantages of
this island. To Earl St. Vincent he says, " in addition to my
other cares, Sardinia must be guarded ; the French most
assuredly mean to invade it, first, I suppose, under a pretext
for keeping us out of it ; and then they will have it ceded to
them. I have written to Lord Hobart on the importance* of
Sardinia, it is worth one hundred Malta's in position, and has
the finest man-of-war harbour in Europe ; they tell me it is
superior to Beerhaven — in short, it has nothing but ad-
vantages; the mode of getting it is to be considered by
Ministers, but money will do any thing in these days. To
keep it, could not in the first instance cost half so much as
Malta. I can have no reserves — I venture my opinion,
' The late Sir Hudson Lowe.
^QG LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. VIII.
Ministers are not bound to follow it : I can have no views,
but to benefit my country by telling all I know of situations,
and how far they can be useful,"^
To Lord Minto he also writes, " Sardinia, if we do not take
it very soon, the French will have it, and then we lose the
most important island, as a naval and military station in the
Mediterranean. It possesses at the northern end, the finest
harbour in the world ; it equals Trincomalee. It is twenty-
four hours sail from Toulon ; it covers Italy ; it is a position
that the wind which carries the French to the westward is
fair for you to follow. In passing to the southward they go
close to you. In short, it covers Egypt, Italy, and Turkey.
Malta must not be mentioned in the same century. I delivered
my opinion on the inutility of Malta as a naval station for
watching Toulon. A fleet would sooner pass from St. Helen's
to Toulon than from Malta. If I lose Sardinia, I lose the
French fleet; and to keep it, it could not, in the first
instance, cost half so much as Malta, and be of all the use of
Malta, and ten thousand times as much. I have told Lord
Hobart fully my opinion on this subject. I can have no
reserves. I venture my opinion. Ministers are not bound
to follow it. I can have no views but to benefit my country
by telling all I know of situations, and how far they can be
useful."-
To Lord Hawkesbury also : ^' Either France or England
must have it. The loss to us will be great indeed. I do not
think that the fleet can then be kept at sea. From Sardinia
we get water and fresh provisions ; the loss of it would cut us
off from Naples except by a circuitous route, for all the pur-
poses of getting refreshment, even were Naples able to supply
us. I have hitherto watched Sardinia ; but at this moment,
when from the bad condition of many of the ships under my
command, I can barely keep a sufficient force at sea to attend
to the French fleet, I have not ships to send to Madalena :
not less, my Lord, than ten frigates, and as many good sloops,
would enable me to do what I wish, and what, of course, I
think absolutely necessaiy. But I am aware of the great
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 352.
^ Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 365. From an Autograph in the Minto
Papers.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 367
want of them in England, and that other services must be
starved to take care of home. If I were at yom- Lordship's
elbow, I think I could say so much upon the subject of
Sardinia, that attempts would be made to obtain it ; for
this I hold as clear, that the King of Sardinia cannot keep it,
and, if he would, that it is of no use to him ; that if France
gets it, she commands the Mediterranean ; and that by us it
would be kept at a much smaller expense than Malta : from
its position, it is worth fifty Malta's."^
Upon the Earl Camden being appointed to succeed Lord
Hobart as Secretary of State for the Colonial and War
Department, his Lordship wrote to Lord Nelson on his often
repeated communications on the value of Sardinia. The
opinions expressed by Loi'd Nelson would appear from this
letter to have been duly appreciated by the Government, and
a proper weight given to his authority. To prevent the island
of Sardinia from falling into the hands of the French, the
English Government considered as of the first importance.
Captain Leake" (so well known by his admirable works on
Albania, Morea, &c.), had been sent by Lord Harrowby to
make inquiries into military matters connected with this
subject, and Lord Nelson was requested to aid him in his
objects to the utmost of his power, and to take him under
his own orders if thought necessary. Lord Nelson was very
favourably impressed by Captain Leake's zeal and ability,
and solicited assistance for him from Sir Alexander Ball,
General Villettes, and other distinguished persons. Lord
Camden solicited a continuance of the correspondence Lord
Nelson had maintained with his predecessor in office so useful
to the public service. In a private letter to Lord Nelson,
Earl Camden, in repeating this solicitation, adds, " in en-
trusting to me your Lordship's sentiments on the political
subjects connected with the Mediterranean, you repose them
in a person who justly appreciates your opinions, and has the
highest admiration of your character." Lord Harrowby
also wrote to Lord Nelson requesting a continuation of his
correspondence as with Lord Hawkesbury, and introducing
Captain Leake to him, who was instructed to act according
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 374.
2 Colonel Leake, F.R.S.
368 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIII.
to Lord Nelson's directions. Lord Nelson's information with
regard to Sardinia, was so complete, that it was not thought
necessary to send Captain Leake thither, and he accordingly
departed for Malta, Corfu, &c.
In the month of January Lord Nelson departed, as he said,
" to settle a little account with the Dey of Algiers.'' He
held that it was better to be at open war than to be insulted,
which he considered we had been by the Dey, who had sent
off Mr. Falcon, the Consul-General, to Algiers. A great
offence had been committed by Mr. Falcon, it appears, in
having admitted some Moorish women into his house. The
Algerine cruisers had also taken some Maltese vessels, and
their crews considered as belonging to his Majesty's subjects,
and other vessels having English passports, and conveying
provisions to his Majesty's Maltese subjects. These acts had
excited Lord Nelson's indignation, and he sent Captain Keats^
' Sir Richard Goodwin Keats was the son of a Clergyman in Devonshire, and
Head Master of the Free Grammar School at Tiverton. Entering the Navy at
an early age he served as Lieutenant of the Ramillies in the action with the Count
D'Orvilliers in 1778, and afterwards was in the Prince George, 98 guns, bearing
the Flag of Rear-Admiral Digby. Promoted to the rank of Commander in 1782
he served on the American station, and was made Post Captain June 24th, 1789,
and afterwards commanded the Southampton and the Niger. In 1 793 he was
appointed to the London. In 1795 he sailed under Sir J. B. Warren to Quiberon,
and was at the taking of L'Etoile and four sail of French merchantmen. In
the Galatia, to which he was appointed in 1794, he continued until 1797, when
he removed into the Boadicea frigate, and cruised in search of French privateers.
With Sir Charles Pole in 1799 he commanded the frigates of the squadron,
covering an attack by some bomb vessels on the Spanish squadron under the
batteries of Aix, and was afterwards in the Superb, 74, with Sir James Saumarez
off Cadiz. He distinguished himself in the second attack off Algeziras, and by
Nelson, in 1804, he was sent off Algiers, there performing very important service.
He was subsequently engaged in jjursuit of the French fleet. In November,
1805, he was made Colonel of Marines, and was sent to seek the squadron of the
French sent to the succour of St. Domingo. In the action of the 6th February,
1806, he gave a proof of his admiration of Nelson in suspending his portrait to
the mizen-stay of his vessel the Superb. The Captain and his men fought gal-
lantly, and the Patriotic Fund voted to him a vase or sword. Nelson entertained
a very high opinion of Keats. In a letter to him, August 24, 1805, he says,
" Nothing, I do assure you, could give me more pleasure than to have you at all
times near me, for without a compliment, I believe your head is as judicious as
your heart is brave, and neither, I believe, can be exceeded." He was afterwards
engaged against Copenhagen, and on the 2nd October, 1807, was made a Rear-
Admiral. He then went to the relief of the Spanish army in the North of Europe,
and brought off the Marquis de la Romana from Denmark, for which he was
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 3^9
of the Superb, to demand apology for sending away the
Consul, and restitution of the vessels, their crews and cargoes.
Nelson was very explicit to Captain Keats in his instructions
on these several points, and directed him particularly as to
the mode of conducting himself, and upholding the dignity
of a British officer. Nelson also wrote to the Dey, and after-
wards determined himself upon going thither to have the
matter definitively settled. He felt that the Government had
reposed great confidence in him, and no man could be more
jealous of the honour of his country, or more determined to
maintain her dignity and interests.
The negotiation by Captain Keats was unsuccessful. Lord
Nelson wrote to Sir Alexander Ball on the 19th of January :
" The Dey is violent, and will yield no one point, therefore I
have no further business here. Time and opportunity will
make him repent.^^ Nelson entirely approved Captain Keats's
conduct. He wrote to him no less than four letters on the
17th ^ He also wrote to Lord Hobart concerning the failure
of the negotiation and observed : " The insolence of the Dey
is only to be checked (with due submission to whatever his
Majesty may please to direct) by blockading Algiers, and his
other ports of Bona, and Oran, and to capture his cruisers ;
for the more that is given up to him the more he will demand
with insolence in future. Therefore, I should propose, that,
on the 28th day of April next, when, if he means to send his
cruisers to sea, they will be out, that on that day, every ship
under my command should have strict orders (to open on
that day), to take, sink, burn, and destroy every Algerine,
and that, on that day, the ports of Algiers should be declared
in a state of blockade. Thus, the Dey could get neither
commerce, presents, or plunder ; and, although the other
powers may rejoice at the war with us, yet, my Lord, I am
created a Knight of the Order of the Bath. In 1809 he was engaged in the
Scheldt, then commanded off Cadiz, and in 1811 went to the Mediterranean in
the Hibernia, 120 guns, being then second in command on that station. He was
made a Vice- Admiral in 1810, and in 1813 appointed Commander-in-chief and
Governor of Newfoundland. He also succeeded Sir George Hope as Major-
General of Marines in 1818, and Sir John Colpoys as Governor of Greenwich
Hospital in 1821. He died Admiral of the White and G.C.B. April 5th, 1834.
' See Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. pp. 376-77-
VOL. 11. 2 B
370 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VIII.
firmly persuaded that it will be most advantageous to us
(and humiliating to the other powers whom he will squeeze),
for the next one hundred years. If I should find his cruisers
at sea before that time, in consequence of what has passed, I
shall of course, take them, but my wish is to make a grand
coup."^ He wrote also to the Earl St. Vincent, "Before the
summer is out, I dare say the Dey of Algiers will be sick of
his insolence, and perhaps have his head cut off. I have
recommended Mr. Falcon to go to England, and then, he will
be able to explain every part of his conduct ; but it appears
to me that Mr. Falcon's conduct has been spirited, but
perfectly correct, and that the two women found in his house
was greedily seized as the pretext for getting rid of a clear-
headed, spirited man. I should do great injustice to my own
feelings, if I did not state my opinion to your Lordship, and
other his Majesty's Ministers."-
Lord Nelson's conduct and that of Captain Keats obtained
the commendation of the Government, and in May, Lord
Nelson received a letter from Lord Hobart upon the subject,
recommending, that provided the Dey would express regret
at the manner in which Mr. Falcon had been sent away,
another Consul should be appointed. Captain Keats was
sent by Lord Nelson to negotiate with the Dey upon the
subject. The Dey made the amende honorable for his con-
duct to Mr. Falcon, and Mr. McDonough was sent under
certain conditions to fill his place. These, however, were
not complied with. They related to the restoration or the
value of the English vessel, the Ape. The Consul would be
sent, only upon this condition being complied with. Captain
Donnelly was dispatched with a strong letter to the Dey at
the end of August ; but it was not until December that
Lord Nelson received replies to his dispatches from Earl
Camden, signifying to him the entire approbation of his
conduct in the affairs of the Dey of Algiers, and recommend-
ing that in future regular passports should be given to British
vessels to prevent misunderstanding. Mr. Cartwright was
' From an Autograph in the Colonial Office. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v.
p. 378.
* Dispatches and Letters, Vol v. p. 379. From an Autograph in the possession
of Vice- Admiral Sir W. Parker, Bart. G.C.B.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 37l
appointed Consul-General at Algiers, but be was not to be
landed unless the Ape and her crew were restored.
About this time Lord Nelson was much elated by receiving
intelligence of the successful issue of a law-suit, nominally
Nelson v. Tucker, but really Nelson v. St. Vincent. It
related to a sum of Prize-money which had occasioned much
discussion. Tucker was the Agent for Prizes taken by the
Mediterranean fleet under Earl St. Vincent in 1799. The
action was to recover £13,000, one-eighth share of the prizes
taken by Captain Digby belonging to the Earl's squadron,
after the Commander-in-chief had quitted his station and
returned to England, leaving Lord Nelson in command. In
the first instance judgment was given for Earl St, Vincent,
but upon a writ of error the Lord Chief Justice of the Common
Pleas, Lord Ellenborough, reversed the decision by delivering
the opinion of the Courts that " the moment a superior officer
left his station, the right of the next Flag officer commenced ;
and, consequently, that Lord St. Vincent having returned to
England, the enterprize and conduct of the fleet devolved on
Lord Nelson, judgment was accordingly given in favour of
Lord Nelson, who thereby becomes entitled to the whole of
the Admiral's share of the Prize-money."' This decision put
Lord Nelson out of debt, and allowed him to think of improve-
ments at Merton, of which he wrote to his friend Mr. Davison.
On the 20th of January 1804, from the Dispatches and
Letters published by Sir N. Harris Nicolas, it will be per-
ceived that Lord Nelson wrote no less than nine letters. To
these he added the two following : The first is addressed to
the care of Lady Hamilton for his child, then three years of
age. The second is to Lady Hamilton : —
' Victory, January 20th, 1804.
" My dear Horatia,
" I send you a watch, which I give you permission to wear
on Sundays, and on very particular day^s, when you are
dressed and have behaved exceedingly well and obedient. I
have kissed it, and send it with the affectionate blessing of
YOUR
" Nelson and Bronte.''^
' In the fragment of a letter. Nelson writes to Lady Hamilton : " You have
sent me in that lock of beautiful hair, a far richer present than any monarch in
2 B 2
^72 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIII.
"Victory, January 20th, 1804.
'*■ My dear Emma,
" I send a very neat watch for our god-child, and you will
see it is by a good maker, that is I suppose it will tick for a year
instead of a month or two. You will impress her that it is
only to be worn when she behaves well and is obedient. I am
very sorry that your comb is not arrived, the brig is at Malta,
but I daresay it will arrive sometime and you shall have it
the first opportunity. I send you Mr. Falconet's letter.
You will see how very civil both of them are. Mr. Elliot is
a great Minister, but I doubt whether the Queen has much
real friendship for him. Acton has him fast, but I believe
that Mr. Elliot had rather that Acton and the King and the
Queen looked to him for my services, than applying to myself,
but circumstanced as I have been and am with that Court,
Sir William Hamilton gave it up, and no other person shall
deprive me of the immediate communication. No, my dear
Emma, what I do for them shall be from myself and not
through him. They are in very great fears at this moment.
" I have been towards Algiers, where I sent a ship with
Mr. Falcon our Consul, whom the Dey turned away, but the
Dey has been made so insolent by Mr. North's conduct in
giving him £.80,000, that nothing I suppose but a flogging
will put him in order, and with the French fleet ready to put
to sea that I have not time for. I have been but very
indifferent, a violent cold upon my breast. Asses milk would
have done me much service, but 1 am better, and I hope to
continue so till the battle is over, then I hope my business
here will be finished : that it may be soon is the sincere wish
of
'^ Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
On the 23rd Lord Nelson sailed for the Madalena Islands,
leaving Captain Mowbray of the Active to look after the
French fleet. His anxiety increased about the French fleet,
Europe could if he was so inclined. Your description of the dear angel makes me
happy. I have sent to Mr. Falconet to buy me a watch, and told him if it does
but tick, and the chain full of trinkets, that is all which is wanted. He is very
civil, and Mrs. Falconet has sent word that she will do her best in choosing any
thing I may want."
I
IS04.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 373
which he anticipated having shortly to encounter, and on the
10th of February wrote thus to Lady Hamilton : —
"Victory, February 10th, 1804, Madalena.
" My dearest Friend,
" We were blown in here on the 8th , in the heaviest gale
of wind at N.E. and snow storm that I almost ever felt, but
all your letters to December 27th I found just arrived. I
cannot tell you all I wish, as Lord Nelson has enjoined the
fleet not to write politics. We are on the eve of a battle, and
1 have no doubt but it will be a glorious one ; at least it shall
be such a one that shall never bring a blush on the cheeks of
my dearest friend, when my name is mentioned. Our fleet
is healthy, our men spirited, our Commanders brave and
judicious, and for our numbers the finest fleet in the world.
I only hope our dearest friends are well, and happily past all
danger. May God in heaven bless and protect you I my last
sigh will be, my dearest Emma, for your felicity, for I am to
the last moment,
" Yours.
" Best regards to all friends. I have received oil letters
and papers."
About this time Sir William Bolton wrote to Lady Hamil-
ton : —
'^^ Dear Madam,
" I will flatter myself that a few lines may be worth the
trouble of breaking the seal, since they inform your Ladyship
my noble patron was in good health when the Seahorse left
the fleet, which was then off Minorca, on its return from
Algiers.
*' The English letters by the Diana frigate went up to the
fleet eight or ten days ago. I have several letters for his
Lordship, which I received from Mr. Locker, which, as I sail
to-morrow to join him, I hope his Lordship will soon get.
Captain Sutton of the Amphion here, had a singular piece of
good fortune ; he fell in with, apparently, a Dutch ship off
Cape St Vincent, all her masts gone, not a soul on board, but
what was fairly worth the whole, a valuable cargo, estimated
374 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. Vlll.
at twenty-two thousand pounds, nine thousand of which he
has ah'eady received. Not long ago, all Lord Nelson's friends
were rejoiced to read in a newspaper that the long depending
cause between him and St. Vincent was decided in his favour.
But it is peculiar to Lord Nelson to carry his point, whatever
cause he engages in.
'^ Your Ladyship will impute it to my vanity — I have had
the honour of being introduced to your Ladyship's friends,
their Sicilian Majesties.
" I will trespass no longer on your patience, than to return
your Ladyship many thanks for your kind attentions to my
wife, and pray for your health and happiness; being ever,
" Dear Madam,
" Your faithful servant,
"W. BOLTON.I
" Gibraltar, February 2nd."
To Captain Gore of the Medusa he wrote on the I /th : —
*' The Admiralty seem to think that the Spaniards may be
hostile to us, and therefore have put me on my guard. Do
not let it escape your lips ; I am determined to have the first
blow ; even if they come Avith their whole eighteen they shall
not join the French. If they come up the Mediterranean,
and you have a mind for a shooting party, come with your
frigates. Every part of your conduct is like yourself, per-
fect.""-
To Lady Hamilton, on the 25th, Lord Nelson wrote
thus : —
' Sir William Bolton was the eldest son of the Rev. William Bolton, the bro-
ther of Thomas Bolton, Esq. who married Susannah, sister of Lord Nelson.
Under the protection of his Lordship he entered and proceeded in the naval ser-
vice, as will be seen from the letters printed in these volumes. He was made
Commander in 1801, and appointed to the Childers in 1803, but he was not made
Post Captain until April 10, 1805. He commanded the Eurydice, the Druid,
the Endymion, and the Forth in the Mediterranean, and in the Irish Channel and
North American stations. He received the honour of knighthood, acting as
proxy for Lord Nelson at his installation as a Knight of the Bath. He married
his cousin Catherine, second daughter of Thomas Bolton, Esq. He died in
December, 1830.
■^ Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 359.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 375
" February 25th, 1804.
" As Lord Nelson tells me that it is very probable this
letter may not only be read, but never arrive to your hands,
I only write this line to say, here we are, and have for the
whole of this month experienced such a series of bad weather,
that I have seldom seen the like. I am anxious in the
extreme to hear that you are perfectly recovered from your
late indisposition. Lord Nelson has heard very lately from
Naples. The French army is prepared for service, and have
a month's bread baked in readiness ; an embargo is laid at
Genoa and Leghorn, and all the vessels seized as transports ;
so that we must have some work very soon. I only hope to
keep my health till the battle is over, but my spasms have
been very bad lately. We saw the French fleet very safe on
the 22nd, at evening. Lord Nelson rather expects the ships
from Ferrol in the Mediterranean. With my kindest love
and alFection to all I hold dear, believe me,
" Yours.
" This goes by Spain."
In March, Lord Nelson received from Dr. Moseley, of
Chelsea Hospital, a present of a copy of the fourth edition of
his work on Tropical Diseases, to which Nelson had furnished
some particulars. It was thus acknowledged: —
"Victory, Mai'ch 11th, 1804.
" My dear Dr. Moseley,
" Yesterday brought me the favour of your invaluable book
and most kind letter, and although I know myself not equal
to your praises, yet I feel that my honest intentions for the
good of the service have ever been the same, and I feel as I
grow in rank that my exertions double.
" The great thing is health, and you will agree with me, that
it is easier for an officer to keep men healthy than for a surgeon
to cure them, situated as this fleet has been, without a real
friendly port where we could get all the things so necessary
for us. Yet I have, by changing the cruising ground, not
allowing the sameness of prospect to satiate the mind, some-
times looking at Toulon, Ville Franche ; sometimes Barce-
lona, Rosas ; running round Minorca, Majorca, Sardinia, and
37G LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VIII.
Corsica, and two or three times anchoring for a few days
sending a ship to this place for onions^ which I find the best
thing which can be given to seamen, having always good
mutton for the sick ; cattle, when w^e can get it, and plenty
of fresh water. In the winter, giving half the allowance of
grog instead of all wine. These things are for the Com-
mander-in-chief to look to ; and shut very nearly out from
Spain, and only getting refreshments by stealth from other
places, my task has been an arduous one. Cornwallis has
great merit for his persevering cruise, but he has everything
sent him — we have nothing — we seem forgot by the great
folks at home. But our men's minds are always kept up with
the daily hope of meeting the enemy. I send you as a curi-
osity, an account of our deaths and sent to the hospital out
of 6000 men. The fleet put to sea, May 18th, 1803, and is
still at sea, not a ship has been refitted or recruited, except
what we have done at sea.
" You will readily believe that all this must have shook me.
My sight is getting very bad, but / must not be sick till after
the French fleet is taken ; after which, I shall soon hope to
take you by the hand. I am glad always to hear good
accounts of our dear good Lady Hamilton ; that she should be
universally beloved does not surprise me ; the contrary would
very much. I am sure she feels most sensibly all your kind-
ness. Believe me for ever, my dear Doctor,
" Your much obliged friend,
" Nelson and Bronte.
"To Dr. Moseley.'"
He wrote to Lady Hamilton on the 14th respecting Merton,
and it is curious to perceive into what details he entered re-
lating to it whilst his mind was so deeply engaged upon the
French fleet : —
^ This letter has been printed in Harrison's Life of Nelson, (Vol. ii. p. 418),
and copied into the 5tb volume of Sir Harris Nicolas's Dispatches, &c., but it has
been dressed up, and although the orthography of Nelson's letters is not always
correct, I hold it much better to print them as they were written, for the hurry and
circumstances attending which, the reader is always ready to make proper
allowance. The above is taken from the autograph in the possession of Dr.
Moseley's executor, my old and esteemed friend, William Luxmoore, Esq.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 377
" I would not have you lay out more than is necessary at
Merton. The rooms, and the new entrance, will take a good
deal of money. The entrance by the corner I would have
certainly done ; a common white gate will do for the present ;
and one of the cottages, which is in the barn, can be put up,
as a temporary lodge. The road can be made to a temporary
bridge ; for that part of the Nile, one day, shall be filled up.
Downing's canvas awning will do for a passage. For the
winter, the carriage can be put into the barn ; and, giving up
Mr. Bennett^s premises, will save £50. a-year ; and, another
year we can fit up the coach house and stables which are in
the barn. The footpath should be turned. I did shew Mr.
Haslewood the way I wished it done ; and Mr. will have
no objections if we make it better than ever it has been ;
and, I also beg, as my dear Horatia is to be at Merton, that
a strong netting, about three feet high, may be placed round
the Nile, that the little thing may not tumble in ; and then,
you may have ducks again in it. I forget at what place we
saw the netting; and either Mr. Perry or Mr. Goldsmid,
told us where it was to be bought. I shall be very anxious
till I know this is done.
" I have had no very late opportunities of sending to
Naples : but via Malta. I wrote to Gibbs, to desire he would
send over the armoisins. They will arrive in time. I hope
the watch is arrived safe. The expenses of the alterations at
Merton you are not to pay from the income. Let it all be
put to a separate account, and I will provide a fund for the
payment. Sir William Bolton was on board yesterday. He
looks thin. The fag in a brig is very great ; and I see no
prospect of his either making prize-money, or being made
Post, at present : but I shall omit no opportunity.
^' Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."^
Suspicions were, at the commencement of 1804, beginning
to be entertained with regard to hostile preparations on the
part of Spain, and Government sent to Nelson the Royal
Sovereign of 100 guns, to be followed by the Leviathan, to
' Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 16.
378 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. VIII.
strengthen his squadron. He removed Sir Richard Bicker-
ton into the Royal Sovereign. To the Russian gentlemen on
board this vessel, he addressed the following : —
"Victory at sea, 16tli March, 1804.
" Gentlemen,
" Far removed from your country and relations, and placed
to serve in the fleet under my command, I desire that you
will, on every occasion, both in private and public concerns,
consult with me, and let me know your wants and wishes, and
always consider me as
" Your sincere friend,
" Nelson and Bronte."^
In March also he received a letter from Lord Hobart, con-
veying to him the King's approbation of his conduct in regard
to Algiers, Tripoli, and Naples. Of the French fleet, he
writes to Sir Thomas Troubridge : " The French want to
get out, and we want them out. Yesterday, two of their
frigates were outside the Hieres, peeping to know if we were
gone to the devil. Ball is sure they are going to Egypt; the
Turks are sure they are going to the Morea ; Mr. Elliot, at
Naples, to Sicily ; and the King of Sardinia, to his only spot."^
To Hugh Elliot, Esq. he wrote : " I have no doubts but that
the French fleet would long ago have sailed from Toulon, but
for the commotions in France."
At this time, he was sorely troubled about his eye-sight,
which was very bad, and he was under great apprehensions
of becoming blind, a fear that frequently harassed him much.
He directed Captain Richardson, of the Juno, to communicate
with Mr. Gibert, the Consul at Barcelona, and learn the
probable course of things in Spain towards England.
The activity of his mind and the comprehensiveness of its
character, led him to reflect seriously on every thing around,
and the probable views entertained by the ditferent Powers.
He wrote to Sir John Acton : " Will Russia come forth as
she ought, or are her plans only preparative to the taking
possession of Greece, and of course Constantinople? This is
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 448. From the Letter Book.
* Clarke and Mc'Arthur, Vol. ii. p. 360.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 379
a subject I have no business at present to enter into, although
it is seriously in my mind ;"^ and at the same time to Spiri-
dion Foresti, Esq. : " The ultimate views of Russia become
every hour more distinct ; how long the mask may be kept
on I cannot say, but sooner or later, the Morea will come
by conquest to Russia. What part Great Britain may take,
the connexions which Russia may form will point out. How-
ever, we are at present on the most friendly terms with the
Emperor, and I hope we shall always continue so. I have
said enough to so sensible a man as yourself."^ He appointed
Lieutenant Woodman^ to the charge of the transports, and
wrote to him thus : " I have thought proper to send you,
and must recommend to your serious attention the circum-
stances in general that are passing in the Black Sea, on the
part of Russia, who, it is said, is forming an armament to a
very considerable extent ; and although there is not the most
distant idea that this armament will direct its operations
against the interests of Great Britain, yet it is essentially
necessary that its real intentions should be discovered as early
as possible, and, therefore, you will let no opportunity escape
you of obtaining all the information you may be able to collect
on this important subject. And I must desire that you will
endeavour to gain a particular account of the Naval force
which Russia may have at Sebastapol and Cherson (their two
principal naval ports in the Black Sea), and to what extent
they are arming there. You will likewise endeavour to obtain
a knowledge of their fortifications, and what number of guns
is mounted on their different batteries, and whether they are
able to protect their trade. It will be advisable to ascertain
whether these armaments are with a view to check and oppose
the measures of the French, should they attempt to possess
themselves of the Morea. You will also endeavour to gain
information of the trade and manufactures carried on by the
Russians in the ports above mentioned — what supplies of
provisions and naval stores might be drawn from that country,
and upon what terms. In order to obtain a perfect know^-
ledge of the local situation of the Russian territory in the
Black Sea, you are to procure a chart of their country, which
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 361. ^ Ibid.
' He died a Lieutenant in 1811.
380 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIII.
will assist you in forming a more clear idea of the places of
principal importance, and endeavour, by every means, to
obtain information of their present and future intentions with
regard to England, transmitting me a very full and correct
account of your observations, and, on your return to
Malta, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty.''^
These instructions exhibit Lord Nelson's exceeding adap-
tation to the conduct of affairs.
Towards the end of March he again repaired to the Mada-
lena islands. " Day by day (he now writes to his friend Mr.
Davison), I am expecting the French fleet to put to sea —
every day, hour, and moment ; and you may rely that if it is
within the power of man to get at them, it shall be done ;
and, I am sure, that all my brethren look to that day as the
finish of our laborious cruise. The event no man can say
exactly, but I must think, or render great injustice to those
under me, that let the battle be when it may, it will never
have been surpassed. My shattered frame, if 1 survive, that day,
will require rest, and that is all I shall ask for. If I fall on such
a glorious occasion, it shall be my pride to take care that my
friends shall not blush for me. These things are in the hands
of a wise and just Providence, and His will be done. I have
got some trifle, thank God, to leave those I hold most dear,
and I have taken care not to neglect it. Do not think I am
low-spirited on this account, or fancy anything is to happen
to me. Quite the contrary : nay mind is calm, and 1 have only
to think of destroying our inveterate foe. April ^tk. — A
frigate has just brought me an account that she saw the French
fleet outside Toulon, thirty-four hours ago, and she does not
know that they are returned. I have two frigates gone for
more information, and we all hope for a meeting with the
enemy. Nothing can be finer than the fleet under my com-
mand."2
On the 2nd of April, he sailed from the Madalena Islands,
and wrote to William Marsden, Esq., who had succeeded
Sir Evan Nepean, Bart, as Secretary of the Admiralty
Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 470. From the Letter Book.
Ibid. p. 475. From an Autograph in the possession of Colonel Davison.
1804,] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 381
at this period. Captain Layman,' of the Weazle, (which
was lost, and for which he was tried by a Court-Martial
' This officer, when only a Midshipman in the Myrmidon, scuttled the lower
deck of the vessel in a very heavy gale, and to this proceeding the preservation of
the ship was attributed. His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence entertained
a very high opinion of his abilities. He paid great attention to the growth of
timber and the building of ships, as will be seen in Appendix, No. IV. Tn 1800,
he was made a Lieutenant, and joined Earl St. Vincent's flag ship, and presented
to the Earl a plan for annually building a frigate at Bombay, which was carried
into execution. Shortly before the battle of Copenhagen, April 2, 1801, he so-
licited Lord Nelson to employ him in the event of boat duty being required,
either for boarding, towing off the enemy's fire-ships, and other dangerous service
His Commander gave him, when at Merton, a testimonial in regard to his services,
observing, "You were always ready to go on every service I am sure ; for the only
favour you ever asked of me was, to be sent on all services of danger and difficulties,
and I always understood you acquitted yourself as an able officer and seaman."
He does not appear to have received the promotion his gallant conduct deserved.
During the Peace of Amiens, he made some valuable suggestions to Government
with regard to the cultivation of Trinidad, and the establishment of Chinese hus-
bandmen in the island of Ceylon. In 1803, he was again with Nelson, and in
1804 was in the command of the Weazle at Gibraltar. In this vessel he kept
the Straits free of French privateers, but he unfortunately lost his sloop on the
rocks off Cabritta Point. He was appointed to the Raven, which was fitted up
at Woolwich under his direction in a peculiar manner, giving great advantages
under a chase, in clearing an enemy's coast, &c. In 1805, he was a prisoner
of war at Puerto- Santa-Maria, near Cadiz. This circumstance, and the loss of
his vessel, in which he was conveying dispatches for Sii" John Orde and Lord
Nelson, arose from the negligence of the officers to whom he had entrusted the
safety of the vessel ; he was ready to substantiate these assertions, but under the
recommendation of Lord Nelson, induced by feelings of humanity towards those
officers, he suppressed the allusions in regard to them, and was unhappily censured
for the loss of his ship, and put at the bottom of the list. On hearing this,
Nelson exclaimed, " I did not expect this, but it's all my fault ; never mind,
I'll get you over it." Nelson immediately wrote to Viscount Melville, at that time
head of the Admiralty, strongly recommending Mr. Layman, and vouching for
his bravery, zeal, judgment, and activity, and to strengthen his case, declared that
if he had been censured every time he had run ships or fleets under his command
into great danger, he should long ago have been out of the service, and never in
the House of Peers. Commander Layman arrived at Portsmouth in May, 1805,
and Nelson still urged his merits. He took him to the Admiralty, and a promise
was given that he should be sent out to the Mediterranean, but, to use the words
of Layman, " the next month terminating his Lordship's glorious career, the
promise was forgot, and my offer of service rejected." He offered to prevent
premature decay in our ships, to divulge a plan rendering forest trees fit for imme-
diate use, provided he should be entrusted with the measure, but his applications
were disregarded. He published some works, the Precursor, and others con-
nected with this subject, but could not get his suggestions adopted. He is said
to have terminated his existence in 182(5.
382 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIII.
and acquitted of all blame, presented himself with Dis-
patches to Earl St, Vincent, and was soon after appointed
to the Raven sloop), conveyed the following letter to Lady
Hamilton : —
"Victory, (April) 7th, 1804.
'' My dearest Emma,
*' I send this by Captain Layman ; he is a good man, and
an excellent officer, and he is attached to me. I have given
him a strong caution not to say too much at the Admiralty.
If he was dumb, and could not write, it would, upon the
whole, be better for him. Do you caution him not to talk too
much. He will tell you of my determination not to be absent
from Merton on Christmas-day. Nothing, I can assure you,
but events which I cannot foresee, can prevent me, and if I
have the pleasure of meeting the French fleet, which I expect
every hour, I shall certainly ask for rest, let who will be at
the Admiralty, it is the same thing to me.
" April 9th. Whilst I was writing, a frigate communicated
to me that, thirty-four hours before, she saw the French fleet
outside Toulon, standing off; that in the evening they stood
inshore again. Yesterday we saw some French ships of war,
and they are now in sight, working into Toulon. Captain
Layman will tell you my anxiety. I was in great hopes that
all my fag was near being brought to a close, and that I
should visit dear Merton.
« Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
Nelson wrote again on the 10th : —
" Victory, off Toulon, April 10th, 1804.
"■ My dearest Emma,
" I have received all your truly kind and affectionate letters
to January 25th, by the Thisbe ; and last night your letter of
January 13th, by Naples. The armoisins will go under the
care of Captain Layman, who unfortunately lost his sloop ;
but with much credit to himself, he has been acquitted of all
blame.
" I rejoice that dear Horatia is got well ; and also that you
are recovered of your severe indisposition. In our present
situation with Spain, this letter, probably, may never reach
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 383
you. I have wrote fully ; and intend to send them by the
Argus, who I expect to join every minute. Elphi Bey, I
hear, has had all his fine things taken from him. He escaped
into the Desert, and is pursued ; probably his head is off long
before this time. The French fleet came out on the 5th, but
went in again the next morning. Yesterday a Rear- Admiral
and seven sail of ships, including frigates, put their nose
outside the harbour. If they go on playing this game, some
day we shall lay salt upon their tails ; and so end the
campaign of, my dearest Emma, your most faithful and
affectionate."^
On the 19th:-
" Victory, AprU 19th, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
" I had wrote you a line, intended for the Swift cutter, but
instead of her joining me, I had the mortification, not only to
hear that she was taken, but that all the dispatches and letters
had fallen into the hands of the enemy : a very pretty piece
of work ! 1 am not surprised at the capture ; but am very
much so that any dispatches should be sent in a vessel with
twenty-three men, not equal to cope with any row boat pri-
vateer. The loss of the Hindostan was great enough ; but
for importance, it is lost, in comparison to the probable
knowledge the enemy will obtain of our connections with
foreign countries ! Foreigners for ever say — and it is true —
' We dare not trust England ; one way or other we are sure
to be committed !' However, it is now too late to launch out
on this subject. Not a thing has been saved out of the Hin-
dostan, not a second shirt for any one; and it has been by
extraordinary exertions that the people's lives were saved.
" Captain Hallowell is so good as to take home for me, wine,
as by the inclosed list ; and if I can, some honey. The
Spanish honey is so precious, that if [any one has] a cut, or
sore throat, it is used to cure it. I mention this, in case you
should wish to give the Duke a jar. The smell is wonderful !
It is to be produced no where, but in the mountains near
Rosas. The Cyprus wine, one hogshead, was for Buonaparte.
I would recommend the wine- cooper drawing it off; and you
'Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 26.
384 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VIII.
can send a few dozens to the Duke ; who I know takes a
glass every day at two o'clock. 1 wish I had any thing else
to send you, but, my dearest Emma, you must take the will
for the deed.
" I am pleased with Charlotte's letter ; and as she loves
my dear Horatia, I shall always like her. What hearts those
must have who do not ! But, thank God, she shall not be
dependent on any of them.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Broxte.'"
And on the 21st : —
" Victory, April 21st, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
'' We have had a hard gale of wind for two days, and it is
now lulling for a moment, I am getting Hallowell on board
to give him my dispatches. We shall be under Corsica
to-morrow morning. I never saw such a continuation of bad
weather. I received the inclosed from Charles. I did not,
you may believe, let him go to the hospital. There has been,
several times within this year, something very odd about him.
Capel has been always very kind to him. I have had Dr.
Snipe to examine him ; he complains of a violent pain in the
back of his head ; it comes on occasionally. Has any of his
family been so ? He does not at other times, Capel says,
want for abilities, and he is as well kept in money and clothes
as any Mid. in the fleet. It has vexed me upon your
account, for I know you will be sorry. I hope he will grow
out of it. Remember me kindly to good Mrs. Cadogan, and
believe me,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.''
In this month the Swift hired cutter employed to convey
dispatches to Lord Nelson (alluded to in his letter to Lady
Hamilton, April 19th), was taken by a French privateer, and
he was exceedingly annoyed at their having been sent in so
inefficient a vessel. He wrote to Lord Hobart a private letter,
' Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 29.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NKLSON. 385
saying, " I rely with confidence that, although the Admiralty
for ever send their dispatches, of whatever consequence,
without the use of cypher, and trust to their being thrown
overboard in case of capture, yet, as I know the other depart-
ments of Government always use cypher if of importance,
and although Admirals are never intrusted with cyphers, yet
I rely that your Lordship would not trust any dispatch of
consequence in a vessel with twenty-three men, much less
commit the interests and schemes of other powers to such a
conveyance. This is the only consolation I derive from all
the dispatches being this day read by the First Consul ; I
wish they were in his throat. I think a great deal on this
matter, but it may be prudent to hold my tongue."*
Also to Hugh Elliot, Esq. : "The capture of the Swift
cutter of four or six guns, and twenty-three men, with all the
dispatches, is a loss which ages cannot do away. I only
hope, but I have my great fears, that not only the secrets of
our own country are exposed, but that, perhaps, Naples,
Russia, Sardinia, and Egypt, may be mentioned. How the
Admiralty could send out such a vessel is astonishing ! I
wish it to be known at Petersburgh and Constantinople, in
case any plan has been agreed upon by our Courts, for the
French will, of course, strike a blow instantly. Naples will
keep on her guard, for we must prepare for the worst which
may have happened. It has made me very uneasy and un-
well."2
On the 26th he dispatched a secret and confidential letter
to Captain Pulteney Malcolm^ of the Kent, in which he says :
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. v. p. 107. From an Autograph in the Colonial
Office.
^ From an autograph in the Elliot Papers.
^ This distinguished officer was born at Douglas near Langholm, February 20,
1768. At the age of ten years he entered the Navy as a Midshipman on board
the Sybil frigate, which was commanded by his uncle Sir Thomas Pasley, Bart,
and his first voyage was to the Cape of Good Hope. He was afterwards engaged
in the affair at Porto Praya, and at the taking of a fleet of Dutch Indiamen in
Saldanha Bay. He was engaged in various services, from 1782 to 1793, in the
Jupiter, the Formidable, the Scipio, the Pegasus, the BeUerophon, the Vengeance,
and the Penelope, in which vessel he had much arduous duty in cutting out vessels
in the port of St. Domingo. He was made Lieutenant March 3, 1783, and a
Commander in the Jack Tar, April 3, 1794. His commission as Post Captain is
VOL. II. 2 c
386 MFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIII.
" You are hereby required and directed, on this order being
delivered to you, to receive on board, or to convey them if
they embark on board their own ships^ the King, Queen, and
Royal family of Naples, to Palermo, or such other place as
the King may choose to proceed to, and you will afford every
protection and assistance to all those who may wish to follow
their Majesties (and that they approve of). And you will
also receive his Majesty's Minister and suite, and afford such
other protection as in your power to all British subjects and
their property, as the urgency of the case may require.'^^
dated October 22, 1794, and he was appointed to the Fox frigate. In the fol-
lowing year he escorted a fleet of merchantmen to the Mediterranean, and after-
wards served at Quebec, and in the North Sea, and then in the East Indies, and
the China seas. In the Suffolk and the Victorious he served as Flag Captain to
Vice-Admiral Rainier, Commander-in-chief in the Indian seas, and upon his
return to England in 1803 the latter vessel was in such bad condition that she
was obliged to be broken up, and he came back in a vessel hired at Lisbon for
his conveyance. In 1804 he was appointed to the Royal Sovereign, proceeded
to the Mediterranean, removed into the Kent, and joined Lord Nelson as above.
He was afterwards in the Renown, and in 1805 in the Donegal, which he com-
manded for six years. In this vessel he was with Nelson in his pursuit of the
combined French and Spanish fleets to the West Indies, and then returned
to the Channel, and was sent by Sir Robert Calder to reinforce Vice-Admiral
Collingwood off" Cadiz. He aided this officer in the capture of El Rayo, which
had escaped at the Battle of Trafalgar. Re was then, after very meritorious
exertions and humane conduct towards the Spanish prisoners, brought to
Gibraltar, placed under the orders of Sir J. T. Duckworth, sailed to the West
Indies, and was in the battle at St. Domingo, February 6, 1806. He proceeded
with the prizes to England, and suffered much from a very heavy gale of wind.
The Patriotic Fund presented him with a vase of the value of ^'100. In 1808
he was engaged to escort the army under Sir Arthur Wellesley to Portugal, then
attached to the Channel Fleet under Lord Gambier. In 1811 he was appointed
to the Royal Oak, and in 1812 to the San Josef as Captain of the Channel Fleet,
then under Lord Keith. He was made a Colonel of Marines, August 12, 1812,
and a Rear-Admiral, December 4, 1813. He hoisted his flag in 1814 in the
Royal Oak, and took the troops under Brigadier- General Ross from Bourdeaux
to North America. He was with Sir Alexander Cochrane in the Chesapeake
expedition, and obtained the warmest acknowledgements from the Commander-
in-chief for his services. In 1815 he was made K.C.B. and upon his an-ival in
England Sir Pulteney was ordered to co-operate with the Duke of Wellington in
the proceedings against France. He stnick his flag September 26th, but upon
Napoleon Buonaparte's being sent to St. Helena, Sir Pulteney was made
Commander-in-chief on that station, where he gained the respect and confidence
of the ex-Emperor. He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, July 19, 1821,
and died Admiral of the Blue, June 28, 1838.
' From an Autograph in the Elliot Papers.
I
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 387
At this time the King and Queen of Naples addressed the
following to Lord Nelson : —
" Portici, 22nd of May, 1804,
" My dear Lord Duke Nelson,
" I am anxious that my letter should reach you as soon as
possible to inform you of what has happened to me, and
depose in your heart and friendship the pain and grief which
I undergo. After innumerable sacrifices made to procure
me peace, and after the peace to procure me the quiet and
tranquillity of my subjects, I receive fresh insults, threats,
and inexpressible demands from the French Government ;
my loyalty and constant mode of proceeding have kept me
from yielding, but such conduct on my part has excited
against me the animosity and hatred of the First Consul, in
such a manner as to cause it to be signified to me, by several
occasions that I must remove from about my person, the
worthy and well-deserving General Acton. As there was no
founded grievance, no precise facts to be brought against him,
Buonaparte alleges his nationality as a motive, and attributes
to him as being English, every kind of disposition to favour
his own country alone. He has been attacked with fury, so
far as to have had personal altercations with the French
Ambassador, not a single circumstance could be produced
as a subject of just remonstrance. But great power cannot
be restrained, and at this moment in France the abuse of
force is arrived at its height. It is demanded of me to send
away this Minister, and I am menaced with war, if I do not
comply with this extraordinary demand. Orders will arrive
in a few days to Alquier, the French Ambasssdor, to go away,
in case Acton shall not already be gone. The latter has
thought it his duty to prevent a war, to which I was exposed :
he goes therefore into Sicily, but possessing all my faith and
just confidence. The present circumstances, and not having
a numerous English force by hand, the Russians in Corfu
not being in sufficient number, compel me still to temporise,
so much the more, as such is the opinion of Lord Hawkes-
bury given lately to Castelcicala, and such likewise the senti-
ments of the Emperor of Russia, from whom I have letters
2 c 2
388 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [OHAP. VIII.
of the 22nd of April. I must therefore submit, against my
will, to the hard step which the moment demands, in order
that I may not by anticipation mislead the ideas of your
Court and that of Russia. When these shall come and assist
me with effective bodies of troops, I will take up another
position for this kingdom : in the mean time I am thinking
equally for the safety of Sicily, which is furnished with every
thing for that effect. To you, my dear Lord Nelson, I
recommend myself again whatever may occur in case of the
war's renewal : the ship which you leave me becomes more
and more necessary in this Bay. My wife, son, and I shall
divide ourselves. She will take upon her the defence of
Naples, my son that of Calabria, and I shall go to Sicily,
while the rest of the family will remove to Gaeta ; I reclaim,
however, your assistance at all events. Acton will continue
to inform you of every thing from Palermo, Avhither I shall
write him at whatsoever time any thing occurs, and shall
avail myself always of his lights and counsels, which I have
experienced to be constantly useful, firm and wise. I have
mentioned to you what my two friendly Courts advise me in
the case of Buonaparte's endeavouring to exercise his rage
against me and my family ; I have no other line of conduct
to follow than that which they hold out to me, reposing upon
their aid and friendship.
" To you, my Lord, I continue to recommend my fate, and
that of the kingdom which you have once before saved : I
will take care that you shall be exactly informed of every
thing in time, so that you may assist me without provoking
an attack from the troojDS, which I have the misfortune to see
in my dominions, but which hitherto do not pass over the
line marked out. Enjoy, my dear Duke, the best health
which your constantly affectionate friend wishes you.
"Ferdinando B."
" My dear and very worthy Lord and Admiral,
" The King and our worthy Minister will explain to you
in detail what occasions the present dispatch, and plunges
me in the deepest affliction, but I can assure you that our
real sentiments will never be changed by any thing, but are
1S04.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 389
confirmed daily. The King, my husband, has consented, at
the repeated soHcitations of General Acton, to give up tem-
porarily the direction of affairs, to avoid any pretext on the
part of the Imperial usurper for violent measures. It is a
deep sacrifice he has made in acceding to the continual
demands of his honest Minister, and to tranquillize the fears
of his subjects, who dread deplorable events : besides England
and Russia counsel temporising, and waiting the result, so
he has felt himself compelled, without in any point changing
his sentiments, and it is to assure you of this that he sends
you this vessel. You know, my worthy Admiral, the truth
and sincerity of my mode of thinking, which would ever
prevent my asserting a fact, of which I was not perfectly sure.
Continue, then, to be always our defender, protector, and
guard, from the insidious treatment of those who have neither
law nor faith. We confide totally in your Government and
your achievements. You will be informed duly of all, and
believe that I trust only in your brave loyal nation, and in
you, my worthy Lord. Preserve the same sentiments always
towards us, believe that we merit them, being, until death,
your grateful and very attached friends, myself your affec-
tionate friend,
" Charlotte.
"The 22nd May, 1804.
" The Prince, my son, who thinks entirely as we do, desires
me to present his compliments to you, as also all my other
children."
On the 28th and on the 3rd of May Nelson wrote to Lady
Hamilton : —
"Victory, April 28th, 1804.
'* My dearest Emma,
"■ I have been for some days, and am still, very unwell,
without being seriously ill, but I fret absolutely like a fool
for the faults of others. It was no fault of mine that the
dispatches were taken, but of those who sent them in a vessel
not fit to trust my old shoes in ; nor is it my fault that the
Kent, the finest ship in the fleet, is kept so long from Eng-
land, notwithstanding my representations that she is now
obliged to leave the fleet, to lay guard-ship at Naples, and
390 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIII.
more will very soon be in as bad a plight. My only wish is
for the coming out of the French fleet to finish all my uneasi-
nesses. But I yet trust that the reign of Buonaparte will be
soon over, and then that we shall have a few years of peace
and quietness.
" Remember me kindly to all we hold most deal', and
believe me,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
"Captain Layman, Captain Hallowell, and I believe
another packet of letters for you, are now at Gibraltar."
" Victory, May 3rd, 1804.
" Since I wrote you on the 28th April, we have not had
the smallest communication with any vessel, but as I am
sending a letter to Madrid, I cannot let the opportunity slip
of saying we are alive this day. Events, and great ones,
must soon take place. France seems prepared in all quarters,
and if they do not attempt something, they must feel their
own disgrace, and as Buonaparte cares not for the lives of
Frenchmen, something must be done to keep up his Govern-
ment, which, notwithstanding all that is said abroad, I believe
is in very great jeopardy at home. God send a finish to it,
for the benefit of mankind. I have not been very well lately,
and I have only to wish for a battle with the French fleet,
when probably my career will be finished. I only serve, you
know, for the pleasure of fighting them ; that over, I shall ask
for rest for a little time, but I most sincerely hope that by the
destruction of Buonaparte, that wars wdth all nations will cease.
Sir William Bolton is now on board very well.
" Yours.
" Kiss Horatia for me. Admiral Campbell is on board,
and desires his kind regards ; so does Lord Nelson."
Lord Nelson dispatched Captain Sir William Bolton in the
Childers, in quest of three French privateers off Tunis, inter-
rupting our trade, and he again brought the subject of Sardinia
under Lord Hobart's notice : " The question (he says) is not,
shall the King of Sardinia keep it ? that is out of the question ;
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 391
he cannot, for any length of time. If France possesses it,
Sicily is not safe an hour; and the passage to the Levant
is completely blocked up. Pardon me, my Lord, for
bringing this important subject again before you : but I really
think that I should not do my duty to my country if I did
not."i
On the 5th of May he wrote the following to Lady Hamil-
ton : —
" Victory, May 5th, 1804.
" I find, my dearest Emma, that your picture is very much
admired by the French Consul at Barcelona ; and that he has
not sent it to be admired — which I am sure it would be, by
Buonaparte. They pretend that there were three pictures
taken — I wish I had them : but they are all gone,^ as irre-
trievably as the dispatches ; unless we may read them in a
book, as we printed their correspondence from Egypt. Dr.
Scott went to Barcelona, to try to get the private letters ; but
I fancy they are all gone to Paris. The Swedish and American
Consuls told him, that the French Consul had your picture,
and read your letters ; and Doctor thinks one of them,
probably, read the letters.
" By the master's account of the cutter, I would not have
trusted a pair of old shoes in her. He tells me she did not
sail, but was a good sea boat. I hope Mr. Marsden will not
trust any more of my private letters in such a conveyance ;
if they choose to trust the affairs of the public in such a thing,
I cannot help it. I long for the invasion being over, it must
finish the war, and I have no fears for the event."^
On the 11th he again departed for the Madalena Islands to
complete the wood and water, and obtain other necessary
supplies for the squadron, leaving Captain Mowbray in the
Active to keep a watch on the French fleet. On the 22nd
and 30th he again addressed Lady Hamilton : —
' From an Autograph in the Colonial Office,
* Taken in the Swift cutter.
^ Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 36.
392 LIFE Oi' VICE-ADMIItAL [CHAP. VIII.
" Victory, May 22nd, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
" Your two letters vld Lisbon arrived the same day with
those in the Leviathan. I do not deserve your scolding. I
have looked at my log, and I find that the Phoebe sailed
for Gibraltar with the English letters on December 27th, and
that all the English letters went in her ; therefore no signal
for English letters could be flying on the 28th, as you state.
Your letter was dated the 26th. The Cameleon went to
Naples, but I never have, nor intend to write by such a very
uncertain route when I could write by a better at the same
time, and we may be sure that all my^ietters would be read ;
not that I care, but I shall be more careful how I write a
word of the fleet, as I see that extracts from my letters get
into the newspapers. Davison is very wrong ever to quote a
word I write, but I shall not scold him now, as I fear, poor
fellow, he is in the King's Bench. I am quite hurt about his
getting into such a scrape ; he always told me : ' Oh ! I know
my ground — let me alone — I cannot be deceived/ It often
turns out that these very clever men are oftener deceived
than other people. Now let me put you right about Mr.
Marsh. He did what was most perfectly right, and it was
very hard upon me to force the money out of his hands.
You knoiv how £4000 was meant to be disposed of, but never
mind, I never meant but to pay Davison, with many, many
thanks, and a due sense of the obligations I owe him. I had
hopes, if we got the Dutch ship given to the Victory,
that, with a little more I should be out of his debt ; and I do
assure you that I should have ordered the money to have
been paid to him, but that he begged me not to t/mik of it. I
feel it all, I would not have acted so by him had I been so
rich ; so finishes that matter.
" With respect to the improvements at Merton, I never
meant that they should be paid out of the £1200 a year, and
I send you an order that Davison will pay the bills, as I wish
to know exactly what the alterations cost. With respect
to the room, I hardly know how to find the money; but
if it is to be done this year, it is begun before this time ;
it is too late to say a word now. I have wrote to Sir John
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 393
Acton on the subject you wished me, but that person is now
so much French, that I doubt the effect if she does write —
so it is said, but 1 cannot beheve it. I have not heard of the
arrival of the watch for Horatia, or a httle box for you, but
I suppose they went in the British Fair cutter, and the
answers came out in the Swift. I shall write by Gibraltar
in a few days. This goes through Spain by the care of Friend
Gayner.
" Yours.''
" Victory, May 30th, 1804.
" I see Lord Stafford is going to oppose Mr. Addington ;
the present Ministry cannot stand. I wish Mr. Addington
had given you the pension ; Pitt, and hard-hearted Grenville
never will. What a fortune the death of Lord Camelford
gives him !
" Every thing you tell me about my dear Horatia charms
me. I think I see her, hear her, and admire her, but she is
like her dear, dear mother. I wish I could but be at dear
Merton, to assist in making the alterations. I think I should
have persuaded you to have kept the pike and a clear stream,
and to have put all the carp, tench, and fish who muddy the
water into the pond. But as you like, I am content. Only
take care that my darling does not fall in and get drowned.
I begged you to get the little netting along the edge ; and
particularly on the bridges.
^' I have only one more word — Do not believe a syllable
the newspapers say, or what you hear. Mankind seems fond
of telling lies.
" Remember me kindly to Mrs. Cadogan, and all our
mutual friends : and be assured I am for ever your most
faithful,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" George Campbell desires me always to present his best
respects, and make mine to good Mr. Yonge; and when you
see Sir William Scott, make my best regards acceptable to
him. There is no man I have a higher opinion of, both as a
public and private character." ^
* Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 39.
394 LIFK OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. VIII.
"Victory, May 30th, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
" I am writing this day by way of Gibraltar and Barce-
lona ; to take both chances. I wrote you on the 22nd through
Friend Gayner, the Quaker at Rosas. We have nothing in the
least new here. We cruise, cruise, and one day so like
another, that they are hardly distinguishable, but hopes,
blessed hopes, keeps us up, that some happy day the French
may come out, then I shall consider my duty to my country
fulfilled. I have been but so so, and am not so well as I
could wish, a slow nasty fever hangs upon me, but 1 have a
good medical man in the Surgeon of the Victory, Dr. Snipe
being absent at Malta. I am not seriously ill, but am not
quite in rude health. For God's sake and my sake do not
believe anything that newspapers may tell you ; I can tell
my own tale ; or conn over every word in my letter. My
saying we are on the eve of a battle could only be intended
to convey my belief that the French intended to put to sea,
and so they did on April the 5th, and had we not been near,
probably they would have pushed for their destination, there-
fore do not fancy this, that, or the other, as how, where, or
when, I can get at them. I cannot do impossibilities, or go
into Toulon, but all that man can do shall be done, and the
sooner it is done the sooner I shall certainly be at dear Merton.
Kiss my dearest Horatia for me. I shall hope to see her at
Merton on my arrival. I think the election of Buonaparte
to be Emperor will give us Peace, and the Ministry seems
going. I hope Mr. Addington has given you a pension — it
is shameful if he has not, however nothing shall be wanting
from me. I will give you two-thirds of the last bit of bread
I have. I have wrote Admiral Lutwidge, by Gibraltar. Say
every kind thing for me to all friends. I have sent you a
case of macaroni by the Agincourt, and will send for more
from Naples this very day. I have not heard from Gibbs
this age, nor of Bronte, but I hope he will do well for me.
Gaetano desires his duty, he says he is afraid you have forgot
him. I do not hear of William having any inclination to
send home any part of his wages. Don't you give any, for
it will come out of my pocket, which is not necessary, as his
pay is £18. a year."
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 395
The fever alluded to in this letter is more particularly
described by Lord Nelson in a letter to Dr. Baird. He
says : — " The health of this fleet cannot be exceeded ; and I
really believe that my shattered carcass is in the worst plight
of the whole fleet. I have had a sort of rheumatic fever, they
tell me ; but I have felt the blood gushing up the left side of
my head, and the moment it covers the brain, I am fast
asleep : I am now better of that ; and with violent pain in
my side, and night sweats, with heat in the evening, and
quite flushed. The pain in my head, nor spasms, I have not
had for some time. Mr. (now Sir George) Magrath, whom
I admire for his great abilities every day I live, gives me ex-
cellent remedies; but we must lose such men from our
service, if the army goes on encouraging medical men,
whilst we do nothing. I am sure much ought to be done
for our Naval Surgeons, or how can we expect to keep valu-
able men? I look to you not only to propose it, but to
enforce it to Lord St. Vincent, who must be anxious to pre-
serve such a valuable set of men to the navy.^'^
He wrote to Lady Hamilton, June 6th, 10th, and l7th : —
" Victory, June 6th, 1804.
" Since I wrote you, my dearest Emma, on the 30th and
31st of May, nothing new has happened except our hearing
the fev de joie at Toulon, for the declaration of Emperor.
What a capricious nation those French must be ! However,
I think it must in any way be advantageous to England.
There ends for a century all republics ! By vessels from
Marseilles, the French think it will be a peace, and they say
that several of their merchant ships are fitting out, I
earnestly pray that it may be so ; and, that we may have a
few years of rest.
" I rather believe, my antagonist at Toulon, begins to be
angry with me, at least, I am trying to make him so, and
then he may come out and beat me, as he says he did off
Boulogne. He is the Admiral that went to Naples, in
December, 1792, La Touche Treville, who landed the grena-
diers. I owe him something for that.
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 367.
396 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP, VIII.
" I am better, my clear Emma, than I have been, and shall
get through the summer very well.
'^ Would you conceive it possible ! but it is now from
April 2nd since I have heard from Ball. The average time
for a frigate to go and return, is from six to seven weeks.
Sir William Bolton joined last night ; and received his letters
announcing his being called papa. He is got a very fine
young man and good officer. Lord St. Vincent has desired
he may have the first Admiralty vacancy for Post ; but no-
body will die, or go home.
" Apropos ! I believe you should buy a piece of plate value
fifty pounds, for our god daughter of Lady Bolton : and
something of twenty or thirty pounds value, for Colonel
Suckling's. But my Emma you are not to pay for them, let
it rest for me; or, if the amount is sent me, I will order pay-
ment."^
" Victory, June lOth^ 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
*' I wrote to you on the 6th vid Rosas : this goes by Bar-
celona : to which place I am sending Sir William Bolton, to
fetch Dr. Scott, who is gone there, poor fellow, for the benefit
of his health.
" I have just had very melancholy letters fi-om the King
and Queen of Naples, on account of General Acton's going
to Sicily. The insolence of Buonaparte was not to be parried
without a war ; for which they are unable, if unassisted. I
have letters from Acton, May 28th, on board the Archi-
medes, just going into Palermo. He will probably return to
Naples, unless new events arise and that may be; for a
Minister, once out, may find some difficulty in renewing his
post. He has acted with great and becoming spirit.
" I am better, but I have been very unwell. It blows here
as much as ever. Yesterday was a little hurricane of wind.
I dare say Prince Castelcicala knows it by express ; if not
you may tell him, with my best respects. He and every
one else may be sure of my attachment to those good Sove-
reigns. By this route I do not choose to say more on this
subject.
' Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 48.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 397
'* T fear Sardinia will be invaded from Corsica before you
get this letter. I have not small ships to send there or any
where else ; not in the proportion of one to five. You may
communicate this to Mr. Addington, if you think that he
does not know it ; but to no one else except Castelcicala, of
what relates to Naples.
" I have very flattering letters from the Grand Vizir, in
the name of the Sultan, and from Cadir now Capitan
Pacha.''!
"Victory, June 17th, 1804.
" Not the least alteration has taken place in the fleet since
I wrote you last on the 10th via Barcelona. By the French
accounts I see therefore almost a total change of Administra-
tion. I sincerely wish that Mr. Addington may have ren-
dered you justice in granting the pension before he left office,
if not, I fear it will never be done, for although Dundas would
express his wishes for your success, when he had but little,
if anything, to say, yet you will find now he has much to
say that he will say less. My last letters from England are
April 5th, going on for three months in total ignorance of what
is passing, but as Doctor Scott has continued through Spain
to get the Paris papers, we know all the great events which
are passing. I still think that we have a fair prospect of
Peace. Pitt can have no objection to treat with a French
Monarchy, and I should think that the new Emperor would
wish very much for one. My friend Monsieur La Touche
has got his fleet fully manned — he sometimes plays bo-peep
in and out of Toulon, like a mouse at the edge of her hole ;
but as these playful tricks, which mean nothing serious, may
be magnified by nonsensical letters, of which too many are
wrote, I desire and beg that you will never give any credit
to them. You are sure that when any one can write from
the fleet that I can, and you are sure that I should to you.
I very much doubt now your female friend at Naples has got
Acton removed, whether he will be able to return. The
male friend of ours says he will go to Sicily, and as neither
Russia nor England can trust either Galio or Micheroux
' Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 53.
398 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. VIII,
who want the place, and who, we know, are both French in
heart ; this is the only chance he has at seventy-three of
being again Pi-ime Minister, and the Queen cannot, I fancy,
do now so well without him as formerly. My state of health
is such that if I could fight the French fleet to-morrow, I
should certainly solicit permission to come home for a few
months rest, and I must do it before the winter, or I shall be
hors de combat, and they ought to make some allowance for
my maimed carcass. Kiss dear Horatia for me, and re-
member me to all our friends. Charles is very near perfectly
recovered, and he behaves very well. I long to hear how poor
Davison gets on. I hope he is out of prison, for I fear he
has been in one before this time. Again and again bless you.
" June 18. Dr. Scott has just brought me from Barcelona
one of your dear prints, the French Consul had it framed
and glazed, the other he sent to Paris.
" Yours,
"Nelson."
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 399
CHAPTER IX.
1804.
On the 14th of June m this year, the French fleet of eight
ships of the line, and six frigates, came out of Toulon. Nel-
son was off Hieres with five ships, and chased the fleet
into Toulon again. He thought the French Admiral meant
nothing beyond a gasconade. Monsieur La Touche, the
French Admiral, put a very different version on this affair,
and highly excited the indignation of Lord Nelson. His
letter to Paris is as follows : —
" Abord du Bucentaure, en rade de Toulon,
le 26 Prairial An XII.
" General,
" J'ai I'honneur de vous rendre compte de le sortie de toute
I'escadre a mes ordres. Sur I'avis que j' avais re9u que plu-
sieurs corsaires Anglais infestaient la cote^^et les iles d'Hieres,
je donnai Pordre, il y a trois jours, aux fregates PIncorruptible
et la Syrene, et le brick le Furet, de se rendre dans la baie
d'Hieres. Le vent d'est les ayant contrarices elles mouille-
rent sous le chateau de Porqueroles. Hier matin, les enne-
mis en eurent connaissance. Vers midi, ils detacherent deux
fregates et un vaisseau, qui entrerent par la grande passe,
dans I'intention de couper la retraite a nos fregates. Du mo-
ment ou je m'apperyus de sa manoeuvre, je fis signal d'appa-
reiller a toute I'escadre ; ce qui fut execute. En 14 minutes,
tout etait sous voiles, et je fis porter sur I'ennemi pour lui
couper le chemin de la petite passe, et dans le dessein de I'y
suivre, s'il avait tente d'y passer; mais I'Amiral Anglais ne
tarda pas a renoncer a son projet, rappela son vaisseau et ses
deux fregates engages dans les isles et prit chasse. Je I'ai
poursuivi jusqu'a la nuit ; il courait au sud-est. Le matin,
an jour, je n'en ai eu aucune conrioissance. Je vous salue
avec respect,
"La Touche Treville."
400 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX.
Lord Nelson frequently referred to this letter in his corre-
spondence. To Mr. Davison, he says, that he has only to
hope M. La Touche will give him an opportunity of settling
his account before he goes home. To Sir Evan Nepean,
*^ All my wishes now rest that I may meet M. La Touche
before October is over.'^ To his brother, the Rev. Dr. Nel-
son, " You will have seen Monsieur La Touche's letter of
how he chased me, and how I ran. I keep it ; and, by God,
if I take him, he shall eat \i." To Mr. Davison, on the 9th
of August, " I am expecting Monsieur La Touche (as he has
wrote a letter that I ran away), to come out of his nest. The
whole history is too contemptible for my notice, but I have
thought it right, not upon my own account, but for the satis-
faction of the Admiralty, &c. &c. to send a copy of the Vic-
tory's log : for if my character for not running away, is not
fixed by this time, it is not worth my trouble to put the world
right at my time of life ; and if any Englishman has believed
for one moment the story, I may, to my friend, say, without
fear of being thought arrogant, that they do not deserve to
have me serve them ; but I have kept Mr La Touche's letter ;
and if I take him, I shall never see him, or, if I do, make him
eat his letter — perhaps, sovereign contempt is the best."^
His letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty run thus : —
" Although I most certainly never thought of writing a line
of Mons. Touche's having cut a caper a few miles outside of
Toulon, on the 14th of June, where he well knew I could not
get at him without placing the ships under the batteries which
surrounded that port ; and that, had I attacked him in that
position, he could retire into his secure nest whenever he
pleased, yet, as the gentleman has thought proper to write a
letter, stating that the fleet under my command ran away,
and that he pursued it, perhaps it may be thought necessary
for me to say something. But I do assure you. Sir, that I
know not what to say, except by a flat contradiction; for if
my character is not established by this time for not being apt
to run away, 'tis not worth my time to attempt to put the
world right. It is not, therefore, I do assure your Lordships,
with any such intention that I stain my paper with a vaunt-
ing man's name, and, therefore, I shall only state, that the
' From autograph in the possession of Colonel Davison.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 401
fleet I have the honour and happiness to command, is in the
highest state of disciphne, good order, good humour, and good
health, and that the united wishes of all are, I am sure, to
meet Mons. La Touche at sea : then I ought not to doubt that
I should be able to write a letter equally satisfactory to my
King, my*country, and myself."^ " Such a liar," (he writes
to Sir Alexander Ball), " is below my notice, except to thrash
him, which will be done if in the power of, my dear Ball,
jour sincere friend, Nelson and Bronte." And in another
letter to Mr. Davison : " I dare say, Mons. La Touche will
have a different sort of letter to write, if I can once get a
shake at him. Whether the world thinks that I ran away or
no, is to me a matter of great indifference. If my character
is not fixed by this time, it is useless for me to try to fix it at
my time of life." Monsieur La Touche, however, did not
survive to feel Nelson's vengeance. He died on the 18th of
August, at Toulon. Nelson wrote to General Villettes : "La
Touche has given me the slip — he died of the colic ; perhaps
Buonaparte's, for they say he was a rank Republican. Du-
manoir is the Rear-Admiral at present in Toulon." And to
Sir Alexander Ball : " He is gone, and all his hes with him.
The French papers say, he died in consequence of walking so
often up to the signal post, upon Sepet, to watch us : I always
pronounced that that would be his death."
The capture of the Swift cutter, induced Lord Nelson to
alter the sheet of signals, and he communicated the same to
the Admiralty. He determined likewise to cut off all com-
merce between Italy and the enemy's ports at Marseilles and
Toulon, and therefore ordered Captain Mowbray of the
Active to repair to the Hieres islands, and cruise between
these and Cape Taillat. Captain Donnelly of the Narcissus
relieved Captain Mowbray on this service on the 23rd, the
Active being ordered to join Lord Nelson. The vessels at
this time cruising with Lord Nelson, were the Victory, Royal
Sovereign, Canopus, Donegal, Belleisle, Triumph, Leviathan,
Renown, Seahorse, Active, Amazon, Maidstone, Childers,
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 150. From the original in the Admiralty,
and autograph drafts in the possession of the Rev. Henry Girdlestone, and of
James Young, Esq. of Wells.
VOL. II. 2 D
402 I.IFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IX.
Camelcon, thunder-bomb ; the Medusa and Araphion were
cruising outside the Straits, for the protection of trade into
the Mediterranean ; the Halcyon and La Sophie between
Ceuta and Cape Spartel, for the protection of trade in the
Straits of Gibraltar; the Anson, Arrow, Bittern, Moi'giana,
and Jalouse from the mouth of the Archipelago,* along the
Adriatic as far as Ancona, for the protection of trade, and to
prevent the enemy sending troops into the Morea ; the Juno
off Cape Sebastian to communicate with Barcelona, and gain
intelligence of Spanish affairs ; the Agin court and Argo, at
Gibraltar; the Kent at Naples, to relieve the Gibraltar, for
the protection of the Royal Family of Naples ; the Superb
and Niger at Malta ; the Gibraltar to repair at Gibraltar ; the
Termagant to Naples with dispatches ; the Narcissus at
Madalena Islands to repair; the Excellent to Porto Conte in
Sardinia, to assist in victualling, and in obtaining wood and
water ; the Phoebe and Thetis at the Bay of Rosas for the
same ; the Acheron bomb, with public dispatches for the
Minister at Naples ; the ^tna bomb atMalta, for provisions ;
the Spider brig, and Renard schooner at Malta, to protect the
trade ; L^Hirondelle at Malta to be under the directions of
Sir Alexander Ball, and the Madras as a prison ship at Malta.
Such was the disposition of the Mediterranean fleet under
the command of Lord Nelson towards the end of June.
The Queen of Naples again addressed Lord Nelson in the
following letter : —
" My very worthy, dear Lord,
'' I seize the present opportunity of writing to you to assure
you in the name of the King, and from myself, our unchanged,
fixed, sentiments towards you, your Government, and great
nation. Our position is very painful and disagreeable ; we
are surrounded by open and concealed enemies, and by treason
of every kind, even the Pope, they say, at the instigation of
the upstart Emperor, wishes to embarrass us as far as he has
the means, but nothing will embarrass or make us waver from
our fixed principles. I always rely with confidence on your
friendship and interest in us. All that occurs is so contrary
to all reason, that one can only sigh and detest a life so replete
with horrors. Take care of your health my respected
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 403
Admiral, continue your support, aid, and care to my husband
and children, and to our unfortunate and ungrateful subjects,
and rely on the gratitude which will terminate only with life,
of your very sincere, attached and grateful friend,
" Charlotte.
" 14th June, 1804."
Her Majesty also wrote on the 28th, as appears from the
following letter of Lord Nelson : —
" Victory, 10th July, 1804.
'^ Madam,
" I have been honoured by your Majesty's gracious and
condescending letter of June 28th. I have no other reply to
make to such flattering expressions of confidence, than to
offer my most devoted thanks, and my assurances of always
studying to merit your Majesty's favourable sentiments, and
those of my benefactor the King.
" It would be presumptuous on my part to venture to speak
of political matters, in a letter to your Majesty ; but I cannot
help wishing that Europe, was like a handful of rods against
France. If it be proper to give way to the times, let us tem-
porise : if to make war, let us all make it. On this principle,
I could have wished that Russia had avoided war, unless she
had been joined by Austria. Then, acting honourably side
by side, there would have been some hope from such a
coalition.
'' If Russia sends men, and vessels to the Ionian Re-
public, and into the Morea only, I have no hesitation in
saying, that she compromises Naples much more, than if she
had, for the moment, bent to the storm. At least 50,000 troops
(it should be 1 00,000) are necessary to answer for the safety of
Italy. To say the truth, I do not believe we had in the last war,
and according to all appearance, we shall not have in the
present one either, plans, of a sufficiently grand scale to force
France to keep within her proper limits. Small measures
produce only small results. I dare not let my pen run on :
the intelligent mind of your Majesty will readily comprehend
the great things which might be effected in the Mediterra-
nean, on this side Buonaparte is the most vulnerable. It is
2 D 2
404 I^IFE OF VICE-ADMIKAL, [cHAP. IX.
from here that it would be most easy to mortify his pride,
and so far humble him, as to make him accept reasonable
conditions of peace. I entreat your Majesty's pardon for
having expressed my sentiments with such boldness.
*' Mr. Elliot has informed me, by writing, of what your
Majesty wished to say on the subject of writing to the
Minister, respecting the pension for your Emma. Poor Sir
William Hamilton believed that it would have been granted,
or it would have been unpardonable in him to have left his
widow with so little means. Your Majesty well knows, that
it was her capacity and conduct which sustained his diplo-
matic character, during the last years in which he was at
Naples. It is unnecessary for me to speak more of it. It
only remains for me — begging pardon for having occupied
your Majesty's time so long — to subscribe myself,
" Your Majesty's faithful and devoted servant,
" Nelson and Bronte."^
This letter is acknowledged by the Queen in the following: —
"■ My very worthy and respected Lord,
"■ I received with much gratitude your skilful, perfect letter
of the 10th of July. I think entirely as you do, that trifling
and partial attacks are only mischievous, contributing cheap
laurels to the modern Emperor. I always wait with impatience
your interesting news, and pray sincerely for the preservation of
your health, and that for the sake of our safety and tranquillity
you may remain in the Mediterranean, my confidence in you
being perfect. God grant that a loyal, sincere union between
the great Powers may stem the devastating torrent, and plans
of conquest and aggrandisement of the despot of Europe, but,
to obtain a durable peace, it requires to be prepared to en-
force it. You may feel assured that I shall do all that
depends on me for a friend in v^hom I am so greatly in-
terested. Continue to favour me with news. May heaven
accord to you all the prosperity I desire for you, and believe
me for life, with sincere esteem, your very grateful, confiding,
attached friend,
" Charlotte.
"2Cth July, 1804."
' Life of the Rev. Dr. Scott, p. 114.
1801.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 405
Lord Nelson received the following from Mr. Elliot : —
" Naples, June 15th, 1804.
" My dear Lord,
*' Accept of my most grateful thanks, and of those of Mrs.
Elliot, for your kindness to our dear boy. We rely with
confidence, that if God spares your life, you will in time be
as useful to those of our children who embrace your honour-
able profession, as their good conduct may deserve. I am
certain you have placed William as advantageously as
possible, and I trust he will prove worthy of your pro-
tection.
*' The Queen asked me for your letter to Sir John Acton,
as he had left directions for her Majesty and the King to
open those which might come for him. The next day they
were sent to me to be translated — that of the 1st of June, I
did translate without hesitation in writing ; but the other I
only read to the Queen, as I can see no use of leaving copies
of them in her hands. The originals will be sent by the first
opportunity to Palermo.
" There are many things to say about the Queen, which I
do not wish to commit to paper. She is in many respects so
completely biassed in her attachments, by the sad favourite
of the day, that her heart and her understanding are equally
the dupe of this weakness.
*' I understand that the Courts of Berlin and of Vienna, will
without hesitation acknowledge the validity of Buonaparte's
new title. This Court will follow their example.
" From Spain I have no news of a later date than what is
mentioned in your Lordship's letter. It is the fashion here to
believe, that the King of Spain will continue to avoid the war.
But I speak from no authority concerning a topic which
belongs to Mr. Frere. The King of Sardinia, thinking himself
no longer safe in the Roman States, is expected to come to
Gaeta in the course of this month. I have not failed to
convey the kind expressions of your Lordship towards him
through the proper channel. Ever most truly,
" Your Lordship's faithful and humble servant,
«H. Elliot."
406 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX,
On the 27thj Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, June 27th, 1804.
*'Last night, my dearest Emma, I received your three
letters of April 13th and 22nd, and May 13th, by way of
Naples. It is the only scrap of a pen we have had from
England since April 5th, by Leviathan. You must not
complain of my not writing, for I never miss an opportunity,
as the following list will shew. February 25th by Barcelona,
March 2nd, 15th, by Rosas ; 19th, by Gibraltar; April 10th,
by Rosas; 14th, by Captain Layman; 19th, 21st, 23rd, by
the Argo ; 20th, by Rosas ; May 3rd, by Barcelona ; 5th, by
Rosas; 12th, by Rosas; 30th, 31st, by Gibraltar; June 6th,
by Rosas; 10th, by Barcelona; 19th, by Rosas. You will
see, and I have wrote Davison to pay every bill relating
to the alterations at Merton, and that nothing is to be touched
on that business from the £100. a month. I also wrote to
him to pay, if I can afford it, poor blind Mrs. Nelson^s debts.
The change of Ministry can do us no harm, and if Lord
Melville is a true friend he may now get it^ for you ; but my
dear Emma, all their promises are pie-crusts, made to be
broken. I hope to get out of debt and to have my income
clear, and then we shall do very well with prudence. I am
not surprised at the time poor Davison is to be confined, after
what passed in Parliament, I did not expect so little, and I
fear he has a heavy fine to pay besides. He would only
consult Lord Moira and such clever folks, but an ignoramus
like me, could only warn him not to touch Boroughs. He
has, poor fellow, been completely duped, and who cares ? not
one of those great folks. I am most sincerely sorry for him,
but a year will soon pass away. Have not I been shut up in
a ship without any one comfort ? He is ashore, with his
friends round him, and even you to go to see him. I would
change with him with much pleasure. I shall write him a
line, he must not kill himself, that his enemies would rejoice
at, and I hope he will live to plague them. Acton being gone
to Sicily, the Queen had authority to open his letters. Mr.
Elliot explained the one relative to her writing to Mr. Adding-
ton. She said, as Mr. Elliot writes me, as Mr. iVddington is
' The pension.
180-1.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 40/
out of office the application to him from her would no longer
meet your purpose, and as to a letter to his successor, she
must be regulated in that by your future explanation upon
the subject. I can think a great deal. Mr. Elliot likes to
class you in such a way as may make a precedent — that you
recollect was always his plan, but I shall write Acton and
the Queen to say, that there can be no harm in her writing
to Mr. Pitt. Your eminent services, and her personal obli-
gations to you, &c. &c. But you know enough of the world
not to be surprised at any forgetfulness from even great folks.
How delighted I shall be with Merton, and I shall hope to
find Horatia fixed there. Why not ? kiss her for me, and
may God bless her. I am always glad to hear that Charlotte
behaves well to you. She would be very ungrateful if she
did not. Remember me kindly to Mrs. Cadogan and all our
friends. I shall, if it pleases God, eat my Christmas dinner
at dear Merton. My health absolutely requires a few months
rest, even if my services are required again. Pray God in
heaven bless and preserve you.
" Yours.''
On the 1st of July, the two following letters : —
'' Victory, July 1st, 1804.
" Although I have wrote you, my dearest Emma, a letter
by Rosas, of June 27th, not yet gone, the weather, being so
very bad, that ships cannot get across the gulf of Lyons, yet
I will [not] miss the opportunity of writing by Gibraltar.
You must not, my Emma, thjnk of hearing from me by way
of Malta; it takes as long to send a letter to Malta as to
England. Your letters of April 13th, 22nd, and May 13th,
through Mr. Falconet, came safe a few days ago ; Mr. Fal-
conet is the French banker; and he dare not buy a little
macaroni for me, or let an Englishman into his house !
" What our friends are after at Naples, they best know.
The poor King is miserable at the loss of Acton. The Queen
writes me about honest Acton, &c. &c., and I hear, that she
has been the cause of ousting him : and they say — her ene-
mies— that her conduct is all French. That, I do not believe,
although she is likely to be the dupe of French emigres, who
408 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IX.
always beset her. I doubt much, my dear Emma, even her
constancy of real friendship to you ; although, in my letter to
Acton, which Mr. Elhot says he read to her, I mentioned the
obligations she was under to you, &c. in very strong terms.
" You will not hear of my making prize-money. I have
not paid my expenses these last nine months. I shall expect
to eat my Christmas dinner at Merton ; unless those events
happen which I can neither foresee nor prevent. I am not well :
and must have rest for a few months, even if the country [want
me], which is very likely they will not. News, I can have
none. April 9th. — Leviathan sailed, so Government don't
care much for us.
"Nelson and Bronte."^
"Victory, July 1st, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
*' I have a moment, and but a moment, to write you a line
through Spain. I wrote you yesterday by Gibraltar, and sent
you the first Bill of Exchange for £lOO. for you, and
£100. for poor Mrs. Bolton. I take this opportunity of
sending the second, as I dare say that this will be home
months before the other. Nothing from England since
April 5 th.
" Yours.
" All my public dispatches go for Gibraltar this day."
At the beginning of this month. Lord Nelson learnt that
the enemy was collecting troops and stores at Porto Fer-
rajo to make a descent on Sardinia, and he therefore sent
off the Hon. Captain Capel in the Phoebe, together with the
Cameleon, to cruise between that Port and Leghorn, and
capture or destroy any vessels or transports he might meet
with. On the 9th, he wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, July 9th, 1804.
" Last night, my dearest Emma, I received your most kind
letter of May 24th, and I feel very much distressed that my
numerous letters do not get quicker to your hand, but I can
' Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 56.
1804.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 409
only write and send off, and indeed, I dare say, if I was the
carrier, they would not be so long in travelling, I have men-
tioned the date of every letter, and how they went, in a letter
sent a few days ago by Barcelona ; in March, three ; in April,
six; in May, five; in June to the 19th, three; June 27th,
July 1st. I must not write a word of any political matter,
for as I send this through Mr. Falconet, I have assured him
that nothing which can in any manner commit him in his em-
ploy with the French Government, shall be put in the letter.
This, I am sure I may say, that we have had no summer
here. For the last four days not a boat could pass. Before
many months I shall certainly see all your improvements, and
if Government, after some rest, want my services, they shall
have them, but I must have a change of air, for always shut
up in the Victory^s cabin, cannot be very good for the consti-
tution. I think you will find me grown thin, but never
mind. Your trip to Canterbury I should suppose the very
worst you could take ; for, on any alarm, there you must stay,
and in a town filled with soldiers ; but if you like it I am
content. However, we know to June 18th, all was safe.
What a long letter Sir Sidney Smith has wrote. Well, this
is an odd war — not a battle ! Admiral Campbell always
inquires after you, and desires to be kindly remembered. I
have little to say — one day is so like another, and having long
ago given you one day there is no difference but the arrival of
a letter or newspapers ; the same faces, and almost the same
conversation. Remember me kindly to all our friends, and
be assured, I am,
" Yours.
" Kiss dear Horatia for me."
" July.Wth. — We have the French news to June 28th. I
have wrote to the great lady at Naples about your pension.
I think she must try and do something. God bless you.
" July 12 th. — We have Paris papers to June 27th. I believe
we are never to hear from England again."
The boats of the Narcissus, Seahorse, and Maidstone, made
an attack on some of the enemy's vessels at La Vandour, in
Hieres Bay, on the night of the lOth of July, at the reports
410 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX.
upon which, from Captain Donnelly and Lieutenant Thomp-
son, Nelson was highly pleased, and he wrote to the former
as follows : — " Lord Nelson has received with much satisfac-
tion the report of Captain Donnelly, of the gallant conduct
of the officers and men employed in destroying the enemy's
vessels at La Vendura. The judicious arrangement of Lieu-
tenant Thompson merits my praise, for without that, bravery
would be useless ; and the example of Lieutenant Parker, ^
Lumley," and Moore,^ was such as to insure the bravery of
the inferior officers and men ; for I never knew the superior
officers to lead on well, but that they were always bravely
supported by the men under their orders. Wounds must be
expected in fighting the enemy. They are marks of honour,
and our grateful country is not unmindful of the sufferings
of her gallant defenders. A regular list will be sent to
the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's, and the Captains are to give
each man a certificate before he leaves the ship, describing
his wound, signed by the Captain and Surgeon.'^^ He soon
after ordered Captain Donnelly, in the Narcissus, and with
the Maidstone, off to the Port of Genoa, having received
information that the enemy were in the habit of sending their
privateers, and other vessels of war, from Corsica, thither.
On the 14th, Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton —
" Victory, July Uth, 1804.
" I wrote you my dearest Emma, on the 8th, a letter dated
' Hyde Parker, now a Rear- Admiral of the White, is the son of the late Ad-
miral Sir Hyde Parker, Knight, who so gallantly foujjht the Dutch squadron off
the Dogger Bank. Admii-al Donnelly had a very high opinion of his merits.
He was made a Lieutenant, September 24th, 1804, a Commander, January 22nd,
180G, Post Captain, October 13th, 1807, and Rear-Admiral of the White, No-
vember 23rd, 1841. He distinguished himself early, as above stated ; afterwards
commanded the Prometheus fire-ship, and in 1812, the Tenedos frigate. He was
actively employed on the North American station, and assisted in the taking
of the President in January, 1815. He subsequently commanded the Iphigenia
at Quebec, and on the Jamaica and Mediterranean stations, and was put out of
Commission in June, 1821.
^ Richard John Lumley, died a Post Captain, July 23, 1821.
' Lieut. Ogle Moore, died on half-pay in 1817.
* Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 108. From autograph draft and Order
Book.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 411
June 27th, and July 4th, by way of Barcelona, and 9th and
12th by way of Naples. I begin very much to suspect that
my letters from Rosas go directly into France. You must
only rely that I omit no opportunity of writing. Although
it will be frost and snow when I see dear Merton, yet good
fires and your charming society, will make my heart warm,
and asses milk will set me up again. In due time I shall
write to the Admiralty, but this you will keep to yourself.
Rest I ought to have for a few months, even should they
want my poor services, but there will be so many desirous of
getting the Mediterranean command, that I cannot expect
they will allow me to return to it ; but all this keep to yourself.
It is time enough for the multitude to know of my move-
ments by my arrival, whether it will be in frigate, brig, or
leaky 74, 1 cannot say ; that will depend on the Admiralty, but
I yet hope before my departure that the French fleet will
come out, indeed I expect the Brest fleet into the Mediter-
ranean, and that this will be the great scene of action this
autumn and winter. All I beg, my dearest Emma, that you
will not believe any idle stories in newspapers. I am perfectly
prepared how to act with either a superior or an inferior force.
My mind is firm as a rock, and my plans for every event fixed
in my mind. May God in heaven bless and preserve you.
" Yours.
" Remember me to all our joint friends.'*
Lord Nelson was apprehensive that part of the French
fleet had got out, the idea of which he describes to Rear-
Admiral Campbell, as giving him '* half a fever.'' He wrote
also to Sir Richard Bickerton, " I have been in a little
alarm at the idea of Mons. La Touche having given me the
slip, and it is not quite cleared up. I am sending Active
and Thunder off Marseilles for information ; for I am sure if
that Admiral were to cheat me out of my hopes of meeting
him, it would kill me much easier than one of his balls."^
The following from General Dumouriez was written in this
month : —
' Clarke anil McArthur. Vol. ii. p. 370.
412 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX.
"Le 20 Juillet, 1804.
" My dear Nelson,
" I love you as a brother, and agree with me the extreme
enjoyment I would find in holding you fast in my arms, but
I am so intimately convinced of the necessity of your assist-
ance at the head of the Mediterranean fleet, that I heard with
the greatest sorrow the tale of your removal of your important
station, I hope you received the posterior orders sent of the
new Ministry, and will remain to give us account of the
Toulon fleet that is under your inspection. I consent to
adjourn after the peace the very moment to live with you,
except the case of being myself sent in Italy to partake your
labours, and join in your glory : that is the hearty answer I
return to your kind letter of the 3 1st May.
" I expect no answer of her Majesty, if even the Minister
did faithfully return in her hands the letter, I dared to write
for the public sake. The Sovereigns are all of them afraid
or apathetic, and will remain so, tiU God judges convenient
to awaken them, and strengthen their debased hearts.
" I see with horror the Corsican tyrant invested with an
imperial mantle, impurpled with Bourbon's blood. I hope
the Providence to be weary of so much impudence of one
side, and meekness of the other. I hope the instant of
revenge will soon come, my greatest desire is to be with you,
an instrument of the catastrophe that is impendent upon that
nefarious head. These are the indelible sentiments of your
admirer and faithful friend,
"Le General Dumouriez.
*' A Milord Nelsou, Duke de Bronte,
&c. &c. &c."
The month of August commenced with a letter which does
great credit to Lord Nelson, and shews how superior he was
to any feelings of jealousy or envy towards those officers who
had the gratification of serving with him. The Corporation
of London voted to Lord Nelson their thanks as Commander
of the fleet blockading Toulon. On the copy of Lord Nelson's
reply to this Lady Hamilton wrote : " The following is a
copy of Admiral Lord Nelson's answer to the vote of thanks
ISOl.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 413
of the Corporation of London. It breathes a most noble and
generous spirit, and does his Lordship as much honour as a
victory/*
" TO THE BIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORD MAYOR.
"Victory, August 1st, 1804.
« My Lord,
"This day I am honoured with your Lordship's letter of
April 9th, transmitting me the resolutions of the Corporation
of London, thanking me as commanding the fleet blockading
Toulon. I do assure your Lordship, that there is not a man
breathing who sets a higher value upon the thanks of his
fellow citizens of London than myself; but I should feel as
much ashamed to receive them for a particular service,
marked in the resolution, if I felt that I did not come within
that line of service, as I should feel hurt at having a great
victory passed over without notice. I beg to inform your
Lordship, that the port of Toulon has never been blockaded
by me ; quite the reverse — every opportunity has been offered
the enemy to put to sea, for it is there that we hope to realize
the hopes and expectations of our country, and I trust that
they will not be disappointed. Your Lordship will judge of my
feelings upon seeing that all the junior Flag Officers of other
fleets, and even some of the Captains have received the thanks
of the Corporation of London, whilst the junior Flag Officers
of the Mediterranean fleet are entirely omitted. I own it
has struck me very forcibly, for where the information of the
junior Flag Officers and Captains of other fleets was obtained,
the same information could have been given of the Flag
Officers of this fleet and the Captains ; and it is my duty to
state that more able and zealous Flag Officers and Captains
do not grace the British Navy than those I have the honour
and happiness to command. It likewise appears, my Lord,
a most extraordinary circumstance, that Rear -Admiral Sir
Richard Bickerton should have been, as second in command
in the Mediterranean fleets, twice passed over by the Cor-
poration of London : once after the Egyptian expedition,
when the first and third in command were thanked, and now
414 I.IFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. IX.
" Consciousness of high desert instead of neglect made the
Rear-Admiral resolve to let the matter rest, until he could
have an opportunity personally to call on the Lord Mayor
to account for such an extraordinary omission ; but from this
second omission, I owe it to that excellent Officer not to pass
it by.
^' And I do assure your Lordship, that the constant, zealous,
and cordial support I have had in my command from both
Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, and Rear-Admiral
Campbell has been such as calls forth all my thanks and
approbation. We have shared together the constant attention
of being more than fourteen months at sea, and are ready to
share the dangers and glory of a day of battle ; therefore it is
impossible that I can ever allow myself to be separated in
thanks from such supporters. I have the honour to remain,
with the very highest respect, your Lordship's most faithful
and obedient servant,
'' Nelson and Bronte.''
From Prince Charles Felix of Savoy Lord Nelson received
the following : —
" Cagliari, 9th August, 1804.
" My Lord,
" I have not replied sooner to the letter you politely wrote
me, because I thought you must have quitted the anchorage at
Palma to return again to the coasts of France, but having
the pleasure of seeing you take a situation within sight of
this town, I hasten to write to thank you, my Lord, for the
trouble you have taken in chastising the insolence of the
English Corsairs, as well as for the kindness with which you
sent me the pretended Sardinian, whom you found on board
a vessel coming from Marseilles, but as it proves that he does
not belong to that nation, I intend transferring him to the
English Consul, in order that he may be sent back to you
(to do with him as you think fit) as soon as I have had his
papers examined, which cannot be done until the Corsair,
he was put on board of, has finished her cruise. I hope that
your proximity to this town will permit of your landing and
dining with me, that I may have the pleasure of making the
personal acquaintance of so distinguished a person, an inter-
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 415
view which would also enable me to make some communi-
cations which cannot be easily written. Deign to accept my
assurance, my Lord, that I shall seize every occasion to
convince you of the sentiments of esteem and perfect con-
sideration with Avhich I am, my Lord,
" Your very good friend,
" Charles Felix of Savoye."
In this month Lord Nelson received intelligence from the
Admiralty of having been appointed Vice-Admiral of the White,
the highest rank he lived to attain in the service. He wrote
to Lady Hamilton on the 13th : —
"Victory, August 13th, 1804.
"The Ambuscade brought me your letters to June 5th,
viz. April 9th, 15th, 18th, May 14, 22, 30, vid Lisbon.
May 10, 18, 29, June 1, 4, G, by sea. The box you mention
is not arrived, nor have I a scrap of a pen or newspaper from
Davison.
" 1 do not believe one syllable of the intention of the late
Admiralty to remove me without my own application. I
verily believe so much the contrary, that I much doubt that
they would have suffered me to come home without much
contesting the point. I have every reason to believe that as
a Board, my whole conduct met their entire approbation,
and to say the truth, the old Earl was led wrong against his
better judgment many a time. I am not so vexed with him
as with the others. I am sure he would have promoted
Bolton if they had mentioned him, but never mind, the late
Admiralty have the execrations of the service for destroying
as much as in them lay the NavyP
The number of gales of wind, and the long continuance of
the vessels at sea, severely deteriorated the condition of the
ships forming his squadron. The Gibraltar was to be sent
home — the Kent was in a miserable state — the Superb could
not be expected to keep the sea in the winter — the Renown
and the Triumph were only fit to be sent home — the Maid-
stone and Narcissus were also out of repair. In August, he
wrote to his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence that they
41G LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL, [flJAr. IX.
had an uniform sameness, day after day, and month after
month — gales of wind for ever. " In July, we had seventeen
days very severe weather ; the Mediterranean seems
altered. However, with nursing our ships, we have roughed
it out better than could have been expected. I have always
made it a rule never to contend with the gales ; and either to
run to the southward to escape its violence, or furl all the
sails, and make the ships as easy as possible. Our friend
Keats is quite well ; in his own person, he is equal, in my
estimation, to an additional 74 ; his life is a valuable one to
the State, and it is impossible that your Royal Highness
could ever have a better choice of a sea- friend, or counsellor,
if you go to the Admiralty. Keats will never give that counsel
which would not be good for the service."^
Nelson's health began to suffer, and he wrote to Mr.
Marsden to communicate to the Admiralty the necessity of
a few months quiet to enable him to serve in the next spring.
A winter like that which had passed, he felt unable to with-
stand. He had much regret in making this application, as
he says, " No officer could be placed in a more enviable
command than the one 1 have the honour to be placed in,
and no command ever produced so much happiness to a
Commander-in-chief, whether in Flag Officers, the Captains,
or the good conduct of the crews of every ship in this fleet ;
and the constant marks of approbation for my conduct which
I have received from every Court in the Mediterranean, leave
me nothing to wish for but a better state of health. I have
thought it necessary to state this much, that their Lordships
might not for a moment suppose that I had any uneasiness
of mind upon any account. On the contrary, every person,
of all ranks and descriptions, seems only desirous to meet my
wishes, and to give me satisfaction. I must, therefore, en-
treat their Lordship's permission to return to England for
the re-establishment of my health, and that their consent
may reach me as soon as possible, for I have deferred my
application already too long.""
To Viscount Melville, the First Lord of the Admiralty, he
also wrote on the necessity of returning home to recover his
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 381.
^ Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 157. From the orighial in the Admiralty.
1804] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 4l7
health, and spoke highly of the talents of Sir Richard
Bickerton, the second in command in the Mediterranean,
and as being eminently qualified to command a fleet. He,
however, hoped to get hold of the French fleet before the
arrival of his successor — that he said would add ten years to
his life. He determined upon enticing them out. He
directed Captain Donnelly to proceed to the west end of
Porquerolle, whilst he w^ould get into the Gulf of Lyons and
push round Cape Sicie the first favourable wind. He thought
the appearance of the Narcissus might tempt the French
fleet to come out and stand to the eastward, or to anchor in
Hieres Bay, which would afford his squadron an opportunity
of bringing them to action.
Their Sicilian Majesties were not a little alarmed at the
announced intention of Nelson to return home, as appears
from the following letter from Hugh Elliot, Esq. : —
" September 8, 1804.
'' My Lord, — I cannot sufficiently express the infinite
regret with which their Sicilian Majesties have learnt your
determination of quitting your command in the Mediterra-
nean, and of going to England this winter for the re -esta-
blishment of your health. Their Sicilian Majesties are in
this not more concerned for your indisposition, than they are
anxious from the evil effects which they apprehend must
ensue to their interest, in consequence of your Lordship's
absence from the Mediterranean. I know it is the King's
intention to write to the Prince of Castelcicala, to apply to
the British Government for your Lordship's speedy return
to these seas, in order to resume the high command you
have hitherto exercised, with no less credit to yourself than
advantage to the many countries, whose future security rests
entirely upon the skill by which a British Admiral may be
enabled to maintain the superiority of the British fleet over
that of the enemy in the Mediterranean. When such great
interests are concerned, I shall not presume to dwell upon
my own feelings, although I cannot but recall to your Lord-
ship, that I only consented to depart as abruptly as I did
from England, to undertake this arduous and ruinous mission,
from the expectation that my efforts to direct the councils of
VOL. II. 2 E
418 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX.
this kingdom would have been seconded by your pre-emi-
nent talents and judgment. Allow me, however, my Lord,
in this emergency, to propose to your consideration a plan,
concerning which I have already had much conversation with
the Queen, and which, if it can be adopted, will obviate
many of the misfortunes to which we should be exposed by
your absence. As your Lordship's health requires that you
should not be exposed to the rigours of another winter's
cruise in the Gulf of Lyons, it is the sincere wish of this
Court that you would spend the severe months of the year
either here or at Palermo, without abandoning your chief
command in the Mediterranean. I only do ray duty in
suggesting this idea to your Lordship, without venturing to
press upon you the many arguments by which, I think, I
could prove its expediency. You must be sensible, my Lord,
that no Admiral who is not as well acquainted as yourself
with the political state of these Kingdoms, or other Eastern
countries, and of Russia, can possibly act with the same
effect that you can do, when there is every reason to expect
that the Emperor of Russia, and perhaps even the Ottoman
Porte, will ultimately co-operate with us in our endeavours to
set bounds to the lawless ambition of France. May my
representations upon this subject not come too late, as I am
certain that your departure from the Mediterranean will not
less tend to encourage our enemies, than to diminish the
confidence of those friendly Powers, who look towards your
Lordship's abilities as the surest means of success.
" I have the honour to be,
" &c. &c. &c.
"H. Elliot.''!
On the 20th Lord Nelson wrote to Charles Connor : —
" Victory, August 20th, 1804.
" Dear Charles,
"As Captain Hillyar has been so good as to say that he
would rate you Mid., I sincerely hope that your conduct will
ever continue to deserve his kind notice and protection, by a
strict and very active attention to your duty. If you deserve
well, you are sure of my assistance.
' From the original in the Elliot Papers.
1S04.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 419
" Mr. Scott will supply you with money to begin your mess,
and I shall allow you £30 a year, if it is necessary, which
Captain Hillyar will supply you with ; and as you this day
start in the world as a man, I trust that your future conduct
in life will prove you both an officer and a gentleman ; and
recollect, that you must be a seaman to be an officer, and
also that you cannot be a good officer without being a gentle-
man.
" I am always, with most sincere good wishes,
" Your true friend,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" If you follow Mr. Magrath^s advice, your eye will be as
well as ever.
" Mr. Charles Connor,
" Mid. of H.M. Ship Niger."
He also wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, August 22nd, 1804.
'^ My dearest Emma,
" The ship was gone for Rosas, when the Spencer yesterday,
nineteen days from Plymouth, joined us, by whom I had the
happiness of receiving your letters of via Lisbon, June 28th,
and one without a date through Mr. Marsden, July 4th, 7th,
10th, and 19th. I think it impossible that my friend the
banker, I don't mention names, would allow me to be dis-
tressed by loss of money in his banking house. I cannot
believe it, and why Haslewood in some measure forced
the £5000 from Marsh and Creed's hands, who lay out every
farthing as they get it in the funds, never keeping more than
£50 in hand ; but I hope the best, and I am sure, poor as I
am, if the money I have in the house would save my friend,
he should be welcome to it, but why should my all go to
serve a parcel of people that I never saw or care one farthing
about. I sincerely hope that the bathing has quite set you
up again. The Kent will, I have no doubt, have a very short
passage, and as she carries my request to come home for the
restoration of my health, which a few months may set up,
and fit me, if the Admiralty pleases, to return to this com-
mand ; but there are so many my seniors who are using every
2 E 2
420 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. IX.
exertion for employment, that when once it is gone from me
I stand no chance of getting it back again. The inore likeli-
hood of a Spanish war, the less chance for me. You will
know from Mr. Marsden what the Admiralty intend.
" I wish my proxy had never been given. I am not clear
I should have voted on that side, but I have not read the
debate. I hate the Grenvilles — cold-hearted. IfLordMoira
was to be First Minister, and I First Lord of the Admiralty,
it would be my duty to support, but I am to expect nothing
from them ; and to make enemies of those who are in, I'll be
damned if I do. I will stand upon my own bottom, and be
none of their tools. When I come home I shall make myself
understood. I like both Pitt and Lord Melville, and why
should I oppose them ? I am free and independent. I have
not heard from Davison more than six months. I shall write
him a line, poor fellow ; I wish his time was out. My kindest
love to those we hold most dear — Horatia ; and regards to
good Mrs. Cadogan, Charlotte, &c. &c. &c. Don't forget
old Oliver. God bless you. Amen, Amen, Amen. In a
few days I shall write by Gibraltar."
" Victory, August 27th, 1804,
'* My dearest Emma,
^' Your kind letters by Friend Gayner, of June 22nd, and
July 10th, are just received, and those by Spencer to July
19th. I do not believe that there is any danger of Davison's
failure — I mean the house, for if they set off with a capital of
£500,000, no speculation could have injured them, especially
last winter, by the time the house was formed. As I wrote
you. Marsh and Creed were the only authorized persons to
receive the Prize-money from Mr. Tucker, and neither Davi-
son nor Haslewood had a right to bully my agents. Nor do
I believe that they ever said I was in their debt, unless it was
to save the money for me ; when that was received, I was
£.S800 in Davison's debt. He had wrote me never to think
of his debt, for if it was never paid it was nothing to him.
My agents put every farthing out to interest. God knows, it
is not much. I dare say the banking house has done no such
thing for me, but I shall be soon at home, and settle all my
affairs ; and if I do serve again for an expedition or another
1S04.] LORD VISCOUNT Nr.LSON. 421
year, I shall be aTble to leave all my affairs in a better plight
than at present. I am settling my Bronte affairs, and next
year my net income from thence will be as sure as any estate
in England ; but I have very much to weed away; the gross
amount is large, but the salaries for Governor, Campierias,
the College fees, &c. &c. &c. with Mrs. Graeffer's pension,
will not be less than £800 sterling a year. I am now work-
ing to know why all this expense. If I allow Mrs. Graeffer
£100 a year, I think I shall do well, although I dare say not
half satisfy her. In case of any accident happening to me, I
have given you £500 sterling a year out of the estate, but I
hope we shall live many years. The moment I get home, I
shall put it out of your power to spend dear Horatia's money;
I shall settle it in trustees' hands, and leave nothing to chance.
If Horace^ behaves well, he shall marry her. Mr. Elliot seems
to think they will all go to the devil at Naples, that it is per-
ceptibly getting to be French. I do not see things in so
black a light as he does. Mr. Elliot says both King and
Queen are in desperation at my going away ; they say that I
have so uniformly protected them, and never in the smallest
instance committed them, notwithstanding what Castelcicala
said. I have letters from Acton of August Qth. The lady,
I hear, wishes to go to England, and Acton says so, but I
am sure that he has no such intention, and that he will die
in Italy. He longs to get to his house at Castel-a-Mare, in
short, that he may be near the Court, and he thinks he can
direct Circello, but I doubt whether the Queen will permit
. him even to come to the Kingdom of Naples, unless she finds
that she is involved in difhculties, and cannot get out of them.
Respecting your business he says, ' I see what you tell me,
my Lord, on Lady Hamilton's settlement by Sir William ;
I think it very just that she should be helped. I have wrote
to her Majesty on the subject, and she is pleased to answer
me that she will do whatever is in her power on the sub-
ject, and has acquainted your Lordship lately by one of her
letters.^ I suppose, my dear Emma, that letter is the one
which I sent you, and if her application through Castelcicala
is as cold, I do not expect much from it ; never mind.
" The letters you send with yours are many of them interest-
' His nephew, afterwards Viscount Trafalgar.
422 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX.
ing. What a fool Sir E. H. must be to tell ; but tittle-tattle
is almost all that the men of the present day can talk about.
To marry into the family of the Macnamaras, what a prospect !
As for Captain Macnamara, it is not difficult to foresee
that he will be shot ; he seems to lay himself out for it, and
after what has happened no one will pity him. Our friend
Mr. Davison seems to think him a nonsuch. Every scrap of
your letters are so interesting, that flattering fancy for the
moment wafts me home. Triumph and Narcissus leave the
fleet this day to join the Maidstone, therefore do not expect
letters by those two ; this goes by Triumph. If Davison has
not paid poor Mrs. Nelson's debts, which you say are £90,
I shall be very sorry ; if he has not, I will do it when I come
home. You will not have time to answer this letter before
you will see
"Yours,
'^Nelson and Bronte.
" We have just reports from a vessel spoke that our fleet
has gained a great victory. God send it may be true, and
give us peace. Faddy^ is confirmed, he is lucky, and Sir R.
Barlow speaks highly of him."
"Victory, August 31st, 1804.
*' My dearest Emma,
" Yesterday I wrote to you through Spain ; this goes by
Naples. Mr. Falconet, I think, will send it ; although I am
sure he feels great fear from the French Minister, for having
anything to do with us. The Admiralty proceedings towards
me, you will know much sooner than I shall. I hope they
will do the thing handsomely, and allow of my return in the
spring ; but I do not expect it.
*' I am very uneasy at your and Horatia being on the coast,
for you cannot move, if the French make the attempt ; which,
I am told, they have done, and been repulsed. Pray God it
may be true ! I shall rejoice to hear you and Horatia are
safe at Merton ; and happy shall I be the day I join you.
This is written within three miles of the fleet in Toulon, who
are looking very tempting. Captain Hardy has not been very
well : and I fancy Admiral Murray will not be sorry to see
England, especially since he has been promoted.''-
' Lieutenant William Faddy died in 1811, at the Leeward Islands.
^ Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. C".
1304.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 423
" Victory, September 9th, 1804.
" Since I wrote you, my dearest Emma, on August 30th,
not the least change has taken place, nor have I received a
letter from any place. I have lost my opponent Mons. La
Touche. I grieve to think he died a natural death — it was
more than I bargained for, however, I hope not to follow his
example for many years to come. You will know long before
me what are Lord Melville's intentions towards me — who
comes, and how I am likely to get home. If Captain Keats
will allow me a passage with my numerous suite, I wish to
go home in the Superb, but if the Admu'alty send out a
senior Admiral I must be subject to his will and pleasure — all
that I hope is, that the Admiralty will not keep me in
quarantine at farthest beyond the return of the post, for we
shall be well crowded, seven or eight to sleep in one cabin,
but I cannot help it, it was the same and very uncomfortable
coming out in the Amphion, but then I shall look, my dear
Emma, for happier moments, for I shall not stay three minutes
at Portsmouth, but fly to dear Merton, where all in this world
w hich is dearest to me resides ; and, therefore, I would have
you remain at Merton, being assured I shall lose no time in
coming to you. I have only a moment to scrawl this line,
but be assured I am,
*' Yours,,
" Nelson and Bronte.
"The box you mentioned sending May 18th, has never
arrived, nor my arms from Mr. Nayler. I wish Mr. Spinks
may please you in building, but he is a drunken fellow. I
dare say you have made the subterraneous passage so as to
stop the kitchen door and windows, or you will find the smell
of the kitchen I fear very bad ; but I think you have pro-
vided against that."
" Victory, September 22nd, 1804.
'^ Your two letters of August 7th and 13th I have received.
I am not sure whether I gave the Spanish dresses to Captain
Layman, or sent them to the Admiralty ; the pieces of
Armoisins and Naples shawls I gave him open, or there might
be difficulty in getting them on shore. I have been expect-
421 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IX.
ing a ship from Naples and Palermo these several days, per-
liaps the Queen or Acton from Palermo might say something
about you, but I can no longer defer sending off my dis-
patches to catch the Triumph at Gibraltar. Report says, she
and the King are likely at last to have a serious rupture,
Circello, who is Acton's man, will not give into her wants and
wishes. However, I never trouble myself with these matters,
they may settle their own affairs, they are old enough. Acton
will get back to Castel a Mare, and by degrees try to get
into office again, he will never go to England if he can help it.
I am sure it is not his inclination. Your disposition is too
generous to insult a fallen man, however much we may detest
the principles which guide his conduct, and I am sure nine-
tenths of those who now abuse the Earl and Troubridge were,
and would be again, their most abject flatterers were they
again in office — for me, I feel myself above them in every way,
and they are below my abuse of them ; now no longer in
power, I care nothing about them, and now they can do no
harm to any one I shall not abuse them. Sir William Bolton
is going to Gibraltar to refit the Childers. I see no prospect
of making him Post. When I come home I w^ll speak to
some of the Admiralty about Tom Bowen, but I must stick
to Sir William Bolton, for if I ask many favours I may get
none. Charles is rated on board the Niger, and I hope he
will do well. I have talked much to him and he promises
fair. When you receive this letter I shall most probably be
upon my passage, in what ship, &c. &c. must be left to the
Admiralty or the Admiral who they may send out. I have
plenty of candidates for taking me to England. Gore of the
Medusa writes in desperation, but I am not my own master.
Superb I think will be the ship. God bless you. Kiss dear
Horatia for me, and be assured I am,
"Yours, &c.
"Nelson and Bronte."
" Don't fix anything about Linton's farm till my arrival,
perhaps some of it may be sold.
" 1 am anxious to hear from Gibbs and to settle Bronte,
then that will be off my mind. It ought to have brought me
£3000. a year, instead of a little more than £2000, when all
1804.] LOUD VISCOUXT NELSON. 425
is paid however. However, I have been a great fool in that
business, but never mind. God bless us. Amen."
In October he wrote on the 2nd, the 5th, the 7th5 the 10th,
and on the 12th.
" Victory, October 2ncl, 1804.
''It was only yesterday, my dearest Emma, that I received
your letter ^of July 1st, it having travelled in a Spanish
smuggling boat to the coast of Italy and returned again to
Spain, the boat not having met any of our ships. I am
anxious to put you right about my proxy, and that Lord
Moira's having it could have had no influence against Mr.
Addington, not having done anything for me or my friends ;
you will see that it was entrusted to support Mr. Addington.
Perhaps Davison has been the innocent cause of any one
having my proxy, for I never liked giving it. Lord Moira,
in his letter to Davison, says, — ' being intrusted by him with
the charge of repelling any attack which envy might even aim
at his character, I will give myself the pride of being osten-
sibly confided in by him, and in Political questions I shall
hold myself bound to give his vote as his relation to the
Ministry requires, though it may be in contradiction to my
own.^
" On January 13th, 1 804, I signed the Proxy and sent it to
Davison with the following extract : ' I have intrusted
him with what I did not believe I would have intrusted any
man, and I hope he will be a firm supporter of Mr. Adding-
ton's Administration.' This did not get home till March,
therefore no vote was given in Mr. Addington's administra-
tion, but you see if any had, it would have been to support
Mr. Addington, therefore it could have had no influence upon
Mr. Addington if his inclination had led him to do anything ;
but the fact is, that if my pension was entailed so would Lord
St. Vincent's, and at a time he was to be turned out for mis-
conduct, that I take to be the reason. I think I should not
have given my vote against Pitt. I am no party man as a
tool, if I am to be a part of Administration it alters the case.
If Pitt is attentive to me he shall have my vote. I have told
426 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX.
you all this that you might see my conduct had nothing to
do with Addingt07i's conduct.
" I have kept myself in this letter entirely to the subject
of yours. You see Lord Moira bound himself to support
Addington. God bless you,^'
" Victory, October 5tb, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
" Hallowell is just arrived with your dear letters, and
although I have not in fact one moment of time, still I send
a line to thank you for them. I have only hastily run over
them. I never could have thought you did not give enough
to poor Mrs. Bolton. I must have meant that you should
hold your generous hand, for if you have a fault, it is that you
give away much more than you can afford ; but respecting
her and Tom, &c. &c. I will regulate those things to the full
extent of what I ought to afford, upon due consideration, and
that shall be regularly paid. I can only touch hastily upon
several subjects. I have letters from Mr. Elliot and the
Queen. The King is also in desperation at the thoughts of
my going home. The King offered me houses either at
Palermo or Naples. A messenger is now near England with
a letter for Castelcicala, to present to the King, begging
that I may be desired to return in the spring, but I do not
expect that Pitt will accord with their wishes, although
I receive from every part of Administration the most
flattering marks of confidence. Acton is also very uncom-
fortable at the thoughts of my going away — he was very kind
to Dr, Scott. I much fear without great management Naples
will be lost, I fear the Emperor of Germany is too closely
allied to Buonaparte to mind his relations at Naples. The
Queen is very angry. I have much to tell you when we meet
upon all those subjects. Your brother Ball desires to be
remembered to his Sister Emma. You will not have time to
answer this. Letters are on the average five weeks getting
vid Lisbon to Rosas. Gibbs is doing I believe all he can
for me at Bronte. Mrs. Graeffer will be allowed £100. a year.
I see I must do it, and then it can never be said but that I
have done nobly by her. Gibbs wants to get her to England,
and I can see by his letter that he means something.
1S04.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 427
" I must just write a line by post to Davison to thank him
for his letters. He says every thing shall be done according
to my desires, therefore I hope you will have no more trouble
about paying for the improvements. Sir William Bolton is
gone to heave down to Gibraltar, he is a veiy good young
man. I wish I could make him Post, and into a good frigate.
I shall write by Gibraltar in a few days."
"Victory, October 10th, 1804.
"This, my dearest Emma, will, I dare say, be the last
letter you will receive before you see me. Whatever arrange-
ments are made about me by the Ministers, it is all settled
long before this time. You will know from the Admiralty
about my quarantine, but I dare say it will not be longer
than return of post, I would wish you to remain at Merton.
You are sure I shall lose no time, and it is possible, if I have
leave, to strike my flag at that same moment that I get
pratique. I shall not land at Portsmouth. As I wrote you
before, I think the Superb will carry me, but if a senior
Admiral comes out, I am subject to his will and pleasure.
If all our house is not finished it can be done next summer,
and we shall get through the winter very comfortable I
have no doubt. Your last letters were to August 27th. You
write so naturally that I fancy myself almost, not quite, in
your company, but that will soon be, and I hope you have
fixed Horatia at Merton. We have had much bad weather,
and it has disagreed very much with me. I have much to
say to you,
'^ Yours,
"N. & B."
<• Victory, October 13th, 1804.
*' My dearest Emma,
" The dreadful effects of the yellow fever at Gibraltar and
many parts of Spain, will naturally give you much uneasi-
ness, till you hear that, thank God, we are entirely free from
it, and in the most perfect health, not one man being ill in
the fleet. The cold weather will I hope cure the disorder.
W^hilst I am writing this letter, a cutter is arrived from
England with strong indications of a Spanish war. I hope
428 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL, [ciIAP. IX.
from my heart that it will not prove one. But, however
that is^ my die is cast : and long before this time, I expect,
another Admiral is far on his way to supersede me ; Lord
Keith, I think, a very likely man.
" I should for your sake, and for many of our friends, have
liked an odd hundred thousand pounds ; but never mind.
If they give me the choice of staying a few months longer,
it will be very handsome ; and for the sake of others we
would give up, my dear Emma, very much of our own feli-
city. If they do not, we shall be happy with each other,
and with dear Horatia.''^
On the 13th Lord Nelson received a secret Admiralty
letter, inclosing instructions issued to the Honourable Admiral
Cornwallis to continue the strict blockade of the Port of
Ferrol, to prevent the escape of the French ships, and to
oppose any hostile attempts on the part of the Government
or subjects of Spain against his Majesty's dominions. Lord
Nelson dispatched his instructions therefore to Captain Sir
Richard Strachan, Bart, of the Donegal, to proceed immedi-
ately outside the Straits of Gibraltar, together with the
Medusa, Amphion, Sophia, and Halcyon.
Captain Sutton wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Amphion, Plymouth,
20th October, 1804.
'^ My dear Lady Hamilton,
" I am very unexpectedly come to England, having in
charge one of the Spanish frigates taken otf Cadiz on the
5 th instant, for the particulars I refer you to Captain Moore's'
public letter to the Admiralty. They are very valuable,
having on board nearly one million sterling in specie, besides
cochineal and other valuable merchandise. I hope it wall
turn out a good thing for that great and good man Lord
' Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 79.
'■^ Captain Graham Moore of the Indefatigable, which with the Medusa, Captain
Gore ; the Amphion, Captain Sutton ; and the Lively, Captain Hamond, fell in
with fom- Spanish vessels from South America. Captain Moore resolved to
detain these vessels, and an action commenced. One was blown up, and the
remaining three were taken. Spain being at peace with England, at this time,
great indignation was expressed, and the conflict led to a Spanish war.
1SG4 ] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 429
Nelson, as well as for myself. The frigate I was opposed to
took fire and blew up In action. I could only save one
officer and forty-four men. Thirteen ladies, passengers from
South America, were lost in the ship. On the 2nd instant off
Gibraltar I spoke the Childers, Sir William Bolton, who left
Lord Nelson on the 22nd of September off Toulon. Bolton
told me his Lordship meant to leave the fleet in a few days
afterwards in the Superb for England, so that if this Spanish
business does not prevent him from quitting the command,
his arrival may be very shortly looked for. I hope your
Ladyship has enjoyed good health since I had the pleasure
of seeing you. I never was better, it could not be other-
wise with me, for Loi'd Nelson's kindness has been unbounded
to me. When the Childers left the fleet his Lordship was
tolerably well. I have no idea of what is to become of the
Amphion ; but wherever Lord Nelson is employed I hope I
shall be so happy as to be with him. May I hope for the
honour of hearing from you, for believe me to be, with great
respect and regard,
" Your Ladyship's
" Most obedient and faithful servant,
"Samuel Sutton.
^' Two of the frigates present on this occasion belonged to
Admiral Cornwallis, the other two to Lord Nelson, so that
it prevents any dispute as to right to share prize-money.'^
Mr. Bulkeley writes : —
" Pencombe, Bromyard, 20tli October, 1804.
" A thousand thanks to you, my dear Lady Hamilton, for
your kind and immediate reply to my last letter. I had just
sent it off when the post brought me one from my son, and
one from my most esteemed Nelson, in which he speaks of
being in England before Christmas. I congratulate you
on so certain a prospect of a happy meeting, but I join with
you most sincerely in lamenting (as I am sure you do) the
cause of his return, and most ardently hope that a few weeks
quiet at Merton, and the society of those he loves, will
restore him to vigour of body equal to the ardour of his mind.
430 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IX.
Our country can't spare him, and you know as well as I do,
that he can experience no wretchedness equal to that which he
would feel at being compelled to withdraw his arm and most
gigantic mind from the service of Old England, therefore I
hope that your care of him (as it has upon other occasions),
will soon enable him to resume his station, and once more to
extort clamorous admiration even from those who burst with
envy, from a consciousness that they can never be put in the
same page with him.
" Nelson did right to tell the dirty City Scrubs of their
neglect. I wish he had got some of those rich Spaniards.
Mrs. Bulk el ey desires her best compUments to you, and I
am very truly yours,
" Richard Bulkeley.''
Mr. Davison to the same : —
" My dear Madam,
" I was greatly disappointed in not seeing you on Friday,
and was fearful some accident had happened ; but yovu- letter
on Saturday explained.
"The Admiralty could do nothing short of behaving hand-
somely. If they are not attentive and kind to Lord Nelson,
to whom should they shew respect ? I hold his character to
be such as not only to demand civility from every depart-
ment of Government, but the nicest and most scrupulous
consideration from every individual in this country. For to
whom ai'c we all so much indebted as to him — to whom does
the nation owe so much — to none, so much as to him. And
I am satisfied in my own mind, whoever is in or out of
Administration, it will be precisely the same to him, and he
will be beloved and admired wherever he is. I only now wish
that he was at home to enjoy the comforts of his own fire-
side for a few months, and endeavour to regain that health
which has nearly been destroyed in the service of his country.
You would read his letter to the Lord Mayor which appeared
in all the papers, it staggered the high dignitaries in the
City. The Lord Mayor came to me on receipt of our dear
Lord's letter. I told him it was such a rebuke as the City
merited, and such as he could only expect from the pen of
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NEI.SON. 4.31
such a character as Lord Nelson, who thought more for the
honour of his officers than for himself.
" You ask me if our dear friend shares in the prizes taken?
There can be no doubt of his participating in them, as
Captains Gore and Sutton were under his orders. I hope
these prizes never will be given up, but condemned as legal
capture — which would put a very handsome sum into the
pocket of our best friend — a week or ten days will determine
it.
" The wines, citrons, &c. that came home by the Kent,
arrived from Portsmouth on Saturday. I have given orders
for them all to be sent to Merton this morning, which I hope
you will receive safe. When you are well enough to take an
airing, a ride even to a prison will do you no harm and me
much good.
*' Your very sincere and faithful,
"A. Davison.
" ISIonday Morning, 22nd October."
Understanding that the enemy intended sending three
privateers from Ajaccio with 100 men to surprise and take
possession of the town of Madalena, Lord Nelson directed
Captain George Cocks^ of the bomb vessel Thunder, to pro-
ceed to the town and anchor in such situation as he might
deem best calculated to prevent the invasion of the enemy, and
to render to the governor every assistance in his power. He
received the following from Prince Charles Felix of Savoy : —
" Cagliari, 28th October, 1804.
" My Lord,
" It is always with the greatest pleasure that I hear of your
being in the Sardinian waters, I only regret being unable to
testify my attachment and esteem in such a manner as I should
wish, and you are entitled to. I shall not fail to inform the
King, my brother, of the last instructions you have received
from his Majesty, both for his safety, and that of all our
family, and also of Sardinia, as well as of the obliging manner
in which on all occasions you fulfil them, which augments my
' This officer commanded the Thunder bomb, at the siege of Copenhagen, in
1807, and received the thanks of Admiral Gambier and Lord Cathcart, for his
bravery and effective service. He was made Post Captain, Oct. 13, 1807.
432 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ctlAI'. IX.
gratitude to you, and my obligations towards your King, to
whom I beg you to represent my feelings. I doubt not but
your pressing statements respecting our pecuniary necessities
in Sardinia, will produce the desired result in England.
Meanwhile I rely upon your vigilance and the wise measures
which you will take for the safety of the country. I beg to
observe I have not received your letter of the 20th August,
of which you speak, and assuring you of my sentiments of
esteem, and of high consideration, I am, your very good
friend,
" Charles Felix de Savoye."
To Lady Hamilton Lord Nelson wrote : —
" Victory, October 31st, 1804.
"■ My dearest Emma,
" Various circumstances make me rather believe that it
will not be possible to land this letter in Spain, and if it is
landed, I hardly think it will ever reach Lisbon. However,
as I never miss an occasion of writing, I take the chance of
saying a very few words. I have prepared every thing for my
successor be he who he will, and a few hours will suffice me to
give him up the cudgels. The fleet is perfection, not one
man ill of any complaint, a great thing to say in these dread-
ful times of sickness. I have got Mr. Este's son on board
— he wants to get to England, but through Spain it is im-
possible, as no one is allowed to travel from one town to
another. I purpose sending him vid Gibraltar, if we hear
more favourable accounts of the fever, and from thence he
intends to get to Lisbon, and so go home by the packet ; but
if my superiors comply with my request, I may probably be
in England sooner than this letter. The French fleet all
well the 29th. Sir William Bolton is at Malta, therefore I
have not sent his letter. I have much to tell you on many
subjects, and what I can tell the great people (you under-
stand me) will, if I return again, be most useful to them, if not
too great to hear what I know. God in heaven bless you,
and send us a meeting at dear Merton. My cough is so
so. Love to Horatia.
" Yours,
«&c. &c. &c."
1S04.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 433
" Victory, November, 1804.
" I yesterday, my dearest Emma, had the happiness of
receiving your letters of September 16th, 20th, 27th, and
October 1st. I cannot but think that I shall see you before
you read this letter ; it goes by way of Lisbon, where I am
sending Mr, Este, who is very anxious to get to England.
I have been, you will believe, as attentive to him as I could.
I am glad that you have had so pleasant a trip into Norfolk.
That you have made them all happy I have no doubt, but
you have made yourself poor. I do not believe that Pitt will
give you a pension any more than Addington who I sup-
ported to the last moment of his Ministry. There is no
gratitude in any of them, however if they do not do it I will
give it you out of Bronte. You will see what effect your
Queen's letter has through Castelcicala — a very pretty channel.
She has made Roger Dumas, Commander-in-chief, and some
other Frenchman something else, against both the King's and
Acton's consent, but I fear she is ruling not so well as we
could wish. I did not hear from her by the last vessel from
Naples ; perhaps she is angry at my ill health and going
home for a few months to save my life. The china that we
heard so much about was never ordered. I have very atten-
tive letters from General Acton, but he has no more the
Power ; the Queen has got clear of him, and never whilst she
rules will he be suffered to even enter the kingdom. I send
you his private letter, his public one goes to Lord Camden.
Gibbs writes me of the difficulty of settling all my affairs at
Bronte. He is anxious to remove Mrs. Grasffer, I shall allow
the £100. a-y ear and have done with her. If she intends to
go to England, 1 have wrote to Captain Lamb, Agent of
Transports to find her a passage, which he has promised me
to do. I shall get nothing from Bronte hut accounts till next
year's crop, and when I let it the rents will be raised
one-third at least, and I not benefited till eight years are
expired.
" You may tell Davison, and truly, that I have so much
fever and head-ache, that if I had the King's ransom I could
not write to him, but remember me kindly to him, and com-
pliments to Haslewood. Love to Mrs. Cadogan, Charlotte,
&c. &c."
VOL. II. 2 F
434 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. IX.
To Lady Hamilton, Lord Nelson again writes : —
" Victory, Nov. 6th, 1804.
"Although I have wrote you by the Admiralty, yet I will
not allow Mr. Este to leave me without carrying a line from
me. I think his father's and his own inclination, will induce
him to call upon you and deliver this letter. He will be able
to tell you how 1 am, not very stout, although perhaps not
very ill. The Kent must have been arrived several days when
you wrote October 1st. I am momentarily expecting a vessel
from the Admiralty with either another Admiral, or permis-
sion or refusal for my return to England.
'' As Mr. Este is first to go by Lisbon, instead of sharing
my fate, I have sent the Termagant to land him there, but I
tell him that he had better stay, for that I shall be in
England before him, which that God may grant, is the
fervent prayer of
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" I have this day appointed Mr. Westphaling's friend, Mr.
Roberts, to the Anson, it will most probably be my last act
of attention during my present command.''
The Admiralty issued an order to Lord Nelson on the 31st
of July : " to hold in readiness, in such port as may be agreed
upon by you and Mr. Jackson, one of the ships under your
command, for the purpose of conveying his Sardinian Majesty
to such port in the Mediterranean as he may appoint ; and
to adopt such measures for the naval defence of the island of
Sardinia as may be best calculated for that purpose, and as
may be consistent with the other services entrusted to your
care." He dispatched Captain Henry Richardson of the
Juno to Gaeta, to receive, if necessary, his Majesty, and to
convey him to any place in the Mediterranean he might
think proper. Captain Richardson therefore proceeded with
his dispatches and letters to the King, who transmitted the
following to Lord Nelson : —
" My Lord,
" I received the letter you forwarded to me by Captain
Richardson of the Juno, who entered this port this morning.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 435
It is a fresh proof of the interest taken in and felt for me by
the King, your master, and also of that which you yourself
never cease taking. Your sentiments towards me and my
family excite all my gratitude. The formation of a French
camp at Velletri has really been discussed ; French troops
have defiled towards the kingdom of Naples, but the firm
measures taken by the King of Naples, who has increased
his army, supported by the declaration of Oubril on quitting
France, that any new enterprise of the French disturbing the
peace of Europe, or directly opposed to Russia, or to her
allies, would be regarded as a declaration of war by Buona-
parte against Russia, has had an effect, so that 5000 French
who were marching by Romagna towards this kingdom, have
had orders to retrograde, and the army of St. Cyr, that
occupied Fogia, and other places in the interior, have taken
up their old position so as to avoid a rupture with Russia
at present. A French regiment of artillery, which was at
Alexandria and Liguria, has received orders with other troops
to quit Italy for Toulon. It appears, therefore, that there is
nothing to fear for this kingdom at present, but they seem
to have some special object in view at Toulon, where they
have assembled a large force without any known reason.
As you are in those seas, I am not at all uneasy as to what
the French fleet might attempt to do. Your name is dreaded
as it ought to be in the French Navy, the French will never
forget Egypt. I have had much conversation about you
with Captain Richardson, who is a very intelligent man, and
of great merit apparently, and both myself and the Queen
are deeply sensible of your solicitude and attention in such
a critical moment as the present, but not wishing to infringe
upon it, and seeing no immediate danger, flattering myself
also that events may in some way place me in a position of
proving by action the desire I feel to render some service to
my good friends, and being besides in a strong fortress, well
provisioned, and commanded by a good soldier, who would
know how to defend it in case of an attack, and whom I
could assist in case of need, having already combatted with
those who might attack it, I have thought it best to remain
still here, as being more likely to realize my desires, I have,
therefore, left Captain Richardson at liberty to follow his
2 F 2
436 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. IX.
ulterior orders, reserving the privilege of having recourse
to you again, should my situation require it. I shall with
great pleasure take charge of the letter from you for Mr.
Jackson, brought by Captain Richardson, and I conclude
by renewing to you my very sincere thanks, as well as those
of the Queen, and assuring you of the sentiments of esteem
with which I am, my Lord,
" Your good friend,
" V. Emanuel.
" Gaeta, November 12, 1804."
Nelson's uncertainty from the dispatches he had received of
the reality of a war with Spain,^ determined him to proceed
to Barcelona, where he arrived on the 15th of November,
and received from Mr. Frere orders for the general seizure of
all Spanish vessels, whether of war or merchandise. On this
day he boarded an Imperial ship from Barcelona, having a
complete regiment going to Minorca, and issued his orders
to the Captains of the respective vessels of his fleet to take
or destroy all Spanish ships they might fall in with. He
wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
■ When the declaration of war was made against France by the British Govern-
ment, Holland was included, but not Spain, though this country was at that time
occupied by French arms. It, however, soon transpired that an armament was
fitting out in the port of Ferrol, that a large Spanish force was there collecled,
and that a junction of the French was immediately expected. This intelligence
induced our Government to send out a Commodore^ with a small squadron to
intercept four Spanish frigates which were known to be laden with specie, and
bound for that port from Monte Video. The Commodore selected for this lucra-
tive mission was Captain Graham Moore (the brother of the celebrated General
Sir John Moore), who in the Indefatigable of forty-four guns, and three other
frigates, the Amphion, the Lively, and the Medusa, formed this squadron. The
Spanish vessels were under the command of Don Jos6 Bustamente, and were
descried by the British when malting all sail to get into Cadiz bay. Upon being
hailed, and unsatisfactory answers given, Captain Moore directed a fire upon the
Spaniards. One of the Spanish vessels, the Mercedes, blew up ; another, La
Fama, surrendered, as did also the Medea and the Clara. The value of these
prizes amounted to little short of a million of money. The knowledge of this
capture excited great commotion at Madi-id, and orders were immediately given
to make reprisals on English property. This action took place on the 5th of
October, 1804, and on the 12th of December the King of Spain formally declared
war against Great Britain.
* See page 428 note, ante.
1804.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 437
" Victory, November 23rd, 1804.
^' As all our communication with Spain is at an end, I can
now only expect to hear by the very slow mode of Admiralty
vessels, and it is now more than two months since the John
Bull sailed. I much fear something has been taken ; for
they never would, I am sure, have kept me so long in the
dark. However, by management, and a portion of good
luck, I got the account from Madrid in a much shorter space
of time than I could have hoped for ; and I have set the
whole Mediterranean to work, and think the fleet cannot fail
of being successful ; and if I had had the spare troops at
Malta at my disposal, Minorca would at this moment have
had English colours flying.
" Where is my successor ? I am not a little surprised at
his not arriving. A Spanish war I thought would have has-
tened him. Ministers could not have thought that I wanted
to fly the service, my whole life has proved the contrary ;
and, if they refuse me now, I shall most certainly leave this
country in March or April ; for a few months' rest I must
have, very soon. If I am in my grave, what are the mines
of Peru to me !
^' But to say the truth, I have no idea of killing myself.
I may, with care, live yet to do good service to the State.
My cough is very bad, and my side, where I was struck on
the 14th of February, Ms very much swelled; at times a lump
as large as my fist, brought on occasionally by violent cough-
ing ; but I hope and believe my lungs are yet safe.
'^ Sir William Bolton is just arrived from Malta, I am
preparing to send him a cruise, where he will have the best
chance I can give him of making ten thousand pounds. He
is a very attentive, good young man. I have not heard from
Naples this age. I have, in fact, no small craft to send for
news. If I am soon to go home, I shall be with you before
this letter. As our mieans of communicating are cut off, I
have only to beg that you will not believe the idle rumours
of battles, &c. &c. &c.
" Nelson and Bronte.^'-
» The battle off Cape St. Vincent.
* Collection of Letters, Vol. ii. p. 83.
438 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IX.
Vice-Admiral Sir John Orde came out as Commander-in-
chief of a squadron off Cadiz, which had previously formed a
portion of Lord Nelson^s command. Nelson wrote to Lady
Hamilton : —
"Victory, December 4th, 1804.
" If any one could have told me that Admiral Campbell
would have sailed for England before me I should not have
believed him, but his state of health is come to that crisis, that
probably his life would be lost if he was kept here even forty-
eight hours longer, therefore he proceeds this day in the
Ambuscade, and poor fellow I hope he will arrive safe. I
have for several months thought that his mind^ was debili-
tated, but we tried to laugh him out of it. I send you his
letter when I announced to him, in consequence of his appli-
cation, that a frigate should carry him to England imme-
diately. All my things are on board the Superb, and if my
successor would arrive I could be off in two hours. We have
reports that Sir John Orde is the man, which has thrown a
gloom over all the fleet, but I hope unnecessarily, for six years
upon the shelf, may have taught him a little moderation towards
officers. I have made up my mind to overwhelm him with
respect and attention, and to even make an offer, as Admiral
Campbell has gone home, to serve till the Admiralty can send
out another Flag-officer. I have wrote to Lord Melville that
I should make such an offer, and that I entreated him to send
out a Flag-officer as soon as possible, but I dare say Sir John
Orde is too great a man to want my poor services, and that he
will reject them ; be that as it may, you will, I am sure, agree
with me, that I shall shew my superiority to him by such an
offer, and the world will see what a sacrifice I am ready to
make for the service of my King and Country, for what
greater sacrifice could I make, than serving for a moment
under Sir John Orde, and giving up for that moment the
society of all I hold dear in this world. Many here think that
he is sent out off Cadiz to take a fortune out of my mouth,
that would be very curious. The late Admiralty directed
Admiral Cornwallis to send Campbell to cruise at the mouth
of the Straits, and he took all my sweets, and now this
Admiralty sends and takes all my golden harvest; it is very
' See page 336 note, ante.
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NKI,80N. 4.59
odd — surely I never served faithfully, I have only dreamt 1
have done my duty to the advantage of my country, but I am
above them, I feel it, although not one farthing richer than
when I left England. It is this day seventy-five days since
my letters were dated in London from the Admiralty.
Kiss dear Horatia for me, and give my kindest regards to
Mrs. Cadogan, Charlotte, and all our friends.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
From Captain Staines/ Lord Nelson received the follow-
ing :—
" Cameleon, Trieste, 5th Dec. 1804.
" My Lord,
" I am extremely sorry to say that my visit to the Adriatic
has not been attended with that success, which I am per-
fectly persuaded it was your Lordship's good wishes it should
• Captain Thomas Staines was a native of Kent, born near Margate in 1776,
and in 1790 entered the Navy as a Midshipman in the Solebay frigate, Captain
Matthew Squire. He proceeded to the West Indies, and remained there during
two years, was afterwards in the Mediterranean with Captain Cunningham, and
at the surrender of Calvi in 1794. In the Victory, with Lord Hood, he was
at the destruction of L'Alcide, and afterwards mate of signals under Sir John
Jervis, who made him a Lieutenant in 1796, and was appointed to the Peterel, in
which he saw much service, and experienced considerable danger off the coast of
Portugal. In this vessel he was taken prisoner by four Spanish frigates, and very
ill-treated, but the vessel was fortunately retaken by theArgo. In 1799, in this
vessel, under the command of Captain Austen, he communicated the intelligence
to Nelson at Palermo, that the Brest fleet having eluded the vigilance of Lord
Bridport, had passed the Straits of Gibraltar, and the zeal with which he performed
this duty insured the regard of Nelson. He became Third Lieutenant of the Fou-
droyant, the flag-ship of Nelson, in which he assisted in the capture of the
two French Rear- Admirals, Perree and Decres, on the 15th of February and the
30th of March, 1800. Lieutenant Staines afterwards served in the Foudroyant
with Lord Keith to the end of the Egyptian campaign. He received the Order
of the Crescent. In 1801 he was made Commander of the Romulus, and after-
wards of the Cameleon, in which vessel, in 1803, he joined Lord Nelson off" Toulon,
and was sent by him upon a confidential mission. He distinguished himself along
the coasts of Italy and Provence. He also cruised in the Adriatic, and afterwards
protected the Levant trade. He was paid off" at Portsmouth in September, 1805,
and had the honour to dine with Nelson, together with Mr. Canning and Mr.
George Rose, prior to his departure for his last battle. Captain Staines was made
Post-Captain in 1806, commanded the Cyane, fought an action with a French
squadron in the Bay of Naples in June, 1809, prior to which he was in all the ope-
rations which led to the capitulation of Copenhagen ; afterwards blockaded Zea-
410 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. IX.
be ; but, notwithstanding my failure of making captures, the
arrival of his Majesty's sloop Cameleon in these seas, in com-
bination with other circumstances, has certainly tended to rid
this coast most completely of the numerous French privateers
which have lately infested it. The Anson and Bittern having been
in the Adriatic just previous to the Cameleon's arrival, and
the liberation of the British ship taken by one of the French
privateers, with costs against the captors, are the circumstances
which I allude to, independent of the fear which they might
have entertained of our retaliating by capturing them under
the same circumstances, in defiance of neutral protection. The
effect of that combination is not only proved by my not
having seen, or even having heard, of one of those depreda-
tors since my arrival in this port, but also by the late arrival
of the Morgiana, with a convoy for Trieste ; which, although
it was separated for several days among the small islands, and
on the coast of Istria (which was most pai'ticularly the scene
of their depredations), yet they all arrived in safety at this
port without any annoyance or the least appearance of hostile
intention.
" My endeavour has been to search into all the small
islands, and in every other part wherein I thought it most
probable they might still be lurking, but all without effect.
I am perfectly well convinced, however, that your Lordship's
liberality of sentiment will not for a moment allow my failure
land, then protected the trade in the Baltic, and was employed on the south coast
of Spain. In the performance of those and subsequent duties, in which Captain
Staines was so unfortunate as to lose his left arm, he obtained the marked appro-
bation of Admiral Martin and Lord Collingwood, and received the honour of
knighthood, together with permission to wear the Order of St. Ferdinand and
Merit, which had been conferred on him by the King of Sicily for his conduct in
his dominions. In 1810 he was appointed to the Hamadryad, went to Newfound-
land, escorted troops, &c. to the Tagus, cruised on the Irish station, then in the
Briton, in the Bay of Biscay, during a veiriety of service. In 1813 he sailed for
the East Indies, convoyed a disabled Indiaman to Rio Jameiro, then went round
Cape Horn, to Valparaiso. He proceeded to Callao, Paita^, the Gallopagas, and
Marquesas islands. Returning from the latter to Valparaiso he came upon Pit-
cairn's island, and thereby ascertained the manner in which the ship Bounty had
been disposed of. (An account of this may be found in Marshall's Naval Biogra-
phy, Suppl. Parti, pp. 96 — 104.) He returned to England in 1815, was made
K.C.B. In 1823 he was appointed to the Superb of 78 guns, and aftenvards
visited Barbadoes, St. Vincent, Dominica, Bermuda, and Lisbon. He was paid off
in December, 1825, and died near Margate, July 13, 1830.
1804.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 441
in this pursuit to be attributed to inertness or deficiency of
exertion on my part, and I am also well aware of the good
construction which your Lordship has ever been in the habit
of putting on circumstances, although wearing the most unfa-
vourable appearances : but I am still very anxious to have every-
thing of that nature perfectly undoubted, and much more so,
to retain your Lordship's good opinion, which constitutes the
summit of my ambition, and the most effective spur to my
endeavours.
'^ I am waiting here, my Lord, since the 29th of November,
from an application which the Consul has made to me to.
convoy three English vessels to Venice, which will be ready
in two days, and from thence I proceed immediately to Malta,
with the liberated ship under my convoy, she being ready
laden for that destination. I am to continue in quarantine at
this place, from having had communication with the island of
Lissa, and many other parts which are not at this moment
considered in liberal pratique.
" The Mareschino which your Lordship expressed a wish
for, I have procured in four cases of two dozen bottles each,
the bottle containing about a pint and a half, which I shall
take the earliest opportunity of forwarding to England. May
I request your Lordship will do me the honour of pi-esenting
my best respects to Lady Hamilton, which liberty I am in-
duced to take from her Ladyship having been a shipmate of
mine in the Foudroyant.
" I have the honour to be,
'' Your Lordship's
" Most obliged, most obedient, humble servant,
" T. Staines."
From Prince Charles Felix : —
"Cagliari, Dec. 15tb, 1804.
" My Lord,
'^ I regret that circumstances have deprived me of the
pleasure of making your acquaintance, as I should have been
highly gratified by your intimacy, and by an interview in
which several important subjects would have been discussed.
Having met Mr. Scott this morning, and knowing that he
enjoys your confidence, I have explained to him the disastrous
442 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cilAP. IX.
situation of this country, which I do not repeat, as I am per-
suaded he will lay before you full particulars of our unfortu-
nate situation. lie assures me, that you wrote urgently to
your Court upon the subject, in consequence of my communi-
cations some months back, and I flatter myself that your repre-
scntatiou'will be attended with success, but I beg you to
observe, that delay is likely to be equally prejudicial to Eng-
land, for the occupation of Sardinia by the French will deprive
her of several advantageous ports for the purpose of watching
the operations of the enemy from Toulon, and if unfortunately
she once falls into their power, a reconquest will be very diffi-
cult, even if twenty times the amount were expended, which
would now suffice to protect her. As soon as I knew you
had anchored at Poula, I determined to send Baron Desge-
nais, Commander in the Royal Navy, to convey to you what
Mr. Scott will now say. The interest you take in the welfare
of our family, will induce you, my Lord, I trust, to aid us to
the extent of your power, and be assured of the gratitude of
him who subscribes himself truly,
" My Lord,
" Your good friend,
" Charles Felix de Savoye.
" P.S. — I beg you not to lose sight of Madaleine Island. I
suspect the French have a project to seize it, either to deprive
the English of that anchorage, or that they may with more
facility invade Sardinia. Some light ships cruising there
would probably suffice to secure it.^'
" Cagliari, Dec. 26, 1804.
" My Lord,
" Up to the present moment I have received no report as
to the French fleet having been seen from any part of the
coasts of Sardinia, and consequently am unable to give you
any information. I hope you will speedily meet it, and
achieve success to your own satisfaction, and that of him who
begs to reiterate the assurance of his sentiments, and sub-
scribes himself,
" My Lord,
" Your good friend,
" Charles Felix de Savoye.''
On the 19th December Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 443
"Victory, December 19th, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
" Since I wrote you by the Ambuscade, when I was every
moment expecting the arrival of the great Sir John Orde, I
have received a letter from him, telling me that he was in
the chief command of a squadron outside the Straits, ike. &c.
He has treated my ships a little harshly, but never mind, he
will get all the money, and your poor Nelson all the hard
blows. Am I to take this act as a proof of Lord Melville's
regard for me ? but I submit patiently, but I feel. I have
not had a scrap of a pen from England ninety days this day,
it is rather long in these critical times. I send this through
Mr. Falconet at Naples, and as it will be read by the French,
and many others, I do not choose to say any thing more than
I care for all the world knowing. I keep every thing packed
up, and two hours would finish every thing I can have to do
with my successor, who must certainly be near at hand ; or
is Sir John, after he has got riches, to come here and get
glory ? 1 have certainly much to arrange when I get home,
and the situation of Mrs. Bolton shall have serious con-
sideration, but such a place as Tyson's would very soon
involve Mr. Bolton in difficulties ; however, I will ask, and
I fear I shall be refused. My cough is still very, very bad,
and I ought at this moment to have been snug at Merton,
but I look forward for that day with much pleasure, and
please God it will arrive soon. You may tell Lord Melville
that the French fleet was safe the 12th December, but my
reporter says, that they are certainly embarking troops, but
I hope to meet them, and to realize the fond wishes of my
country.
"Yours, &c.
" Remember me kindly to all our friends. I wish I could
be with you all this Christmas, which I fully expected."
In relation to the appointment of Sir John Orde, which it
is evident from the preceding letters rankled in Nelson's
breast, Mr. Coleridge has made some pertinent remarks.
After beautifully alluding to the love of him entertained by
the whole fleet, and the unexampled harmony which con-
stantly reigned among them under circumstances that might
well have undermined the patience of the best balanced dis-
444 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. IX.
positions, much more of men with the impetuous character
of British sailors, he observes : " Year after year, the same
dull duties of a wearisome blockade, of doubtful policy — little
if any opportunity of making prizes ; and a few prizes, which
accident might throw in the way, of little or no value — and
when at last the occasion presented itself which would have
compensated for all, then a disappointment as sudden as it
was unjust and cruel, and the cup dashed from their lips ;
add to these trials the sense of enterprises checked by a
feebleness and timidity elsewhere, not omitting the tiresome-
ness of the Mediterranean sea, sky, and climate; and the
unjarring and cheerful spirit of affectionate brotherhood,
which linked together the hearts of that whole squadron,
will appear not less wonderful to us than admirable and affect-
ing. When the resolution was taken of commencing hos-
tilities against Spain, before any intelligence was sent to
Lord Nelson, another Admiral, with two or three ships of
the line, was sent into the INI editerranean, and stationed
before Cadiz, for the express purpose of intercepting the
Spanish prizes. The Admiral dispatched on this lucrative
service save no information to Lord Nelson of his arrival in
the same sea, and five weeks elapsed before his Lordship
became acquainted with the circumstance. The prizes thus
taken were immense. A month or two sufficed to enrich the
Commander and Officers of this small and highly favoured
squadron, while to Nelson and his fleet the sense of having
done their duty, and the consciousness of the glorious services
which they had performed, wei'e considered, it must be pre-
sumed, as an abundant remuneration for all their toils and
long sufferings ! It was, indeed, an unexampled circum-
stance, that a small squadron should be sent to the station
which had been long occupied by a large fleet, commanded
by the darling of the Navy, and the glory of the British
Empire ; to the station where this fleet had for years been
wearing away in the most barren, repulsive, and spirit-trying
service in which the Navy can be employed ! and that this
minor squadron should be sent independent of, and without
any communication with the Commander of the former fleet,
for the express and solitary purpose of stepping between it
and the Spanish prizes, and as soon as this short and pleasant
service was performed, of bringing home the unshared booty
1S04.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON". 445
with all possible caution and dispatch. The svhstantial
advantages of naval service were perhaps deemed of too gross
a nature for men already rewarded with the grateful affections
of their own countrymen, and the admiration of the whole
world ! They were to be awarded, therefore, on a principle
of compensation, to a Commander less rich in fame, and
whose laurels, though not scanty, were not yet sufficiently
luxuriant to hide the golden crown which is the appropriate
ornament of victory in the bloodless war of commercial cap-
ture ! Of all the wounds which were ever inflicted on Nelson's
feelings (and these were not a few) this was the deepest ! this
rankled most ! ' I had thought,' said the gallant man, in a
letter written on the first feelings of the affront, ' I fancied —
but nay, it must have been a dream, an idle dream — yet, I
confess it, I did fancy, that I had done my country service —
and thus they use me. It was not enough to have robbed
me once before of my West India harvest — now they have
taken away the Spanish — and under what circumstances,
and with what pointed aggravation ! Yet, if I know my own
thoughts, it is not for myself, or on my own account chiefly,
that I feel the sting and the disappointment : no ! it is for
my brave Officers ; for my noble-minded friends and com-
manders— such a gallant set of fellows ! such a band of
brothers ! My heart swells at the thought of them !' "^
The Admiralty approved Lord Nelson's recommendation
of Sir Richard Bickerton's remaining in command of the
squadron, and on the 25th of December he received the
dispatches of the date of October 6th. He replied to the
Admiralty, that the moment another Admiral in the room of
Admiral Campbell joined the fleet, (unless the enemy's fleet
should be at sea, when he should not think of quitting his
command until after the battle), he should avail himself of
the permission granted him to return to England.
On the 30th he wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, December 30th, 1804.
" My dearest Emma,
*' I received by the Swiftsure your letters to October 29th,
on your return from your long expedition into Norfolk, on
Christmas-day, the day I had devoted to spend most happily
' The Friend, Essay vi, p. 358.
446 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. IX,
with 3'ou and our clear adopted Horatia at dear Merton. I
received the Admiralty's permission to go to England for the-
re-establishment of my health, and I think that a few months
may enable me to serve another year, and then, except for an
expedition, I shall most likely never serve again. The winter
has been quite different to the last. We have not had a cold
day, nor near so many gales of wind, but my cough is very
troublesome, particularly from two in the morning until I
have had my bi-eakfast ; but a little of your good nursing
will set me up again. The Niger has been sent home, I
fear by Sir John Orde, who has not behaved very civil towards
any of my squadron, therefore I am afraid Mr. Charles
Connor will lose his kind protector in Captain Hillyar, which
will be a serious misfortune to him, for he was rated Mid-
shipman, and forced by Captain Hillyar to study, which he
was not very fond of. The going home of George Campbell
has protracted my departure till another Admiral comes out,
which may very well be in January, then unless the French fleet
is actually at sea, nothing will keep me two hours. I have
not heard from Naples for some time, but I hear the French
are oppressing both the Sovereigns and the people very much.
I wrote you on the 19th through Mr. Falconet.
" I have wrote to Lord Melville as strong as possible, and
in fact have sold myself to him, if he complies with my
desires for Mr. Bolton, but my dear kind hearted Emma, I
do not believe he will give me any thing. I only wish I had
the power myself, and so I might if the station had not been
taken from me, and given to that great officer who has served
so much and so well ; but as I have asked favours of Lord
Melville, I must not grumble. The end of February, or the
first week in March, I shall certainly be in England in the
Superb, and I only hope that we shall have a very short
quarantine, for I shall certainly not communicate with
Gibraltar, I cannot say what I would wish in this letter, for it
goes by way of Lisbon in the Admiralty packet, and will be
smoked, cut, &c. &c. before it gets to you, and I may very
probably be with you before the letter, which will give inex-
pressible happiness to
" Yours,
"• Nelson and Bronte.
" Kiss dear Horatia for me."
1804.] LORD VISCOUNT NEL60X. 447
At the close of this year Lord Nelson wrote to Lord
Melville, complaining of the want of frigates in the Mediter-
ranean, and the following was directed to the Hon. Captain
Boyle :— ^
"Victory, December 30th, 1804.
" Dear Boyle,
"I am most exceedingly hurt at your not having joined
the fleet, as you must know my distress for frigates, and I am
much displeased with Captain Mowbray for interfering with
your orders. I sincerely hope this will not find you at
Gibraltar, but should it unfortunately, I desire you will not
lose one moment in joining the fleet.
" Ever yours faithfully,
"Nelson and Bronte."
' The Hon. Cotirtenay Boyle was the third son of Edmund Earl of Cork and
Orrery, born September 3, 1769, and served as a Midshipman under Sir Hyde
Parker in the Latona frigate. Having received an accident from a fall from the
booms to the orlop, he was obliged to go on shore for recovery ; he afterwards
served in the Goliath, and studied in the Naval College at Portsmouth, whence
he came under the auspices of Nelson in the Boreas in 1784, and went to the
West Indies. He afterwards served on board the Barfleur, bearing Lord Hood's
flag, then in the Leander, L'Aquilon, the Vanguard, and the Roebuck. In the
Revolutionary war he was in the Egmont of 74 guns. Lord Hood appointed
Lieutenant Boyle to the Fox cutter, and he afterwards was in the Excellent and
the Saturn. He brought over the Princess Caroline of Brunswick from Cuxhaven,
and was made Commander, appointed to the Kangaroo, and placed on the Lisbon
and Irish stations. He was made Post Captain in 1797. In 1799 he was
appointed to the Cormorant, attended upon the Royal Family at Weymouth, went
to the Mediterranean, captured a Spanish brig, and retook an English West
Indiaman. In March, 1800, however, he was so unfortunate as to be wrecked
off Damietta, when on his way to Alexandria, with dispatches of the ratification
of the Treaty of El Arish. General Menou treated him in a savage manner, he
was kept confined three months. Recovering his liberty he joined Sir Sidney
Smith at Cyprus, whence he proceeded to Minorca, was tried for the loss of his
ship, and honourably acquitted, it being proved to have arisen from an error in
the reckoning, occasioned by the incorrectness of the Charts. He remained un-
employed until 1803, when he was appointed to the Seahorse, and ordered to the
Mediterranean, where he was placed under the orders of Nelson, who liked him
much, and in 1787, in a letter to his father, described him as "amiable in the
truest sense of the word ; and I feel great regret in parting from him. In his
professional line he is inferior to none: his virtues are superior to most." In
1805 he exchanged into the Amphitrite, and in 180G to the Royal William. In
1809 he was made a Commissioner of Transports, and had the conti-ol of the
Dockyard of Sheerness in 1814 ; subsequently he had a seat at the Navy Board.
He lived to attain the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Red, was K.C.H. and died in
May, 1844.
448 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. X.
CHAPTER X.
1805.
Lady Hamilton received the following account of Nelson
at the commencement of 1 805 : —
" Sunday Evening, 6th January, 1805.
" My dear Madam,
" I presume you have received letters from your dear
Lord ; but should that not be the case, I cannot delay a
moment in acquainting you that he was quite well on the 4th of
December. His private letter to Lord Melville I have heard
read, and which gives as good an account of himself as you
could wish. Admiral Campbell is come home in consequence
of bad health, and Sir Richard Bickerton is but so, so. Your
dear Lord says he cannot afford to be ill. I was rejoiced to
know he was so well, and he writes in great spirits. I had a
conversation about yourself, and am sure it will afford you
great satisfaction to know how much Lord Melville interests
himself in your favour. He tells me he has spoken to Mr.
Pitt of the propriety of your having a pension settled upon
you of £500. per annum, and that he will speak to him again
very shortly about it. 1 asked Lord Melville if I might say
as much to you. He immediately said, ' Yes, certainly.^
He spoke very handsomely of you, and of your services in
favour of this country when in Naples. It is needless to
repeat the just compliments he paid to our gallant Nelson,
who is reinforced with four ships-of-the-line, and now must
make his fortune. Spain has declared war, and now will here
be announced publicly, I presume, on Tuesday.
"Sir John (General) Moore is returned from Portugal,
and looks better than he did ten years ago.
" Lord Melville told me that he would dispatch a letter or
two for the Mediterranean, so that you must immediately set
to work, and write your dispatches. I shall begin mine to-
morrow morning. Yours, my dear Madam,
'• Most faithfully.
" Alexander Davison."
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 449
At this time Lord Nelson received information from his
Excellency, Hugh Elliot, Esq. as to the state of affairs at
Naples. In reply Nelson expresses his satisfaction at the
spirited part the Queen took in the defence of Naples, and
hoped she would not be depressed by hearing that the French
are at sea, as if they never came out she could not enjoy the
spectacle of a battle in the Bay of Naples. " Nothing/^ he
added, " shall be wanting on my part to make it superior to
the Nile, which it may be ; and could any thing add to my
exertions against the enemy, it would be the additional
pleasure of knowing that I was fighting for the existence of
the monarchy of my benefactors. But let who will command
this fleet, they cannot go wrong : only get close enough."^
On the same day, the 13th January, he wrote a secret
letter to Mr. Elliot, saying, " Sir John Orde brought me out
my leave to go to England, for the re-establishment of my
health, and many suppose that, the moment I had passed the
Straits, he would take upon him the command. Others
suppose. Sir John Colpoys will be my successor ; and there
are others that think, I shall return, if my health permits, and
that my services will continue to be acceptable. However, I
have kept my permission a profound secret in the fleet.
Everybody expects that it will come; therefore do not men-
tion my having received it, to either Captain Sotheron or
Captain Malcolm, although you may to the King and Queen.
I do assure you, that nothing has kept me here, but the fear
for the escape of the French fleet, and that they should get
to either Naples or Sicily in the short days ; and that when I
go, I shall leave such instructions with Sir Richard Bickerton
(who, I am sure, will follow them up) to guard the Two Sici-
lies, as he would the apple of his eye ; and nothing but grati-
tude, to those good Sovereigns, could have induced me to
stay one moment after Sir John Orde's extraordinary com-
mand, for his general conduct towards me is not such as I
had a right to expect.^'*^
On the following day, he instructed Captain Frank
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 317. From an Autograph in the Elliot
Papers. ^ Ibid.
VOL. II. 2 G
450 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. X.
Sotheron,^ of the Excellent, to hold himself in readiness to
convey, if necessary, the King, Queen, and Royal family of
Naples to Palermo, or such other place, as his Majesty
might choose to proceed to, and to afford protection to
all who might accompany their Majesties, and the English
Minister and his suite, as well as to afford protection to
British property and British subjects.
The opinion expressed in Mr. Davison's letter, to Lady
Hamilton, (see ante^ p. 448) of the improvement of Nelson's
health is confirmed by the following : —
"Victory, January 14th, 1805.
" Although, my dearest Emma, I have not heard that Mr.
Falconet forwarded my other letter of December 19th, yet I
shall take the chance of another crossing the Continent, just
to say I am not so unwell as I have been. The French are
certainly preparing for an expedition. I only fear they will
defer it till my departure. All our friends at Naples are
pressing me to stay and save them, and certainly their situa-
tion becomes every day more critical. The Usurper has
made most unjust demands upon them, and held out threats,
but the Queen is firm. I must not go on with this subject,
' Captain Frank Sotheron, a native of Yorkshire, was born in 17G5, and entered
the navy at the age of eleven, as a midshipman, in the Bienfaisant, under Admiral
M'Bride, with whom he remained during six years. He was lent to the Arethusa,
and was in the action with La Belle Poule, ia 1778, and afterwards in the action
off Ushant, between Keppel and D'Orvilliers. He was also present at the capture
of the Caraccas convoy, the defeat of Don Juan de Langara, and the relief of
Gibraltar, under Sir George Rodney. He was also at the taking of the Comte
d'Artois, of 64 guns, and the Comtesse d'Artois, a French privateer. The former
was considered one of the finest vessels of her class in the world, and Mr.
Sotheron moved with his Commander into her, engaged in watching the Dutch
squadron, and in the action off the Dogger Bank, and in the captures of the
Hercules and Mars, two Dutch privateers. He was sent to the Irish coast, and
then to Newfoundland, where, in 1783, Admiral Campbell made him a Lieutenant.
In 1792, he was First Lieutenant of the Romney, and afterwards in the Fury. In
the following year, he was made a Post Captain, and appointed to the Monarch,
of 74 guns, but moved into the Romney again, and was at Newfoundland. In
1799, he was in the Latona, sent against the Helder, and then continued in the
North Sea. In 1802, he went abroad with dispatches, &c. in the Excellent,
joined Nelson in the Mediterranean, and was entrusted with the defence of the Bay of
Naples. He was made Rear- Admiral, August 1, 1811. He was promoted to be
Vice-Admiral, August 12, 1819. He represented Nottinghamshire in Parliament,
and having arrived at the rank of Admiral of the White, died in February, 1839.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 451
for Lord Nelson insists that I shall put nothing of politics
in my letter, therefore I can only assure my dear Emma of
my truest affection and love for you.
" I shall probably be at home long before this letter, there-
fore shall only say, God bless and preserve you, for your own
faithful
'' J. T."^
The anxiety of the King and Queen of Naples for Lord
Nelson's presence is seen in the following : —
" Beh'idere, 19th January, 1805.
" My dear Duke de Bronte,
" I take advantage of the return of the vessel to reply to
your letter of the 19th of December last; pleased as I have
been by all you say to me in it, on the other hand, I am
grieved to hear that the weakened state of your health renders
it necessary that you should give up the command of the
Mediterranean squadron, and return to your country ; and
particularly at a period, and under circumstances so critical
for me, my family, and this kingdom, threatened with the
same unhappy lot which has befallen so many others. A
repetition of your sentiments is superfluous, since they are
engraven on my grateful and affectionate heart, and will re-
main so till death. Every thing will certainly be done to
sustain the good cause, and to raise up, protect, and defend
the innocent and oppressed; but it is impossible that I should
ever find such another true friend as the brave and attached
Nelson. May God be with you in all your undertakings,
increasing your glory, and crowning you with the happiness
and blessings which you merit, and which I desire for you.
^' Your ever affectionate and grateful friend,
" Ferdinando B."
"January 19, 1805.
^' I have received, my worthy Lord, your letter of Decem-
ber, and I profit of the departure of the man-of-war to wTite
to you I cannot express to you, my worthy Admiral, how
much both the King and I consider your departure from the
command in the Mediterranean as a real calamity, added to
' Lord Nelson's fictitious signature.
2 G 2
452 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. S.
the misfortunes that already oppress us. Your sensibility,
your attachment, your great bravery ; your name inspires
that confidence which expectation had justified. You can
never be replaced ! Thus I must regard it as a real misfor-
tune, and should be very happy if this could change, or at
least retard it. I am convinced the crisis is fast approaching
that will confirm the indolence of Europe, or great events
arise. The ambition and immoderate good fortune of the
Corsican has just created his brother Joseph hereditary King
of Lombardy, or to speak more truly, its scourge. This must
awaken the Sovereigns of Europe from their slumber, or con-
solidate their slavery. It is in these moments of struggle and
indecision, when our dangers are infinitely increased, that
our earnest desire is augmented to see you, my worthy and
respectable friend, fixed near us. Consider, with your usual
discernment, the present situation of affairs ; above all, consult
with your own heart, and you will acknowledge the justice of
my wishes. In a word, my worthy and respectable friend,
continue to be our saviour, and be assured of the eternal and
sincere gratitude of those who deserve and feel they ought to
live in an age different from this degenerate one. The trusty
Elliot will better explain to you our painful circumstances.
I confine myself to express our ardent desire that you will
not quit us, and may you be once more our saviour. I know
that the King, my innocent family, and all good people,
prefer the same wishes. May they be realised ! It will aug-
ment the gratitude with which I am, and ought to be for life,
your
"• Much attached and grateful friend,
" Charlotte."
The following are copies of Napoleon's communications to
the King and Queen of Naples, found among Nelson's
papers : —
" Sir, my Brother,
" I reply to the letter of your Majesty. The French troops
are in the kingdom of Naples, in consequence of the Treaty
of Florence, and will remain there as long as the affairs of the
Levant are unsettled; and I must so consider them until
Malta shall be evacuated by the English, and Corfu by the
1S05.] LORD VISCOUXT NELSOX. 453
Russians. Had not those Russian troops been sent to Corfu
at the special solicitations of your Majesty's Minister, I
should have diminished the number of the French troops,
leaving at Tarento only the four or five thousand men neces-
sary for the occupation of that post; their arrival, on the
contrary, compelled me to augment the number. If your
Majesty will permit me to say so, you have been badly coun-
selled, and follow a system pernicious- to the interests of your
house. Paris, Madrid, and Vienna, are the real supports of
your Majesty. Your Majesty is more interested in peace than
any other Prince. Reject the perfidious counsels with which
England enthrals you. You have preserved your kingdom
intact in the midst of the overthrow of social order ; do not
risk the loss of it now that social order is settled. The world,
tranquil and pacific for a moment, will perhaps suddenly
resume its accustomed politics and practice. I have provided
for the payment of the French troops, which by the Treaty
of Florence your Majesty engaged to do, wishing by it, to
give you a proof of my desire to respond, as much as is
reconcileable with general politics, to the sentiments that you
express towards me. This said, I pray God to have you, Sir,
my brother, in his holy keeping.
" Your good brother.
" Napoleon.
Paris (Nivose), January, 1805."
BUONAPARTE TO THE QUEEN OF NAPLES.
'' Madam,
'* Your Majesty's letter has been handed to me by the
Marquis de Gallo. It is difficult to me to reconcile the
sentiments it contains with the hostile projects apparently
entertained at Naples — I have several of your Majesty's
letters in my hands, which leave no doubt as to your real
secret intentions. What must be the hatred your Majesty
bears to France, that after the experience you have had,
neither your conjugal love, nor your parental, nor love of
your family, nor subjects, induce you to forbear a little, and
adopt a policy more conformable with their interests. Is your
Majesty's mind, so distinguished amongst women, unable
to divest itself of the prejudices of sex, treating of affairs of
454 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. X.
state as if they were matters of the heart. You have ah'eady
lost your kingdom once, and have twice been the cause of a
war, which has shaken and ruined your paternal house to its
foundation — do you wish to be the cause of a third ? Already
at the solicitations of your Ambassador at St. Petersburg,
ten thousand Russians have been sent to Corfu. What ! is
your hatred so vigorous? Is your love for England so uncon-
trolled, that you would (although certain to be the first
victim) set the Continent in a blaze, and work a fortunate
diversion for England? I confess I should admire in some
degree such strong passions, if the simplest reasoning did
not make me feel their frivolity and impotence. Your
nephew, the Emperor of Austria, does not partake these
sentiments, and does not wish to renew a war, the results of
which could not be very satisfactory to him ; even Russia,
who has yielded to the solicitations of your Majesty's
Minister so much as to send ten thousand men to Corfu, is
very sensible that war against France would be very different
from that, and the feelings of Alexander I. are not war-
like. But supposing that the overthrow of your family and
throne were effected, and Russia and Austria were on that
account induced to arm, can your Majesty, who has such a
good opinion of me, think that I should remain inactive, and
fall into subjection to my neighbours ? Let your Majesty
listen to this prophecy without impatience — In the first war
caused by you, you and your posterity will cease to reign, your
children will wander, begging in the different countries of
Europe for assistance for their parents — by an inexplicable
conduct your Majesty will have caused the ruin of your
family, which providence and my moderation would have
preserved to you. Would you thus renounce one of the
finest kingdoms of the universe ? I should be sorry, how-
ever, that your Majesty should view my frankness as threats.
No, if it had entered into my plans to make war upon the
King of Naples, I should have done it on the entrance of
the first Russian in Corfu, agreeably to a wary policy, but I
wish for peace with Naples, with Europe entire, with England
even, and I do not fear war with any one. I am in a condition
to make it with whoever provokes me, and to punish the
Court of Naples without fearing the resentment of any one
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 455
whatever. May your Majesty listen to the advice of a good
brother, recall from St. Petersburg a Minister whose measures
serve no end but to damage the affairs of Naples, and plunge
them into imminent danger. Send back M. Elliot, who only
weaves plots of assassination and excites all the movements
in Naples. Give your confidence to the head of your house ;
and I venture to say it, to me, and do not be so much your
own enemy as to lose a kingdom you have kept in the midst
of the great confusion in which so many States have perished.
I do not flatter your Majesty in this letter — it will be dis-
agreeable, but it is also a proof of my esteem — it is only to
a person of a strong character and above the common that
I would give myself the trouble to write such truths. This
said, I pray God, Madam, my sister and cousin, to have you
in his holy keeping.
"Napoleon.
** Paris Nivose I'an 13.
January, 1805."
In the early part of January Lord Nelson was off Toulon.
On the 12th he was at the Madalena Islands, where on the
19th, by the Active and Seahorse, he learnt that the French fleet
had got out of Toulon the day preceding. Nelson conceived
them to be bound round the south end of Sardinia, and
resolved to intercept them by proceeding to the southward.
He received the intelligence of the departure of the French
fleet at 3 p.m. of the 19th, and by 6 p.m. the whole English
fleet was at sea.
M. de la Graviere gives the following testimony to Nelson's
extraordinary activity and zeal in the pursuit of the French
fleet at this time : —
"On January 19th, 1805, Nelson was at anchor in Agin-
court Roads, when two of his frigates, the Active and Sea-
horse, appeared at the entrance of the Straits of Bonifacio,
under a press of sail, with the long expected signal, ' The
enemy is at sea.^ It was at three o'clock in the afternoon when
they anchored near the Victory, and at half-past four the
English fleet was under sail. It becomes dark there about
five o'clock at that time of the year : the wind was blowing
strong from the westward, and the fleet could not work to
456 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. X,
windward against it, so that it was necessary to go through one
of the eastern passages which open into the Tuscan sea.
Though it was now completely dark, Nelson took the lead in
the Victory, and resolved to conduct his eleven ships of the
line between the rocks of Biscia and the north-east extremity
of Sardinia. This passage, whose breadth does not exceed a
quarter of a mile, has never since been attempted by any
fleet. The English squadron cleared it; formed in a single
line a-head ; each ship shewing a light astern, to guide the
one which followed."^
This generous testimony to Nelson's zeal and determina-
tion, will be found to agree with what has been stated, and it
remains to observe, that a heavy gale arrested their progress
on the 20th, and by the 22nd they had only reached sixteen
leagues east of Cape Carbonara. Nelson then dispatched
frigates to Cagliari and St. Pierre, to obtain information of the
position of the enemy, and another frigate to Sir John Acton
at Palermo, that Sicily might not be surprised, and that intelli-
gence might be conveyed to Naples of the movement that
had been made. He wrote also to Sir Alexander Ball, that
he might send to every position in which information was
likely to be obtained : " What would I give to know where
they are bound to, or to see them ! — the result of the meeting
I should be a wretch to doubt.'' From the Hon. Captain
Boyle he learnt that a French frigate had been standing in
for Pula, but the weather was too thick to enable him to
perceive the fleet. Nelson therefore thought if Cagliari was
their object, he should be in time to protect the Sards.
Off the Island of Serpentari on the 25th, he wrote to Sir
John Acton, expressive of the state of uncertainty in which
he was .placed, as to the course taken by the enemy, and of
his great anxiety, which was such that he had neither ate,
drank, or slept with any comfort for several days. " I hope,
(he writes) the Governor of Augusta will not give up the post
to the French fleet, but if he does, I shall go in and attack
them, for I consider the destruction of the enemy's fleet of so
much consequence, that I would willingly have half of mine
burnt to effect their destruction. 1 am in a fever. God send
' Plunkett's History of the last Naval War, Vol. ii. p. 169.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 457
I may find them !"^ Failing in gaining any intelligence, he
began to conceive that the French fleet had been crippled by
the gales and put back to Toulon, and he wrote his suspicions
to the Admiralty on the 29th. He wrote the same to Sir
Alexander Ball, suspecting they might have put into different
ports. He accordingly sent off to Elba, St. Fiorenzo, Malta,
Tunis, Pantolaria, &c., in short, by different vessels in every
direction to ascertain their situation. " Celerity in my move-
ments (he says), may catch those fellows yet/' At the same
time he anxiously directed his attention to keeping the fleet
together as much as possible.
In the Dispatches and Letters,'^ Sir H. Nicolas has printed
a letter of Lord Nelson's addressed to Samuel Briggs, Esq.,
British Consul at Alexandria. Of this there is a duplicate
in the present collection of papers, from which the following
is printed : and I am enabled to add to it the letter referred
to, addressed to Major Misset, British Resident at Cairo,
and also one to the Governor of Alexandria, which was sent
written in the Italian language, the translation from the
English having been made by the Rev. Mr. Scott.
" Victory, February 4th, 1805,
'^ Sir,
" If the French are arrived before me, you will of course
not receive this letter; if they are not arrived, it is my
opinion, they are dispersed and crippled in the bad weather
they have experienced since their leaving Toulon.
" I have wrote to the Governor of Alexandria to be vipon his
guard against a visit from those gentry, for as a week ago
they had not either arrived at Sardinia, Naples or Sicily, I
still think their destination is either Egypt or the Morea. I
may chance to fall in with them on my return, for I shall
pursue the route I think they will take, but as the Governor
is now put upon his guard, I hope he will take every means
in his power for the defence of Alexandria, and in particular
to have vessels ready to sink to prevent the entrance of the
French fleet into the old port until the obstructions were re-
moved, which would give me time to get at them.
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 331. From a copy in the Elliot Papers.
« Vol. vi. p. 336.
458 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. X,
"The French fleet sailed on the 18th of January, with from
8000 to 10,000 troops embarked. On the 19th they had a
very heavy gale of wind to the westward of Corsica and
Sardinia. One ship of eighty guns put into Ajaccio
crippled — three others were seen steering for St. Fiorenzo.
On the 21st some of them were seen off the south end of
Sardinia, but I know that on the 28th, they had neither been
in Sardinia nor Naples, and I was at Messina on the 30th,
therefore they are either returned to Toulon, or are, I fear,
arrived in Egypt, but even in that case, if Alexandria is
properly defended, it cannot have yet fallen into their hands,
or their fleet got into the port. If the enemy is not here I
shall not remain one moment on the coast, you will therefore
by the return of the boat, give me all the information you
have. I shall be much obliged to you to send my letter
when opportunity offers to Major Misset at Cairo.
" I am, Sir, with great respect,
" Your most obedient servant,
'* Nelson and Bronte.
" Samuel Briggs, Esq., Pro-Consul."
" Victory, February 4th, 1805.
" Sil',
" The French fleet having sailed on July 18th, with from
8000 to 10,000 troops embarked, their destination not known,
but generally beUeved to be either the Morea or Egypt, a
very heavy gale of wind separated some of their ships, one
of eighty guns put into Ajaccio in Corsica, and three were
steering for St. Fiorenzo in the same island, the remainder of
the fleet I have not heard of since they were off the south
end of Sardinia, on the 21st or the 28th they had not gone
to Naples. On the 31st they had not been in Sicily when I
passed the Faro of Messina. The weather has been too bad
for me to communicate with the Morea, although I was on
the 2nd off Coron, and sent a frigate to the Pacha of that
place, I have, therefore, but little doubt but that their des-
tination is to take possession of Alexandria, when the French
Consul writes that all Egypt would declare for the French
against the Turks, therefore even should they not be arrived,
but forced to return into port from the very bad weather
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 459^
they have had, yet I would strongly recommend to you to
urge the Vizir or Pacha of Egypt, whatever he is called, to
be upon his guard, and, in particular, to strengthen Alexan-
dria by every means in his power, for Egypt, he may rely, is
one of Buonaparte's favourite objects.
" I am come a long voyage, in search of the French, hoping
to either find them in the act of attacking Alexandria, for they
cannot have taken it, if it is defended, or should the French
fleet be dispersed, I have shewn the obedience to my orders,
in endeavouring, to the utmost of my power, to defend the
Turkish dominions from the attacks of the French, and I
hope they will in future be entirely upon their guard against
an attack.
" You will, Sir, I am sure, enforce this matter with all your
power, in the opportunities which may be offered to you,
with the great men in Egypt, and I am. Sir, with great
respect,
" Your most obedient servant,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Major Misset, British Resident in Cairo."
"Victory, Febniary 4, 1805.
" Vice- Admiral Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte, to the much
respected Governor of Alexandria : —
« Sir,
" The French fleet put to sea from Toulon, on January
18th, with from 8000 to 10,000 troops embarked in their
ships of war. Their destination was unknown, but it was
very generally credited, that either the Morea or Egypt was
their destination. For several days after their departure, it
blew a strong gale of wind, and several of the ships put into
different ports. An 80-gun ship put into Ajaccio, in Corsica,
and three others were seen steering for St. Fiorenzo, in the
same island.
" Whether the rest of the fleet have been separated I
know not, for I was too anxious, in case any part of the
Turkish dominions was the object of their attack, to hasten
to the assistance of the ally of my most gracious Sovereign,
AGO LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. X.
the might}' Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. As the French,
should Alexandria be their object, could only have amved a
very few days before me, I hope it will have been defended
until my arrival, when I have no doubt but the whole French
armament would be destroyed; but as the fleet may have
been dispersed, in the late heavy gales of wind, I most
strongly recommend to your Excellency to be upon your
guard against such an attack. If there is an Admiral in the
port, I would strongly recommend his having vessels ready
to sink in the channel, so as to prevent the French fleet from
entering the harbour of Alexandria, which they certainly will
endeavour to do. May victory crown your endeavours
against those common enemies, is the most sincere wish of
your Excellency's most faithful and obedient servant,
" Nelson and Bronte."
In a letter to Sir Alexander Ball, Lord Nelson states his
reasons for considering Egypt to have been the destination of
the French fleet. On the 7th of February, he was off Alex-
andria, having conducted the fleet through the Faro of
Messina, '^a thing (he says) unprecedented in nautical
history; but although the danger from the rapidity of the
current was great, yet so was the object of my pursuit ; and
I relied, with confidence, on the zeal and ability of the fleet
under my command." Disappointed in his object, he felt
deeply the responsibility he had incurred by the course taken
in search of the enemy, and wrote to Viscount Melville on
the subject; and on the 18th of February, the following to
Lady Hamilton : —
"Victory, February 18th, 1805.
" My dear Emma,
*' When we passed the Faro, on January 31st, I sent friend
Broadbent a letter for you, and begged him to forward it to
England. Your good heart will readily believe what an anxious
time I have had from that period to this moment, and it is
still continuing, for I have, as yet, got no tidings of the
French fleet. I fear they got crippled, and returned to
Toulon, for they were not used to encounter a Gulf of Lyons
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 461
gale, which we have been in the practice of for these twenty
months past. If they are got back, no man regrets the
accident which may have happened to them more than
myself, for I looked upon my meeting the French Admiral,
as the end of all my toil. No man commands a fleet, more
anxious to fulfil the wishes of its Chief, than the one I at
present command. For this month, I have neither eat nor
slept one moment in comfort. However, both the King of
Naples and the Turk are obliged, by my care of their domi-
nions. John Bull, we know, calculates nothing right that
does not place the British fleet alongside that of France.
By the events are we judged ; however, I feel that I have
done right in going to Egypt, for at this moment, I as firmly
believe, that was their destination, as I believed it before, and
they have now a much better chance of holding Egypt, with
a few men, than they had before, when they landed 40,000,
for now, every inhabitant is for them, and they were then
against them, and so are the Mamelukes. I have now
traversed 1000 leagues of sea after them. Our passage from
Messina, round by the Morea to Alexandria, was seven days.
I am, at this moment, forty-six leagues from Malta, where I
shall communicate to-morrow, but not shorten a rag of
canvas. French fleet, French fleet, is all I want to have
answered me. I shall never rest till I find them, and they
shall neither, if I can get at them. You will believe that this
anxiety has not done my general health much good, but had
I been absent, and the French fleet put to sea, it would have
gone hard to kill me, and anxious as I am sure we are to
meet, I am sure you agree with me. But I do not despair of
yet getting hold of these fellows, and they shall reward me
for all my trouble. Your last letter was November 2nd,
since when I have not heard a scrap from England. How is
Horatia? Neither she or you are ever absent from my
thoughts, and all my glory will serve to give you both real
happiness. God send it may be so, and soon.
"■ February 20th. Yesterday I was off* Malta, in a gale of
wind, at south-east, so that a boat could only get to one of
the fleet, which brought me intelligence of the return of the
French fleet, in a most crippled state, to Toulon, except one
ship of the line, which is on shore at Ajaccio, and one frigate
462 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. X.
dismasted and gone to Genoa. This news was grievous
enough for me, but, to-day, I received the further mortifying
news, of the capture of a convoy, which sailed from Malta,
January 4 th. This has hurt me more than the other, but I
cannot help it ; no blame, I feel, attaches itself to me, what-
ever may be said, my conduct will bear a scrutiny. I have
not heard from Naples how they take my going to Egypt ;
perhaps the Queen thinks it only necessary for me to look to
their safety, and that I have never neglected. I do not think
that she and Mr. Elliot exactly hit it off. The Court of
Naples ought to be most grateful for my constant and
unwearied attention to them. I am now off Maritimo, in
dreadful bad weather, beating to get off Toulon. Either the
enemy will be near putting to sea again, or the summer will,
in a few weeks, be so far advanced, that they will not venture
to move, when I shall embrace the permission of the Admi-
ralty, and return to England for a few months, but it shall
never be said of me, as it has been of another Commander-
in-chief, that I gave up the command, when the enemy's
fleet was actually at sea. No, I would die 10,000 deaths
before such a stigma should be cast upon my character.
You may believe my anxiety, not for myself, for I have
nothing to reproach myself with, but I cannot bear that the
French fleet should have been out and got back again.
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
For three weeks after this time, the weather was most
stormy and severe. Nelson declared it the worst he had ever
seen, and was only enabled to anchor in the Gulf of Palma
on the 8th of March. The following day, he wrote to Lady
Hamilton : —
" Victory, March 9th, 1805.
'' I do assure you, my dearest Emma, that nothing can be
more miserable, or unhappy, than your poor Nelson. From
the 19th of February, have we been beating from Malta to off
Palma, where I am now anchored, the wind and sea being
so veiy contrary and bad. But I cannot help myself, and no
one in the fleet can feel what I do : and to mend my fate.
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 4G3
yesterday Captain Layman arrived — to my great surprise —
not in his brig, but in a Spanish cartel, he having been
wrecked off Cadiz, and lost all the dispatches and letters.
You will conceive my disappointment ! It is now from No-
vember 2nd, that I have had a line from England. Captain
Layman says, he is sure the letters are sunk, never to rise
again ; but as they were not thrown overboard until the
vessel struck the rock, I have much fear that they may have
fallen into the hands of the Dons. My reports from off
Toulon state the French as still in port : but I shall ever be
uneasy at not having fallen in with them.
" I know, my dear Emma, that it is in vain to repine ; but
my feelings are alive to meeting those fellows after near two
years' hard service. What a time ! I could not have thought
it possible that I should have been so long absent ; unwell
and uncomfortable in many respects. However, when I cal-
culate upon the French fleet not coming to sea for this sum-
mer, I shall certainly go for dear England. Captain Layman
is now upon his trial. I hope he will come clear, with honour.
I fear it was too great confidence in his own judgment that
got him in the scrape ; but it was impossible that any person
living could have exerted himself more, when in a most
trying and difficult situation."
" March 10th.
" Poor Captain Layman has been censured by the Court,
but I have my own opinion ; I sincerely pity him, and have
wrote to Lord Melville and Sir Evan Nepean, to try what can
be done. Altogether, I am much unhinged.
" To-morrow, if the wind lasts, I shall be off Toulon. Sir
William Bolton is safe, I heard of him this morning. I hear
that a ship is coming out for him ; but, as this is only rumour,
I cannot keep him from this opportunity of being made Post,
and I dare say, he will cause by his delay, such a tumult, that
Louisas son, who I have appointed to the Childers, will lose
his promotion, and then Sir Billy will be wished at the devil !
But, I have done with this subject ; the whole history has hurt
me. Hardy has talked enough to him to rouse his lethargic
disposition.
'• I have been much hurt at the loss of poor Mr. Girdle-
464 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. X.
stone !^ He was a good man ; but there will be an end of us
all.
"N. & B"2
His opinion was unchanged with regard to the intended des-
tination of the French fleet having been Egypt, and he wrote to
Lord Melville : "To what other country could they want to
carry saddles and arms ? I yet hope to meet them before I
go hence ; I would die 10,000 deaths, rather than give up my
command when the enemy is expected every day to be at sea/'^
To Mr. Marsden, Secretary of the Admiralty, he also wrote
on the 13th: "Their Lordships are fully aware of my reasons
for not attending to my own health, since I have received their
permission to return to England for its re-establishment. I do
assure you, that no consideration for self could come into my
mind when the enemy's fleet was sure of putting to sea, and
they are now perfectly ready in appearance to put to sea
again. Therefore, though 1 have suffered very much from
anxiety and the very stormy winter, yet I shall either stay to
fight them, which I expect every hour, or until I believe they
will not come to sea for the summer, when I shall embrace
their Lordship's permission, and return to England for a few
months for the re-establishment of a very shattered constitu-
tion." This is printed from an autograph copy on the back of
the following letter to Lady Hamilton : —
"Victory, March 13th, 1805,
off Toulon, but not in sight.
" Last night, my dearest Emma, I received your letters of
September 12th by way of Naples, November 27th, Decem-
ber 18th, 27th, 29th, and January 8th, sent by Amphion —
all those by Layman are lost. When I see you are hurt at
my non-arrival, I only wish that you would for one moment
call your good sense before you, and see if it was possible.
You know I never say a thing which I do not mean, and every-
body knows that all my things are on board of the Superb,
and there they remain. I expected Sir John Orde was come
' A relation by marriage Eliza, a daughter of Mrs. Bolton, Lord Nelson's
sister, married the Rev. Henry Girdlestone.
^ Collection the Letters, Vol. ii. p. 87.
3 Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 397.
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 4G5
out to relieve me, for I never could have supposed that any
Admiralty would have sent any Admiral to take from me every
prospect of prize-money, but my soul is beyond that consi-
deration, compared to getting at the French fleet. But to the
pohit, and I have done ; my leave of absence, although given
the 6th of October, came to me on December 25th, Christmas-
day. Before that period, I could not go, and from that mo-
ment I was well assured that the French fleet would put to sea.
They did so, and only yesterday I returned off here from the
pursuit of them to Egypt. I now find them ready for sea,
and the troops embarked, and I am in momentary hopes of
their putting to sea. Call these circumstances before you,
and jo dye me.
" You will see both the King and Queen of Naples are
angry with me, but I cannot help it. When I am dead, I am
of no use to them, or any one else.
" Sir William Bolton is got out of the way, I made him
into the Amphitrite, and he goes directly to England. I shall
recommend him to Lord Melville for immediate employment.
He is unlucky, not having taken a single vessel. You will
remember me most kindly to Mrs. Cadogan ; I am truly
sensible of her worth and attention to our interest at Merton.
You cannot imagine how I long to see it, but I fear the
kitchen will smell, if so, I shall build one separate from
the house, and make the present one a servants' hall. I have
it all in my head if I have but the money. I am glad you
have seen Captain Hillyar, he would be able to tell you about
Charles. I hope he will behave well, and set himself on in
the world."
Nelson wrote to Collingwood from the Victory, March
13th, 1805 :—
'' My dear Friend,
*' Many, many thanks for your kind remembrance of me,
and for your friendly good wishes, which from my heart, I
can say are reciprocal. I am certainly near going to Eng-
land ; for my constitution is much shook, and nothing has kept
me here so long but the expectation of getting at the French
fleet. I am told the Rochfort squadron sailed the same day as
that from Toulon. Buonaparte has often made his boast that
VOL. II. 2 H
466 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIKAL [cilAP. X.
our fleet would be worn out by keeping the sea, and that his
was kept in order and increasing by staying in port : but he
now finds, I fancy, if Emperors hear truth, that his fleet
suffers more in a night than ours in one year. However,
thank God, the Toulon fleet is got in order again, and, I hear,
the troops embarked ; and I hope they will come to sea in
fine weather. The moment the battle is over I shall cut :
and I must do the same, if I think after some weeks, they do
not intend to come out for the summer. We have had a very
dull war, but I agree with you that it must change for a more
active one. I beg, my dear Collingwood, that you will present
my most respectful compliments to Mrs. Collingwood ; and
believe me, for ever, and as ever,
" Your most sincere and truly attached friend,
"Nelson and Bronte."^
And to Lady Hamilton, on the 30th : —
" Victory, INIarch 30th, 1805.
'^ Your letters, my dear Emma, by the Ambuscade, to
February 15th, came to me on the 26th; and now Louis is
arrived, I shall, the moment I think that the French fleet will
not come to sea for the summer, put myself into the Superb,
from which my things never have been taken from the time I
expected the great and rich Sir John Orde. I fix in my own
mind to start May 1st, for if they are not at sea in April, I
think they will lay fast, unless a very superior fleet should
come into the Mediterranean, when I am readier to start from
England than being here, at least for actual service, but keep
my intended movements to yourself, for folks like to chatter.
You are sure, my Emma, that I am as anxious to see you as
you can be to see me ; therefore I shall say no more upon
that subject. I admire dear Horatia's writing. I think her
hand will soon be like her dear mother's, and if she is but as
clever, I shall be content. You may rely that when I come
home, T shall do what I can for Mrs. Bolton, but before I
can fix a sura I must see what I have ; at all events I shall
be able to keep Tom- at College without any expense to his
father ; that I will certainly do, and I must economise in
something at home. My letter to Lord Melville was strong
' Memoirs of Lord Collingwood, Vol. i. p. 142.
^ Afterwards second Earl Nelson.
1805,] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 467
about Mr. Bolton, but I have had no answer ; in short, I
never had any interest."
Lord Nelson sailed from Pula roads on the 3rd of April,
and on the 4th learnt, by the Phoebe, that the French fleet
had put to sea on the 30th of March. According to the
Victory's log, the ship was cleared for action on this day at
10 A.M. He, however, was unsuccessful in meeting with the
French fleet, as anxiously expressed by him in the following
letters to Lady Hamilton: —
" Victory, April 4th, 1805.
'^ My Emma, Sir W. Bolton has lost his frigate, Amphi-
trite/ and perhaps a month or two's rank as Post, but I
have waited three weeks for his joining me, and the service
will not admit of my waiting any longer. Luckily for him,
Lord Melville has wrote me that he will send out a Post-ship
for him, and therefore I hope he will suffer no harm, but it
vexes me. Unless the French fleet should be at sea, or a
certainty of its putting to sea, I shall move to the Superb on
the day 1 have before told you. I shall take care not to speak
any thing which may subject me to quarantine, therefore I
hope a return of post, or at least two, will liberate me. Our
dear Horatia, how I long to settle what I intend upon her,
and not leave her to the mercy of any one, or even to any
foolish thing I may do in my old age. Adieu for a very
short time, and may the Heavens bless you, and give us a
happy meeting, prays
'^ Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."'
" Victory, 9 p. m. April 5th, 1803.
" My dearest Emma,
" You will easily conceive my anxiety, and indeed misery,
at not yet having fallen in with these French rascals, but I
sincerely hope an end may soon be put to my misery. You
shall ever glory in your Nelson, whether living or dead. I
could not exist long in this dreadful suspense, but I am doing
• Captain Corbet, of the Bittern, was appointed by Lord Nelson Captain of the
Amphitrite, in the room of Sir VV. Bolton, and Captain Louis was transferred to
the Bittern.
2 H 2
468 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAPo X.
what man can do to find them out. God send that I may
soon meet them. The ship parts. Adieu,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte/'
He placed frigates on the coast of Barbary, and off Toro,
and laid himself half way between GaHta and Sardinia, being-
certain that should the French fleet be bound that way, they
could not have passed before that time. To Lord Melville
he wrote : " I must leave as little as possible to chance, and
I shall make sure they are to the eastward of me, before I
risk either Sardinia, Sicily, or Naples ; for they may delay
their time of coming even this distance, from an expectation
that I shall push for Egypt, and thus leave them at liberty to
act against Sardinia, Sicily, or Naples. T have taken every
thing into my most serious consideration ; and although I
may err in my judgment, yet your Lordship may rely, that I
will do what I think is best for the honour of my King and
country, and for the protection of his Majesty's Allies, I
will not say more."^ To Sir Alexander Ball he also wrote by a
transport to Malta : " I am, in truth, half dead ; but what man
can do to find them out, shall be done ; but I must not make
more haste than good speed, and leave Sardinia, Sicily, or
Naples for them to take, should I go either to the eastward or
westward, without knowing something more about them. Am-
buscade has been sent to Galita ; Active to the coast of Africa ;
and last night, I sent Moucheron to cruise between Galita
and the shore, and to go to Tunis for information ; Seahorse
and .^tna are off Toro ; Hydra is gone along the east side of
Corsica, to find out if they passed through the Straits of
Bonifaccio ; Ambuscade is now in sight, but not having any
signal flying, of course has seen nothing ; Amazon will go to
Naples the moment Active joins, which I expect will be to-
night or to-morrow morning ; and if 1 still get no informa-
tion, Phojbe will go olT St. Sebastian, to speak my look-out
ship there, and try to find out where they are — [?] to
examine Toulon. I shall take a position off" Istria, ready to
communicate with the vessels which will join me ; and by
this position, to be ready to push for Naples, should they be
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 401.
1S05.J LORD VISCOUNT iNELSON. 469
gone there, or to protect Sicily. I am very uneasy and un-
well ; therefoi'e I cannot write more."^
His letters and orders to his Captains at this time manifest
his deep anxiety, and display his extraordinary activity. He
was, notwithstanding, doomed to continued disappointment,
which he denominated a " severe affliction."
" Victory, April 19th, 1805.
'' You will I am sure, my dearest Emma, feel for my cruel
disappointment in not meeting with the French fleet, but I
could not divide myself and guard Sardinia, Naples, Sicily,
the Morea, and Egypt at the same time. Had I gone west,
and they east, twenty -four hours start of me would have lost
any of those places, and England never could have regained
them. To the westward they could only get out of the
Straits, and abandon the Mediterranean, in which, with their
Toulon fleet, they found they could not get a move a-head of
me. I may be abused by some blockheads, but I do assure
you, that upon a revision of my own conduct, that I approve,
and that is a great thing ; for if a man does not approve of
his own conduct, it is certain nobody else can. Sir William
Bolton is now with me, waiting impatiently for the Post-ship
which Lord Melville promised to send him, but I am not sure
that he may have an opportunity of writing. I have received
your letters by the Decade. I think it very probable that a
very few days will clear me of the Mediterranean, and draw
me nearer to dear Merton, my dear Emma, and Horatia.
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
His impatience breaks out in a letter to Sir Alexander Ball,
written on the same day as the preceding : " My good fortune
seems flown away. I cannot get a fair wind, or even a side
wind. Dead foul ! — dead foul ! But my mind is fully made
up what to do when I leave the Straits, supposing there is no
certain information of the enemy's destination. The Officer
who commands the prize sent from Gibraltar will tell you all
the news. I believe this ill luck will go near to kill me ; but
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 399 ; from an autograph in the possession
of Sir W. Keith Ball, Bart.
470 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAI, [CHAP. X.
as these are times for exertions, I must not be cast down,
whatever I feel."^
To Lieutenant-General Fox on the 20th : " Broken-hearted
as I am, Sir, at the escape of the Toulon fleet, yet it cannot
prevent my thinking of all the points entrusted to my care,
amongst which Gibraltar stands prominent. I wish you to
consider me as particularly desirous to give every comfort to
the old Rock/'- His determination upheld him, and to Lord
Melville, about the same time, he wrote : " I am not made
to despair — what man can do shall be done. I have marked
out for myself a decided line of conduct, and I shall follow it
well up ; although I have now before me a letter from the
Physician of the fleet, enforcing my return to England before
the hot months. Therefore, notwithstanding, I shall pursue
the enemy to the East or West Indies, if I know that to have
been their destination, yet, if the Mediterranean fleet joins the
Channel, I shall request, wdth that order, permission to go
on shore.^'^
On the 18th he was off Toro, and on the 4th of May at
Tetuan, whence he wrote the following : —
" Victory, Tetuan Bay, May 4th, 1805.
'^ Your poor dear Nelson is, my dearest Emma, very, very
unwell. After a two years hard fag, it has been mortifying
the not being able to get at the enemy — as yet I can get no
information about them. At Lisbon this day week they
knew nothing about them ; but it is now generally believed
that they are gone to the West Lidies, My movements must
be guided by the best judgment I am able to form — John
Bull may be angry, but he never had an officer who has served
him more faithfully ; but Providence truly will yet crown my
never-failing exertions with success, and that it has only been
a hard trial of my fortitude in bearing up against untoward
events.
"Nelson and Bronte.''
On the 6th he was in Gibraltar Bay, and wrote his
esteemed Surgeon as follows : —
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 410 ; from an autograph in the possession
of John Darlington, Esq.
' Clarke and M'Arthur, Vol. ii. p. 404. ^ n,id.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 471
" Victory, May 6th, 1805.
" Dear Sir,
" I send you Dr. Harness's letter relative to Mr. Gardner's
appointment to Gibraltar Hospital. I am not only sorry
for your disappointment, but also, that however able Mr.
Gardner may be, I well know you would have been an
invaluable acquisition to the Rock. However, I hope you
will soon get some other appointment equally pleasant, and
tell me if one of those Hospital (appointments) in England
would be acceptable, or what you would like, and I will try
what I can do, being, dear Sir, with the greatest esteem,
your most faithful servant,
" Nelson and Bronte.
"I have been, and am still very, very unwell, with my
sciatic complaint — return Dr. Harness's letter."
" Mr. Magrath."'
On the 9th he reached Lagos Bay, and on the 10th was
employed in getting provisions from the Transports. Pre-
vious to his arrival here he wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, May 9th, off Cape St. Vincent.
'^ My dearest Emma,
"^ I think myself a little better, but I can neither drink
porter nor eat cheese, and that is enough to satisfy me that
I am far from well ; but I take no physic, bark in all ways
disagrees with me, but I submit myself to the care of a good
Providence, and if it is His pleasure I shall soon be restored.
I have wrote Nepean^ that they must, if I go to the West
Indies send out an Admiral, for I am not able to remain
there, not that I fear the country, it would agree with me as
well as any other. Half the people kill themselves from fear
of the climate. I hope to God I shall get hold of the French
fleet. I got through the Gut on the night of the 6th, and am
now anxiously waiting the return of the Amazon from Lisbon,
when my final route will be determined upon.
" I approve very much the plan of the kitchen, and I
hope we shall live many years to enjoy it. I send you a bill
for £300., £200 of which is for yourself, and the other £100.
' Sir George Magrath, M.D., K.H., F.R.S., a retired Inspector of Hospitals
and Fleets. ' Then one of the Lords of the Admiralty.
472 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. X.
make into little presents for me to those about you. I have
sent Mrs. Bolton her £100. so nothing is necessary to be
given to her. You see Lord Melville is out, and given away
a Commissionership of both the Navy and Victualling Office
without considering me — they none of them care for me. I
may be poor, but I am honest. I could say much on that
subject, but I hope we shall soon talk upon that and many
other subjects. I have sent two Codicils in which you -are
deeply interested to Mr. Haslewood, to be placed with my
Will and other Codicils, for if I kept them on board ship they
might be lost, and then you and my Horatia would not get
what I intend, which would embitter my last moments. May
Heaven bless you.
" Noon. Captain Sutton has just joined. Nothing is
known of the French fleet, and my destination is the West
Indies, and 1 only wait to see the troops under Admiral
Knight^ round the Cape. I have wrote to Nepean that I
must be relieved. The lively. Captain Hamond," I find has
passed the fleet for Gibraltar. Once more God bless you,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
' Sir John Knight accompanied his father, Rear-Admiral Knight, to sea in
1758, and served in the Tartar fi-igate in the expeditions against Cancelle, Cher-
bourg, &c. He was in the squadron with Lord Anson, escorting Queen Char-
lotte to this country in 1761, and was engaged on the maritime survey of
the coast of North America. In the Falcon he assisted in covering the attack on
Bunker's Hill, soon after which he was taken prisoner and detained several
months in Massachusetts. In 1777, he was appointed by Lord Howe to the
Haerlem, and afterwards to the Eagle, bearing the flag of his Lordship. He was
then made First Lieutenant of the Barfleur, the flag-ship of Sir Samuel Hood ;
was made Post Captain, September 21st, 1781, and appointed to the Shrewsbury
of 74 guns. He was in all the exploits of Sir Samuel Hood in 1781 and 1782, and
in the battle with the Count de Grasse, was moved from the Shrewsbury into the
Barfleur with the Admiral. In this vessel Prince William Henry sei-ved as Mid-
shipman, and formed great intimacy with Captain Knight, under whose tuition
he was placed. In 1790 he was Flag Captain to Lord Hood in the Victory, and
in the Revolutionary War was in the Mediterranean. Here he saw much service,
and in 1 797 was appointed to the Montagu, one of the ships whose company
mutinied at Spithead. The spirit of insubordination subdued. Captain Knight
had a command on the coast of Ireland ; then in the Channel Fleet, and on the
Mediterranean Station under Lords St. Vincent, Bridport, and Keith. He then
commanded a squadron oiF Brest. On January 1st, 1801, he was made a Rear-
Admiral; Vice-Admiral, December 4th, 1813 ; and K.C.B. January 2nd, 1815.
He died Admiral of the Red, June 16th, 1832.
^ Admiral Sir Graham Eden Hamond, Bart., K.C.B., is the present senior
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 473
'^ My dearest Emma,
" In case any thing should happen to the Wasp who is
going to England with my dispatches and your letters, I send
a duplicate of the draft upon Marsh and Creed, and I beg
you to send Mrs. Bolton's to her. I have wrote her a line
by the Wasp. We are hard at work victualling the fleet to
five months, and hope to start to-morrow. May God be
propitious to my wishes, and send me a victor — then, and
not till then, can I be happy. Kiss my dear Horatia for me.
*' Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
The letter to Mrs. Bolton is printed in Sir H. Nicolas^s
collection of Dispatches and Letters," and runs thus : —
" Victory, May 9th, 1805,
" My dear Sister,
" God only knows where I may be on July 1st, and, there-
fore, I send you a bill for £100 ; and when I get home, I
hope to be able to keep Tom at College without one far-
thing's expense to Mr. Bolton ; and both you and him may
be assured, that I would do more if in my power. I should
have been a very rich, instead of a very poor man, if Lord
Admiral of the Blue, and is the son of Sir A. S. Hamond, Bart. (See Vol. I. p.
110, note). He was born in London in 1779, and saw much service with his
father, and his cousin. Sir A. S. Douglas. He was made Lieutenant in the
Britannia of 100 guns, July 23rd, 1795, and November 30th, 1798, made a Post
Captain. He distinguished himself greatly in the Blanche at Copenhagen in
1801 ; returned to England with Sir Hyde Parker, was then attached to the
Channel Fleet with Admiral Cornwallis, and after the Peace of Amiens engaged
on the coast of Cornwall and Devonshire to suppress smuggling. He attended
upon the Royal family at Weymouth, and afterwards visited France. In 1803
in the Plantagenet, he captured the Courier de Terre Neuve, and the Atalante,
and returned to England from ill health. In 1804 he was appointed to the
Lively, and joined Admiral Cornwallis off Brest, and afterwai'ds had a rencontre
with some Spanish ships. He was then stationed off Cadiz, and off Cape St.
Vincent captured tlie San Miguel, a most valuable prize. He brought home in
March, 1805, all the specie and bullion that had been captured from the Spaniards,
amounting to neai- five millions of dollars, and arrived safely at Spithead on the
15th of April. In 1808 he was in command of the Victorious, and assisted at
the capture of Flushing. His health had become so much impaired, that he
was under the necessity of returning to England.
» Vol. vi. p. 429.
474 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. X.
Melville had not given the galleons to Sir John Orde. God
bless you^ Mr. Bolton, and family ; and believe me ever,
" Your most affectionate Brother,
"Nelson axd Bronte.'^
He sailed on the 11th for the West Indies, thus pursu-
ing; the French fleet, which consisted of 18 sail of the line,
with only 10 sail of the line. He wrote again to Lady
Hamilton : —
" Victory, May 13th, 1805.
70 Leagues W.S.W. from Cape St. Vincent.
" My dearest Emma,
" No letter from any person for England could have left
the Victory from the day we passed the Faro, Januaiy 31st
to March 16th, when the Renown went to Gibraltar. Mr.
Marsden, when you recollect his situation, cannot tell you
any thing, and if he did, as has been the case at present, he
must pretend to know exactly where I was, or it would soon
get over London and to France. He is very much hurt that
you are offended with him, for not telling you if I am alive
or dead, and when he makes a story on purpose, as he thinks,
to please you, by telling you I am well, &c. &c. &;c., then you
are angry. You should have known that it was impossible
that I could write alone to him ; but I will have done with
this subject which, under my present cruel situation, almost
cut my feeble thread of life.
" The Marquis Circello and Abbe Campbell came on board
for a minute in a gale of wind, and with them your letters.
I do assure you, that both my health and the arrangement of
my affairs, independent of my inclination, demand my serious
consideration. I know I am most deeply in debt to Davison,
and I want his account that I may close it, for it must not
run on in the way it has done, but I cannot get it, nor do I
know how I stand with their banking house, I get no account;
but things will be on a new footing when I get to dear Mer-
ton. I suppose if I do not find the French fleet that I shall
be tried. They may do as they please, they will find none
who has served them more faithfully, and this going to the
West Lidies ought to be a proof it, for it must be everything
but a party of pleasure to me, but I am sure you will approve
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSOX. 475
of my conduct, however we may feel the consequences. I
write this in case of meeting any vessel bound to England,
when I shall close it.
'■^ May 20th. Nothing yet have we seen, we are running nine
miles -per hour, 700 leagues from Barbadoes. Sutton, of
the Amphion, is with us. I am, as you will believe, very, verj'-
uneasy and anxious, but I hope it will all end well. Kiss
dear Horatia for me, I never forget for a moment either you
or her.
"" Nelson and Bronte."
As he had anticipated he arrived at Barbadoes on the 4th
of June, and then was informed that the French fleet was in
the West Indies. He wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, off Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes,
June 4th, 1805.
" My dearest Emma,
" I find myself within six days of the enemy, and I have
every reason to hope that the 6th of June will immortalize
your own Nelson. May God send me victory, and us a
happy and speedy meeting. Admiral Cochrane is sending
home a vessel this day, therefore only pray for my success.
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.
" The enemy's fleet and army are supposed to have
attacked Tobago and Trinidad, and are now about landing.'*
Lady Hamilton received a Barbadoes Gazette of the date
of the 5th, having the following lines : —
" Barbadoes Gazette, hth June, 1805.
"Whisper but Nelson in a Frenchman's ear,
And straight from head to foot he quakes with fear.
Scdlors and soldiers all agree together.
To run away, and never mind the weather.
Their very ships, spontaneous crowd each sail.
Their anchors leave, and scud before the gale.
From Isle to Isle no more they dare to roam,
And their fixed rudders steer no course but home.
Villeneuve,' a second time, declines the fight,
And saves himself by ignominious flight."
' Ran away from Lord Nelson at the Nile, in the Guillaume Tell of 84 guns.
476 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. X.
Nelson's expectations were however to be sadly crushed.
AA'hen he arrived at Barbadoes, he received letters of infor-
mation which had been sent to Lieutenant-General Sir Wil-
liam Myers, 1 Commander-in-chief in the Leeward Islands,
from Dominica and St. Lucia, and stated, " I have this
moment received a report from the windward side of Gros
Islet, that the enemy's fleet, of twenty-eight sail in all, passed
there last night. Their destination, I should suppose, must
be either Barbadoes or Trinidad. R. Brereton." The
above passage which formed a P. S. to a letter, was written
by Major Myers, the General's Secretary, and the Major
said that he had no doubt but that the intelligence might be
relied on. The General offered to embark 2000 troops, which
offer Nelson readily accepted. Lord Nelson highly eulogised
General Myers' conduct, saying, in a letter to the Earl
Camden : " However unhappy I may feel at not having got
up with the enemy's fleet, yet I should think myself very
remiss if I failed to inform your Lordship, and to request
you to inform his Majesty, of the very spirited conduct of
Lieutenant-General Sir William Myers, who offered to em-
bark on board the fleet 2000 troops, in order to try and
annihilate both the enemy's fleet and army, had we fortu-
nately found them in any of our islands. The zeal of the
Lieutenant-General, and the whole body of troops, was such
as could not be exceeded, and it is a matter of sincere regret
that we have not met with the enemy. But great merit is
not less due to the Lieutenant-General, for the expedition
with which the troops were collected from different parts of
Barbadoes, and to the officers and men for the cheerfulness
v.ith which they embarked.'""
On the 5th of June Lord Nelson made the general signal to
prepare for battle. On the 6th at 6-10 a.m. a schooner made
signal for the enemy being at Trinidad. This arose from
an accident which is detailed in Clarke and McArthur's Life
of Lord Nelson : —
'' On the 6th of June the fleet arrived off Great Courland
Bay, Tobago ; and Captain Henderson of the Pheasant sloop
was directed to proceed with all expedition to Port Toko in
• He died in July, 1825.
* Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 411.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 477
Trinidad, to send a boat on shore with Sir WiUiam Myers'
letters, for information whether the enemy were in the Gulf
of Paria, and to communicate by signal with the Admiral in the
morning. At Tobago all was bustle and apparent uncertainty,
when in addition the following singular occurrence took
place. A Merchant, particularly anxious to ascertain whether
the fleet was that of a friend or enemy, had prevailed on his
Clerk, with whom he had also agreed respecting signals, to
embark in a schooner, and to s^.and towards it ; and it unfor-
tunately happened, that the very signal made by the Clerk
corresponded with the affirmative signal which had been
agreed on by Colonel Shipley, of tlie enemy being at Trinidad.
It was the close of the day, and no opportunity occurred of
discovering the mistake. An American merchant brig also
had been spoken with, the same day, by the Curieux, pro-
bably sent to mislead, whose Master reported that he had
been boarded a few days before by the French fleet off
Granada, standing towards the Bocaz of Trinidad. No
doubts were any longer entertained, the news flew throughout
the British squadron, the ships were ready for action before
daybreak, and Nelson anticipated a second Aboukir in the
Bay of Paria. If further confirmation was necessary, it
appeared in the seeming conflagration of one of our outposts
at daylight, and the party retreating towards the citadel.
The Admiral and Officers of his squadron, after such corro-
boration, felt it difficult to believe the evidence of their senses,
when, on entering the Gulf of Paria on the 7th, no enemy
was to be seen, nor had any been there. "^
Off St. Lucia, on the 10th, he wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
*' Victory, off St. Lucia, June 10th, 1805.
'^ Your own dear Nelson, my Emma, is very sad — the
French fleet have again escaped me. It appears hard to have
had the cup at my lip, and to have it dashed from me. When I
wrote you a line from Barbadoes, I would not have given one
farthing to have assured a battle. The information from St.
Lucia, as you will see by the newspaper, was doubted by
none. How I grieve at the arrival of that news, nothing
could have prevented my getting at them on the 6th ; long
' Vol. ii. p. 409.
478 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. X.
ago it would have been all over, and your Nelson have added,
I doubt not, another sprig of laurel to his brow, or his
memory ; but it has pleased God to order it otherwise. I
sailed at eight o'clock in the morning of the 5th, with Lieute-
nant-General Sir W. Myers, and 2000 troops on board. On
the 6th we Avere at Tobago, where they had heard of the
enemy being at sea, and they supposed them to have arrived at
Trinidad on the day before. I now was sure, and every thing
was fully prepared to decide the contest, twelve to eighteen ;
but lo ! on the 7th, when the fleet got into the Gulf of Paria,
the enemy were not there, but we received an express that
they were to sail from Mart^nico on the 5th for Granada and
Trinidad. They did sail in the night of the 5th, but not for
Granada, but I fancy to try and effect their escape. On the
8th at daylight, I sailed from Trinidad, and on the 9th at
noon, I was at St. George's, Granada, where I received the
mortifying news that on the 6th the enemy, eighteen sail of
the line, six frigates and three brigs and schooners, were
under Dominica ; on the 7th they were under Guadaloupe.
I am carrying every rag, but my hopes are very faint,
although I must not despair. If they should attempt Antigua
I shall be up with them, and if they run I may, by good for-
tune, overtake them before they get to Europe. However
mortified I may individually feel at not fighting them, yet my
happy arrival has saved all our West India islands and com-
merce. My services have benefited the country, although it
brings neither honour nor riches to me — the latter is given
by two Admiraltys' to others, how well deserved to have been
taken from me time will shew. You will talk of this letter
with prudence, for the public must not know, at least from
you, of my movements; but I know my Emma is to be
trusted with any secret. I shall fill this up as we get on,
and write you another line before the vessel parts from the fleet.
^' June Wth. — We are under Montserratt, whence the
enemy were seen beating to windward on Saturday. God
knows their intention, but I still think it is to get out of my
way: it has almost broke my heart. I shall hear from
Antigua to day.
'' Yours,
'^Nelsox and Bronte.''
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 479
"Victory, 7 p.m, June 12th, 1805.
" My own Emma,
" I have just anchored in St. John^s road to land the troops,
and the inoment they are on shore 1 am after Gravina, and I
really hope to catch hun before he gets to Cadiz.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
To Lord Robert Fitzgerald, the Minister at Lisbon, he
gives a summary of his movements : " I arrived at Barbadoes,
June 4th, where I found Lieutenant-General Sir William
Myers, who the night before had received information from
Brigadier General Brereton, at St. Lucia, that twenty-eight
sail of the enemy's fleet had been seen to windward of St.
Lucia, steering to the southward. As there was no reason to
doubt this information, the General offered to embark himself,
with 2000 troops, for the relief of either Tobago or Trinidad,
which was supposed to be the intended objects of the enemy's
attack. On the 6th, we were off Tobago ; on the 7th, at
Trinidad ; on the 8th, I received an account that the enemy
had not moved on the 4th from Port Royal, but were expected
to sail that night for the attack on Granada. On the 9th, I
was at Granada, when I received a letter from General Prevost
to say, that the enemy had passed Dominica on the 6th, and
standing to the northward, to the leeward of Antigua, and
took that day a convoy of fourteen sail of sugar-loaded ships,
which unfortunately left St. John's in the night, for England.
On the 11th, I was at Montserratt, and, at sunset of the 12th,
anchored at St. John's, Antigua, to land the troops, which
was done on the morning of the 13th, and at noon I sailed
in my pursuit of the enemy ; and I do not yet despair of
getting up with them before they arrive at Cadiz or Toulon,
to which ports I think they are bound, or, at least, in time to
prevent them from having a moment's superiority; I have
no reason to blame Dame Fortune. If either General Bre-
reton could not have wrote, or his look-out man had been
blind, nothing could have prevented my fighting them on
June the 6th ; but such information, and from such a quarter,
close to the enemy, could not be doubted."^
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 455. From copies in the possession of
the Right Honourable Sir George Rose, G.C.H., and Captain Gambier.
480 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CTIAP. X.
The vessel conveying the preceding letter carried also the
following to London to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, June 16th, 1805.
130 leagues from Antigua.
'' As I am sending a vessel to Lisbon, and a letter to the
Admiralty to tell them I am so far on my return, I would
not, you are sure, omit writing you a line, although it will
probably be a long while in reaching you. I yet hope that I
shall send a frigate with good news, for why may I not at
last be so fortunate as to get up with the enemy's fleet ? Ah !
my Emma, June 6th would have been a great day to me had
I not been led astray by false information. It is not worth
sixpence, and I have ever found, if I was left and acted
as my poor noddle told me was right, I should seldom err.
My genius carried me direct to the spot, and all would have
been as well as heart could wish, when comes across the
General Brereton's information. I shall give up the command
to Sir Richard Bickerton, if they are arrived before me, and
so I have wrote the Admiralty, and proceed to England. I
may be abused and neglected, but I have served the country
most faithfully.
"June I8th. — As my letters are closed to the Admiralty, I
can tell you what no one knows, that the French fleet are at
this moment not eighty leagues from me. May God Almighty
send us up with them. My Emma shall not blush for the
conduct of her faithful
" Nelson and Bronte.
"■ Kiss my Horatia. Farewell, — farewell."
To ascertain whether the enemy's fleet from the West
Indies had entered the Mediterranean, Lord Nelson sent
Captain Sutton, of the Amphion, to Tangier Bay, to gain
intelligence of the Consul at Tangiers, whether they had
passed the Straits or gone to Cadiz. He sent also Captain
Parker, of the Amazon, by Cape St. Vincent, Cape St.
Mary's, and off Cadiz, for the same purpose. But no French
fleet. He was very sorrowful ; miserable at not having fallen
in with the enemy. On the 19th he arrived in Gibraltar
Bay, and on the following day wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
1S05.] LORD VISCOUiNT NELSON. 4S1
'' Victory, Gibraltar, July 20th, 1805.
*' My dearest Emma,
" I am sure that you will feel my most severe affliction in
not having met the enemy's fleet. My misery is extreme,
but my heart and head tell me I have done right. Whatever
may be the judgment of my country I bow to it with sub-
mission. Had I followed the decision of my own noddle I
should have been right, but I was forced from circumstances
to follow the information of others against my own better
judgment. I tell you, my Emma, my feelings, but I know
your dear affectionate sensible heart, will have felt all my
misery. The moment the fleet is watered and victualled I
shall get outside the Straits, and then when I know that
the enemy is arrived in any port in Europe, I shall proceed
to England, as I have this day wrote the Admiralty, for the
re-establishment of my health.
" The Generals and Commissioner having been on board to
make me a visit, I have been forced against my inclination
to set my feet upon the Rock to return their visits. It took
me three hours hard work, but, thank God, I am got into
my cabin again, and my next step on shore will, I hope, be
Portsmouth, and then to dear Merton.
" Yours,
*' Nelson and Bronte.
" I find by letters from Naples that they are in a desperate
state, and longing for my return to protect them. I have
only a moment, this goes by a merchant brig. I shall write
in a few days by Prevoyante, Mr. McCoy, who has executed
his commission in shaking hands with me, as he said you
desired him when you shook hands with him. All my letters
are, I find, gone to England."
In his private diary Lord Nelson records : '^ I went on
shore for the first time since the 16th of June, 1803; and
from having my foot out of the Victory, two years, wanting
ten days." On this occasion he was accompanied by his
Chaplain, and paid visits to the Governor, Sir Richard
Bickerton, General Drummond, and others. He now learnt
that Lord Barham had been appointed First Lord of the
Admiralty, in the room of Lord Melville, and he wrote to
VOL. II. 2 I
482 LIFE OF VTCK-ADMIRAL [CHAP. X.
his Lordship suggesting the necessity of estabhshing some
regular and permanent force at Gibraltar. Vice-Admiral
Collingwood having conceived the views of the French to be
directed towards Ireland, and that the French fleet had gone
to the West Indies in order to draw off the naval force, Lord
Nelson was very anxious to communicate with Collingwood on
the subject. He wrote to Mr. Marsden in despair : " I am as
completely miserable as my greatest enemy could wish me ; but
I neither blame fortune, nor my own judgment. Oh, General
Brereton ! General Brereton \" On the 23rd he wrote to Lord
Barham : " The fleet is complete, and the first easterly wind,
I shall pass the Straits. I have yet not a word of information
of the enemy's fleet : it has almost broke my heai't. But
the name of General Brereton will never be forgot by this
generation ; but for him our battle would have been fought
on June 6th. The event would have been in the hands of
Providence ; but we may without, I hope, vanity, believe that
the enemy would have been fit for no active service after
such a battle. All our losses which have happened, or may
happen, are entirely to be attributed to his information."'
He wrote to Lady Hamilton on the 24th : —
"Victory, July 24th, oif Ceuta.
" T wrote you on the 20th, my Emma, by a merchant brig,
under cover to Mr. Marsden, and I think she will get home
safe. All my toils will probably end in abuse, but I feel I
do not deserve any censure. We have been to Tetuan to
water the fleet, and to get some refreshments for our poor
fellows who have much of the scurvy. I sailed this morning,
and I hope in the night to pass through the Straits. The
moment I find the enemy are safe in port, and out of my
reach, that moment I shall set off for England, but I am
dreadfully uneasy. I have reason to hate the name of General
Brereton as long as I live, and perhaps our country for ever,
but it is vain to repine and fret myself ill. I know this too
well but I cannot help it. The name and circumstances
absolutely haunt me.
" July 25 t/i. This morning in the Gut, Captain Pettit of
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol vi p. 489. From a Press Copy in the possession
of the Right Honourable John Wilson Croker.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 483
the Termagant, brought an account that the French fleet had
been seen standing to the northward. I am just going off
Cadiz to give some orders to Admiral CoUingwood, and to
dispatch the Pickle schooner . to the Admiralty, with an
account that I am steering for Ireland or England, as I may
hear my services may be most wanted.
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
Lady Hamilton received intelligence at this time from Mr.
Gibbs of the good condition of the Bronte estate, the rent
of which had been considerably increased without distressing
the Brontese, and more money had been remitted to the
bankers than in any preceding year.
Lord Nelson breaks out to his friend Mr. Davison at his
ill luck in not meeting with the French fleet. He says : '' I
am as miserable as you can conceive. But for General
Brereton's damned information, Nelson would have been,
living or dead, the greatest man in his pi'ofession that
England ever saw. Now alas ! I am nothing — perhaps shall
incur censure for misfortunes which may happen, and have
happened. When I follow my own head, I am, in general,
much more correct in my judgment than following the opinion
of others. I resisted the opinion of General Brereton's infor-
mation, till it would have been the height of presumption to
have carried my disbelief further. I could not in the face of
Generals and Admirals go north-west, when it was ap/jarently
clear that the enemy had gone south. But I am miserable.
I now long to hear that they are arrived in some port in the
Bay ; for until they have arrived somewhere, I can do nothing
but fret. Then I shall proceed to England. I can say
nothing, or think of any thing, but the loss my country has
sustained by General Brereton's unfortunate, ill-timed, false
information."^
On the 24th, Lord Nelson learnt that the "Combined
fleet had been seen by the Curieux brig, on the 19th, standing
to the northward. Having passed the Straits on the 25th,
and communicated with Admiral Collingwood, the squadron
under Lord Nelson bore away to the westward, and then pro-
' From an autograph in the possession of Colonel Davison.
2 I 2
484 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. X.
ceeded off Cape St. Vincent, with a view to go more north-
ward, or to act as circumstances of intelUgence might render
necessary,"
Failing thus in his endeavours to meet with the French fleet
in the West Indies and other places to which he had directed
his pursuit, he now made his way from Gibraltar to Ushant,
having, as noted in his Diary, " run from Barbuda, day by day,
3459 miles: from Cape St. Vincent to Barbadoes, .3227 nailes ;
so that our run back was only 232 miles more than our run
out — allowance being made for the difference of the latitudes
and longitudes of Barbadoes and Barbuda; average, jjer
diem, thirty-four leagues, wanting nine miles." On the voyage
home they celebrated the anniversary of the Battle of the
Nile by the performance of a Play.
The following was addressed by Mr. Pearce' to Lady Ha-
milton : —
"Admiralty Office, 5th August, 1805.
'^ My dear Madam,
'^ The combined fleet has certainly steered to the southward.
Sir Robert Calder's letters" of the 31st of July report that he
has lost sight of them : they are not in Ferrol nor Roch-
fort; the opinion is, therefore, that they have pushed for
Cadiz. With a heart anxious for the glory of England, and
' Chief Clerk in the Admiralty, and the Author of several Dramatic Pieces,
among which may be mentioned, Netley Abbey, the Midnight Wanderers, Wind-
sor Castle, Hartford Bridge, Arrived at Portsmouth, &c.
' Sir Robert Calder had, off Cape Finisterre, on the 22nd of July, had an
action with the enemy, and captured two Spanish ships of the line. The Vice-
Admiral was severely censured for not having renewed the action, and by a Court-
Martial was sentenced to be severely reprimanded. The generosity of Nelson's cha-
racter is strongly exhibited on this occasion, in a leter to Captain Fremantle. He
says: " I was in truth bewildered by the account of Sir Robert Calder's victory,
and the joy of the event ; together with the hearing that Jo^w Bull was not content,
which I am soriy for. Who can, my dear Fremantle, command all the success
which our country may wish ? We have fought together, and therefore well know
what it is. I have had the best disposed fleet of friends, but who can say what
will be the event of a battle ? And it most sincerely grieves me, that in any of
the papers it should be insinuated, that Lord Nelson could have done better. I
should have fought the enemy, so did my fi-iend Calder ; but who can say that he
will be more successful than another ? I only wish to stand upon my own merits,
and not by comparison, one way or the other, upon the conduct of a brother officer.
You will forgive this dissertation, but I feel upon the occasion."— (From a Press
Copy in the possession of the Right Hon. J. W. Croker.)
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 485
sincerely attached to Lord Nelson, I entertain a strong hope
that he may fall in with them. May every success that your
ardent and anxious mind may predict attend our champion on
the ocean.
" I remain, dear Madam,
*' Your faithful and sincere servant,
"William Pearce.
" You will hear this information from other sources ; but
I write that you may have some confidence in it, and I will
not omit further communication if necessary."
Sir William Bolton also wrote from Gibraltar: —
" H.M.S. Gueriier, Sept. 8th, 1805.
" Dear Madam,
" It is with heartfelt pleasure 1 learnt his Lordship's safe
arrival in town, but I felt a stronger sensation at finding Cob-
bett, in his paper, directing the attention of the public to the
virtues of a friend we all so deservedly venerate. I cannot help
smiling at this singular beginning to your Ladyship, but, or
I am mistaken, your Ladyship feels greater pleasure in the
smallest addition to my noble Patron^s glory, than in any
compliment my weak pen can address to yourself. 1 will not,
therefore, offer it an excuse.
" It is generally believed here, that his Lordship sails for
this country some time this month; in which case a letter
could not reach him in England. Should I, therefore, be out
in my conjecture, I trust to your Ladyship's known goodness
to present him my grateful respects. I am full of hopes from
his Lordship's being in town, he will have it in his power
(he ever had the will) to take me out of the Guerrier. I heard
from my dear Lady Bolton about the middle of July. My
letters from Norfolk are all full of the praises of my Emma.
With so generous a friend as your Ladyship has approved
yourself, and surrounded as they are by papas and mam-
mas, to me absence seems deprived of half its desagrement,
and should our own Admiral come to us again, I verily
believe the remaining half would be felt no more : but your
Ladyship will not be so cruel to tell Kate so. The Rock is
still perfectly healthy, and every prospect of continuing so
this summer, to the general satisfaction of the inhabitants.
486 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. X.
Isolated as we arc, I can have nothing in the shape of news
to communicate, but remain,
" Dear Madam,
" Your most obliged,
" William Bolton."
On the ]5th Lord Nelson joined the Channel Fleet under
Admiral Cornwallis. His squadron, with the exception of
the Victory and Superb, were left with the fleet, and he pro-
ceeded in the former to Spithead, where he arrived on the
18th. He then wrote the following : —
" Victory, Spithead, August 18th, 1805.
" I am, my dearest Emma, this moment anchored, and as
the post will not go out until eight o'clock, and you not get the
letter till eleven or twelve o'clock to-morrow, I have ordered
a Post-office express to tell you of my arrival. I hope we
shall be out of quarantine to-morrow, when I shall fly to dear
Merton. You must believe all I would say, and fancy what
I think ; but I suppose this letter will be cut open, smoked,
and perhaps read. I have not heard from you since last
April by Abbe Campbell. I have brought home no honour
for my country, only a most faithful servant ; nor any riches
— that the Administration took care to give to others — but
I have brought home a most faithful and honom'able heart.
The boat is waiting, and T must finish. This day two years
and three months I left you. God send us a happy meeting,
as our parting was sorrowful.
*' Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.''
The Duke of Queensberry, a near relation of Sir William
Hamilton, was anxious immediately to receive him. But he,
being in quarantine, could not proceed to London,^ and on
the 19th, wrote to Lady Hamilton : —
" Victory, Motherbank, August 19th, 1805.
'^' I am now, my dearest Emma, in quai'antine, for the first
' During his last stay in England, he dined away from Merton Place only
twice, once with the Duke of Queensberry, and once with Mr. Abraham Goldsmid
at Morden.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSO.N. 487
time of my life, and I never could have been more mortified
by it, but whatever we may feel, we must submit — none can
come to us, nor we go to any one. 1 hope to be out of quaran-
tine to-morrow forenoon, for we have not a sick man. You
may believe I shall not stay ten minutes in Portsmouth, only
to bow to the Commander-in-chief and the Commissioner,
whilst the post-chaise is preparing. The Admiralty leave
is arrived, but nothing can be done without an Order in
Council, and 1 cannot be at Merton before nine o'clock, and
not by that time if we have not Pratique, therefore do not
expect me after that hour.
'* I have this moment got yours of last night from Merton.
I shall rejoice to see dear Horatia, Charlotte, and Ann and
Eliza, and I would not have my Emma's relative go without
my seeing her.
" Mr. Marsden has just sent me your letter of August
10th. I must write a line to the Doctor, as he is in Norfolk.
I shall only say, may Heaven send us a speedy meeting, and
a happy one.
" Ever yours,
" Nelson and Bronte.''
To his brother he wrote : " You will have heard of our
arrival, but I know you would like better to have it under ray
hand. I am but so, so — yet, what is very odd, the better for
going to the West Indies, even with the anxiety. We must
not talk of Sir Robert Calder's battle : I might not have done
so much with my small force. If I had fallen in with them,
you would probably have been a Lord before I wished ; for I
know they meant to make a dead set at the Victory."^
' Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 419.
488 LIFE OK VICE-ADMIRAL [cilAP, XI.
CHAPTER XL
1805.
Lord Nelson arrived at Morton, on the morning of the
20th, and Lady Hamilton received the following letter of
congratulation from Mrs. Lutwidge, \ipon his arrival: —
" Holmrock, August 25th, 1805.
" A thousand congratulations to the charming Emma,
upon the return of that dear friend, and very great hero, Lord
Nelson. How my Admii'al and self envy every person in the
south, who have had the happiness of greeting his arrival ;
indeed, I know not a higher gratification than being blest
with a sight (even had we not the happiness of knowing him)
after the very signal and new act of service he has performed
towards his country. Here, we look upon his having drove
the French from the West Lidies, as one of the greatest
possible conquests,^ and he has shewn the world, that he is
able to perform as much by his name alone, as he has
hitherto done by feats of arms. We sigh, at the impossibility
of seeing this truly great man, and dear friend, at our humble
mansion, because his country must look up to him, as its
greatest support and protection, and, therefore, in times like
these, he cannot be suffered to remain unemployed, but
should the fates ever permit him to steer northward, the
most welcome reception will attend him and the fascinating
' This opinion was entertained by a body most interested in, and most capable
of forming an accurate judgment on the occasion. At a Meeting of West India
Merchants, convened on the 23rd of August, Sir Richard Neave, Bart, in the
Chair, it was unanimously agreed, "That the prompt determination of Lord
Nelson, to quit the Mediterranean in search of the French fleet ; his sagacity in
judging of, and ascertaining, their course ; and his bold and unwearied pursuit of
the combined French and Spanish squadrons to the West Indies, and back again
to Europe ; have been very instrumental to the safety of the West India Islands
in general, and well deserve the grateful acknowledgments of every individual
connected with these colonies ; and that a deputation from the Committee of
Merchants of London, trading to the West Indies, be appointed to wait upon
Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, to express these their sentiments, and to offer him
their unfeigned thanks."
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 489
Emma, also at Holmrock, and at Muncaster too. As English
folk, that noble family feel the utmost admiration and gi'ati-
tude towards Lord Nelson, and when they hear the Admiral
and self talk of his Lordship, they love him very sincerely.
We kept the glorious 1st, quite in style. All the neighbours
round the country were assembled, chez-nous. My Admiral
filled a great bumper, he was followed by Lord Muncaster
and all the party. ' The Hero of the Nile,' was drank in
three times three, with hip, hip, hip, and all the &c.'s. I
believe my jollity, on the occasion, surprised some of my
country neighbours ; and now, my dearest Emma, I must tell
you, that the Admiral and myself are dying with impatience
to hear that Lord Nelson's health has not suffered from his
exertions and fatigue, in his country's service ; and you will
much oblige us both, should you have a moment's leisure,
with this comforting intelligence ; in the mean time, have the
goodness to remember us with every kind wish, most tenderly
to his Lordship : and believe me, my dear Lady Hamilton,
no person can more sincerely particijiate in his Lordship's
return, and the joy it must cause, than your truly obliged
and affectionate
" C. LUTV^^IDGE."
The following was addressed to Lord Nelson, from Mr.
Bulkeley : —
" Pencombe, Bromyard, Monday 26th August, 1805.
" Many thanks to you, my dear friend, for your short but
most comprehensive letter, mine to Captain Hardy was con-
ditional, as to Richard's leave of absence, and the conditions,
such as I suppose, from the present posture of affairs, will
prevent his allowing him to visit me ; but should he have
complied, you may depend on my not detaining him from
his duty, or exposing him to any risks from love. I must
not omit, in this place, giving you Richard's own words, in
his letter to me, on his arriving at Spithead. '1 solicit you
to write directly to Lord Nelson, and return him your grate-
ful thanks for the unexampled attention, conduct and fatherly
affection, which he has marked towards me ever since I have
had the honour of sailing with him, expressly mention how
490 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XI.
warmly I feel it.' Need I, my dear Lord, say more, the
boy's sentiments correspond most perfectly with those that I
feel.
"The last sentence in your letter grieves and vexes me;
surely the crisis is sufficiently alarming for Ministers, in
defiance of personal partiality or private interest, to prefer the
country's good, and to give its best hope a ca7'te blanche. You
have put us out of conceit with all other Admirals. Look into
your own acts and read the public papers for the last four
months, then judge if John Bull will consent to give up his
sheet anchor. We must not be imbecile at sea, as we are
in the Cabinet.
" Pray tell me, if you received a book upon the subject of
increasing seamen for the navy. I think I sent it by Captain
Layman. Have you got any letter since your arrival at the
Admiralty from me ?
"All here join in best wishes and compliments to you.
God bless you, — may we soon hear of your thunders.
" Your most affectionate and faithful friend,
'* Richard BuLKELEY.''
The Duke of Clarence visited Lord Nelson at Merton.
Mr. Beckford was very anxious to receive him : —
" Fonthill, 30th August, 1803.
" You may easily imagine, my dear Lady Hamilton, how
anxiously I wish to catch sight of our glorious friend's benign
and commanding countenance. To expect he could imme-
diately, at such a moment as this, lift up its light at Fonthill
is too much.
" I consider the pressure in ten thousand shapes of these
imperious times ; but see Lord Nelson I must, and it was not
flourish or compliment, when I assured his Lordship, in my
scrawl of the other day, that nothing but the apprehension of
intruding upon any of the more sacred important hours he
owes his country, kept me back. However, I am certain, his
goodness is such that he will excuse my breaking in upon him,
for a few minutes, and allow me to ask him, how he does,
after his almost incredible exertions, and to tell him again
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 491
and again, that if it were possible for him to bestow a day or
two upon Fonthill, I should feel the proudest and happiest of
beings.
'' I am going to see Windsor with Wyatt, who has been
passing a week here, and next Tuesday or Wednesday, at
farthest, I propose reaching my old quarters, at the hotel,
Berkeley Square.
"Will my dear Lady Hamilton have the goodness and
graciousness to let me know where we can meet, and at what
hour ?
" Ever believe me, most constantly,
" Sincerely and affectionately yours,
«W. B."
The following was Lord Nelson's reply to Mr. Beckford's
invitation : —
" Merton, August Slst, 1805.
" My dear Mr. Beckford,
^' Many thanks for your kind letter. Nothing could give
me more pleasure than paying my respects at Fonthill, but I
cannot move at present, as all my family are with me, and my
stay is very uncertain, besides, I have refused for the present,
all invitations. Every ship, even the Victory, is ordered
out, for there is an entire ignorance, whether the Ferrol fleet
is coming to the northward, gone to the Mediterranean, or
cruising for our valuable homeward bound fleet. I hope
they will be met with, and annihilated. Lady Hamilton
desires me to present her kind regards, and believe me, ever,
my dear Mr. Beckford, your much obliged friend,
"Nelson and Bronte."
Admiral Louis wrote to Lord Nelson : —
" Canopus, off Cadiz, August 31st, 1805.
« My Lord,
" Here I am performing the great character off Cadiz with
a part of your Lordship's squadron, keeping a watch upon
the enemy's movements. They consist of thirty-five sail of the
line, in all forty-six sail, frigates, &c. &c. I cannot help say-
ing that I wish, and expect very soon, to see your Lordship's
4C2 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XI.
handwriting at the bottom of my order, beUeve me, it would
be one of the first comforts I could name. Stopford,^ Hallo-
well, Bayutun," and Malcolm, form my party. You will say,
I am a very fortunate fellow to have such valuable and good
company. Believe me, my Lord, I feel it, and to complete
the wliole would be the sight of your Lordship's flag once
more among us. I have inclosed the list of our party, and as
we all stand in the line of battle, I want to see the Victory in
the centre, then I think we should be just the thing for any
party whatever. Sir Richard Bickerton, I am sorry to say,
• The Hon. Sir Robert Stopford was descended from an ancient and noble
family, and born February 5, 1768. He entered the Navy at an early age, and in
1790 was in the command of the Lowestoife, being at that time a Post Captain.
He brought home Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex, in the Aquilon, from the
Mediterranean, was then attached to Lord Howe's fleet, and was in the battle of
the 1st of June, 1794. Removed into the Phaeton in 1795, he formed part of the
escort of the Princess Caroline of Brunswick to this country. He was afterwards
at the capture of the eight ships with naval stores from Bordeaux, and then with
Admiral Cornwallis, when he met with the French fleet near the Penmarks. In 1 798
he joined Sir J. B. Warren, and in the following year was appointed to the Excel-
lent of 74 guns, and captured the Arethusa and other French vessels. In 1803
he commanded the Spencer, and in 1804 joined Lord Nelson in the Mediterranean,
accompanying him to the West Indies in pursuit of the French fleet. In 1805 he
was made a Colonel of Marines. In 1 806 he fought an action off St. Domingo,
and was sent with the prizes to Jamaica. Hs was afterwards employed in the expe-
dition against Copenhagen, and in 1808 made a Rear- Admiral, and had a command
in the Channel Fleet. He blockaded the French squadron in the Aix Roads. In
1810 he went to the Cape of Good Hope, and thence to Java, to assist in the
expedition against that place. He was made a Vice-Admiral August 12, 1812;
K.C.B in 1815, afterwards G.C.B. and G.C.M.B. May 1st, 1841, he was ap-
pointed Governor of Greenwich Hospital, and died Admiral of the Red, June
25, 1847.
^ Henry William Bayntun was employed as a Lieutenant at the reduction of
Martinique in 1794, and made Commander by Sir John Jervis in the Avenger.
He was made Post Captain, May 4, 1794, and appointed to the Undaunted, and
placed on the West India station. Two years afterwards, in the Reunion, his ship
was lost, and he was subsequently in the Quebec, the Thunderer, and the Cum-
berland. In 1803 he commanded a squadron off" St. Domingo, and took a
schooner, having on board 100 bloodhounds intended to be employed by the
French against the blacks. In the Leviathan he joined Lord Nelson in the Me-
diterranean, and was with him at the battle of Trafalgar, passing through the
enemy's line on that occasion. He was in 1806 engaged with Rear-Admiral
Murray in reducing the province of Chili, and afterwards at Buenos Ayres. He
then commanded the flotilla up the North River to Colonia. He was afterwards
appointed to the Milford, and to the Royal Sovereign Yacht. He was made a
Rear-Admiral, August 12, 1812 ; K.C.B. in 1815 j G.C.B. in 1840; a Vice-Ad-
miral in 1821 ; and died December 16, 1840.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 493
has been very ill indeed, and the faculty advise his going to
England. I think they say it is a liver complaint. I hope
he will get the better of it, he is a valuable good man. Cap-
tain Hallowell is near me, and begs me to say he intended
writing your Lordship, but as I am in the act of doing it,
desires me to say every thing that is kind for him. He cannot
help thinking your Lordship upon your passage out at this
moment, and that my letter will miss you. I beg you will
remember me very kindly to Lady Hamilton and all my
friends at Merton. Accept my best wishes, and beheve me,
with every respect and esteem,
" Your Lordship's faithful and obliged friend,
"Thomas Louis.
" P.S. — Captain Austen^ begs his best respects. My son
is gone to Naples with orders to Captain Sotheron."
' Frederic William Austen, a native of Hampshire, was born at Steventon, April
23, 1774, and studied in the Royal Naval Academy, whence from good conduct
he was recommended for promotion, and served as Midshipman on board the Per-
severance in 1788. In 1792 he was made Lieutenant, and served in various ships,
conducting himself with great ability. He was made a Commander, appointed to
the Peterel in 1799, and afforded protection to the trade in the Mediterranean. Ke
was likewise at the capture of a French squadron returning from Egypt in that year.
Off Marseilles, in 1800, he was engaged in a most gallant contest with three French
vessels, and obtained Lord Keith's marked approbation. He then joined Sir Sid-
ney Smith on the coast of Egypt, and for his services received from the Capitan
Pasha a rich sabre and pelisse. In this year he was made Post Captain, and in
1801 he joined Vice-Admiral Gambler in the Neptune of 98 guns. In 1803 he
commanded the Sea Fencibles at Ramsgate, and afterwards served in the Leo-
pard off Boulogne. He then removed to the Canopus, and was on the Mediter-
ranean station at the particular request of Lord Nelson. He accompanied his
Lordship to the West Indies, and continued with him until August, 1805, when
the junction with Admiral Cornwallis was formed off Ushant, and then with Sir
Robert Calder. Captain Austen afterwards joined Vice Admiral Collingwood near
Cadiz. He went with a detachment under Rear-Admiral Louis to obtain water
and provisions, and was thus precluded being at the battle of Trafalgar. Captain
Austen was afterwards with Sir J. T. Duckworth, and at the taking of three
French sail of the line off St. Domingo, February 1, 1806. He received a gold
medal, the Thanks of Parliament, and a vase of the value of £100 from the Pa-
triotic Fund. In 180? he convoyed five East Indiamen to the Cape of Good
Hope, and returned with a valuable fleet of Chinamen. He took 2000 troops to
Portugal in time to assist at the battle of Vimiera, superintended the embarkation
of the wounded, and conveyed them to Oporto. In 1809 he again went to the
East, and upon his return was with Lord Gambler cruising off the French coast.
In 1811 he was attached to the North Sea fleet, and in 1813 put on half-pay.
He is now an Admiral of the Blue and KC.B.
494 T.IFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP, XI.
During his short stay at Merton, (from the 20th of August
to the 13th of September) he was engaged in writing to Mr.
Pitt on the importance of Sardinia, and to the Admiralty on
a question of prize-money. Captain the Hon. Henry Black-
wood of the Euryalus arrived at the Admiralty on the 2nd
of September, with information that the combined fleet had
put into Cadiz, and he had called on Lord Nelson on his
road thither at 5 a. m., and found him at Merton up and
dressed. Nelson felt assured Blackwood had brought him
intelligence of the enemy's position, and expressed his con-
viction of giving " Monsieur Villeneuve a drubbing."^ He
followed Captain Blackwood to the Admiralty.
Lord Nelson was now all activity and in eagerness to
depart. The Admiralty promised to send after him whatever
ships he wished as soon as they were able, and he wrote to
Mr. Davison : " I hope my absence will not be long, and that
I shall soon meet the combined fleets, with a force sufficient
to do the job well ; for half a victory would but half content
me. But I do not believe the Admiralty can give me a force
within fifteen or sixteen sail-of-the-line of the enemy ; and
therefore, if every ship took her opponent, we should have
to contend with a fresh fleet of fifteen or sixteen sail-of-the-
line. But I will do my best ; and I hope God Almighty will
go with me. I have much to lose, but little to gain ; and I
go because it is right, and I will serve the country faithfully.
I send you a memorandum, which I am sure you will comply
with. Poor blind Mrs. Nelson I must assist this morning.
Mr. Brande, an Apothecary, called upon me for £133. 25 6c/,
as due from my brother Maurice to him. I shall refer him
to you, and if it is a just demand, he must have it. I shall
leave the bill in St. James's Square."" He wrote off to Vice-
Admiral Collingwood : " I shall be with you in a very few
days, and I hope you will remain second in command. You
will change the Dreadnought for Royal Sovereign, which I
hope you will like." At the solicitation of Captain Philip
Charles Durham,^ of the Defiance, Lord Nelson appointed
' See Blackwood's Magazine, July, 1833.
^ ^ From an Autograph in the possession of Colonel Davison.
^ Sir Philip Charles Durham died Admiral of the Red, 1845, having i-eceived
the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in November, 1830, and the Grand
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 495
him to put himself under his command. On the 11th he
wrote the following to Earl Moira : —
"Merton, September 11th, 1805.
" My dear Lord,
" I find that my having intrusted my conscience to you
(even under the greatest restrictions), who I hold to be the
most honourable of men, and warmly attached to my honour,
has both by the last and present Ministry, been perfectly
misunderstood, therefore I am under the painful necessity of
withdrawing this precious deposit, but I shall trust at present
no other person with it ; I must therefore, my dear Lord,
beg you to consider my proxy as no longer in force. I am
an officer serving, and therefore I believe you will think with
many other friends, that I ought not to be considered as
taking any party, except that of my King and country. I
feel very much the idea of recalling what I had such pleasure
in giving, but, my dear Lord, you are the only man who has
ever had my proxy. I hear the Prince is coming to town, if
he does before my departure, I shall endeavour to see him,
and assure his Royal Highness of my attachment to his per-
Cross of the Order of Military Merit in France. He was made a Rear- Admiral
in 1810, and Vice-Admiral in 1819. He was the son of James Durham, Esq. of
Largo in Fifeshire, and a Lieutenant on board the Royal George when sunk at
Spithead in 1782. He was fortunately picked up on that occasion, on which not
less than 900 persons are supposed to have perished. In the Revolutionary war
Captain Durham commanded the Spitfire, and in 1793 was made a Post Captain,
and stationed in the Channel. He was appointed to the Hind, afterwards to the
Anson, in which he served against Quiberon, and in the Bay of Biscay, where he
made some captures. He was then placed off the coast of Ireland, and then in
attendance on the Royal Family at Weymouth, who honoured a ball, given by
Captain Durham, with their presence. He protected the trade from Portugal,
and escorted a large fleet home from India, for which the Hon. East India Com-
pany presented him with a service of plate, of the value of 400 guineas. In 1803
he was appointed to the Defiance of 74 guns, and formed part of Sir Robert Calder's
force in the action July 22, 1805. He was also at the Battle of Trafalgar, and
was wounded on this occasion. Vice-Admiral Collingwood spoke in praise of
his exertions after the battle to save L'Aigle from being wrecked. He had the
honour to carry Nelson's Banner as K.B. on the day of his funeral. He after-
wards commanded the Renown and the Colossus. In 1811 he was employed off
the Scheldt, and then in the Channel. Appointed Commander-in-chief of the
Leeward Islands, he went to his station in the Venerable, and on his passage witii
the Cyane captured the Alcmene and Iphigenia. In 1815 he co-operated in
reducing the Island of Guadaloupe.
49fi LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. XI.
son. I am ever, my dear Lord, with the sincerest esteem and
respect, your most faithful humble servant,
'' Nelson and Bronte."
And on the same day he received the following from Carlton
House : —
^' Colonel McMahon presents his best respects to Lord
Nelson, and is commanded by the Prince of Wales to say
how miserable he shall feel if his Lordship were to take his
departure without his Royal Highness having the happiness
to see him, and to entreat for that pleasure to-morrow
morning at any hour, however early, that Lord Nelson will
have the goodness to appoint.
" Carlton House, Wednesday evening,
September llth, 1805."
In his private diary, he made the following entry, which is
here printed from a copy made and subscribed by his Chap-
lain, the Rev. A. J. Scott, for Lady Hamilton, July 5th,
1806 :—
"Friday, Sept. 13th, 1805.
"'Friday night, at half-past ten, drove from dear, dear
Merton, where I left all which I hold dear in this world, to
go to serve my King and country. May the great God whom
I adore, enable me to fulfil the expectations of my country,
and if it is His good pleasure that I should return, my thanks
will never cease being offered up to the throne of His mercy.
If it is His good Providence to cut short my days upon earth,
I bow with the greatest submission, relying that He will pro-
tect those so dear to me, that I may leave behind. His will
be done. Amen, Amen, Amen.'
" A. J. Scott.
" Great Portland Street,
No. 26, July 5th, 1806."
Lord Nelson's stay at Merton, as already told, continued
only for the short period of twenty-four days, and his depar-
ture has been described in a very affecting manner. It is
reported that before leaving this abode, which, independent of
his deep-rooted and most absorbing love of country, contained
1305.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 497
all that was deeply interwoven with his most affectionate
feelings, at ten o'clock at night, he visited the bedroom of
his child Horatia, and kneeling down, prayed the protection
and blessing- of the Almighty for his offspring. He then
bade adieu to Lady Hamilton, entered his chaise, and was
on the road to Portsmouth.
Here he arrived at 6 a.m., and wrote the following : —
" My dearest Emma,
" I arrived here this moment, and Mr. Lancaster takes this.
His coach is at the door, and only waits for my line. Victory
is at St. Helenas, and, if possible, shall be at sea this day.
God protect you and my dear Horatia, prays,
" Yours ever,
" Nelson and Bronte.
"6 o'clock, George Inn,
Sept. 14th, 1805."
He then an^anged many things, and went on board the
Victory at 2 p.m., having Mr. Rose and Mr. Canning with
him to dinner, which he alludes to in the following letter,
which is unfortunately imperfect : —
"Victory, Sept. 15th, 1805.
" My dearest Emma,
" Most probably some boat will come off to the ship before
the tide suits us to weigh. Being obliged to anchor, it being
calm, Messrs. Rose and Canning dined here yesterday ; they
seemed pleased, and I did not dislike letting out a little know-
ledge before Canning, who seems a very clever deep-headed
man. I hope, and indeed think, Bolton will get something ;
but I entreat that Perry^ will not say anything respecting my
not having had any favour or honour conferred upon me. It
can do no good, and may do harm. Rose was astonished at
my not being rich, and he said he would tell the whole .^^
Southey states that Lord Nelson embarked from the beach
where the bathing machines were placed, instead of the usual
landing-place, " to elude the populace ; and that a crowd col-
' Proprietor of the Morning Chronicle.
VOL. II. 2 K
498 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. XI.
lected in his train, pressing forward to obtain sight of his face :
many were in tears, and many knelt down before him, and
blessed him as he passed. England has had many heroes, but
never one who so entirely possessed the love of his fellow-
countrymen as Nelson. All men knew that his heart was as
humane as it w^as fearless : that there was not in his nature
the slightest alloy of selfishness or cupidity ; but that, with
perfect and entire devotion, he served his country with all his
heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength ; and
therefore, they loved him as truly and as fervently as he loved
England. They pressed upon the parapet to gaze after him
when his barge pushed off, and he was returning their cheers
by waving his hat. The sentinels who endeavoured to pre-
vent them from trespassing upon this ground, were wedged
among the crowd ; and an officer, who, not very prudently
upon such an occasion, ordered them to drive the people down
with their bayonets, was compelled speedily to retreat ; for
the people would not be debarred from gazing till the last mo-
ment upon the hero — the darling hero of England !" This
very affecting demonstration of love and regard, caused Nelson
to exclaim to his Captain, Hardy, " I had their huzzas before
— I have their hearts now \"
On the following day, he wrote : —
*' My beloved Emma,
" I cannot even read your letter. We have fair wind, and
God will, I hope, soon grant us a happy meeting. The wind
is quite fair and fresh. We go too swift for the boat. May
Heaven bless you and Horatia with all those who hold us
dear to them. For a short time, farewell,
" Ever yours,
"Nelson and Bronte.
"Off Dunmore, Sept. 16tli, 1805. 11 a.m."
He was exceedingly anxious for the proper adjustment of
his accounts, and wrote to Mr. Davison : — " I regret most
exceedingly, for many reasons, my not having had the pleasure
of seeing you ; but ray fate is fixed, and I am gone, and
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 499
beating down Channel with a foul wind. I am, my dear
friend, so truly sensible of all your goodness to me, that I can
only say, thanks, thanks : therefore, I will to business. I wish
I could have been rich enough, with ease to myself, to have
settled my account with you ; but as that is not done, I wish
for my sake, that you Avould have it closed, and receipts pass
between us ; and then I will give you a bond for the balance,
as for money lent. Those bonds relative to Tucker, being all
settled, should be returned to me. Be so good as to give
them to Haslewood. If you and I live, no harm can happen ;
but should either of us drop, much confusion may arise to
those we may leave behind. I have said enough. Haslewood
will settle the account with all legal exactness. I have
requested you to pay Chawner's account for work to be done
in his line ; and what is ordered, viz. the kitchen, anti-room,
and for altering the dining-room, which you would have been
provoked to see spoiled. The alteration will cost about three
times as much as if it had been done at first. However,
Chawner now knows all my plans and wishes. Poor blind
Mrs. Nelson I have given £150 to pay her debts, and I intend
to pay her house-rent in future, in addition to the £200
a-year, which I take will be about £40 a-year. I wished also
to have seen you respecting my proxy, for as it passed
through your hands without an immediate communication
with Lord Moira, so it should have been returned that way.
I ever was against giving my proxy to any man, and now I
have it again, it will probably never be given again. Lord
Moira made me break my intention ; and as very few can
equal our friend for honour and independence, it is not very
likely that I shall give it, without strong reasons, again.^^^
He renewed his almost daily correspondence with Lady
Hamilton : —
"Victory, off Portland, September 16th, 1805.
At noon. Wind West — foul.
" I have read, my dearest Emma, your kind and affec-
tionate letters of Saturday. With God's blessing we shall
soon meet again. Kiss dear Horatia a thousand times for
' From an autograph in the possession of Colonel Davison. Dispatches and
Letters, Vol. \ii. p. 38.
2 K 2
500 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. XI.
me. I write this letter, and I fear I shall too soon have an
opportunity of sending it, for we are standing near Wey-
mouth, the place of all others I should wish to avoid ; but
if it continues moderate I hope to escape without anchoring,
but should I be forced, I shall act as a man, and your Nelson
neither courting nor ashamed to hold up my head before the
gTeatest monarch in the world. I have, thank God, nothing
to be ashamed of.
" I have wrote a line to the Duke — he will shew it you,
and I shall do it occasionally. I prepare this to be ready in
case opportunity offers, and I am working very hard with
Mr. Scott. If you see Sir William Scott, say how very sorry
I am not to have seen him, but it was impossible. God bless
you, and believe me, ever most faithfully,
" Yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
" Victory, September 20th, 1805.
30 leagues S. W. from Sicily.
" My dearest Emma,
"A frigate is coming down, which we take to be the
Decade, from the fleet off Cadiz. If the battle has been
fought, I sliall be sadly vexed, but I cannot help myself.
We have had very indifferent weather, and it is still very
dirty. Perseverance has got us thus far, and I trust will
accomplish all our wishes. I write this line to put on board
her, for if she has news, I have to write to the Admiralty.
May heavens bless you. Kiss dear Horatia for
" Yours faithfully,
" Nelson and Bronte."
To the Right Honourable George Rose he wrote on the
17th, saying: "I will try to have a motto, — at least it shall
be my watchword, ' Touch and take' '' On the SSth he was
off Lisbon, and wrote: —
"Victory, off Lisbon, September 25th, 1805.
" My dearest Emma,
" We are now in sight of the Rock of Lisbon, and although
we have very little wind, I hope to get round Cape St.
Vincent to-morrow. We had only one day's real fair wind,
but by perseverance we have done much. I am anxious to
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 501
join the fleet, for it would add to my grief if any other man
was to give them the Nelson touch, which WE say is warranted
never to fail.
" I have read with much interest your letters, which f got
at Merton, but I must have many others afloat. I do feel
by myself what you must have felt at not hearing from me
from January 29th to after May 18th. At first I fancied that
they had been stopt by the Admiralty, as the account of Sir
John Orde's joining the Channel fleet got to the Admiralty
on the 3rd or 4th of May ; but I now trace that my dis-
patches with Layman went home in the Avenger sloop, with
a convoy, and that they had a very long passage ; I mention
all these cii-cum stances that you should never think that
Nelson neglects or forgets. I have this letter ready in case
I should fall in with any thing from Lisbon homewards steer-
ing. May God bless you, and with my warmest affections
to Horatia, be assured I am,
" Yours,
" Nelson and Bronte."
To the Consul at Lisbon, to Captain Sutton and others,
he anxiously wrote to secure as many men as possible for the
fleet. How truly gratifying it must have been to Nelson to
receive assurances of desire to serve under him, and solicita-
tions to that effect from so many brave and distinguished
officers. The applications were numerous, and amongst them
may be mentioned Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth,
Captain Otway, Sir Edward Berry, Captain Durham, Lord
Henry Paulet,^ &.c. The following letter from Sir Pulteney
Malcolm is interesting : —
' The Right Hon. Lord Henry Paulet was the second son of George, twelfth
Marquis of Winchester, and in the Revolutionary war, commanded the Nautilus.
He was made Post Captain in 1794, and was at the reduction of Martinique.
In the Channel fleet he commanded the Astrea, and in 1 7'.*5 captured La Gloire.
He was afterwards in the action off L'Orient, with Lord Bridport's fleet. In 1797
he was with Sir John Jervis on the 14th February, and after the battle employed
on the Mediterranean station, taking several French and Spanish privateers. In
the Defence he afterwards served in the Channel fleet, the Baltic, and on the
coast of Spain. Upon the dissolution of the Peace of Amiens he was appointed
to the Terrible, and employed in blockading the enemy's ports. In 1811 he
was made a Colonel of Marines, and also a Rear- Admiral in the following
year. He had a seat at the Board of Admiralty in 1813, which he resigned from
ill health in 1816. He died a Vice-Admiral of the Red, and K.C.B. in January
1832.
502 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP, XI.
" Donegal, off Cadiz, September 5th.
" My Lord,
" Admiral Louis conveyed to me your very handsome
letter of thanks to the Officers and crews of the ships that
had the honour to serve under your flag. I can assure your
Lordship that the Donegals feel most particularly flattered by
your good opinion, and it is their most anxious wish that they
may again serve with you, and our hopes are very sanguine, for
in such eventful times your Lordship will not be permitted to
remain on shore, and we believe that if in your power, you
will have your own old friends again with you. I fear there
is little prospect that the Donegal will be docked ; was her
copper clean there would not be her superior in the service.
Sir Richard sailed round us, and wrote me a complimentary
note on her appearance. We are in wonderful health con-
sidering that we have had no refreshments since we sailed
from Tetuan. I suppose our Chiefs have taken measures to
procure supplies, but we are in the dark, for as they have
done me the honour to place me near to the rear of the lee
division, and as we keep open order, we know not what is
done in the van. Since we joined Admiral Collingwood we
have been detached with Admiral Louis inshore. The
enemy appear ready for sea, that is, thirty -six sail of the line,
and reports say they have embarked troops. If we are to
blockade them, I fancy we must be very much on the alert,
for they will be very active with their gun-boats. Last night
I had the look out inshore — at daylight near twenty of them
came out, and had the breeze not sprung up, they would
have been within shot in an hour, as it was, they were at no
great distance.
" If your Lordship is in London when you receive this,
you will confer a singular obligation on me if opportunity
oHers, if you would mention to Lord Barham that my brother
has been soliciting employment upwards of two years. Sir
Thomas Pasley has applied very frequently, but I apprehend
he is considered as past serving, and therefore not attended
to (the more is the pity). I would not have troubled your
Lordship, as I know you have so many such applications,
but my anxiety for my brother induces me.
" I have the honour to remain with respect and esteem,
" Your Lordship's most faithful humble servant,
"PuLTENEY Malcolm."
1S05.] LOl.D VISCOUNT NELSON. 503
On the 28th of September, according to Dr. (afterwards
Sir WilHam) Beatty's^ Diary, Nelson saw the enemy's fleet in
Cadiz : they amounted to thirty-five or thirty -six sail of the
line, and he gave out the necessary orders to his fleet, and
wrote on the 30th to Admiral Knight : " I was only twenty-
five days, from dinner to dinner, absent from the Victory. In
our several stations, my dear Admiral, we must all put our
shoulders to the wheel, and make the great machine of the
fleet entrusted to our charge go on smoothly."^ Lord Nelson,
it appears, was entrusted with a message to Sir Robert Calder,
and he wrote on the 30th to the First Lord of the Admiralty :
" I did not fail, immediately on my arrival, to deliver your
message to Sir Robert Calder ; and it will give your Lordship
pleasure to find, as it has me, that an inquiry is what the
Vice- Admiral wishes, and that he had written to you by the
Nautilus, which I detained, to say so. Sir Robert thinks that
he can clearly prove, that it was not in his power to bring the
combined squadrons again to battle. It would be only taking
up your time were I to enter more at large on all our conversa-
tion ; but Sir Robert felt so much, even at the idea of being
removed from his own ship which he commanded, in the face
of the fleet, that I much fear I shall incur the censure of the
Board of Admiralty, without your Lordship's influence with
the members of it. I may be thought wrong, as an officer,
to disobey the orders of the Admiralty, by not insisting on
Sir Robert Calder's quitting the Prince of Wales for the
Dreadnought, and for parting with a 90-gun ship before the
force arrives which their Lordships have judged necessary ;
but I trust that I shall be considered to have done right as a
man, and to a brother officer in affliction — my heart would
not stand it, and so the thing must rest. I shall submit to
the wisdom of the Board to censure me or not, as to them
may seem best for the service ; I shall bow with all due respect
to their decision."^
On this day he also wrote to Mr. Elliot, and desired his
dutiful and humble respects to their Sicilian Majesties, from
whom he had received the following letters : —
' The Surgeon of the Victory.
» Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 425. ' Ibid. p. 42C.
504 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
" My dear Duke and estimable Friend,
" I received your letter of the 18th of June, and see by it
with great pleasure that you are returned into our vicinity.
The difficult circumstances in which we are placed renders
your presence in our seas a great consolation to me. You
know me and the constancy of my sentiments which will
last as long as I have life. I predict the greatest successes
and glory for you always in our vicinity. All my family
join with me equally in wishing you all possible success —
believe me, my very dear Lord, with real esteem and gratitude,
always
" Your constant, true, and affectionate friend,
"Ferdinando B.
" Belvidere, 28th August, 1805."
*^ My very worthy Lord,
" I hasten to reply to the letter you wrote me from Gibraltar
on the 21st of July. I cannot, my dear Admiral, sufficiently
express to you the pleasure I derive from knowing that you
are nearer to us, and I beseech you not to quit the Mediter-
ranean whilst we are in such an emergency. The mere know-
ledge of our hero. Nelson's, being in the Mediterranean ani-
mates individual courage, and contributes to the success of
all the operations in progress. I thank you for the produc-
tions of the various places you have visited, it being an
additional proof of your great attention. My dear children,
who all cherish and respect you, desire me to make their
compliments ; we offer our best wishes for your prosperity,
glory, and happiness. I congratulate you upon the good
condition of health your squadron enjoys after so tedious a
voyage, which is the result of your attention and zeal. The
general crisis is approaching, God grant it may be for good.
Once more, I pray you not to quit the Mediterranean, for all
our trust is in you, and believe me, for life, with the sincerest
esteem and confidence, your eternally attached friend,
" Charlotte.
" September 5th, 1805."
Lord Nelson also received the following from the Abbe
Campbell, which was answered on the 9th : —
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 505
" Naples, September the Cth, 1805.
[Received October 6th, off Cadiz.]
" My dear Lord,
" I can't let escape the opportunity of the Bittern's saihng
this evening from hence to join you without troubUng your
Lordship with a few lines, which in all probability will find
you at Merton, where I sincerely wish to have the honour
of seeing you and our dear friend Lady Hamilton, being
certain of a friendly reception. How sorry I was that your
Lordship did not meet with the combined fleets, we should
have had a better account of them. Your friend the Marquis
Circello has not been as yet oiRcially appointed to any place,
some attribute it to the fear of displeasing the French, whilst
others think it is a cabal of Medici, the Duke St. Theodore,
Cardito and Gallo against him ; he, however, goes as Coun-
sellor of State to all the Councils, and is extremely liked,
particularly by the poor good King, the Queen likewise is
very attentive to him. St. Clair is made Gentleman of the
Chamber to the great scandal of every well meaning person
of the country ; Count and Countess de la Tour as a cloak
to the former, are appointed one a Gentleman of the Bed-
chamber, and the other Lady of Honour, those last are mortal
enemies to us English, even more so than St. Clair, because
they are more clever.
" The French are very quiet here at present, but it is only
momentary, as they are waiting for a force from the north
of Italy to march into the kingdom whenever they can safely
do it ; they are now at Bai'i, and as I am informed will retreat
to Pescara without risking a battle, in case either the English
or Russians land in the kingdom, this is what I learn. The
King comes to town to-night from Caserta, the Queen from
Castel-a-Mare, and the Prince from Portici to assist at a
popular feast near Possilippo, named Pie della Grotta.
" The Mai'quis and Marchioness of Circello desire their best
respects to you. I have not heai'd from our dear Lady
Hamilton since my arrival here, though I wrote twice to her.
God for ever bless you, and believe me, my dear Lord,
" Ever your Lordship's
" Most faithful humble servant,
" Henry Campbell.
50G LIFE OF VICE-ADMIUAL [cHAP. XI.
" P. S. Pray remember me to my brother Parson Scott,
whom I hke much."
On the 1st of October Lord Nelson wrote the following,
which has been incorrectly printed : — ^
" Victory, October 1st, 1805.
" My dearest Emma,
" It is a relief to me to take up the pen and write you a
line, for I have had, about four o'clock this morning, one of
my dreadful spasms, which has almost enervated me. It is
very odd, I was hardly ever better than yesterday. Fremantle
stayed with me till eight o'clock, and I slept uncommonly
well, but was awoke with this disorder. My opinion of its
effect some one day has never altered. However, it is entirely
gone off, and I am only quite weak, but I do assure you, my
Emma, that the uncertainty of human life makes the situation
of you dearer to my affectionate heart.
" The good people of England will not believe that rest of
body and mind is necessary for me, but perhaps this spasm
may not come again these six months. I had been writing
seven hours yesterday, perhaps that had some hand in
bringing it upon me.
" I got round Cape St. Vincent the 26th, but it was the
28th before I got off Cadiz, and joined Admiral Collingwood,
but it was so late that I did not communicate till next morn-
ing. I believe my arrival was most welcome, not only to the
Commander of the fleet, but also to every individual in it,
and when I came to explain to them the Nelson touch, it was
like an electric shot. Some shed tears — all approved ^it was
new — it was singular — it was simple,' and from Admirals
downwards it was repeated, ' it must succeed if ever they will
allow us to get at them ! You are, my Lord, surrounded by
friends whom you inspire with confidence.' Some, my dear
Emma, may be Judas's^ but the majority are certainly much
pleased with my commanding them. The enemy's fleet is
thirty-five or thirty-six sail-of-the-line in Cadiz. The French
' In the Collection of Lord Nelson's Letters to Lady Hamilton, Vol. ii. p. 100.
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 507
have given the Dons an old seventy-four to repair, and taken
possession of the Santa Anna of 112 guns. Louis is going
into Gibraltar and Tetuan to get supplies, of which the fleet
is much in want ; and Admiral Knight, as I am told, has
almost made us quarrel with the Moors of Barbary ; however,
I am sending Mr. Ford^ and money to put us right again.
God bless you. Amen — Amen — Amen."
To another, apparently of the same date, he .adds on the
2nd October: —
" And when Louis's squadron goes I shall have twenty-
three sail-of-the-line to meet them, but we shall do very well.
I am sensible that Ministry are sending me all the force they
can, and I hope to use it.
^' October 2nd. Last night I got your dear letters, Sep-
tember 18th, 19th, by Admiral Sutton. You must not com-
plain of my short letters. I have had, as you will believe,
a very distressing scene with poor Sir Robert Calder. He
has wrote home to beg an inquiry, feeling confident that he
can fully justify himself, I sincerely hope he may, but —
I have given him the advice as to my dearest friend. He is in
adversity, and if he ever has been my enemy, he now feels
the pang of it, and finds me one of his best friends.
" Louis, Hallowell, Hoste, are all inquiring about you, and
desire their kind regards. I am pressed beyond measure for
time, for I cannot keep the vessel, as Vice-Admiral ColHng-
wood's and Sir Robert Calder's dispatches were stopt by me
off Cape St. Vincent on the 26th. May God bless you. Kiss
Horatia for me a thousand times. I shall write to her very
soon ; in eight or ten days another vessel will be sent.
" Your most faithful,
'• Nelson and Bronte."
' Richard Ford, Esq. was Agent Victualler afloat, to whom Lord Nelson, in a
letter of the 2nd, (printed in the Gentleman's Magazine, New Series, Vol. vii.
p. 158) says : " I have the firmest reliance upon yom- abilities and zeal, that this
matter will be well terminated ; and although no man wishes to be more econo-
mical of the public money than myself, yet in our present state, and with the sort
of people with whom we have to manage these matters, care must be taken not to
he penny wise and pounds foolish."
508 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
The ships were now getting short of provisions and water,
and Nelson was obhged to detach a portion of his squadron,
including Rear-Admiral Louis of the Canopus, w^ho was
fearful he should be prevented being present at the battle,
and expressed the same to his Admiral, who replied : " My
dear Louis, 1 have no other means of keeping my fleet com-
plete in provisions and water, but by sending them in detach-
ments to Gibraltar. The enemy will come out, and we shall
fight them ; but there will be time for you to get back first.
I look upon Canopus as my right hand, and I send you the
first to insure your being here to help beat them.'^ Rear-
Admiral Louis was right in his conjecture. He was not in
the Battle of Trafalgar, and fi-om the same cause Nelson's
esteemed and attached officers, Austen, Stopford, and Hallo-
well were also absent.
In the Naval Chronicle^ a letter addressed to some one,
whose name has been suppressed, has been printed of the
date of the 3rd of October, in which Nelson says : " The
reception I met with on joining the fleet caused the sweetest
sensation of my life. The Officers who came on board to
welcome my return, forgot my rank as Commander-in-chief
in the enthusiasm with which they greeted me. As soon as
these emotions were past, I laid before them the plan I had
previously arranged for attacking the enemy ; and it was not
only my pleasure to find it generally approved, but clearly
perceived and understood. The enemy are still in port, but
something must be immediately done to provoke or lure them
to a battle. My duty to my country demands it, and the
hopes centered in me, I hope in God, will be realized. In
less than a fortnight expect to hear from me, or of me, for
who can foresee the fate of battle ? Put up your prayers for
my success, and may God protect all my friends !"
The plan of attack alluded to in the preceding letter was
not made generally known until the 9th or 10th, although he
had formed it in his mind whilst in England, and had indeed,
at an interview with Lord Sidmouth, sketched it out upon a
small table after dining with him. The table was preserved
by Loi'd Sidmouth, and had an appropriate inscription marked
upon it. The particulars of this interesting fact are detailed
' Vol. V. p. 37.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 509
in Dean Pellew's Life of Lord Sidmouth.i Nelson's attach-
ment to Mr. Addington (afterwards Lord Sidmouth) has
already been seen, and upon his arrival in town in August,
before Lord Sidmouth could be able to visit him, as it was
his intention to do at Merton, his Lordship called upon him
in town.
" Nelson (Lord Sidmouth writes to his brother on the 24th
August), surprised me yesterday in Clifford Street without
my coat, just as I had undergone the operation of bleeding.
He looked well, and we passed an hour together very com-
fortably. Our conversation will be renewed to-morrow, when
he has promised to call here after church." Lord Sidmouth's
serious indisposition, and Lord Nelson's numerous engage-
ments, prevented their frequent meetings : when, therefore,
the departure of the latter to command the fleet off Cadiz
approached, Lord Sidmouth addressed a note to him on the
8th September, expressing the great mortification it would
be to him to miss the pleasure of seeing his Lordship again
whilst he remained on shore, and offering to call on him at
Merton on the following day, if his Lordship could not take
Richmond Park on his way to town, which would not be a
great deal out of his way. The reply, dated on the same day,
was carefully cherished by Lord Sidmouth as the last he
ever received from the illustrious writer : —
" On Tuesday forenoon, if superior powers do not prevent
me, I will be in Richmond Park, and shall be happy in taking
you by the hand, and to wish you a most perfect restoration
to health. I am ever, my dear Lord, yom* most obliged and
faithful friend,
" Nelson and Bronte."
To the foot of this note Lord Sidmouth has appended the
following words : '■' Lord Nelson came on that day, and
passed some hours at Richmond Park. This was our last
meeting." His Lordship was accustomed, in after years, to
relate to his friends the interesting particulars of this inter-
view. Amongst other things, Lord Nelson explained to him
with his finger, on the little study table, the manner in which,
should he be so fortunate as to meet the combined fleets, he
' Vol. ii. p. 380-2.
510 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
proposed to attack them : "Rodney," he said, "broke the
line in one point ; I will break it in two." " There," he said
to Miss Halstcd, whose pen has recorded the anecdote, " there
is the table on which he drew the plan of the Battle of Tra-
falgar but five weeks before his death. It is strange that I
should have used this valued relic for above thirty years,
without having once thought of recording upon it a fact so
interesting. Now," pointing to a brass plate inserted in the
centre of the table, " I have perpetuated it by this brief
record : —
"On the 10th day of September, 1805, Vice- Admiral Lord
Viscount Nelson described to Lord Sidmouth, upon this
table, the manner in which he intended to engage the com-
bined fleets of France and Spain, which he expected shortly
to meet. He stated that he should attack them in two lines,
led by himself and Admiral Collingwood, and felt confident
that he should capture either their van and centre, or their
centre and rear. This he successfully effected, on the 21st
of October following, in the glorious Battle of Trafalgar."
On the 6th of October Lord Nelson wrote thus to Lady
Hamilton : —
" Victory, 16 leagues west from Cadiz,'
October 6th, 1805.
*' My dearest Emma,
" I wrote you on the 2nd, by the Nimble, and if she acts
up to her name, she will have a good passage. She will tell
you of my arrival in the fleet, but as an opportunity now
offers of sending a letter by way of Lisbon, I will not omit
writing, although most probably other letters will get home
before this, and perhaps those of the very greatest importance.
The enemy are, I have not the smallest doubt, determined to
put to sea, and our battle must soon be fought, although
' His reason for taking this position is given by Lord Nelson to Lord Barham,
First Lord of the Admiralty. " The position I have taken for this month is from
sixteen to eighteen leagues west of Cadiz ; for although it is most desirable that
the fleet should be well up in the easterly winds, yet I must guard against being
caught with a westerly wind near Cadiz, as a fleet of ships, with so many three-
deckers, would inevitably be forced into the Straits, and then Cadiz would be
perfectly free for the enemy to come out with a westerly wmd, as they served
Lord Keith in the late war." — (Clarke and McArthur, Vol. ii. p. 431.)
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 511
they will be so very superior in numbers to my present force,
yet I must do my best, and have no fears but that I shall
spoil their voyage ; but my wish is to do much more, and
therefore hope the Admiralty have been active in sending me
ships, for it is only numbers which can annihilate. A decisive
stroke on their fleet would make half a peace ; and, my Emma,
if I can do that, I shall, as soon as possible, ask to come
home and get my rest, at least for the winter, and if no other
inducement was wanting for my exertion, this would be suffi-
cient. To come to you a victor would be a victory twice
gained. God bless you, and be assured I am yours most
faithfully,
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Kiss dear Horatia, and remember me most kindly to all/'
'^ Oct. 7th. — Since writing yesterday, I am more and more
assured that the combined fleets will put to sea. Happy will
they be who are present, and disappointed will those be who
are absent. May God instruct us and Heavens bless. Defiance
has just joined — it now blows fresh easterly, and a nasty sea.
Bless you. Amen.
" Tell Mr. Bolton to be easy. I hope soon something will
turn up for him ; it is useless to complain. The best thing
is to say nothing of any expectations.''
To Captain the Hon. Henry Blackwood he wrote on the
4th of October : — " You estimate, as I do, the impoi'tance of
not letting those rogues escape us without a fair fight, Avhich
I pant for by day, and dream of by night."
Nelson offered to Captain the Hon. Henry Blackwood the
choice of a line-of-battle ship, but he preferred remaining in
the Euryalus, in which, as senior officer of the frigates, he
would necessarily have much to do. He kept up a constant
communication with Nelson by signals, who writes : " The
fleet will be from sixteen to eighteen leagues west of Cadiz ;
therefore, if you throw a frigate west from you, most probably,
in fine weather, we shall communicate daily. In fresh breezes
easterly, I shall work up for Cadiz, never getting to the north-
ward of it ; and in the event of hearing they are standing out
of Cadiz, I shall carry a press of sail to the southward towards
512 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. XI.
Cape Spartel and Arrache, so that you will always know
where to find me. I am writing out regular instructions for
the frigates under your orders, but I am confident you will
not let these gentry slip through our fingers, and then we
shall give a good account of them, although they may be very
superior in numbers/'^ Again, on the 8th : " I send Naiad
to you, and will Phoebe and Weazle, as I can lay hands upon
them, I am gratified (because it shews your soul is in your
business), and obliged by all your communications. I see you
feel how much my heart is set on getting at these fellows,
whom I have hunted so long='' On the 9th : " Let us have
them out. The Weazle, I hope, has joined, although you
don^t mention her. Keep the schooner ; she will be useful in
the night close inshore ; and as Weazle sails faster, you can
send her to me with accounts, when you can't communicate
by signals. I should never wish to be more than forty-eight
hours without hearing from you." On the 10th : ^' Keep your
five frigates, Weazle and Pickle, and let me know every
movement. I rely on you, that we can't miss getting hold of
them, and I will give them such a shaking as they never yet
experienced ; at least I will lay down my life in the attempt.
We are a powerful fleet, and not to be held cheap. I have
told Parker, and do you direct ships bringing information of
their coming out, to fire guns eveiy three minutes by the
watch, and in the night, to fire off rockets, if they have them,
from the masthead." On the 14th : " I hope M^e shall soon
get our Cadiz friends out, and then we may (I hope) flatter
ourselves that some of them will cruise on our side ; but if
they do not come forth soon, I shall then rather incline to
think they will detach squadrons ; but I trust either in the
whole, or in part, we shall get at them. I am confident in
your look-out upon them."-
Nelson's sole anxiety was to annihilate the combined fleets.
He wrote to the Right Hon. George Rose on the 6th: " I verily
believe the country will soon be put to some expense for my
account, either a monument, or a new pension and honours ;
for I have not the very smallest doubt but that a very few
days, almost hours, will put us in battle ; the success no man
' Blackwood's Magazine for July, 1833, p. 8. - Ibid.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 513
can ensure, but to fighting them, if they are to be got at, I
pledge myself, and if the force arrives which is intended. I
am very, very, very anxious for its arrival, for the thing will
be done if a few more days elapse ; and I want, for the sake
of our country, that it should be done so effectually as to have
nothing to wish for ; and what will signify the force the day
after the battle ? It is, as Mr. Pitt kno\\s, annihilation that
the country wants, and not merely a splendid victory of twenty-
three to thirty-six — honourable to the parties concerned, but
absolutely useless in the extended scale to bring Buonaparte
to his marrow-bones : numbers can only annihilate."^
On the 9th of October, Lord Nelson sent to Vice-Admiral
Collingwood his plan of attack, with the accompanying letter: — -
" I send you Captain Blackwood's letter ; and as I hope
Weazle has joined, he will have five frigates and a brig. They
surely cannot escape us. I wish we could get a fine day. I
send you my plan of attack, as far as a man dare venture to
guess at the very uncertain position the enemy may be found
in : but, my dear friend, it is to place you perfectly at ease
respecting my intentions, and to give full scope to your judg-
ment for carrying them into effect. We can, my dear Coll.,
have no little jealousies : we have only one great object in
view, — that of annihilating our enemies, and getting a glorious
peace for our country. No man has more confidence in ano-
ther than I have in you ; and no man will render your services
more justice than your very old friend,
" Nelson and Bronte."^
The following letter to the present Admiral the Hon. Sir
T. B. Capel, K.C.B. Commander-in-chief at Portsmouth, is a
good specimen of Lord Nelson's playful manner and style,
and as such is highly prized by the distinguished officer to
whom it is addressed, marking as it does the character of his
mind at a time when it might be supposed he would be wholly
engrossed with the great object of meeting the enemy : —
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vii. p. 80. From an autograph in the posses-
sion of the Right Hon. Sir George Rose, G.C.B.
* Memoirs of Collingwood, Vol. i. p. 1G2.
VOL. II. 2 L
514 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
" Victory, October 10th, 1805.
" My dear Capel,
*' Many thanks for your letter. I am sorry to hear such a
bad account of Phoebe's movements. When we have done
with those gentry in Cadiz, you must be sent home and cop-
pered, but if they do not unfortunately move soon, write me
a public letter, stating the situation of Phoebe's copper, and I
will send it to the Admiralty. All our prize-money is in
Cadiz ; we have only to pass through a pretty hot fiery ordeal,
and we shall be rich both in glory and money.
'• Ever faithfully yours,
"Nelson and Bronte."
Lord Nelson's activity at this time is rendered very apparent
by the numerous letters printed in the Dispatches and Let-
ters (Vol. vii.) Of the 10th there are no less than twenty-
three letters, and from the 1st to the 19th, sixty-eight letters.
On the morning of the 19th, the combined fleets began to
get under weigh. A signal was made at half-past nine, a.m.
that the enemy's fleet were coming out of port ; at three p.m.
that they were at sea; and on the moi'ning of the 20th,
Nelson was made acquainted that nearly forty sail of ships
of war had been seen outside Cadiz the previous evening.
Towards the close of this day, Nelson, fearful that the enemy
might endeavour to avoid a general action by passing the
Straits into the Mediterranean during the night, the weather
appearing to promise darkness and squalls, he telegraphed
Blackwood thus : " I rely on you that I do vet miss the enemy."
This indefatigable Captain and most excellent officer, after
placing the frigates and other vessels under his orders in the
best position, stationed himself for the night not more than
half a gun-shot from that ship which he conceived to be the
flag-ship of the Admiral of the enemy, to secure attention to his
great Commander's wishes. On the day of the battle Captain
Blackwood wrote the particulars to his wife in the following
letter, too interesting to be omitted in this narrative : —
'^ At this moment the enemy are coming out, and as if de-
termined to have a fair fight ; all night they have been mak-
ing signals, and the morning shewed them to us getting under
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELiSON. 515
sail. They have thirty- four sail of the line, and five frigates.
Lord Nelson has but twenty-seven sail of the line with him ;
the rest are at Gibraltar getting water. Not that he has not
enough to bring them to close action ; but I want him to
have so many as to make this the most decisive battle that
was ever fought, and which may bring us lasting peace,
and all its blessings. Within two hours, though our fleet was
sixteen leagues off, I have let Lord Nelson know of their
coming out, and have been enabled to send a vessel to Gibral-
tar, which will bring Admiral Louis and the ships there. At this
moment (happy sight) we are within four miles of the enemy,
and talking to Lord Nelson by means of Sir H. Popham^s
signals, though so distant, but reached along by the rest of
the frigates of the squadron. You see, dearest, I have time
to write to you, and to assure you that to the latest moment
of my breath, I shall be as much attached to you as man can
be. It is odd how I have been dreaming all night of carrying
home dispatches. God send me such good luck ! The day
is fine, and the sight magnificently beautiful. I expect be-
fore this hour to-morrow to carry General Decres' on board
the Victory in ray barge, which I have just painted nicely for
him. — Monday Morning, 2\st. The last twenty-four hours
has been most anxious work for me ; but we have kept sight
of them, and at this moment bearing up to come to action.
Lord Nelson twenty-seven sail of the line. French thirty-
three or thirty-four, I wish the six we have at Gibraltar were
here. My signal just made on board the Victory : I hope to
order me into a vacant line-of-battle ship."-
On the 19th, Lord Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton: —
" Victory, October 19th, 1805.
" Noon, Cadiz, E.S.E. 16 leagues.
'^ My dearest beloved Emma, the dear friend of my bosom.
The signal has been made that the enemy's combined fleet
are coming out of port. We have very little wind, so that
I have no hopes of seeing them before to-morrow. May the
' Villeneuve, not Decres, as Blackwood thought. His dream was verified ; he
carried home the Dispatches.
* Blackwood's Magazine for July, 1833, p. 10.
2 L 2
516 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
God of battles crown ray endeavours with success ; at all
events, I will take care that my name shall ever be most dear
to you and Horatia, both of whom I love as much as my own
life. And as my last writing, before the battle, will be to you,
so I hope, in God, that I shall live to finish my letter after
the battle. May Heaven bless you, prays your
" Nelson and Bronte."
" October 20th. In the morning we were close to the mouth
of the Straits, but the wind had not come far enough to the
westward, to allow the combined fleets to weather the shoals
off Trafalgar ; but they were counted as far as forty sail of
ships of war, which 1 suppose to be thirty-four of the line,
and six frigates. A group of them was seen off the light-
house of Cadiz this morning, but it blows so very fresh, and
thick weather, that I rather believe they will go into the
harbour before night. May God Almighty give us success
over these fellows, and enable us to get a peace."
To the above last wi'iting of Lord Nelson, Lady Hamilton
has added: "This letter was found open on his desk, and
brought to Lady Hamilton, by Captain Hardy. Oh, mise-
rable wretched Emma — Oh, glorious and happy Nelson."
The envelope containing the letter is superscribed " The in-
closed letters were found after the action, and sealed up in the
presence of the Reverend Mr. Scott,
"T. M. Hardy.
" For Lady Hamilton."
And also to his daughter : —
"To Miss HoRATiA Nelson Thompson.^
" Victory, October 19th, 1805.
" My dearest angel,
" I was made happy by the pleasure of receiving your
letter of September 19th, and I rejoice to hear that you are
so very good a girl, and love my dear Lady Hamilton, who
' From an autograph in the possession of Mrs. H. N. Ward, printed in Dis-
patches and LetterSj Vol. vii. p. 132.
1805.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 5l7
most dearly loves you. Give her a kiss for me. The com-
bined fleets of the enemy, are now reported to be coming out
of Cadiz ; and therefore I answer your letter, my dearest
Horatia, to mark to you that you are ever uppermost in my
thoughts. I shall be sure of your prayers for my safety, con-
quest, and speedy return to dear Merton, and our dearest
good Lady Hamilton. Be a good girl, mind what Miss
Connor says to you. Receive, my dearest Horatia, the affec-
tionate parental blessing of your father,
"Nelson and Bronte."
The British fleet consisted of three of 100 guns ; four of
98 ; one of 80 ; sixteen of 74 ; and three of 64 ; being twenty-
seven sail of the line together with four frigates, a schooner,
and a cutter. The combined fleets consisted of French : four
of 80 guns ; and fourteen of 74. Spanish : one of 130 ; two of
112; one of 100; two of 80; eight of 74; and one of 64;
making thirty-three sail of the line, and five French frigates,
and two brigs.
The French Admiral Villeneuve, it is rather singular, re-
ceived orders on the day of Nelson's arrival in the fleet (Sep-
tember 28) to put to sea, pass the Straits, land troops on the
coast of Naples, and sweep the Mediterranean of our ships,
after which services they were to put into Toulon.
On the morning of the 21st, Lord Nelson made signals to
" form the order of sailing in two columns," and to " prepare
for battle," and ten minutes after to " bear up.'' Sir William
Beatty's statement of the dress in which Nelson appeared on
the day of battle, contradicts the assertion so confidently and
so repeatedly made by the biographers of the hero : " Soon
after daylight, Lord Nelson came upon deck : he was dressed
as usual in his Admiral's frock coat, bearing on the left
breast four stars of different orders, which he always wore
with his common apparel. He did not wear his sword in the
battle of Trafalgar ; it had been taken from the place where it
hung up in his cabin, and was laid ready on his table ; but it
is supposed he forgot to call for it. This was the only action
in which he ever appeared without a sword. He displayed
excellent spirits, and ex[)ressed his pleasure at the prospect
of giving a fatal blow to the naval power of France and Spain ;
518 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XI.
and spoke with confidence of obtaining a signal victory, not-
withstanding the inferiority of the British fleet, declaring to
Captain Hardy, " that he would not be contented with cap-
turing less than twenty sail of the line."
Vice- Admiral Collingwood led the lee line of thirteen ships,
and Lord Nelson the weather line of fourteen. Sir William
Beatty says : "His Lordship had ascended the poop to have
a better view of both lines of the British fleet, and while there,
gave particular directions for taking down from his cabin the
different fixtures, and for being very careful in removing the
portrait of Lady Hamilton. ' Take care of my guardian angel,'
said he, addressing himself to the persons to be employed in
this business." Immediately after this he quitted the poop, and
retired to his cabin, for a few minutes, where he wrote the
following Prayer, and Codicil to his Will : —
PRAYER.
" May the Great God, whom I worship, grant to my
country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and
glorious victory ; and may no misconduct, in any one, tarnish
it ; and may humanity after victory be the predominant
feature in the British fleet. For myself, individually, I com-
mit my life to Him who made me, and may his blessing light
upon my endeavours for serving my country faithfully. To
Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to
me to defend. Amen, Amen, Amen."
CODICIL TO LORD NKLSOn's WILL.
" October the twenty-first, one thousand eight hundred and
five, then in sight of the combined fleets of France and Spain,
distant about ten miles.
"Whereas the eminent services of Emma Hamilton, widow
of the Right Honourable Sir William Hamilton, have been
of the very greatest service to our King and country, to my
knowledge, without her receiving any reward from either our
King or country : — first, that she obtained the King of Spain's
letter, in 1796, to his brother, the King of Naples, acquaint-
ing him of his intention to declare war against England ;
from which letter, the Ministry sent out orders to then Sir
John Jcrvis, to strike a stroke, if opportunity offered, against
either the arsenals of Spain, or her fleets. That neither of
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 519
these was done, is not the fault of Lady Hamilton. The
opportunity might have been offered. Secondly, the British
fleet, under my command, could never have returned the
second time to Egypt, had not Lady Hamilton's influence
with the Queen of Naples, caused letters to be wrote to the
Governor of Syracuse, that he was to encourage the fleet
being supplied with every thing, should they put into any
port in Sicily. We put into Syracuse, and received every
supply, went to Egypt, and destroyed the French fleet.
Could I have rewarded these services, I would not now call
upon my country ; but as that has not been in my power, I
leave Emma, Lady Hamilton, therefore, a legacy to my King
and country, that they will give her an ample provision to
maintain her rank in life. I also leave to the beneficence of
my country, my adopted daughter, Horatia Nelson Thomp-
son ; and I desire she will use, in future, the name of Nelson
only.^ These are the only favours I ask of my King and
country, at this moment, wdien I am going to fight their
battle. May God bless my King and country, and all those
who I hold dear. My relations, it is needless to mention,
they will, of course, be amply provided for.
"Nelson and Bronte.
" Witness — Henry Blackwood,
T. M. Hardy."
Sir N, Harris Nicolas has given a very interesting anecdote
connected with the foregoing Prayer, derived from Captain
John Pasco, who acted as signal Lieutenant of the Victory,
though senior Lieutenant in rank : —
"About 11, A.M, of the 21st of October, Lieutenant Pasco
had to make a report to Lord Nelson, and intended at the
same time to have represented to him that he considered him-
self very unfortunate, on so glorious an occasion, to be doing
duty in an inferior station, instead of that to which his seni-
ority entitled him, ' On entering the cabin,' says Captain
Pasco, ' I discovered his Lordship on his knees writing. He
was then penning that beautiful prayer. I waited until he
rose, and communicated what I had to report, but could not
at such a moment, disturb his mind w4th any grievances of
' The grant under the King's sign manual, by which Horatia took the name of
Nelson only, bears date Sept. 30, 180G.
520
LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL
[chap. XI.
mine.' Captain Pasco considers, that but for this delicacy on his
part, he should have been directed to assume his position as
First Lieutenant, and thereby have been made a Post Captain
instead of a Commander for the battle, as Lieutenant Quil-
liam, his junior in rank, who acted as First Lieutenant of the
Victory, was posted in December, 1805, together with the
two Lieutenants who commanded the Ajax and Thunderer,
in the absence of their Captains."
The Battle of Trafalgar, and every particular connected
with it, has been so frequently detailed, that it would be super-
erogatory to give more than a sketch of the events in this
place, as a necessary portion of the history endeavoured to
be connected together in these pages in relation to the original
correspondence included in them.
The ships and Commanders engaged in this celebrated
action were as follows : —
r
I Victory
100 < Royal Sovereign
I Britannia
98
80
74
64
'Temeraire
) Prince
) Neptune
Dreadnought
Tonnant
rBelleisle
Revenge
Mars
Spartiate
Defiance
Conqueror
Defence
Colossus
Leviathan
A-chiUe
Bellerophon
Minotaur
Orion
I Swiftsure
I Ajax
Vrhunderer
i Polyphemus
Africa
Agamemnon
British Fleet.
{ Vice-Admiral (W) Lord Nelson, K. B.
I Captain Thomas Masterman Hardy
(Vice-Admiral (B) Cuthbert Collingwood
\ Captain Edward Rotheram
( Rear- Admiral (W) the Earl of Northesk
I Captain Charles BuUen.
" Ehab Harvey.
" Richard Grindall.
" Thomas Francis Fremantle.
" John Conn.
" Charles Tyler.
" WiUiam Hargood.
" Robert Moorsom.
" George Duff.
" Sir Francis Laforey, Bart.
" Philip Charles Durham.
" Israel Pellew.
" George Hope.
" James Nicoll Morris.
" Henry William Bayntun.
" Richard King.
" John Cooke.
'■ Charles John Moore Mansfield.
" Edward Codrington.
" William George Rutherford.
Lieutenant John Pilford. |^
" John Stockham. )
Captain Robert Redmill.
" Henry Digby.
" Sir Edward Berry,
Acting.
1805 .J
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON.
521
Frigates, Eiiryalus, Naiad, Phoebe, and Sirius, Captains the Hon. Henry
Blackwood, Thos. Dundas, the Hon. Thomas Bladen Caj)el, and Wilham Prowse.
Schooner, Pickle, Lieutenant John Richard Lapenotiere ; and Cutter, Entre-
prenante. Lieutenant Robert Benjamin Young.
GUNS.
j Bucentaure
gQ J Formidable
Neptune
(^ Indomptable
Algesiras
Pluton
Mont Blanc
Intrepide
Swiftsure
Aigle
74 < Scipion
Duguay-Trouin
Berwick
Argonaute
Achille
Redoutable
Fougueux .
^^Hero8 .
130 Santissima Trinidad
( Principe de Asturias
^^^ (Santa Anna
100 Rayo
80
f Neptuno
I Argonauta
('Bahama
Montanas .
San Augustin
I San Ildefonso
' I S. Jeun Nepomuano
I Monarca
I S. Francisco de Asis
^San Justo
San Leandro
Frigates, (all French) Cornelie
Brigs, Argus and Furet.
64
Enemy's Fleet.
French.
t Vice-Admiral P. Ch. J. B. S. Villeneuve.
(Captain Jean Jacques Magendie.
i Rear-Ad. P. R. M. E. Dumanoir le Pelley.
(Captain Jean Marie Letellier.
Commodore Esprit Tranquille Maistral.
" Jean Joseph Hubert,
r Rear-Admiral Charles Magon.
( Captain Gabriel August Bouard.
Commodore Julian Marie Cosmao Kerjulein.
" Guill. Jean Noel le Villegris.
" Louis Antoine Cyprien Internet.
Captain C. E. L' Hospitaller Villemadrin.
" Pierre Paul Gom-rege.
" Charles Berenger.
" Claude Touffet.
'♦ Jeane Gilles Filhol Camas.
" Jacques Epron.
" Gabriel Denieport.
<< Jean Jacques Etienne Lucas.
" Louis Alexis Beaudouin.
" Jean Bap. Jos. Reine Poulain.
Spanish.
^ Rear-Admiral Don B. Hildago Cisneros.
} Commodore Don Francisco de Uriarte.
^ Admiral Don Federico Gravina.
( Rear-Admiral Don Antonio Escano.
^ Vice-Admiral Don Tyn. Maria de Alava.
i Captain Don Josef Gardoqui.
Commodore Don Enrique Macdoull.
" Don Cayetano Valdes.
" Don Antonio Parejas.
Captain Don Dionisio Galiano.
" Don Josef Salzedo.
" Don Felipe Xado Cagigal.
" Don J osef Bargas.
" Don Cosme Churruca.
" Don Teodoro Argusnosa.
" Don Luis deFlores.
" Don Miguel Gaston.
" Don Josef Quevedo.
, Hermioue, Hortense, Rhin, Themis.
522 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
At half-past eleven a.m. Lord Nelson made his celebrated
signal "England expects that every man will do
HIS duty;" a signal, than which no one was ever more
judiciously chosen — a signal, which appealed to the heart of
every man in the fleet, serving, not only to light up every
spark of patriotic feeling, and bring forth in all its power the
natural love of country existing in the bosom of every
Briton ; but also to direct his thoughts towards his indivi-
dual home, with all its delightful and overwhelming associa-
tions. It has been truly regarded as the noblest appeal to
national feeling ever made by a warrior to warriors, and it
was received by a glorious shout of three cheers from the
whole fleet. The Honorable Captain Blackwood describes
the effect as truly sublime.^
Dr. Beatty says : " It is impossible adequately to describe
by any language, the lively emotions excited in the crew of
the Victory when this propitious communication was made
known to them : confidence and resolution were strongly
pourtrayed in the countenance of all ; and the sentiment
' M. Thiers forms an exception to every other writer upon the Battle of Tra-
falgar, by omitting to notice the celebrated signal. His account is most excep-
tionable and inaccurate both as regards the number of guns and the loss of men. M.
de la Graviere,- who has written with a much more impartial spirit, and whose ob-
ject appears to have been to inquire into the cause of the immense superiority of the
English naval power over that of the French, as shewn particularly in Nelson's
battles of the NUe and Trafalgar, states the number of gims on the latter occasion to
have been as follows : British, 2148 ; French, 2626. Thiers, however, is com-
pelled to admit that the English had the glory of skill, and of experience, com-
bined with incontestable bravei^, and he also says, that from that day Napoleon
thought less of the na.Yj, and wished every body else to think less of it too. Buona-
parte desired, it seems, that little should be said about Trafalgar in the French
newspapers, and that it should be mentioned as an imprudent fight, in which they
had suffered more from the tempest than the enemy. " lis avoient la gloire de
I'habilete, de I'experience, unies a une incontestable bravoure." (Hist, du Con-
sulat. torn. vi. liv. xxii.p. 173.) " A partii* de ce jour, Napoleon pensa moins a
la mai'ine, et voulut cpae tout le monde y pensat moins aussi." (lb. p. 183.) " II
voulut, qu'ou parlat peu de Trafalgar dans les journaux fran^ais, et qu'on en fit
mention comme d'un combat imprudent dans lequel nous avious plus souffert de la
tempete que I'ennemi." (Ibid.)
' Papers in the Revue des Deux Mondes, translated by the Hon. Cajjtaiii
Plunkett, and published as " Sketches of the Last Naval War."
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 523
generally expressed to each other was, that they would prove
to their country that day, how well British seamen could
' do their duty' when led to battle by their renowned Ad-
miral."^
" Now (said Lord Nelson) I can do no more. We must
trust to the Great Disposer of all events, and the justice
of our cause. I thank God for this great opportunity of
doing my duty." Nelson's presentiment of death seems to
have been strong. When Captain Blackwood took leave of
him and quitted the Victory for his own vessel the Euryalus,
he said, " I trust, my Lord, that on my return to the Victory,
which will be as soon as possible, I shall find your Lordship
well, and in possession of twenty prizes." To which Nelson
rephed, " God bless you, Blackwood, I shall never speak to
you again.''
Sir W. Beatty states that '^ Lord Nelson often talked with
Captain Hardy on the subject of his being killed in battle,
it was a favourite topic of conversation with him, and it
was the most ambitious wish of his soul to die in the fight,
and in the very hour of a great and signal victory." It
was said of Sir Ralph Abercromby, " When death must come,
it never comes better than disguised as glory. Such ashes
should rather be revered than deplored." And Lord Sidmouth
finely remarked : "I cannot so dishonour Nelson as to weep
over him. He has left a name the most splendid in our
annals." If Nelson's desire was as stated, it was strictly
accomplished — it was in the hour of victory, and one of, if not
the greatest, ever obtained by any country at sea, that he
fell, and to the last moment of his life retained his know-
ledge of the event and his own position.
At the main top-gallant-mast head of the Victory was fast
belayed Nelson's customary signal on going into action : No.
16. "Engage the enemy more closely." At noon the action
may be said to have commenced by a firing direct from the
Fougueux upon the Royal Sovereign, and that vessel engaged
the Santa Anna, firing with such precision with her double-
shotted guns that, as afterwards appeared by the testimony of
the Spanish officers, nearly 400 men were killed and wounded,
' Narrative, p. 24.
524 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XI.
and 14 guns disabled. The Royal Sovereign also raked the
Fougueux, which had commenced the attack, but with little
effect, in consequence of her distance and the quantity of
smoke. Nelson was delighted with Collingwood's conduct,
and exclaimed : " See how that noble fellow CoUingwood
carries his ship into action.'' The Royal Sovereign was most
severely engaged, for not only were the Santa Anna and the
Fougueux opposed to her, but she had also to contend with
the San Leandro, the San Justo, and the Indomptable. The
shots from those vessels frequently met together, and this,
added to the approach of some British ships to the relief of
the Royal Sovereign, induced the ships to drop off and leave
her and the Santa Anna to combat with each other.
Lord Nelson's chief anxiety was to find out in what ship
the French Admiral was placed.^ Every glass on board the
Victory was put in requisition to ascertain this point, but no
decisive information could be obtained. According to the
Victory's log, she opened her fire on the enemy's van, at four
minutes past twelve, and in attempting to pass through their
line,' she fell on board the 10th and 11th ships, when the
action became general. As soon as the enemy ascertained the
Victory to be within reach of shot, at least seven or eight of the
weathermost ships opened a fire upon her — such a fire as is
said had scarcely before been directed at any single ship.
The Rev. Dr. Scott says that before the Victory returned a
shot, she had fifty killed and wounded. Lord Nelson's
Secretary, Mr. Scott, was killed whilst conversing with
Captain Hardy. The Victory sustained much damage from
the firing of the Santissima Trinidad, the Bucentaure, and
' The practice of French Admirals removing from their ships into a frigate
when going into action, was adopted by order of the French Government, after
the capture of the Comte de Grasse in the Ville de Paris by Rodney. M. de la
Graviere says that Nelson vras urged to do the same, the better to watch events
and transmit orders ; but that he refused to do so, conceiving nothing in battle
so important as example. This writer, and French naval officer, does not seem to
be aware that it has never been the practice in the English navy for an Admiral to
quit his ship, unless the peculiarities of the situation in which he should be placed
would not admit of his being effective in her, as was the case at Copenhagen with
Nelson, when he removed from the St. George into the Elephant, the water being
too shallow, and the navigation rendering it impossible for the former vessel to
proceed to the spot at which his presence was required.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 525
the Redoutable, without being able to make any return. The
mizen-top-mast was shot away, about two-thh'ds up, and the
wheel was also knocked away, so that the ship was obliged to
be steered from the gun-room by the First Lieutenant and
the Master. Eight marines on the poop having been killed
by a double-headed shot, Nelson ordered the men to be more
dispersed, and soon after a shot which had carried away part
of the larboard quarter of the launch, as she lay on her
booms, passed between Lord Nelson and Captain Hardy, and
a sphnter bruised the left foot of the latter and tore away the
buckle from his shoe. Sir William Beatty says, they both
instantly stopped, and were observed by the officers on deck
to survey each other with inquiring looks, each supposing
the other to be wounded. His Lordship then smiled and
said, 'This is too warm work. Hardy, to last long;' and
declared that, through all the battles he had been in, he had
never witnessed more cool courage than was displayed by the
Victory's crew on this occasion. The Victory now fired into
the Bucentaure, Mr. James, from whose narrative the fol-
lowing summary account is principally taken, says, " At one,
p. M. the 68-pounder carronade on the larboard side of the
Victory's forecastle, containing its customary charge of one
round shot and a keg filled with 500 musket-balls, was fired
right into the cabin windows of the Bucentaure. As the
Victory slowly moved ahead, every gun of the remaining fifty
upon her broadside, all double, and some of them treble-
shotted, was deliberately discharged in the same raking
manner. Bo close were the ships, that the larboard main-
yard arm of the British three-decker, as she rolled, touched
the vangs of her opponent's gaff: so close indeed, that had
there been wind enough to blow it out, the large French
ensign trailing at the Bucentaure's peak might, even at this
early period of the action, have been a trophy in the hands of
the Victory's crew. While listening, with characteristic
avidity, to the deafening crash made by their shot in the
French ship's hull, the British crew were nearly suffocated
with clouds of black smoke that entered the Victory's port-
holes ; and Lord Nelson, Captain Hardy, and others who
were walking the quarter-deck, had their clothes covered
with the dust which issued from the crumbled wood- work of
526 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
the Bucentaiire's stern. Although the work of scarcely two
minutes, and although not a mast or yard of the Bucentaure
was seen to come down, the effects of the British three-
decker's broadside upon the personnel of the French ship, as
acknowledged a day or two afterwards by Vice-Admiral
Villeneuve, and long subsequently by his Flag Captain, M.
Magendie, was of the same destructive character as the
broadside poured by the Royal Sovereign into the stern of
the Santa Anna. The account which the Bucentaure's
officers gave, as the extent of their loss in killed and wounded
by the Victory's fire, was ' nearly 400 men.' They repre-
sented, also, that twenty of their guns were dismounted by
it, and that the Bucentaure was reduced to a comparatively
defenceless state.''
The Neptune came to the relief of the Bucentaure, and did
much injury to the Victory. Fearing, however, this vessel
running on board of her, the Neptune ranged ahead, and the
Victory came in the direction of the Redoutable, of which
she ran foul, and the two ships dropped alongside each other.
They were, indeed, held together, the Victory's starboard fore-
topmast studding-sail boom-iron, as the ships were in the act
of rebounding off, having hooked itself into the leech of the
Redoutable's fore-topsail. The boatswain of the Victory,
Mr. William Will met, soon cleared the gangways of the
Redoutable by firing the starboard 68-pounder carronade,
loaded as the larboard one had been, right upon the Redout-
able's decks. '^ The guns of the middle and lower decks
were also occasionally fired into the Redoutable, but very few
of the 12-pounders, on account chiefly of the heavy loss
among those who had been stationed at them. The Redout-
able, on her part, fired her main deck guns into the Victory,
and used musketry, as well through her ports into those of
the Victory, as from her three tops down upon the latter's
deck. In her fore and main-tops, also, the Redoutable had
some brass cohorns which, loaded with langridge, were fre-
quently fired with destructive effect upon the Victory's fore-
castle. The larboard guns of the Victory were fired occa-
sionally at the Bucentaure ; but it was with little or no effect,
the latter ship continuing to move to the northward, while
the Victory and Redoutable kept inclining their heads to the
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSOX. 527
eastward. The Santissima Trinidad also received into her
starboard or lee quarter, and stern, a portion of the Victory's
fire.
'^ Never allowing mere personal comfort to interfere with
what he considered to be the good of the service. Lord Nel-
son, when the Victory was fitting to receive his flag, ordered
the large sky-light over his cabin to be removed, and the
space planked up, so as to afford him a walk amid-ships, clear
of the guns and ropes. Here, along an extent of deck of
about twenty-one feet in length, bounded abaft by the stan-
cheon of the wheel, and forward by the combings of the cabin
ladder-way, were the Admiral and Captain Hardy, during
the whole of the operations just detailed, taking their cus-
tomary promenade, at about one hour, twenty-five minutes,
P.M., just as the two had arrived within one pace of the
regular turning spot at the cabin ladder-way, Lord Nelson,
who, regardless of quarter-deck etiquette, was walking on the
larboard side, suddenly faced left about. Captain Hardy, as
soon as he had taken the other step, turned also, and saw the
Admiral in the act of falling. He was then on his knees,
with his left hand just touching the deck. The arm giving
way, Lord Nelson fell on his left side, exactly upon the spot
where his Secretary, Mr. Scott, had breathed his last, and
with whose blood his Lordship's clothes were soiled.
" On Captain Hardy's expressing a hope that he was not
severely wounded. Lord Nelson replied : ' They have done
for me at last. Hardy.' ' I hope not,' replied Captain Hardy.
' Yes,' repUed his Lordship, ' my back bone is shot through.'
The wound was by a musket ball, which had entered the left
shoulder, through the fore part of the epaulette, and, descend-
ing, had lodged in the spine. That the wound had been given
by some one stationed in the Redoutable's mizen-top was
rendered certain, not only from the nearness (about fifteen
yards) and situation of the mizen-top in reference to the
course of the ball, but from the circumstance that the French
ship's main-top was screened by a portion of the Victory's
main-sail as it hung when clewed up. That the ball was in-
tended for Lord Nelson is doubtful, because, when the aim
must have been taken, he was walking on the outer side, con-
cealed in a great measure from view by a much taller and
528 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
stouter man. Admitting also (which is very doubtful), that
the Frcifch seaman or marine, whose shot had proved so fatal,
had selected for his object, as the British Commander-in-
chief, the best dressed officer of the two, he would most pro-
bably have fixed upon Captain Hardy, or, indeed, such was
Lord Nelson's habitual carelessless, upon any one of the
Victory's Lieutenants who might be walking by the side of
him.
" Serjeant-Major Seeker of the marines, and two seamen,
who had come up on seeing the Admiral fall, now by Cap-
tain Hardy's direction, bore their revered and much lamented
Chief to the cockpit."
Dr. Beatty states that there were only two Frenchmen left
alive in the mizen-top of the Redoutable at the time of Lord
Nelson being woimded, and by the hands of one of these he
must have fallen. They continued firing at the officers on the
poop of the Victory for some time afterwards ; one of them
was at length killed, and the other, endeavouring to effect his
escape from the top down the rigging, was shot by Mr.
Pollard, a Midshipman, not more than sixteen years of age,
and he fell dead from the shrouds. The same authority
acquaints us, that several of the officers on board the Victory
had communicated to each other their sentiments of anxiety
for Lord Nelson's safety, to which every other considera-
tion seemed to give way. No one, it appears, entertained
any apprehension of defeat, but all were anxious for the
preservation of the Admiral. The Surgeon made known
to the Rev. Dr. Scott, his fears that his Lordship might be
the object of the enemy's marksmen, having his stars affixed
to his coat, and a desire was expressed that some one should
entreat his Lordship to cover them with his handkerchief.
Dr. Scott and Mr. Scott observed that this would be without
effect, and that it might incur his displeasure. The Surgeon,
however, determined to do so when making his sick report for
the day, and remained on deck for the purpose, but the
opportunity did not occur. The Admiral was too much en-
gaged with his Captains to allow of the report being made,
and all persons w^ere ordered to retire to their proper
quarters.
The fire from the Redoutable's tops upon the Victory was
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 529
very destructive. The Tcmeraire wreaked her vengeance on
the enemy. When the guns on the deck of the Victory were
run out, their muzzles came in contact with the side of the
Redoutable, there was therefore great reason to fear the vessel
taking fire, by which not only the enemy's ship, but the
Victory and the Temeraire would be also endangered. To
obviate this a fireman was to be seen standing at each gun
with a bucket full of water ready upon the discharge, imme-
diately to dash into the hole its contents, and prevent a con-
flagration.
Mr. James records : —
" Most of the few effective men left upon the Victory's
upper deck after the Redoutable's destructive fire, formerly
noticed, being employed in carrying their wounded comrades
to the cockpit. Captain Hardy, Captain Adair of the marines,
and one or two other officers, were nearly all that remained
upon the quarter-deck and poop. The men in the Redout-
able's mizen-top soon made this known to the officers below ;
and a considerable portion of the French crew quickly assem-
bled in the chains and along the gangway of their ship, in
order to board the British three-decker ; whose defenceless
state they inferred, not merely from her abandoned upper
deck, but from the temporary silence of her guns on the
decks below, occasioned by a supposition that the Redout-
able, having discontinued her fire, was on the eve of surren-
dering. A party of the Victory's officers and men quickly
ascended from the middle and lower decks ; and after an
s ...
interchange of musketry, the French crew, who, in addition
to the unexpected opposition they experienced, found that the
curve in the hulls of the two ships prevented their stepping
from one to the other, retired within-board. The repulse of
this very gallant assault cost the Victory deai'ly. Captain
Adair and eighteen men were killed, and one Lieutenant
(William Ram,' mortally), one Midshipman (George Augustus
Westphal-), and twenty men wounded. Captain Adair met his
' Lieutenant W. A. Ram was a native of Hampshire, and son of Colonel Ram,
M.P. for Wexford. His brother, also a Lieutenant in the navy, was drowned in
1809, at Bermuda, by the upsetting of a boat.
* Now Captain Sir George Augustus Westphal, being made Post, August 12th,
1819. After the action of Trafalgar he was made senior Lieutenant of the
VOL. II. 2 M
530 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XI.
death by a musket ball received at the back of the neck, while
standing upon the Victory's gangway encouraging his men,
and several seamen and marines were also killed by the French
musketry; but the Lieutenant and Midshipman, and four or
five seamen standing near them, were struck by a round shot,
or the splinters it occasioned, which shot had come obliquely
through the quarter-deck, and must have been fired from one
of the Redoutable's main-deck guns, pointed upwards."
Further hostility on the part of the Redoutable now
ceased, and she was afterwards quietly taken possession of by
Lieutenant John Wallace, Second Lieutenant of the Teme-
raire.
But to return to our Hero : — Sir William Beatty, the Sur-
geon, to whose care he was now consigned, has furnished us
with every particular in relation to his condition, and this
cannot be stated better than in the narrator's own words.^
Nelson received his mortal wound about a quarter past one
o'clock.
" Captain Hardy ordered the seamen to carry the Admiral
to the cockpit ; and now two incidents occurred strikingly
characteristic of this great man, and strongly marking that
energy and reflection which, in his heroic mind, rose superior
even to the immediate consideration of his present awful
Belleisle, 74 guns, commanded by Captain Sir George Cockburn, and was present
during an attack on Flushing, having the command of a sub-division of gun-boats
from the 8th to the 15th of August, 1809. In 1810 he was appointed to the
Implacable, and landed the Baron de KoUi at Quiberon Bay, when proceeding to
facilitate the escape of Ferdinand VII. He was afterwards employed in the ex-
pulsion of the enemy from Moguer, a town on the Huebla, and received the ap-
probation of his commander. Sir George Cockburn, as expressed in his Dispatches
to Rear-Admiral Sir R. G. Keats. On the North American station, with the
same commander — but now Rear-Admiral — he was engaged at the Chesa-
peake in 1813, and again merited high commendation. In his service on this
station he received a shot through his hand at Havre de Grace, but with the other
brought in as a prisoner a Captain of Militia. In the Sceptre, of 74 guns, he
continued to distinguish himself, and captured a fine brig, the Anaconda, and a
schooner. Having obtained his Post rank, he was appointed to the Jupiter, of 60
guns, and took out Lord Amherst to Bengal in 1822. Upon his return to Eng-
land he received the honour of Knighthood, and in 1846 made Aide-de-camp to
the Queen.
' " Authentic Narrative of the Death of Lord Nelson, by William Beatty, M.D.
Surgeon to the Victory, at the Battle of Trafalgar, and now Physician to the Fleet
under the command of the Earl of St. Vincent, K.B. &c. &c." Lond. 1807. 8vq.
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 531
condition. While the men were carrying him down the
ladder from the middle deck, his Lordship observed that the
tiller ropes were not yet replaced ; and desired one of the
Midshipmen stationed there, to go upon the quarter-deck,
and remind Captain Hardy of that circumstance, and request
that new ones should be immediately rove. Having delivered
this order, he took his handkerchief from his pocket and
covered his face with it, that he might be conveyed to the
cockpit at this crisis unnoticed by the crew.
" Several wounded officers, and about forty men, were like-
wise carried to the Surgeon for assistance just at this time ;
and some others had breathed their last during their con-
veyance below. Among the latter were Lieutenant William
Andrew Ram, and Mr. Whipple, Captain's Clerk. The
Surgeon had just examined these two officers, and found that
they WTre dead, when his attention was arrested by several
of the wounded calling to him, 'Mr. Beatty, Lord Nelson is
here : Mr. Beatty, the Admiral is wounded.' The Surgeon
now, on looking round, saw the handkerchief fall from his
Lordship's face ; when the stars on his coat, which also had
been covered by it, appeared. Mr. Burke, the Purser, and
the Surgeon ran immediately to the assistance of his Lord-
ship, and took him from the arms of the seamen who had
carried him below. In conveying him to one of the Mid-
shipmen's berths, they stumbled, but recovered themselves
without falling. Lord Nelson then inquired who were sup-
porting him ; and when the Surgeon informed him, his
Lordship replied, 'Ah, Mr. Beatty, you can do nothing for
me. I have but a short time to live : my back is shot
through.' The Surgeon said, ' he hoped the wound was not
so dangerous as his Lordship imagined, and that he might
still survive long to enjoy his glorious victory.' The Rev.
Dr. Scott, who had been absent in another part of the cockpit
administering lemonade to the wounded, now came instantly
to his Lordship ; and in his anguish of grief wrung his hands,
and said : ' Alas, Beatty, how prophetic you were !' alluding
to the apprehensions expressed by the Surgeon for his Lord-
ship's safety previous to the battle.
" His Lordship was laid upon a bed, stripped of his clothes,
and covered with a sheet. While this was effecting, he said
2 M 2
532 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. XI,
to Dr. Scott, ' Doctor, I told you so. Doctor, I am gone ;'
and after a short pause, he added in a low voice, ' I have to
leave Lady Hamilton, and my adopted daughter Horatia, as
a legacy to my country.' The Surgeon then examined the
wound, assuring his Lordship that he would not put him to
much pain in endeavouring to discover the course of the ball ;
which he soon found had penetrated deep into the chest, and
had probably lodged in the spine. This being explained to
his Lordship, he replied, ' he was confident his back was shot
through.' The back was then examined externally, but
without any injury being perceived ; on which his Lordship
was requested by the Surgeon to make him acquainted with
all his sensations. He replied, 'that he felt a gush of blood
every minute within his breast : that he had no feeling in the
lower part of his body : and that his breathing was difficult,
and attended with very severe pain about that part of the
spine where he was confident that the ball had struck ; for,'
said he, ' I felt it break my back.'
" These symptoms, but more particularly the gush of blood
which his Lordship com23lained of, together with the state of
his pulse, indicated to the Surgeon the hopeless situation of
the case ; but till after the victory was ascertained and an-
nounced to his Lordship, the true nature of his wound was
concealed by the Surgeon from all on board, except only
Captain Hardy, Doctor Scott, Mr. Burke, and Messrs. Smith
and Westemburg, the Assistant- Surgeons.
" The Victory's crew cheered whenever they observed an
enemy's ship surrender. On one of these occasions. Lord
Nelson anxiously inquired what was the cause of it; when
Lieutenant Pasco, who lay wounded at some distance from
his Lordship, raised himself up, and told him that another
ship had struck, which appeared to give him much satisfaction.
He now felt an ardent thirst, and frequently called for drink,
and to be fanned with paper, making use of these words :
*f;ui, fan,' and 'drink, drink.' This he continued to repeat,
when he wished for drink, and the refreshment of cool air,
till a very few minutes before he expired. Lemonade, and
wine and water were given to him occasionally. He evinced
great solicitude for the event of the battle, and fears for the
safety of his friend Captain Hardy. Dr, Scott, and Mr.
1S05.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 533
Burke used every argument they could suggest to relieve his
anxiety. Mr. Burke told him ' the enemy M^ere decisively
defeated, and that he hoped his Lordship would still live to
be himself the bearer of the joyful tidings to his country.'
He replied, ' It is nonsense, Mr. Burke, to suppose I can
live : my sufferings are great, but they w ill all be soon over.'
Dr. Scott entreated his Lordship ' not to despair of living,'
and said, ' he trusted that Divine Providence would restore
him once more to his dear country and friends.' ^Ah,
Doctor !' replied his Lordship, ' it is all over ; it is all over.'
" Many messages were sent to Captain Hardy by the
Surgeon, requesting his attendance on his Lordship ; who
became impatient to see him, and often exclaimed : * Will no
one bring Hardy to me ? He must be killed : he is surely
destroyed.' The Captain's Aide-de-camp, Mr. Bulkeley, now
came below, and stated that ' circumstances respecting the
fleet required Captain Hardy's presence on deck, but that he
would avail himself of the first favourable moment to visit
his Lordship.' On hearing him deliver this message to the
Surgeon, his Lordship inquired who had brought it. Mr.
Burke answered, ' It is Mr. Bulkeley, my Lord.' ' It is his
voice,' replied his Lordship : he then said to the young gen-
tleman, ' Remember me to your father.'
" An hour and ten minutes however elapsed, from the time
of his Lordship being wounded, before Captain Hardy's first
subsequent interview with him ; the particulars of which are
nearly as follows : they shook hands affectionately, and Lord
Nelson said : ' Well, Hardy, how goes the battle ? How
goes the day with us ?' ' Very well, my Lord,' replied Cap-
tain Hardy : ' we have got twelve or fourteen of the enemy's
ships in our possession ; but five of their van have tacked,
and shew an intention of bearing down upon the Victory. I
have therefore called two or three of our fresh ships round
us, and have no doubt of giving them a drubbing.' ' I hope,'
said his Lordship, ' none of our ships have struck, Hardy.'
* No, my Lord,' replied Captain Hardy, ' there is no fear of
that.' Lord Nelson then said : ' I am a dead man. Hardy.
I am going fast : it will be all over with me soon. Come
nearer to me. Pray let my dear Lady Hamilton have my
hair, and all other things belonging to mc' Mr. Burke was
534 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. XI.
about to %vithdraw at the commencement of this conversation ;
but his Lordship perceiving his intention, desired he would
remain. Captain Hardy observed, that ' he hoped Mr.
Beatty could yet hold out some prospect of lite.' ' Oh ! no,'
answered his Lordship; 'it is impossible. My back is shot
through. Beatty will tell you so.' Captain Hardy then
returned on deck, and at parting shook hands again with his
revered friend and Commander.
" His Lordship now requested the Surgeon, who had been
previously absent a short time attending Mr. Rivers,^ to
return to the wounded, and give his assistance to such of them
as he could be useful to ; for, said he, ' you can do nuthing
for me.' The Suro;eon assured him, that the Assistant-Surgeons
were doing eveiything that could be effected for those unfor-
tunate men ; but on his Lordship several times repeating
his injunctions to that purpose, he left him, surrounded by
Doctor Scott, Mr. Burke, and two of his Lordship's domes-
tics. After the Surgeon had been absent a few minutes, at-
tending Lieutenant Peake, and Reeves, of the Marines, who
were wounded, he was called by Doctor Scott to his Lordship,
who said : ' Ah, Mr. Beatty ! 1 have sent for you to say, what
I forgot to tell you before, that all power of motion and feel-
ing below my breast are gone ; and you^ continued he, ' very
well knoic, I can live but a short time.' The emphatic man-
ner in which he pronounced these last words, left no doubt
in the Surgeon's mind, that he adverted to the case of a man
who had some months before received a mortal injury of the
spine, on board the Victory, and had laboured under similar
privation of sense and muscular motion. The case had made
a great impression on Lord Nelson : he was anxious to know
the cause of such symptoms, which was accordingly explained
to him ; and he now appeared to apply the situation and fate
of this man to himself. The Surgeon answered, ' My Lord,
you told me so before :' but he now examined the extremities,
to ascertain the fact ; when his Lordship said, ' Ah, Beatty !
I am too certain of it : Scott and Burke have tried it alread3^
You hnoiv I am gone.' The Surgeon replied: 'My Lord,
' JamesElphinstone Rivers, died Second Lieutenant of the East India Company's
sui-veying ship Minto, of a fever, at Chowinghee, the IGth of June, 1814, at the
early age of twenty-two years.
\
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 535
unhappily for our country, nothing can be done for you ;' and
having made this declaration, he was so much affected, that
he turned round and withdrew a few steps, to conceal his
emotions. His Lordship said: 'I know it. I feel something
rising in my breast,' putting his hand on his left side, ' which
tells me I am gone.' Drink was recommended liberally, and
Doctor Scott and Mr. Burke fanned him with paper. He
often exclaimed, ' God be praised, I have done my duty ;' and
upon the Surgeon's inquiring whether his pain was still
very great, he declared, ' it continued so very severe, that he
wished he was dead. Yet,' said he, in a low voice, ' one would
like to live a little longer, too :' and after a pause of a few
minutes, he added, in the same tone, ' What would become of
poor Lady Hamilton, if she knew my situation !'
Captain Hardy now came to the cockpit to see his Lord-
ship a second time, which was after an interval of about fifty
minutes from the conclusion of his first visit. Before he
quitted the deck, he sent Lieutenant Hill to acquaint Admiral
Collingwood with the lamentable circumstance of Lord Nel-
son's being wounded. Lord Nelson and Captain Hardy shook
hands again, and while the Captain retained his Lordship's
hand, he congratulated him, even in the arms of death, on his
brilliant victory ; ' which,' he said, ' was complete ; though
he did not know how many of the enemy were captured, as it
was impossible to perceive every ship distinctly. He was
certain, however, of fourteen or fifteen having surrendered.'
His Lordship answered, 'That is well, but I bargained for
twenty :' and then emphatically exclaimed, ' Anchor, Hardy,
anchor /' To this the Captain replied, ' I suppose, my Lord,
Admiral Collingwood will now take upon himself the direc-
tion of affairs.' ' Not while I hve, I hope, Hardy !' cried the
dying Chief; and at that moment, endeavoured ineffectually
to raise himself from the bed. ' No,' added he ; ' do yo7i
anchor, Hardy.' Captain Hardy then said, ' Shall ive make
the signal, Sir ?' — ' Yes,' answered his Lordship, ' for if I live,
I'll anchor.' The energetic manner in which he uttered these
his last orders to Captain Hardy, accompanied with his efforts
to raise himself, evinced his determination never to resign the
command while he retained the exercise of his transcendent
faculties, and that he expected Captain Hardy still to carry
536 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cilAP. XI.
into effect the suggestions of his exalted mind ; a sense of his
duty overcoming the pains of death. He then told Captain
Hardy, ' he felt that in a few minutes he should be no more ;'
adding in a low tone, ' Don't throw me overboard, Hardy.'
The Captain answered : ' Oh ! no, certainly not,' ' Then,'
replied his Lordship, ' you know what to do : and,' continued
he, ' take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy : take care
of poor Lady Hamilton. Kiss me, Hardy.' The Captain
now knelt down, and kissed his cheek ; when his Lordship
said, ' N'ow I am satisfied. Thank God, I have done
my duty.' Captain Hardy stood for a minute or two in
silent contemplation : he knelt down again, and kissed his
Lordship's forehead. His Lordship said: 'Who is that?'
The Captain answered : ' It is Hardy ;' to which his Lordship
replied, ' God bless you, Hardy !' After this affiscting scene
Captain Hardy withdrew, and returned to the quarter-deck,
having spent about eight minutes in this his last interview
with his dying friend.
" Lord Nelson now desired Mr. Chevalier, his steward, to
turn him upon his right side ; which being effected, his
Lordship said : ' I wish I had not left the deck, for I shall
soon be gone.' He afterwards became very low ; his breath-
ing was oppressed, and his voice faint. He said to Doctor
Scott : 'Doctor, I have not been a great sinner;' and after a
short pause, ' Remember, that I leave Lady Hamilton and my
daughter Horatia as a legacy to my country ; and,' added he,
' never forget Horatia.' Mis thirst now increased, and he
called for 'drink, di'ink,' 'fan, fan,' and ' rub, rub,' addressing
himself in the last case to Doctor Scott, who had been rub-
bing his Lordship's breast with his hand, from which he
found some relief. These words he spoke in a very rapid
manner, which rendered his articulation difficult : but he
every now and then, with evident increase of pain, made a
greater effort with his vocal powers, and pronounced dis-
tinctly these last words : ' Thank God, 1 have done my duty ;'
and this great sentiment he continued to repeat as long as he
was able to give it utterance.
" His Lordship became speechless in about fifteen minutes
after Captain Hardy left him. Dr. Scott and Mr. Burke,
who had all along sustained the bed under his shoulders
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 5o7
(which raised him in nearly a semi-recumbent posture, the
only one that was supportable to him), forbore to disturb
him by speaking to him ; and when he had remained speech-
less about five minutes, his Lordship's steward went to the
Surgeon, who had been a short time occupied with the
wounded in another part of the cockpit, and stated his
apprehension that his Lordship was dying. The Surgeon
immediately repaired to him, and found him on the verge of
dissolution. He knelt down by his side, and took up his
hand, which was cold, and the pulse gone from the wrist.
On the Surgeon feeling his forehead, which was likewise cold,
his Lordship opened his eyes, looked up, and shut them
again. The Surgeon again left him, and returned to the
wounded, who required his assistance ; but was not absent
five minutes before the steward announced to him, that 'he
believed his Lordship had expired.^ The Surgeon returned,
and found that the report was but too well founded : his
Lordship had breathed his last, at thirty minutes past four
o'clock ; at which period Doctor Scott was in the act of
rubbing his Lordship's breast, and Mr. Burke supporting
the bed under his shoulders. ''^
His body was deposited in a cask, called a leaguer, there
being no lead on board capable of being made into a coffin,
and the cask was filled with brandy. It was placed on the
middle deck, and a sentinel stationed over it. On the arrival
of the Victory at Gibraltar, on the 28th of October, spirits of
wine was substituted for the brandy. The wounded of the
crew of the Victory were sent on shore to the Naval Hospital
at this place, and the damage done to the ship in the action
so far repaired, as to enable her to go to England. A tedious
passage of five weeks from Gibraltar to Spithead was occa-
sioned by adverse winds and tempestuous weather. No orders
with respect to the body of Nelson having been received at
Portsmouth, and the Victory being ordered to proceed to the
Nore, and reports being current of an intention that the Hero
should lie in state, and that his remains wovdd be exposed to
the public view in Greenwich Hospital, Dr. Beatty inspected
the body on the 11th of December, whilst proceeding from
' Dr. Beatty's Narrative, pp. 34-51.
538 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [ciIAP. XI.
Spithead to the Nore, and it was found to have been v/ell pre-
served. At this time also the ball was discovered, having, after
passing through the lung and spine, lodged itself in the muscles
of the back, below the shoulder-blade, carrying with it a por-
tion of the gold lace, pad, lining of the epaulette, and piece
of the coat through which it passed.^ The body was enveloped
in cotton bandages, and placed in a leaden coffin, which was
filled with brandy, in which camphor and myrrh were dis-
solved. For the leaden coffin was substituted that made from
the mainmast of the French ship, L'Orient, and presented to
him by Captain Hallowell, after the battle of the Nile." His
directions were thus complied with — the coffin was placed
in a leaden one and soldered up — then in a wooden shell, and
was thus conveyed from the Victory into Commissioner Grey's
yacht, and taken to Greenwich Hospital by his Chaplain,
the Rev. Mr. Scott, Mr. Tyson, and Mr. Whitby.
Lord Nelson was buried in the Cathedral of St. Paul's on
the 9th of January, 1806. The funeral was conducted at the
public expense, and accompanied by all military honours.
The body which, upon its arrival at Greenwich, had been
placed in the Record Room, was removed to the Painted Hall,
where it laid in state for three days, after which it was con-
veyed to the Admiralty by water, and attended by the Lord
^layor and Corporation of London in their state barges, and
a large number of naval officers who had enjoyed the friend-
ship of the deceased. A procession was formed from the
Painted Hall to the water side, and the Dead March in Saul
was executed. Five hundred of the Greenwich Pensioners
preceded the officers and the body, and constituted a truly
affecting sight. The venerable Sir Peter Parker, the Admiral
of the Fleet, the early patron and constant friend of Lord
Nelson, the officer to whom he was always so anxious to pour
forth expressions of gratitude was chief mourner on this oc-
casion, and was supported by the Admirals Lords Hood and
Radstock. The body was conveyed in the Admiral's own
barge, in which, by its own crew, it was safely taken to White-
hall, and thence to the Admiralty. ^
' The fatal ball is now in the possession of her Majesty the Queen Victoria,
The coat has been presented to Greenwich Hospital, by his Royal Highness the
Prince Albert. = See Vol. i. p, 132.
1S06.] LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 539
On the 9th of January the funeral took place. It moved
at noon from the Admiralty, the streets were lined by the
volunteers, and in the procession were not less than 10,000
ti'oops, who chiefly belonged to regiments that had been en-
gaged in service in Egypt. The military bands performed
solemn music. Thus was the first or military part of the
procession constituted ; the second consisted of the carriages
of the nobility and gentry, then the private carriages of the
Royal Family and the Princes of the Blood Royal. The third
part of the procession was headed by the Greenwich Pen-
sioners and the crew of the Victory, and formed altogether
the most interesting part of the ceremonial. The sailors of
the Victory wore crape hatbands in addition to their naval
dress. The flag of the Victory which followed, and was
pierced by numerous balls and stained with the blood of the
hero, foraied no inconsiderable feature on the occasion. The
coffin was exposed to view upon a bier or car, now to be seen
in Greenwich Hospital, ornamented with various emblems,
and the escutcheons of the deceased, and was attended by the
heralds carrying the emblems of his rank, whilst the pall
was supported by four Admirals. Then followed the mourners,
Sir Peter Parker being the principal, and his train borne by
the Hon. Captain Blackwood, followed by Captain Hardy,
Captain Bayntun, and Lieutenants King and Bligh. Arriving
at the Cathedral the procession was again formed, and the
burial service read by the Dean of St. Paul's, the whole
terminating with the Anthem, "his body is buried in
PEACE, BUT HIS NAME i-ivETH EVERMORE." Parliament
voted a monument to his memory, and it was placed in
St. Paul's, executed by Flaxman. The inscription on it was
written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Esq., M.P. Other
public monuments were erected at Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Dublin, Liverpool, Birmingham, Yarmouth, &c. At Ports-
down Hill a pillar was raised as a landmark by the subscrip-
tion of those who had shared in the dangers and glories of
Trafalgar. A singular monument, deserving of notice, is also
mentioned by Lady Chatterton, in her interesting "Rambles
in the South of Ireland." " Sometimes we caught glimpses of
the distant rocky headlands which render this part of the coast
so magnificent. At the summit of one, is a lofty arch, erected
540 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XI.
to the memory of Nelson by a party of officers. It is formed of
large stones without cement, and I was told it was entirely
constructed after Church one Sunday. If this account be
true, it reminds one of the marvellous tale related in Ireland of
every colossal structure, that it w^as the work of a night ! This
wonderful arch, however, forms a fine object in most of the
views about Castle Townsend, and as 1 first saw it towering
above the mist which concealed the base of the mountain
height on which it stood, its appearance was supernatural.^'^
The Government proposed and Parliament granted honours
and emoluments to the family of the departed hero. An
Earldom was permanently annexed to the family, and con-
ferred upon his brother the Rev. Dr. William Nelson, with
a pension of £5000 per annum attached to the Earldom, and
a gift of £120,000 in money. From this grant, an estate in
Wiltshire, which formerly belonged to the ancestors of the
first Countess Nelson, was purchased, and named after the
celebrated victory "Trafalgar." The present Horatio Earl
Nelson, who now resides there, is descended from the Boltons,
being the son of Thomas Bolton, second Earl, and is therefore
the grandson of Lord Nelson's sister, and succeeded to the title
November 1, 1835, upon the death of his father. He was
born August ^, 1823. £90,000 was destined for the purchase
of the mansion and lands, and £10,000 to the reparations or
improvements adjudged necessary ; whilst the remaining
£20,000 was to be divided between Lord Nelson's sisters,
Mrs. Bolton and Mrs. Matcham. It was in a great mea-
sure through the exertions of Mr. Abraham Goldsmid that
the sums mentioned were appropriated to Mrs. Bolton and
Mrs. Matcham, and the following extract from a letter ad-
dressed to Lady Hamilton by this truly benevolent and
excellent man will shew his zeal and anxiety on the occasion,
and that he endeavoured to induce the Government to double
the amount to Mrs. Bolton : —
" Finsbury Squai-e, April 8, 1806.
"■ I had the pleasure yesterday to receive a few lines from
you, and am happy you are well, but am sorry your spirits
are not yet recovered. I hope shortly to see you, and to tell
you that it is the will of Providence, and to him it is our
duty to content ourselves ; and on mature reflection you will
' Vol. i. p. 40.
I
1806.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON^ 541
be convinced that it was for the good of those he esteemed,
and his time was to die^ and if not by a shot you might have
lost him by sickness, and then his feelings would not have
been fulfilled according to his own wishes, which to me I am
sure of. Now for business, and please to keep it to yourself
and Mrs. Bolton. I have seen and conversed with all the
parties and pushed all I could. The answer from Lord
Grenville was, he meant to give Mr. Bolton £10,000 at his
disposal, and £10,000 to Mr. Matcham for his disposal. My
answer was, that as to Mr. Matcham there might be an
apology for such a sum, but as to Mr. Bolton I hoped and
trusted they would give at least £20,000 ready money, ex-
clusive of a respectable place under Government for Mr,
Bolton. Mr. Vansittart's answer was that he admired my zeal
in the promotion of the welfare of the late Lord Nelson's
family, but they had a deal to contend with, &c. &c.
" Your affectionate friend,
"Abraham Goldsmid.''
Parliament also voted £320,000 to the victors of Trafalgar,
as compensation for the prizes taken, but lost in or destroyed
by the gales subsequent to the action.
Large subscriptions were entered into, and the Patriotic
Fund voted a vase of £500 value as a relic to the Viscountess
Nelson, and similar ones to Earl Nelson, and Admiral, now
Lord Collingwood. Vases of £300 value were voted to
Rear-Admirals Earl Northesk and Sir Richard Strachan, Bart.
Swords of the value of £100 were voted to the several
Captains and Commanders of the different ships engaged in
the battle, and £100 in money to each of the Lieutenants of
the Navy, Captains of the Royal Marines, and other officers
wounded severely on the occasion, whilst £50 to each of
those slightly injured was determined to be given. To
different classes of the service were also allotted various sums
according to the usual distribution of prize-money, and the
money collected at the Churches and Chapels on the Day of
Thanksgiving for the Victory, was appropriated exclusively to
the relief of the seamen, soldiers, marines, and volunteers
wounded, and to the widows, orphans, and relations of those
who had fallen in the action.
542 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP XII.
CHAPTER XII.
1805-1806.
Having, in the preceding Chapters, traced the Hero
through his brilhant career, and attended his loved remains to
the tomb, the following letters written to Lady Hamilton, on
occasion of Lord Nelson's decease and the transit of his
remains to the Admiralty, cannot but be interesting to the
reader : —
From Captain Sir William Bolton : —
" H. M. S. Eurydice, November 3rd, Gibraltar.
" My dear, honoured Lady Hamilton,
'"^ Most sincerely do I hope this letter will not be ill-timed,
for I should ever feel self-reproach did I for a moment
delay writing to your Ladyship my feelings on our late so
dreadful calamity
" With a heart and mind deeply impressed with gratitude
for your Ladyship's generous attention to me and mine ; still
more so with the inestimable value of such a friend ; I hum-
bly request, with a true heart, request you will not deprive me
of the almost sole consolation left — your regard. In faith-
fulness, none shall exceed me ; in attachment and esteem,
none ; if my ability equals not my will, I must indeed regret
it ; but it shall be a spur, to incite me to the exertion of my
abilities in the situation our saint has placed me. With fer-
vent prayers to that good God (with whom he is) for your
consolation and future peace of mind, I for ever subscribe
myself your Ladyship's most faithful friend,
"W. Bolton."
Sir Andrew Snape Hamond, Bart., Comptroller of the
Navy, to Lady Hamilton : —
"Admiralty, 6th Nov. 1805.
"The Hero of the Nile has again achieved more than
ever fell to the lot of man. He fought the combined fleet of
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 543
France and Spain of thirty-three sail of the line, on the 21st
October, with twenty-seven on his part, and gained a most
complete and decisive victory, depriving the enemy of twenty
ships. This he did for his country ; but, alas ! what has that
country paid for it ! ! !
" How shall I relate the rest. The noblest and most mag-
nanimous of mankind fell in the conflict, but not till he knew
the victory was gained, and that he had accomplished the
most ardent wish of his heart.
" Let us, my dear Madam, bear this severe stroke of fortune
as becomes us. We have both lost our most beloved friend,
but we must submit to the will of Providence, and believe
that the Almighty has ordered this for the wisest purposes.
" Adieu,
" Your faithful and afflicted friend,
"A. S. Hamond."
From Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, Bart : — ^
" Canopus, off Cadiz,
Nov. 9ch, 1805.
" Dear Lady Hamilton,
" The painful task I am now about to undertake is truly
distressing to me — still, after the many repeated marks of
attention and friendship from you and yours, when abroad,
as well as in England, I should think myself very deficient in-
deed, at a moment like this, not to ofi'er my condolence with
yours, for the loss of our gallant, valuable, and much to be
lamented Lord Nelson. To enter upon my sufferings upon
this awful occasion must give pain to both, and every one that
knew his value. Never was a man more beloved by all, nor
a loss so much regretted. He died truly the hero in the arms
of victory. Such a loss can never be replaced. Could I
suppose, when I last parted with him, it was never to meet
again ? Surely not, nor would I have parted from him had a
thought of the kind entered my head, although I might have
received his displeasure at the moment in objecting ; but if
' This officer was not created a Baronet until March 29, 1806, but I have pre-
ferred in this, as in the follovring letters in this Chapter, to designate the writers in
accordance with the position they afterwards attained in the service.
544 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XII,
was my lot to be detached with a division to receive supphes
at Gibraltar^ and water at Tetuan, after which, to protect a
valuable convoy, with a considerable sum on board, clear of
the Carthagena squadron. I could not help remarking to my
most worthy and good friend, Lord Nelson, that I feared the
enemy would come out while we were absent. His reply,
' Don t mind, Louis, they wont come out yjet, and my fleet
must he completed ; tlie sooner yon go the better.'' Now what
must all our distress and sufferings be, after following him
close upon the enemy, and to be prevented the honour of
closing the day with the man we all so much adored, and what
was still more distressing, to lose him on that ever-to-be-re-
membered day. Poor Captains Hallo well and Stopford were
of my party : the former, you know full well the regard
they had for each other. The grand consolation now left, is,
that after the severe wound he received, had he lived, he might
have lingered a life of existence only, painful to himself, and
equally, or more so, as very distressing to those who knew
and loved him.
" It would be a great gratification to me to have something
that was once really his, as a token of remembrance and
regard for the man I loved and had the highest respect for,
which shall be handed down to my posterity. I never made
such a request before, nor ever shall again, for no man
can ever have the warmth of my heart and soul so strong
and sincere. I don't care what it is, you will oblige me
n\uch by sending it, directed to Mrs. Louis, Cadwell, New-
ton Bushell, Devon. She will take care of it until my
return. God bless you, my dear Lady Hamilton. Had I
shared the honours of the day, I might have seen you earlier
than it appears likely at present I shall, but whenever I come
to England, I shall not lose time in paying my respects, and
to assure you, how much obliged 1 feel for every mark of
attention and kindness from you, and how much I regret the
loss of my dear and valuable friend. Lord Nelson.
" My best wishes attend you, Mrs. Cadogan, and Miss
Charlotte, to whom I beg particularly to be remembered, and
believe me, with respect and esteem,
" Your obliged and faithful friend,
'• Thomas Louis."
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 545
From Captain Sir William Hoste, Bart : —
" Amphion, Gibraltar Bay,
November 9th, 1805.
'• My dear Lady Hamilton,
" I should have wrote you before this, and by the Victory,
but I had not arrived from Algiers when she sailed from
Gibraltar. Even now I am at a loss what to write, and the
gloomy disposition of my mind at this moment leaves me in a
sad wretched state. The chief purport of my writing is, I
believe, to beg that Lady Hamilton, the best and dearest
friend of that great man. Lord Nelson, will endeavour to bear
up against the late most severe and irreparable loss, and to
assure herself that to be considered as one who she will con-
descend to call amongst the numerous circle of her friends,
will now be the first wish of, my dear Madam,
'^ Your ever faithful and sincere friend,
" W. Hoste."
From Lady Elizabeth Bentinck to Miss (afterwards Lady
Charlotte) Nelson, now Lady Bridport : —
" Sunday, Ramsgate.
'^ My dear Miss Nelson,
*' Our anxiety to hear how mj friend. Lady Hamilton,
supports herself, must plead my excuse for troubling you at a
time like this. I shall not say more of my feelings on this
great but truly lamentable occasion, than that they are sin-
cerely affected with adoration and regret, and that I have un-
ceasingly thought of the sufferings poor Lady Hamilton must
endure. Favour me, then, with one line just to say how she
is, and tender her my best love and condolence. Lord Edward
joins me in every kind sentiment of esteem to you and yours,
and I pray you to believe me, very affectionately
'^ Yours,
" Elizabeth Bentinck."
From the Right Hon. Sir George Rose, Secretary of the
Treasury : —
" Dear Madam,
" There are occasions on which silence is more expressive
than words. If I were to attempt to convey what I feel, and
VOL. II. 2 N
546 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAI, [CHAP. XII.
shall to the end of my Ufe, at the ii-reparable loss the country,
and the friends of the glorious hero have sustained, I should
utterly fail.
"In the beginning of September he wrote to inform me,
from London, on my entreating him to sit to Edridge for
me, that he would certainly do so if he should not be ordered
to sea very, very soon. When I saw him on board the Victory,
I did not ask him whether he had done so ; lest, if he had not,
he should be at all uncomfortable ; but since the melancholy
news was received, I wrote to Mr. Edridge, and learn from
him that I am disappointed. I recollect an admirable por-
trait, by Sir William Beechey, to whom I wrote to learn
where it is, in the hope of getting a small whole-length by
Bone from it, but Sir William Beechey tells me it is in the
Great Hall at Norwich. In this state of despair I entreat you
will help me in the best way you can ; I dare not hope that
any one who has an original painting, or the rougher sketch
of a drawing, would let me have it, though I should set a
value on it above all price : it occurs to me, however, that you
may be able to assist me, and afford me the highest gratifica-
tion (next to possessing any thing original), by procuring me
the loan of a good portrait of him, to have one done by Bone.
I will make no apology for this intrusion on you.
" I am, dear Madam,
'^ Your most obedient and humble servant,
"■ George Rose.
" Christ Church, November 17th, 1805.
*' I return to Cuffiiells on Wednesday.
" 1 have this instant a letter from my incomparable and
ever-to-be-lamented friend, in which (when he was hourly ex-
pecting the action) he says, ' I verily believe the country will
soon be put to some expense on my account, either a monu-
ment or new pension.^ "
From Admiral Sir Richard Goodwin Keats : —
" Superb, off Cadiz, 19th November, 1805.
'' Dear Lady Hamilton,
^' I will not pretend to express to you the feelings I expe-
rienced on the news of the melancholy event which has caused
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 54?
you so much sorrow, and which occasions my returning to
your Ladyship the accompanying letters.^ As well as your
Ladyship I too have lost a friend I loved and adored, to whom
I owe obligations that can never be effaced from my bosom.
I will not dwell on a subject that has caused you such sincere
grief, but I cannot conclude without expressing my hope that
the Hero's last wishes may meet with their fullest accomplish-
ment in a handsome provision for your Ladyship by Govern-
ment, and that if my trifling but zealous services can any how
prove convenient or useful in this part of the world to your
Ladyship, or any of his family, I should have sincere pleasure
in being employed. As the ChifFonne frigate, by which I
forwarded from Portsmouth some letters from your Ladyship
did not arrive in time, I shall not fail to make the most par-
ticular inquiries for them; in order that if they have not
already, they may be safely returned.
" I have the honour to be,
" Your Ladyship's
" Faithful and very obedient humble servant,
" R. G. Keats.
" I send by the Temeraire two covers of letters addressed to
your Ladyship."
From Richard Bulkeley, Esq. : —
" Pencombe, Bromyard, 28th November, 1805.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
'* From the moment that the much-dreaded and ever- to-be-
lamented tidings reached me, I have been overwhelmed by
the deepest and sincerest grief, in which you have often re-
curred to my mind. The public has lost its greatest and
favourite hero, — society has lost, a man endowed by nature
with every quality the most endearing, and which no indi-
vidual that ever I knew possessed in an equal degree to ray
dear friend Nelson. You have lost what must be irreparable
to you, that which any woman in any age and situation would
have been proud to possess, a friend, who, in all his actions,
was governed by the purest feelings, and whose mind was in-
' Letters addressed by Lady Haniiitou to Lord Nelson.
2 N 2
548 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XII.
capable, under any circumstances, of forgetting those who
had in the sHghtest degree marked kindness towards him.
To you, therefore, who had served and saved him when no
common exertions could have availed, it was quite natural
that his attachment should have been (as it was) the most
tender and unbounded. Such an attachment from such a
man was a blessing, which nothing in this world can ever
equal, and I feel the magnitude of your misfortune. I would,
if I knew how, offer comfort to your agonized heart, and if
the certainty that you possess the sympathy of one who loved
our dear departed hero as he deserved, can be a soothing re-
flection, you may at all times rely upon mine, and assure
yourself that I shall always feel interested in the concerns of
one so dear to the friend whose memory I shall, so long as I
live, dwell upon with admiration and affection. I entreat
that you will let me hear from you as soon as possible.
"The fate of my poor boy^ is still unknown to me, and
though I anxiously expect, yet I dread the arrival of every
post, lest it should bring me an accumulation of affliction.
Mrs. Bulkeley joins me in compliments of condolence to you,
and I beg you to offer them to the family at Merton. I have
endeavoured, through Mr. Davison, to set on foot a measure
which, if adopted as I wish, will be highly beneficial to those
who fought so nobly for us, and to the immediate heir and
family of our inestimable Nelson. If you wish to know the
particulars, ask Mr. Davison to shew you my letter, and
believe me,
*^' Your faithful and sincere friend,
" Richard Bulkeley."
From the Hon. Lady Blackwood, and Admiral the Hon
Sir Henry Blackwood, Bart. : —
" Portsmouth, Friday, December the 6th.
" Madam,
" It was Captain Blackwood^s wish to have had the plea-
sure of addressing you himself, but the great hurry of accu-
mulated business, on his arrival at Portsmouth, will, I hope,
' Richard Bulkeley, Midshipman on board the Victory, and wounded at the
battle of Trafalgar.
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 549
apologize for his thus deputing me his secretary. Captain
Blackwood is anxious to communicate to your mind the relief
which, allow me to say, ive trust the purport of this letter may
afford you, in informing your Ladyship that he saw Captain
Hardy this morning, who has in his possession papers of the
last will of this ever-to-be-regretted Commander, which will
prove highly gratifying and satisfactory to you ; that it is Cap-
tain Hardy's determination not to deliver any of them up to
ani/ person until he has seen you, which in the course of a few
days he hopes to do, in town : that Captain Hardy will most
steadily endeavour to fulfil the wishes of his departed friend
by his best exertions, and utmost efforts to assist your inte-
rest and promote your wishes in every possible way he can.
Captain Hardy this morning set off early for Mr.. Rose's at
Cuffnells, upon business of importance. What I have taken
the liberty of expressing was expressed by Captain Hardy in
the most friendly and zealous manner towards your Ladyship.
" I am, Madam,
" Your very obedient humble servant,
" Harriet Blackwood.''
" Dear Lady Hamilton,
" Hardy may have spoken his mind on former occasions
more freely than you could have wished ; but depend upon it
that the last words of our lamented friend will influence his
conduct. He desires me, in the most unequivocal manner,
to assure you of his good intentions towards you. This, I
hope, will ease your mind.
" Sincerely in haste,
" Your friend,
^' Henry Blackw^ood."
From Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Bart. : —
"Victory, December 8th, 1805.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
^' I am quite sorry to hear of Chevalier's^ conduct, and
what could induce him to request you not to mention to
' Steward of the Victory.
550 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XII.
Earl Nelson his having given you my letter I know not (for
I had no idea of its being kept a secret). Such is his story
to me ; and, as the Earl was not pleased with him for having
detected him in something like a falsehood, he did not return
to you. However, I shall keep a strict look out over him
and all the rest of the servants. I have requested Sutton to
speak to you on the subject, and write to me at Deal, where
I expect to be on Wednesday next, as we sail for the Downs
to-morrow evening. Every thing shall be preserved for you
that you can wish ; and it shall be my constant study to meet
your wishes, as it was our ever dear Lord's last request to be
kind to you, which, I trust, I never shall forget. As his dear
body is in spirits, I think it would be wrong for you to think
of seeing him, and do let me beg of you to give up the idea ;
but should you still be determined, I certainly shall not
oppose it ; and I would recommend you to consult Sutton on
the subject. I have his hair, lockets, rings, breast-pin, and
all your Ladyship's pictures in a box by themselves, and they
shall be delivered to no one but yourself. Every thing shall
be done to meet Earl Nelson's wishes, and I have no doubt
but he will be satisfied with my conduct. I beg of you, my
dear Lady Hamilton, to keep up your spirits under this most
melancholy and trying occasion ; and you may be sure of
always meeting a most sincere friend in
" T. M. Hardy."
From the Rev. Alexander John Scott, D.D., Chaplain and
Private Secretary to Lord Nelson: —
" My very dearly respected Lady Hamilton,
" I did not get your letter before yesterday afternoon, too
late to answer you from hence — indeed, now it is such wea-
ther, I doubt if I can get my letter on shore. I cannot come
to London yet ; nothing upon earth, however, would prevent
me but the duty I owe the remains of the best beloved and
most interesting of human beings. I will not go on shore
but with them, after which my next duty will be to pay my
respects to you. In offering you my services, for the first
time in my life, I regret my own insignificance ; I am devoted
to you, however, sincerely.
" Admiral Collingwood sent home dispatches, without
giving us an opportunity of writing. A gale of wind had
1805.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 551
separated us from the fleet, otherwise I had taken precau-
tions to write to you. I hope you do not think me either
neghgent or forgetful. Have the goodness to remember me to
all the family, Lord Nelson, Lady Nelson, and Lady Charlotte.
" Believe me ever while I live,
" Your most sincerely attached friend,
" And most respectful humble servant,
"A.J. Scott."
'^ My dearly respected Lady Hamilton,
** I take the liberty of writing to you only to say, that,
with the blessing of God, the remains of your beloved,
incomparable, and invaluable friend are safe, and will be on
shore at Greenwich by to-morrow. I would wait upon you
to-morrow, but it does not agree with the principle I have
adopted of not leaving the place where he is until I lose sight
of him for ever ; I know you will approve of this. God bless
you, my dearest Madam. Accept the warmest prayers of my
heart for your repose and w^elfare. I am ever while I live, Avith
zeal and attachment,
" Your faithful and devoted servant,
'^ A. J. Scott.
" Commissioners' Yacht, passing Gravesend,
"December 23, 1805.
" Mr. Tyson is here; Mr. Nayler, &c."
"Dear Lady Hamilton,
" The body of my dear Lord was last night deposited in
the Board Room of Greenwich Hospital, which will not be
opened until his removal to the Painted Chamber. I need
not tell you how sorry I was to quit it. I have taken lodg-
ings here, and shall remain until the procession goes from
hence to London. In all things you may command me, and
I really wish for your approbation in every thing, considering
you as a still surviving part of my blessed and beloved Friend.
God bless you, my dear Madam, and give you happier days
than these. With sincere respect, I am,
'^ Your devoted servant and most attached friend,
"A. J. Scott.
" Dec. 25th, 1805, Park Row, Greenwich,
No. 21, near the East Gate of the Hospital."
552 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP, XII.
" Wednesday night,
Admiralty, half-past twelve o'clock.
*■' My dear Lady Hamilton,
" I am sorry not to be able to write oftener to you, and
more at length — however, just now I sent Mr. Beckwith, fore-
man to Mr. France,^ who has throughout conducted the busi-
ness— he can tell you every thing minutely. I hope he will
get in, though it is now very late. Nothing ever was equal
to the affection shewn for your poor hero. One trait I must
tell you, the very beggars left their stands, neglected the
passing crowd, and seemed to pay tribute to his memory by
a look — many did I see, tattered and on crutches, shaking
their heads with plain signs of sorrow — this must be truly the
unbought affection of the heart.
" I should never have made any request of the kind to the
Earl, but merely as a tribute of affection to the name of Nel-
son— to no other nobleman in the land would I be Chaplain,
nor indeed could 1, with any propriety, ask the Prince of
Wales to be Chaplain to any one else ; without whose parti-
cular leave no Chaplain of his could presume to belong to
any one else also. Your poor Nelson, upon his first vacancy,
intended to speak to the Prince about it, and to have nomi-
nated me, 1 wished it earnestly, not for any nasty material
good of this world, but because it drew my connexion closer
with him, it was a matter, therefore, I did press with
him, as he knew it could be no advantage to me, already
Chaplain to the Prince, and entitled therefore to all privileges
which it affords. But, indeed, my dear Lady Hamilton, I
would never have talked on this subject while dear Lord Nelson
remained unburied, but for the information I had that the Earl
was already arranging his Chaplains. Meeting him, I wished
to put him on his guard, as he might otherwise have forgot
my prio7- claim to any one — but in all this do you but approve
of my conduct, and I care little for the rest in this world.
"Sir Evan Nepean was here just now, and cried very
much — most sincerely, had the man not been in office, I would
have taken him by the hand for it, nay, embraced him. Every
thought and word I have is about your dear Nelson. I have
him now before me — dear Lady Hamilton — here lies Bayard
' The Undertaker employed by Government.
1806.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 553
— but Bayard victorious — savs peur et sans rtproche. This is
my motto for an emblem to be worn by those who cherish his
memory— it might be interwoven in a sprig of gold laurel —
dear Lady Hamilton speak to some of your sex about it. Sans
peur et sans reproche. So help me God, as I think he was a
true knight and worthy the age of chivalry — one may say —
lui mtme fait le siecle — for where shall we see another ? When
I think, setting aside his heroism, what an affectionate fasci-
nating little fellow he was, how dignified and pure his mind,
how kind and condescending his manners, I become stupid
with grief for what I have lost. Pardon my scrawl.
" Your devoted servant,
" A. J. Scott."
" My dear Madam,
" Mr. Beckwith has just come back, and I learn he did not.
see you from the lateness of the hour. I sent him only to
give you a minute detail of every thing which he must be
better acquainted with than any one else. I came from
Greenwich with our dearest Lord in the same boat. I am
grievously vexed that to-morrow I am all day so far removed
from him by my place in the procession. I cannot with ease
bear this separation ; but there is no help for it. To the last
I could have wished to have been near him. God bless you
and give you rest.
" With respect,
" Your devoted servant,
"A. J. Scott.
" Wednesday niglit — rather Thursday morning."
"No. 21, Park Row, Greenwich,
January 1st, 1806.
'^ Dear and much respected Lady Hamilton,
" Why, my dearest Madam, do you not order one of your
yoimg folks to write to me, and let me know your health and
spirits are improving ? I do not expect you should trouble
yourself with writing to me. No human being is more sin-
cerely interested in your happiness and welfare than I am.
I have not moved out of these lodgings but to go to the
Hospital over the way. I saw Mr. Tyson yesterday, who
554 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XII.
had enjoyed the good fortune to see you. I cannot — unless
you expressly wish it — until after the funeral. When the
scene is closed for ever with my valuable and incomparable
friend, I am devoted to your service. Good God ! how does
the country want him now !
" I do not mean to speak to you in worldly terms, my
dearest Madam, while I live with the deepest respect, regard,
and attachment, I am your servant,
"A. J. Scott."
"January 3rd, 1806,
No. 21, Park Row, Greenwich.
" My dearly respected Madam,
" I received this morning your very kind note, and although
I am flattered, I feel grateful for the manner in which you
speak to me, still I am sorry you should have troubled your-
self to write. Earl Nelson and Horace^ were here to-day —
the latter was very much affected, and wept a great deal —
I can truly say he won my heart by it, and I hope to God he
will never one day of his life forget his uncle.
" Had you not mentioned it, I should most certainly have
waited on you immediately after the ceremony — it is a duty,
and with me a sacred one, to do all and every thing which he
could wish, were it possible for him to look down and direct.
My heart pays a grateful tribute to the kind expressions in
your letter. I honour your feelings, and I respect you, dear
Lady Hamilton, for ever.
"A. J. Scott."
From the Abbe Campbell : —
" Naples, Dec. the 8th, 1805.
" My ever beloved Friend,
" It is with a heart full of anguish, grief, and sorrow, I
commiserate and condole with you for the loss of our ever
dear and beloved friend and hero — excuse me, I cannot write
a word more on the subject. I truly pity you from my
soul, and only wish to be near you, to participate with you
the agonies of your heart, and mix our tears together.
The only consolation remaining is, that his name shall be for
ever immortal. The news only arrived here the 2nd instant.
' Vigcount Trafalgar.
1806.J LORD VISCOUNT NELSOIV. 555
Judge of my feelings — not only of mine but of every per-
son's here, where he was adored. I have not had the courage
to see their Majesties since, but have been told they are much
afflicted. I received a letter, and alas ! the last letter from
our late dear friend, dated off Cadiz, the 9th of October ; in
the postscript of which he said, ^ I have letters from my dear
Lady Hamilton of September the 20th. I am sure you will
forgive her writing when you consider all she suffered on my
tour to the West Indies ;' that he was only twenty-five days
from the Victory, and that he intended to repose his wearied
bones this winter at Merton ; but that he could not resist
the cry of his country for him to go to beat their enemy,
&c. &c. This letter we shall, if God spares us life, read toge-
ther, as it contains something which I cannot commit to
paper.
" This country never was in such danger of being for ever
lost as it is at this moment. You know they made a treaty of
neutrality lately with the French, in consequence of which
they evacuated the Idngdom. It was stipulated that Damas
should not be employed ; he, however, in a week's time, was
recalled here from Messina, and put at the head of the
Neapolitan army ; a few days after the English and Russians
disembarked here, in consequence of which the French Am-
bassador quits, and swears vengeance against the treachery of
the country. I must observe to you, that all this has hap-
pened within these fifteen days past. After the disasters in
Germany, when there were no further hopes from that
quarter, I ask you if they wanted to lose the country — if
they could have taken a more efficacious method than what
they have done ? How can 22,000 Russians and Enghsh
withstand all the force of France now, as they have nothing
more to do in Germany ? — They will march into the country,
and that soon, and destroy it. I am very sorry for all these
circumstances, as I shall be a sufterer with many others.
I have not seen the Queen these many months — I suppose
they wall all go to Sicily. For God's sake don't mention this
to any soul living. I have written to the Duke, but as I have
had no answer, I don't wish to trouble him more. Pray
remember me most kindly to him and Lord William, Doctor
Nelson and his lady, Miss Charlotte and Horace. If I cau
556 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XII.
serve them in any way respecting the Bronte estate, they may
command me freely. May I hope you have been left that
for life ? God grant it, I am sure I wish it ; and pray let me
know eveiy particular concerning yourself. Poor Nudy* is
with me, he is very sad for my poor Lord ; he desires a thou-
sand compliments with mine to your good mother. God for
ever bless you, and believe me ever
" Your constant friend,
'' H. Campbell."
From WilKam Hayley, Esq. the Biographer of Romney : —
<' January 31st, 1806.
" My dear Lady,
" If I have ever been a source of good to you in any period
of your life, I rejoice in the idea ; but I shall be much more
so, if you allow me to suggest to you, what bitter and long
experience has taught me, and what I consider as an inesti-
wahle acquisition — I mean the habit of making affectionate
justice to departed excellence a source of the purest delight.
My meaning will be more forcibly impressed, perhaps, on
your feeling heart, by my transcribing for you {in confidential
2)rivacy) a few verses, of which I^have already cited to you a
single line.
" Blest be this hallowed movement of the heart,
Affection for the dead ! It has a charm,
A tender, awful, melancholy charm.
Source of aspiring thoughts, and fair designs !
That gratify the feeling soul, beyond
The towering transport, and the gaudy pride,
That gayer passions boast ! — 'Tis my delight
On Heaven-descended Contemplation's seat
To sit me down, before the gates of death.
And with fond aid from faithful memory.
Muse o'er the virtues of each dearer friend,
Who passed that solemn portal. — How sublime !
How sweet such converse with departed worth !
Then free from all Mortality's dark mist.
Its doubts, its troubles, its infirmities.
True goodness (finding in the grave a shrine,
That hides not, but refines, its sacred light)
Pours its full lustre to em-ich the mind
Of fiiendship, in whose sight the buried live !
' The Physician.
1806.] LORD VISCOUNT NKLSON. 557
^' If these lines prove half as soothing to your heart as
they have been to my own, you will deem them worth your
acceptance. I now scrawl in extreme haste to give you the
quickest assurance in my power, that I most heartily wish to
reanimate your wounded spirit, and excite you to display that
angelic fortitude, through every earthly trial, which the heroic
angel, whose flight from earth we ought not too deeply to
lament, must wish and expect iYovayoViV elevated and inspiring
mind.
" You kindly say you are very sorry you have promised Earl
Nelson to give him your letters ; probably because you imagine
1 shoidd ivish them to be imparted to the biographer I men-
tioned, but, as your very sincere friend, I should advise you
to retain these letters in your own custody, and not suffer
even me, your old and faithful friend, to persuade you to im-
part them to the public, except at some distant day, as a
legacy to your country, from yourself
^' More of this at our greater leisure ! I can only add, that
on all occasions you may command the sincerest advice, and
every service within the power of
" Your affectionate
" Hermit."
" June 7, 1806.
" Beheve me, dear Emma, the most valuable of all victories
are those we obtain over ourselves ! Self-conquest is the sum-
mit of real heroism. Remember, your country has reason to
expect from you the most serene and sublime magnanimity as
the confidential friend of her favourite hero ! The highest
compliment that you can pay to his memory is to prove your-
self worthy of his praise. You tell me you are most unhappy.
No ! you must not he so. You must allow your friendly
Hermit to lead you to discover, and to enjoy, perhaps, the
very sweetest of cordial gratifications. In a pilgrimage of
threescore years on earth, I have learnt that the most sooth-
ing and satisfactory of all human pleasures may be found in
discharging our affectionate duties to the dead ; and particu-
larly in acting, upon all occasions, as the pure Spirits of the
Just made perfect, must wish their surviving friends to act.
558 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XII.
Now, dear Emma, you have abundance of such delightful
duties (as I have mentioned) to furnish you with the most
animating occupation. I conjure you, therefore, to let no sort
of trouble depress the native energy of your mind. I perfectly
conceive the charm you find in the scenery of Merton. A
poet of your acquaintance has said : —
" Ye, who have loved, and lost your soul's delight,
Ye know what value, in Affection's sight.
Trifles may gain ; a tree, or rural shed.
That once were favourites of the honoured dead !
" These lines I have just recollected from a private un-
finished poem, in several cantos, begun many years ago ; in
which (by the way) something like a portrait of Emma her-
self may also be found ; for I remember, in describing the
heroine of the poem, I had present to my fancy the wonder-
fully expressive features of my friend Emma, as she used to
display them in a variety of characters to me and our beloved
Romney. If we ever meet again, you shall hear some of the
lines I allude to. At present I scrawl in extreme haste to
return you most cordial, though hasty, thanks for your kind
letter, and to assure you, that I shall receive with the most
lively gratitude, all the dates and anecdotes that you may be
so good as to send with the promised list of your pictures.
'' I charge you, he not dispirited ! Can you be so with a
just remembrance of Nelson ? No — rather say to yourself
" Di quella Fronte un raggio,
Tinto di Morte ancora,
M'inspirera Coraggio,
M'insignera Vu-tu."
"Adopt these charming words of Metastasio to the sublimest
notes you can ! and sing them as an act of devotion every
day ! This is a medicinal prescription against low spirits,
that you will find most efficacious, if you follow the friendly
advice of
*' Your affectionate,
*' Hermit."
1806.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 559
From Sir Alexander John Ball, Bart., Governor of Malta : —
'^ My dear Lady Hamilton,
"By the time this will probably reach your Ladyship,'
I hope you will, in some measure, have recovered from the
shock caused by the irreparable loss of our immortal Nelson.
In him we have to bewail the death of our best friend, and
the public that of their greatest hero. The nation was sen-
sible of his inestimable talents and worth before he was
snatched from us. I cannot but lament that it was not
ordained that he should live a few years with us, and
witness the plaudits of a grateful nation, and enjoy the society
of his much attached friends. I have to entreat you to con-
tinue to command my services whenever they can be useful.
" Their Sicilian Majesties are once more doomed to quit
the Neapolitan dominions, and take refuge at Palermo.
They will now more deeply feel the loss of their confidential
friends, the Hamiltons and Nelson.
" I hope you will do me the favour of answering this, and
that you will be assured of the respect and esteem of
'^ Yom' sincere and obedient,
" Alexander John Ball."
From Mrs. Lutwidge, wife of Admiral Lutwidge : —
" Holm Rock, Whitehaven,
January 10th, 18C6.
" I have long wished to write to you, my dearest and
beloved Emma, but had not courage to take up my pen ;
but there has not a day passed in which my Admiral and self
have not thought of you. Our hearts bleed for your suffer-
ings, and, had it been possible to have alleviated your sorrow,
dearest Emma, we should not thus long have remained
silent ; but we could only add our tears to yours for the loss
of the greatest hero and best of men that ever existed.
From the bottom of our hearts do we most truly feel for and
compassionate your situation, and beg to assure you of our
tenderest sympathy.
''The last sad, sad duty, has been paid ere this to the
' Post mark, March 31, 1806.
560 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XII.
remains of that immortal hero, whom we shall ever most
feelingly deplore. My Admiral was most anxious to attend
this awful ceremony, but was really unable — indeed he never
lias been well since the fatal news reached us, and, I am
sorry to say, is threatened with the loss of sight. His eyes
are in so weak a state he is unable to write, else, my dearest
Emma, he would have added a few lines to this letter.
I long to hear from yourself how you are, how you support
yourself during the scene of anguish and affliction with
which you are overwhelmed. From others I have heard
of you, or I could not have borne the degree of anxiety
I experienced. Mrs. Cookson, who frequently saw Mrs.
Denis, never failed to give me constant accounts, and
I have twice heard by means of Captain Blackwood ; but it
is from yourself, dearest Emma, I long to be informed how
you are, and, when you feel yourself able, I hope you will
not deny me the consolation of a line.
" I cannot yet hear the loved name of Nelson without tor-
rents of tears, and entre nous, my dear friend, most truly
regret that any one should bear the same title. We have all
here mourned both in hearts and habit, and the house of
Muncaster, as well as ourselves, put their family in deep
mourning. What a dreadful loss the country has sustained !
and who shall support us? — but I will not rend your heart
by longer dwelling on this subject, and yet I cannot think of
any other. Tell me, my beloved Emma, that you will take
care of yourself for the sake of the interesting little being
consigned to your care, and with such a public testimony of
Ms high sense of all those great and good qualities you emi-
nently possess. I own, my dear Emma, I shall have no small
curiosity to know who this dear little being is, who is so dis-
tinguished. Adieu, my dearest friend; with the tenderest,
affectionate, and most grateful regard, in which my Admiral
begs most cordially to unite, I am now, and for ever,
" Your most faithful,
"^ C. LUTWIDGE.
" We beg to be kindly remembered to Lady Charlotte and
all the friends by whom you are surrounded.''
1806.] LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 561
From Admiral Lord Collingwood : —
" Queen, March Srd, 180G.
" Madam,
" I most sincerely condole with you on the great and irre-
parable loss that we have met with ; but particularly those
who had the happiness of his friendship, in the death of my
most excellent and beloved friend Lord Nelson, and hope
that time will soften your sorrows for him, to a pleasing
remembrance of all that was good and great in nature. I
have thought it extraordinary that not one private letter has
ever come to me, addressed to Lord Nelson ; indeed, it hap-
pened, that no ship came from England, for some time after
the action, except those which sailed after the event was
known ; but should any letter be found, bearing his address,
your Ladyship may trust that I will forward it as you desire,
to Mr. Davison, in Saint James's Square.
" Your Ladyship mentions Mr. Davison, as having been the
Prize Agent for Lord Nelson's fleet, on former occasions, and
he has told me he expected to have been on this. I am ex-
ceedingly sorry he should have met with any disappointment ;
but I assure your Ladyship I never heard of such a proposal
from Lord Nelson. I do not think his Lordship interfered
in the agency of Captains, and for the Flag shares, Mr. Scott,
the Secretary, was appointed the Agent, and, if I am not mis-
taken, I signed his power on board the Victory. On his
death, the Captains of the fleet wrote to me a letter, to say, if
I approved of it, they had resolved to appoint my Secretary
their agent, which I received as a great compliment to me,
for they knew, that wherever money is to be managed, I
never recommend, or interfere in any way, but leave to the
Captains the sole management of their own affairs.
" I beg your Ladyship's pardon for entering into a detail
of this business ; but I am really very much hurt that there
should have been any cause of disappointment to Mr. Davi-
son, and I wished to explain to your Ladyship, that it is a
subject I have never, in any way, interfered in.
" I have the honor to be,
" Your Ladyship's,
" Most obedient humble servant,
" Collingwood."
VOL. II. 2 o
562 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
CONCLUSION.
Thus gloriously fell Lord Nelson — in the hour of victory,
and with a full consciousness of the glorious achievement by
which, with other daring and heroic deeds, his name was to
descend to posterity. " A name and an example, which are
at this hour inspiring thousands of the youth of England — a
name which is our pride, and an example which will continue
to be our shield and our strength."^
The estimate formed by his country of his military talents,
and the love entertained for him personally, has been fully
exemplified in the preceding pages, and it will not be, I trust,
an unsatisfactory conclusion to a narrative of the life and
exploits of the Hero, to bring together some of the principal
features of his character and portraitures which have been
drawn of him by those who have rendered themselves illus-
trious, either in the Senate, on the Ocean, or in the Republic
of Letters.
Contemplation of Nelson's career admits of no pause — it
was one of incessant activity. He had a mind adequate to
any emergency — to every exigency — his promptitude in
action was as remarkable as his judgment was distinguished.
Nothing escaped his attention. He is an example of decided
genius in his profession, for, whilst he could enter into a
consideration of even the most minute and particular details,
his grasp of intellect was such as enabled him to embrace
and embody the whole view and entire object, and determine
upon the consequences of action. The consideration given
to the Battles of the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar, was
complete, long ere they were entered upon ; the particulars
had been so frequently and so fully discussed by him with
his Captains, that signals of direction were scarcely needed,
and the results following those glorious achievements prove
how just were the principles upon which they had been
' Southey.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 563
formed. The moment a conception was engendered, it en-
grossed all his thoughts, and not an instant was lost in the
contemplation of the means calculated to ensure its success.
His energies were proportioned to the greatness of the object
to be achieved, and nothing was left to the possibility of
temporary necessity or accident. He was too heroic to feel
difficulty an opposition to his progress, and nothing affecting
either individual or national honour was with him a matter of
indifference.
" Gifted by nature with undaunted courage, indomitable
resolution, and undecaying energy. Nelson (Alison observes)
was also possessed of the eagle glance, the quick determi-
nation, and coolness in danger, which constitute the rarest
qualities of a consummate Commander. Generous, open-
hearted, and enthusiastic, the whole energies of his soul were
concentrated in the love of his country ; like the youth in
Tacitus, he loved danger itself, not the rewards of courage ;
he was incessantly consumed by that passion for great
achievements, that sacred fire, which is the invariable cha-
racteristic of heroic minds. His soul was constantly striving
for historic exploits ; generosity and magnanimity in danger
were so natural to him, that they arose unbidden on every
occasion calculated to call them forth."^
Coleridge roundly says : " Lord Nelson was an Admiral
every inch of him. He looked at every thing, not merely in
its possible relations to the naval service in general, but in its
immediate bearings on his own squadron ; to his officers, his
men, to the particular ships themselves, his affections were
as strong and ardent as those of a lover. Hence, though his
temper was constitutionally irritable and uneven, yet never
was a Commander so enthusiastically loved by men of all
ranks, from the Captain of the fleet to the youngest ship-boy.
Hence, too, the unexampled harmony which reigned in his
fleet, year after year, under circumstances that might well
have undermined the patience of the best balanced dispo-
sitions, much more of men with the impetuous character of
British sailors."
Nelson possessed every qualification necessary to form a
great Admiral. In no profession, perhaps, is there demanded
' History of Europe, Vol. iii. p. 281, 5th edition.
2 o 2
564 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CFIAP. XIII.
more coolness, presence of mind, self-denial, energy, in-
trepidity, humanity and decision, than in the naval service,
and in the possession of these high qualities no individual
stands so eminent as Lord Nelson. No injustice to his
memory can be greater than the opinion expressed by M.
Thiers, that Nelson was in fact only qualified to tight (n'etait
propre qu' a combattre). Noticing his being second in
command in the Baltic, this author looks upon him as merely
placed there to act when battle was necessary ; yet he cannot
deny to him the possession of a happy instinct for warfare,
and at the same time is compelled to admit that he reasoned
ably upon subjects connected with his profession. The genius
of Nelson, however, was of a far more extensive character.
No subject whatever belonging to the naval service failed to
occupy his attention, and to receive from him proper con-
sideration and regard. He was a great Commander in every
sense of the word. He was ahke distinguished in every
variety of service, whether as a negotiator, a naval Com-
mander, a general Officer on shore, a superintendent of
transports, or as a direct(jr for the embarkation and landing of
troops. Nelson's quickness and sagacity in every thing were
very remarkable. The Rev. Dr. Scott, who acted as his
Chaplain and Foreign Secretary, and who made translations
of the dispatches and communications directed by Lord
Nelson to the functionaries of the different Powers, tells us
that he had the newspapers. French, Italian, Spanish, &c.
which were regularly transmitted to the fleet, scanned and
read over to him, as w^ell as pamphlets of a very ephemeral
nature; that he never discarded any as unworthy notice,
feeling persuaded tliat no man would put his hand to paper
unless furnished with some matter of importance to commu-
nicate. He detected the drift of an author with marvellous
quickness, for two or three pages were generally sufficient to
put him in possession of the writer's aim and object. He
was not less acute in discerning the talents of those about
him; and M. de la Graviere has remarked that Nelson so
well knew how to elicit the particular talents of each indi-
vidual, that there was no officer so bad that he did not
succeed in obtaining zealous and often valuable services from
him.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 565
His activity upon being appointed to a command is very
strikingly illustrated, when named to the Agamemnon, in
1793; to the Saint George, in 1801; and in 1805, when only
upon the 16th of May, a message from the King announced
to Parliament^ the necessity of immediate war with France,
Nelson was on the following day, Commander-in-chief at
Portsmouth, and ready to embark. His sagacity was equal
to his quickness. In the Life of the Reverend Doctor Scott,^
it is said, that the fleet which had been so long baffled by
contrary winds, in the Mediterranean, suddenly experienced
so unexpected a change, that the Officers and men had gone
on shore, and the linen was landed to be washed. Nelson,
however, observing, and weatherwise as he was, perceived an
indication of a probable change of wind. Off went a gun
from the Victory, and up went the blue peter , whilst the
Admiral paced the deck in a hurry, with anxious steps
and impatient of a moment's delay. The Officers looked
upon this as '* one of Nelson's mad pranks.'^ But he proved
to be right, the wind did become favourable, the linen was left
on the shore, they cleared the Gut, and steered off for the
West Indies.
Nothing but the genius of Nelson could have enabled him
to sustain such personal fatigue as he experienced. Natu-
rally delicate and feeble, known as physically weaker than his
brothers even in his infancy he was yet able to perform all
the duties required of him by the service, and often, volun-
tarily, to undertake others of considerable labour, to accom-
plish any object he conceived necessary or desirable. This
feebleness of frame, united to a mind of such extraordinary
activity, rendered him, at times, irritable and peevish ; but
the genuine kindness of his nature, added to his strict sense
of justice, regulated his feelings, and never failed to restore
his tranquillity. When at Naples, he admitted the irritability
of his temper, and wrote to Lord St. Vincent, " I am very
unwell, and the miserable conduct of the Court, is not likely
to cool my irritable temper.'^ He had, also, it must be
admitted, many circumstances well calculated to try his
temper, in the appointments of Sir Sidney Smith, Sir John
Orde, Lord Keith, &c.
' Page 171.
566 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. XIII.
Considering the personal disabilities under which Lord
Nelson laboured, in the loss of an eye, in the exceeding
weakness of the other, and in the deprivation of his right arm,
it is remarkable what difficulties he subdued. The number
of letters, under such circumstances, written by him is truly
astonishing, often, from ten to twenty daily. Sir Harris
Nicolas's collection, I believe, amounts to between three and
four thousand,' composed mostly under these circumstances.
His occupations were incessant. Impetuosity was the evidence
and consequence of his genius; he could not brook any
delay, slow measures were ill suited to his capacity; he
abhorred the regularity of military operations, and contrasted
them with the direct prdceedings of naval officers.
Nelson^s character for extraordinary achievements must
have manifested itself at a very early period, and been
particularly striking, for Collingwood, one of his earliest and
most intimate friends in the service, even in November, 1792,
writes to him of the " respect and veneration," he entertained
for his character.
Lord Hood, in 1782, referred his Royal Highness the
Duke of Clarence, to Nelson, for information on naval tactics,
as being, in his opinion, as competent as any officer in the
fleet. The Honourable Captain Plunkett says, " were the
names of Aboukir, St. Vincent, Copenhagen and Trafalgar,
obliterated from Nelson's life, he would still stand before us
as a consummate officer, whose eye and judgment, in critical
circumstances, were equally sure, whose ardent courage
always communicated itself to others, whose value was not
less in subordinate stations than in the chief command, and
whose zeal and activity were ever equal to the occasion."^
The battles of Nelson were perfect — annihilation of the
enemy was his object, and never, until his time, were such
numbers of vessels made prizes of, or destroyed. His mode
of tactics was, especially, to break the line of the enemy, a
measure first adopted by Sir George Rodney, and followed
by St. Vincent and Nelson. The character of naval battles
before the time of these commanders, was essentially different.
Refer to the order of battle marked out by Earl Howe, on
' Last Naval War, p. 178,
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 567
the celebrated 1st of June, 1794 — see the beautiful precision,
yet slowness, with which the movements were executed— the
formal manner with which the engagement was entered into,
and contrast these with the vigorous and rapid proceedings
at the Nile, and at Trafalgar, particularly the latter — the
progress of Collingwood's, and other vessels, to divide the
enemy's force, and bring them to the closest possible action.
This constituted the great triumph of the modern over the
prudent and cautious rules of the ancient school. The vigour
of St. Vincent was eminently calculated to follow up the
skill and bravery of Rodney. Nelson carried the principle
still further, and was never satisfied whilst anything remained
to be done.
No commander ever succeeded so perfectly in attaching
to him those under his direction. This demonstrates the
uniform kindness of his nature, and examples of tenderness
and consideration on the one hand, and respect, regard, love
and veneration on the other, might be cited from every part
of the whole period of his service. His Midshipmen were
constantly spoken of by him as his children, and he treated
them as such. Lady Hughes, whom he took out to the West
Indies, in the Boreas, in 1784, wrote to Nelson's brother-in-
law, after his death, her recollections of his conduct towards
the youngsters : —
'* As a woman, I can only be a judge of those things that I
could comprehend — such as his attention to the young gen-
tlemen who had the happiness of being on his quarter-deck.
It may reasonably be supposed, that among the number of
thirty, there must be timid as well as bold : the timid he
never rebuked, but always wished to shew them he desired
nothing of them that he would not instantly do himself : and
I have known him say — ' Well, Sir, I am going a race to the
mast-head, and beg I may meet you there.' No denial could
be given to such a wish, and the poor fellow instantly began
his march. His Lordship never took the least notice with
what alacrity it was done, but when he met in the top,
instantly began speaking in the most cheerful manner, and,
saying how much a person was to be pitied, that could fancy
there was any danger, or even anything disagreeable, in the
568 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XIII.
attempt. After this excellent example, I have seen the timid
youth lead another, and rehearse his Captain's words. How
wise and kind was such a proceeding ! In like manner, he
eveiy day went into the schoolroom, and saw them do their
nautical business, and at twelve o'clock, he was the first upon
deck, with his quadrant. No one there could be behind-hand
in their business, when their Captain set them so good an
example. One other circumstance I must mention, which
will close the subject, which was the day we landed at Barba-
does. We were to dine at the Governor's. Our dear Captain
said, * You must permit me. Lady Hughes, to carry one of
my aides-de-camp with me :' and when he presented him to
the Governor, he said, ' Your Excellency must excuse me for
bringing one of my Midshipmen, as I make it a rule to intro-
duce them to all the good company I can, as they have few to
look up to besides myself, during the time they are at sea.*
This kindness and attention made the young people adore
liim; and even his wishes, could they have been known,
would have been instantly complied with."^
This admirable kindness and tenderness could not fail of
exciting the affection of his young officers. He was greatly
attached to young Hoste, and writes to his father upon leav-
ing him in the Theseus in 1797 : "I grieved to have left him,
bvit it is necessary ; and Lord St. Vincent will continue to
be his kind protector and friend : his worth as a man and an
officer exceeds all which the most sincere friend can say of
him. I pray God to bless my dear William ; happy father
in such a son." How was this feeling reciprocated ! Hoste
writes to his father : " He has taken me by the hand from
my first entrance into the service, and has never ceased his
good offices till he has got me a Post Captain's commission.
O that I may ever have it in my power to shew my gratitude !
Next to my dearest father and family, who is there who has
half so much claim to my gratitude and respect as Lord Nel-
son ? Him I look upon as almost a second father, a sheet
anchor, whom I shall always have to trust to." Again,
" Grateful, I am sure, I shall always be, but it is not in the
power of words to convey to you what I feel when I think of
that most exalted character." When Hoste broke his leg in
' From Nelson Papers. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. i. p. 124, note.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 569
Vado Bay, Nelson frequently visited him, and told him to
get everything he wanted from him. Nelson wrote to his
father in strong terms of approval of his conduct, and says
he has " strongly recommended him not to break any more
limbs." No wonder that everything connecting him with
Nelson should have been so cherished. He speaks of his
vessel thus : " My darling Amphion — my dear old Am-
phion. She was the last gift of my poor Lord Nelson. I
hope I have not disgraced his memory in the care of her,
though she is cruelly knocked about.''
Sir Pulteney Malcolm, whose service made him not only
acquainted with Buonaparte, but also the Duke of Wellington
and Lord Nelson, says of the latter, " that he was the man
to love." All about him entertained the same feelings in
regard to him. His Chaplain writing, subsequent to the
death of Nelson, to Miss Ryder, to whom he was afterwards
married, says : — " I dare not mention wdth my name, in point
of talent or purity, that great and innocent being — my dear
Lord — but upon my life, Mary, that man possessed the wis-
dom of the serpent with the innocence of the dove. He
taught me, if I did not think so before, that the most difficult
things might be accomplished by talent, wisdom, and inte-
grity."
His sense of justice was most rigid. He never failed to
acknowledge merit ; the services of his Officers were always
recognized, and their claims made known to the Admiralty.
His engaging to obtain medals for those who served in the
Battle of Copenhagen, and his remonstrances with the Lord
Mayor for the neglect of the City of London with respect to
this achievement, could not but delight his brave companions
in arms. He made common cause with them, and never failed
to put forward their most reasonable demands. His regard
to the memory of distinguished Officers who had fallen in the
service of their country, and his respectful attention to their
relatives, give great interest to Nelson's character. His
exertions and liberal subscriptions to the erection of monu-
ments to Lieutenant Moutray,^ Captain Miller,- Captain
Bowen,^ &c., and his visit to Captain Westcott's^ relations,
' Vol. i. page 60. * Ibid, page 99. ■> Ibid, page 108. * Ibid, page 144, 410.
570 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cilAP. XIII.
are instances of the kindness of his nature, and reflect the
highest honour on his memory.
But it was not only to the Officers about him that Nelson
so endeared himself; he was alike beloved by the men.
When his ship, the Albemarle, was paid off in 1783, the whole
ship's company offered, if he could get a ship, to enter for her
immediately. In 1797} also, when he hoisted his flag in the
Theseus, such was the character he had raised, that the crew
dropped a paper on the quarter-deck, expressive of their grati-
tude to him and Captain Miller, and that they were ready to
shed their blood to support them, and render the Theseus as
immortal for glorious deeds as his former ship, the Captain.^
Poor John Sykes, his coxswain, who was killed by the burst-
ing of a cannon in 1799, more than once interposed himself
to save the life of his Commander, and was seriously wounded
in his exertions.
That an Officer thus esteemed by his companions in arms
should have few occasions in which it was necessary to resort to
punishment, will readily be conceived ; and corporal punish-
ment was in Nelson's ships a matter of rarity ; so also in Col-
lingwood's, both were remarkable for their humanity, and in
no vessels did seamen perform their duties with more alacrity
and pleasure.
Sir John Barrow has remarked, that Howe and Nelson
mostly agreed on points of naval service. Both were equally
anxious of attaching their men to them ; and no mutiny ever
happened in ships under their command. It was the opinion
of both, that if a Commander knew his own comfort, and
valued his reputation, his first object should be to win the
affection of those on whom his character, as well as his success
in the service, must mainly depend. ^
M. de la Graviere^ states, that to magnanimous feelings
Nelson joined that simplicity of manners, which, in a
superior mind, is always an additional charm. He never
thought he compromised his dignity by being communicative
with those about him, and whose superiority he was wilHng
to admit in the thousand little details which perplex the
operations of war. In this manner he rendered justice to
' See Vol. i. page 98. ^ Life of Earl Howe, p. 206.
^ Last Naval War, page 182.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 5*7 1
individual merit, and knew how to obtain information and
suggestions which often threw fresh Hght upon his own views ;
for he considered that the free participation of all and each
in the formation of definite plans, was the v.^ay to insure the
better comprehension and execution of them.
Humanity was a leading feature in Nelson's character. To
pass by his exertions when so seriously wounded at Santa
Cruz to save those who were in the Fox cutter — his directions
also, when wounded at the Battle of the Nile to preserve the
sufferers from the blowing up of L'Orient — his flag of truce
to stay useless bloodshed at Copenhagen — let us reflect upon
his affectionate care of Captains Parker and Langford, when
wounded in the attack on the Boulogne flotilla, and other minor
incidents, which, as characteristic of the uniform tenor of his
life, raise him so much in our estimation as a man. As a boy
he felt severely for the suffering of a lamb ; as a man he was
sick and disgusted at beholding a Spanish Bull-feast. The sight
of two men in irons who were supected of simulating derange-
ment, on board the Swiftsure, distressed him exceedingly, and
he wrote to Sir John Jervis : " If Mr. Weir (afterwards Dr. Weir,
Physician to the Fleet), would look at them, I should be glad.
The youth may, I hope, be saved, as he has intervals of sense;
his countenance is most interesting. If any means can be
devised for sending him home, I will, with pleasure, pay £50
to place him in some proper place for his recovery." Sir John
Jervis considered the cases as deceptive, and Nelson again
wrote to him : *' I hope, for the poor men's sakes, that they
are imposing on me ; but depend on it, that God Almighty
has afflicted them with the most dreadful of all diseases.
They do not sham ; indeed, you will find I am not mistaken,
and all the Commissioners in the world cannot convince me
of it. For what purpose can these poor wretches attempt to
destroy themselves ? for what purpose can one of them have
spoken to me as rationally as any person can do ? Do let Mr.
Weir look at them : I am sure he will think with me ; from
the order to represent those who are objects unfit for the ser-
vice, I could not do otherwise than I did ; but if you think
I have said too much, pray curtail my Report."^
' Clarke and Mc'Artliur, Vol. ii. p. 17.
572 LlFli OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XUI.
John Jolly, a private marine, was tried by a Court Martial,
for having struck Lieutenant Pearce while in the execution of
his duty, and for threatening to shoot him as soon as he should
be released, and was sentenced to death for his offence. This
occurred in Naples Bay in July, 1799. Lord Nelson issued
the order for carrying the sentence into effect, but at the same
time wrote to Captain Troubridge to have every obedience
shewn to his orders, and preparation made for the execu-
tion ; and when all was gone through prior to the last act,
then to acquaint the prisoner, that although there were no
mitigating circumstances to check the operation of the law,
yet, as he had reason to hope, the sparing of his life might
have as beneficial an effect for the discipline of the service, as if
he had suffered death, the sentence of death should be respited
until his Majesty's pleasure could be known. He hoped that
this exhibition of lenity would have its proper effect upon
those under Troubridge's command, and serve as a beacon to
them to avoid the crime of drunkenness, which often brought
with it even the punishment of death. On other occasions
he remitted portions of the punishment awarded, always de-
claring the principles upon which he acted, and which were
for the honour and character of the service, as well as huma-
nity to the accused. To prisoners of war also he was uni-
formly kind and sympathising. When at Malta, and provi-
sions were exceedingly dear, and an order was given to supply
the French prisoners with salt instead of fresh beef, he ad-
dressed the Commissioners of the Admiralty on the subject,
calling to their attention that as they were not allowed wine,
the giving them salt provisions, together with their confine-
ment, might operate to produce disease and dangerous con-
sequences, and suggested that, as Frenchmen were in the habit
of drinking wine in their own country, they should be allowed
a certain quantity each day.
Regard to health is a very necessary consideration with a
Commander. It is truly astonishing how little sickness pre-
vailed in Nelson's ships, and in the fleets commanded by him.
The modes adopted by him for maintaining the health of the
crews, were highly creditable to his judgment.^ No less
' See Letter to Dr. Moseley, p. 375, ante.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 573
regard was paid by him to the subject of Naval Hospitals —
their defects were notorious — they served only to enrich con-
tractors, and disgust the seamen who were so unfortunate as
to become inmates of them.
When the Rev. Mr. Este expressed a wish to go out to
Lord Nelson, his Lordship wrote thus to Lady Hamilton :
" What can induce Mr. Este to want to come out — curiosity
— he can be no inconvenience to me for a few months, but I
think to a landsman, it must be a very heavy scene, nothing
but the day we see the French fleet can make up for all our
toils ; however, I have a most serious respect and regard for
him, and shall always be glad to see him in all times, places,
and situations, even if Charles Fox was Minister, and he was
my Lord Bishop.^ My routine goes on so regular, that one
day, except the motion of the ship, is the same as the other.
We rise at five, walk the deck till near seven, send out ships
to chase, refit our ships, &c. breakfast at seven precisely.
Captains Murray, Hardy, Dr. Scott, as we call him, to dis-
tinguish him from the Secretary, Mr. Scott, Dr. Snipe, Officer
of the watch, and two Mids. This is always with the addition
of the Captain of a frigate or sloop, if I want to send off.
From breakfast to dinner employed variously on the business
of the ; fleet, writing, exercising the squadron, &c. Dine at
three — in fine weather always some of the Captains, in general
twelve at table. After coffee and tea, no more eating. I
send, if I am so inclined, at half-past seven for my family to
sit and talk half an hour or longer, and at a quarter or half-
past eight go to bed, sleep and dream of what is nearest my
heart, pull the bell three or four times for the Officer of the
watch, and rise again the next morning. This is the life I
lead, scarcely a shade of difference from day to day. You may
easily credit that every one knows their place, and Dr. Scott,
nor no other person comes into my apartment, unless sent
for or upon duty. The poor Doctor will never get quite
well, his intellects were too much shook by the lightning- for
him ever to be perfectly well again. He has great abilities
certainly, but at times very low and unconnected in his
thoughts. Dr. Snipe prescribes for him, but nothing will
' Mr. Este was a staunch Whig. ' See Appendix, No. II.
574 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XIII.
entirely cure him, but he is better. My secretary is a trea-
sure, and in every respect I am well mounted. Hardy is in-
valuable. Murray is very zealous and attentive, few if any
Admiral, is better off."
That a man so humane as we find Nelson uniformly to
have been should be generous, is perfectly natural. His whole
life affords examples of his liberality to all connected with him,
or having any claim whatever upon his benevolence. When at
sea he never forgot home, the poor were thought of at all the
festive seasons, and their wants endeavoured to be alleviated.
Judgment and propriety always accompanied these exer"-
cises of benevolence. When directing his winter's gift to the
poor of his native place, he says : " Fifty good large blankets,
of the very best quality, and they will last for seven years at
least. This will not take from anything the parish might
give. I wish inquiry to be made, and the blankets ordered of
some worthy man j they are to be at my father's disposal in
November.''
W^hen Nelson received information on the 3rd of July,
1799, of the grant to him of £10,000. from the Hon. East
India Company, for his regard to the interests of India, as
exhibited by him in communicating an account of the Battle
of the Nile, he immediately set about to see in what way he
could benefit the different branches of his family. That they
should all participate in his good fortune was on this, as on
all other occasions, uppermost in his mind, and his generous
nature in this case manifested itself by his drawing several
drafts for £500 each, in favour of his venerable father, his
brothers Maurice and William, and his sisters Mrs. Bolton
and Mrs. Matcham.^
He expressed to Mr. Davison his thanks for his exertions
in his behalf at the East India House, but added that his
pride was, that at Constantinople, from the Grand Signior to
' Lady Nelson is reported (Harrison's Life, Vol. ii. p. 107), to have complained
of these acts of generosity, and in such terms as to have induced Nelson's father
to forego the acceptance of his allotted portion. No payment in favour of his
father appears in his accounts, the other sums are entered. The .£10,000. was
received on the 24th of October, and the several payments of .£'500. made in No-
vember and December following.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 575
the lowest Turk, the name of Nelson was familiar in their
mouths.
When the estate of Bronte was given to him, with the
Dukedom, by the King of Naples, his first feeling was to
render the inhabitants the happiest in his Sicihan Majesty's
dominions.
When his sister Ann died, he became entitled to a legacy.
His brother William, on this occasion, thought it necessary
to advise him " to take it, and not give it up to the rest/^
So also upon the death of his father, his brother again advises
him thus : "As I knov/ your great liberality, and that it
sometimes outstrips itself, let me venture to give your Lord-
ship one piece of advice on this occasion — and that is, doyc't
throw your share into the common stock, to be divided
amongst us all, it will be but a trifle to each, and do no good ;
but take it to yourself in the first instance ; you may have
occasion for it afterwards, to settle some of our father's
affairs, or if not, you can always do as you please with it."
His great liberality to his brother's widow is another strong
evidence of his generous nature. Nelson was always anxious
to requite services, and acknowledge obligations. His presents
to Captain Gore, for his care of him in the Medusa, and to Dr.
Baird for his attention to Captain Parker, are instances from
many that might be adduced. He had a noble contempt for
riches, except in as far as they enabled him to pay his debts,
concerning which he uniformly expresses his great anxiety.
He was not desirous of possessing beyond what was necessary
for his position, and to enable him to assist those who he felt
had a claim either by nature or service upon him. Desire
for wealth was always subdued by his love of his country.
In 1783 he writes to his friend, Hercules Ross, Esq. : " I have
closed the war without a fortune : but, I trust, and from the
attention that has been paid to me, believe that there is not
a speck in my character. True honour, 1 hope, predominates
in my mind far above riches."
To the same friend in 1788: "My integrity cannot be
mended, I hope ; but my fortune, God knows has grown
worse for the service ; so much for serving my country. But,
the devil ever willing to tempt the virtuous, (pardon this
flattery of myself) has made me offer, if any ships should be
576 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XIII.
sent to destroy his Majesty of Morocco's posts, to be there ;
and I have some reason to think, that should any more come
of it, my humble services will be accepted. I have invariably
laid down, and followed close, a plan of what ought to be
uppermost in the breast of an officer : that it is much better
to serve an ungrateful country, than to give up his own fame.
Posterity will do him justice : a uniform conduct of honour
and integrity seldom fails of bringing a man to the goal of
Fame at last."^
To Mrs. Nisbet, afterwards Lady Nelson, in 1786 : " Duty
is the great business of a sea officer ; all private considerations
must give way to it, however painful it is." Again, to the
same, in 1794: "Corsica, in respect to prizes, produces
nothing but honour, far above the consideration of wealth :
not that I despise riches, quite the contrary, yet I would not
sacrifice a good name to obtain them. Had I attended less
than I have done to the service of my country, I might have
made money too : however, I trust my name will stand on
record, when the money-makers will be forgot." " If my
father should at any time wish for any part that is in my
Agent's hands, I beg he would always take it, for that would
give me more real pleasure than buying house or land.''
Nelson's inflexible honesty is apparent in all his dealings :
he sold his diamonds, those diamonds which had been pre-
sented to him as memorials of gratitude from various Powers
of the trophies he had gained, to pay his debts ; and he wrote
to his Agents : " / take no shame to he -poor ; never for myself
have I spent sixpence, it has all gone to do honour for my
country."
Nelson's gratitude to all who had been kind to him v/as
uniformly shewn. To the memory of his uncle Suckling,
to Sir Peter Parker, Hercules Ross, Captain Locker, and
others, he always rendered the warmest acknowledgments.
Humour constitutes one of the characteristics of a British
seaman ; Nelson possessed this naturally, or imbibed it at
an early period as may be shewn in many instances. I have
now a letter before me which has the post mark of Bungay,
and is as follows : —
' Original draft in the Nelson Papers. Dispatches and Letters, Vol. i. p. 273.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 577"
"Admiral Nelson,
'' May it please your Honour,
"As I am informed, you are going to destroy or bring
aicay all the Swedes, Danes, and Russians, I take the oppor-
tunity to beg your Honour's goodness to bring over the
Emperor Paul, and bestow him upon me, as I am a poor
fellow, and wants an outlandish wild heast to carry about as
a show, which I think will enable me to maintain a wife, and
six small children.
" Your Honour's humble servant to command,
"Thomas Tugbear.
" March 7th, 1801.
To the Right Hon. Admiral Lord Nelson, K.B.
Of liis Majesty's Fleet, Yarmouth, or elsewhere."
Beneath this he has written : —
" Lord Nelson will do his best
To comply with Mr. Tugbear's request."
And dated this reply from the St. George, March 11th, 1801.
When at Bath for the recovery of his health in 1781, he
wrote to Captain Locker : " I must wish you a good night,
and drink your health in a draught of my physician's cordial
and a bolus." At this time J. F. Iligaud, R. A, painted a portrait
of Nelson, which he presented to Captain Locker, and alluding
to his own weak condition of body, and the situation in which
the picture was to be placed, he suggests that it should be
between Sir George Montague and Sir Charles Morice Pole.
He says : " I must be in the middle, for God knows, without
good supporters, I shall fall to the ground." At Port Royal,
writing to the same, and enumerating an exceeding disparity
of force, and a likelihood of battle, he says : " I have very
fairly stated to you our situation, and I leave you in England
to judge what stand we shall make ; I think you must not be
surprised to hear of my learning to speak French.'^
To the Rev. Dixon Hoste, from Bath in 1797? he wrote,
" As for myself, I suppose, I was getting well too fast ; for
I am beset with a physician, surgeon, and apothecary.''
The French were reported in the revolutionary war to be
providing their ships with forges for shot ; Nelson expressed
his hope that the red-hot gentlemen would come out.
In 1794 the first resolution of the Corsican Parliament,-
VOL. II. 2 p
578 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XIII.
after their union with England, was to declare they were
Englishmen. Nelson remarked, " They might have been mis-
taken for Irishmen by their bull/' At the siege of Calvi,
where he lost his eye, he wrote to Mr. Pollard, of Leghorn,
saying, " Hallowell and myself are both well, except my
being half-blinded by these fellows, who have given me a
smart slap on the face, for which I am their debtor, but hope
not to be so long." On the same occasion, being of neces-
sity so much on shore conducting operations, he says,
*' I have been four months landed, except a few days, when
we were after the French fleet ; and I feel almost qualified to
pass my examination as a besieging general."
At the bombardment of Cadiz he learnt that much damage
was done, and that a shell fell in a convent, and destroyed
several priests ; upon which he remarked, " that no harm, they
will never be missed." To Sir John Jervis, at this time
remarking upon the shyness of the Spaniards and their dis-
inclination to come out of port, he says, " If the King of
Spain goes on this way, and the Mexican fleet falls into
our hands, he will be like Billy Pitt, give nothing but
paper."
He often joked upon the loss of his arm at Santa Cruz;
he assured the Duke of Clarence not a scrap of his ardour
had been shot away : to his Majesty, who expressed concern
at the loss he had sustained, he nobly replied to the King's
observation that he had lost his right arm, " but not my right
hand, as I have the honour of presenting Captain Berry ;
and, besides, may it please your Majesty, I can never think
that a loss which the performance of my duty has occasioned.''
Mr. Twiss tells us that the King, after acknowledging his
services, added, " But your country has a claim for a bit
more of you." The loss of his eye, also, served him for the
exercise of his humour. When Sir Hyde Parker made his
signal to discontinue the action at Copenhagen, he inquired
of Colonel Stewart whether he understood the meaning of
No. 39 ; and, after explaining to him what it meant, observed
to one of his Captains, " You know, Foley, I have only one
eye — I have a right to be blind sometimes ;" and, putting his
glass to his blind eye, exclaimed, " I really do not see the
sio;
nal."
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 579
When Lord Nelson dined at the Guildhall with the Lord
Mayor and Corporation, the late Sir Benjamin Hobhouse,
Bart., was seated near to him, and was asked by the former
what the dish was which was before him ? He replied that
he thought it was a French pie ; upon which the Admiral
eagerly remarked, " Then have the goodness to stick your
knife into the heart of it, and let me have a bit."
When the destination of the French fleet was so very
uncertain, he wrote to Ball, "Whatever the French may
intend to do, I trust, and with confidence, they are destined
for Spithead."
In reference to some orders relative to soldiers when
aboard ship, and whether it would be better for the navy to
be subject to the same articles of war as the army, he wrote
to Lord Melville, then First Lord of the Admiralty, that
he thought we might take a lesson from the epitaph : " I
was well — I would be better — and here I am : — let well
alone.^'
Mr. Bedingfield, wounded in the Narcissus with Captain
Donnelly, July 1 1 , 1804, had been recommended to Nelson by
his relative, the Rev. Robert Rolfe ; and he writes to him,
'' Mr. Bedingfield has been wounded in the hand, which the
Surgeons say will go off with only a stiff finger ; in order to
complete the cure I have given him a Lieutenant's commis-
sion."
To his friend Davison he wrote, in March, 1805, "I have
had a very hard fag ; I shall not talk of Sir John Orde, who
must be the richest Admiral that ever England saw : he will
torment the Admiralty enough. How should he know now
to behave — he never was at. sea." Sir Harris Nicolas has
given the old anecdote to which this refers : — " A sailor,
seeing a young prince of the blood royal on the quarter-deck
with his hat on, while the Admiral, Captain, and other officers
were uncovered, expressed his astonishment to his shipmate,
who replied, ' Why, how should he know manners, seeing as
how he's never been to sea !' "
Towards the close of Nelson's career, Captain, afterwards
Admiral Sir Philip Durham, declined leaving him to give
evidence on Sir Robert Calder's affair ; and he communicated
to Nelson that he had on board the Defiance a large sum in
2 p 2
580 T.IFE OF VICE-ADMIUAL [ciIAP. XIII.
dollars, and, as the fleet was reported to be on the move, he
requested to know what was to be done with them. Nelson's
answer was, " If the Spaniards come out, fire the dollars at
them, and pay them off in their own coin."
Southey has recorded Nelson's advice to his Midshipmen:
^' There are three things, young gentlemen, which you are
constantly to bear in mind. First, you must always implicitly
obey orders, without attempting to form any opinion of your
own respecting their propriety. Secondly, you must consider
every man your enemy who speaks ill of your King ; and
thirdly, you must hate a Frenchman, as you do the devil.''
He had a perfect Gallo-phobia. It breaks forth perpetually
in his correspondence, and it was mixed up with all his dis-
courses. To his brother, in 1784, he says, "I hate their
country and their manners,'' To the Reverend Dixon Hoste,
" I hate a Frenchman. They are equally objects of my detes-
tation, whether royalists or republicans — in some points, I
believe, the latter are the best." To Collingwood, when in
Leghorn Roads, in 1796, "Except 1700 poor devils, all are
gone to join the army. Sometimes I hope, and then despair
of getting these starved Leghornese to cut the throats of this
French crew. AMiat an idea for a Christian ! I hope there
is a great latitude for us in the next world.'' To Captain
Troubridge, " There is no way of dealing with a Frenchman,
but to knock him down, To be civil to them, is only to be
laughed at, when they are enemies.'' To the Honourable
William Wyndham, " Thank God, the plague has got into
both the French army, and into their shipping — God send it
may finish those miscreants." To the Bey of Tunis, " For
at this moment all wars should cease, and all the world should
join in endeavouring to extirpate from off the face of the earth
this race of murderers, oppressors, and unbelievers.'' To
the Bashaw of Tripoli: "I was rejoiced to find that you had
renounced the treaty you had so imprudently entered into
with some emissaries of General Buonaparte — that man of
blood, that despoiler of the weak, that enemy of all good
Mussulmen ; for, like Satan, he only flatters that he may the
more easily destroy; and it is true, that since the year 1789,
all Frenchmen are exactly of the same disposition.'' To his
Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence : " To serve my King,
LOUD VISCOUNT NtLSON'. 581
and to destroy the French, I consider as the great order of all,
from which little ones spring ; and if one of those little ones
militate against it, I go back to obey the great order and
object, to down, down, with the damned French villains.
Excuse my warmth ; but my blood boils at the name of a
Frenchman. I hate them all — royalists and republicans."
To Hugh EUiot, Esq. Minister at Naples : " Whatever infor-
mation you can get me, I shall be very thankful for ; but not
a Frenchman comes here. Forgive me ; but my mother hated
the French.'* To the same he also says, ^'You may safely
rely that I never trust a Corsican or a Frenchman. I would
give the devil all the good ones to take the remainder."
All these expressions of hatred appear very inconsistent
when the evidences of his great piety are considered. Nelson
had a deep sense of religion, and placed a firm reliance upon
Providence. Upon his recovery, from the amputation of his
arm, in 17975 he offered up his thanks at Saint George's
Church, and immediately after the Battle of the Nile, caused
a general Thanksgiving to be celebrated in the fleet, which
had never before been done after a battle. He received
Captain Hallowell's extraordinary present of the cofhn, made
from the mast of L'Orient, with a proper pious feeling, and
nothing can more strongly mark his devotion than his cele-
brated letter to his wife, after the storm, in the Gulf of Lyons.
To Lady Hamilton, during a gale, he also wrote, " I have no
fear ; I can take all the care which human foresight can, and
then we must trust to Providence, who keeps a look-out for
poor Jack." When he wrote to her Ladyship, also, on the
night of the day on which the battle of Copenhagen was
fought, he commences bis letter, by " That same Deity, who
has on many occasions protected Nelson, has once more
crowned his endeavours with complete success." Again,
"Your own Nelson will return safe, and under the hand of
Providence is as safe as if walking London streets." When
watching the French fleet off Toulon, in 1804, alluding to the
probable battle, he wrote to Mr. Davison, " If I fall on such a
glorious occasion, it shall be my pride to take care that my
friends shall not blush for me. These things are in the
hands of a wise and just Providence, and His will be done."
And in another letter, to Lady Hamilton, he writes, " I own
582 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [cHAP. XIII.
myself a believer in God, and if I have any merit in not fear-
ing death, it is because T feel that His power can shelter me,
when He pleases, . and that I must fall when it is His good
pleasure."
My late most estimable and lamented friend, Sir John
Barrow, Bart, at the close of his Life of the Earl Howe,
has depicted that which he conceived to be the characteristics
of the three most distinguished officers of later times : — Howe,
St. Vincent, and Nelson. His observations, the result of
long acquaintance with naval men and naval affairs, are
marked with too much justice to need any apology for their
introduction in this place, he observes : —
" In the extensive sense of all three being skilful and
accomplished Flag Officers, thoroughly experienced in every
branch of the service — who, by their superior knowledge,
energy, and zeal, in introducing and maintaining good order
and discipline in the fleet — may be considered pretty nearly
on an equality ; it is perhaps not too much to say, they have
done more towards elevating the character of the profession
than any or all of their predecessors ; perhaps it may also
with truth be said, and not without a feeling of regret,
' Farewell, with them,
The hope of such hereafter.'
" Howe, unquestionably, led the way. He was his sole
instructor in naval matters — not brought up in any particular
school — hardly, indeed, can it be said, there was any school
in the early part of his career. Whatever he gained, from the
various Commanders, under whom he served, must have
been by comparison, observation, and reflection. At that
time, there was very little system observed in the navy, and
still less of science. Naval tactics, evolutions, and signals,
were then but feebly creeping into use, in humble imitation
of the French, and had made but slow progress — rarely
attempted indeed, to be carried into practice, except by one
individual — the talented and unfortunate Kempenfelt, who
perished in the Royal George. After him, Howe seriously
took them up, and never lost sight of those important
objects, until he had completed a system which long bore
the name of ' Howe's Signals.' In the pierfecting of this
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 583
system he was indefatigable — whether on shore or afloat,
theoretically or practically, this favourite and most useful
object was uppermost in his mind. It is scarcely necessary
to repeat, that Howe was pi'ofessionally and characteristically
bold, cool, and decisive — a thorough seaman in theory and
practice — and his knowledge was conveyed to others mostly
by mildness, persuasion, and the force of example.
" In tactics, and in discipline, St, Vincent was a disciple
of Howe. In giving his opinion, on the expediency of a night
action with a superior enemy, the former decided against it,
on the ground of being, in such a case, deprived of the great
advantage of Howe's signals. In discipline the scholar may
be said to have carried his mode of instruction beyond the
master. Where Howe was patient, gentle, indulgent, and
kind, by which he won the attachment of both Officers and
seamen, St. Vincent was rigorous, peremptory, and resolute,
rigidly maintaining, that the life and soul of naval discipline
was obedience — his favourite word was obedienza. The one
obtained his object by pursuing the suaviter in modo — the
other by the fortiter in re. The mutinous seamen at Ports-
mouth, but half subdued, were at once completely reduced to
order, by the kind and gentle treatment of, and the confi-
dence they placed in. Lord Howe. The mutiny in the fleet
off Cadiz, no sooner sprung up, than it was crushed by the
prompt and vigorous measures of Lord St. Vincent, whose
determined and resolute conduct, on that occasion, was abso-
lutely necessary to prevent that spirit of insubordination from
spreading, which had manifested itself in many of the ships
employed in blockading a distant and an enemy's port.
" These two gallant Admirals, pursuing different modes of
attaining the same ends, and of very different temperaments,
had the greatest respect and deference for each other. St.
Vincent always spoke of Howe in terms of the highest praise
and regard. He used to say he was a man of few words, but
what he said was always to the purpose, and well worthy to
be remembered. The kindly feelings of men towards each
other are frequently discovered in trifling incidents or expres-
sions. Lord St. Vincent, on entering the breakfast-room,
would often say, ' Well, I have got on my blue breeches this
cold morning ; Lord Howe wore blue breeches, and I love
584 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CIIAP. XIII.
to follow his example even in my dress.'^ On the other
hand, St. Vincent was considered by Howe as the first naval
officer of his day. He was unquestionably a fearless and
intelligent Commander, bold in design, and prompt in exe-
cution, free in his opinions, generous, and charitable, with-
out ostentation ; a keen observer of mankind ; indulgent
to minor offences, severe in those of an aggravated nature.
In politics he was a Whig, firmly attached to his party ; but
his friends always maintained that he never allowed his poli-
tical feelings to interfere with his professional duties. As an
officer, his talents were certainly of the highest order, and
many excellent commanders were educated and brought for-
ward under his auspices. With all this merit, which public
opinion duly appreciated, he is said (by one who knew him
well), to have affected, as well when afloat as under circum-
stances on shore, the character of a blunt tar, obstinate in
his resolutions, and rough in the manner of exercising his
authority over the officers of his fleet ; but, notwithstanding
this, the features by which he was best known in society was
that of a refined courtier, smooth and complimentary in his
address. His professional character, however, was steady
resolution and firmness of purpose.
" The character and conduct of Nelson were widely diffe-
rent from both of the above-mentioned officers. Without
being a thorough seaman, he knew well how to stimulate
exertions, and to animate zeal. He had the peculiar tact to
make every officer, from the highest to the lowest, believe that
his individual share in any enterprise contributed mainly to
its success — thus giving encouragement and inspiring confi-
dence to each in his own exertions. In the result, he was
singularly fortunate : where he led, all were anxious to follow.
Nelson was indeed a being sui generis — ^ none but himself
could be his parallel ' — and it may be feared he has left few
of the same breed behind him. That he had his weak points
cannot be denied, but what human being is exempt from
them ? He has been unjustly compared with an Anthony,
' George II. first gave to the Navy a fixed uniform dress. See anecdotes relat-
ing to this subject in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association, Vol. ii.
p. 76, by Mr. Planche, Mr. Barrow, Mr. T. C. Croker, and others, and also in
Sir John Barrow's Life of Earl Howe, p. 68.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 585
ready to sacrifice the world to another Cleopatra — than which
nothing can be more incorrect ; with one unfortunate excep-
tion, which, in a moment of infatuation, has cast an indehble
stain on his memory, he never suffered the deplorable influ-
ence alluded to in any way to interfere with his professional
duties.^ Whenever such demanded his presence, all pleasures
and indulgences gave way ; neither those nor the least care
of life occupied for a moment a share in his thoughts, A
passionate and insatiable love of fame was the spur to Nel-
son's ' noble mind/ To be ^ crowned with laurel, or covered
with cypress' — ^a Peerage, or Westminster Abbey' — 'Victory,
or Westminster Abbey ' — these were the words, the signal
for each terrible conflict. He never anticipated defeat, but
went into battle with the full conviction he was to con-
quer or die. The words were the ebullition of that feeling,
which carried his feeble frame through exertions and ener-
gies, that nothing short of his ardent and spiritual nature
could have supported. The strength and elasticity of his
mind got complete controul over bodily pain and infirmity.
These, in the scale of human affliction, were to him as nothing,
when in sight or pursuit of an enemy. An ambitious love of
distinction, a thirst for the acquisition of honours, or a glori-
ous death, was the ruling passion, and his destiny led him to
experience them all. Conqueror of 'a hundred fights,' he
died at last, as all true heroes would wish to do, in the arms
of victoiy ! Howe, on the contrary, was exempt entirely
from ambition of that kind. He was less of an egotist than
almost any man in his station of life. The results of his
actions were considered by him in no other light than as they
affected his country ; he speaks only of the duty he owes to
his King and his country, and to the good of the naval service.
The Earldom conferred on him was received with indifference ;
the offer of a Marquisate was rejected as coming immediately
from the Minister, in lieu of an honour promised by his Sove-
reign ; but the Garter he considered as an ostensible mark of
the King's approbation, and the medal and chain equally so,
and, therefore, felt it due to the Royal donor to wear them on
' For refutation of this so generally received opinion, seethe Preface, and Vol. i.
Chapter IX.
586 LIFE OF VICK-ADMIRAL [CHAP. Mill.
all occasions. Thus it also was with Lord St. Vincent's Star
T.of the Bath, which he always wore on his morning as well as
on his evening dress, as an honourable distinction conferred
for his services by his Sovereign.
" Howe sought for no pension nor any remuneration of a
pecuniary nature for his long and meritorious services, and
murmured not at those who obtained rewards for deeds far
less brilliant than his own. The only complaint he appears
ever to have uttered, was on account of the neglect of the
Admiralty towards the more humble, but not less valuable
instruments who had faithfully served under him. Of his
military character there never was, nor could there be, but one
opinion. His moral conduct through life, his love of truth and
sense of justice, were universally admitted ; he was generous,
humane, kind-hearted, and charitable ; always manifesting an
eagerness to do good. In politics, he was a Tory, but no
party-man; a true patriot, he w^as sensitively alive to the
honour of his King and country. In one word, Lord Howe
was a man in all the relations of social life —
" Integer Vita3 Scelerisque purus.'"
Lord Malmesbury" has an entry in his diary on the death
of Lord Nelson, whom he thus describes : —
*' He added to genius, valour and energy, the singular
power of electrifying all within his atmosphere, and making
them only minor constellations to this most luminous planet.
The confidence he inspired in his followers, and the terror of
his name to our enemies, are what make his loss an irrepar-
able one. Others may be great in many points ; nay, admit
but another, like himself, might appear again amongst the
disciples he has formed, there would yet be wanting all he
had done, and all the circumstances of the times in which he
did those wondrous deeds. Every victory was greater than
the last. Every additional difficulty seemed only to bring
out some new proof of the combination and powers of his
mind, as well as the invincible force of his arms, and had he
sui'vived this last victory, the next and the next would have
' Pages 425-32.
' Diaries and Correspondence of James Harris, First Earl of INIalmesbury,
4 vols. 8vo. Lond 1844.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 587
still surpassed each other. All this is sorrow for ourselves ;
but still more deeply do I regret that he cannot see the etfecte-
his death produced. Not one individual who felt joy at this
victory, so well-timed and so complete, but first had an in-
stinctive feeling of sorrow, not selfish sorroiv, (for it came
before the reflection of the consequences of his loss to us), but
the sorrow of affection and gratitude — for what he had done
for us ; and the first regret was, that he who did the deed
should be deprived of the enjoyment which he, above all other
men, from his character, would have derived from its effects.
'' Could he have lived but long enough to have known that
no victory, not even his victories, could weigh in the hearts
of Englishmen against his most persevering life, it would have
been some consolation. I never saw so little public joy. The
illumination seemed dim, and, as it were, half clouded, by the
desire of expressing the mixture of contending feelings. Every
common person in the streets speaking j^rs^ of their sorrow
for him ; and then of the victory.
" Collingwood's letter (which is admirable) proves that it
was his art to make all under him love him, and own his
superiority, without a ray of jealousy. He never was a party
man himself, and there was never a party in his fleets. All
were governed by one mind, and this made them invincible.
He was a true patriot, which is nearly as rare a character as to
be the hero he was. He had the aim and spirit of chivalry,
and he was the most loyal subject ; living and dying for his
country, without reference to those who held the helm under
that Sovereign, to whom, next to her, he considered himself
most bound. This completes a character, which cannot, I
fear, appear again in our time."^
The distinguished Nobleman just referred to, has also ano-
ther paragraph relating to the death of Nelson, which is of
exceeding interest : —
" On the receipt of the news of the memorable battle of
Trafalgar I happened to dine with Pitt, and it was naturally the
engrossing subject of our conversation. I shall never forget
the eloquent manner in which he described his conflicting
feelings, when roused in the night to read Collingwood's Dis-
' Vol.iv.p. 342.
588 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XIII.
patches. Pitt observed, that he had been called up at various
Ifeours in his eventful life by the arrival of news of various
hues ; but that, whether good or bad, he could always lay his
head on his pillow and sink into sound sleep again. On this
occasion, however, the great event announced brought with it
so much to weep over, as well as to rejoice at, that he could
not calm his thoughts, but at length got up, though it was
three in the morning."^
Nothing could exceed the public distress for the loss of
Nelson. The glory of the victory of Trafalgar, and joy at the
happy consequences that must necessarily follow upon such
an event, was a secondary consideration to the loss of the
hero, and a feeling of exquisite tenderness and gratitude per-
vaded every bosom. Deeply impressed with this feeling,
Coleridge has finely observed : —
'■' When he died it seemed as if no man was a stranger to
another : for all were made acquaintances by the rights of a
common anguish. In the fleet itself, many a private quarrel
was forgotten, no more to be remembered -, many, who had
been alienated became once more good friends ; yea, many
a one was reconciled to his very enemy, and loved, and (as it
were) thanked him, for the bitterness of his grief, as if it had
been an act of consolation to himself in an intercourse of
private sympathy. The tidings arrived at Naples on the day
that I returned to that city from Calabria : and never can I
forget the sorrow and consternation that lay on every counte-
nance. Even to this day there are times when I seem to see,
as in a vision, separate gi*oups and individual f.^ces of the pic-
ture. Numbers stopped and shook hands with me, because
they had seen the tears on my cheek, and conjectured that I
was an Englishman ; and several, as they held my hand,
burst, themselves, into tears. And though it may awaken a
smile, yet it pleased and affected me, as a proof of the good-
ness of the human heart struggling to exercise its kindness in
spite of prejudices the most obstinate, and eager to carry on
its love and honour into the life beyond life; that it was
whispered about Naples, that Lord Nelson had become a
good Catholic before his death. The absurdity of the fiction
' Lord Fitzhanis's Note Book, 1805. Vol. iv. p. 341. Note.
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 5 89
is a sort of measurement of the fond and affectionate esteem
which had ripened the pious wish of some kind individual
through all the gradations of possibility and probability into a
confident assertion believed and affirmed by hundreds/'^
The Hon. Captain Blackwood, the bearer of the Dispatches
of the Battle of Trafalgar to England, wi'ites to his wife : — " I
am so depressed with both the public loss, and my own private
loss in such a friend, that really the victory, and all the other
advantages are lost in the mournful chasm, and cause for
sorrow in the death of this great and much loved hero. I can
scarcely credit he is no more, and that we have, in sight of
the Spanish shore, so complete and unheard-of a victory. No
man ever died more gloriously, or more sincerely regretted.
He was the bravest, most generous, kindest of men !"
On the 8th of September, 1811, Sir James Mackintosh,
according to his Diary (from which extracts are given by his
son, in the Memoirs of the Life of his Father),- finished the
perusal of Clarke and McArthui-^s Life of Lord Nelson.
" Finished Nelson's Life. Let me now endeavour to say
what I think of him as he originally was, before he was sur-
rounded by that blaze of glory, which makes examination
impossible. He seems to have been born with a quick good
sense, an affectionate heart, and a high spirit ; he was sus-
ceptible of the enthusiasm either of the tender or the proud
feelings ; he was easily melted or inflamed ; to say that he was
fearless, seems ridiculously unnecessary ; he was not merely
averse to falsehood or artifice, but he was in the highest de-
gree simple and frank. These qualities of his heart are not
mentioned for the idle purpose of panegyric; however sin-
gular it may sound, I will venture to affirm that they formed
no small part of the genius of Nelson : they secured attach-
ment and confidence, and they reconciled to him the feelings
of other men — that great secret in the art of command, which
reason alone can never disclose. His understanding was
concentrated on his profession ; and as danger must always
excite where it does not disturb, it acted on his mind, in the
moment of action, with the highest stimulant power, and
roused his genius to exertions greater than the languor of
' The Friend, Essay vi. * Vol. ii. p. 135.
590 LIFE OF VICE-ADMIRAL [CHAP. XIII.
tranquillity could have produced. Still, Windham certainly,
and perhaps Fox, met Captain Nelson at Holkham, without
suspecting that he was more than a lively and gallant officer.
" The nature of the service in the Mediterranean must have
had an influence in expanding his character. He soon ob-
tained a separate command, co-operating with an army acting
on shore in situations full of military or maritime peril, calling
forth all the resource, enterprise, and fortitude of an officer.
The revolutionary character of the war had, doubtless, a
powerful effisct ; he saw thrones subverted, revolutions effected,
counter-revolutions projected, the fate of governments and
nations immediately effected by operations in which he had
some share. Scarcely emerged from his retreat at his father's
parsonage, he began to negotiate with generals, ambassadors,
and princes. If he had commanded a ship in a fleet on ordi-
nary service, it is scarcely possible that his spirit should have
been so much elevated, and his faculties so much strength-
ened. He must already have become an extraordinary man,
when he was selected by the stern and shrewd St. Vincent for
that service, which terminated with such glory.
" In this progress it is easy to see, by his correspondence,
how his mind climbed from height to height, till he reached
the summit, where the grand images of his country and of
glory presented themselves to his view, and kindled that fierce
flame of enthusiasm which converted his whole soul into
genius. His passion for glory extended even to the most
trivial of its outward badges. All the pomps and vanities of
the world retained their power over him. Neither pleasantry,
nor speculation, nor the familiarity of rank and wealth, had
weakened the force of these illusions. He had not lived in
that society where wit makes the gratification of vanity ridi-
culous, or where reason proves their emptiness, or where
satiety rejects them with disgust ; he came forth from the
most humble privacy. Fame, with all her marks, and praise
from every source, worked with irresistible efficacy on his fresh
and simple mind. The love of glory, and even of praise and
of honours ; the indignant contempt of money ; the sincerity
and ardour of his character, and the simplicity and energy of
his sayings ; give him more the appearance of an ancient than
a modern hero."
LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 591
Similar opinions to those now referred to have been very
generally entertained and expressed of the character of
Nelson ; but it would be uncandid and unjust were I to
omit making mention of three points which have often been
alluded to as spots upon his otherwise irreproachable name ;
these all refer to transactions at Naples. It is not without
some degree of satisfaction, founded, I trust, upon reasonable
grounds, that I venture to hope what has been stated in Chap-
ters VIII. and IX. of the first volume of this work, and the
royal papers and letters therein printed, may tend to remove
much of the opprobrium which has attached to Nelson, for
his repudiation of the Treaty of Capitulation of the Castles
Nuovo and Uovo, and the orders given in reference to the
trial and execution of Francisco Caracciolo; whilst I trust
that the Supplementary Chapters on Lady Hamilton and Miss
Horatia Nelson, will serve at least to palliate his conduct,
though they may be insufficient to exculpate him from the
charge of yielding, certainly under very peculiar circum-
stances, to the powerful fascinations of perhaps the most
beautiful and interesting woman of the age in which she
lived.
FRGl^r THE ORIGIITAL PICTURE IN THE POSSESSIOIT OF THE
R^ HOWs'r^I.OB.D ITOETHWICIC
london:Pu-
SUPPLEiMENTARY CHAPTERS.
No. I.
LADY HAMILTON.
Emma Lady Hamilton, whose name has occurred so
repeatedly in the preceding pages, and with whom Lord
Nelson's correspondence was principally maintained, was of
obscure birth, being the daughter of Henry Lyon or Lyons,
a man living in a menial capacity at Preston, in the county of
Lancashire. He dying when she was very young, her mother
removed to Hawarden in Flintshire, and there maintained
herself and family in habits of industry. It is obvious that
the education of the daughter must have been of the most
trifling description, and that whatever knowledge or ac-
complishments she attained were acquired in later years ;
and, as in the case of most persons who are educated only in
advanced life, she never overcame the difficulties of ortho-
graphy: although she maintained an extensive correspondence
with many persons of very high station in society, and with
many who were distinguished and will long be remembered in
the world of letters by their attainments in science, arts, and
literature, she never learnt to spell with accuracy, or to write
with any degree of exactness. The precise date of her birth
is unknown, but was probably April 26th, 1764. The earlier
period of her life was passed in servitude, and without means
to cultivate her intellectual faculties. She was first engai;ed
in the capacity of nursery-maid in the family of Mr. Thomas
of Hawarden, the brother-in-law of Mr. Alderman Boydell,
and father of Mr. Honoratus Leigh Thomas, of Leicester-
place, a distinguished Surgeon ; and she filled a similar situa-
tion in the family of Dr. Budd, to whom I was known,
residing in Chatham-place, Blackfriars, and one of the Physi-
cians attached to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. It is not a
little curious that at the time she was thus engaged in the
family of Dr. Budd she had a fellow-servant, as housemaid,
a companion, who afterwards became highly and deservedly
popular as an actress at Drury Lane Theatre, the late
Mrs. Powell. Among the papers now before me there is a
VOL. II. 2 Q
594 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
letter^ from Mrs. Powell, which shews that a cerlain, though
qualified, intimacy was kept up by those two adventurers of
fortune : and it is not a little singular to find that when Sir
"William Hamilton married Lady Hamilton, and that it was
known to be their intention to be present at a performance
at Drury Lane Theatre, where a large audience was assem-
bled to see this remarkable woman, whose achievements,
and whose conquests formed a common theme of conversa-
tion, the admiration of the house was shared by two beau-
tiful women, the actress and the wife of the Minister whose
early fortunes had thrown them together under such humble
circumstances. Perhaps, at the time, this secret of their lives
was known in the house only to themselves, and the feelings
excited by this occurrence must necessarily have been of a very
peculiar description.
Quitting her servitude as nursery-maid, Emma is reported
to have engaged herself to a dealer in St. Jan.es's JSIarket,
where, by her appearance and manners, she attracted the at--
tention of a lady of fashion, and by her was withdrawn from
her obscurity, and invited to a situation more congenial to her
feelings and disjjosition. Here she had opportunities of reading
the novels and romances of that day. This lady was visited
by the fashionable world and at her parties were numerous
singers and other public performers, together with many of the
writers for the stage. Emma has been known to express
regret at the manner in which her time was here engaged.
The reading of romances and books of light intelligence and
character, only served to fire her imagination, excite a love of
display, and distract her attention from the duties belonging
to those in her sphere of life. '1 he acquaintances here formed,
and the deluge of flattery with which she was overwhelmed
soon overcame her reason, and led her into habits of dissi-
pation .
By all who had acquaintance with her, and I have met with
many in my own circle of friends to '^ horn she was well known,
she has been described as of great beauty, of voluptuous form,
' " Dear Lady Hamilton, "Southend,
'' I cannot forbear writing a line to inform your Ladyship I am at this place,
and to tell j'ou how mucli your absence is regretted by all ranks of people.
Would to Heaven you were here to enliven this (at present ) dull scene. I have
performed one night, and have promised to play six, but unless the houses are
better must decline it. Please to remember me most kindly to your mother and
every one at Merton,
" I am, dear Lady Hamilton,
' ' Your obliged,
" Jane Powell."
LADY HAMILTON. 595
of remarkable activity, having also a most powerful and
charming voice, exquisite ear, and great powers of mimicry.
It is not remarkable that with these possessions she should
attract the notice of all who came in contact with her.
The exercise of a charitable disposition evinced in an at-
tempt to obtain the release of either a friend or a relative, a
native of Wales, who had been impressed on the river
Thames at the commencement of the American War, seems
first to have endangered her virtue. To Captain, afterwards
Rear-Admiral John W'illet Payne,^ this application was made,
and, by her manners, the seaman was so completely captivated,
that he induced her to become his mistress. The rapidity with
which one false step is succeeded by another was, as is common,
illustrated in her case. She soon afterwards attracted the notice
of Sir Harry Featherstonhaugh, Bart,, of Up- Park, Sussex,
who then became her protector. This Baronet's love of a
' This officer was the youngest son of the Hon. Mr. Payne, Governor of St. Chris-
topher's Island, and was educated at the Royal Academy at Portsmouth. In 1709
he sailed in the Quebec to the Leeward Islands, whence he was transferred to the
Montagu, Rear-Admiral Robert Man. Made Lieutenant, he was appointed to
the Falcon sloop, and sailed in 1772 to St. Vincent, on the Carib expedition. A
treaty of peace being made with the Caribs, and the dominion of his Majesty
established, Lieutenant Payne returned to England in the Seahorse. He was soon
afterwards appointed to the Rainbow, and with Commodore T. Collingwood, sailed
to the coast of Guinea, whence he departed for Jamaica. At the commencement
of the American War he joined Sir Peter Parker in the Bristol, and afterwards in
the Eagle, where he acted as Aide-de-camp to the Admiral, Lord Howe, and was
at the taking of New York. Pleased with his services, his Lordship named him
Second Lieutenant of the Brune frigate, 32 guns, Captain James Ferguson. After
much sei-vice on the North American station, he was appointed to the Phoenix,
Captain Sir Hyde Parker, and went to the West Indies, and was in the action with
Count D'Estaing. He then served in the Roebuck and the Romney, from which
he was made Commander of the Cormorant, and on his way to Lisbon captured
the Santa Margaretta, a Spanish frigate. In 1780 he was made a Post Captain.
In the Enterprize he afterwards visited several parts of Europe and America, and
for his bravery was appointed to the Leander, 50 guns, and then to the Princess
Amelia of 80 guns, in which, at the conclusion of the war, he returned to Eng-
land. He now enjoyed elegant society, was an especial favourite of the Prince of
Wales, and universally beloved for his information and good humour. He was
made Keeper of the Privy Seal to the Prince, and represented Huntingdon in
Parliament. At the breaking out of the Revolutionary War he was appointed to
the Russell, 74 guns, and was in Lord Howe's victory of the 1st of June, 1794.
In the Jupiter, 50 guns, he was Commodore of the squadron to bring over the
Princess Caroline of Brunswick to England. In 1796 he commanded the Impe-
teux, 80 guus, joined Admiral Colpoys, and afterwards Lord Bridport, and Sir J.
B. Warren, in which sei"vices his health failed from excessive anxiety and fatigue.
Inl797hewas made a Rear- Admiral of the Blue, and in 1799 appointed Treasurer
of Greenwich Hospital, where he died of a fit of apoplexy, November 17, 1832.
•2 Q 2
596 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
country life and the sports of the field, gave to her opportu-
nities for the display of equestrian talent, for which she be-
came very remarkable, and, as may be expected under such
circumstances, she soon joined in scenes of dissipation, which
led to a derangement of the Baronet's resources, and a sepa-
ration ensued. The manner, however, in which she deported
herself to Sir Harry Featherstonhaugh, was such as to gain
his esteem, for late in life he addressed letters to her of great
propriety and good sense, and they evince the most respectful
regard. Bankrupt in virtue — unfitted to return to servitude —
without adequate means of subsistence — she was now thrown
upon the world, and endured many privations. Threatened
to be ejected from her lodgings by her landlord, she was in-
duced by an empiric of great notoriety, a Dr. Graham,
then delivering lectures in the Adelphi, to exhibit herself
under his auspices as a perfect model of health and beauty.
Her appearance at the meetings of the quack doubtless led to
the admiration of her form by artists, and thus their attention
was directed towards her as a model for their works. From
the altar of the ' Goddess of Health ' the transition to the
studio of the Painter was easy. Romney, the Royal Aca-
demician, equally fascinated by the powers of her mind and
the symmetry of her form, selected her as the subject of
many of his most esteemed paintings. When Hayley was
collecting materials for a life of Romney, he applied to Lady
Hamilton, who seems to have equally captivated both painter
and biographer.
The following is from the Biographer and Poet : —
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
"■ In looking over the letters of our dear departed Romney,
it pleased me not a little to find my friend describing you as
desirous that 1 should write a life of the artist, and expressing
a very flattering wish that 1 should speak of you as his model.
He told me, with great truth at the time, that 1 had made
some preparation for such a work, by taking from his own
lips many incidents of his younger days. I am now endea-
vouring to accomplish the affectionate desire of my friend
in writinjj^ such a life of him, as 1 hope those who knew
and loved him, as we did, may read with cordial satisfaction.
You will oblige me infinitely by favouring me with a list of
the various pictures (with their dates) which he finished or
began from your lovely features in all their variations of
character.
"You were not only his model but his inspirer, and he
truly and gratefully said, that he owed a great part of his
LADY HAMILTON. 597
felicity, as a painter, to the angelic kindness and intelligence
with which you used to animate his diffident and tremulous
spirits to the grandest efforts of art. If you have any letters
of his or verses of mine that may tend to illustrate his life,
by ascertaining the date of his productions, pray indulge me
with copies of them ; for years of affliction and ill-health made
me expect so little to survive my old friend, that I neglected
to collect any materials for the work he wished me to exe-
cute.
^' It has pleased Heaven to restore to me a better state of
health than I had reason to expect, and the best use I can
make of it is to render affectionate justice to the talents and
virtues of those departed companions, whose memory is justly
dear to me. In celebrating our beloved Romney, it will
gratify me exceedingly to have the fullest information from
you, which may enable me, in recording his works, to express
how justly you were the object of our united idolatry for your
beauty, your talents, and your benevolence. Continue, my
dear Lady, to be kind, as you have ever been, to your affec-
tionate admirer and sincere friend,
" W. Hayley.
"Felphan, near Chichester, May 17, 1804.
" I am grown such a hermit, that I never wander to
London; but if you ever visit Bognor in the bathing season,
you will be only a mile distant from my little marine cell,
where I should be delighted to see and hear you : and where
I can entertain you with a sight of yourself in three enchant-
ing personages, Cassandra, Serena, and Sensibility. These
three ladies are all loorth visiting, whether the old hermit is
so or not ; so pray come to see us whenever you can.
^' Adieu!"
In his Life of Romney, Hayley thus speaks of her : —
" The high and constant admiration with which Romney
contemplated the personal and mental endowments of this
lady, and the gratitude he felt for many proofs of her friend-
ship, will appear in passages from his letters describing some
memorable incidents, when their recent and pleasing impres-
sion on his mind and heart gave peculiar vivacity to his
description. The talents which nature bestowed on the fair
Emma, led her to delight in the two kindred arts of music
and painting; in the first she acquired great practical ability;
for the second she had exquisite taste, and such expressive
powers as could furnish to an historical painter an inspiring
model for the various characters, either delicate or sublime,
598 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
that he might have occasion to r( present. Her features, like
the language of Shakespeare, could exhibit all the feelings of
nature, and all the gradations of every passion with a most
fascinating truth and felicity of expression. Ronmey de-
lighted in observing the wonderful command she possessed
over her eloquent features, and through the surprising vicis-
situdes of her destiny she ever took a generous pride in
serving him as a n)Oilel; her peculiar foi'ce and variations of
feeling, countenance, and gesture, inspirited and ennobled the
production of his art."^
On the 19th of June, 1791, the Painter wrote to his
Biographer, saying, " At present, and the greatest part of
the summer, I shall be engaged in painting pictures from the
divine lady; I cannot give her any other epithet, for I think
her superior to all womankind. 1 have two pictures to paint
of her for the Prince of Wales." And on the 7th of July
following : — " I dedicate my time to this charming lady ;
there is a prospect of her leaving town with Sir William for
two or three weeks. They are very much hurried at present,
as every thing is going on for their speedy marriage, and all
the world following her and talking of her ; so that if she had
not more good sense than vanity, her brain must be turned.
The pictures I have begun are Joan of Arc, a Magdalen, and
a Bacchante for the Prince of Wales, and another I am to
begin as a companion to the Bacchante. I am also to paint
a picture -of Constance foi- the Shakespeare Gallery. '^^ The
Joan of Arc is described by Hayley as having a countenance
of most powerful expression. The head was thought one of
the finest that he ever painted from the features of his
favourite model, and gave rise to a sonnet by Hayley :^
' Life of George Romney, by W. Hayley. Chichester, 1809, 4to. page 118.
2 Ibid. p. 159.
^ Sonnet.
" A bright atonement soothes that injured shade,
Who drew from Orleans her immortal fame ;
Hark ! hear you not the heroine exclaim ?
' Now I renounce, by grateful honour swayed,
My fix'd abhorrence of the English name :
Here I at last am worthily portrayed,
And for this tribute to my glory paid.
Forgive aU past indignity and shame.
No more I deem this isle a savage clime :
Her chiefs to me were barbarously base.
And Shakespeare, of her lofty bards the prime,
Drew a faint copy of my soul sublime :
But generous Romney, you my wrongs efface.
And crown my deathless form with dignity and grace."
LADY HAMILTON. 599
In addition to the pictures above mentioned, Lady Hamil-
ton was Komney's model for Cassandra, a Wood Nymph,
a Calypso, the Pythian Priestess on her Tripod, St. Cecilia,
Serena, Sensibility, and, I think, Miranda. To those who
are familiar with the features of Lady Hamilton it is not diffi-
cult to trace his model in many other of the artist's fancy
pictures.
In August, 1791, Romney wrote to Hayley: " In my last
letter I think I informed you that I was going to dine with
Sir William and his Lady. In the evening of that day there
were collected several people of fashion to hear her sing ; she
performed, both in the serious and comic, to admiration both
in singing and acting ; but her Nina surpasses every thing
I ever saw, and, I believe, as a piece of acting, nothing ever
surpassed it. The whole company were in ^n Hgony of sor-
row : her acting is simple, grand, terrible, and pathetic."^
Again, August '29, 1791 : " She performed in my house last
week, singing and acting before some of the nobility with
most astonishing powers : she is the talk of the whole town,
and really surpasses evi ry thing, both in singing and acting,
that ever appeared. Gallini offered her two thousand pounds
a-year, and two benefits, if she would engage with him ; on
which Sir William said, pleasantly, that he had engaged her
for hfe."2
During the period alluded to, in which she was supporting
herself by turning to advantage, for the maintenance of life,
that beauty of form with which nature had endowed her, she
formed an acquaintance with an honourable member of the
House of Warwick, Mr. Charles Francis Greville, who saw
her, and was immediately enamoured. This gentleman was
well known for his taste in objects of art and vertu, prob;ibly
derived from his communication with his uncle. Sir William
Hamilton. INo regular attempt at the cultivation of Emma's
powers was undertaken, until she formed her connexion with
Mr. Greville. He placed her under the tuition of various in-
structors, and in music she rapidly attained a wonderful per-
fection. Mr. Greville took her one night to Ranelagh, and
there, exhilarated by the admiration bestowed on her form and
manners, she became so excited, that she ventured, in public,
to display her vocal powers, and thereby called forth the most
rapturous applause. Mr. Greville had gone farther than he
had intended, and became alarmed at her fondness for
adulation, and ventured to reproach her for her indiscretion.
She retired to her room, threw off the elegant attire in which
' Ibid. p. 1G2. Mbid. p. 1G5.
f>00 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERM.
she was clothed, and presenting herself before him in a plain
cottage dress, proposed to relieve him of her presence. This
act, however, served only the more securely to bind him in his
chains, and a reconciliation took place. By her connexion
with Mr. Greville, she is reported to have had three children,
named Eliza, Ann, and Charles. She always passed for their
aunt, and took upon herself the name of Harte. In the splen-
did misery in which she lived, she hastened to call to her her
mother, to whom she was through life most affectionate and
attentive, and she passed by the name of Cadogan.
In 1789, the changes produced by the French Revolution,
operated upon Mr. Greville's affairs, and he was under the
necessity of reducing his establishuient and making arrange-
ments with his creditors. A separation became necessary.
The Right Honourable Sir William Hamilton, K.B., and
Ambassador to his Britannic Majesty at Naples, but now
in London, at this time (probably not before) became ac-
quainted with her, was passionately attached to her, and prer
vailed upon her to accompany him to Naples, whither she
went, together with her mother, and he devoted still further
attention to the cultivation of her mind and accomplishments.
It is only charitable to suppose Sir William to have been igno-
rant of his nephew's connexion with Emma, but there have
not been wanting reports, that the condition of the engage-
ment between Sir William, and the lady, was the payment of
his nephew's debts. Sir William Hamilton was a native of
Scotland, born in 1730, and was Minister at Naples for the
long period of thirty-six years. He was a distinguished anti-
quary, remarkable for his taste in, and appreciation of the
Fine Arts. He possessed, also, scientific acquirements, and
had some knowledge of mineralogy. He was a Trustee of the
British Museum, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Vice-
President of the Society of Antiquaries. He was, also, a
distinguished Member of the Dilletanti Club, and appears
among the portraits, in their room of meeting, at the Thatched
House Tavern. A portrait of him by Sir Joshua Reynolds,
one of his intimate friends, may be seen in the National
Gallery. He is known as an author by his works.^ With
the King of Naples, he was a great favourite, and largely
' Antiquites Eti-usques, Grecques, et Romaines, tirees du Cabinet de M. Ha-
milton ; with Introductory Dissertations in English and French, by M. D'Harcan-
ville, Naples, 1765-75. 4 vols, folio. A smaller edition was published at
Paris, in 1787, in 5 vols. 8vo. by M. David.
Observations on Mount Vesuvius, Mount ^Etna, and other Volcanoes of the Two
Sicilies, London, 1772, 1774, 8vo.
LADY HAMILTON. COl
shared with him the enjoyment of the chase and other sports,
to which the Sovereign is well known to have been egregiously
addicted.
Already familiarised to the studies of the painter, and
according to Romney, and his biographer, no mean judge of
the arts; with Sir William, she had, in Italy, many opportu-
nities of displaying her taste, of improving herself, and also of
imparting her knowledge. This she is said to have practically
evinced, for with a common piece of stuff, she could so arrange
it, and clothe herself, as to offer the most appropriate repre-
sentations of a Jewess, a Roman matron, a Helen, Penelope,
or Aspasia.2 No character seemed foreign to her, and the
grace she was in the habit of displaying, under such represen-
tations, excited the admiration of all who were fortunate
enough to have been present on such occasions. The cele-
brated Shawl Dance, owes its origin to her invention ; but it
is admitted to have been executed by her with a grace and
elegance, far surpassing that with which it has ever been ren-
dered on the stage of any of our theatres.
Under the tuition and governance of Sir William Hamilton,
she improved so greatly, and obtained such complete sway
over him, that he resolved upon making her his wife. They
came to England, and on the 6th of September, 1791, she
writing the name of Emma Ilarte, he married her at the
Church of St. George, Hanover Square, resolving to return
with her to Naples, that she might there be recognised by the
Neapolitan Court. But prior to quitting London to return to
Naples, she was doomed to experience disappointment ; for
although she had, through the position of Sir William Ha-
milton, and his high connexions, together with her own attrac-
tions and accomplishments, gained admission into a very high
circle of society, she was very properly refused admission to
the Court of St, James's, which Sir William, in vain, endea-
voured most assiduously to effect. In the society, however, in
Campi Phlegrsei ; or Observations on the Volcanoes of the Two Sicilies, English
and French, Naples, 1776-7, 2 vols, folio. A Supplement : being an account of
the Great Eruption of Mount "Vesuvius, in August, 1779, folio.
Various Papers in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, and in
the Archseologia of the Society of Antiquaries.
Sir William Hamilton died at the age of 72, on the 6th of April, 1803. His
estates at Swansea, which he acquired by his former wife, were willed to his
nephew, Charles F. Greville, with a charge of i"700 per annum, as an annuity to
Lady Hamilton, for her life. He was buried at Milford Haven, in Pembrokeshire,
and from a letter before me from Mr. Greville to Lady Hamilton, April 7, 1807,
it appears that Lady Hamilton, presented to the chapel at Milford, a piece of
the wreck of L'Orient, the French vessel that was blown up at tbe Battle of
the Nile. ' See Vol. i. p. 406, ante.
6)2 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
which she now moved, she became distinguished for her great
accomplishments, and the duhiess of fashionable life was
greatly relieved by her displays as a singer, and as an actress.
The admiration she excited was universal. Mr. Richard
Payne Knight, writing to Lady Hamilton, January 21st, 1795,
says, " I frequently see and hear from Lord Moira. He is
among the most constant and fervid of your admirers ; for
he scarcely ever writes or converses without saying something
in your commendation. The having heard you sing, he
reckons an epoch in his life, and often says, that you gave him
ideas of the power of expression in music, which he should
never otherwise have conceived.^^
It is said, that at first, upon the return of Sir William to
Naples, there was some difficulty in the way of her introduction
to the Queen, not having been received at the Court of her
own country ; that, however, was soon removed, and in a short
time, she maintained the most confidential intercourse with
her Majesty. That the Queen of Naples, should have become
intimately attached to Lady Hamilton, cannot be a matter
of surprise, when we recollect the calamities her family had
sustained by the French Revolution. To seek consolation
in the bosom of the wife of the English Minister, the Minister
of that country which almost stood alone in its opposition to
the principles and conduct of the French Revolution, seems
natural. Friendship is often created by sympathetic asso
ciations, called forth under the pressure of affliction, and
is sustained by the consolations of hope, derived from them.
There are many letters in my possession, from the Queen
of Naples to Lady Hamilton, breathinii- the most ardent at-
tachment, the most unbounded friendship, and expressing
eternal gratitude to her. The following letter, accompanied
by a portrait of the Dauphin, will be read with interest: —
"February 9, 1793.
'^ My dear Lady,
" I am very grateful for the interest you took respecting
the execrable deed the infamous French have committed.
1 send you the portrait of that innocent child, who implores
assistance, vengeance, or if he is also sacrificed, his ashes,
united to those of his parents, cry to the Eternal for speedy
retribution ; I rely the most on your generous nation to
accomplish it. Pardon these distracted sentiments, of my
afflicted heart, your attached friend,
" Charlotte."^
The Queen of Naples, who exercised so rr.uch influence upon, and took so
active a pai>t in the political affairs of the kingdom, as detailed in many of the
LADY HAMILTON. GO'S
Sir William Hamilton was remarkable for the hospitable
manner in which he received visitors at his mansion, aini the
letters printed in the preceding biography, was Maria Caroline, daughter of
Maria Theresa of Austria, known as one of the handsomest women of her day,
and descended from the Counts of Hapsburgh. Her husband, Francis Duke of
Lorraine and Bar, commonly known as Francis the First, Emperor of Germany,
was also very handsome, and they had many children, among whom may be
mentioned Joseph II., Leopold II., Maximilian, Ferdinand, Caroline, Marie
Antoinette, Maria Amelia, Christina, Marianna, and Elizabeth,
On the accession of Charles III. to the throne of Spain, October 5th, 1759,
Ferdinand, his son, who was born January 12th, 1751, ascended the throne of
Naples, and April 7th, 17G8, married Maria Caroline of Austria. She partook
in no little degree of the beauty of her mother, and shared with her also in pride
and haughtiness, which has been attributed to the tuition she received at the
Austrian Court. All, however, admit her to have possessed a masculine under-
standing, to have had great natural and acquired powers of mind, a cool head in
council, and great knowledge of men and manners.
General Pepe says (Memoirs, Vol. i. p. 9), that "although in the prime of
youth, her mind was of the most powerful stamp, and her wit of the highest
order. By nature she was both proud and haughty, and she nourished within her
bosom the most inordinate love of power." Of Ferdinand, be says — "He was
both by nature and education weak, strongly addicted to pleasure, and utterly
incapable of opposing himself to the strong mind of the young Queen, who soon
discovered the character of her husband." He further says, " She soon claimed
the right of sitting in the State Council, and of having a voice in its deliberations."
To this, it must be observed, she was entitled by the laws of Naples, having given
birth to a son. This had been established from 1776, and was in conformity with
the marriage treaty. Ferdinand IV. is well known to have thought of little else
than pleasure, principally derived at excursions in hunting. Sir William Hamilton
says in a letter, what is expressed by Lord Nelson in another to the same effect :
'' The King has killed eighty -one animals of one sort or other to-day, and amongst
them a wolf and some stags. He fell asleep in the coach, and awaking told me
he had been dreaming of shooting. One would have thought he had shed blood
enough." Sir John Acton is reported to have said of Ferdinand, that he was a
good sort of man, because nature had not supplied him with the faculties necessary
to make a bad one.
The Queen gave more attention to state business than her husband. The
active part she took, and the knowledge of the power she possessed is shewn by
her letters in these volumes, and by the letter Napoleon Buonaparte addressed to
her. Great hatred was entertained between these two Sovereigns, Buonaparte
calling the Queen " Fredegonda,"' and she him, " Mui'derer of Princes, and
Corsican tyrant." The condition of Naples during the whole of the revolu-
' Fredegonda was mistress, and afterwards wife of Chilperic I. King of the
French, in the middle of the sixth century, whose reign was remarkable for cruelty,
to which he is said to have been instigated by Fredegonda, who was also suspected
of causing the assassination of the King himself. See, Sismoudi Histoii'e des
Francjais, torn. i. p. 371-
G04 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
fascinating powers of Lady Hamilton, tended much to render
the society agreeable and entertaining. His Royal Highness
tionary period, was very remarkable. Botta, an excellent authority, in his " His-
tory of Italy during the Consulate and Empire of Napoleon Buonaparte," says :
" In coming to speak of Naples, I know not how to furnish myself with adequate
expressions ; for the people are like the climate, on the one side an extreme of
benevolence, that borders on ideal virtue, on the other an extreme of hatred that
borders on ferocity ; conspiracies, civil war, foreign wars, conflagrations, devasta-
tion, treachery, executions of the virtuous, and of the infamous ; but the sword
of the executioner fell more frequently on the just than the unjust. To these we
must add acts of heroism, of invincible courage, of perfect friendship even in
misfortune, civic moderation even in want, the gentlest thought of happy humanity,
the purest desires for the common good ; now a kingdom agitated by conspiracies,
now a republic contaminated by rapine, now a kingdom full of cruelty, and now
the theatre of rapine also ; Ferdinand twice driven away, again restored ; a re-
public the slave of France, a monarchy the slave of England ; a republic esta-
blished by force through the agency of a soldier, a monarchy restored by force
through the agency of a priest ;' the first accomplished by an immense slaughter
of Lazzaroni, the latter by an equal number of republicans. The same individuals
who had fawned on Championnet the republican, and on Ferdinand the king, now
crouched to the monarch Joseph ; and on the other side might be beheld on the
same field the cross of Christ in close alliance with the crescent of Mahomet.
Altogether these things form a tale so marvellous, that when the eyes and the ears
of those who have seen them, and have heard them, shall be closed, none could
be found to give them credit, were not testimonies multiplied by the press." —
(Vol. ii. p. 25.)
The course of affairs in Naples up to the time of the battle of Trafalgar has
been traced in the preceding pages. Lord CoUingwood visited Palermo, after the
death of Lord Nelson, whom he succeeded as Commander-in-chief in the Mediter-
ranean. He gives a melancholy picture of the state of Sicily, Calabria, and
Naples. Of the first he says, " It is as weak as it can be. It is a kingdom that
has nothing in it which constitutes the strength of a country ; but divided
councils ; a king, who ought to rule, a queen who will ; no army for its defence ;
its military works ruinous ; without revenue, except just enough to support its
gaieties ; a nobility without attachment to a court, where foreigners find a pre-
ference ; and a people, who, having nothing beyond their daily earnings, are
indifferent as to who rules them, and look to a change for an amelioration of their
condition. Every cause of weakness in a country is to be found here ; factions
alone are abundant." Of the King he speaks as having the appearance and
manner of a worthy, honest country gentleman, living generally in the country,
and amusing hi'mself in planting trees and shooting. The Queen he describes to
be " penetrating into the souls and minds of every body that comes near her,
would be thought a deep politician, yet all her schemes miscarry."
The breach of neutrality on the part of Ferdinand, in admitting an English
and Russian force into Naples in November, 1805, during the absence of
General St. Cyr, in Upper Italy, carrying on operations with Marshal Massena,
' Cardinal Ruffo.
LADY HAMILTON. 605
the Duke of Sussex and Mrs. Billington were of those parties,
and I have often heard from his Royal Highness and others
induced Buonaparte to issue a proclamation declaring the Bourbon dynasty to have
ceased to reign in Naples. This was enforced by an army of not less than 60,000
men, against whom resistance was hopeless. Joseph Buonaparte was named by
his brother, King of Naples. Ferdinand quitted his regal seat of Naples,
January 23, 1 806, and retired to Sicily ; the Queen however remained until
February 11th, when she with her daughters fled to join the King. On the 15th,
Joseph Buonaparte entered Naples and assumed the reins of government. The
Hereditary Prince Francis, and the Prince Leopold, had been sent by Ferdinand,
the one into the Abruzzi, the other into Calabria to rouse the people, but although
there was no deficiency of loyalty on the part of the peasantry, there was a want
of means, which rendered them powerless. Upon the death of Sir John Acton,
the Chevalier Medici succeeded as Minister of Finance. He was a man odious to
the Sicilians, from his arbitrary character, and his being a Neapolitan, but he
pleased Queen Caroline, who, according to Botta, " alone, uncontaminated by the
general weakness of the nobles and the people, compensated by the boldness of
her character for its fierceness." She never rested from disturbing the Napoleonic
dynasty in Naples. She abetted the English in every thing in her power, to render
the Jacobin government turbulent and insecure. The acts consequent upon this state
of things, are marked by the gi-eatest atrocity and cruelty. Thousands were massa-
cred, Sicilians and Calabrians, and England, as a Power called to defend the people,
could not escape a portion of the odium excited by the enormities which took place.
Sicily by her part in these transactions, became weaker, receiving less defence from
England. The Queen had become exceedingly unpopular, and England found it
necessaiy to deliberate on the condition of affairs and apply a remedy to such dis-
orders. The Duke of Ascoli, a feeble man, worthy associate of Ferdinand, having the
same foibles and weakness of character, was made Prime Minister, by which the
Queen obtained a further control or ascendancy over the King, and was the better
enabled to repress any desire on his part to exercise his authority in opposition to
her will. Public money was shamefully lavished on Neapolitans and Calabrese,
and great discontent prevailed among the Sicilians. They appeared to reap no
advantage by a most profligate expenditure, occasioned by different expeditions,
directed against Castel-a-Mare, Procida, Iscliia, and Capri. The treasury was
nearly exhausted, the money taken from Naples to Palermo in the flight of the
Royal family was expended, and the Queen, as a last resource, pawned her dowry
jewels for a sum of about ^'5000 sterling. England at this time paid to the
Sicilian Court £'300,000 sterling in yearly subsidy, and no apparent benefit
resulted from such an enormous expenditure. Suspicion arose that the money was
dispensed in payments to Neapolitan spies and Calabrian homicides, and the cha-
racter of the English nation began to suffer under such imputations. It was clear
that the support of such an Ally produced disrespect, and it was thought necessary
to dispossess the Queen of her authority, and thus put an end to such a state of
affairs. In vain did England endeavour by constitutional means, through the
Sicilian Parliament, which had been convoked by the King in 1810, to remedy
these evils. In this Parliament the Chevalier Medici had gained over to him the
Commons and the Clergy, but he had neglected the Barons, which as a body was
the most powerful, and they opposed themselves to his measures. Amongst these,
most conspicuously shone the Prince of Belmonte, who had by the machinations
600 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
of the wonderful effect produced by the combined vocal powers
of Lady Hamilton and Mrs. Billington,
of Medici endured exile from court. Belmonte was both noble and wealthy ; a
man issuing from a distinguished lineage, and possessing much influence. Neither
was he deficient in abiUty or wanting in generosity. His good qualities were,
however, counterbalanced by great pride. He became the leader of the Barons,
and was determined to avenge himself of Caroline and Medici. By his means,
Parliament granted but small taxes in augmentation to the donatives ; these
being paid unwillingly by the Sicilians, and great dissatisfaction expressed. The
Barons, by their conduct in suppressing irregularities and punishing offenders, rose
into great favour with the people, and obtained much credit. Medici resigned his
office, and was succeeded by a Sicilian, who proved ignorant of state affairs. He
soon fell into disgrace, the taxes were with great difficulty collected, and the
desperate state of affairs rendered it necessary to summon a second Parliament.
The Court were not more successful with this assembly than the former, they re-
fusing to grant larger amounts. Tommasi, who had been called to the Royal
councils, suggested some expedients to relieve the Government from the embarrassed
condition in which it was placed, but they failed of success, and even aggravated
the discontent. Botta says, " The Queen, who, although she deserved praise for
her firmness, merited censure for the means she employed, and the end she pro-
posed, followed her usual line of conduct. The Barons were equally steady, nor
were they men to let occasions pass them. The English now interposed ; for they
saw that the courses followed by the Government favoured the designs of the
French, by rousing the ill-will of the people ; and as they had proved that it was
useless to give advice to the Queen, they were resolved to avail themselves of the
new aspect which affairs had taken." (Vol. ii p. 330)
A remonstrance to the King was presented by the Barons against two edicts
which had been issued contrary to the principles of the Sicilian Constitution, as
to the right of levying money. The Queen was resolute in her opposition to the
Barons, and even prevailed upon the King to have them arrested. The Prince of
Belmonte, the Princes of Aci, of Villamora, of Villa Franca, and the Duke of
Anjou, were conducted, to different islands and ill treated. Unable to control
the Queen or suppress the anger of the people, the English made attempts by an
union with the Barons to rule the island. Lord Amherst was at this time the
British Ambassador, and he was recalled, that his place might be filled by one of
a more indomitable spirit, which was found in the person of Lord William Ben-
tinck. He immediately commenced negotiations with the Queen, and was met
by her Majesty with her usual firmness and ability. In vain did he represent to
her the dangers with which she was environed, and the necessity of reforming
abuses which existed, which endangered not only the administration but the con-
stitution of the kingdom. He demanded the revocation of the offensive edicts, the
liberation of the five Barons, and imprcssf;d upon her the determination of com-
pelling submission to those conditions, should they be rejected. Her obstinacy was
increased as her pride was offended — she declared that Caroline and not Bentinck
was sovereign, and wished to know by what right he obtruded himself into the affairs
of the kingdom ; intimating that he must have exceeded his credentials. She went
so far as to demand the production of his mandate for interfering in the govern-
ment of the kingdom of Sicily. She told him to confine himself to the duties of
an Ambassador, and not to arrogate to himself the functions of a Prime Minister
LADY HAMILTON- G07
It was in 1793 that Lady Hamilton first saw Nelson on
occasion of his being sent by Lord lloud with dispatches for
or a King. Lord William had indeed gone beyond his instructions, and although
unable to produce his authority for such an exercise of power, he replied, that if
not possessed of the required mandate he would soon get one, and accordingly
prepared to put his threats into practice. Perceiving her danger, the Queen re-
solved upon again seeing the Ambassador, but no conciliatory measure on either
side was the result of the interview, and they parted, the Ambassador declaring,
as he withdrew fi-om the royal presence, " either a Constitution or a Revolution."
He quitted Sicily, returned to London, and in three months was again in Sicily,
vested with ample powers to cai-ry his threat into execution. Re had the com-
mand of all the English troops in the island. He endeavoured to persuade
the Queen to submission, but she was inflexible ; and at length he declared he
would arrest both the King and Queen and send them to England, leaving the son
of the Hereditary Prince Don Francisco, then a child of only two years of age, to
govern under a Regency, to be comj)osed of the Duke of Orleans, and the Prince
of Belmonte. No less than 12,000 troops were brought from all parts into the
vicinity of Palermo. The Queen summoned her Council, declared she would not
yield to foreign domination, and determined upon repelling force by force. The
Sicilian troops were however inefficient and unfit to be trusted ; they were with-
out clothing, rations or arms, and the issue of such an unequal contest, could there-
fore easily be calculated. Caroline was compelled to submit to the decision of her
Council, and she withdrew to one of her country seats, at a short distance from
the capital. Lord William Bentinck, thus successful in his endeavours, soon pre-
vailed upon the King to resign the royal authority in favour of his son, the Here-
ditary Prince, as Vice-General of the kingdom. Lord William was elected Captain-
General of Sicily, by which he united the command of the nation and the British
force, and thus defeated the machinations of Buonaparte, in his views upon Sicily.
The Bcirons were recalled, the Ministers of Caroline dismissed, the edicts relating
to the levying of money annulled, Belmonte made Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Villamora, of Finance, and Aci, of the Marine. The people rejoiced, and the
fortunes of Sicily appeared to be retrieved. Many judicious measures were
adopted, the executive power was vested in the King alone, whose person was
regarded sacred and inviolable, the judges vrere made independent of the Parlia-
ment and the King, the Ministers held responsible. The Senate was divided into
two chambers, the Peers and the Commons, the latter elected by the people, the
former such as were ennobled by the King. Li the King was vested the power of
summoning Parliament, which he was bound to do once in every year ; an ample
revenue was secured to him by the nation, which took vxpon itself the administra-
tion of the crown lands. Person and property could only be affected through the
operation of the laws as sanctioned by Parliament, judicial forms were established,
and other measures approaching those of the British constitution were made as far
as applicable to Sicily, in promotion of the public good. This Constitution gave
great satisfaction. Aft:r many difficulties, and with much hesitation, the King
divested himself of his regal authority, and his son, the Prince Vicar, ratified
tVie decrees. The Queen is reported to have endeavoured to create confusion,
and has been accused of various plots to disturb the public peace, and even
endanger the lives of the Senators. The evidence is wanting sutticientiy to
substantiate these charges. Lord William Bentinck at length succeeded in
(JOS SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
Sir William, to obtain troops from Naples to assist in the pre-
servation of Toulon. Reference has been already made to the
removing the Queen from the vicinity of the Government to Castelvetrano, a dis-
tance of sixty miles from Palermo, and only awaited the spring to send her to
Vienna.
A Lady of rank, who published, " Venice under the yoke of France and of
Austria," states that Queen Caroline was confined at Palermo, and that a ship was
ordered to be got ready to convey her from the island ; this was an order from the
British Commander-in-chief, in consequence of its having been discovered that
the Queen had been concerned in a plot for the betrayal of the island and the British
troops into the hands of the French ! Her Majesty denied the truth of the
allegations made against her, and insisted that she had given the English no
reason for so acting, excepting that of continuing to govern, as she ever had done
before she came to the island. Having disposed of all her jewels, she retired to
the mountains, raised a party of peasants, and resolved upon recovering her former
situation as an independent Queen, and to resist the banishment proposed by a
Power she had called in to protect her against the aggression and violence expe-
rienced from another quarter. The situation she chose as her retreat was a
mountainous one, occupied scarcely by any but goats. She collected together
800 or 900 men with instruments of husbandry only, as defensive or offensive
weapons. Here she resolved to oppose Lord William Bentinck, and would accept
of no terms of conciliation ; she declared, that the King's restoration to power, and
the total evacuation of Sicily by the British troops, were the only terms to
which she would listen. She respected the English as Allies, but would not
acknowledge them as masters. Lord William Bentinck ordered a sufficient
number of troops to surround her place of refuge, and reduce her to submission.
She was compelled to yield, and was confined in a palace a short distance from
Palermo, and carefully watched, to prevent intrigue or further opposition. She
was shipped off to the Ionian Islands, thence to Constantinople, and so on to
Austria.
Soon after the deposal of the Queen, the King Ferdinand, it is conjectured,
upon the urgent entreaties of the Queen, came unexpectedly to Palermo one
morning, announced the perfect recovery of his health, and commanded a Pro-
clamation to be posted up throughout the city, ordering Te Deum to be per-
formed in all the churches for his convalescence, revoking his son's authority,
and proclaiming his own resumption of the Government. The Duke of Orleans was
sent by Lord WUliam Bentinck immediately, to acquaint the King, that his
palace would be surrounded by cannon, and himself made prisoner, and held
responsible for all the mischief that might ensue, unless he immediately withdrew
from the capital. The Te Deurn was relinquished, and the King departed.
The King became an object of contempt with his people, but the Queen was
looked upon in another view, for it was held by them, that she had never been
favourable to placing them under the power of a foreign yoke. The determined
conduct on the peirt of Lord William Bentinck, prevented any serious conse-
quence arising from this unexpected movement. The step taken, however,
rendered the removal of the Queen more than ever necessary, and means were
immediately taken to convey her from Sicily. After adverse winds and many
hardships she reached Vienna, was soon after taken suddenly ill, and expired,
September 7th, 1814. Thus terminated the life of this extraordinary woman.
LADY HAMILTON. 609
reception given to Nekon by the King and Royal family, and
also by Sir William and Lady Hamilton. ^ From an expression
in one of Nelson's letters to his wife, it has been endeavoured
to be shewn that that unfortunate passion, which at a later
period so lamentably predominated, had at this time its com-
mencement; but there is no authority to justify a belief that
an ardour beyond that which would naturally be lighted up in
the bosom of a man of Nelson's simplicity and character, full
of devotion to the interests of his country and the preservation
of national honour and glory, had at this period any existence.
The correspondence of Nelson with his wife, and the style of
address maintained by him in his communications to Lady
Hamilton, even beyond 1798, when the battle of the Nile had
been fought, forbid any such suspicion. By an extract from the
Letter Book of Nelson already quoted (Vol. i. p. 1-26), it appears
that through the exertions of Lady Hamilton, she obtained from
the Queen of Naples a letter which gave permission to Nelson
to water and victual die British fleet at Syracuse, and thus
enabled him to seek out the French fleet, and fight the
battle of the Nile. As it is principally upon the strength and
importance of this service that he left in his will Lady
Hamilton's claims upon the country to the notice of the
The lady of rank before referred to, who had been presented to Caroline when
Queen reigning in Naples, saw her after she had been sent off for the Ionian
Islands. At Zante, this lady, upon being ushered into the royal presence, offered
as usual to kiss her Majesty's hand, which was remarkably handsome. Upon
seeing her intention the Queen withdrew it, saying, " No, the ceremony would
now be a mockery of royalty, and an insult to my present condition. The
daughter of Maria Theresa — a wanderer and an outcast — must no longer receive
those marks of distinction which were the prerogatives of the Queen of Naples. You
behold me now in a very different situation to that in which you first saw me, when
you presented me with the letters of my dear murdered sister." (Vol. ii. p. 71.)
This remark naturally affected the lady much, and the Queen continued: " Do
not Imagine I mean to offend you. I know your respectful attentions are directed to
my person ; for, certainly, they cannot be interested at this moment, as I am no
longer in a atuation to reward you as such attention merits; but, when I reflect,
that the only foreign nation for w-hich I had a sincere regard has thus insulted me,
and what is still worse, ruined me in the esteem of many of my friends, by
calumniating me in the eyes of all Europe, I cannot help feeling a pleasure at the
sight of one of that nation who, I am sure, will do me justice."
It is sufficient to add, that the good effects promised by Lord William Beu-
tinck's Constitution, were not realized according to the expectations entertained,
and that Ferdinand, upon his restoration to the throne of Naples, in 1814,
aboUshed the Sicilian Constitution, without exciting either the opposition or
regret of the people. Ferdinand, King of Naples, died of an attack of apoplexy,
January 4th, 1825.
' See ante, Vol. i. p. 40.
VOL. II. 2 R
610 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
Goveninient, it is proper here to state her case somewhat in
detail.
Imtnediately after the marriage of Sir Wilham and Lady
Hamilton, they departed for Naples. Arrived at Paris, they
waited upon the Queen of France, then at the Tuilleries, who
entrusted to l.ady Hamilton the last letter she wrote to her
sister, the Queen of Naples, a circumstance which naturally
tended to attach the Queen to her, and probably led to an
ascendancy in her esteem, which Lady Hamilton endeavoured,
in every possible way, to turn to the advantage of the British
interest. When Lord Hood had taken possession of Toulon,
as above stated, and Sir John Jervis (afterwards Earl of St.
Vincent) was employed upon the reduction of Corsica, the
latter, who regarded and styled her the Patroness of the Navy,
was in the practice of writing to Lady Hamilton for every
thing he required from Naples, and in his letters to her he
admits that the assistance she rendered him in these various
services, contributed much, by the promptness with which it
was afforded, to facilitate the reduction of that island. The
influence of Lady Hamilton with the Queen operated favour-
ably upon the King, who thereby became so opposed to
French interests, and so attached to the English, that it was
common to them both to say that Lady Hamilton had " De-
Bourbonized them, and made them all English." By the
cultivation of this influence, and untiring watchfulness to pro-
mote British inteiests, Lady Hamilton ascertained that a
courier had brought to the King of Naples a private letter
from the King of Spain, and such was her zeal for the inte-
rests of her country, and so great was her power with the
Queen, that she absolutely prevailed upon her Majesty to
abstract this communication from the King's possession. Upon
examination it was found to contain the King of Spain's deter-
mination to withdraw from the coalition into which he had
entered, and join the French against England. At this time
Sir William Hamilton was lying dangerously ill, and unable
to attend to his duties; but Lady Hamilton prevailed on the
Queen to permit her to take a copy of the letter, and she im-
mediately dispatched it by a messenger to Lord Grenville,
taking the then very necessary precautions to insure its safe
transit, to eff*ect which cost her about £400, which she paid
out of her own private purse. "^
The following Letters from the Queen to Lady Hamilton
exhibit her great attachment to England : —
"■ My very dear Lady, " April 29th, 1795.
" My head is so confused, and my spirits so agitated, that I
LADY HAMILTON. 611
know not what to do. I hope to see you to-morrow morning
about ten o'clock. I send you a letter in cypher, come from
Spain, from Galatone, which must be returned before twelve
o'clock, so that the King may have it. There are some facts
very interesting to the English Government, which I Avish to
communicate to them, to shew my attachment to them, and the
confidence I feel in the worthy Chevalier. I only beg of him
not to compromise me. Villars has shewn at Genoa publicly,
and privately to Ignasia Serra, Capano's brother, full powers to
make peace with all the States of Italy, and afterwards they
wish it particularly with the Two Sicilies ; that shews their
need of it. Adieu. We shall talk of many things to-morrow.
Adieu. Believe me your sincere friend."
"April 30th, 1795.
" My dear Lady,
" I must go for the whole day to CardittUo, my health and
my feeble frame are unsuited for these long journeys, but one
must obey. You wi;l be very, very much occupied for me ;
rely on my sincerely felt gratitude. 1 have received my
letters and seen all that you sent me yesterday. I hope that
so much application will not be injurious to the Chevalier, I
observe what you say of Gallo.^ I think him honest and
attached, but still young. Adieu, a thousand compliments to
the Chevalier."
Various other matters of minor consideration were effected
by the influence of Lady Hamilton, from this time until 1798,
in affording assistance to the English fleets in those seas, to
fully estimate the value of which, it must be borne in mind
that at this period so high was French ascendancy and revo-
lutionary principles in Naples, that it was absolutely dangerous
for the British Minister even to go to Court.
In June, 1798, about three days after the French fleet had
passed by for Malta, Sir William and Lady Hamilton were
one morning awakened, about six o'clock, by the arrival of
Captain Troubridge with a letter from Sir Horatio Nelson,
then with the fleet lying off" the Bay near to Capri, " requesting
that the Ambassador would procure him permission to enter
with his fleet into Naples, or any of the Sicilian Ports, to
provision, water, &c., as otherwise he must run for Gibraltar,
being in urgent want, and that, consequently, he would be
obliged to give over all further pursuit of the French Fleet,
which he had missed at Egypt on account of their having put
' The Marquis of Gallo afterwards became Ferdinand's Ambassador at Paris ;
then turned round to Napoleon, became Ambassador from Joseph Buonaparte,
and afterwards his Minister for Foreign Affairs.
2 R 2
612 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
into Malta." At this lime, Naples had made peace with
France, and an Ambassador was resident then at Naples. One
of the stipulations of the Treaty which had been entered into
was to the effect that tio more than two English ships of war
should enter into any of the Neapolitan or Sicilian ports.
However, Sir William Hamilton called up Sir John Acton,
the Minister, who immediately convened a Council, at which
the King was present. This was about half-past six. Lady
Hamilton went immediately to the Queen, who received her
in her bedroom. She represented to her Majesty that the
safety of the Two Sicilies now depended upon her conduct, and
that, should the Council, as she feared under the circum-
stances they must do, decide on negative or half measures, the
Sicilies nmst be lost, if Nelson were not supplied agreeably
to his request, by which he would be enabled to follow the
great French force which had passed in that direction only a
few days before. Nothing could exceed the alarm with which
the Queen received this intelligence ; she urged that the King
was ill Council, and would decide with his Ministers. Lady
Hamilton prayed and implored on her knees to authorize the
required assistance; the Queen was unable to withstand her
entreaties and her arguments ; pen, ink and paper were
brought to her, Lady Hamilton dictated, and the Queen wrote
a positive order, " directed to all Governors of the 'Fwo Sicilies,
to receive with hospitality the British fleet to water, victual,
and aid them." In every w.iy, this order, as Lady Hamilton
well knew, would be more respected than that which might
emanate from the King. The Council did not break up until
eight o'clock, and Lady Hamilton attended Captain Trou-
bridge and her husband to their residence. The faces of the
King, of Acton, and of Sir William, loo plainly told the
determination to which they had arrived, and that thei/ could
not then break with France. On^the way home. Lady Hamil-
ton told Sir Vv illiara and Captain Troubridge that she had
anticipated the result and had provided against it; that whilst
they were in Council debating the application, she had Heen
with the Queen, and had not without effect implored her
Majesty to render the aid required. She then, to their great
astonishment and delight, produced the order in question.
jVothing could exceed the gladness this occasioned : Troubi'idge
declared that it wiuld " cheer Nelson to ecstasy," and that by
this means they should be able to pursue and conquer the
French fleet, otherwise they must have gone for Gibraltar.
Sir William Hamilton wrote to Sir Horatio Nelson, commu-
nicating to him the formal decision of the Council, but added,
" V'ou will receive from Emma herself what will do the busi-
^^ '^ \ K
^
■■•i^Air, i(!^.
LADY HAMILTON. 613
ness, and procure all your wants." Lady Hamilton inclosed
to the Admiral the order, praying him " that the Queen might
be as little committed in the use of it as the glory and service
of the country would admit of." To this, Nelson replied, that
he received the precious order, and that if he gained a battle
it should be called hers and the Queen's, for to Lady Hamil-
ton he should owe his success, as, without the order, their ,
return to Gibraltar was decided upoti. But, he added, "■ I
will now come back to you crowned with laurel, or covered
with cypress."
The following letter^ was written to Lady Hamilton on this
occasion : —
"My dear Lady Hamilton,
" I have kissed the Queen's letter. Pray say I hope for
the honour of kissing her hand when no fears will intervene.
Assure her Majesty that no person has her felicity more at
heart than myself, and that the sufferings of her family will
be a tov^er of strength on the day of battle. Fear not the
event: God is with us. God bless you and Sir William.
Pray say I cannot stay to answer his letter.
" Ever yours faithfully,
'* Horatio Nelson,
" 17th May, 6 p.m."
The month affixed to this letter is incorrect; it mu-t have
been written on the 17tli of June not the 17th of May. On
the back of it Lady Hamilton has written : "■ This letter 1
received after I had sent the Queen's letter for receiving our
ships into their ports; for the Queen had decided to act in
opposition to the King, who could not then break with France,
and our fleet must have gone down to Gibraltar to have watered,
and the Battle of the Nile would not have been fought, for
the French fleet woidd have got back to Toulon." On the
1 7th of May Nelson was not off Naples but off Cape Sicie, and
on that day wrote- to Earl St. Vincent to acquaint him that
the Terpsichore had that morning captured a French corvette
which came out of Toulon t'le previous night, and that from
examination of the crew he found Buonaparte had arrived at
Toulon, and had examined the troops which were embarking
in transports ; that ti'oops frequently arrived from Marseilles,
but that no one knew to what place the armament was destined.
On the 24th of May he wrote the well-known letter to Lady
Nelson from the island of St, Peter's in Sardinia, descriptive
of the effects of the awful storm he had witnessed. On the
' Sue Fac-bimile. ^ Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iii. p. 15.
614 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
27th he was able, by great efforts, again to put to sea. On
the 12th of June he was off lilba, and wrote to Sir William
Hamilton, expressing his hope that he had arrived in good
time to save Naples or Sicily from falling into the hands of the
enemy, and wishing to know what co-operation was intended
by the Court of Naples, and asking for information relative to
the French fleet. On the 15th he was off the Ponza Islands,
and wi'ote to the Earl of St. Vincent that not finding a cruiser,
he should send Captain Troubridge into Naples to talk with
Sir William Hamilton and General Acton. " Troubridge (he
says) possesses my full confidence, and has been my honoured
acquaintance of twenty-five years standing." On the 14th,
being then offCivita Vecchia, he sent Troubridge with a letter
to Sir William Hamilton. On the 17th he was in the Bay of
Naples, and Captain Troubridge must have returned on that
day, for upon his arrival Melson immediately put to sea. On
the 1 8th he wrote the following note to Sir William Hamil-
ton : —
(Private.) " Vanguard, at Sea, 18th June, 1798.
" My dear Sir,
*• I would not lose one moment of the breeze in answering
your letter. The best sight (as an Irishman would say) was
to see me out of sight; especially as I had not time to examine
the Marquis de Gallo's note to you. I send you an extract
of the Admiralty orders to Earl St. Vincent, by which it would
appear as determined by the Cabinet to keep a superior Fleet
to the enemy in the Mediterranean ; for the Admiralty, you
know, can give no such orders, but by an order from the Secre-
tary of State. As for what depends on me, I beg, if you think
it proper, to tell their Sicilian Majesties, and General Acton,
that they may rest assui'cd that 1 shall not withdraw the King's
fleet but by positive orders, or the impossibility of procuring
supplies. I wish them to depend upon me, and they shall not
be disappointed. God forbid it should so happen that the
enemy escape me and get into any port. You may rely, if
1 am properly supplied, that there they shall remain, a useless
body, for this summer ; but, if I have gun and mortar boats,
with fire-ships, it is most probable they may be got at : for,
although I hope the best, yet it is proper to be prepared for
tlie worst (which, I am sure, all this fleet would feel), the
escape of the enemy into port. My distress for frigates is ex-
treme; but I cannot help myself, and no one will help me.
But, thank God, I am not apt to feel difficulties.
" Pray present my best respects to Lady Hamilton : tell her
1 hope to be presented to her crowned with laurel or cypress.
LADY HAMILTON.. 615
But God is good, and to Him do I commit myself and our
cause. Ever believe me, my dear Sir,
" Your obliged and faithful,
" Horatio Nelson."
In a letti-r also to the Earl of St. Vincent, written at sea,
June '29th, he says, " On the 17th, in the Bay of Naples, I
received my first letter from Sir William Hamilton, and in
two hours Captain Troubridge returned with information that
the French fleet were off Malta on the 8th, going to attack
it ; that Naples was at peace with the French Republic, there-
fore could afford us no assistance in ships ; but that, under
the rose, they would give us the use of their ports, and sin-
cerely wished us well, but did not promise the smallest infor-
mation of what was, or likely to be, the future destination of
the French armament." ^ On the 'lOth of July he anchored
at Syracuse, and there watered and obtained fresh provisions,
&c. On this day he wrote to the Earl of St. Vincent: '' We
are watering, and getting such refreshments as the place
affords, and shall get to sea by the •25th.''"
I have been thus particular with regard to this letter, be-
cause Sir iN. H. Nicolas questions Nelson's knowledge of the
Queen's letter to enable him to obtain supplies, and thinks
the fact inconsistent with the letters addressed by him to Sir
W^illiam :ind to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, both of the
22nd of July ; the former taken from a copy in the State Paper
Office, Admiralty and Letter F>ook, runs thus: —
" Vanguard, Syracuse, July 22, 1798.
" My dear Sir,
" I have had s > much said about the King of Naples' orders
only to admit three or four of the ships of our fleet into his
ports, that 1 am astonished. I understood that private orders,
at least, would have been given for our free admission. If we
are to be refused supplies, pray send me by many vessels an
account, that I may in good time take the King's fleet to
Gibraltar. Our treatment is scandalous for a great nation to
put up with, and tlie King's flag is insulted at every friendly
port we look at.
" I am, with the greatest i-espect. Sec.
" Horatio Nelson.
** You will observe that I feel as a public man, and write as
such. I have no complaint to make of private attention,
' Dispatclies and Letters, Vol. iii. p. 39. ^ Ibid. Vol, iii. p. 45.
616 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
quite the contrary. Every body of persons have been on board
to offer me civihties.''
To Sir William and Lady Hamilton : —
" 22nd July, 1798.
" My dear Friends,
" Thanks to your exertions, we have victualled and watered ;
and surely watering at the Fountain of Arethusa, we must
fiMve victory. We shall sail with the first breeze, and be
assured I will return either crowned with laurel or covered with
cypress."^
To reconcile these we must refer to Nelson's letter to the
Earl of St. Vincent of the 20th, before quoted, where it will
be seen that he was at that time getting water and refresh-
ments, although two days afterwards he writes to Sir William
Hamilton as if they were to be refused to him, and on the
same day acknowledges to Sir William and Lady Hamilton
that they are victualled and watered, and attributes it to
their exertions. The former letter to Sir William is clearly a
public letter, perhaps thouiiht necessary by Nelson, that the
Queen should not be compromised, and the latter is s. private
letter to satisfy the British Minister and his Lady, that the
object had been accomplished, 'ihat it was so accomplished,
and that the supplies being so furnished occasioned the Charge
d'Afll'aires of the French Republic, Mons. La Cheze, to pro-
test to the Marquis de Gallo, l7Thermidor, An vi. (August 4,
1798), is well known and on record, and that it was effected
by Lady Hamilton's exertions is admitted by Nelson in the
most solemn document that could be written, no less than in
that Codicil to his Will made at the momeiit he was (and under
a presentiment of death) about to engage in battle with the
enemy; Nelson abhorred a falsehood, and his affirmation on
that subject is entitled to be received as proof.
On the '23rd of July he again wrote to Sir William Elauiil-
ton, and says, " The fleet is unmoored, and the moment the
wind comes off the land, shall go out of this delightful har-
bour, where our present wants have been most amply sup-
plied, and where every aitention has been paid to us; but I
have been tormented by no private orders being given to the
Governors for our admission.'^"
Nelson returned after the Battle of the Nile to Naples, ar-
riving there on the 20th of September, where not only was
evei'y assistance given to the repairing of our ships, but also to
' llairisou's Life of Nelson, Vol. i. p. 256.
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iii. p. 48.
LADY HAMILTON, 61/
the care of the wounded and to the general supply of the
demands of the fleet. But, especially, was the broken health
and wounded body of the valorous chief regarded. Nelson
was taken into the British Minister's house, and there per-
sonally tended by her whose sympathies had been so awakened,
and by whose attentions he was after a time restored to health.
The French Ambassador urged strongly upon the Neapo-
litan Court their breach of faith in supplying the British fieet
at Syracuse contrary to treaty, and Lady Hamilton availed
herself at this juncture, whilst the Court was flushed with joy at
the Victory of the Nile, to exercise her influence still further
with the Queen, and to urge upon her the benefits and honour
likely to result by breaking boldly with the French, and dis-
missing their Ambassador altogether. She also urged the
raising an army to oppose the threats of invasion, which were
then put forth. The Queen, who had been obliged to cede
to the necessity of receiving an Envoy from that nation, which
was tinged with the blood of her sister, her brother-in-law, and
her nephew, failed not to enter in the most lively manner into
these proposals, and communicated them to the King. Lady
Hamilton did the same to Sir William, and Sir Horatio Nel-
son, and the Minister, Sir John Acton, being brought into
favour of the measure, the Council determined to dismiss the
French Amba-sador, who, together with his suite, was sent oflf
at twenty-four hours notice. An army also of 35,000 men was
raised in nearly a month. They marched from St. Germain's,
under the command of General Mack, the King himself ac-
companying the army. On the 21st of November they
opposed a scattered and inferior force, but not with success,
and in the course of one month only from that time the Royal
family were obliged to quit Naples, and embark for Palermo.
Much difference of opinion as to the policy necessary to be
adopted by the Neapolitan Court was entertained, the question
being whether they should place themselves entirely under the
French, or fly to Sicily and put themselves under British pro-
tection. The difHculties, however, attendant upon separation,
and the impressions likely to be consequent upon the flight
of t'iie Court, offered strong inducements to abide at Naples
under any circumstances. Lady Hamilton was mainly instru-
mental in effecting the departure of the Royal family — she
urged upon the Queen the necessity of the measure, as the
French army was rapidly advancing towards Naples. She
failed not to paint to her Majesty's imagination all the horrors
likely to succeed upon their arrival, and at length prevailed
upon her and the King to adopt the measure. This was not.
618 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
however, effected without difficulty, for tlie King was at first
very averse to the proceeding. A hurried letter of Lady
Hamilton's to Lord Nelson is now before me — it runs thus : —
" My dear Lord,
" I have this moment received a letter from my adorable
Queen. She is arrived with the King. She had much to do
to persuade him, but he approves of all our projects. She is
worn out with fatigue — to-morrow I will send you her letter.
God bless you.
" Yours, sincerely."
[No signature, but in Lady Hamilton's hand-writing.]
No little danger was connected with this proceeding, for
the growth of French principles, together with the rapid
march of their army upon the capital, made it too hazardous
to trust the Neapolitans with any knowledge of the plan in
contemplation for getting off the Royal family, the Court,
and its treasures. The arrangements for this purpose have
already been noticed (see Vol. L pp. 174 — 185), and Lady
Hamilton's exertions briefly stated . From notes now before
me, she says : " I, however, began the work myself, and re-
moved all the jewels, and then thirty-six barrels of gold, to
our house; these I marked ^li, stores for JVelson, being obliged
to use every device to prevent the attendants having any idea
of our proceedings. By many such stratagems I got those
treasures embarked, and this point gained, the King's resolu-
tion of coming off was strengthened — the Queen I was sure
of."
There can be no doubt of this having been effected by Lady
Hamilton ; no other individual was in a position capable of
accomplishing such an object. Lord Nelson wrote to the First
Lord of the Admiralty, and said, " Lady Hamilton seemed to
be an angel dropt from Heaven for the preservation of the
Royal family." To effect, however, the safe departure of the
Royal family, together with the property which had thus been
conveyed on board the ships, it is obvious many sacrifices must
have been necessarily made. The Ambassador was obliged
to abandon his house, together with all the valuables it con-
tained, nor was he able to convey away a single article. The
private property of Sir William and Lady Hamilton was volun-
tarily left to prevent discovery of the proceeding, and this
Lady Hamilton estimated at £9000 on her own account, and
not less than £30,000 on that of Sir William. To shew the
caution and secresy required in thus getting away, Lady
LADY HAMILTON. 619
Hamilton says : — '^ I had, on the night of our embarkation, to
attend the party given by Kelim Effendi, who was sent by the
Grand Signior to Naples, to present Nelson with the Chelongh,
or Plume of Triumph ! I had to steal from the party, leaving
our carriages and equipage waiting at his house, and in about
fifteen minutes to be at my post, where it was my task to con-
duct the Royal family through the subterraneous passage, to
Nelson's boats, by that moment waiting for us on the shore !
The season for this voyage was extremely hazardous, and our
miraculous preservation is recorded by the Admiral upon our
arrival at Palermo.''
In 1799, Lord Keith missed the French squadron, and
Lord Nelson sailed in quest of them from Palermo. Such
was the confidence he reposed in Lady Hamilton, that he left
directions for her to open all letters and dispatches for him, and
to act in his behalf to the best of her power, governing herself
by events. Sir Alexander Ball was at this time in possession
of a part of the island of Malta, residing at St. Antonio, The
French had possession of La Valetta. Sir Alexander sent six
natives deputies to Nelson at Palermo, for a supply of grain,
their necessity for provisions being so great, that the inhabi-
tants were ready to join any sortie the French might attempt
in the hope of getting relieved. Lady Hamilton received the
deputies, opened their dispatches, and, without hesitation, went
down to the port to try what could be done. She found several
vessels lying there, laden with corn for Ragusa, and imme-
diately purchased their cargoes and engaged the vessels to go
with their loading and the deputies to Malta. This service
Sir Alexander Ball, in his letters to Lady Hamilton, as well
as to Lord Nelson, plainly states to have been the means
whereby he was enabled to preserve that important island.
To accomplish this, however. Lady Hamilton was under the
necessity of borrowing a considerable sum, which she repaid
with her own private money, and thus expended, as she says,
nothing short of £5000, not a shilling of which, nor the inte-
rest, did she ever get returned.
In a previous Chapter^ I have printed the letter of Lord
Nelson to the Emperor Paul, in relation to the services ren-
dered by Lady Hamilton to px'eserve Malta. These were
amply recognized by the Emperor, and the Order of St. John
of Jerusalem was accorded to her, the distinction being com-
municated to her by the Emperor himself. That his Imperial
Majesty set a high value on the aid afforded by Lady Hamil-
ton, and on the value of the testimony he bestowed on her on
' Vol. i. p. 324.
G20 SUPPLKMENTARY CHAPTERS.
the occasion, may be inferred from the circumstance that he
requested Lord VVhitworth, then Ambassador of Great Britain
at the Court of Russia, that the honour he had conferred
might be registered in the King's College of Arms in Lady
Hamilton's native country. This was, indeed, attended to, as
the Ibllowing letter from Sir George Nayler, then York
Herald, but afterwards Garter King-at-Arms, will shew : —
" Heralds' College, London,
31st August, 1805.
" My Lady,
" Enclosed are two paintings of Arms for your Ladyship's
choice, subject to the approbation of the Kings of Arms, pre-
vious to being confirmed by patent, and registered in the Col-
lege. The one marked A represents part of the Arms to
the name of Lyons, with the Cross of Malta in chief; the
other, marked B, is also part of the Arms borne by the name
of Lyons, with a Fess charged with cinque foils and the Cross
of Malta, in allusion to the Coat of Hamilton, and the afore-
said Order. I have also herewith enclosed a copy of the King's
warrant to record the documents relating to the Order of
Malta, given by the Emperor to Sir H. R. Popham, and a
copy of his Grace the Earl IMarshal's warrant fur recording
your Ladyship's Arms, and like honours in the said College,
previous to which it will be necessary for your Ladyship to
collect all the documents relating thereto for registration ; and
should it be the wish of your Ladyship to have the Order of
Malta recognized by Royal Warrant similar to Sir IL Popham,
I conceive it may easily be done. Your Ladyship, in transmit-
ting me the necessary documents aforesaid, will be pleased to
signify which of the two drawings, A or B, you should prefer
havino- granted, in order that I may be enabled to proceed
with the patent, and when completed will be borne on an
Escutcheon of Pretence, the Arras of the late Sir William
Hamilton, K.B.
" I have the honour to be, with respect,
''Your Ladyship's most obliged,
" And faithful humble servant,
"George Nayler, York."*
The following Arms were granted, by patent, dated 19th
November, 1«06, toDame Emma Hamilton, of Clarges Street,
P'ccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, (only issue of Henry
Lyons, of Preston, in the'County of Lancashire), widow of the
Right Honourable Sir William Hamilton, K.B., viz.: "Per
pale Or and Argent, three Lions rampant, Gules on a chief
Sable, a Cross of eight points of the second.''
LADY HAMILTON. 621
Lady Hamilton's services did not terminate with those just
narrated, for upon the retaking of Naples in 1799, when Nelson
brought (with the exception of the Queen) the King and
Court back to their country, Sir William Hamilton was so ex-
ceedingly ill as to be quite unfit for business, particularly under
such a pressing state of atlairs. From the commencement
of June until the middle of August, Lady Hamilton acted not
only as interpreter, but also as secretary both to his Secretary
and to Lord Nelson, writing fortheui from morning till night,
and translating a great number of documents written in the
Italian language, which they were unable to do; nor could
persons in whom that degree of confidence necessary to be
reposed be found for a knowledge of papers of so secret and
confidential a nature. Her attention also to the two house-
holds at Palermo and Naples, obtained for her the repeated
expressions of gratitude from the Queen. Her Majesty was
indeed most desirous of testifying her sense of obligation in a
substantial manner, for she was aware of the neglect of Lady
Hamilton to her own interests, sacrificing all means of enrich-
ing herself to promote the public cause ; and upon the recall
of Sir William Hamilton from his embassy at Palermo in 1800,
her Majesty having determined to travel with Lord Nelson,
Sir William and Lady Hamilton, as far as Vienna to visit her
daughter the Empress of Germany, she, upon parting with
Lady Hamilton, put into her hands a paper, saying it was a
conveyance of i^ltJOO per unn., that she had fixed to invest for
her in the hands of Friez of the Government Bank at Vienna,
lest by any possibility she should not be suitably compensated
for the services she had rendered, the money she had gene-
rously expended, and the losses she had so voluntarily sus-
tained for the benefit of the British nation and her own.
Lady Hamilton, however, declined this generous proposal —
the acceptance of such a reward from a Queen so circum-
stanced, she deemed unworthy her position as the wife of a
British Minister, and with every expression of respect and
gratitude — declined the gift, and destroyed the instrument
conferring it, saying, England was ever just, and to her faith-
ful servants generous, and that she should feel it unbecoming
to her own beloved and magnanimous Sovereign to accept of
meed or reward fiom any other hand.^
Upon their return to England Sir William Hamilton made
many attempts to be reimbursed for his losses and rewarded
for his services. He was indeed placed in a position of no
little difficulty, and had need of assistance from private hands.
I have papers shewing Lord Nelson to have lent to him various
sums, and to have paid others of considerable amount (£3588.)
• See Vol. i. p. 389.
622 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
on his account. Lady Hamilton absolutely sold her jewels at a
great loss for his support, but Sir William fully relied upon the
generosity of the British Government and nation to compen-
sate Lady Hamilton for the great services she had been able
to render to her country. Lord Nelson was incessant in his
statements of the value of these services, and above all consi-
dered the Battle of the Nile as having been achieved through
her instrumentality. He strongly urged her claims upon Mr.
Pitt, Mr. Canning, and Mr. Rose ; and he fully relied upon
their assurances that a suitable provision would have been made
for her : had not the most confident expectation been enter-
tained that the Government would recognize her claims and
provide for her, it is scarcely likely that Sir William would
have left her with so little to supply her wants. At the close
of his life Sir William, in commissioning his nephew, the Hon.
Mr. Greville, then Deputy Lord Chamberlain, upon his decease
to deliver to his Majesty George the Third, the Insignia of the
Order of the Bath, desired him to tell his Majesty that he died
in the confident hope that his pension would be continued to
her for her zeal and services. Those services were, however,
unrecognized.
Through Sir John Acton, Lord Nelson, in a letter written
in French (printed in Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas's Dispatches
and Letters of Lord Nelson, from a copy in the Elliot Papers),
made a solicitation to gain the influence of the Queen of
Naples with the English Premier in support of Lady Hamil-
ton's claims, but that he did not feel very sanguine as to the
success of this application, appears from a letter written to Mr.
Davison, saying, that he much doubted whether the pension
would ever be given, adding, " More shame for them ;" and the
Right Honourable George Rose, who appears from the following
letter to have been consulted by Lady Hamilton on the occa-
sion, entertained little hope of obtaining it.
" Madam,
" Li proposing to you to write the inclosed letter to Mr.
Addington, I entreat I may not raise a hope in your mind
that your doing so will be likely to produce any good to you ;
I have in conformity with the principles to which I have in-
variably adhered, been anxious from the first mention of
your case to me, to prevent your forming an expectation of
success from any application you might make to the Minister,
lest 1 should in the remotest possible degree contribute to add
disappointment to misfortune : but I think in your situation
the attempt (however hopeless) is worth making. You will at
least be put to a certainty, for I am persuaded if it does not
succeed now it never will ; and this sort of application will, I
LADY HAMILTON. 623
think, afford you as good a chance of success as any you can
have : 1 sincerely and tnost heartily wish you had a better
than I can wish to hope for.
'^ If you can prevail with either the Peer or the Knight you
mentioned to me, to put your letter into Mr. Addington's
hand, or to inclose it to him, I should strongly recommend
your doing so, shewing them first the contents of it^ but on no
account mention my name, or allude to me, as I am quite
sure that would not be useful to you. And vyhen you have
copied the letter to Mr. Addington, I must beg you will burn
it.
" In the event of any thing wanting explanation, I will have
the honour of waiting on you any morning you please between
eleven and twelve o'clock, or a little later, if that shall suit you
better.
" I am, Madam,
" Your most obedient and humble servant,
" George Rose.
" Old Palace Yard, March 9th, 1804."
Lord Nelson wrote to Mr. Elliot on the 7th of July :
"With respect to the Queen's writing to this minister or that,
whether Addington or Pitt, it cannot matter. It depends
upon her Majesty's feelings towards the best friend she ever
had, and Lady Hamilton has had opportunities of serving her
country, which can fall to the lot of very few, and therefore
has those claims for personal services which few can have. As
Sir William's wife, I believe, (indeed I am sure), they will
give her not one farthing."^ To the Queen of Naples he also
wrote on the 10th : " Mr. Elliot has informed me, by writing,
of what your Majesty wished to say on the subject of writing
to the Minister respecting the pension for your Emma. Poor
Sir William Hamilton believed that it would have been
granted, or it would have been unpardonable in him to have
left his widow with so little means. Your Majesty well knows
that it was her capacity and conduct which sustained his diplo-
matic character during the last years in which he was at
Naples. It is unnecessary for me to speak more of it."'-
Nelson endeavoured on every occasion to substantiate the
justice of her claim, and failing to obtain that for her which he
felt she was justly entitled to, as the last and most powerful effort
he could make, he appended a Codicil to his Will in the fol-
lowing terms : —
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vi. p. 99.
2 Life of the Rev. Dr. Scott, p. 114.
624 SUPPLEMENTAR-y CHAPTERS,
*' Victory, October the 21st, 1805, then in sight of the com-
bined fleets of France and Spain, distant about ten miles.
" Whereas, the eminent sex'vices of Emma Hamilton,
Widow of the "Right Honourable Sir William Hamilton, have
been of the very greatest service to our King and country, and,
to my knowledge, without receiving any reward from either
our King or country.
" First, that she obtained the King of Spain's letter in 1796
to his brother the King of Naples, acquainting him of his inten-
tion to declare war against I'.ngland, and from which letter the
Ministry sent out orders to the then Sir John Jervis to strike
a stroke if opportunity offered, against either the Arsenals of
Spain or her Fleets, that neither of them was done is not the
fault of Lady Hamilton, the opportunity might have been offered.
Secondly, the British Fleet under my command, would never
have returned a second time to Egypt, had not Lady Hamilton's
influence with tlie Queen of Naples caused letters to be wrote
to the Governor of Syracuse, that he was to encourage the
Fleet being supplied with everything should they put into that
Port in Sicily. We put into Syracuse, and received eveiy
supply, went to Egypt, and destroyed the French Fleet ; could
I have rewarded those services, I would not noiv call upon my
country, but as that has not been in my power, I leave Emma
Lady Hamilton, therefore, a legacy to my King and country,
that they will give her an ample provision to maintain her rank
in life.
" I also leave to the beneficence of my country my adopted
Daughter, Horatia Nelson Thompson, and 1 desire she will
use in future the name of Nelson only. These are the only
favours I ask of my King and country at this moment, when
I am going to fight their battle.
" May God bless my King and country, and all those who
I loved dear. My relations it is needless to mention ; they
will, of course, be amply provided for.
" Nelson and Bronte.
"Witness Henry Blackwood,
T. M. Hardy.
" The above is a true copy from the original, taken this day,
Monday, the 16th of December, 1805.
"Alexander Davison."
It is a remarkable circumstance, that this Codicil should
not have been produced at the same time as the Will itself,
and that it was not, reflects the greatest disgrace on the suc-
cessor to the titles of the glorious conqueror. When Captain
LADY HAMILTON. G25
Blackwood brought it home, after the Battle of Trafalgar, he
gave it to the Reverend William, subsequently Earl Nelson,
who with his wife and family were then with Lady Hamilton,
and had, indeed, been living with her many months. To their
son Horatio, afterwards Viscount Trafalgar, she was as atten-
tive as a mother, and their daughter. Lady Charlotte, had
been almost exclusively under her care and education for six
years. The Earl, fearful that Lady Hamilton should be pro-
vided for in the sum Parliament was expected to grant to
uphold the hero's name and family, kept the Codicil in his
pocket, until the day £120,000 was voted for that purpose.
On that day he dined with Lady Hamilton in Clarges Street,
and hearing, at table, what had been done, he brought forth
the Codicil, and throwing it to Lady Hamilton, coarsely said,
she might now do with it as she pleased. She had it registered
the next day at Doctors' Commons, where it is now to be
seen.
From the commencement of Lord Nelson's influence,
created by his services to his country, the conduct of his
brother is exceedingly disgusting. Many letters, passing over
several years, are now before me, and display him as an
exceedingly avaricious man. The object of his life appears to
have been the attainment of wealth and honours, and to
acquire these he hesitated not to sacrifice his character and
reputation. As a clergyman, he could not but feel the impro-
priety of Nelson's mode of life, with Lady Hamilton, yet he
hesitated not to place his children under her roof, to entrust
one of his daughters, at least, entirely to her guidance and
controul, and to heap adulation upon her, in order that she
might exercise the great influence she possessed over his brother
for his advancement.
Lady Hamilton made many ineffectual attempts to obtain
a recognition of her claims, and a reward for her services.
In these efforts she was sanctioned and supported by several
eminent individuals. The Right Honourable George Rose,
continued solicitous in her behalf, and addressed to her the fol-
lowing : —
" Cuffnells, December 9tli, 1805.
" Madam,
" Captain Hardy had the goodness to take the trouble, at
much inconvenience to himself, to come over here soon after
the Victory anchored at Spithead, to tell me what passed in
the last moments of my late most invaluable friend, respect-
ing whom 1 shall at no time attempt to express my feelings.
But understanding that, in those moments, he manifested a
confidence I would do all in my power to make effectual his
VOL. II. 2 s
626 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
last wishes, I shall consider it a sacred duty not to disappoint
that expectation.
" You will learn from the Captain that Lord Nelson within
the hour preceding the commencement of the action, in which
he immortalized his name, made an entry in his Pocket Book,^
strongly recommending a remuneration to you for your ser-
vices to the country when the fleet under his command was in
Sicily, after his first return from Egypt, on which subject he
had spoken to me with great earnestness more than once. I
cannot therefore delay assuring you I will take the earliest
opportunity of a personal communication with Mr. Pitt,
to enforce that solemn request upon him ; and I am sure
his respect for the memory of one of the greatest men that
ever lived in any country, and his sense of what is right to
be done in such a case, will incline him to listen attentively,
and I trust favourably to the claim made for you, of which
I never heard any thing till he went out of office in 1801.
'' When I last had the honour of seeing you, during Mr.
Addington's Administration, more than two years ago, I sug-
gested the length of time since the service was performed as
an obstacle ; that objection is certainly not weakened ; but con-
sidering the time when the solemn and earnest recommendation
already alluded to, and the strong attestation of the importance
of your interposition were given ; and having in view the highly
beneficial effect j)roduced to the country so satisfactorily ascer-
tained, I am not without a hope of success. I am extremely
anxious, however, to guard you against entertaining a sanguine
expectation on the subject, that I may not have the self-re-
proach of occasioning a disappointment to you. My applica-
tion must be to Mr. Pitt, but the reward (to which 1 have
not the slightest hesitation in saying, I think you are, both on
principle and in policy, well entitled.) must, I conceive, be
from the Foreign Secretary of State, on account of the nature
' The following is in the Earl Nelson's writing : — " Before Mr. Pitt's death it
was determined that the memorandum book should be given or sent to him ; —
after that took place, as soon as conveniently could be, after Lord Grenville was
fixed in his office of Prime Minister, it was the opinion of many persons of conse-
quence, that as the said memorial contained secret matters relative to the part the
Queen of Naples privately took in assisting our fleet at Syracuse before the Battle
of the Nile, that no other person ought to have it but the INIinister, accordingly
Lord Nelson took it from Sir William Scott and gave it to Lord Grenville on the
15th of February last, and at the same time he read it to his Lordship, and
strongly pointed out to him the juar^* relative to Lady Hamilton and the child, and
in doing this Lord Nelson observed to Lord Grenville that he thought he was most
effectually promoting the interest of Lady Hamilton, and doing his duty, in which
Lord Grenville acquiesced."
LADY HAMILTON. 627
of the service. I can promise nothing but zeal ; how far that,
acting upon the conviction of my mind, of the justice of your
pretensions will be effectual, you shall know within a few days at
the latest, after I shall see Mr.Pitt either at Bath or in London.
" I trouble you with no particulars about Mr. Bolton, as I
have written to himself; the earnest manner in which Lord
Nelson repeatedly spoke and wrote to me respecting him, will
ensure to him my liveliest attention ; he knows from me Mr.
Pitt's positive engagement to provide for him.
'^ I have the honour to be,
" Madam,
'* Your most obedient and very humble servant,
"George Rose."
" Madam,
" Deeply as I am affected by the recent loss I have sus-
tained in the death of Mr. Pitt, I cannot omit to express to
you my sincere and deep regret that I had not a possible
opportunity of fulfilling the engagement which the veneration
I have for the memory of Lord Nelson induced me to make
to you in my letter from Cuffnells, after I had seen Captain
Hardy.
" I had no alarm about Mr. Pitt's health, till it was decided
he should leave Bath ; but on my seeing him at Putney Heath
I found him so ill as to preclude my talking to him on any
business whatever; Sir Walter Farquhar, indeed, had posi-
tively prohibited any one from doing so.
" I shall certainly not remain in office, and, respecting
arrangements that are about to take place, I know nothing,
no one can be in more utter ignorance of them than I am;
but if it shall happen that any representation of mine to any
of those who may fill the departments of government can have
the remotest chance of being useful to you, it shall not be
wanting. I am persuaded, however, Lord Nelson's last and
solemn appeal to his country for justice to be done to your
claim will be the best possible support to it.
" I will have the honour of waiting on you some morning in
the course of next week.
" I have the honour to be,
'' Madam,
" Your faithful and most obedient humble servant,
" George Rose.
«' Old Palace Yard, January 2?th, 1806."
*' Dear Madam,
"^I have made arrangements for to-morrow that would
render it reallv inconvenient for me to wait on you while
2 s 2
G28 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
you are in town ; I would, however, break in upon those,
and call in Clarges-street, if I could have a chance of being
useful to you, but I am certain I cannot. What I have
repeatedly suggested to you I am more and more confirmed
in, that the difficulty in affording you relief is increased, to
a great extent, by the length of time that has elapsed since
your claim arose, in which period there have been three
administrations. If you cannot obtain attention to it now,
I am sure you had better think no more of it. I do not say
this from indifference on the subject, but from an anxiety that
you should not continue to entertain a hope that must (if you
do not immediately obtain relief) end in disappointment.
Lord Nelson's codicil, 1 think, affords a ground for making
a last attempt.
" I am, dear Madam,
'^ Your very faithful humble servant,
" George Rose.
" Old Palace Yard, July 3rd, 1806."
" Dear Madam,
*' I had an opportunity of a very quiet conversation with
Mr. Canning, on Sunday last, about the paper written by
Lord Nelson just before he went into his last action, which
has led to a further conversation on the subject. I repeat
what I think I before said, that there is a perfect disposition
in Mr. Canning's mind to give effect to that paper, but the
difficulties are, I fear, insurmountable.
" I can most truly assure you that I have most anxiously
and conscientiously discharged all that Lord Nelson could
have expected from me if he were now alive, and I am lyiost
sincerely grieved that I have failed of success. The point is
not absolutely decided, but I should be inexcusable if I were
to give you any hope. I leave London to-morrow, and from
CufFnells I will write to Mr. Bolton on the affairs which
interest him.
"I am your very faithful humble servant,
" G. Rose.
" Old Palace Yard, July the 21st, 1808."
Lord Grenville,upon beingreferred to, he havingbeen Foreign
Secretary of State, at the time Lady Hamilton's services were
rendered to the country, observed, that had the application for
remuneration been made during the period, it would, cer-
tainly, have met with his attention. Lady Hamilton sought
for remuneration from the Foreign Secret Service Fund, and
she addressed the Earl of St. Vincent, to induce him to move
LADY HAMILTON. 629
a Parliamentary consideration of her claims. The following
exhibits the effort she made on this occasion : —
" My dear Lord,
" A strong sense of the deep regard which you have ever
shewn, for all that relates to the welfare of our country in
general, and consequently to its naval glory in particular ; with
the tender recollection, how dear you thus rendered yourself
to the heart of our immortal and incomparable heio, whose
ardent wish it was to see your Lordship always at the head of
the Admiralty, a sentiment that still pervades the bravest
bosoms in the navy; have awakened in my heart a hope, after
so many years of anxiety and cruel disappointment, that the
public services of importance, which it was my pride as well
as duty to perform, while the wife of his Majesty's Minister at
the Court of Naples, may, possibly, through your Lordship's
friendly and generous advice, and most able and active assist-
ance, whicli I now most earnestly solicit, but a short time
longer remain either unacknowledged, or unrewarded, by my
King and country.
" 1 will not agonize the extreme sensibility of your Lordship's
feeling breast, by any attempt to detail the various vicissitudes
of my hapless fortunes, since the fatal day when dying Nelson
bequeathed myself and his infant daughter, expressly left
under my guardianship, to the munificent protection of our
Sovereign and the nation. I will not arouse the just indigna-
tion of your Lordship's great and honourable mind, by reciting
the many petty artifices, mean machinations, and basely de-
ceptive tenders of friendship, which hitherto have prevented
Lord Nelson's dying request from being duly heard, by those
to whom it is so peculiarly and pathetically addressed.
" You, my Lord, cannot be insensible of the value of my
public services ; since it is to them alone, I have been so many
years indebted for the proud boast of possessing your friend-
ship. As the widow of Sir William Hamilton, more than
thirty years Ambassador at the Courts of Naples and Palermo,
had I never seized the opportunity, or even felt the inclination,
to perform any one act of public service, I might still have ex-
pected a reasonable pension would be granted, if duly applied
for, by the benevolent Monarch whom my husband had so long,
so ably, and so faithfully served. Even the widow' of Mr.
Lock, only about two years Consul at Palermo, a man not re-
markable either for great loyalty, or the most correct attention
to his official duties, had a pension assigned her, almost imme-
' A daughter of the Duchess of Leinster, by Mr. Ogilvie.
630 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
diately on his death, of £800 a year ; while I, who have been
seven years the widow of such a man as Sir William Hamilton,
the foster brother of our Sovereign, and have constantly done
all in my power to benefit my country, continue to be totally
neglected. The widow of Mr. Fox, whose services to his
country are, at best, very problematical, had instantly a grant
of 361200, per annum; and even his natural daughter. Miss
Willoughby, obtained a pension of 56300 a year. Yet this
man of the yeojAe, did not shed his blood for his King and
country ; and neither asked, nor could have expected, from
them, when dying, like the noble and confiding Nelson, any
such posthumous national support, as has humanely been ex-
tended to those who had thus lost their only protector. Surely,
the daughter of Lord Nelson, now Miss JNelson, is not less an
object worthy the attention of her King and country, than
Miss Willoughby, the daughter of Mr. Fox.
" J have said, perhaps, more than enough ; but the goodness
of your Lordship's heart will excuse whatever may flow from
mine, however irregularly, in the act of addressing, as my
assured friend, the greatest stateman that the death of Mr.
Pitt has left behind.
" Lamenting, as I feelingly, perhaps selfishly do, in common
with all who have a just sense of your Lordship's transcendent
abilities, and the exigencies of our country at this eventful
period, that you are not in the proper situation to act more
effectually for the national security and glory, I shall, in a few
days, transmit you a printed copy of Lord Nelson^s dying
request, prefaced by his admirable prayer for his King and
country, and accompanied by the Reverend Dr. Scott's attes-
tation, as registered with this remarkable Codicil, in Doctors'
Commons; and I'elying, with the most unbounded confidence,
on your Lordship's judgment, as to what measures may be
most advisable to be pursued, for the attainment of objects so
important to Miss Nelson, as well as to myself, and so dear to
the heart of Britain's greatest naval hero,
" 1 am, my dear Lord,
" With every sentiment of veneration,
" Esteem, and gratitude,
" Your Lordship's most affectionate,
'* and obedient humble servant,
" Emma Hamilton."
Mr. Rose, in a letter addressed in 1807 to Lady Hamilton,
among other things, and after having obtained the promise of
a Pursership of an Indiaman, for some one who had suffered
by the death of Lord Nelson, and in whom she was interested,
LADY HAMILTON. 631
exclaims : ^' Would to God, I could do so in instances more
deeply interesting ! I never exerted myself, on any occasion
in my life, more with my whole heart, and I deeply lament
my want of success."
Lady Charlotte Nelson, wrote from Canterbury, to Lady
Hamilton: "Sir William Scott came on Friday, and left us
on Monday. He slept at our house. He talked a great deal
about you, and says that you have great claims on Government,
and we all sincerely wish they would do what they ought."
Lady Hamilton petitioned the Prince Regent, in 1813, and
received the following from Lord Sidmouth : — ■
"Whitehall, March 6th, 1813.
" Madam,
" It is very painful to me, to acquaint your Ladyship, that
after a full communication, with Lord Liverpool, on the sub-
ject of your memorial to his Royal Highness, the Prince Regent,
1 am unable to encourage your hopes, that the object of it can
be accomplished. His Lordship sincerely regrets the embar-
rassments which you have described, but upon comparing them
with representations now before him of difficulty and distress,
in many other quarters, and upon view of the circumstances
with which they are attended, he finds it impossible so to ad-
minister the scanty means of relief and assistance, which, under
the authority of the Prince Regent, are at his disposal, as to
satisfy his own sense of justice to others, and at the same time
give effect to your Ladyship's application.
'^I have the honour to be. Madam,
' " Your Ladyship's obedient humble servant,
" Sidmouth."
Notwithstanding the apparent justice of Lady Hamilton's
claims, and the interests with which they were urged upon the
Government, no success resulted. She, therefore, presented a
petition to the King, but its prayer was disregarded.^
' The Memorial of Dame Emma Hamilton, widow of his Excellency, the late Sir
William Hamilton, K.B. yom- Majesty's most faithful Ambassador at the
Court of Naples.
Humbly sheweth.
That her late husband. Sir William Hamilton, in his liberal and muniticent
discharge of the honourable duties of that elevated situation to which he was
exalted by the goodness of your most gracious Majesty, had so considerably
encumbered his private fortune that he was incapable of making a sufficient pro-
vision for your Majesty's Memorialist to maintain, after his decease, the rank to
which he had indulgently raised her ; and which it was her constant study as
much as possible to merits by anxiously entering into all her husband's zealous
G32 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
The expenses Lndy Hamilton had incurred at Merton, and
by her mode of living, compelled her now to seek some method
and enlarged \'iews of diplomatic devotion to the true interests of our dear
country, and the beloved Sovereign who had thus benignantly vouchsafed to
honour him.
That it was the good fortune of your Majesty's Memorialist to acquire the
confidential friendship of that great and august Princess, the Queen of Naples,
your Majesty's most faithful and ardently attached Ally, at a period of peculiar
peril ; and when her august Consort, the Sovereign of the Two Sicilies, was un-
happily constrained to profess a neutrality but little accordant with the feelings
of his own excellent heart : by which means, your Majesty's Memorialist, among
many inferior services, had an opportunity of obtaining, and actually did obtain,
the King of Spain's letter to the King of Naples, expressive of his intention to
declare war against England. This important document your Majesty's
Memorialist delivered to her husband. Sir William Hamilton, who immediately
transmitted it to your Majesty's Ministers.
That your Majesty's Rlemorialist, on a subsequent occasion, by means of the
same contidential communication with that great and good woman, the Queen
of Naples, had the unspeakable felicity of procuring a secret order for victualling
and watering, at the port of Syracuse, the fleet of your most gracious Majesty,
under the command of Admiral Nelson ; by which means, that heroic man, the
pride and glory of his King and country, was enabled to proceed the second
time for Egypt, with a promptness and celerity which certainly hastened the
glorious Battle of the Nile, and occasioned his good and grateful heart to admit
your humble ISIemorialist, as well as the Queen of Naples, to a participation in
the honour of that important victory.
That during the long blockade of Malta, your Majesty's humble Memoriahst
is well known, by all Europe, to have contributed her best assistance, as well as
influence, in furnishing and procuring various necessaries for the distressed
natives, that they might thus be animated and encouraged to resist as well the
artifices as the arms of the enemy, and thereby prevent that important fortress
from fatally falling under the entire domination of the French : services w-ith
which the Emperor of all the Russias, as your Majesty's Ally, and Grand
Master of Malta, was so perfectly satisfied, that he actually transmitted to your
Majesty's humble Memorialist, soon after the surrender of that island, the title
and insignia of Lady of Malta, of the honourable order of the Petit Croix,
accompanied by a cross of that order, and a very flattering letter signed by his
Imperial Majesty's own hand.
That, in short, your Majesty's Memorialist, on all occasions — of which she
possesses innumerable proofs, under the hands of Sovereign Powers in amity
with your Majesty, as well as of the most exalted public and private characters
of the age — has endeavoured to merit tae regard of her King and countiT', by
fostering every principle which might tend to promote their honour and welfare,
as far as it was possible for her influence to accomplish this primary desire of
her heart. In the Royal British Navy, your Majesty's Memorialist humbly pre-
sumes, w'uere sincerity as well as valour is always pre-eminently found, the zeal
and attachments to its glory which she has at all times peculiarly manifested, is
a theme on which it may not become your Majesty's Memorialist to enlarge ; but
which many of the most illustrious characters by whom it has ever been graced,
your Memorialist may be permitted proudly to assert, have generously acknow-
LADY HAMILTON. 633
of retrieving her fortune. Her embarrassments were great,
and in April, 1808, a valuation of the villa at Merton, of the
furniture, &c. exclusive of books and wines, was made by Mr.
Willock, of Golden Square, and estimated by him at the sum
of £12,930.
In her embarrassment, she wrote the following to the Duke
of Queensberry : —
" Richmond, September 4th, 1808.
" My dear Lord and friend,
" May I hope, that you will read this, for you are the only
hope I have in this world, to assist and protect me, in this
moment of unhappiness and distress. To you, therefore, I
appeal. I do not wish to have more than what I have. I can
live on that at Richmond, only that I may live free from fear
— that every debt may be paid. I think and hope £15,000
will do for every thing. For my sake, for Nelson's sake, for
the good I have done my country, purchase it [i. e. Merton] ;
take it, only giving me the portraits of Sir William, Nelson,
and the Queen. All the rest shall go. I shall be free and at
liberty. I can live at Richmond on what I have ; you will be
doing a deed that will make me happy, for lawyers will only
involve me every day more and more — debts will increase new
debts. You will save me by this act of kindness — the title
deeds are all good, and ready to deliver up, and I wish not for
more than what will pay my debts. I beseech you, my dear
Duke, to imagine, that I only wish for you to do this, not to
lose by it, but I see that I am lost, and most miserable, if jjoic
do not help me. My mind is made up to live on what I have.
If I could but be free from Merton — all paid, and only one
hundred pounds in my pocket, you will live to see me bless-
ing you, my mother blessing you, Horatia blessing you. If
you would not wish to keep Merton, perhaps it will sell
ledged, promulged, and applauded, in every part of the world where the British
flag is triumphantly boi'ne.
That the solemn recognition of such services, by that immortal man, the late
Lord Viscount Nelson, and his pathetic call for their kind remuneration, at the
moment when he was about to commence his last and fatal conflict with the
enemies of his King and country, in whose battle, at the moment of victory,
he so gloriously fell ; bequeathing to the generosity of your Majesty and his
country, the future fortunes of your humble Memorialist, must aftbrd an ever-
lasting proof that she is not altogether unworthy of being enabled, by the conde-
scending bounty of your Majesty, with the generous concurrence of her country,
to maintain that rank and dignity which she derived from the affections of a
beloved husband ; and which, it is humbly presumed, your Majesty's Memo-
rialist has not, in any single instance, ever disgraced or abused.
And your iNIajesty's most humble Memorialist, and in duty she is bound to do,
shall ever ardently pray, &c,
634 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
in the spring better — only let me pass my winter without
the idea of a prison. 'Tis true my imprudence has brought
it on me, and villany and ingratitude has helped to involve
me, but the sin be on them. Do not let my enemies trample
on me ; for God's sake, then, dear Duke, good friend, think
'tis Nelson who asks you to befriend
" Emma Hamilton."
In vain, however, she attempted to dispose of Merton, and
at length, by repeated applications to her friends, a meeting
was held at the house of Alderman Sir John Perring, Bart,
on the 25th of November, at which were present Sir John
Perring, Sir Robert Barclay, Mr. Davison, Mr. Moore,
Mr. Gooch, Mr. Macklew, Mr. Abraham Goldsmid, Mr.
Nichol, Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Lavie, when Mr. Dawson, Lady
Hamilton's solicitor, laid before them a list of debts, amount-
ing to £8000, exclusive of £10,000 required to pay off
annuities, and a valuation of her property at Merton, and
elsewhere, (taken at a low rate) amounting to £17,500.
An assignment of Merton and her effects was made to Sir
John Perring, Mr. Alexander Davison, Mr, Abraham Gold-
smid, Mr. Richard Wilson, and Mr. Germain Lavie, and to
afford immediate relief, Mr. Davison and Mr. Goldsmid each
advanced £1000, Sir Robert Barclay, Mr. John Gooch, and
Mr. Wilson, each £500, and Sir John Perring, £200. The
Trustees were to go to market at the time and manner they
might think most advantageous, and they formed themselves
into a Committee to follow up her claim on Government.
Their efforts in the latter respect were unavailing. Lady
Hamilton removed to Richmond, and afterwards took lod^-
mgs m Bond Street. She was, however, soon obliged to
secrete herself from the pursuit of her creditors, but in 1813
was imprisoned in the King's Bench. From this confinement,
after ten months, she was liberated by the kind assistance of
Mr. Alderman Joshua Jonathan Smith, a man of most upright
conduct, and kind heart and disposition. Threatened with an
arrest on a coachmaker's bill, which was afterwards found to
be a fictitious claim, she, however, fled to Calais, remained
there in great obscurity, fell ill, of an attack of water in the
chest, and other ailments, of which she died, January 15th,
1815. She is reported by an anonymous foreigner to have
died in the bosom of the Roman Catholic Church, and to have
taken the sacraments on her death-bed. This writer affirms
Lady Hamilton to have embraced that faith a long time pre-
vious to her decease, and asserts also in the most positive man-
ner, that a Roman Catholic priest had administered to her the
sacrament during her confinement in the King's Bench.
LADY HAMILTON. G35
This statement is, however, unconfirmed, and from an ac-
count given to me by an English lady, Mrs. Hunter, of
Brighton, whose kindness of heart and benevolence brought
her in contact with Lady Hamilton in the closing hours of her
life, I am not disposed to credit it. This excellent lady tells me,
that at the time Lady Hamilton was at Calais, she was also
there superintending the education of her son at the Academy
of Mr. Mills. She resided in the " Grande Place," and be-
came acquainted with Monsieur de Rheims, the English
interpreter, who persuaded Mrs. Hunter to take up her resi-
dence with him in his chateau, which was visited by many
English. When Lady Hamilton fled to Calais, Monsieur de
Rheims gave to her one of his small houses to live in. It
was very badly furnished. Mrs. Hunter was in the habit of
ordering meat daily at a butcher's for a favourite little dog, and
on one of these occasions was met by Monsieur de Rheims,
who followed her, exclaiming, " Ah! Madame, Ah ! Madame !
I know you to be good to the English ; there is a lady here
that would be glad of the worst bit of meat you provide for
your dog." When questioned as to who the lady was, and
promising that she should not want for anything, he declined
telling, saying that she was too proud to see any one, besides, he
had promised her secresy. Mrs. Hunter begged him to provide
her with everything she required, wine, &c. as if coming fi'om
himself, and she would pay for it. This he did for some time,
until she became very ill, when he pressed her to see the lady
that had been so kind to her, and upon hearing that her bene-
factress was not a person of title, she consented, saw her, thanked
her, and blessed her. A few days after she ceased to live. This
lady describes her to me as exceedingly beautiful even in death.
She was anxious to have her interred according to English cus-
tom, for which, however, she was only laughed at, and poor
Emma was put into a deal box without any inscription. All
that this good lady states she was permitted to do, was, to
make a kind of pall out of her black silk petticoat, stitched on
a white curtain. Not an English Protestant Clergyman was
to be found in all Calais, or its vicinity, and so distressed was
this lady to find some one to read the Burial Service over her
remains, that she went to an Irish half-pay officer in the Rue
du Havre, whose wife was a well-informed Irish lady. He
was absent at the time, but, being sent for, most kindly went
and read the Service over the body. Lady Hamilton, accord-
ing to the Register of Deaths preserved in the Town Hall, died
in a house situate in the Rue Frangaise, and was buried in a
piece of ground in a spot just outside the town, formerly called
the Gardens of the Duchess of Kingston, which had been
consecrated and was used as a public cemetery till 1816. This
636 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
ground, which had neither wall nor fence to protect it, was some
years since converted into a timber-yard, and no traces of the
graves now remain. Mrs. Hunter wished to have placed a
head or footstone, but was refused. She, therefore, placed a
piece of wood in the shape, as she describes it to me, of a battle-
dore, handle downwards, on which was inscribed, " Emma
Hamilton, England's Friend." This was speedily removed —
another placed, and also removed ; and the good lady was at
length threatened to be shot by the sentinel if she persisted
in those offices of charity. A small tombstone was, however,
afterwards placed there, and was existing in 1833. Upon it,
according to a little " Guide to Calais," compiled by an Eng-
lishman, was inscribed : —
QU^
CALESI^
VIA IN GALLICA VOCATA
ET IN DOMO. C. VI. OBIIT
DIE XV MENSIS JANUARII, A.D. MDCCCXV.
^TATIS SU^ I>I.
The Register of Burials commences only in 1819. The
British Consulate contains no documents relating to Lady
Hamilton, but in the office of the Juge de Paix there is an
inventory of her effects, which were estimated at the value of
two hundred and twenty-eight francs ; besides fifteen francs
found in a box with some articles of wearing apparel, and
some duplicates of plate that had been pawned.
The Earl Nelson came over to demand Lady Hamilton's pro-
perty, but found only the duplicates of trinkets, &c. pledged,
and which he wished to take away without payment. He de-
clined repaying any expenses that had been incurred.'
During a visit to Calais, upon his return from a residence
in Germany in attendance upon his late Majesty William IV.
and her Majesty the Queen Dowager, my estimable friend.
Dr. William Beattie, visited the grave of poor Emma, and
in the "Journal" published by him in 1831, has inserted some
elegant and most feeling lines,^ though without mention of
the name of her to whom they apply, of which 1 avail myself of
the following extracts : —
" And here is one — a nameless grave ;— the grass
Waves rank and dismal o'er its crumbling mass
' There are vai'ious accounts relating to the payment of the funeral expenses.
My friend Mr. Rothery tells me that his relative Mr. Cadogan, to whom Horatia
was entrusted, and by whom she was taken, after the demise of Lady Hamilton, to
Mrs. Matcham, made the payments on this occasion, and also afforded much
assistance to Lady Hamilton prior to her decease. Alderman Smith was also
generous on this occasion. ^ Vol. H. p. 335.
LADY HAMILTON. 637
Of mortal elements, —the wintry sedge
Weeps, drooping o'er the ramparts' watery edge ; —
The rustling reed — the darkly rippling wave —
Announce the tenant of that lowly grave !
Cnish'd in a pauper's shell, the earth scarce heaves
Above that trodden breast ! the turf scarce leaves
One lingering token that the stranger found
* Ashes for hope ' in that unhallow'd ground ;
And ' dust for mourning !' Levelled with the soil
The wasting worm hath revelled in its spoil —
The spoil of beauty ! This the poor remains
Of one who, living, could command the strains
Of flattery's harp and pen ! whose incense, flung
From venal breath upon her altar, hung
A halo ; while in loveliness supreme.
She moved in brightness, like the embodied dream
Of some rapt minstrel's warm imaginings,
The more than form and face of earthly things !
Ah, when hath heart so warm, have hopes so fair,
Been crush'd amid the darkness of despair ?
With broken heart, and head in sorrow bow'd,
Hers was the midnight bier and borrow'd shroud !
Few bend them at thy bier, unhappy one !
All know thy shame, thy mental sufferings none ;
All know thy frailties, — all thou wast and art !
But thine were faults of circumstance — not heart !
Thy soul was form'd to bless and to be bless'd
With that immortal boon — a guiltless breast.
And be what others seem, — had bounteous Heaven
Less beauty lent, or stronger virtue given !
The frugal matron of some lowlier hearth.
Thou hadst not known the splendid woes of earth ;
Dispensing happiness, and happy — there
Thou hadst not known the curse of being fair !
But like yon lonely vesper star, thy light —
Thy love — had been as pure as it was bright !
I've met thy pictured bust in many lands ;
I've seen the stranger pause, with lifted hands,
In deep, mute admiration, while his eye
Dwelt sparkling on thy peerless symmetry !
I've seen the poet — painter — sculptor's gaze
Speak, with rapt glance, their eloquence of praise ;
I've seen thee, as a gem in royal halls.
Stoop like presiding angel from the walls.
And only less than worshipp'd ! Yet 'tis come
To this ! when all but slander's voice is dumb ;
And they who gazed upon thy living face.
Can hardly find thy mortal resting-place."
G38 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
No. II.
HORATIA NELSON.
In the preceding chapter I have endeavoured, in a brief
manner, to sketch the particulars, as far as I have been able
to collect them, of the life of Emma Lady Hamilton. Of
adventurers it has been pertinently said, " que les evenemens
de leur vie peuvent etre vrais et paraitre merveilleux,'' and
this is doubtless true of this extraordinary woman. With all
her faults, all her weaknesses, and if it must be added, all her
vices, she unquestionably rendered very important services to
her country in a time of great peril, and exerted herself for
the maintenance of social order and European civilization.
Young and beautiful, with a knowledge of the world derived
under circumstances, and attended by consequences any thing
but agreeable to reflect upon, or calculated to excite satis-
faction— versed in its most seductive fascinations, and intel-
lectually gifted with taste for the fine arts, and with powers
for the most effectual display of grace and beauty — enthu-
siastic in her devotion to noble and generous acts, and sensibly
alive to the honour and glory of her country, it is not sur-
prising that Nelson should have felt the power of her influence.
Simple in his manners, and pure in his nature — warm and
generous in his feelings — unskilled in the arts of the world —
and, by his professional engagements, unaccustomed to any
but the most limited society, it is not extraordinary that he
should have fallen under the blandishments of a syren. From
the documents I have most carefully examined, I am perfectly
satisfied that Nelson was long ere he succumbed to the temp-
tation. The religious principles in which he had been educated
by his venerable father, served doubtless to operate for a time
against the violation of his marriage promises and obligations.
It is. however, incumbent upon me, as a faithful biographer,
to enter, though not without reluctance, into a consideration
of the particulars relating to the birth of a daughter, to whom
Nelson's name descended, and who, to the last moment of his
existence, was as dear to him as the offspring of a legitimate
source.
Sir N. H. Nicolas has endeavoured to shew that the con-
nexion which existed between his Lordship and Lady Hamilton
was not " in the usual sense of the word of a criminal nature."^
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vii. p. 389.
PROM THE OHJGrNAL SKETCH IN THE POSSESSION OP
CHARLES DEWHAM. ESQ?-
Iionion-.PiiblisceiTjy-T 8c\CBoone iSia
IIORATIA NELSON. G39
This able writer has arrived at this conclusion, after a perusal
of some of the letters and documents which formed a part of
the collection embraced in these volumes. The examination
of the entire correspondence leads me to adopt a totally different
opinion, and one which permits of no question, as the parentage
of the child Horatia is admitted by the pai'ties concerned.
Considering the mystery attaching to the child, whom Lord
Nelson so solemnly "bequeathed to the beneficence of his
country," I cannot but agree with Sir N. Harris Nicolas that
all of her history Avhich has been discovered ought to be
stated.^ The publication of a part leading to a conclusion
contrary to truth on such a subject, and furnished to Sir Harris
Nicolas by the Lady herself, relieves me of a delicacy I should
otherwise have felt in printing any letters or portions of letters
relating to this particular matter ; nor do I now feel it at all
either necessary or desirable to publish the whole, but merely
sufficient to dispose of the question, and not unnecessarily or
wantonly to expose the weakness of an otherwise noble, spot-
less, and heroic character. Justice to others demands this
statement, as narratives have been put forth leading to the
inference that an illustrious personage (unquestionably meaning
the Queen of Naples), one "too great to be mentioned,"
was the mother of the child.
Sir Harris Nicolas- has stated that he "is authorised by
Mr. Haslewood, long the confidential friend and professional
adviser of Lord Nelson, to declare, in the most positive manner,
that Lady Hamilton was not its motlter. The name of the
mother (he adds) is known to Mr. Haslewood; but he is
prevented by a sense of honour from disclosing it. Lady
Hamilton always said that the child's mother was a person of
high birth, and she has left a written declaration that she was
" too great to be mentioned." Mrs. Salter possesses this paper
which has been examined by Sir H. Nicolas, and is as follows :
" She is the daughter, the true and beloved daughter of
Viscount Nelson, and if he had lived, she would have been all
that his love and fortune could have made her ; for nature has
made her perfect, beautiful, good, and amiable. Her mother
was TOO GREAT to be mentioned, but her father,
mother, and Horatia had a true and virtuous friend in Emma
Hamilton."^
That Horatia was the daughter of Nelson no one has been
disposed to entertain a doubt, but the evidence in connection
with the birth of the child has been purposely obscured and
mystified.
' Dispatches and Letters, Vol. vii. p. 3G9.
2 Ibid. p. 309. 3 Ibid. p. 389.
640 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
The intimacy from which resulted the illegitimate issue
under consideration, appears to have taken place in the month
of April, 1800, when Lord Nelson conveyed Sir William and
Lady Hamilton, on board the Foudroyant, from Palermo to
Syracuse, and thence to Malta. The voyage was passed with
great festivity, and Lady Hamilton's birth-day, April 26th, was
celebrated by music and singing. Miss Knight,^ who was
also on board, composed the following song on the occasion : —
Song, addressed to Lady Hamilton, on her Birthday, April the 26th, 1800, on
board the Foudroyant, in a gale of wind.
BY MISS KNIGHT.
Come, cheer up, fair Emma, forget all thy grief,
For thy shipmates are brave, and a hero's their chief;
Look round on these trophies,^ the pride of the Main,
They were snatched by their valour from Gallia and Spain.
Chorus — Hearts of oak, &c.
Behold yonder fragment, 'tis sacred to fame,
'Mid the waves of old Nile it was saved from the flame :
The flame that destroyed all the glories of France,
When Providence vanquished the friends of blind chance.
Hearts of oak, &c.
These arms the San Josef once claimed as her own.
Ere Nelson and Britons her pride had o'erthrown ;
That plume too evinces that still they excel,
It was torn from the cap of the famed William Tell.
Hearts of oak, &c.
Then, cheer up, fair Emma! remember thou'rt free,
And ploughing Britannia's old empire — the sea :
How many in Albion each sorrow would check,
Could they kiss but one plank of this conquering deck.
Hearts of oak, &c.
Miss Knight also wrote three additional verses to God save
the King : —
' Miss Knight was the daughter of Rear-Admiral Sir Joseph Knight. She
was many years at Naples and Palermo, and returned to England with Lord
Nelson and Sir William and Lady Hamilton, in the autumn of 1800. She was
afterwards the Preceptress of Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte of
Wales, and is favourably known as the author of " Marcus Flaminius," " Dinar-
bas," and a "Description of Latium." Sir N. Harris Nicolas has given some
extracts from her Diary in his collection of the Dispatches and Letters of Lord
Nelson.
^ The cabin of the Foudroyant was ornamented with the Flagstaff' of L'Orient,
the Arms of the San Josef, and the Plume of the Guillaumc Tell.
HORATIA NELSON. 641
1. For the Battle of the Nile.
Join we great Nelson's name
First on the roll of fame ;
Him let us sing !
Spread we his praise around,
Honour of British ground :
Who made Nile's shores resound.
God save the King !
2. For Le Ginereux.
Lord, thou hast heard our vows !
Fresh laurels deck the brows
Of him we sing.
Nelson has laid full low
Once more the Gallic foe ;
Come let our bumpers flow !
God save the King !
3. For Le Gtiillaume Tell.
While thus we chaunt his praise.
See what new glories blaze.
New trophies spring !
Nelson ! thy task's complete;
All their Egyptian fleet
Bows at thy conquering feet.
To George our King.
And Sir Edward Berry also contributed the following : —
Then let's join hand in hand,
Friends of great Nelson's band,
Crown him and sing :
Let us lay at his feet,
Last of the Gallic fleet,
His glory is, complete !
God save the King !
France ! haul thy standard down :
Honour the laurel crown
Of him we sing.
No more in pride you swell,
On him you us'd to dwell ;
We have your William Tell,
And George our King !
Lord Nelson returned to Palermo on the 1st of June. At
the middle of this month he was at Leghorn, where he struck
his flag, and departed with the Queen of Naples, the three
Princesses, Prince Leopold, Sir William and Lady Hamilton, for
Vienna, whence he travelled with Sir William and Lady Hamil-
ton to London, arriving at Yarmouth on the 6th of JN ovember.
In the month of January, 1801, Sir William and Lady
Hamilton inhabited a house, No. '23, in Piccadilly, while
VOL. II. 2 T
642 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
Lord Nelson was in Arlinglon-street with Lady Nelson, until
the 13th, on which day he finally separated from her Ladyship.
An eye-witness on this occasion has given the following account,
addressed to Sir N. Harris Nicolas :
" Kemp Town, Brighton, 13th April, 1846.
'' Dear Sir,
" I was no less surprised than grieved, when you told
me of a prevailing opinion, that Lord Nelson, of his own
motion, withdrew from the society of his wife, and took up his
residence altogether with Sir William and Lady Hamilton;
and that you have never received from any member of his
family an intimation to the contrary. His father, his brother,
Dr. Nelson (afterwards Earl Nelson), his sisters, Mrs. Bolton
and Mrs. Matcham, and their husbands, well knew, that the
separation was unavoidable on Lord Nelson's part ; and, as I
happened to be present when the unhappy rupture took place,
1 have often talked over with all of them, but more especially
with Mr. and Mrs. Matcham, the particulars which I proceed
to relate, in justice to the memory of my illustrious friend,
and in the hope of removing an erroneous impression from
your mind.
" In the winter of 1800-1801, I was breakfasting with Lord
and Lady Nelson, at their lodgings in Arlington-street, and a
cheerful conversation was passing on indifferent subjects, when
Lord Nelson spoke of something which had been done or said
by ' dear Lady Hamilton ;' upon which Lady Nelson rose from
her chair, and exclaimed, with much vehemence, ' I am sick
of hearing of dear Lady Hamilton, and am resolved that you
shall give up either her or me.' Lord Nelson, with perfect
calmness, said, 'Take care, Fanny, what you say: I love you
sincerely ; but I cannot forget my obligations to Lady Hamilton,
or speak of her otherwise than with affection and admiration.'
Without one soothing word or gesture, but muttering some-
thing about her mind being made up, Lady Nelson left the
room, and shortly after drove from the house. They never
lived together afterwards. I believe that Lord Nelson took
a formal leave of her Ladyship before joining the fleet under
Sir Hyde Parker ; but that, to the day of her husband's
glorious death, she never made any apology for her abrupt
and ungentle conduct above related, or any overture towards
a reconciliation. I am, dear Sir, your faithful servant,
" W. Haslewood.''
Lord Nelson gave to Lady Nelson an opportunity of recon-
ciliation after the step she had taken, for he wrote from
Southampton, that evening upon his arrival, the following
HORATIA NELSON. G43
letter, of which, however, it does not appear that any notice
was taken : —
" Southampton, 13th January, 1801.
^' My dear Fanny,
*' We are arrived, and heartily tired ; and, with kindest
regards to my father and all the family, believe me,
Your affectionate,
" Nelson.''
The last letter ever written by Lord Nelson to his wife is
probably the following, from off Copenhagen : —
" St. George, March 4th, 1801.
■ " Josiah is to have another ship, and to go abroad, if the
Thalia cannot soon be got ready. I have done all for him,
and he may again, as he has often done before, wish me to
break my neck, and be abetted in it by his friends, who are
likewise my enemies ; but I have done my duty as an honest,
generous man, and I neither want or wish for any body to
care what becomes of me, whether I return, or am left in the
Baltic. Living, I have done all in my power for you, and if
dead, you will find I have done the same ; therefore my only
wish is, to be left to myself: and wishing you every happiness,
believe that I am, your affectionate,
"^ Nelson and Bronte."
That Lady Nelson's suspicions were not groundless will be
evident from what follows ; but that they had been excited
some time ere foundation existed for them, is apparent to me
from an attentive perusal of Lord Nelson's correspondence,
and a close examination of the circumstances which took place.
Lady Hamilton's manners attracted the admiration of all who
were introduced to her society. Earl St. Vincent was scarcely
less enthusiastic in her praise than Lord Nelson, who felt
grateful to her for her attention to his step-son, Josiah Nisbet,
in 1793.
Five years elapsed before Nelson and Lady Hamilton again
met, and then it was to aid in effecting that most important
Battle of the Nile. The part Lady Hamilton took on this
occasion could not fail to render her an object of admiration
with Nelson ; nor could the reception given to him after the
battle, nor the care bestowed on his deranged state of health, a
care admitted by the Earl of St. Vincent,^ serve otherwise than
to demand his gratitude. Lord Nelson's unreserved and un-
' See Letter, Vol. i. p. 165.
2 T 2
644 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
constrained manner of describing to Lady Nelson the distinc-
tions conferred upon him, the splendour of the fetes given in
his honour, ike, satisfy me that no feeling of an improper
character at this time prevailed between them. The conduct
of Lady Hamilton at the celebrated fete, induced Captain
Nisbet to exceed the bounds of decorous attention due to his
step-father, and it is not improbable that a communication
from Captain Nisbet to his mother relative to this affair, may
have laid the basis of those suspicions which took possession of
Lady Nelson's mind : her Ladyship's letters were, unfortu-
nately, too trivial and insignificant to command her hus-
band's attention — her expressions for his return too cold
for one of his ardent temperament, and he could not fail to
draw a comparison unfavourable to Lady Nelson, when con-
trasted with that admiration of his glorious achievements
entertained and bestowed upon him at Naples. It is much to
be lameiittd that Lady Nelson was not at Yarmouth to receive
her husband upon his return to England after nearly three
years' absence, during which time he had I'endered such signal
services to his country, and had raised her to the rank of a
Peeress. No display of eagerness to receive him to her bosom
was manifested — she coolly waited at an hotel in London, and
then gave to him a reception which has been described as
" cold and chilling." Nothing could exceed the enthusiasm
of all classes manifested upon the return of Nelson to England.
Every town through which he passed offered its testimony to
his character, his valour, and his greatness ; from the partner
of his bosom alone he received a cold and indifferent recep-
tion. The operation of this conduct on the mind of Nelson
was calculated not to recall but to estrange him from his just
and legitimate aff"ections : the continued fascinations of Lady
Hamilton had already done much, and the evil was confirmed
by this conduct. It is much lo be lamented that none of the
family of Lord Nelson should have advised her to a different
line of behaviour : his father, whose conduct and affections
were of the most exemplary character, was unfortunately too
old and infirm to take any active part on such an occasion,
and his other relations seem rather to have attached them-
selves to Lady Hamilton.
Lord Nelson airived in London on the 9th of November, 180f).
On the '20th he took his seat in the House of Lords, and then
finding his home with Lady Nelson exceedingly uncomfort-
able, he went an excursion to Salisbury, Fonthill, &c. with Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, returning to London on the
29th of December, where he remained until the 13th of Ja-
nuary, 1801, when, as before stated, he finally separated from
HORATIA NELSON. 645
Lady Nelson, and immediately quitted to join his ship, the
San Josef, at Plymouth, accompanied by his elder brother, the
Reverend William Nelson. JN'o attention had been paid by
Lady Nelson to Lord Nelson's comforts for this voyage. His
letters make complaint of the absence of all necessaries except
those furnished by Lady Hamilton. At this time his mind
was suffering no little anxiety on account of this lady's situa-
tion, and his daily correspondence wiih her both under her
own name and the assumed one of Mrs. Thomson, exhibits the
misery he endured.
On January 21, 1801, he writes: 'M sincerely hope that
your very serious cold will soon be better. I am so much in-
terested in your health and happiness, that pray tell me all. I
delivered to Mr. Mrs. 'Ihonison's message and note ; he
desires me, poor fellow, to say, he is more scrupulous than
if Mrs. T. was present. He says he does not write let-
ters at this moment, as the object of his affections may be
unwell, and others may open them."
On the 24th : '^ Pray tell Mrs. Thomson her kind friend is
very uneasy about her, and prays most fervently for her
safety."
On the 25th: " I delivered poor Mrs. T.'s note. Her friend
is truly thankful and grateful for her kindness and your good-
ness. Who does not admire your benevolent heart ? Poor
man ! he is very anxious, and begs you will, if she is not able,
write a line just to comfort him. He appears to me to feel
very much her situation ; he is so agitated, and will be so for
two or three days, that he says he cannot write, and that I must
send his kind love find affectionate regard."
On the 26th : " My dear Lady Hamilton, when I consider
that this day nine months was your birth-day, and that,
although we had a gale of wind, yet I was happy, and sung
' Come, cheer up, fair Emma,' &c.* even the thought, com-
pared with this day, makes me melancholy. My heart some
how is sunk witliin me. I long to hear you are well. The
dearest friends must part ; and we only part, I trust, to meet
again. — Mrs. Thomson's friend is this moment come into my
room ; he desires me to thank you for your goodness to his
dear friend. He appears almost as miserable as myself. He
says you have always been kind to his dear Mrs. T. ; and he
hopes you will continue your goodness to her on this trying
occasion. I have assured him of your innate worth and affec-
tionate disposition : and he lives, as ever and for ever, your
attached and truly affectionate friend,
" Nelson and Bronte."
* See Miss Knight's Song, page 640, ante.
646 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
On the 27thj he writes in a similar strain, and requests her
" to do everything which was right/'
On the 28th : "■ I have this moment seen Mrs. Thomson's
friend ; poor fellow ! he seems very uneasy and melancholy.
He begs you to be kind to her. I have assured him of your
readiness to relieve the dear, good woman."
On the 29th : " Pray, tell your friend, Mrs. T., that I have
delivered her note to her friend ; and he desires me to say,
through your goodness, how sensible he is of her kindness.
As the very particular business he is engaged upon will not be
over for two or three days, he defers answering her note till
that time. What a hard case these poor people's is ! but,
between your unparalleled goodness and my attention, I hope
they will yet be happy and comfortable. In my opinion,
neither of them can be happy as they are. May the great
God of Heaven protect, comfort, and assist you, is the fervent
wish of, my dear Lady, ever your affectionate friend,
" Nelson and Bronte.''
Between the 29th and the 31st of January it is clear that
the child was born ; for,
On the 1st of February he writes : — " My dear Lady, I
believe poor dear Mrs. Thomson's friend will go mad with
joy. He cries, prays, and performs all tricks, yet dare not
shew all or any of his feelings. He has only me to consult
with. He swears he will drink your health this day in a
bumper ; and d — n me if I don't join him, in spite of all the
doctors in Europe ; for none regards you with truer affection
than myself. You are a dear, good creature, and your
kindness and attention to poor Mrs. T. stamps you higher
than ever in my mind. I cannot write ; I am so agitated by
this young man at my elbow. I believe he is foolish : he does
nothing but rave about you and her. I own I partake of his
joy : 1 cannot write any thing.''
On the 2nd : " All your letters are so good, so kind, so like
yourself, that, had not your last been so excellent, and even
far exceeding all the others, I should not have known which
to have selected. / Iiave cut out two lines, and nex^er will part
ivit/i them. I have no letters as yet to-day, except the returned
one from Plymouth ; therefore I shall not close this till after
post is arrived. I dined yesterday with Troubridge, Darby,
Hardy, my brother, and Parker, who all drank a bumper to
your health; and I set all the doctors at defiance, till my
brother said I should hurt myself ; and Mrs. Thomson's
friend drank two, because he said you had been so kind to his
dear friend, who he loved more than life : such is the power
of good and generous actions ; they do good to the doer and
HORATIA NELSON. 647
the receiver. . . . That friend of our dear Mrs. T. is a good
soul, and full of feeling. He wishes much to see her and her
little one. If possible, I will get him leave for two or three
days when I go to Portsmouth, and you will see his gratitude
to you."
On the 3rd, though undated : *' My dear Mrs. Thomson
your good and dear friend, does not think it proper at present
to write with his own hand, but he charges me to say how
dear you are to him, and that you must, every opportunity,
kiss and bless for him his dear little girl, which he wishes to
be called Emma, out of gratitude to onr dear, good Lady
Hamilton ; but whether it's from Lord Nelson, he says, or
Lady Hamilton, he leaves to your judgment and choice. I
have given Lord N. a hundred pounds this morning, for which
he will give Lady H. an order on his agents ; and I beg that
you will distribute it amongst those who have been useful to
you on the late occasion ; and your friend, my dear Mrs. Thom-
son, may be sure of my care of him and his interests, which I
consider as dearly as my own.^'
On the 4th the first mention of Horatia is made ;
"San Josef, February 4th, 1801.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
'' It blows so very hard that 1 doubt if it will be possible to
get a boat on shore, either to receive or send letters ; but if
it moderates in time for the post, of course mine shall go, and
I hope from my heart to hear you are better. It has made
my head ache stooping so much, as I have been making
memorandums for my will, and, having regularly signed it, if
1 was to die this moment, I believe it would hold good. If I
am not able to send it, as far as relates to you, this day, I will
to-morrow. I have been obliged to be more particular than
I wished, as a wife can have nothing, and it might be taken
from you by will or the heirs of your husband. If you dis-
approve of any part say so, and I will alter it; but I think
you must approve — I have done my best that you should.
1 shall now go to work and save a fortune, !:*ay, shall I be-
queath the £2000, owing me from Sir William for the
same purpose ? You must keep this letter till you receive
a copy of my memorandum Make my kindest
regards to Mrs. Jenkins and Horatia, and ever believe me,
'^ Yours,
« N. & B.
''P.S. — We drink your health every day. Believe me
your letters cannot be long or too minute of all particulars.
My mind is a little easier, having perfect confidence,''
648 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
On the 5th, the following copy of the will and letter were
sent : —
"And as Emma Hamilton, the wife of the Right Honour-
able Sir William Hamilton, K.B., has been the great cause of
my performing those services which have gained me honours
and rewards, I give unto her, in case of the failure of male
heirs, as directed by my will, the entire rental of the Bronte
Estate for her particular use and benefit; and, in case of her
death before she may come into the possession of the Estate
of Bronte, she is to have the full power of naming any child
she may have, in or out of wedlock, or any child, male or
female, which she, the said Emma Hamilton, wife of the
Right Honourable Sir William Hamilton, may choose to adopt
and call her child, by her last will and testament, or by
deed declaring her intent : and the sword given by his
Sicilian Majesty is to be delivered on her coming to the
estate, or to the person she may name, as directed by my said
will: and I likewise give to the said Emma, wife of the Right
Honourable Sir William Hamilton, KB., &c., a picture of his
Sicilian Majesty, set in diamonds, with the Queen's cypher
on the opposite side, whom God preserve, with all the dia-
monds which sunound it, as it is now lodged in a mahogany
box, in the care of Alexander Davison, Esq., St. James's-
square, London : and I give all my other boxes, lodged in the
aforesaid box at Alexander Davison's, Esq., in which diamonds
are placed; viz. one with the portrait of the Emperor Paul of
Russia ; one of the King of Sardinia, and the one, said to have
been sent me by the mother of the Grand Siguier, likewise to
the said Emma Hamilton, wife of Sir William Hamilton, to
be sold, if she plea-es, and the income to be for her use during
her natural life, and at her decease it is to be given to a child
called , in whom I take a very particular interest ; and
as Emma Hamilton is the only person who knows the
parents of this female child, I rely with the greatest confi-
dence on her unspotted honour and integrity, that she will
consider the child as mine, and be a guardian to it, shielding it
from want and disgrace, and bringing it up as the child of her
dear friend. Nelson and Bronte : and to this female child, of
which Lady Hamilton shall only be the declarer that it is the
one I mean, 1 give and bequeath ail the money I shall be
worth above the sum of twenty thousund pounds, the interest
of it to be received by Lady Hamilton for the maintenance
and education of this female child ; the principal to be paid
her at the death of Lady Hamilton, if she has attained the
age ot twenty-one years, or that she may marry ; the guar-
dians of my adopted child to be named by Lady Hamilton in
her will.
HORATIA NELSON. G49
"Such are my ideas, if you have no objection ; if you have,
I will endeavour to alter them to your wishes. I shall now
begin and save a fortune for the little one.
" Thursday Noon. 1 have this moment received your letters
of Tuesday ; all that you have been so good as to write me
have come safe. I have delivered the letter to Mrs. Thom-
son's friend, and he feels truly grateful for all your affectionate
regards to poor dear Mrs. Thomson, who you say, and truly,
is a pattern for all wives and mothers. I write the note for
him, as he does not wish his hand to be known at present.
" I have letters from Dumouriez and Sir Brooke Boothby.
Dumouriez says, ' pay my sincere compliments to the excellent
Lord Hamilton and to his incomparable Lady. Let her
remember the promise she made to send me the portrait of
my dear Nelson and her own. Be so good as to be the inter-
preter of the Baronne de Bearant, who prays to her the most
tender compliments.' Sir B. B. says, ' In the dreary times
I have passed here, the passage of your party, which, I think,
it would be difficult to match, seems like a bright dream in a
long night. 1 beg of your Lordship to present my affec-
tionate regards to Lady Hamilton (certainly one of the most
charming women in the icorld). INothing can please me so
much as to have justice done you. Thank God, you want not
the society of princes or dukes. If you happened to fall
down and break your nose or knock out your eyes, you might
go to the devil for what they care ; but it is your good heart
which attaches to you your faithful and affectionate,
"Nelson and Bronte.
"Troubridge desires his best regards; so does Hardy and
Darby. Signal is just made to sail. Send me back the
first half-sheet of paper, as it is clearer worded than the
original memorandum."
On this day, also. Lord Nelson writes about the christening
of the child : —
"My dear Mrs. Thomson,
" Your dear and excellent friend has desired me to say, that
it is not usual to christen children till they are a month or six
weeks old; and as Lord Nelson will probably be in town
as well as myself, before we go to the Baltic, he proposes
then, if you approve, to christen the child, and that myself
and Lady Hamilton should be two of the sponsors. It can be
christened at St. George's, Hanover-square ; and, I believe,
the parents being at the time out of the kingdom, if it is
necessary, it can be stated born at Portsmouth or at sea. Its
G50 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
name will be Horalia, daughter of Johem and Morata Etnorb.^
If you read the surname backwards, and take the letters of
the other names, it will make, very extraordinary, the names of
your real and affectionate friends. Lady Hamilton and myself;
but, my dear friend, consult Lady Hamilton. Your friend
consults me, and I would not lead him wrong for the world ;
he has not been very well : I believe he has fretted, but his
spirit is too high to own it. But, my dear Madam, both him,
you, and your little one, must always believe me your affec-
tionate
" Nelson and Bronte.
" The child, if you like it, can be named by any clergyman
without its going to church.''
From the following, apparently written on the next day, he
acknowledges the receipt of a portion of the child's hair : —
*' My dear Mrs. Thomson,
" Your good friend is very much obliged by your kind
present of this morning ; it is very like what I remember his.
He has put it in a case with her dear mother's — for 1 almost
love you as much as he does. He is sorry for the trouble you
have had about the nurse ; but he says children bring their
cares and pleasures with them ; but, however, you will rely on
Lady Hamilton, her goodness and good advice cannot be too
closely followed ; she is the pattern I wish you to imitate.
Respecting the naming and christening of the child he wrote
to Lady Hamilton yesterday. He hopes to get leave for
three days to come to town when the ship gets to Portsmouth.
"■ Ever your friend and unalterable friend,
" N. & B."
" San Josef, February 6th, 1801.
"It blows a gale of wind, but which only affects me as
it may deprive me of my dear and much honoured friend's
letters. Your letters are to me Gazettes, for as yet I have not
fixed upon any, nor can they be half so interesting to my feel-
ings, although you know I am not a little fond of a newspaper,
and we have often almost quarrelled for a first reading, and I
trust the time will soon arrive when we shall have those
amicable squabbles again. I am now of course very much by
myself, for none ever come to me except at meals, or I send
for either Hardy or Parker, and they are both so modest and
well behaved, that it is really a pleasure to have them on
board. Parker boasts, whenever he drinks your health, which
' Emma and Horatio Bronte.
IIORATIA NELSON. 051
is at least once a day, that he had the honour of being your
Aide-de-camp, and that he has given many messages by your
orders. Ah, those were happy times ! Would to God we
were at this moment in the Bay of Naples, and all matters
for those good monarchs going on as well as it did at that
time.
" Noon. — This moment has brought me your two kind let-
ters. You may rely I shall not open my mouth on poor dear Mrs.
Thomson's business to any creature on this earth. You and
I should be very unworthy, if we did any such thing, as all the
secret of these two people rests solely in our bosoms. He de-
sires me to say that he approves very much of the sum of
money, and submits it to your discretion, if a small pension
should not be promised if the secret is well kept, but desires
that nothing should be given under handwriting. He also
desires you will now and then give the nurse an additional
guinea. He thinks it might be better to omit christening
the child for the present, and even privately baptizing it,
the clergyman would naturally ask its parents' names,
which would put poor dear Mrs. T. in some trouble, or
cause suspicion. But, in all this matter, he submits himself
to your prudence and friendship. He will send you more
money as Mrs. T. wants it, only let him know every thing.
Poor fellow, he would have given any thing to have seen
the child, especially in your charming company. To say the
truth, this lad seems to love you not a little, but who does not,
I am sure I do. Saturday noon. — Mr. Davison came whilst
I was at dinner yesterday, and gave me your letter. He says
you are grown thinner, but he thinks you look handsomer than
ever. 1 know he is a very great admirer of yours. He says
you told him to tell me not to send you any more advice about
seeing company, for that you are determined not to allow the
world to say a word against you ; therefore, I will not say a
word. I rest confident in your conduct. This morning brought
me your letter of Thursday. I am sorry for all your trou-
ble, but poor Mrs. T.'s friend will never forget the obliga-
tion.
" Ever, my dear Lady,
" Yours aflfectionately, and for ever. Amen.
" Nelson and Bronte.'^
On the 17th : — " I fear saying too much — I admire what you
say of my god-child. If it is like its mother it will be very
handsome, for I think her one, aye, the most beautiful woman
of the age. Now, do not be angry at my praising this dear
child's mother, for I have heard people say she is very like
652 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
you. My dear friend, I hope you will never receive any more
cross letters, but always such as ought to be wrote by, my dear
Lady, your obliged, unalterably attached and faithful
" jNelson and Bronte.
" I would steal white bread sooner than my god-child should
want."
It is, I imagine, unnecessary to indulge in further extracts,
and I shall therefore close this part of the evidence with
the following avowal on the part of Lord Nelson, in a let-
ter to Lady Hamilton, sent by a private hand that could be
depended upon for its safe delivery : —
" March 1, 1801. Now my own dear Wife, for such you
are in my eyes and in the face of heaven, I can give full scope
to my feelings, for I dare say Oliver will faithfully deliver this
letter. You know, my dearest Emma, that there is nothing
in this world that I would not do for us to live together, and
to have our dear little child with us. * * * I love, I never
did love any one else, I never had a dear pledge of love till
you gave me one, and you, thank my God, never gave one to
any body else. I think before March is out you will either
see us back, or so victorious that we shall insure a glorious
issue to our toils. Think what my Emma will feel at seeing
return safe, perhaps with a little more fame, her own dear loving
Nelson, IN ever, if I can help it, will I dine out of my ship,
or go on shore, except duty calls me. Let Sir Hyde have any
glory he can catch — I envy him not. You, my beloved Emma,
and my countiy, are the two dearest objects of my fond heart
— a heart susceptible and true} Only place confidence in me,
and you never shall be disappointed. I burn all your dear
letters, because it is right for your sake, and I wish you would
burn all mine — they can do no good, and will do us both harm
if any seizure of them, or the dropping even one of them,
would fill the mouths of the world sooner than we intend.
* * * 1 had a letter this day from the Reverend Mr. Holden,
who we met on the Continent ; he desired his kind compli-
ments to you and Sir William : he sent me the letters of my
name, and recommended it as my motto — Honor est a Nilo —
Horatio Nelson. May the Heavens bless you. N. & B.
" Monday morning— Oliver is just going on shore; the
time will ere long arrive when Nelson will land to fly to his
Emma, to be for ever with her. Let that hope keep us up
under our present difficulties. Kiss and bless our dear Horatia
— think of that."
' A reference to some lines written by Nelson.
HORATIA NELSON. 653
Two verbal statements have been put forth on this subject,
one said to have emanated from Tom Allen, Lord Nelson's
servant, which is totally incorrect and undeserving of a single
word — the other, by Mrs. Johnstone, the daughter of the nurse,
Mrs. Gibson, to whom the child was entrusted by Lady
Hamilton, which agrees with the documents now made public.
Her statement runs thus, and it was made in 1828 to Captain
Ward, of the 81st Regiment, brother of the Reverend Philip
Ward, to whom Miss Horatia Nelson was married in 1822.
" Lady Hamilton brought the child to her mother's house
in a hackney coach one night, and placed her under her charge,
telling her that she should be handsomely remunerated. She
was unattended, and did not give the nurse any information as
to the child's parents. The nurse declared she was no more
than eight days' old. This was either in the month of January
or February ; and Mrs. Gibson said she could never make out
why her birth-day was kept in October. She remained with the
nurse till she was five or six years old. Lady Hamilton con-
stantly visited her : Lord Nelson was frequently her companion
in her visits to her, and often came alone, and played for hours
with the infant on the floor, calling her his own child.''^
Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas has printed several letters ad-
dressed to Lady Hamilton, alluding to Mrs. Thomson, and
states the first time of that name occurring to be on the 28th
January. I have, however, shewn that it was used as early as
the 21st. He has also printed several notes of Lady Hamil-
ton to the nurse, Mrs. Gibson, and I have the nurse's receipts,
hut they are not necessary to be particularized. In one of the
letters, however, to Lady Hamilton, printed by Sir Harris
Nicolas, of the date of the 16th of February, Lord Nelson
says, " I send you a few lines wrote in the late gale, which
I think you will not disapprove." Sir Harris questioned the
genuineness of those lines, and felt disposed to attribute them
to Harrison, the editor of the volumes in which they appeared,
as Nelson was not known to have attempted to write verse.
1 have no doubt, however, that they are the productions of
Nelson, and shall therefore here reprint them, together with
another among the papers now in my possession, and also one
written on the night of the attack on Copenhagen, which will
be found in its proper place, April 2, 1801. (See p. 17, ante.)
" Though 's^ polished verse superior shine.
Though sensibility grace every line ;
Though her soft Muse be far above all praise,
And female tenderness inspire her lays ;
' Dispatches and Letters, Val. vii. p. 370. * Emma's.
654 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
Deign to receive, though unadorned
By the poetic art,
The rude expressions which bespeak
A sailor's untaught heart.
A heart susceptible, sincere, and true ;
A heart, by fate and nature, torn in two ;
One lialf to duty and his country due,
Tlie other, better half, to love and you !
Sooner shall Britain's sons resign
The empire of the sea ;
Than Henry shall renounce his faith,
And Plighted Vows to Thee !
And waves on waves shall cease to roll,
And tides forget to flow ;
Ere thy true Henry's constant love
Or ebb or change shall know.
HENRY (off Cadiz) to emma.
The storm, — is o'er,
The troubled main.
Now, heaves no more.
But, all is silent, — hushed, — and calm again,
Save in this bosom, — where a ceaseless storm.
Is raised — by love and Emma's beauteous form.
No calm, — at sea,
This heart shall know,
While far from thee,
Midst lengthening hours of absence, and of woe,
I gaze, — in sorrow, o'er the boundless deep.
With eyes, — which were they not ashamed would weep.
But, hark ! I hear
The signal gun !
Farewell ! my dear !
The Victory leads on ! The fight's begun !
Thy Picture, round this cannon's neck shall prove,
A pledge, — to valour ! sent by thee and love !
Should conquest smile.
On Britain's Fleet,
(As at the Nile,)
With joyful hearts, upon the beach, we'll meet !
No more, I'll tempt, the dangers of the sea,
But live, in Merton's groves, with love and thee !
HORATIA NELSON. G55
The allusion made in the previous verses to Emma's po-
lished verse, probably has reference to the following lines
sent by Lady Hamilton to Nelson. The Blue Peter, it is
scarcely necessary to remark, is a flag hoisted when a vessel
is about to depart.
BLUE PETER.
Silent grief, and sad forebodings
(Lest I ne'er should see him more,)
FiU my heart, when gallant Nelson,
Hoists Blue Peter at the fore.
On his Pendant anxious gazing,
Fill with tears (mine eyes run o'er)
At each change of wind I tremble
While Blue Peter's at the fore.
All the live-long day I wander,
Sighing on the sea-beat shore ;
But my sighs are all unheeded.
When Blue Peter's at the fore.
For when duty calls my hero
To far seas, where cannons roar.
Nelson (love and Emma leaving).
Hoists Blue Peter at the fore.
Oft he kiss'd my lips at parting.
And at every kiss he swore,
Nought could force him from my bosom.
Save Blue Peter at the fore.
Oh, that I might with my Nelson,
Sail the wide world o'er and o'er.
Never should I then with soitow,
See Blue Peter at the fore.
But (ah me !) his ship's unmooring ;
Nelson's last boat rows from shore.
Every sail is set and swelling,
And Blue Peter'-s seen no more.
Emma.
To sum up the whole, it appears that the child, Horatia, is
unquestionably the daughter of Lady Hamilton and Lord Nel-
son— that she was born betvveen the 29th and 31st of January,
1801, in Piccadilly; on the 1st of February Lord Nelson
acknowledges receipt of the information of the birth ; on the
2nd determines to apply for two or three days' leave of absence
to see the child ; and on the 3rd expresses a desire that she
656 SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTERS.
should be called Emma, though he leaves it to the mother's
judgment and choice. He sends £100' to pay expenses
attending the birth ; on the 4th, the name Horatia is first
mentioned ; on the 5th, he makes a will in favour of Lady
Hamilton and the child, and expresses his determination to
set about saving a fortune for the Uttle one. At apparently
the same date, Lord Nelson writes relative to the christening
of the child, and on the next day acknowledges a present
of a lock of hair, which he places with her mother's in a
case. In another, of the date of the 6th, he alludes to the
secret being only deposited in their own bosoms, and submits
the propriety of promising a small pension to the nurse ;
thinks it better to postpone the christening,- as it might lead
to unpleasant inquiries ; but leaves the matter entirely to
Lady Hamilton's discretion ; and on the 1st of March writes
an absolute and distinct avowal of the parentage of the child,
which sets the question completely at rest and beyond dis-
pute.
' In Lord Nelson's account with his Agents, Messrs. Marsh, Page and Creed,
I find an entry of the payment of a draft of this amount to Lady Hamilton ;
it is the first time her name occurs in the accounts . To Lady Nelson I find
Lord Nelson drew for £"400 on the 13th of January, 1801, the day he departed
from London and separated from his wife. From this day to January 5, 1802,
Lord Nelson paid to Lady Nelson's account, at different times, sums amount-
ing to £"2000, after which a quarterly allowance of £'400 was regularly paid to
Lady Nelson by his Lordship's agents.
^ The baptism of the child was deferred until 1803 ; and in the register of the
parish of Marylebone there is the following entry : —
" Baptisms, 1803.
May 13, Horatia Nelson Thompson,
B. 29 October, 1800."
APPENDIX.
No. 1.
BOULOGNE FLOTILLA.
Force necessary.
Eight flat boats to be fitted as fire boats.
Fifteen flat boats, with howitzers, and 241b. carronades.
Ten launches with 181b. carronades. Carcasses for these to be
sent from Woolwich.
Forty rowing boats.
The flat boats to be paired, y~^^^ made fast together with twelve
Iris ... 4
Amazon . 4
Medusa . . 4
fathoms of small chain, and towed by six boats. A light brig to
be kept alongside the fire boats to light the combustibles. An
artillery man or two, to attend each of the fire boats.
The eight flat boats to be sent from Sheerness to the Downs, but
not till the last moment, with the chains, and twelve of Syder's
compasses. The combustible matter, reeds, &c. to be sent in a
warren hoy, to the Downs, or Dungeness, if I am not in the Downs.
^ * ' The bombs who have flat boats to send the
crew, and a Lieutenant with them.
y Ships will be found likewise off to
J.- „ man the flat boats, and to furnish the other
. . J ' o I boats for the service.
Ariadne . . ^J
Some other vessels to carry the other four.
Eight divisions of boats S^-H^ Two fire boats ; ten rowing boats
to attend each fire boat.
Two howitzer boats ; two flats, with carronades.
Two launches, with carronades.
VOL. I. 2 u
658 APPENDIX.
3 boats 1 3 B 2 3 B 3 3 boats 4
under a Capt. under Capt. under Capt. under Capt.
under a Capt.
Astern of the fire boats. I -p^ -p^ -p^
'*• . I '
for protecting. -'
Each sub-division under a Captain.
Twelve Captains. Boat compasses, H. sized.
The boats to put off from four ships, at the first of the flood or
water. Each separate sub-division of boats to be tied toge-
ther, and to tow each other. The divisions to be kept separated,
but at not a greater distance than thirty fathoms.
On approaching the enemy's ships, the fire vessels will be laid
across hawse. The howitzer boats are to row close, and to fire as
many carcasses into the ships as circumstances will admit. The
division No. 1, will attack the outer ship, the division No. 2, to
attack the second, and so to the fourth ship. The enemy may
naturally be supposed to be alarmed, cutting their cables, &c. the
commanders of the howitzer divisions are in that case to fire on
them, and otherways annoy them as circumstances may point out
to be most proper.
The fire vessels are to go in after the boats, and to endeavour to
lay on board such of the enemy's ships as may be run aground, or
which they may be able to grapple with, as the boats will all be fur-
nished with grapnells. They can be anchored if driving too far up
the harbour, and the Commanders of divisions are to take care and
come out of the harbour, at the first retiring of the ebb.
Upon a deliberate consideration with Captains Bedford, Sutton,
and Campbell, we are of opinion, that although the risk may be
great, from the circumstances of wind, setting of tides, uncertainty
of finding the ships in a dark night, from their great distance, not
much less than twelve miles, and many other incidental circum-
stances, yet the object is great, and will justify the attempt. And
we are of opinion, that an Admiral, or officer of high standing, in
the Post Captains List, should command the whole.'
' The above constituted Lord Nelson's draft of the proposed attack ; the pre-
cise order adopted may be seen in " The Dispatches and Letters, Vol. iv. p. 460,"
from a copy in the possession of the Right Honourable John Wilson Crokor.
APPENDIX. 659
No. II.
The Rev. Alexander John Scott, boru in 1/68, was the sou
of a half-pay Lieutenant iu the Navy, who retired from the Service,
and engaged in ship-building, and in the Russia and Danish trade.
His uncle was a Rear- Admiral. Upon the nomination of George
III., he was appointed to a scholarship on the foundation of the
Charter House, and displayed much aptitude in the acquisition of
languages and classical literature. Having taken his degree of B.A.
at Cambridge, in 1791, he entered the Church, was ordained, and
in 1793 became Chaplain of the Berwick, 74 guns. This vessel
was commanded by Sir John Collins, and it was one which formed
part of the first squadron of the Mediterranean fleet under Lord
Hood, which gave to Mr. Scott the opportunity of being introduced
to Captain Nelson of the Agamemnon. Upon the death of Sir
John Collins, Nelson invited the Chaplain to come into his ship,
but it being one of less force, as a matter of policy, it was judiciously
declined. Nelson had, however, enjoyed opportunities of witnessing
Mr. Scott's zeal, and had remarked upon his acquaintance with the
Italian and Spanish languages, and formed a proper estimate of his
value.
In 1795, Mr. Scott became Chaplain to Sir Hyde Parker in the
St. George, of 98 guns, and a warm friendship subsisted between
him and the Admiral. Sir Gilbert Elliot, Bart, offered to him the
Chaplaincy of Bastia, and was desirous that he should reside in his
family, and become the tutor to his sons ; but this advantageous
oflfer was also declined. Sir Hyde Parker entreating him to remain
with him. Mr. Scott's acquirements extended to the Greek, Latin,
French, Italian, Spanish, German, Danish and Russian languages.
He translated a number of Italian papers of consequence for Sir
John Jervis. Having returned to England with Sir Hyde Parker,
he was made Chaplain to the Queen, and went out to the West
Indies, where he was presented with the living of St. John's in
Jamaica, estimated to be of the value of £500 per annum, through
the interest of Sir Hyde Parker with the Governor of that island.
When Sir Hyde Parker was relieved from his command by Lord
Hugh Seymour, Mr. Scott returned with the Admiral to England,
whom he afterwards joined in the Royal George, when Sir Hyde
2 V 2
fifiO APPENDIX.
was appointed second in command of the Channel fleet ; but upon
his being named to the command of the fleet in the Baltic, in 1801,
he again accompanied his Commander, and was thus again also
brought into communication with Lord Nelson, who found him of
great service in his correspondence with the Danes, from his know-
ledge of the language, and he was in consequence selected and sent
on shore at Copenhagen, as Secretary to the Legation, where he
displayed much diplomatic tact, as well as skill in the language.
He drew up the articles agreed to at the Convention, and in so
able a manner, that Lord Nelson urged him to aflBx his signature to
them, which, however, from modesty, he declined doing, but which
Nelson truly told him he would live to repent. Towards the close
of this year, Nelson drew up a testimonial in favour of Mr. Scott,
and strongly recommended him to the Governors of the Charter
House, by whom he was presented with the Vicarage of Southminster
in Essex. From his Jamaica living, he had been suspended by reason
of his long absence. In proceeding to the West Indies, to endea-
vour to recover this living, he met with a serious accident, which
is alluded to in one of Lord Nelson's letters to Lady Hamilton.
The particulars of this accident are thus detailed in an unpretending
little work, entitled, " Recollections of the Life of the Rev. A. J.
Scott, D.D , Lord Nelson's Chaplain," published in 1842 by his
daughter and son-in-law :—'' On the passage, the ship, soon after
midnight, was struck by lightning in a severe thunder-storm. The
electric fluid rent the mizen-mast, killing and wounding fourteen
men, and descending into the Captain's cabin, in which Mr. Scott
was sleeping, communicated with some spare cartridges and powder
horns, which lay on a shelf immediately over his head. By this
means he sustained a double shock, the electric fluid struck his hand
and arm, passing along the bell wire, with which they were in con-
tact, and the gunpowder exploding at the same time knocked out
some of his front teeth, and dreadfully lacerated his mouth and
jaw. The lightning also melted the hooks to which the hammock
was slung, and he fell to the ground, receiving a violent concussion
of the brain. His cabin was found in flames, himself a sheet of fire,
and he was taken up senseless, and apparently not likely to live.
On landing, he was lodged in a convent, at Kingston, and by the
excellent skill of Dr. Blair, Physician to the fleet in the West Indies,
he soon recovered from his external injuries ; but one side of his
body was paralyzed for a length of time, his sight, hearing, and the
powers of his mind were also impaired ; the last so much so, as to
cause general apprehension that he would never i-egain them ; and
APPENDIX. 661
tlie nervous system was so completely shattered by tlie accident,
that he sufiFered from it for the remainder of his life."
Mr. Scott was unsuccessful in his attempts to regain his living,
and upon his return to England, Lord Nelson, with his usual kind-
ness and sympathy, hastened to visit him in his affliction, paid great
attention to him, and finding him to be wholly unfit to attend to
the duties of his living, situated in the marshes of Essex, prevailed
upon him to accompany him when put in command of the Mediter-
ranean fleet, and as his Chaplain and foreign and confidential
Secretary, he joined him in the Victory, and remained with him
until the death of the hero.
Mr. Scott was frequently employed by Lord Nelson in special
missions, which, from his acquaintance with different languages, he
could be well and safely engaged in, and in Spain, and at Naples, he
was often apparently occupied in the pursuit of pleasure or of
health, though in reality securing for his commander articles of fresh
provisions, and frequently important intelligence.
In Sardinia he materially assisted in victualling the ships, and
removed many impediments arising from the neutrality to which
the Government was pledged with France. At length complaints
were made by the French authorities, and the Sardes having no
adequate means of defence against the threatened punishment by
the French, the supplies were limited, but continued favourable to
the English.
Mr. Scott returned to England with Nelson, and after passing a
short time at Merton, becoming, as his relatives say, " a participator
in the last happy domestic days Nelson was ever destined to know,"
he attended in Downing Street with Lord Nelson upon Mr. Pitt,
and took his leave for Trafalgar. The horror occasioned to Mr.
Scott by the crowded cockpit of the Victory with wounded and
dying men at the memorable battle off this place, was so great, that
it haunted him like a shocking dream for years afterwards. He
is said never to have talked of it. The only remark on the
subject extorted from him by the inquiries of a friend, soon after
his return home was, that "it was like a butcher's shambles."
A fine young Lieutenant was brought down and dressed by the
Surgeons, when the poor fellow, learning the extent of the injury
he had received, tore off the ligatures with which the vessels had
been secured, and bled to death. Mr. Scott was so frenzied by
this sight, that he quitted the cockpit and hurried to the deck,
regardless of his own safety. " He rushed up the companion lad-
der— now slippery with gore — the scene above was all noise, coufu-
CG2 APPENDIX.
sion, and smoke ; but he had hardly time to breathe there, when
Lord Nelson himself fell, and this event at once sobered his dis-
ordered mind.'" Having followed his Chief to the cockpit, he
tended him to the last, and was indeed still rubbing his breast after
hfe had fled.
With the death of Lord Nelson, his connexion with the Navy-
ceased. He received by Royal mandate the degree of D D.' at
Cambridge, and he looked forward to having the prebendal stall at
Canterbury, which, it was supposed, would be now vacated by Nel-
son's brother, who had been created an Earl with an adequate pro-
vision. He reasonably built this expectation from what Lord
Nelson had said to him : "Only you remain quiet, let me get my
brother a step, that is all, and you shall have his. I must not ask
for both now, for the stall is a good thing to give up to get the
deanery ; but if I meet the French fleet I'll ask for both, and have
them too."^ The Earl was, however, very unwiUing to resign, nor
» Page 186.
' The following letter was written by Mr. Scott at this time : —
" Feb. 19, 1806, St. John's College, Cambridge.
" My dear Lady Hamilton,
" I suppose you are well acquainted with my being at this place, which accounts
for my non-appearance for some days. Supposing hourly I should set off for
town, I have deferred writing to you to tell you that the University are about to
petition the King to grant me a D.D. degree by mandamus. You will be
delighted, I think, in knowing this, as it marks attention to the memory of our
dear Lord. The matter has been some time in agitation, but I trust now is
pretty well fixed ; it was necessary that all should jom in the business — I mean
all the heads of Colleges — this thing they have now done. I remain for ten days
longer, by which time it will be finished, and I shall return to you with all the
dignity of a Doctor of Divinity. I thought the whole could not be completed
before July, when the commencement is, and therefore was removing to London,
but I now am given to understand that it can be done as soon as the King has
signed the Mandate. So much for plans and projects, &c. &c. But I write
chiefly to give some account of myself, and tell you that I constantly remember
you, and that no selfish consideration can supersede the regard and attachment
which I bear you.
"Pray kiss Horatia for me, and let her not forget the sound of my name.
Make my respects to the Earl and Countess, Lady Chai'lotte, and those who
recollect me. To Mr. Bolton and his wife, many kind and tnie expressions of
regard, with Anne, Miss O'Connor, and Mrs. VoUer if with you. With respect
and affection ever
'* Your devoted servant,
"A. J. Scott."
3 Page 203.
APPENDIX. GG.3
could he be prevailed upon to do so until the proposed grant
of ^120,000 was settled, though urged by Lord Moira and
the Prince of Wales. The disinclination of the Earl to attend to
the claims of the worthy Chaplain, at length excited public notice,
and was even alluded to in the House of Commons. An anony-
mous letter was written to Mr. Fuller, the well-known Member for
Sussex, who had adverted to the subject, in which the writer
endeavoured to falsify the pretensions of Mr. Scott, and accused
him of being the author of various paragraphs which had appeared
in the newspapers on the occasion. Upon being shewn this letter,
Dr. Scott wrote to the Earl the following letter: —
" Great Portland Street, May 26, 1806.
"My Lord,
" I beg leave to assure your Lordship, that I have not, either
directly or indirectly, written, or caused to be written, any para-
graphs in the newspapers, neither have I been privy to, or counte-
nanced them. I should not have thought it necessary to make such
a declaration to your Lordship, but for an anonymous letter
addressed to Mr. Fuller, M.P. for Sussex, in which lam accused as
the author of them. As to any promise from my dear Lord, that
you should resign your prebend in my favour ; could I have sub-
mitted myself to the indignity of asserting such a falsehood, I could
hardly have been guilty of the folly of it.
" What I have said to my friends, is what I have said to your
Lordship, when I have solicited your resignation of the stall.
'That your brother's intentions were, if he could advance you a
step higher in the Church, for me to succeed you in the stall. That
he avowed such his wishes and intentions, and expressed his doubts
of being able to accomplish both, adding, however, if he met the
French fleet and gained another victory, that it certainly should be
so.' Such were poor Lord Nelson's words ; all promise to me from
his Lordship was merely that of exerting himself in my favour, as
soon as you, my Lord, should be better provided for. On those
grounds alone I have solicited, and still most respectfully solicit
your Lordship's resignation in my favour. On these grounds alone
I have stated to friends my claim and pretensions.
" I have the honour to be, &c. &c.
" A. J. Scott."
Notwithstanding this appeal, the Earl retained possession, and
Scott was doomed to neglect and disappointment, which was much
664 Al'PENDlX.
aggravated by the receipt of letters from Captain Hardy, and others,
congratulating him upon his supposed advancement.
He retired to his living in Essex, but the climate and its duties
proved too much for his health. His friends made many ineffectual
attempts to obtain preferment for him, and his spirit became almost
broken by the neglect. His patron was gone, and his services were
forgotten.
In 1807 he contracted marriage with an estimable lady, Mis8
Ryder, a niece of Sir Richard Croft, Bart., and then withdrew to the
vicarage house of Burnham, a village adjoining Southminster, the
curacy of which Dr. Scott held with his living. He had by this
marriage three children, the first of whom was named after Nelson,
Horatio. Mrs. Scott died in 1811, and her loss was sincerely
bewailed, added to which, he now suffered much from the wound he
had formerly received in the head, and a portion of bone exfoliated.
After this he was better, but his fortunes were still adverse, and
attempts he had made at farming to improve his very limited income,
proved unsuccessful. He wisely directed himself to the improvement
of his parishioners, and paid great attention to their welfare. His
exertions to promote their happiness, and to forward the progress
of religious education among the poor, obtained for him the hearty
commendations of Dr. Howley, then Bishop of London. Through
the interest of Lord Liverpool, the Prince Regent promoted him to
the Crown living of Catterick in Yorkshire, which was represented in
value as from ^61000 to £1400 per annum. He was also named one
of the King's Chaplains,in November, 1816. His former parishioners
presented him with a silver salver, to mark their respect and grati-
tude for his services. The value of the living of Catterick, however,
proved not to amount to more than one half of that which had been
stated, and he also became involved in a law proceeding, in connexion
with it, arising from the death of his predecessor. These proceed-
ings embittered his life, and he reaped no enjoyment from his pre-
ferment. He lived in a secluded manner, occupying himself chiefly
in the education of his children, in the indulgence of his literary
habits, and in attention to his parochial duties. His parishioners
held him in great and deserved respect. All his life he had been
a book collector, and this taste brought with it his greatest comfort
in his latter days. His chief time was spent in his library, which
was of no inconsiderable extent, and he was most delighted when
he could exhibit his curious volumes to an intelligent and kindred
spirit.
Dr. Scott never visited London but to perform his duty at the
Royal Chapel, and he was sensibly affected by King Wilham IV.
APPENDIX. 665
recognizing him as Lord Nelson's Chaplain at a levee, and thanking
him for his excellent sermon. He died July 24, 1840, having the
day before completed his 72nd year. He was deeply regretted by
his friends, and the late Lord Chief Justice Tindal truly said of
him, '' so much acquired learning, such goodness of heart, and such
integrity of purpose, united in one man, can seldom be met with
amongst his survivors, and the loss of these amiable and useful
qualities, create a regret amongst his friends, which it will require a
length of time to forget."
No. in.
Order of St. Joachim.
In Sept. 1801, Le Comraandeur Ivanovitz de Wittewode, Master
of the Ceremonies of the Order of St. Joachim, addressed a letter
to Lord Nelson, acquainting him that it was the desire of the Order,
to nominate him a Knight Grand Commander. And on the 6th of
Feb. 1802, Nelson, not having replied to the communication. Baron
d'Eiker and Ekoffen, a Knight Grand Commander of the Order, and
Chancellor Keeper of the Seals, of the most Illustrious Order ;
Equestrian Secular, and Capitular of St. Joachim ; Knight of the
Royal Order of Stanislaus, &c. &c. also addressed his Lordship, to
state the wishes of the Order, and to communicate the nature of its
constitutions, under which Lord Nelson would be honorai'ily ad-
mitted into its body. To this Lord Nelson replied : —
" Merton, Surrey, February 22, 1802.
" Sir,
"I certainly must have appeared very rude to yourself, and the
Noble Order of St. Joachim, not to have answered your very polite
letter of September last ; but I trust that a few words of explana-
tion, will mark that extraordinary respect for the Order, has in
truth been the cause of my apparent inattention. Your letter was
received in due time, when I had the command of a large portion
of his Majesty's ships. I sent it immediately to Mr. Addington his
Majesty's first Minister, in order that it might be laid before the
King. From the business of the Peace, and other most important
avocations, his Majesty's pleasure was not notified to me in form,
until last Wednesday, the l/th February. It was his Majesty s full
and entire approbation and consent, that I might receive the honour
of Knight Grand Commander of the Order of St. Joachim.
666 APi'ENDIX.
" I have, now, therefore, only to assure the Noble Order, that I
am deeply impressed with the great honour conferred upon me, and
that it shall be the study of my life to endeavour, by future actions,
to merit the continuance of their good opinion. I hold myself at
the disposal of the Order, in what manner I am to be invested with
this high dignity. I have further to request of you. Sir, to make
use of words more adequate to my feelings than any in my power to
write to the Order, ray sense of the high honour and obligation
conferred upon,
" Sir,
" Your most obliged and obedient Servant,
"Nelson and Bront^.
" I shall write to his Excellency, the Chancellor of the Order,
to-morrow, through the hands of Mr. Riihl, writer in Chancery to
the Order as desired.
" Le Commandeur Ivanowitz de Wittewode,
" Maitre des Ceremonies de dit Ordre."
This letter having been transmitted by Mr. Riihl, to his Excel-
lency the Chancellor, the election of Lord Nelson took place, and
upon receiving the Insignia of the Order, he addressed the follow-
ing to the Count of Leiningen Westerbourg, the Grand Master of
the Order : —
"to his highness monseigneur count of leiningen.
" Merton, June 9th, 1802.
" Sir,
" I have deferred replying to the polite letter of April 3rd, which
your Highness did me the honour of writing, until I received the
Insignia of the Order, which I did on the 5th of June, and which
I have now the honour of wearing. I can only say, that I will
endeavour by my future conduct to merit the esteem of your High-
ness, and to do no discredit to the illustrious Order, which I have
now the honour of belonging to. The fortitude with which your
Highness bears the injustice done your venerable parent, and the
loss of territory, establish you as the most proper character to fill
your present illustrious station as head of the Order of St. Joachim,
and a pattern for all classes of the Order. Wishing from my heart
your Highness health, and every blessing that this world and the
next can afford, I have the honour of subscribing myself with the
highest respect,
" Your Highness's
" Most obliged and faithful humble servant,
"Nelson and Brontk."
APPENDIX. ()()7
No. IV.
Proposal for producinc/ veiy superior Line of Battle Ships, at a small
Expense to the Nation.
" If, from the great scarcity, and alarming want of naval timber in
England, his Majesty's Ministers should deem it expedient to have
most durable and superior men-of-war built in India, with Malabar
teak ; I humbly propose, with the support and under the direction
of Government, to produce, in the first instance, two 74 -gun ships
of the largest class, exactly conformable to any draught and moulds
with which I may be furnished, and barring unforeseen accidents,
not only enter into the customary bond of security for the perform-
ance, but deliver the ships in the river Thames, withoxit any charge
to Government for building them. As the sending out the requisite
establishment and materials for this undertaking, with the erecting
of buildings, &c. would be attended with great expense to an indi-
vidual, although to Government the cost would be comparatively
trivial, I should require to have the use of an old 64-gun ship, that
may be considered by the dock-yard officers, as not worth repair —
together with a decayed sloop of war, in India, and such things as
that country does not at present afford ; which, including an over-
seer, builder, foreman, and sailing charges, would be the whole of
the expense to Government, and every article allowed for, not exceed
£\7. I9s 6d per ton, for laige ships.
" The furnishing durable and superior 74s, on such mode-
rate terms to the State, it is conceived will be allowed a great
national acquisition, and it falls in with the principle of this place,
to produce them at the present period, even at a considerable reduc-
tion of the above sum. I, therefore, beg leave, with great deference
to suggest, that if the Trident, or other old 64, now in India,
should be brought home for no other purpose but to be broken up ;
or what may be found more prejudicial to the expenditure of timber
and increase of expense, a thoi'ough repair ; to propose, with a
small establishment, and at present, the use only of an unserviceable
bomb ship, to furnish two of the largest third rates, of which the
whole cost to the public, will be less than half the sum they can be
built fur in this country; namely, ^10. 4s per ton, with every
allowance for the officers' return, and consideration for employment
of the people, if the unserviceable ships are paid off ia India, and as
the most convincing proof that these estimates are maturely weighed,
6(i8 APPENDIX.
although there are many cogent reasons against an individual en-
gaging for every particular ; I am willing, with the countenance I
should no doubt receive from administration, on such occasion
of consequence, to supply the principal part of the undertaking at
the sums I have estimated.
"To accomplish a measure so beneficial to the nation at large ;
it is evident that I rely, not only upon ray exertions, and the
friends who are personally attached to me on the Malabar coast,
but the local knowledge, which from experience and research, I par-
ticularly possess, of the resources of our Asiatic Provinces, for naval
purposes, and as no emolument would accrue to myself, I depend
upon an equivalent of rank and reward, when the first 74-gun ship
arrives in England ; for, on my return to India, I could produce a
regular supply of the largest third-rates, at the comparative small
cost to Government of a612. 195 6d per ton, and amongst other con-
siderations of magnitude, the larger the ships, the greater would not
only be the augmentation of efiicient force to our navy, of most
durable and superior men of war, with a saving of 36213,075, on
every teak line-of-battle ship of 2000 tons, making an inconceivable
decrease in the public expense of nearly a6l 1,000,000 per ann. ;
but above all, the important national object obtained, of very con-
siderably lessening the demand, and consequently consumption,
of English timber.
"W. Layman.
"Clapton, AprU9th, 1802.
" Note. — As the preceding proposal is simply, in the first instance,
the building of two seventy-four's, and for which only an unser-
viceable bomb-ship requires to be equipped, it may not be improper
to state, that if she does not leave England by the end of May, or
the beginning of June, the season for collecting timber on the
Malabar coast will be past before her arrival there, which will be
the loss of a monsoon, and consequently occasion an increase of
expense."
THE END.
O. NORMAN, PRINTER, MAIDEN LANE, COVENT GARDEN.
BATTrSS OF QUATRE-BRAS, I.XGNV, WAVRfi,
AND
WATERLOO.
New, revised, and cheaper edition, complete in 1 vol. 8vo. uniform with
General Napier's History of the War in the Peninsula,
and the Wellington Dispatches,
DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION,
HISTORY OF THE
WAR IN PRANCE AND BELGIUM,
IN 1815, j
PROM THE TESTIMONY OF EYE-WITNESSES AND OTHER SOURCES, EXCLUSIVE AND AUTHENTIC.
BY CAPTAIN WILLIAM SIBORNE,
CONSTRUCTOR OF THE " VTATERLOO MODEL."
THIRD EDITION.
BEAUTIFULLY EMBELLISHED WITH MEDALLION PORTRAITS, ENGRAVED ON STEEL, OF
The Duke of Wellington,
Pbince Blucher von Wahlstadt,
Napoleon Buonaparte,
Thb Duke of Brunswick,
The Prince of Orange,
The Marquess of Anglesey,
Lord Hill,
SouLT, Duke of Dalmatia,
Nev, Duke of Elchinoen,
Count Alten,
Sir Thomas Picton.
A FOLIO ATLAS,
OF anaglyptographic engravings on steel, from models, containing
2 Plans of Quatre-Bras, shewing different Periods of the Action.
2 - - - Ligny -------- ditto.
2 - - - Wavre -------- ditto.
3 - - Waterloo - . - _ . - ditto.
WITH MAPS OF BELGIUM AND PART OF FRANCE,
Illustrative of the above, iold separately.
In announcing a History of the War in 1815, by the Constructor of the celebrated Model of the Battle
of Waterloo, the Publishers feel confident that the undeniable proof which the latter work of ait affordi
of the most indefatigable perseverance and industry in the collection of materials for the accurate repre-
sentatiou of an event so fertile in glorious achievements, and so decisive in its influence upon the desdniee
of Europe, as also of the professional skill with which those materials have been arranged for the com-
plete development of that ever memorable conflict, ofiers a suflBcient guarantee for a similar application
of the author's unwearied zeal and research in the task he has undertaken of supplying what still remains
a desideratum in our national history and military records — a true and faithful account of that last
campaign in Europe, comprising the crowning triumph of the British army, and, at the same time, the
closing chapter of the military life of its illustrious chief, the Duke of Wellington.
Numerous as are the accounts already published of this great conflict, the information which they
eonvey is generally of too vague and indistinct a nature to satisfy either the military man who seeks for
professional instruction, or the general reader who desires to comprehend more clearly, in all its details,
that gorgeous machinery, if it may so be termed which was put in motion, regulated, and controlled by
PROSPECTUS.
t»e greatest masters of their art, who, in modern times, have been summoned forth to wield the mighty
engines of destruction wherewith nation wars against nation. How just is the observation of Jomini,
cne of the most talented military writers of the day — "Jamais bataille ne futplus confus^ment decrite
que celle de Waterloo.'' On consulting these accounts the public glean little beyond the fact that at
Waterloo the allied army stood its ground during the whole day, in defiance of the reiterated attacks by
Itie French, until theDukeof Wellington led it forward to crown its exertions with the most splendid
victory. They afford us but a faint idea of those strategical movements and combinations upon which
the grand design of the campaign was based by the one party, and with which it was assailed by the
ether; and we seek in vain for the development of those tactical dispositions by which the skill of tne
commanders and the valour of the combatants were fairly tested. From the want of due consecutive
arrangement in the details, and the tendency too frequently manifested to compensate for this deficiency
ly mere anecdotic narration, the motives by which, in the great game of war, the illustrious players are
actuated, are left out of view, while circumstances which especially call forth the skill of subordinate offi-
cers in command, as also the courage, the discipline, and the prowess of particular brigades, regiments, or
even minor divisions of the contending masses, are either imperfectly elucidated, or, as is often tlie cn-^,
inhesitatingly set aside to make way for the exploits of a few individuals whose deeds, however ijeroic
they may be deemed, constitute but isolated fractional parts of that great sum of moral energy and
physical force combined, requisite to give full effect to the application of the mental powers of the
chieftains under whose guidance the armies are respectively placed. These remarks have refpienro,
laore or less, not only to the generality of the accounts of the Battle of Waterloo, with w];ich il e
public have hitherto been furnished, but also to those of Quatre-Bras, Ligny, and Wavre; the firsr of
■which, brilliant as was the reflection which it cast upon the glory of the victors, became eclipsed sol' ly
by the more dazzling splendour of the greater, because more important, triumph of Waterloo. lo
endeavour to remedy these deficiencies, through the medium of the evidence of eye-witnesses, most
•willingly and liberally supplied, as well as carefully collated, examined, and, at the same time, proved,
wherever practicable, by corroborative testimony — every component piece of information being made to
dovetail, as it were, into its adjacent and corresponding parts — is the chief object of the present
publication.
The opportunities which Captain Siborne has enjoyed of collecting the data requisite for thi iily
important work, have been peculiarly favourable. Having commenced his large Model under th-r a ; : <>-
rity of the government, he received permission to address himself to the several officers who might i.ave
it in their power to communicate valuable information ; and, with a view to render such information as
complete as possible, and to substantiate it by corroborative testimony, he forwarded his applications to
almost every surviving Waterloo officer — not limiting his inquiries to any one particular period of the
action, but extending them over the whole of the Battle of W^aterloo, as also of that of Quatre-Bras, and
of the entire campaign. In this manner he has succeeded in obtaining from the combined evidence of
eye-witnesses a mass of extremely important matter; and when the public are informed that Captain Si-
borne has also been in unreserved communication with the governments of our allies in that war, con-
cerning the operations of the troops they respectively brought into the field, it is presumed that the ex-
traordinary advantages he possesses for a satisfactory fulfilment of his design will be at once acknow-
ledged and appreciated.
In reverting, however, to the Model, as connected with the present history, it may not be unimpor-
tant to add that some objections were raised against the position thereon assigned to a portion of the
Prussian troops. These objections induced Captain Siborne to investigate more closely the evidence he
had received relative to that part of the field ; and the result of such re-consideration has been a perfect
oonviction that an error of some importance, as regards time and situation, did exist. When the JModel
IB again submitted to the public, which it will be very shortly, that error will no longer appear, and
the circumstances under which it arose will be fully accounted for and explained in the forthcoming
work.
One remarkable defect which is manifested, without a single exception, in the existing histories of
this campaign, consists in the want of good plans upon scales sufficiently comprehensive to admit of the
positions and movements being duly illustrated. By the application of the anaglyptograph to accurately
executed models, Captain Siborne has succeeded in producing plans of the different fields of battle,
which afford so striking a representation of the features of ground — a representation which has all the
appearance of the subject being shewn in relief — that not only the military man who is accustomed to
examine plans, but the civilian who has never studied any thing of the kind, will be enabled thoroughly
to comprehend them even in the minutest details.
To respond to the interest felt in the record of that glorious contest by the relatives and friends of
the combatants, con-ect lists will be appended to the work, of the names of all officers who were present,
distinguishing those who were killed or wounded. Marginal notes will also be introduced wherever
officers' names are first mentioned in the course of the work, explaining, if surviving, their present rank,
and if dead, the date of their decease, and the rank which they then held.
A work brought out under such favourable auspices, and grounded upon materials which, consider-
ing the advanced age of the principal contributors, would at no remote period have been placed beyond
oui' reach, cannot fail to excite, in a considerable degree, the attention of the public ; for which reason
no pains have been spared in rendering the illustrations fully commensurate with the value and impor-
tance of the design. The new edition is complete in 1 vol. 8vo. embellished with beautifully executed
medallic portraits, and accompanied by a folio volume, (to be had separatelii), containing military maps
and exquisitely engraved anaglyptographic plans from models expressly made by Captain Siborne, of the
fields of battle of Quatre-Bras, Ligny, Wavre, and Waterloo.
PROSPECTUS.
^W2B^<^2Ea©5S2E^^
HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY, THE QUEEN.
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT, K.G. ; G.C.B.
HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY, QUEEN ADELAIDE.
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUCHESS OF KENT.
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE, KG. ; G.C.B. ; G.C.H.
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, PRINCE GEORGE OF CAMBRIDGE, K.G.
HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY, THE KING OF HANOVER, K.G. ; G.C.B.; G.C.H.
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, THE CROWN PRINCE OF HANOVER.
HIS MAJESTY, THE KING OF PRUSSIA.
HIS M.UESTY, THE KING OF SWEDEN.
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE CROWN PRINCE OF SWEDEN.
HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF SAXONY.
HIS SERENE HIGHNESS, THE REIGNING DUKE OF BRUNSWICK.
HIS SERENE HIGHNESS, THE PRINCE BERNHARD OF SOLS-BRAUNFELS.
• General the Marquess of Anglesey ,K.G.,G.C.B., G.C.H.
His Grace the Duke of Bedford.
His Grace the Duke of Buccleugh.
• General Bacon, Portuguese Service.
Colonel Bainbrigge, C.B., D.Q.M.G.
The Earl of Bandon.
• Lieut. -Colonel Barton, K.H. 12th Lancers.
• Colonel Thomas Hunter Blair, C.B., Unatt.
Lieut.-Gen. the Hon. Sir Edw. Blakeney, K.C.B., G.C.H.
Lieut.-Gen. Lord Bioomfield, G.C.B., G.C.H.
His Excellency Baron du Briinow, the Russian Minister.
Lieut.-General Sir John Buchan, K.C.B.
Lieut.-General Sir John Cameron, K.C.B.
• Major-General Sir Guy Campbell, Bart. K.C.B.
Major-General Sir Octavius Carey, C.B., K.C.H.
Lieut.-Colonel Cator, Royal Horse Artillery.
• Colonel Chatterton, K.H. Commanding 4th Drag. Guards.
Lieut.-Col. Sir Chas. Chichester, Commanding 81st Regt.
Lieut.-Colonel Clarke, Commanding 2nd (R.N.B.) Drgs.
Major-General Cleland.
Major Henry Clements, late of the 16th Regt.
General Sir George Cockburne, G C.H.
Major William H. Cockburne, late of the 9th Regt.
• William Crawford, Esq. 2nd (R.N.B.) Dragoons.
• Lieut.-Colonel John Crowe, K.H., Unatt.
His Excellency Earl de Grey, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
The Marquess of Downshire. K. St. P.
Major-General D'Aguilar, C.B.
Lieut.-General Sir Charles Dalbiac, K.C.H.
General Sir Ralph Darling, G.C.H.
• Major-General Sir Jeremiah Dickson, K C.B.
Lieut.-General Dickson, Royal Artillery.
The Earl of Donoughmore, K.P.
• Lieut.-Colonel Dorville, C.B. Unatt.
• Major-General Sir Neil Douglas, K.C.B., K.C.H.
• Major Edward Ward Drewe.
• Captain N. F. Dromgoole. h. p. 35th Regt.
• Colonel Berkeley Drummond, Scots Fusilier Guards.
• Colonel Dyneley, C.B., Royal Horse Artillery.
The Right' Hon. Lord Eliot.
• Lieut.-General Sir De Lacy Evans, K.C.B.
Captain the Hon. C. W. Forester, 12th Lancers, A.D.C.
• Lieut.-Colonel Gawler, K.H., Unatt.
• Captain E. Gilborne, late of the 71st Regt.
• Lieut.-Colonel Grove.
• Lieut.-General Lord Greenock, K.C.B.
• Colonel the Lord Viscount Guillamore, Unatt.
• Major-General Hamerton, C.B.
• Lieut.-General the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Hardinge, K.C.B.
• Lieut.-General Lord Harris, CB., K.C.H.
• The late General Lord Viscount Hill, G.C.B., G.C.H.
• Colonel George W. Horton, Unatt.
Colonel Sir George Hoste, C.B. Roy.al Engineers.
• Captain W. Humbley, h.p. Rifle Brigade.
• Lieut.-Colonel Edward Keane, Unatt.
• Colonel Clark Kennedy, C.B., K.H. Commanding 7th
Dragoon Guards.
• Colonel James Shaw Kennedy, C. B., Unatt.
• Captain Kincaid, late of the Rifle Brigade.
• Colonel Charles King, K.H. , lateof lotliLiglit Dragoons.
His Grace the Duke of Leinster, K.G.
• Charles Lake, Esq. late of the Scots Fusilier Guards.
• General Sir .John Lambert. G.C.B.
• Lieut.-Colonel Leach, late of the Ritle Brigade.
• Lieut.-Colonel Francis La Blanc. Unatt.
Captain the Hon. James Lindsay, Grenadier Guards^
General Sir Evan Lloyd, K.C.H. ,
Lieut.-Colonel Louis, Royal Artillery.
General the Honourable Sir Wm. Lumley, G.C.B.
General Sir Fitzroy Maclean, Bart. i
Colonel Mansell, K.H., A.A.G.
Lieut.-Colonel Marten, Commanding 1st D'agoons.
The Lord Viscount Massareene.
The Lord Viscount Melville, K.T.
Lieut.-Colonel A. C. Mercer, Royal Artill»y.
Major-General Douglas Mercer, C.B.
Lieutenant-Colonel Monins, Commanding69th Regt.
Lieut.-Colonel H. Morrieson.
Colonel Sir George Morris.
Colonel Monro, K.H., Royal Artillery.
General the Right Hon. Sir George Murray,}. C.B.,6. C.H .
Sir William Keith Murray, Bart.
' Major-General the Honourable Henry Muray, C.B.
■ Lieut.-Colonel Muttlebury, C.B., lateof 61th Regt.
His Griice the Duke of Northumberland, K.G.
Major-General William F. P. Napier, C.E
The Marquess of Ormonde.
Colonel Sir Charles O'Donnell, L-natt.
■ Major-General O'Malley, C.B.
Major-General the Hon. Sir Hercules Palenham, K.C.B.
General the Hon. Sir Edward Paget, G.CB.
' Frederick Hope Pattison, Esq., late 3:iid Regiment.
Captain Lord Frederick Paulet, Coldstieum Guards.
The Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel, Bart.
' General Sir George Quentin, C.B, K..CiI.
' His Grace the Duke of Richmond, K.G.
' Major Reid, late 33i'd Regiment.
' Colonel T. W Robbins, h.p. IStli Rcgiinent.
' Colonel William Rowan, C.B., A.Q.M. Ge:i.
Captain Lord Cosmo Russell, 93rd Highlanders, A.D.C.
Lieut.-General Shortall.
' Lieut.-General Sleigh, C.B.
' Major-General J. Webber Smith, C.B.
• Lieut.-General Lord Fitzroy Somerset, K.C.B.
Lieut.-Colonel Spottiswoode, h. p. 71st Regt.
• Colonel Stawell, Commanding I'ith Lancers.
' General Lord Strafford, G.C.B., G.C H.
Lieut.-General the Honourable Patrick Stuart.
' The lateLieut.-GeneralLord Vivian, G.C.B,, G.C.H:
Colonel Wade, C.B., D.A. Gen.
Major-General J. Welsh.
» Colonel Whinyates, C.B., K.H., Roval Artillery.
Colonel the Earl of Wiltshire.
' Lieut.-General Sir Alexander Woodford, K.C.B., K.C H.
• Major-GeneralSir John Woodford, K.C.B., K.C.H.
' Colonel Yorke, Assist. Q. M. Gen.
Officers of the Depot of the 27th Regt. (.1 copy.)
Officers of the Dei)6t of the 30th Rciit. {I copy.)
Officers of the Depot of the 47th Regt. (1 copy.)
Officers of the Depot of the 64th Regt. (4 copies.)
Officers of the Depot of the 65th Regt, (i copy.)
Officers of the Depot of the 95th Regt. (Icopy.)
Serjeants of the loth Regt. (1 copy.)
Non-commissioned Officers Library, Royal Artiliery,
Woolwich (1 copy.)
The Military Library of the Troops of Hrun?w)ck(l copy.)
The Bombay Branch of the Roy a' Asiatic Society (1 copy. )
Barnstaple Book Club (1 copy.)
St. George's Reading Society, Bolton (1 copy.)
&c. &c. &c.
The Officers marked with an asterisk (*) were at Waterloo,
\ OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
" It lis written iu a free and impartial manner, is lucid in its descriptions, surprisingly correct in
details, and many important features of the campaign, which have hitherto remained either wholly
unnoticed, or else kept too much in shadow, are now brought forward into proper relief; whilst the
•jrand military operations of the period are delineated with the pen of an enlightened soldier. In a
word, bt separating, with much discrimination, the gold from the dross, he has turned to ei'coUent
account the materials for his undertaking, which seem to have flowed to him from every quart- r ; and
the consequence is, that a standard history has been produced, remarkable for its spirit and vigour, as
well as for its truth.'' — U. S, Journal.
'' Wa hail this work as a standard history of the Battle of Waterloo and of the Campaign of
Flandersi— a worthy companion and sequel to the Peninsular Campaigns of Napier. A compilation
from the testimonies of eye-witnesses (as this is) had they been dressed up for publication, and subjected
individually to the public judgment, would have been cold and lifeless; here all is freshness, vivu^'ity,
imafFected truth ; and thus is explained the very superior style of the writer, who possesses a nerve
and spring of thought and a brilliant colouring of phrase, combined with a transparent clearness of
e^ipressiob, sucli as is rarely attained by the purely literary writer, and seldom, if ever, found in con-
nection -ifith profound, professional, and practical knowledge, as in this work. The most intimately
acquaintefl with the scenery and incidents of the days of June, 1815, are loudest and most decid'jd in
their admfation of the plans and portraits which embellish these volumes. The ground is engraved by
a peculi.iv progress, which represents in relief the slightest elevation, and sinks the smallest depression
by the petuliar curve and measure of the line. Thus, the spectator looks down upon the ground cf the
battle itsdf with the clear perception of all its undulations, and its every variety of form and aspect.
A secondJand very different process, to which the plate is then subject, places in their positions the
troops exactly as they occupied the field. These speaking plans have an accuracy hitherto unimagined,
v.'ith an efect which is unequalled by any previous attempt. There are portraits of the Heroes of the
campaignjwhich have as much merit as novelty — being engraved medallions — perfect portraits in high
relief." — ^aval and Military Gazette.
' ' The Ipventful victory which these two splendid volumes are intended to commemorate his had
many histirians, but none so good or comprehensive as Captain Siborne. His facility of access to official
documents) both English and foreign, the assistance which he has received from the surviving Waterloo
heroes of all ranks, and the zeal, energy, and talent, which he has displayed in the construction of his
materials, lave produced a record, not only of the battle itself, but of the whole Waterloo campaign,
which is likely to be as enduring as it is creditable to his talents as a writer, and his reputation as a
soldier. lor ourselves we heartily thank Captain Siborne for his spirited volumes, and sincerely do we
hope they ViH meet their due reward. Of this we are certain, they cannot be too soon in the hands,
not only of! every Officer of the Service, but also of every civil member of the community." — United
Sjrvice Gautte.
" We cannot feel our debt acquitted to Captain Siborne for the pleasure and instruction his work has
afforded us. if we did not bring our unqualified testimony to the minute accuracy of detail, the l--'<ly
honourable and soldier-like spirit, and the admirable candour and fairness by which it is everywf: re
characterized. When the work was first announced for publication, we conceived great expectations
from a history compiled by one whose access to every source of information was favoured both Dy
interest in the highest quarters, and the circumstances of an official appointment on the staff. We wore
not disappointed. Such are the volumes before us — a Military Classic — and they will remain so while
Waterloo is a word to stir the heart and nerve the arm of a British soldier." — Dublin University, May.
'' This work is precisely what such a publication should be, a fair, impartial compilation of well
authenticated testimony relative to the great events to which it has reference, interspersed with such
reflections as have appeared to the author to be needful for the guidance of his unprofessional readers."
Morning /.'</,
" The accounts already published vary so much, and so little reliance is to be placed upon sorv cf
the details that we feel no apology to be requisite for noticing a work so faithful and excellent af^ ' Mt
which has been recently published by Captain Siborne, Of all the accounts we have yet seen, ii.it
recently published by Captain Siborne is the fullest, the fairest, we believe the most accurate —the b<«t."
Times, Jan. 1 845.
" We can declare in all sincerity that we have perused his narrative of marches and onslaughts
with infinite satisfaction. He tells his tale with singular clearness. He is at home in all the varied
movements and changes of position, &c. ; and his account of Cavalry Charges, e.specially in the affair
of Quatre Bras, the advance of columns and cannonading, sweep you onwards as if the scene descabed
were actually passing under your eyes. His Plans and Charts too are excellent, and every way w( rthy
of the modellist of the Field of Waterloo. We thank Captain S., not only for the amusement we have
derived from his performance, but for the opportunity with which the appearance of a genuine English
History of the Battle of Waterloo supplies us, of refuting some of the errors regarding it into which
other historians have fallen." — Eraser's Mag.
PUBLISHED BY T. &. W. BOONE, 29, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON ;
AND SOLD BY
OLIVER AND BOYD, AND ERASER and COr Edinbubgh.
^
DA87. ] N4P5 1849 v*2
Pettigrevf, Thomas Joseph,
.1.791-J865.
Memoirs of the life of Vice-
Admiral Lord Viscount
UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
AA 001 314 005 8
UNIVERSITY OFCARjVERS.DEU^^^^^^^
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