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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 

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THE  WIFE'S   SOCIETY, 
THE  PENNY  CLUB, 
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THE  LOAN  FUND, 
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SOCIETY, 

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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 


&c, 


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 


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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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