Title: The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, Volume 1
Author: Harrison, James
Language: English
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                 THE LIFE OF
            _THE RIGHT HONOURABLE_
         _HORATIO_ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON:


     BARON NELSON OF THE NILE,
     AND OF BURNHAM-THORPE AND HILBOROUGH IN THE COUNTY OF NORFOLK;
     KNIGHT OF THE MOST HONOURABLE MILITARY ORDER OF THE BATH;
     DOCTOR OF LAWS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD;
     VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE WHITE SQUADRON OF HIS MAJESTY'S FLEET;
     DUKE OF BRONTE, IN FARTHER SICILY;
     GRAND CROSS OF THE ORDER OF ST. FERDINAND AND OF MERIT;
     KNIGHT OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER OF THE OTTOMAN CRESCENT;
     KNIGHT GRAND COMMANDER OF THE EQUESTRIAN, SECULAR, AND CAPITULAR,
     ORDER OF ST. JOACHIM OF WESTERBURG;
     AND
     HONORARY GRANDEE OF SPAIN.


     BY MR. HARRISON.



IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.



     Lord Viscount Nelson's transcendent and heroic services will, I am
     persuaded, exist for ever in the recollection of my people; and,
     while they tend to stimulate those who come after him, they will
     prove a lasting source of strength, security, and glory, to my
     dominions.

    _The King's Answer to the City of London's Address
      on the Battle of Trafalgar._



LONDON:
=======
Printed, at the Ranelagh Press,
BY STANHOPE AND TILLING;
FOR C. CHAPPLE, PALL MALL, AND SOUTHAMPTON ROW,
RUSSELL SQUARE.
1806.



TO
THE KING;
AND
HIS SUBJECTS, IN EVERY QUARTER OF THE GLOBE,
FORMING WHAT IS DENOMINATED
THE COUNTRY;
_THESE MEMOIRS_
OF
_LORD NELSON'S LIFE_,
WHICH WAS SO HONOURABLY DEVOTED TO,
AND SO GLORIOUSLY LOST IN,
THEIR SERVICE,
ARE MOST HUMBLY AND RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED,

BY
JAMES HARRISON.

LONDON,
JANUARY 4,
1806.


       *       *       *       *       *


ADVERTISEMENT.



Never, perhaps, was a greater panegyric pronounced on any human being,
than that which is comprised in the motto to this biographical account
of Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, delivered from the lips of the
Sovereign who had experienced his worth; and who, with a noble
gratitude, deigned thus publicly to acknowledge, and record, the
transcendent heroism of his Lordship's meritorious services: heroism and
services, the recollection of which, His Majesty generously anticipates,
must not only exist for ever in the memory of the people; but, by
continually stimulating future heroes, prove a perpetual source of
strength, security, and glory, even to the country itself. A reflection
worthy of a King! Inciting to heroism, by the consideration of a more
enlarged motive than seems to have been heretofore sufficiently
regarded; and thus entitling himself to participate the very praise he
is so liberally bestowing. The expressive voice of gratitude is thus,
sometimes, surprised by a similar unexpected but grateful echo; and the
rays of royalty, beaming with their fullest lustre on a brilliant
object, are in part reflected back to their source.

The general history of the world, to almost every part of which the
influence of Lord Nelson's services may be considered as having in some
measure extended, must most assuredly preserve the remembrance of one of
it's chiefest heroes; and the future historian of our own country, in
particular, will not fail exultingly to dwell on each of his Lordship's
great and glorious victories, with all the animated and enegertic glow
of conscious dignity and truth.

Still, however, we are desirous to know more of so exalted a character
than any general history can with propriety supply. We wish to see him
not only as a hero, but as the hero of a respectable historian; and are
anxious, with a laudable zeal, for such minuteness of detail, in the
developement of every circumstance, not only relative to his public and
professional character, but even to his private and domestic
transactions, as is to be alone expected from what may be denominated
the more humble labours of the biographer: who, nevertheless, must not
be permitted to boast much of extraordinary humility, if he pretends to
combine, in a single picture, any tolerable portion of that sublime
grandeur, and that delicate simplicity, which constitute the Iliad and
the Odyssey of literature.

To produce a work not altogether unworthy the hero whose life it
records, is the utmost that his present biographer can reasonably hope
to accomplish. Even this, he freely confesses, he must have despaired of
ever effecting, had he not been indulgently honoured by the kindest
communications from some whose near affinity to the immortal
Nelson, is evidently more than nominal; who not only have the
same blood flowing in their veins, but whose hearts possess a large
portion of the same unbounded goodness, generosity, and honour: as well
as from other dear and intimate friends, professional and private, who
were united to his Lordship by the closest ties of a tender reciprocal
amity.

Encouraged by such generous aids, the author may be allowed to boast
that he has, at least, a considerable store of novelties to offer: it
will be for the public to judge, on perusing the work, how far he has
succeeded in making a suitable arrangement of the excellent information
acknowledged to have been thus bountifully and benignantly afforded him.

Particular acknowledgments will be seen in the preface, to such of the
family and friends of Lord Nelson as may have generously assisted the
researches of the author; the number of whom are likely, from obvious
circumstances, to be considerably augmented during the progress of the
work.

It may seem scarcely necessary to add, that the preface, though always
placed, as the very name imports, at the beginning of a book, is usually
the last part printed.

       *       *       *       *       *



PREFACE.


There are few works, the authors of which can possibly be permitted to
recommend them as worthy of universal regard, without the imputation of
intolerable vanity; an imputation little likely to be diminished by the
consideration, that other writers, over whom a decided preference is
claimed, may have previously occupied the same subject.

A Life of Lord Nelson, however, replete with original anecdotes, many of
them from the mouths of his lordship's nearest and dearest relatives and
friends, with whom the author has, for many months, been honoured with
an almost constant communication; and abounding in a profusion of
interesting letters, and extracts of letters, written by the hero
himself, which have generously flowed in, from all quarters, to aid the
biographer; he may surely, without the charge of presumption, these
facts being self-evident on the slightest inspection, be allowed to
assert, must necessarily be entitled to very general notice and esteem.

So numerous, indeed, have been the invaluable documents kindly tendered
to the author's acceptance, that he has not only been under the
necessity of greatly enlarging his original design; but may, probably,
at a future and no very distant period, feel encouraged to present those
who have so indulgently expressed their approbation of his present
labours, with a sort of supplementary work, not necessarily attached,
but still more minutely illustrative of many circumstances which relate
to the life and character of this greatest and best of heroes and of
men.

It is not without painful sensations, that the author feels compelled to
notice the many dishonourable insinuations which have been promulged by
bold speculators on public credulity: some of whom, by prematurely
publishing, have already sufficiently evinced their want of genuine
information; and others, after the most illiberal reflections on all
contemporaries, have found it expedient entirely to abandon their own
boasted performances, or to wait the completion of the very work which
they have thus meanly and insidiously laboured to depreciate, before
they could possibly advance.

This biographical memoir, like the character of the immortal man whom
it proudly aspires to commemorate, rests on no false claim. It offers
not any meretricious attraction to the eye; it submits itself, wholly,
to the understanding, and to the heart. Should it fail considerably to
gratify the one, and powerfully to interest the other, it will be in
vain for the author to urge, however true, that he has exerted himself,
with a due sense of the dignity of his subject, and of the difficulty of
the task, to produce a work which, though it can never sufficiently
honour the incomparable hero, should as little as possible disgrace the
kind contributory aids, and the generous patronage, which he has had the
distinguished favour to receive from so many estimable and illustrious
personages. To add a list of names, might seem ostentatious; but,
certainly, such a list would contain almost every great and virtuous
character allied to his late lordship, in the bonds of affinity as well
as of friendship. With most of these, it will ever constitute the chief
pride and happiness of the author's life, that he is also permitted to
boast a considerable degree of intimate friendship; and, in the
delightful retreat of Merton Place, surrounded by all who were most
dear to the heart of the hero, in consanguinity as well as amity, have
many of those valuable anecdotes been obtained, with which the work is
so abundantly enriched.

Prompted to this undertaking, by a strong sense of conviction, that our
chief hero, when his character was clearly understood, would be found as
eminently good as great, the biographer has fearlessly endeavoured
freely to investigate transactions of the utmost delicacy in private
life; and he is fully prepared to assert, and as far as possible to
prove, that there seldom has existed any human being adorned by the
practice of so many positive virtues, so little sullied by any actual
vice, as that immortal man, the chief particulars of whose history will
be found, the author may, at least, be permitted to maintain, most
faithfully recorded in the work now confided, with all it's
imperfections, to the just judgment of the world; a tribunal which
seldom fails doing compleat justice, either sooner or later, to all the
merits both of heroes and of authors, of men as well as of books.

THE LIFE
OF
_LORD NELSON_,
DUKE OF BRONTE, &c.

       *       *       *       *       *


When we survey, with rapture, the state of an exalted hero, arrived at
all the honours which it is possible for a human being to receive from
the gratitude, the veneration, and the love, of his fellow-mortals;
seen, as he then is, like a luminary of the first magnitude in the full
blaze of meridian glory, we are generally too dazzled by the lustre we
behold, to penetrate, or even to reflect on, the circuitous, the
tedious, or the perplexed path, through which he may have been
constrained to pass, in pursuit of the splendid destiny at length
happily attained.

In this sublime situation, we have lately beheld a British naval hero,
who has scarcely ever been equalled, and certainly never surpassed. As a
nation, we have been charmed with his brilliant refulgence; we have been
cheared by his vivifying influence; and we lament the short duration of
his splendor with a grief so general, that it appears to be without
parallel in the history of any age or country.

To trace the progress of this heroic and inestimable character, through
the various vicissitudes of his eventful life, from it's commencement to
it's close, with all the accuracy and minuteness which circumstances
will admit; contemplating and comparing the several causes and effects
which may have retarded or accelerated the progress of his public
career, which may have blessed or embittered his private comforts; is
the arduous task of the present biographer: who holds, with a trembling;
hand, the pen that would presumptuously aspire to record, with suitable
dignity, the history of one of the very greatest and most successful
naval heroes that has ever yet astonished and adorned the world.

Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte--for he always, very properly, signed with
both these titles, from the moment of obtaining them--was the offspring
of parents on each side highly respectable.

The family of the Nelsons had been long resident in the county of
Norfolk: they possessed, for many years, and their posterity still
possess, a small patrimony at Hilborough, with the patronage of that
rectory.

The Sucklings, likewise a Norfolk family, of lofty alliances, have been
resident at Wooton nearly three centuries.

On the 11th of May, in the year 1749, the Reverend Edmund Nelson, son
of the then venerable Rector of Hilborough, and himself Rector of
Burnham-Thorpe, was married to Catharine daughter of Dr. Maurice
Suckling, Rector of Basham in Suffolk, as well as of Wooton in Norfolk,
and a Prebendary of Westminster.

By this union the Nelson family gained the honour of being related to
the noble families of Walpole, Cholmondeley, and Townshend: Miss
Suckling being the grand-daughter of Sir Charles Turner, Bart. of
Warham, in the county of Norfolk, by Mary, daughter of Robert Walpole,
Esq. of Houghton, and sister to Sir Robert Walpole, of Wolterton, whose
next sister, Dorothy, was married to Charles, second Viscount Townshend.

The honour, however, so conferred, has since been abundantly recompenced
to all these illustrious families, by a single Nelson, the offspring of
this very union; to whom, in their turn, they may now proudly boast
their alliance, without any degradation of dignity.

Of these virtuous and most respectable parents, was Horatio Lord
Viscount Nelson born, at the parsonage house of the rectory of
Burnham-Thorpe, on Michaelmas-day 1758: a place which will be ever
renowned for having given him birth; and a day of annual festivity,
which every Briton has now an additional motive to commemorate.

He was their fifth son, and their sixth child: his eldest sister, Mrs.
Bolton, the amiable lady of Thomas Bolton, Esq. by whom she has a son
and four daughters, being about three years older than her renowned
brother.

There had been a former son christened Horatio, who only survived about
twelve months; and another, named Edmund, after the father, who also
died in early infancy: both of whom are entombed in Hilborough church.

The name of Horatio, or Horace, which is thus once more destined to live
for ever honoured, was doubtless adopted, and persisted in by Mr. and
Mrs. Nelson, as a compliment to the memory of their noble relative, the
first Lord Walpole; brother of the highly celebrated Sir Robert Walpole,
afterwards first Earl of Orford. It was then little imagined, even by
the boundless partiality of parental affection, looking forward to
sanguine hopes of a powerful family patronage, that this infant could
ever possibly live to eclipse all the glory of his most brilliant
ancestors!

The name of Maurice, after Dr. Maurice Suckling the grandfather, and his
son Captain Maurice Suckling, had been previously given to another son,
born May 24, 1753: who held a situation in the Navy Office, and died so
recently as the year 1801, three days after receiving news of the battle
of Copenhagen; leaving a widow, but no issue.

Had this last gentleman survived his illustrious brother, he would, of
course, have succeeded to his lordship's titles; which now devolve,
augmented by an earldom, on the Reverend William Nelson, Rector of
Hilborough; the sole remaining brother of this numerous family, most of
whom died in their minority. The Earl, who was born April 20, 1757,
married, in November 1786, Sarah daughter of the Reverend Henry Yonge,
of Great Torrington in the county of Devon--cousin to the Right Reverend
Philip Yonge, late Bishop of Norwich--by whom he has issue,
Charlotte-Mary, born September 20, 1787; and Horatio, born October 26,
1788, successor-apparent to the honours of his immortal uncle.

Of the whole eight sons, offspring of Lord Nelson's parents, it seems
remarkable that only the present Earl ever had any issue; while, of
their three daughters, one died in her infancy, and the two who reached
maturity, Mrs. Bolton and Mrs. Matcham, have both several children: Mrs.
Bolton, as already noticed, having five now living; and Mrs. Matcham,
her amiable younger sister, the lady of George Matcham, Esq. being the
mother of no less than three sons and five daughters.

We usually expect, that the life of a great character should commence
with some early indication of his future excellence. This, being an
apparent principle in nature, is probably just. That divine genius, of
whatever description, which "_nascetur, non fit_;" is born with a man,
and not possible to be made or acquired; must, necessarily, exist at his
birth, whatever may be the period when, or the circumstance by which,
the dormant spark is first awakened into action. Parents, it is true,
are in general great observers of infantine occurrences; and very apt to
be presageful of wonderful results expected from trivial causes. Few
parents, however, are so blessed, as to have children who possess
genius: of those who are, some silently treasure up their hopes, which
may be buried with them in an untimely grave; some are too incessantly
busied in the cares of providing for a numerous offspring, to be capable
of indulging minute attentions to any particular infant; and some are
altogether unconscious, or regardless, of the presence of genius, amidst
the clearest manifestations of it's existence. To most other persons,
but the parents, if we except a good old grandmother, or an artful or
affectionate nurse, the actions and the sayings of a child seldom afford
much interest; and the relation of them often gives rise to no
inconsiderable degree of animosity. The parents of other children, and
even the other children of the same parents, not unfrequently hear such
praises with distaste and aversion; and, if they do not soon entirely
forget them, it is, perhaps, only because their unextinguishable envy
condemns them to preserve the remembrance of the circumstance by which
it was originally excited.

These, among various other causes, prevent our always becoming
acquainted with the early occurrences which distinguish genius, even
where they soonest appear: but, genius is not always apparent in early
infancy; and, where it is, every hero does not, like Hercules, find a
serpent successfully to encounter in his cradle.

Of Lord Nelson's infancy, from whatever causes, scarcely any anecdote is
now preserved. That which may, probably, be considered as the first, has
often been related; but never, heretofore, in a manner sufficiently
accurate and circumstantial.

At the very early age of not more than five or six years, little
Horatio, being on a visit to his grandmother, at Hilborough, who was
remarkably fond of all her son's children, and herself a most exemplary
character, had strolled out, with a boy some years older than himself,
to ramble over the country in search of birds-nests. Dinner-time,
however, arriving, and her grandson not having returned, the old lady
became so excessively alarmed, that messengers, both on horseback and on
foot, were immediately dispatched, to discover the wanderer. The
progress of the young adventurers had, it seems, been impeded by a
brook, or piece of water, over which Horatio could not pass; and, his
companion having gone off and left him, he was found ruminating, very
composedly, on the opposite bank. It is not ascertained, whether his
companion had got across the water, or gone back again by the way they
had approached it: whether the young hero was meditating how it might be
passed; or too weary, or unwilling, to retread all his former steps. Who
shall pretend to say, that this child, thus sitting, in a state of
abstraction, by the side of an impassable piece of water, might not
first feel that ardent thirst of nautical knowledge excited, the
gratification of which has since led to such glorious consequences! Be
this as it may--for even himself, if living, might not now be conscious
of the fact--it is perfectly well remembered that, on his being brought
into the presence of his grandmother, the old lady concluded her lecture
respecting the propriety of children's rambling abroad without the
permission of their friends, by saying--"I wonder, that fear did not
drive you home."--"Fear, grandmama," innocently replied the child, "I
never saw FEAR; what is it?"

Perhaps, the frequent repetition of this anecdote, and the admiration
which the sweet simplicity of the child's wonderful answer must
naturally create in the bosom of every virtuous friend, had no small
share in fixing his heroic character. He had never seen fear, he knew
not what it was. What a reflection for an incipient hero, when he became
capable of comprehending the full force of his own artless expression!
If he ever lived to see fear, it was only in the enemies of his country;
if to know it, it was only by name.

There seems good reason to suppose, that his invincible spirit was
visible at an early age, as well as his generally mild and amiable
disposition. He was a prodigious favourite with his indulgent mother:
who was herself a woman of considerable firmness and fortitude, though
of a delicate habit, as well as of great meekness and piety: and, in one
of the little customary strifes of brothers, the present earl being his
antagonist, when requested, by some friends, who were alarmed at the
noise, to interfere in behalf of the youngest, is well recollected to
have replied, with the utmost composure, and a very visible satisfaction
depicted on her expressive countenance--"Let them alone, little Horace
will beat him; let Horace alone!"

The brother of Mrs. Nelson, Captain Maurice Suckling, married to a
sister of the present Lord Walpole, was a naval commander of very
considerable skill and bravery: he frequently visited his sister; and
was, also, particularly fond of Horatio. He had, doubtless, heard the
anecdote respecting fear; to which, in his own person, he felt himself
as much a stranger as his little nephew: and, probably, was the first
friend to hail and encourage the future hero.

His sister, partial to the honourable profession of her brother, would
naturally interpret every proof of her darling son's attachment to his
uncle's person, his conversation, or even any of his professional
habiliments, as well as each appearance of spirited resolution which he
occasionally displayed, into an inclination, as well as fitness, for the
service. She, like the Holy Mary, "kept all these things, and pondered
them in her heart:" but, she lived not to behold the accomplishment of
her cherished hopes!

The principles of piety were carefully implanted in his infant mind, by
the example, as well as precepts, of both parents; and, amidst all the
tempestuous passions by which mankind is agitated during his progress
through the various scenes of active life, these principles could never
be eradicated from his bosom.

The celebrated grammar-school at Norwich, called the High School, of
which a Mr. Symonds was then master, and which was afterwards
superintended by the learned Dr. Parr, has the honour of having given
him the first rudiments of a respectable education. How long he
continued at Norwich school is not now known, any more than the
particular reason why he quitted it. From thence, however, he went to
the grammar-school at North Walsham; and was placed under the tuition of
the Reverend Mr. Jones, whose abilities are said to have then acquired
much celebrity.

It seems likely, that this removal might take place at the period of his
mother's death, which happened on the 24th of December 1767; being about
nine months after she was delivered of Mrs. Matcham, her eleventh and
last child.

The death of this excellent lady was a severe loss to her affectionate
husband, and his infant family; who do not appear to have experienced
any very substantial proofs of friendship from their illustrious
relatives in general, after Mrs. Nelson's decease. It is, indeed, but
too common for the affluent to neglect those of their humbler kindred
who have a numerous offspring; as if marriage were a crime, and the
fruits of virtuous love a reproach rather than a blessing. The Reverend
Mr. Nelson, however, was never in necessitous circumstances; and, as he
felt no solicitude for any self-indulgences not always within his reach,
he was enabled to effect the respectable establishment of all his
children, without that assistance, or those attentions, which he might
naturally have expected, and which it would certainly have been pleasing
to receive.

The good grandmother, at Hilborough, however, did all in her power to
promote the happiness and comfort of her son's children; and her
kindness and affection supplied, as much as it can be supplied, the want
of a mother. She was a fine old lady, and possessed uncommon wisdom,
with extreme goodness of heart. Her faculties were so lasting, that she
could see to read the smallest print, and execute the finest needlework,
till the close of her prolonged life, which extended to ninety-three
years.

Captain Suckling, too, seems to have formed one exception, at least, to
the almost general indifference on the part of their maternal relations.
He continued his occasional visits; and engaged, the first moment
possible, to take Horatio under his immediate protection.

The child, in the mean time, was acquiring the advantages of a good
education, at North Walsham grammar-school; and it seems evident, from
subsequent circumstances, that he must have been making considerable
progress in learning, under Mr. Jones's able tuition, when he was
suddenly withdrawn, at the tender age of only twelve years, from that
respectable seminary, to commence his professional career on the
perilous ocean.

About the autumn of 1770, when the aggressions of the Spaniards, who had
violently taken possession of the Falkland Islands, so far alarmed the
country, that a naval armament was prepared to chastise this indignity,
Captain Suckling, having obtained the command of the Raisonnable, of
sixty-four guns, one of the ships put into commission on the occasion,
immediately ordered his nephew from school, and entered him as a
midshipman.

The youth, after being properly equipped for this situation, was sent to
join the ship, then at Sheerness. It should seem, however, that his
uncle could not at that time be on board, or any person whatever who
knew of his coming: for he has been repeatedly heard to say, by one of
his oldest and most esteemed friends, that he paced the deck, after his
arrival from Greenwich, the whole remainder of the day, without being in
the smallest degree noticed by any one; till, at length, the second day
of his being on board, some person, as he expressed it, "kindly took
compassion on him." It was then discovered, for the first time, that he
was the captain's nephew, and appointed to serve on board as a
midshipman. What a primary reception was this, for such a youth to
experience! It did not, however, dispirit him; and he was, no doubt, now
heartily greeted and encouraged, with the golden hopes always inspired,
among young seamen, by the prospect of a Spanish war.

Whatever might be the extent of these hopes, they were destined to be
speedily dissipated. The Spaniards very readily made such concessions as
administration thought it expedient, at that juncture, to accept,
respecting this business; Mr. Harris, his majesty's minister at Madrid,
who had been recalled on the 21st of December 1770, was ordered to
return thither on the 18th of January 1771; and, of course, all the
ships which had been just commissioned for that service, were directed
to be immediately laid up in ordinary, and paid off.

This, on the whole, seemed no very auspicious commencement for the young
hero. His father was in the condition of the country; he had incurred
the expences of fitting out, for services which this compromise rendered
unnecessary. Peace, however, while it can be preserved with safety and
honour, is always preferable to war; and initiation in an honourable
profession, where so much depends on seniority, though it may not be
immediately productive, is undoubtedly better than nothing.

Horatio, though discouraged, was not disgusted: on the contrary, he felt
delighted with the profession of a sailor. Under the eye of his
respectable uncle, during the short time he had been on board, he became
fully satisfied that, to form an accomplished seaman, would require no
small degree of application, and no few years of experience. It was
ever the opinion of the Reverend Mr. Nelson, founded on an early and
acute observation of his son's character, that Horatio, in whatever
station placed, would climb, if possible, to the very top of the tree:
this sentiment seems to have swelled the bosom of the youth, at an age
when few boys indulge any serious anticipatory reflection. With all that
regarded nautical knowledge, he was studious to become thoroughly
acquainted; and, being ardently desirous of making his first voyage,
which was now impracticable in the navy, his uncle placed him under the
care of Mr. John Rathbone, an excellent seaman, who then had the command
of a West-Indiaman belonging to the respectable house of Hibbert,
Purrier, and Horton. With this skilful and brave commander, who had
formerly served under Captain Suckling, in the Dreadnought, he now
joyfully proceeded on his first expedition, by sailing to the West
Indies.

The numerous and agreeable novelties continually presenting themselves
to the view of the young adventurer, during this interesting voyage,
could not fail to prove highly gratifying. He was beholding a new world,
while he was gaining practical skill in a new profession: and, if the
latter might be considered as a substitute for the school studies so
lately quitted at North Walsham; the former amply compensated the loss
of those hours of vacation amusements, the enjoyment of which he might
now recollect without any regret. The enervating influence of the torrid
climes had no ill effect on his constitution; which was radically good,
though partaking of his mother's slightness and delicacy: and he had
been too virtuously educated, hastily to indulge that rash and dangerous
intemperance which proves so often fatal to inconsiderate Europeans, on
their first visiting the West Indies. With a considerable store of local
and professional information, he returned to England about the middle of
the year 1772.

It has been said that, at this period, his mind had acquired, without
any apparent cause, an entire horror of the royal navy; that Captain
Suckling, who beheld with anxiety the critical situation of his nephew,
was soon convinced, by the sentiment he appeared to indulge in--"Aft,
the most honour; but forward, the better man!"--his too credulous nephew
had acquired a bias utterly foreign to his real character; and that it
was many weeks before all the firmness of the captain, assisted by his
thorough knowledge of the human heart, could overcome these prejudices
in his nephew, and reconcile him to the service on board a king's ship.

Admitting the truth of this relation, it would be natural to suppose
that Mr. Rathbone, who was probably a worthy but disappointed man, had
inspired the youth with his own aversions to serving in the royal navy,
without a due consideration being made for the differences of their
respective interests. This gentleman, with the utmost purity of design,
might wish to prepare the nephew of his friend for mortifications and
disappointments to be expected in the profession he had just embraced;
it was not his fault, if pictures, which he perhaps feelingly and
faithfully pourtrayed from the life, excited too much abhorrence in the
mind of his young pupil. The sentiment of "Aft, the most honour; but
forward, the better man!" might come with no ill grace from the lips of
Mr. Rathbone, but could never originate with a boy of thirteen. So far,
the fact may be supported by some degree of probability, but it seems
incapable of proof.

In the family, no such circumstance appears to be remembered. It is well
recollected--in some degree, to the contrary--that, on a slight
intimation from his father, of a wish that he might entirely quit the
sea-service, he resolutely declared, that if he were not again sent out,
he would set off without any assistance.

It may, however, be taken for granted, that he wished for more active
employment in seamanship, than he could well expect to obtain, on board
a man of war, in the capacity of a midshipman. The mode which his uncle
is said to have adopted for what is called the recovery of the original
bias of his nephew's mind, was to work on the ambition which, it is on
all hands agreed, he in a supereminent degree possessed, to become a
thorough seaman.

Captain Suckling had recently been appointed to the command of the
Triumph, then lying at Chatham; on board of which ship he placed his
nephew, in July 1772, immediately after the youth's return from the West
Indies, in his old situation on the quarter-deck: and, though he had,
thus, the "aft" situation of "most honour," the uncle contrived that he
should, at the same time, be permitted to enjoy all the advantages of
the "forward," which might be supposed to form "the better man." This he
judiciously effected, by permitting him to go in the cutter and decked
long-boat attached to the commanding officer's ship at Chatham: an
indulgence which afforded him the highest satisfaction; while it tended
so largely to promote his practical knowledge of navigation, that he is
said to have soon actually become an excellent pilot for such vessels as
sail from Chatham to the Tower of London, and down the Swin Channel to
the North Foreland.

It was thus that this young seaman, by being continually engaged in the
successful navigation of difficult passages, or dangerous coasts,
habitually acquired that experimental reliance on his own skill, and
that internal self-possession, which so essentially contribute to
establish the dauntless intrepidity of a truly heroic mind. He felt a
conviction of his growing powers, and panted for opportunities of
bringing them to the proof. His present sphere of action, confined to a
comparatively small spot, for the Triumph never once went out to sea
while he remained on board, made him languish for some new situation,
better suited to his enterprising spirit; and it was not long before an
occurrence took place, which seemed to promise the gratification of his
most sanguine wish.

About the beginning of February 1773, the Earl of Sandwich, then First
Lord of the Admiralty, in consequence of an application which had been
made to him by the Royal Society, laid before the King a proposal for an
expedition to try how far navigation might be practicable towards the
North Pole; which his Majesty was pleased to direct should be
immediately undertaken, with every encouragement that could countenance
such an enterprise, and every assistance that could contribute to it's
success. The Racehorse and Carcass bombs, being selected as the
strongest, and therefore the properest, vessels to be employed in this
voyage, were taken into dock, and fitted in the most complete manner for
the service. The command of the former was given to Captain Constantine
John Phipps, afterwards Lord Mulgrave; and that of the latter, to
Captain Skeffington Lutwidge, now Admiral of the White. The complement
for each was fixed at ninety men; and the ordinary establishment
departed from, by appointing an additional number of officers, the whole
recommended by their respective captains, and entering effective men
instead of the usual number of boys Two masters of Greenlandmen were
employed as pilots for each ship; the Racehorse was furnished with new
chain-pumps on Captain Bentinck's improved plan; Dr. Irving's apparatus
for distilling fresh water from the sea was adopted; Mr. Israel Lyons
was engaged, by the Board of Longitude, to embark in this voyage, for
the purpose of making astronomical observations; the board also sent two
watch machines for keeping the longitude by difference of time, one on
Mr. Harrison's principles, the other by Mr. Arnold; and, in short, every
possible arrangement was made effectually to decide the long-agitated
question concerning the practicability of a north-east passage into the
Pacific ocean.

The report of this scientific voyage, from which so much nautical
knowledge could not fail to be derived by a youth thirsting for
professional information, most powerfully attracted the enterprising
spirit of young Nelson; who resolved, if possible, to participate in
it's advantages, without any apprehensions from the perils to which he
must necessarily be exposed in it's pursuit. It may, indeed, be justly
doubted, whether the hope of successfully encountering these very perils
might not constitute one of its chief charms for his intrepid mind.

Notwithstanding, therefore, the implied interdiction of the Admiralty,
respecting the employment of boys on this hazardous voyage, he so
powerfully pleaded with Captain Lutwidge to be appointed coxswain, and
so fully satisfied him he was not unqualified for the task, that the
worthy captain at length, kindly consented to receive him in this
capacity; and, though the Carcass, when fitted, being found too deep in
the water to proceed to sea with safety, was constrained to put part of
her guns on shore, and reduce her complement to eighty men, the young
coxswain felt himself already too firmly fixed in his captain's favour
to dread being one of the dismissed number.

On the 30th of May 1773, Captain Lutwidge, in the Carcass, joined
Captain Phipps, in the Racehorse, at the Nore: but, being delayed, by
the easterly winds, till the 4th of June, his majesty's birth-day, at six
o'clock that morning, both ships weighed; and Captain Lutwidge, having
received his orders from Captain Phipps, they immediately sailed on the
expedition.

The journal of this important voyage, during which so much was seen and
suffered, Captain Phipps published soon after his return, in a
respectable quarto volume, which contains a large fund of scientifical
and professional information.

Our young hero had recently felt the enervating effects of a burning
sun, in the torrid regions of the west; he had now speedily to encounter
the benumbing influence of a frozen atmosphere, in the torpid confines
of the north.

On the 13th of June, in the evening, land was first seen by the Carcass:
it was light enough to read on deck all night; and, the next day, some
Shetland boats came on board with fish.

After proceeding along the coast of Spitsbergen, and ranging between
the land and the ice several days, at half past four, in the afternoon
of the 7th of July, the ice setting very close, they ran between two
pieces, and were suddenly stopped. The ice, indeed, now set so fast
down, that they were soon fixed; and obliged to heave through, for two
hours, with ice-anchors from each quarter, nor were they quite out of
the ice till midnight.

On the 25th, the Carcass being becalmed very near Moffen Island, Captain
Lutwidge took the opportunity of obtaining its exact extent, which he
communicated to Captain Phipps. The master had been on shore for the
purpose of this survey; and with him, doubtless, our young adventurer.
They found the island to be nearly of a round form, about two miles in
diameter; with a lake or large pond of water in the middle, all frozen
over, except thirty or forty yards round the edge of it, which was
water, with loose pieces of broken ice, and so shallow, that they walked
through it, and went over on the solid ice. The ground between the sea
and the pond was from half a cable's length to a quarter of a mile
broad, and the whole island appeared covered with gravel and small
stones, without the smallest verdure or vegetation of any kind. They met
with only one piece of drift wood, about three fathom long, with a root
on it, and as thick as the Carcass's mizen mast; which had been thrown
up over the high part of the land, and lay on the declivity towards the
pond. They saw three bears; and a number of wild ducks, geese, and
other sea fowls, with birds-nests all over the island.

Off this island, the survey of which must have afforded a high treat to
Horatio, one of the Carcass's boats were attacked by a herd of
sea-horses, as they are corruptly called by the sailors, from the
Russian name of morses, which were with difficulty driven away. These
marine animals are the Trichecus Rosmarus of Linnæus, and the Arctic
Walrus of Pennant and most other naturalists.

On another occasion, two officers, in a boat belonging to the Racehorse,
having fired at and wounded one of these animals, it immediately dived,
and brought up a number of others; which all joined in an attack on the
boat, wresting an oar from one of the men, and were with difficulty
prevented from staving or oversetting the boat: but a boat from the
Carcass, guided by the intrepid young coxswain, soon arrived, and
effectually dispersed them.

This was on the 29th of July, near what they called the Low Island; of
which Dr. Irving, who went on the party to visit it, gives in substance
the following account. On the shore were several large fir-trees lying
sixteen or eighteen feet above the level of the sea: some of these trees
were seventy feet long, and had been torn up by the roots; others cut
down by the axe, and notched for twelve feet lengths. This timber was
not in the least decayed, nor the strokes of the axe at all defaced.
There were, likewise, some pipe-staves, and wood fashioned for use. The
bench was formed of old timber, sand, and whale-bones. The island, which
is flat, was found to be about seven miles long. It was formed chiefly
of stones from eighteen to thirty inches over, many of them hexagons,
and commodiously placed for walking on. The middle of the island was
covered with moss, scurvy-grass, sorrel, and a few ranunculuses then in
flower. Two reindeer were feeding on the moss: one of these they killed,
and found the venison to be fat and of high flavour. They saw a light
grey fox; and a spotted white and black animal, somewhat larger than the
weasel, with short ears, and a long tail. The island abounds with small
snipes, similar to the English jack-snipe. The ducks were hatching their
eggs, and many wild geese feeding by the water-side.

From this pleasing scene, however, they found themselves, the next day,
very differently situated.

On the 30th of July, in the afternoon, they were among what are called
the Seven Islands, and in the ice, with no appearance of any opening for
the ships. Between eleven and twelve at night, Mr. Crane, master of the
Racehorse, was dispatched by Captain Phipps, in the four-oared boat, to
try if he could get through, and find an opening for the ship which
might afford a prospect of getting farther; with directions, if he could
reach the shore, to go up one of the mountains, in order to discover the
state of the ice to the eastward and northward. Captain Lutwidge, who
had employed a boat, conducted by his young coxswain for the same
purpose, joined Mr. Crane on shore, and they proceeded to ascend a high
mountain, from whence the prospect extended ten or twelve leagues to the
east and north-east, over one continued plain of smooth ice, bounded
only by the horizon. They also saw land stretching to the south-east,
laid down in the Dutch charts as islands: and now plainly discovered
that the main body of ice, which the ships had traced from west to east,
actually joined to these islands; and, from them, to what is called the
north-east land. In returning to their ships, about seven in the
morning, round which the ice had, in their absence, so completely got,
that with their ice-anchors out they had moored alongside a field of
it, they were frequently obliged to haul the boats, over ice which had
closed since they went, to other openings.

At nine o'clock, in the morning, the 31st, having a light breeze to the
eastward, they cast off, and endeavoured to force through the ice; but,
at noon, finding it too close to proceed, again moored to a field. In
the afternoon they filled their casks with fresh water from the ice,
which they found very pure and soft. The field of ice, to which both
vessels were now moored, was found to be eight yards ten inches thick at
one end, and seven yards eleven inches at the other. The ice closed
fast, and was all round the ships; no opening to be any where seen,
except a hole of about a mile and a half, where the ships lay fast to
the ice, with ice-anchors. It being calm the greater part of the day,
and the weather very fine, the ships companies amused themselves, almost
the whole time, in playing on the ice. The pilots, however, finding
themselves much farther than they had ever before penetrated, and
reflecting on the advanced state of the season, seemed alarmed with
apprehensions of being beset.

On the 1st of August, the ice pressed in so fast, that there was now not
the smallest opening. The two ships were within less than two lengths of
each other, neither of them having room to turn. The ice, which had been
all flat the day before, and almost level with the water's edge, was now
in many places forced higher than the main-yard by the pieces squeezing
together. Their latitude this day at noon, by the double altitude, was
eighty degrees thirty-seven minutes.

On the 2d, it was thick, foggy, wet weather, the wind blowing fresh to
the westward; but, though the ice immediately about the ships seemed
rather looser than the day before, it hourly set in again so fast, that
there appeared no probability of getting the ships out, without a strong
east or north-east wind.

On the 3d, the weather being very fine, clear, and calm, they perceived
that the ships had been driven far to the eastward. The ice, however,
was much closer than before; and the passage by which they had come in
from the westward quite closed up, with no open water any where in
sight. At five in the morning, the pilots having expressed a wish to
get, if possible, farther out, the ships companies were set to work,
that they might cut away the ice, and warp through the small openings to
the westward. They found the ice so very deep, that they were often
obliged to saw through pieces twelve feet thick; and, after toiling in
this manner the whole day, with all their utmost efforts, had not been
able to move the ship above three hundred yards to the westward, through
the ice. They had, in the mean time, been driven, with the ice field
itself to which they were fast, to the north-east and eastward, by the
current; which had also forced the loose ice from the westward between
the islands, where it became what the Greenlandmen call packed, or one
piece thrown up above another to a considerable height, and as firm as
the main body.

On the 4th, it was quite calm, till the evening; when they were
flattered with a light air to the eastward, which produced no favourable
effect.

On the 5th, the probability of getting the ships out appearing every
hour less, and the season being already far advanced, some speedy
resolution became necessary for the preservation of the people. As the
situation of the ships prevented them from seeing the state of the ice
to the westward, by which, their future proceedings must be in a great
measure determined, Captain Phipps sent Mr. Walden, one of his
midshipmen, with two pilots, to an island twelve miles off, since
distinguished, in the charts, by the name of Walden's Island, to see
where the open water lay.

On the 6th, in the morning, Mr. Walden and the two pilots returned;
with an account that the ice, though close all about the ships, was open
to the westward, round the point by which they had got in. They also
remarked that, on the island, they had the wind very fresh to the
eastward, though it had been almost calm the whole time where the ships
lay. This circumstance considerably lessened the hopes, hitherto
entertained, of the immediate effect of an easterly wind in clearing the
bay. Having now only one alternative; either patiently to wait the event
of the weather on the ships, in hopes of getting them out, or to betake
themselves to the boats. The ships had at this time driven into shoal
water, having only fourteen fathom; and, should either the ships, or the
ice to which they were fast, take the ground, they must be inevitably
lost, and probably overset. The hopes of getting the ships out, however,
were not hastily to be relinquished; nor, on the other hand, obstinately
persisted in, till all other means of retreat were cut off. After a due
consideration of the various difficulties which presented themselves in
this perilous state, Captain Phipps thought it proper to send for the
officers of both ships, and to inform them of his intention to prepare
the boats for going away. They were, accordingly, hoisted out, and every
precaution taken to make them secure and comfortable; which, however,
would necessarily occupy some days. In the mean time, the water
shoaling, and the ships driving fast towards the north-east rocks, a man
was sent, with a lead and lines, from the Racehorse, to the northward,
and another, from the Carcass, to the eastward, to sound, wherever they
found cracks in the ice, that notice might be obtained before either the
ships, or the ice to which they were fast, took the ground; as, in that
case, they must, as before observed, instantly have been crushed or
overset.

On the 7th, in the morning, Captain Phipps set off in the launch, which
hauled much easier than was expected. After getting it about two miles,
he returned with the people for their dinner; and, finding the ice
rather more open near the ships, he was encouraged to attempt moving
them. The wind, though little, being easterly, they set the sails, and
got both ships about a mile to the westward. They moved, indeed, very
slowly; but were not, now, by a great deal, so far to the westward as
where they were beset. In the mean time, all the sail was kept on them,
that they might force through whenever the ice in the smallest degree
slacked. Though the people behaved very well in hauling the launches,
and seemed reconciled to the idea of quitting the ships, having the
fullest confidence in their officers; yet, as the boats could not, with
the greatest diligence, be got to the water-side in less than a week, it
was judiciously resolved to carry on both attempts together: moving the
boats constantly, but without omitting any opportunity of getting the
ships through.

On the 8th, Captain Phipps got his launch above three miles; but the
weather being foggy, and the people having worked hard, he returned on
board in the evening, and found the ships had moved something through
the ice, while the ice itself had drifted still more to the westward.

On the 9th, in a thick morning fog, they moved the ships a little
through some very small openings; and, in the afternoon, on it's
clearing up, were agreeably surprised to find the ships had driven much
more to the westward than they could have expected. Thus encouraged,
they laboured hard all day; but got very little to the westward, through
the ice, in comparison to what the ice itself had drifted. Having passed
the launches, a number of men were sent to get them on board. Though the
people were much fatigued, the progress which the ships had made through
the ice was a most favourable event; and, notwithstanding the drift of
the ice was an advantage which might be as suddenly lost as it had been
unexpectedly gained, by a change in the current, they began again to
indulge hopes that a brisk gale of easterly wind might soon effectually
clear them.

On the 10th, the wind springing up, in the morning, to north north-east,
they set all the sail they could, and forced through a great deal of
very heavy ice. The ships, it is true, often struck excessively hard;
and the Racehorse, with one stroke, broke the shank of the best bower
anchor; but, about noon, they had the unspeakable happiness to get
through all the ice, and were safely out at sea.

Accordingly, on the 11th, they came to an anchor in the harbour of
Smeerenberg, where they were comfortably refreshed after their dreadful
fatigues. The island where they lay is called Amsterdam Island, the
westernmost point of which is Hacluyt's Headland. Here the Dutch once
attempted to make an establishment, by leaving some people to winter,
who all perished. The Dutch, however, still resort thither for the
latter season of the whale-fishery; and it afforded a very excellent
retreat to our adventurers, who remained there till the 20th.

After this, they made a few feeble attempts, but they were without hope
of being able to penetrate farther. The summer had proved uncommonly
favourable for the purpose; and, having enjoyed the fullest opportunity
of repeatedly ascertaining the situation of that wall of ice which
extends for more than twenty degrees, between the latitudes of eighty
and eighty-one, without the smallest appearance of any opening, they
were sufficiently satisfied of the impracticability of effecting any
passage to the Pacific Ocean, and agreed on immediately returning to
England.

In steering to the southward, they soon found the weather grow more
mild; or, rather, as Captain Phipps expresses it, to their feelings,
warm.

On the 24th of August, they perceived Jupiter; and the sight of a star
was now become almost as extraordinary a phenomenon to them, as the sun
at midnight had appeared on their first getting within the Arctic
circle. For some part of their voyage back, the weather was very fine;
but, from the 7th of September, when they were off Shetland, till the
24th, when they made Orfordness, they had hard gales of wind, with
little intermission. In one of these violent gales, accompanied by a
heavy sea, they lost three of their boats, and were obliged to throw two
guns overboard.

Thus ended this famous voyage; happily, without the loss of a single
person: and which was so far successful, at least, in accomplishing it's
object, that it seems to have satisfactorily negatived the long-agitated
question concerning the practicability of a north-east passage into the
Pacific Ocean. Perhaps, however, the increasing civilization of nations
who are nearer neighbours, may awaken the spirit of enterprise in some
hardy bosom, and conduct a new adventurer farther over the vast plains
of ice descried from the mountains on this occasion, by means of
sledges, &c. as well as boats, both properly prepared and furnished,
than it has ever yet been penetrated, or is ever likely to be
penetrated, by ships and their customary boats alone. Not that any
nearer approach to the pole, or even the discovery that it might be
passed on solid ice, could ever facilitate, or render possible, the
attainment of a way for navigating vessels through such insurmountable
barriers of ice as nature has provided, at each pole, to sustain what
may, perhaps, be denominated the two extremities of our globe. Still it
would be desirable, not only as an object of curiosity, but of science.
Those are much mistaken, who think there is nothing left for our
posterity to discover.

"Whatever might be the decree of general satisfaction obtained from this
voyage; which was so liberally fitted out by his majesty's command, and
so ably conducted by those skilful and intrepid commanders, Lord
Mulgrave and Admiral Lutwidge: to such individuals as had undertaken it
for the attainment of nautical knowledge, scientific experience, or even
the gratification of laudable curiosity, it had afforded a very
considerable degree of profit and delight, to compensate the
difficulties and perils so successfully surmounted; and, to the youthful
Nelson, whose aspiring mind was desirous of embracing the whole of these
interesting objects, it proved a continued scene of pleasure.

At the dreadful period when they were so long fast in the ice, he had
earnestly solicited, and at length obtained, the command of a four-oared
cutter, with twelve men, ingeniously constructed for the purpose of
exploring channels, and breaking the ice: yet, while in this perilous
situation, such was the irresistible force of the large bodies of
floating ice, that several acres square were often seen lifted up
between two much larger pieces, and becoming, as it were, one with them;
and, afterwards, the piece, so formed, acting in the same manner on a
second and third; which would probably have continued to be the effect,
till the whole bay had been so filled with ice that the different pieces
could have had no possible motion, had not the stream taken an
unexpected turn, and providentially set the ice out of the bay.

An anecdote is related, as a proof of that cool intrepidity which this
young mariner possessed, even among scenes of such stupendous horror,
which seems well worthy of being also exhibited as a fine picture of
filial affection. During one of the clear nights common to these high
northern latitudes, young Nelson, notwithstanding the extreme severity
of the cold, was missing from the ship. Diligent search being
immediately made after him in vain, he was given up for lost. As the
rays of the rising sun, however, began to open the horizon, the
adventurous youth was discovered, with astonishment, on the ice, at a
considerable distance, anxiously pursuing a huge polar bear. He carried
a musket in his hand; but, the lock being injured, the piece would not
go off: he was, therefore, endeavouring to weary the animal, that he
might be able to effect his purpose with the butt-end. Captain Lutwidge,
who had been extremely uneasy during his absence, reprimanded him, on
his return, for quitting the ship without leave; and asked, in a severe
tone, what motive could possibly induce him to commit so rash an action?
All the manliness of the hero now subsiding into the simplicity of the
child--"I wished, Sir," replied the ingenuous youth, "to get the skin
for my father!" An answer which, doubtless, not only obtained him the
pardon, but the praise, of Captain Lutwidge; and confirmed that ardent
friendship which ever after subsisted between them.

Captain Phipps, too, had seen enough of the young adventurer, during
this voyage, to form a high opinion of his character; but he had, under
his own more particular care, another youth of much promise, the present
Rear-Admiral Philip D'Auvergne, Prince of Bouillon, who made several of
the original drawings which were afterwards engraved and published in
his celebrated Journal of the Voyage. Though this young gentleman, who
had been placed under Captain Phipps's protection by his noble patron,
Lord Howe, possessed the advantage of having received instructions in
the arts and sciences to which Horatio was, at that time, almost a
stranger, the latter had liberality enough not only to admire, but to
applaud, the ingenuity which he witnessed in a youth four years older
than himself. He was present when some of these sketches were taken, and
viewed the process with delight and attention; particularly, that
pleasing and accurate delineation of the celebrated iceberg in Amsterdam
Island, opposite where the ships lay; which measured three hundred feet
high, and out of which a cascade of water was then flowing.

It may not be improper to mention, that these icebergs are large bodies
of ice which fill the vallies between the lofty mountains; and present,
towards the sea, an almost perpendicular face of a very lively light
green colour. In these regions, it will readily be conceived, the
numerous black mountains, white snow, and beautiful green of the ice,
must form a very romantic and peculiar picture. Large pieces frequently
break off from these icebergs on the Coast; and fall, with great noise,
into the water: one such piece, which was observed to have floated out
into the bay, grounded in fourteen fathom; yet was still fifty feet
above the surface of the water, and preserved all the lustre of it's
enchanting original colour. Thus, amidst the dreariest scenes, has
nature bounteously provided that there shall still be something to
delight the eye; amidst the most imminent dangers, something to animate
the heart.

The pleasures and the perils of this voyage, however, were now equally
at an end; but it's beneficial effects, and it's agreeable
recollections, were never to be eradicated or effaced.

In October 1773, the Racehorse and Carcass were both paid off; and these
friends and companions, fully sensible of each other's worth, separated
with sentiments of a sincere mutual esteem.

Captain Suckling, as usual, welcomed the young hero on his return; and
had the satisfaction to learn, from Captain Lutwidge, as well as from
Captain Phipps, that his nephew was in all respects worthy of every
encouragement that could be bestowed on him. There wanted not, however,
this stimulus, in the bosom of that worthy man, to excite his
affectionate regards for the promising son of his deceased sister. With
the honest and feeling heart of a true British naval commander, he ever
acted as a parent to all her children.

A squadron was, at this time, fitting out for the East Indies, under the
command of Admiral Sir Edward Hughes. Horatio, delighted with the
prospect of visiting regions so different from those which he had just
quitted, and anxious to enjoy all the professional advantages derivable
from so distant and interesting a voyage, earnestly solicited his
esteemed uncle to obtain him a situation in one of the ships intended
for this expedition. Captain Suckling, accordingly, procured him a birth
under that gallant and able officer, Captain Farmer: who, since, in the
year 1779, so nobly but unfortunately perished in the flames of the
Quebec of thirty-two guns, which had accidentally taken fire, during
it's engagement with La Surveillante of forty guns, off Ushant; which he
refused to quit, though severely wounded, and was blown up with his
ship, colours flying.

With this excellent commander, in the Sea-Horse of twenty guns, did the
adventurous and heroic youth sail to the East Indies. He was, at first,
stationed to watch in the fore-top; but Captain Farmer, who early
discovered how very superior his abilities were to his age and
appearance, soon placed him on the quarter-deck, and treated him with
the most indulgent kindness. It may readily be supposed that, under such
an officer, in the progress of a voyage to the East Indies, and the
subsequent visits of the Sea-Horse to almost every part of the East
Indies from Bengal to Bussorah, a youth of his talents must necessarily
gain a large accession of nautical knowledge. Though there happened not,
on this occasion, to be any opportunity offer for evincing the heroism
and bravery of his mind, sufficient instances presented themselves of
his unusual proficiency in seamanship, and of his mild and amiable
manners, to conciliate the esteem not only of all with whom he more
immediately acted, either as superiors, equals, or inferiors, but to
attract the notice, and fix the friendly regards, of the commander in
chief. From Sir Edward Hughes, he received many pleasing proofs of
friendly attention, which he never forgot. He had, indeed, considerable
claims to indulgence from his humane and generous superiors. The climate
proved too powerfully relaxing for his delicate frame; and, braced as it
had recently been, by the frozen atmosphere of the north, the sultry
airs of these torrid regions were now rapidly undermining his
constitution. Alarmed for the danger of a youth thus distant from his
friends, whose life was ever precious, even from his tenderest infancy,
to all who had opportunities of once knowing the goodness of his heart,
Captain Farmer and Sir Edward Hughes united in recommending his return
to England, as the only chance that remained for restoring him to
health.

Captain James Pigot, now Admiral of the White, was at that time coming
home with the Dolphin of twenty guns. To this gentleman's care, Horatio
was particularly recommended by Sir Edward Hughes; and such were the
tender and humane attentions of the worthy commander, that he may be
considered as having been greatly instrumental in the preservation of a
life which has since proved so substantially beneficial to the country.
Such, indeed, were the salutary effects of Admiral Pigot's soothing
kindness, and generous aids, added to the gradual change of air
experienced on the passage to England, that his young charge arrived
almost entirely restored to health, and again visited his beloved uncle.

That worthy and gallant gentleman, who was now become Comptroller of the
Navy, having succeeded Sir Hugh Palliser in April 1775, received him
with his accustomed benignity. His tenderness was alarmed at the ravages
which he beheld in his nephew's countenance; and he resolved that, if he
could not instantly reinstate his vigour, he would at least endeavour to
recruit his spirits by the choicest of all professional cordials, an
immediate and merited promotion.

On the 24th of September 1776, the Dolphin was paid off at Woolwich;
and, on the 26th of the same month, three days before his nephew
completed his eighteenth year, he received, through the comptroller's
influence, an order from Sir James Douglas, then commanding in chief at
Portsmouth, to act as lieutenant, in the Worcester of sixty-four guns,
under Captain Mark Robinson. This meritorious officer, who afterwards
distinguished himself in Admiral Keppel's memorable action of the 27th
of July 1778; as well as in that of Admiral Greaves, off the Chesapeak,
the 5th of September 1781, where he lost a leg; was then under sailing
orders for Gibraltar, with a convoy. He had too much merit of his own,
not soon to discover it in another; and was so well satisfied with his
young officer, as to place the utmost confidence in his skill and
prudence.

Under this able commander, he remained at sea, with various convoys,
till the 2d of April 1777; and Admiral Robinson--for this worthy man
was, in consequence of his misfortune, placed on the list of
superannuated rear-admirals--has often been heard to remark, that he
felt equally easy, during the night, when it was young Nelson's turn to
watch, as when the oldest officer on board had charge of the ship.

These flattering testimonials to the merits of his nephew, which never
failed to be obtained from every commander under whom he had yet served,
could not but prove highly gratifying to an uncle in whose estimation he
had always been held so dear: who had first nurtured him for the
profession; and who, as soon as he could wield a sword, had presented
him with an honourable and well-tried one of his own, which he charged
him never to relinquish but with life.

The pleasure thus received by his delighted uncle, was constantly
communicated to the venerable and worthy pastor of Burnham-Thorpe: and
the anxieties of the father, for the perils to which his son must
necessarily be exposed, were calmed by that pious resignation to the
will of Heaven, in every situation of duty, with which he had early
endeavoured to fortify the hearts of all his offspring; and which taught
himself to hope, that perseverance in good would always be likely to
receive the highest degree of requisite protection and safety. Nor did
he fail, to correspond with his son, at every convenient opportunity;
and to inculcate, in writing, those pious and paternal precepts which
had so often flowed from his venerable and revered lips.

On the 8th of April 1777, within a single week of quitting the
Worcester, this youth, who had not yet completed the nineteenth year of
his age, passed his professional examination for a lieutenancy; and, on
the day following, received his commission as second lieutenant of the
Lowestoffe of thirty-two guns, commanded by Captain William Locker,
since Lieutenant-Governor of Greenwich Hospital, in which situation he
died on the 26th of December 1800.

This ship, in consequence of the dispute with the American colonists,
who had, on the 4th of July 1776, declared themselves free and
independent states, under the name of the Thirteen United Provinces, and
which terminated in their separation from the mother-country, was
ordered to the West Indies; there to remain, as one of the squadron
under the good and gallant Admiral Gayton: an old officer of such
distinguished activity and success, that his cruizers captured, while
he commanded on the Jamaica station, no less than two hundred and
thirty-five American vessels.

The worthy Comptroller of the Navy having thus secured rank, and a
prospect of active employ, for his meritorious nephew, they parted with
most affectionate adieus, and in the fullest hopes of again meeting.
This, however, was not to happen: they never more beheld each other! His
uncle was elected member of parliament for Portsmouth, in 1778: and
died, in the month of July, that year; leaving a handsome legacy to his
nephew, as well as to all the rest of his sister's children.

Captain Locker, who was a very friendly man, as well as an intelligent
and skilful commander, became greatly attached to his young lieutenant,
and very liberal of scientific and professional instruction. The youth
had been powerfully recommended; and, as usual, he recommended himself
still more powerfully. On his voyage to Jamaica, therefore, where he had
before sailed, in a merchantman, with his early friend Mr. Rathbone, he
was now a second time receiving nautical instruction; nor did he at
present feel inclined to cherish, whatever he might formerly have done,
the smallest dread of any professional disappointments in the naval
service of his country. He had been fortunate in patronage; and he had
also been fortunate enough, through the circumspection of his excellent
uncle, to have been constantly placed under none but skilful, brave,
and worthy commanders.

Shortly after the Lowestoffe's arrival at Jamaica, a circumstance took
place, during a cruize off the island, which affords a striking proof of
that inherent firmness of character, and cool presence of mind, for
which this heroic youth was always remarkable.

In a strong gale of wind, and a heavy sea, an American letter of marque
was discovered by Captain Locker; which, after a short chace, finding it
could not escape, struck it's flag to the Lowestoffe. The captain,
accordingly, ordered his first-lieutenant to board and take possession
of the captured vessel; but, owing to the tremendous sea which was then
running, he found himself unable, though a very brave man, to approach
sufficiently near, with the boat, to get on board the prize, and had the
extreme mortification of being obliged to go back without effecting his
purpose. On his return to the Lowestoffe, Captain Locker, who was not a
little chagrined at the disappointment, hastily exclaimed--"Have I,
then, no officer who can board the prize?" The master, at hearing these
words, instantly ran to the gangway, that he might jump into the boat;
but the intrepid second-lieutenant, who had been full as attentive and
alert as himself, suddenly stopped him--"It is my turn, now," cried
young Nelson; "if I come back, too, it will be your's." He then leaped
into the boat; and, from his superior expertness in managing it, soon
contrived to get on board, and take possession of his first prize.

This, though no real disgrace to the first-lieutenant, was certainly a
very high honour to such a strippling as the second; who owed his
success, on the present occasion, as he did at many future periods, to
the practical knowledge of seamanship which he had always, from his
first entering on the service, been sagaciously solicitous to acquire.
He seems to have been early of opinion, that a commander who is not
capable of being a master, in every sense of the word, must always,
necessarily, have a master, in it's worst sense, on board his own ship.
This maxim is earnestly recommended to every British youth who enters
into the naval service of his country.

Captain Locker was quite charmed with his young lieutenant, and heartily
congratulated him on the event. He assured him of his constant
friendship; and encouraged him always to ask any indulgence which it
might be in his power to grant.

The Lowestoffe, from it's situation with the fleet, had at this time but
small scope for active service, Lieutenant Nelson, therefore, ever
anxious for professional employ, and ever thirsting for enlarged
improvement in experimental seamanship, requested that Captain Locker
would favour him with the command of the schooner which was attached as
a tender to the frigate. This being readily complied with, he
immediately proceeded, in that small vessel, to render himself a
complete pilot for all the intricate passages of those islands, which
are situated to the northward of St. Domingo, or Hispaniola, and known
by the general appellation of the Keys; and soon became as familiarly
acquainted with the navigation of them, as he had long been with that of
the British channel.

On the 3d of March 1778, Sir Peter Parker, who had, on the preceding
29th of January, been promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the White,
arrived at Port Royal, in the Bristol of fifty guns; having been
appointed to succeed the brave old Admiral Gayton, as commander in chief
on the Jamaica station, who was desirous of retiring to England. He,
accordingly, sailed; and, attended by his usual good fortune to the
last, added another American capture, of considerable value, on his
passage; making, in all, two hundred and thirty-six prizes.

The character which Lieutenant Nelson had acquired, occasioned him soon
to be taken notice of by Sir Peter Parker; who immediately appointed him
third-lieutenant of his own flag-ship, the Bristol. The pleasing manners
of Lieutenant Nelson, added to his manifest spirit and talents, so
perfectly gained the esteem of the commander in chief, as well as of his
amiable and excellent lady, to whom he had been kindly introduced on
shore, that he was promoted, in the course of a very few months, by the
regular gradations, to be first-lieutenant, and even enabled to
conclude his services in that rank.

On the 8th of December, in this very year, he was appointed, by Sir
Peter Parker, Commander of the Badger brig; in which he was, shortly
after, ordered to protect the Musquito shore, and the Bay of Honduras,
from the depredations of American privateers. So ably did he acquit
himself in the discharge of this duty, and so greatly had he endeared
himself to the settlers during the short time he was among them, that
they unanimously voted him their thanks for his services, and sensibly
expressed their regrets at the necessity of his quitting the station.

While he commanded the Badger, being at anchor in Montego Bay, Jamaica,
his majesty's ship the Glasgow, of twenty guns, Captain Thomas Lloyd,
came into the bay. At six o'clock in the evening, about two hours and a
half after it's arrival, the steward going down into the after-hold,
with a lighted candle in his hand, for the purpose of clandestinely
drawing some rum, carelessly set fire to the whole; and, notwithstanding
every effort was immediately made by Captain Lloyd, his officers, and
crew, the ship was entirely consumed. No sooner, however, did the humane
and generous commander of the Badger perceive the nature of the
disaster, than he hastened to the dreadful scene; and, by his unceasing
exertions, and astonishing presence of mind, the crew were saved from
the flames. At his suggestion, the powder was instantly ordered to be
thrown overboard; a measure to which all the other ships in the harbour,
and even the town itself, probably owed their preservation. The
inhabitants, indeed, were thrown into great confusion on the occasion:
for the ship's broadside lay towards the town, and all the guns were
loaded; so that they went off as the fire approached them, and damaged
several houses, but happily did no other execution. The only life lost,
by this dreadful accident, was that of the master; who had been snatched
out of the flames, miserably scorched, and died next morning on board
the Badger. From the smallness of this vessel, it had no place to
shelter such a number of men; and the constant rains experienced while
sailing for Port Royal, greatly affected the health of the ship's
company, who fell sick very fast: but, at length all the sufferers were
landed in safety.

The judgment and humanity manifested on this trying occasion, exhibited
the heroic commander of this little brig in a new and amiable light.
They obtained him the gratitude of every one belonging to the
unfortunate ship, and the praise and admiration of all to whom the
affair was related.

In the mean time, his friend, Captain Locker, of the Lowestoffe, who had
been suffering ill health, from the climate, almost ever since his
arrival, found it necessary, for the preservation of his existence, to
quit that ship, arid return to England, about the middle of the year
1779. It was soon after this period, that Sir Peter Parker, who was in
February advanced to be Vice-Admiral of the Blue, detached a small
squadron, among which was the Lowestoffe, then commanded by Captain
Charles Parker, for the purpose of intercepting some Spanish
register-ships, in the Bay of Dulce. The British squadron, under the
Honourable Captain John Luttrell, found that these register-ships had
taken shelter under the strong fortress of St. Fernando de Omoa, which
is situated on the south side of the Bay of Honduras, and on the Gulph
of Dulce: but, fortunately falling in with the Porcupine sloop, Captain
Pakenham, which had a short time before been sent to co-operate with a
small detachment of troops under the command of Captain Dalrymple,
dispatched by the Governor of Jamaica, to drive away the Spaniards from
infesting the baymen on the Musquito and Bay of Honduras shores, which
service they had completely effected, it was judiciously agreed, between
the naval and military commanders, to unite their forces, and proceed
immediately to the attack of Fort Omoa, Accordingly, on the 16th of
October, they stormed and carried the fort: taking, and carrying away,
the register-ships, on board of which were about three millions of
piastres; as well as two hundred and fifty quintals of quicksilver,
found on shore in the fortress. From the advantages of participating in
this brilliant enterprise, Captain Locker had been thus deprived by want
of health; and his second lieutenant, singular as it may seem, by an
excess of patronage.

While these transactions were taking place, however, Captain Nelson had,
on the 11th of June 1779, obtained his post-rank, through the same
generous influence as withdrew him from the now fortunate Lowestoffe. He
had, therefore, neither reason nor inclination to complain, for he had
not yet completed his twenty-first year. In the bloom and vigour of
youth, with an age of experience in the service, acquired within nine
years, he was well qualified for the situation to which he had been thus
liberally promoted.

The possession of Fort Omoa continued little more than a month. A
considerable body of Spaniards invested it, on the 28th of November; and
the garrison and crew of the Porcupine, left for it's protection, were
so reduced by a pestilential disorder which raged among them, that they
were constrained to evacuate the fort, after spiking the guns and
embarking the ammunition and stores.

The first ship to which Captain Nelson was appointed, after his
advancement to post rank, was the Hinchinbroke. Soon after which, in
July 1779, the report of an intended expedition against Jamaica, by
Count D'Estaigne, with a fleet of one hundred and twenty-five sail, men
of war and transports; and having, as it was said, twenty-five thousand
troops ready to embark, at the Cape; occasioned every exertion to be
used for the defence of the island: and, such was the general confidence
in the skill and bravery of Captain Nelson, that both the admiral and
the governor agreed to entrust him with the command of the battery of
Fort Charles, considered as one of the most important posts in Jamaica.

This threatened invasion, however, was never attempted: and, in the
month of January 1780, an expedition began to be prepared, from Jamaica,
against the Spanish territories in America.

Of this important undertaking, in which Captain Nelson bore so
distinguished a part, a most interesting account has been given by Dr.
Moseley, Physician to Chelsea Hospital, in his celebrated Treatise on
Tropical Diseases, on Military Operations, and on the Climate of the
West Indies. This gentleman was then Surgeon-General of the Island of
Jamaica; and, from his intimacy with Captain Nelson, had every
opportunity of knowing all such particulars as did not come under his
own immediate observation. It's uncommon excellence, notwithstanding
it's extreme length as an extract, will prevent it's seeming tedious.

     "This expedition," says Dr. Moseley, "was directed by General
     Dalling, at that time Governor of Jamaica. The plan, wherever it
     originated, was judiciously designed; and highly approved by Lord
     George Germaine, then Secretary of State for the American
     Department.

     "The intent was, to cut off the communication of the Spaniards,
     between their Northern and Southern American dominions, by El Rio
     San Juan--or, the River St. John, as it is called by us--and the
     Lake Nicaragua; from the interior boundary of which, to the South
     Sea, is only four or five leagues, through a level country. Thus, a
     connection from the northern to the southern sea, was to have been
     kept up by us; a chain of posts established; and a communication
     opened, and protected, with an extensive coast, and all the
     richest, provinces of South America.

     "Every person acquainted with the geography of the Spanish
     territories, of the defenceless state of this approach to them, and
     of the insurrections that had then actually taken place in Santa
     Fé, Popayan, and many parts of Peru, formed the most sanguine
     expectations. Happy was every man who had hopes of bearing any part
     in the enterprise. Enthusiasm was never carried to greater height,
     than by those who had promised to themselves the glory of shaking
     Spain to her foundation. The colours of England were, in their
     imagination, already even on the walls of Lima.

     "And so, indeed, they might have been, had General Dalling met with
     no obstacles in arranging the business in Jamaica: and, had there
     been no delay in sending out the force from England; which did not
     arrive till August, when it ought to have been on the Spanish Main
     in January.

     "The obstacles experienced by General Dalling, were many; and,
     from various causes.

     "A long continued martial law, and military preparations against a
     threatened invasion by the French, had almost exhausted the island
     of military stores and provisions. There was but little of either,
     excepting in the king's ordnance and victualling magazines. Over
     these the admiral claimed an exclusive command and controul, and
     exercised his authority.

     "This embarrassment, not to be viewed without regret, was however
     in a great measure surmounted, by the powerful resources, and
     spirited exertions, of a worthy and disinterested individual,
     Hercules Ross, Esq. a merchant of Kingston, who enabled the general
     to carry his government's orders into execution.

     "Misunderstandings, opposition, and delays, the ruin of many
     military operations, were the origin of the failure of this. But
     even these perplexities and disappointments, great as they were,
     would not have defeated the expedition; or, at least, the Spaniards
     might have been saddled with the expence of it; if we could only
     have made a lodgment on the lake, to have kept open the river:
     which might have been done, had the first detachment that General
     Dalling sent taken San Juan Castle in two hours, instead of sitting
     down formally before it for eleven days.

     "The first detachment, consisting of about two hundred men, from
     the sixtieth and seventy-ninth regiments; one hundred of the Loyal
     Irish Corps; and two hundred Jamaica Volunteers; left Jamaica,
     under the convoy of the Hinchinbroke, on the 3d of February 1780;
     and directed their course to the Musquito shore, to take with them
     some of the Musquito Indians, who were waiting for their arrival.

     "On the 11th of February, they arrived at Cape Gratias à Dios;
     disembarked, and encamped about a mile from the sea, on Wank's
     Savanna; an unhealthful situation.

     "Here they were joined by a party of men from the seventy-ninth
     regiment, from Black River.

     "On the 10th of March, the troops re-embarked, and took their
     departure from Cape Gratias à Dios; and anchored at several places
     on the Musquito shore, to take up our allies, the Indians, who were
     to furnish proper boats for the service of the river, and to
     proceed with them on the expedition: and, on the 24th of March,
     they arrived at the River San Juan.

     "San Juan river is the northern branch, or mouth of Lake Nicaragua;
     and is situated in north latitude twelve degrees, west longitude
     eighty-three degrees forty-five minutes.

     "The heat of the climate must necessarily be excessive; and this is
     augmented, in the course of the river, by high woods, without
     sufficient intervals, in many places, to admit of being refreshed
     by the winds.

     "The river has, in it's course, many noisome marshes on it's sides;
     and the trees are so thick, as to intercept the rays of the sun:
     consequently, the earth beneath their branches is covered with
     rotten leaves and putrid vegetables. Hence arise copious
     collections of foul vapours, which clog the atmosphere. These unite
     with large clouds, and precipitate in rains. The rains are no
     sooner over, than the sun breaks forth, and shines with scorching
     heat. The surface of the ground, in places not covered with trees,
     is scarcely dry, before the atmosphere is again loaded by another
     collection of clouds and exhalations, and the sun is again
     concealed.

     "In the rainy seasons of the year, months successively pass away in
     this sort of vicissitudes, without the least diminution of heat;
     excepting at nights, when the air is poisoned by noxious chilling
     dews. But, sometimes, during the periodical rains, which begin
     about the middle of April, and with uncertain intervals of dry
     weather end late in November, the torrents of water that fall, for
     weeks together, are prodigious, which give the river a tremendous
     aspect; and, from their suddenness and impetuosity, cannot be
     imagined, by a European, to portend any thing but a deluge. This
     bursting of the waters above, and the raging of the river below,
     with the blackness of the nights, accompanied with horrid tempests
     of lightning and thunder, constitute a magnificent scene of terror
     unknown but in the tropic world.

     "Of the little army destined for the San Juan expedition after some
     delay at the mouth of the river, two hundred regulars, with
     ammunition and stores; proceeded up the river with the Indians, in
     their several crafts. It being now near the end of the dry season,
     the river contained very little water, and the shoals and sandy
     beaches rendered the passage difficult. The men were frequently
     obliged to quit their boats, and unite their strength in the water,
     to get them through some shallow channels. This labour continued
     for several days after they left the mouth of the river, till they
     arrived in deeper water; then, they made a quicker progress.
     However, they met with many obstacles, by currents, and occasional
     rapids or falls; which would have been insurmountable, but for the
     skill of the Indians in managing the boats on those occasions.

     "On the 9th of April, this advanced party arrived at a little
     island up the river, called St. Bartholomew; which they took, after
     receiving a few shot from the enemy, by which two men were wounded.

     "This island is situated about sixteen miles below San Juan castle;
     and was occupied by the Spaniards as a look-out, and defended by
     sixteen or eighteen men, in a small semicircular battery of nine or
     ten swivels. It was necessary for our purposes, as it commands the
     navigation of the river in a rapid and difficult part of it.

     "On the 11th of April, the troops arrived before the Castle of San
     Juan; and, on the 13th, the siege commenced. The ammunition and
     stores were landed two or three miles below the castle; and
     transported through the back woods, to the place where the attack
     began. San Juan castle is situated sixty-nine miles up the river,
     from the mouth, and thirty-two from the Lake of Nicaragua; and, is
     a navigation of nine days: but, for loaded boats, much longer, from
     the harbour up to it. The return from it, down by the current, is
     made in a day and a half.

     "On the 24th of April, the castle surrendered. During the siege,
     two or three more were killed, and nine or ten wounded.

     "From the unfortunate delay before the castle, which surrendered
     when it was summoned, the season for the spring periodical rains,
     with their concomitant diseases, was now advanced: and the little
     army had lost the opportunity of pushing rapidly on, out of those
     horrid woods--where there are a multitude of antelopes, monkeys,
     parrots, vipers, and deadly venomous serpents--by which they were
     environed, to the dry, pleasant, and healthful plains, and
     agreeable towns, of Grenada and Leon, near the lake, in the
     province of Nicaragua; which, from it's salubrity and situation, is
     justly termed, by the Spaniards, Mahomet's Paradise: and where they
     might have maintained themselves, with the reinforcement which
     followed them from Jamaica on the 10th of April, till a road for
     carriages might have been made from Blue Fields Harbour to the
     lake, and the season would have permitted farther reinforcement,
     for the completion of a glorious enterprise; as the natives of the
     country were ready to revolt, and only waited for a prospect of
     success. But here they were shut up in the castle, as soon as they
     were in possession of it. The troops and Indians were attacked with
     fluxes, and intermittents, and in want of almost every necessary:
     for the river was become so swoln and rapid by the rains, that the
     harbour where the provisions and stores were was tedious, and
     almost impracticable. Here the troops, deserted by those Indians
     who had not already perished, languished in extreme misery, and
     gradually mouldered away; till there was not sufficient strength
     alive to attend the sick, nor even to bury the dead.

     "Thus reduced, in the month of September, they were obliged to
     abandon their flattering conquest, and return to the harbour:
     leaving a few men behind, who were the most likely to live, to keep
     possession of the castle, if possible, till farther orders should
     be received from Jamaica.

     "The Spaniards re-took the castle, as soon as the season permitted;
     and, with it, those who had not strength enough to make their
     escape.

     "The crews of the vessels and transports that convoyed and carried
     the troops, suffered considerably by diseases which the season
     produced, while lying on the coast, and a thousand seamen lost
     their lives.

     "Of about eighteen hundred people who were sent to different posts,
     at different embarkations, to connect and form the various
     dependencies of this expedition, few of the Europeans retained
     their health above sixteen days, and not more than three hundred
     and eighty ever returned; and those, chiefly, in a miserable
     condition. It was otherwise with the negroes who were employed on
     this occasion. Few of them were ill; and the remainder returned to
     Jamaica in as good health as they went from it.

     "The survivors of the party, after they left San Juan Castle,
     embarked for Blue Fields, an English settlement about sixty miles
     to the north of San Juan River, where most of them died.

     "The climate of San Juan was not more destructive to the human
     frame, than the harbour was to the ships: and, for the benefit of
     future naval operations, I think it is important to mention, here,
     that there is an absolute necessity for having every vessel
     employed on that coast copper-bottomed; especially, when there is a
     probability of detention: for, in our expedition, the bottoms of
     the ships, not being coppered, which went with the first equipment
     from Jamaica, were in a short time so entirely eaten by the worms,
     as to become useless; and, had not fresh ships been dispatched from
     Jamaica, the remains of the troops must have perished there, for
     want of transports to bring them away.

     "Lord Nelson, Duke of Bronte, then Captain Nelson, was the person
     who commanded the Hinchinbroke man of war, the convoy of the
     expedition. On his authority I state, that the fever which
     destroyed the crews of the different vessels, invariably attacked
     them from about twenty to thirty days after their arrival in the
     harbour: that, in his own ship, of two hundred men, eighty-seven
     were seized, and confined to their beds, in one night; that one
     hundred and forty-five were buried there; and, that not more than
     ten survived the expedition!

     "In mentioning this illustrious character," adds Dr. Moseley, "to
     whose skill and valour the British empire is so much indebted, I
     cannot conceal, that I have great pleasure in recording, that it
     was on our San Juan expedition he commenced his career of glory.

     "His capacious mind gave, on this dangerous and dreadful service,
     an early specimen of those splendid elements, which have since
     decorated, with never-fading laurels, the English naval military
     fame; with deeds unparalleled in history, with atchievements beyond
     the hope of envy.

     "When the unfortunate contentions alluded to had diffused their
     pernicious effects, slackened the ardour for the public-service,
     and destroyed the success of the expedition by anticipation, he did
     not suffer any narrow party spirit to influence his conduct He was
     as zealous as intrepid.

     "His country's honour, was his party! A brilliant example to all
     military men. He did more than what he might, if he chose, have
     considered as his duty. Where any thing was to be done, he saw no
     difficulties.

     "Not contented with having carried the armament safe to the harbour
     of San Juan, he accompanied and assisted the troops in all their
     difficulties, and remained with them till the castle surrendered.

     "He was the first on shore, at the attack of St. Bartholomew,
     followed by a few brave seamen and soldiers, in the face of a
     severe fire. The undauntedness of the act frightened the Spaniards;
     who, from the nature of the ground, might have put him and his
     party to death: but they ran away, and abandoned the battery.

     "By his example and perseverance, the Indians and seamen were
     encouraged through their toil, in forcing the boats, against the
     current, up the river: otherwise, not a man would have seen San
     Juan Castle. When they arrived at the castle--as prompt in thought,
     as bold in action--he advised the carrying it, instantly, by
     assault. That his advice was not followed, this recital is a
     lamentable testimony!"

Such is the grand outline of Dr. Moseley's history of this unfortunate
expedition; in the miscarriage of which, it must not be dissembled that,
among other causes, Colonel Polson appears in some degree inculpated. It
cannot, therefore, be improper to add, at least, the account which the
Colonel himself officially transmitted to Governor Dalling, the day
after the surrender of Fort Juan; and which, on the 18th of July 1780,
appeared in the London Gazette. His liberal praises of Captain Nelson,
the first ever conveyed to the public, or possibly to government, would
alone render it sufficiently interesting.

     "When I reached Cape Gratias à Dios, there was not an Indian to be
     seen: some villains, there, having taken pains to persuade them,
     that the English army had come merely with an intent of enslaving
     them, and sending them to Jamaica. It was, therefore, some time,
     before any of them ventured to come in. I took the opportunity of
     sending them small presents, by one of their people who had
     ventured down to observe our motions. He, being acquainted with Mr.
     Campbell, was undeceived by him, and brought to me; which had the
     desired effect, as most of the tribes came in very soon after.

     "Your excellency's letter of the 17th of March, I received the
     20th, just as I entered the River St. John. I shall ever retain a
     grateful sense of the sentiments you was therein pleased to express
     for me: and I am sorry that the many delays I met at the cape, and
     other places between that and the harbour of St. John, from the
     want of craft, and the backwardness of the Indians in coming out,
     prevented my operations keeping pace with your excellency's
     expectations. I, however, hope you will do me the justice to
     believe, that no time was lost, which could possibly be saved,
     situated as I was. It was the 3d of March, before any Black River
     crafts arrived, and they were the only ones then provided. It is
     true, the Indian governor promised a great many: but, when I came
     to his country, there was not a single one ready; and I got them,
     at last, with very great difficulty. The superintendant was
     entirely deceived by the Indians, in the number of crafts and men;
     and still more so, in point of time.

     "Captain Nelson, then of the Hinchinbroke, came up with thirty-four
     seamen, a serjeant, and twelve marines. I want words to express the
     obligations I owe that gentleman. He was the first, on every
     service, whether by day or by night. There was scarcely a gun
     fired, but was pointed by him, or Captain Despard, chief engineer,
     who has exerted himself on every occasion. I am persuaded, if our
     shot had held out, we should have had the fort a week sooner. As
     Captain Nelson goes to Jamaica, he can inform you of every delay,
     and point of service, as well as I could; for, he knows my very
     thoughts.

     "The bearer, Lieutenant Mounsey, can inform your excellency of many
     things that may escape my memory. He is a very good officer, and
     commanded the party I sent to reconnoitre the look-out: and began
     the attack of it, in concert with Captain Despard and Captain
     Nelson; who, with his seamen, volunteered that duty."

It is easy to perceive, at this early period, the singular heroism of
Captain Nelson's character; as well in the slight but forcible
delineation, sketched on the instant by Colonel Polson, as in the more
leisurely and finished picture of Dr. Moseley's masterly composition.

In both, we behold him seeking every opportunity to assist the
enterprise, with the most magnanimous zeal, and the soundest discretion.
Without his vigorous and skilful exertions, indeed, as Dr. Moseley
remarks, it is more than probable that not a man among them would ever
have reached San Juan Castle.

It was at the period while this brave and good man was thus honourably
and actively engaged, that a circumstance occurred, which seems to
indicate that he must have been under the peculiar protection of
Providence.

Having, one night, as was usual with him, while proceeding by land to
the scene of action, had his cot slung between two trees, he slept very
soundly till the morning; when he was early awakened, and not a little
startled, by a lizard's passing over his face. He now suddenly arose;
and, on hastily turning down the bed-cloaths, a large snake was
discovered lying at his feet, without having offered him the smallest
injury, though it was of a well known venomous species. The surrounding
Indians, who beheld this singular spectacle with astonishment--like the
barbarians of Melita, when the Apostle Paul shook off the viper--began
to consider him as a sort of divinity, and determined to follow him
wherever he went. They now, in fact, eagerly flocked after him, in
crowds, with the idea that no harm could possibly come to them while
they were in his presence. This occurrence, therefore, independent of
it's extreme singularity, had an effect very favourable to the purposes
of the expedition.

Though, however. Captain Nelson providentially escaped not only the
venom of the snake, but the pestilential catastrophe which afterwards
befel almost every individual of his unfortunate ship's company, as well
as the land forces with whom he entered Fort Juan; he was, nevertheless,
in a few days, violently seized with the contagion: and, fatigued and
disappointed as he had been, in the attainment of what now manifestly
appeared to him of little or no consequence, for even the treasure of
the castle had been removed before it's surrender, he was sinking fast
to the grave; with scarcely a hope, or even a wish, to survive the brave
fellows who were every day falling around him.

While he lay in this deplorable state, the reinforcement of troops which
had immediately been sent from Jamaica, on the first news of the
surrender of Fort Juan, brought intelligence that Captain Bonnovier
Glover, the commander of the Janus of forty-four guns, died on the 21st
of March, and that Sir Peter Parker had appointed Captain Nelson to
succeed him. This kind promotion, he has been often heard to say,
certainly saved his life. He immediately sailed to Jamaica, on board
the Victor sloop, that he might take possession of the Janus; and hope,
that never entirely abandoned him, began again to invigorate his heart.
His spirits, however, were always beyond his strength; though that, when
in full health, was by no means feeble, as his country's enemies had
many subsequent opportunities to experience.

The air of Jamaica, though far less unwholesome than that which he had
just quitted on the Spanish main, is not very invigorating to European
constitutions; and, instead of it's restoring him, he every day grew
worse and worse. Sir Peter Parker, therefore, kindly invited him to make
a home of his penn, which is the name of a West Indian villa; where he
received the most friendly attentions from Lady Parker, and the
skilfullest medicinal aids. All, however, proved ineffectual. His
extreme anxiety to get on board the ship to which he had been so
honourably appointed, tended now to augment his indisposition; and he
was reluctantly compelled, like his worthy friend, Captain Locker, to
depart for England. This, too, unwilling to resign his ship, he
positively declared, till the last, he never would do, while a single
person could be found who was of opinion that he might possibly recover
without quitting the island. No such person was obtainable; and,
accordingly, in a state of the most extreme debility, towards the close
of this year, he returned home, in his majesty's ship the Lion,
commanded by the Honourable William Cornwallis, the now celebrated
admiral; whose kind care and attention, during their passage, greatly
contributed to preserve his valuable life.

On his arrival in England, though then barely in existence, and almost
wholly without the use of his limbs, such was the excessive ardour of
his mind for employ, that nothing could prevent him from being
immediately carried to the Admiralty, and applying for a ship. "This
they readily promised me," he jocosely observed, soon after, to one of
his relations, "thinking it not possible for me to live."

He now went, directly, to Bath: where he was, at first, under the
necessity of being carried to the springs, and wherever else he wanted
to go; and, for several weeks afterwards, constrained to use crutches.
These, however, he at length threw aside, much sooner than his friends
at the Admiralty had expected; though it was nearly three months before
he entirely recovered the use of his limbs. In a letter which he wrote,
from this place, dated February 15, 1781, to his friend Captain Locker,
he observes that he is, thank God, very near perfectly restored; having
the complete use of all his limbs, except his left arm, of which he can
hardly tell the ailment: from the shoulder to his fingers ends felt as
if half dead, but the faculty gave him hopes that it would all go off.
He expresses his anxiety to be employed; and, as if willing to
demonstrate that his spirits were more lively than his limb, he says,
with considerable pleasantry and wit, speaking of three portraits--one
of the present Admiral George Montague, another of Sir Charles Pole, and
the third of himself, which was then painting by Mr. Rigaud as a present
for Captain Locker--"I hope, when I come to town, to see a fine _trio_
in your room. When you get the pictures, I must be in the middle; for,
God knows, without good _supporters_, I shall fall to the ground."

After the restoration of his health, he paid a visit to his worthy and
venerable father, at Burnham-Thorpe; as well as to his amiable eldest
sister, then recently married to Mr. Bolton, who resided at Wells, about
five miles distant, and other relatives and friends in the county of
Norfolk: few of whom, except his father, had ever once beheld him for
the last eleven years. The felicity of such a meeting is not to be
described, and it can only be conceived by those who have experienced
similar sensations.

At length, in August 1781, Captain Nelson was appointed to the command
of the Albemarle of twenty-eight guns. In this ship, which had been a
French merchantman, captured two years before, and purchased for the
king's service, his delicate constitution underwent a new and severe
trial; being employed, the whole winter, convoying and cruizing in the
North Seas. The inconvenience, too, as well as the dangers, of this
service, were in no slight degree augmented, by the mast's having been
made much too long for the ship; a circumstance which had, at several
times, nearly occasioned it to be overset. These perils, too, were
wholly unattended with what may be denominated any success; as the
Dutch, the greater part of the time, had not a single trading vessel at
sea: and, though a privateer, said to be the noted pirate, Fall, stole
into the fleet which the Albemarle was convoying, it got clear off,
after an hour's chace, owing to the necessity of Captain Nelson's
returning to the unprotected ships.

On their arrival in England, the mast was taken out, and properly
shortened; and, such other improvements being made, as suggested
themselves to the captain, it was, at length, far from a bad old ship.
He always, however, humorously insisted, that the French had taught the
Albemarle to run away; as it was never a good sailer, except when going
directly before the wind.

In March 1782, he was ordered to Cork; to join the Dædalus, Captain
Thomas Pringle, and go with a convoy to Quebec, where they were expected
to winter. This was another severe blow at his tender frame, which had
been so buffeted all the late season. He had, indeed, great reason to
dread it's effects, and wished much to be off of this voyage; but,
though he did not doubt that, if he had a little time, he might get
another ship--especially, as his friend, Surgeon Adair, who also
attended Admiral Keppel, had declared that, if he were sent to a cold
climate, it would make him worse than ever--having received his orders
from Lord Sandwich, he could not avoid thinking it wrong to ask Admiral
Keppel to alter them. Such was his high sense of propriety, and so
little his self-consideration.

On the 27th of May, Captain Nelson arrived in St. John's Harbour,
Newfoundland, with four sail of the convoy; having parted with the
Dædalus, twenty days before, three hundred leagues to the eastward of
Cape Clear, in a hard gale of wind.

On the 3d of June, hearing that the remainder of the Quebec fleet had
arrived at a harbour some leagues to the leeward, he sailed to join
them; and, without losing a single vessel, they reached the place of
destination on the 1st of July.

The third day after their arrival, he was ordered on a cruize off
Boston; from which he returned to Quebec on the 17th of September, with
the whole crew almost devoured by the scurvy. Himself and all the
officers had, for eight weeks together, lived on salt beef; nor had the
ship's company enjoyed a single fresh meal since the beginning of April.

During the greater part of this time, he had made a point of contriving
to see Boston steeple every morning; where he watched for vessels, as
they sailed in and out of the harbour.

Though this cruize was of the unsuccessful sort, not a single prize
being brought into port, they took, saw, and destroyed, more enemies
than are often met with in the same space of time. Some of the prizes
taken, and one of them of considerable value, were lost by the
mismanagement of the prize-masters. That of the principal one, was
occasioned by the intoxication of the captors; who had, indiscreetly,
made too free with the wine on board.

"I do not, however," said he, in a letter to Captain Locker, "repine at
our loss; we have, in other respects, been very fortunate: for, on the
14th of August, we fell in with, in Boston Bay, four sail of the line,
and the Iris frigate, part of Monsieur Vaudreuil's squadron, who gave us
a pretty dance for nine or ten hours. But we beat all, except the
frigate; and, though we brought to for her, after we were out of sight
of the line of battle ships, she tacked and stood from us. Our escape I
think wonderful. They were, on the clearing up of a fog, within shot of
us; and chased us, the whole time, about one point from the wind. The
frigate, I fancy, had not forgotten the dressing Captain Salter had
given the Amazon, for daring to leave the line of battle ships."

This is the hero's own modest account of the affair: but, in truth, he
might have assumed all the merit of his escape. The pretty dance he
mentions, was led and concluded, by himself, with consummate skill and
address, among the shoals of St. George's Bank; where the line of battle
ships were unable to follow, had they even possessed his skill in
pilotage. They, therefore, at length, quitted the pursuit: though the
frigate, for some time after, continued to persevere; and had, about
sun-set, even approached within little more than gun-shot. At this time,
overhearing some of his men remark to one another, that they thought, as
the line of battle ships were not following, they should be able to
manage the frigate, he immediately told his brave fellows, in the most
kind and encouraging language, that he would, at least, give them an
opportunity to try for it: and, ordering the main-top-sail to be
instantly laid to the mast, the French frigate no sooner beheld them
thus bringing to, to engage, than it suddenly tacked, and bore away to
rejoin it's consorts. The ascription of this French pusillanimity, to
Captain Salter's gallant chastisement of the Amazon, on a similar
occasion, is a very refined compliment to that deserving officer, and an
admirable specimen of Captain Nelson's excessive candour and humility;
while the acknowledgment that he had, "in other respects, been very
fortunate," displays the genuine operation of nature in a valorous
British bosom, so successfully described by Goldsmith, in his admirable
tale of the Disabled Veteran.

It was at Quebec that Captain Nelson and Alexander Davison, Esq.
commenced that friendship which was continued, on his part, to what may
be considered as the last moment of his life; and which, on the part of
Mr Davison, extending beyond the grave, still survives for all who were
dear to him, and to every thing that regards a due veneration of his
memory.

In less than a month, while comfortably situated at Quebec, chiefly
residing on shore at Mr. Davison's, with no other expectations, or
desire, than those of returning to England, the arrival of the Drake
sloop, and Cockatrice cutter, brought directions for the transports to
be fitted for the reception of troops, and sent to New York; in
consequence of which, Captain Nelson was ordered to conduct the fleet
thither. This, as he observed, in the letter last quoted, dated from the
Isle of Bec, in the River St. Lawrence, was "a very _pretty job_, at
this late season of the year; for our sails are," adds he, "at this
moment frozen to the yards."

On arriving at New York, about the beginning of November, where he found
Lord Hood, he requested that admiral would take him to the West Indies.
Lord Hood, accordingly, wrote to Admiral Digby, who was commander in
Chief at New York; and, he was, in consequence, to have sailed with the
fleet: but, for some private reasons, when his ship was under sail from
New York, to join Lord Hood, Captain Nelson was sent for, on shore; and
informed, that he was to be kept forty-eight hours after the sailing of
the fleet. Though this is said to have been for his own individual
advantage, he felt much disappointed at not sailing with the fleet. In
the mean time, Lord Hood had highly praised him, in a very liberal
letter, for wishing to go off this station, to a station of service,
concluding with the most encouraging assurances of friendship.

Without pretending to penetrate into all that relates to the private
reasons above stated, it is certain that Lord Hood was desirous to have
Captain Nelson, and that Admiral Digby was unwilling to part with him:
so sensible, at this early period, were both these commanders of his
value. The contest, however, was at length concluded, by Admiral Hood's
agreeing to leave a ship of nearly double the force for the Albemarle;
which, after all, Admiral Digby is said to have scarcely considered as
sufficient.

On joining the fleet, Lord Hood's notice of Captain Nelson was in the
highest degree flattering to so young a man. He actually treated him as
a son, and was always ready to grant him every thing that he could ask.
Prince William Henry, too, as the Duke of Clarence was then called,
having recently entered into the navy under Admiral Digby, contracted a
strong friendship for Captain Nelson, which was ever retained. Lord Hood
even told the prince, on first introducing them to each other, that if
he wished to ask any questions relative to naval tactics, Captain Nelson
could give him as much information as any officer in the fleet. This
was, indeed, acting the part of a professional father to both the young
men.

In a letter from Cape Tiberoon, dated February 25, 1783, written by
Captain Nelson to his friend Captain Locker, from which some of the
above facts are also extracted, he says, speaking of the Duke of
Clarence--"He will be, I am certain, an ornament to our service. He is
a seaman; which, perhaps, you would hardly suppose: every other
qualification you may expect from him. A vast deal of notice has been
taken of him at Jamaica: he has been addressed by the Council, and the
House of Assembly were to address him the day after I sailed. He has his
levees at Spanish Town; they are all highly delighted with him. With the
best temper, and great good sense, he cannot fail being pleasing to
every one."

What a pity it is, that any impediment should have ever prevailed
against the royal duke's taking an active command!

Some time after Captain Nelson had joined Lord Hood, in the West Indies,
the admiral having received several contradictory accounts of the number
of the enemy's ships at the Havannah, and being consequently unable to
rely on such varying reports, was desirous of sending, for the requisite
information, one on whom he well knew he might safely depend.
Accordingly, Captain Nelson was dispatched on this business, which he
executed with his usual adroitness and success. He reflected that the
Albemarle, from it's having been formerly a French ship, might still be
taken for one on this occasion. Having, therefore, sailed for the
Spanish main, he hoisted French colours, and lay off the Havannah
harbour. While he remained in this situation, a boat filled with
scientific gentlemen, who had been collecting curious plants, and other
natural rarities, on the Spanish main, happening to pass near, he
ordered them to be hailed, and invited aboard. From these persons, who
had no suspicion that this French-built vessel, and under a French flag,
being addressed also in that language, was any other than it pretended
to be, very readily mentioned all the particulars relative to the force
and number of the ships in the harbour: their astonishment, however, is
not to be described, when they found themselves prisoners of war, on
board an English frigate. The worthy captain soon satisfied them, that
they had not fallen into the hands of free-booters; and, in
consideration of the scientific pursuits in which they were manifestly
engaged, the manner in which they had been captured, and the requisite
information with which they had faithfully furnished him, he told them,
in the handsomest way possible, after regaling them on board for some
time, that they should be at liberty to depart whenever they pleased,
with their boat and all it contained, on their parole of honour, to be
considered as prisoners, if his commander in chief should refuse to
acquiesce in their being thus liberated, which he did not think at all
likely to happen. Struck with such generosity of sentiment, they
earnestly entreated him to take whatever might be most acceptable from
their collection of natural curiosities, or any thing else they had to
offer; but he positively declined receiving any reward for doing what he
felt to be his duty under all the circumstances of the case, and they
parted with mutual good wishes for each other's felicity. It will
hereafter appear, that this generous act was performed to one, at least,
of the party, who retained a very grateful sense of the indulgence.

Captain Nelson continued actively employed in the West Indies, till the
Peace of 1783; but Lord Rodney's famous victory of the 12th of April
1782, which led finally to that event, had so completely damped the
ardour of the enemy, that little or nothing farther occurred, worthy of
particular notice. At the conclusion of the war, he had the honour of
attending his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence on a visit which he
paid to the Governor of the Havannah; a circumstance which contributed
still more powerfully to cement their mutual friendship. From hence,
being under orders to return home, he sailed for England, where he
safely arrived; and his ship was paid off, at Portsmouth, about the
first week in July 1783.

In such estimation was this brave and worthy man held, even at that
period, by those who had the best opportunities of judging, that the
whole of his ship's company offered, if he could get a ship, to enter
for it immediately. Nor can we wonder at this attachment, when we behold
him, on shore, after the conclusion of their services, employing all his
activity and address in attempts to get the wages due to his good
fellows, as he kindly called them, for various ships in which they had
served during the war. The infernal plan of turning them over from ship
to ship, he frequently declared, occasioned the chief disgust which
seamen have to the navy; and both prevented them from being attached to
their officers, and their officers from caring two-pence about them.

A few days after the Albemarle was paid off, Lord Hood introduced
Captain Nelson at St. James's; where he remarked that the king was
exceedingly attentive to what his lordship said. The beginning of the
week following, he went to Windsor; and there took leave of the Duke of
Clarence, who was then about to embark for the continent.

As Captain Nelson had now no thoughts of going to sea; his fortune not
permitting him to live on board a king's ship, to use his own words, "in
such a manner as is going on at present;" after again visiting his
family and friends in Norfolk, he agreed to reside a short time in
France, with Captain Macnamara, for the purpose of acquiring a knowledge
of the French language.

Sterne's Sentimental Journey, he said, was the best description he could
give of this tour. He was highly diverted by looking what a curious
figure the postillions, in their jack boots, and their rats of horses,
made together. He was told that they travelled _en poste_, but did not
get on above four miles an hour. Their chaises were without springs, and
the roads paved like London streets. They were shewn into an inn, as the
Frenchmen called it; but he thought it more like a pig-stye: there, in a
room with two straw beds, they had two pigeons for supper, on a dirty
cloth, with wooden handled knives. "Oh!" exclaimed he, "what a
transition from happy England!" But they laughed at the repast; and went
to bed with a determination that nothing should ruffle their temper. In
their way to St. Omer's, they passed through a very fine corn country,
diversified with woods; and Captain Nelson, though a Norfolk man,
acknowledged it to be the best place for game he had ever known.
Partridges, at Montrieul, were sold at two-pence halfpenny a brace, and
pheasants and woodcocks in proportion. On arriving at St. Omer's, he was
surprised to find it, instead of a dirty, nasty town, as he had always
heard it represented, a large city, with good streets, well paved and
lighted.

While Captain Nelson was at St. Omer's, he received a most polite letter
from the principal personage among those whom he had detained off Porto
Cavallo, when he went to look into the harbour of the Havannah. This
gentleman's rank he did not at all know till he got to France. His
assumed name was that of the Count de Deux Ponts: but he was, in fact, a
Prince of the German Empire, a General of the French Army, Knight of the
Grand Order of St. Louis, and second in command at the capture of York
Town. His brother was heir-apparent of the Electorate of Bavaria, and of
the Palatinate. So that Captain Nelson had the honour of taking prisoner
a man who was not unlikely to become a sovereign prince of Europe, and
capable of carrying into the field an army of a hundred thousand men.
This letter, which had been dispatched the first moment it was known by
the grateful writer that Captain Nelson had arrived in France, was truly
expressive of the attention that had been paid him when on board the
English ship, and contained a very kind and pressing invitation to
Paris; of which it was the captain's full intention to have availed
himself, had he remained as long in the country as was originally
intended.

Though he visited only a few English families, lest he should never
speak French, he made but slow progress in learning the language; and,
early in the year 1784, was recalled from it's pursuit by the prospect
of an appointment.

About the 20th of March, accordingly, he was commissioned for the Boreas
frigate of twenty-eight guns, then at Long Reach, under the command of
Captain Wells: and, unfortunately, was attacked the very same day, by
the ague and fever; which continued, every other day, for above a
fortnight, and pulled him down most astonishingly. This, however, was
not his sole misfortune. On his recovery, he sailed at daylight, just
after high water; but the pilot run the ship aground, where it lay with
so little water that the people could walk round, till next flood. That
night, and part of the following day, the ship lay behind the Nore, with
a hard gale of wind and snow. "On Tuesday," says he, in a true sailor's
letter to Captain Locker, dated at Portsmouth, April 21, 1784, "I got
into the Downs: Wednesday, I got into a quarrel with a Dutch Indiaman,
who had Englishmen on board; which we settled, though with some
difficulty. The Dutchman made a complaint against me; but the Admiralty,
fortunately, have approved my conduct in the business; a thing they are
not very guilty of, where there is a likelihood of a scrape. And
yesterday, to complete me, I was riding a _blackguard_ horse, that ran
away with me at Common; carried me round all the works, into Portsmouth,
by the London gates; through the town; out at the gate that leads to
Common, where there was a waggon in the road, which is so very narrow
that a horse could barely pass. To save my legs, and perhaps my life, I
was obliged to throw myself from the horse; which I did, with great
agility: but, unluckily, upon hard stones; which has hurt my back, and
my legs, but done no other mischief. It was a thousand to one, that I
had not been killed. To crown all, a young girl was with me: her horse
ran away, as well as mine; but, most fortunately, a gallant young man
seized the horse's bridle a moment before I dismounted, and saved her
from the destruction she could not have avoided."

This was, certainly, a most wonderful escape, though it is related with
a vein of humour which takes off all apprehension from the reader; to
whom it must, undoubtedly, appear little less whimsical and facetious
than John Gilpin's celebrated race: while, to balance the advantage of
Cowper's admirable fiction, it has the boast of Nelson's unimpeachable
truth.

The Boreas, being fully equipped for the Leeward Islands, as a cruizer
on the peace establishment, Captain Nelson sailed from Spithead about
the middle of May 1784; carrying out Lady Hughes and her family, to
Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, who commanded in chief on that station.

They arrived at Madeira, after a pleasant passage, on the 1st of June;
and, on the 8th, proceeded to the place of destination, which they
safely reached just before the hurricane season. The ladies expressed
themselves well satisfied with their accommodation on board, which had
certainly cost the captain nearly two hundred pounds extraordinary; for
which Lady Hughes is stated, from most respectable authority, to have
demonstrated her gratitude, by presenting him with a silver tea-caddy
ladle, which could hardly be worth more than five shillings!

The service, on this station, was attended with difficulties which had,
perhaps, been but little expected, either by the officers of the British
navy, or those who sent them; and it was far more fortunate for
government, than it was for Captain Nelson, that he had been employed on
the occasion.

The Americans, while colonists of Great Britain, had enjoyed, as
subjects, almost the entire trade between their country and our West
India Islands. Having erected themselves into independent states, they
had hoped that, on the return of peace, we should have permitted them
again to enjoy the privileges of fellow-subjects, which they had, by
withdrawing their allegiance, undoubtedly forfeited. This hope had not
been indulged, by the Americans, through any want of political
discernment on their part; they well knew themselves now to be, what on
other occasions they loudly enough boasted, foreigners in every sense of
the word. They were satisfied, however, at the same time, that the
mother-country had not always been renowned for the highest degree of
national sagacity; they felt, that they had themselves acquired, by
force, the independence which they enjoyed; and they trusted that the
British administration, through apprehensions of renewing an unpopular
and disastrous war, would be induced to connive at, if not confirm, the
privilege the Americans affected to claim under the very Navigation Act
of Great Britain, the most beneficial effect of which they were thus
artfully contriving to destroy.

The West Indians, themselves, who were prevented, by an immediate
prospect of the return of their own interest, from contemplating it in a
remote view, they well knew, would oppose no obstacle: these, in fact,
readily fell into the snare, and were clamorous for their old customers.
Those persons, too, who held official situations, generally more
considerate of their ease and their emoluments, than of the duties
proper to be performed, in a climate so enervating, and a country so
luxurious, would naturally, it was not doubted, rather contend for,
than against, such claims as seemed to favour these indulgences. Here,
too, with very few exceptions, they met with equally zealous and still
more powerful supporters.

The governors and custom-house officers, in fact, agreed that, by the
Navigation Act, the Americans had a right to trade with all our West
India islands; and the merchants and planters, who likewise found it for
their present interest to embrace the same doctrine, pretended that they
were of the same opinion.

Captain Nelson, in the mean time, ever as studious to acquire a due
knowledge of the full extent of his professional duties, as zealously
determined completely to perform the utmost that they could possibly
require of him, unswayed by any sinister or selfish motive, viewed the
business in a very different light; and felt that, as an executive naval
officer, it was his business to enforce, on all occasions, the maritime
laws of his country.

Accordingly, in November 1784, the hurricane months being over, and the
squadron arrived at Barbadoes, where the ships were to separate for the
different islands, with no other orders than those for examining
anchorages, and usual enquiries after wood and water, as this did not
appear to him the intent of placing men of war, in peaceable times, he
asked Captain Collingwood to accompany him, their sentiments being
exactly similar, and ask the commander in chief a few questions. They,
accordingly, proceeded together, to Sir Richard Hughes; when Captain
Nelson respectfully asked, whether they were not to attend to the
commerce of their country, and to take care that the British trade was
kept in those channels which the navigation laws pointed out? Sir
Richard replied, that he had no particular orders, nor had the Admiralty
sent him any acts of parliament. That, Captain Nelson remarked, was very
singular, as every captain of a man of war was furnished with the
Statutes of the Admiralty, in which the Navigation Act was included;
which act was directed to admirals, captains, &c. to see it carried into
execution. On producing and reading these laws to Sir Richard, to use
Captain Nelson's own words, "he seemed convinced that men of war were
sent abroad for some other purpose than to be made a show of;" and, the
Americans then filling our ports, orders were issued for all the
squadrons to see the Navigation Act carried into execution.

When Captain Nelson went to his station, at St. Kitt's, he sent away all
the Americans; not chusing to seize them at that time, lest it should
have appeared a trap laid for them.

In December, to his utter astonishment, he received an order from the
commander in chief, stating that he had obtained good advice, and
required that the Americans might not only be prevented from coming in,
but permitted to have free egress and regress, if the governor chose to
allow them. He inclosed, at the same time, a copy of the orders which
he had sent to the governors and presidents of the islands. Some, on
this, began by sending letters, not far different from orders, that they
should admit them in such and such situations as they described: telling
Captain Nelson, that Sir Richard had left it to them; but, that they
thought it right to let him know it. These, however, he soon silenced.
The commander in chief's was a more delicate business. He was under the
necessity of either disobeying orders, or of disobeying acts of
parliament which he conceived the latter was disobeying. He, therefore,
nobly determined on the former: trusting to the uprightness of his
intention; and fully confiding, that his country would not allow him to
be ruined by protecting it's commerce. He sent to Sir Richard;
expatiated on the navigation laws, to the best of his ability; and
frankly told him, that some person, he was certain, had been giving him
advice, which he would be sorry for having taken, against the positive
directions of acts of parliament. He expressed his conviction, that Sir
Richard had too much regard for the commerce of Great Britain, to suffer
our worst enemy to take it from us; and that, too, at a time when Great
Britain was straining every nerve to suppress illegal trade at home,
which only affected her revenue: that he hoped we should not be so
singular, as to allow of a much more ruinous traffic's being carried on
under the king's flag. He added, in short, that he should decline
obeying his orders, till he had an opportunity of seeing and talking to
him; making, at the same time, an apology for any seeming impropriety.

Sir Richard Hughes was, at first, going to send a captain to supersede
him: but, having mentioned the matter to his captain, was informed, that
all the squadron seemed to think the orders sent were illegal; and,
therefore, did not know how far Captain Nelson was obliged to obey them.
Such being their sentiments, he could not have been there tried by a
court-martial.

Captain Nelson now proceeded to inform the people of the custom-house,
that he should, after such a day, seize all foreign vessels found in our
islands; and, till then, keep them out to the utmost of his power. They
fancied, however, that he could not seize, without a deputation; and,
therefore, disregarded his threats.

In May 1785, accordingly, he seized the first American vessel.
Immediately, he had the governor, the officers of the customs, and most
of the planters, for his enemies. Subscriptions were instantly set on
foot, and soon filled, to prosecute him; and the admiral stood neuter,
though his flag was then flying in the roads.

This last circumstance grieved him; but there was nothing by which he
could either be dismayed or deterred from any act which he considered as
forming part of his positive duty.

Though he had thus offended most of the heads of distributive justice,
and the demons of the law were accordingly let loose on him, before the
first vessel's complaint was brought to trial, he had seized four others
under similar predicaments. On these occasions, too, having ordered the
masters on board his ship, to examine them; and sent marines to take
forcible possession of their vessels, without allowing any person
whatever to go on shore; he had many different actions brought against
him, for detention, false imprisonment, &c. and damages laid, in the
various causes, at the enormous sum of forty thousand pounds!

The consequence was, that he remained a close prisoner on board his own
ship eight weeks, to prevent being arrested for a sum which it would
have been impossible for him to have found bail.

When the trial came on, he was protected, for the day, by the judge. The
marshal, however, was engaged to arrest him, and the merchants promised
to indemnify that officer for the act: but, the judge having declared
that he would send him to prison, if he dared take such a step, he
thought proper to desist.

Let it, however, never be forgotten, that Captain Nelson had the good
fortune to find an honest lawyer; and, that the President of Nevis
offered the court to become his bail for ten thousand pounds, if he
chose to suffer the caption! The worthy president declared, that Captain
Nelson had done only his duty; and, though himself suffered more in
proportion than any of them, he could not possibly blame him.

Thus, supported by an upright judge, an honest attorney, and a sincere
and opulent friend, after a trial of two days, he carried his cause, and
the American vessels were condemned.

As a last resource, when under the terrors of the law, the only terrors
his heroic mind ever felt, he had transmitted a memorial to his majesty;
who, immediately, says Captain Nelson, "had the goodness to order me to
be defended at his expence; and sent orders to Mr. Shirley to afford me
every assistance in the execution of my duty: referring him to my
letters, &c. as there was, in them, what concerned him not to have
suffered."

This kindness was particularly grateful, as it manifested the fullest
approbation of Captain Nelson's conduct; but he felt far from being
pleased to find, that the chief praise bestowed by government on the
occasion was addressed to the very person whom, he could not but be of
opinion, least deserved it. "The treasury," says he, "by the last
packet, has transmitted thanks to the commander in chief, and the
officers under him, for their activity and zeal in protecting the
commerce of Great Britain. Had they known what I have told you, I don't
think they would have bestowed thanks in that quarter, and neglected me.
I feel much hurt that, after all the loss of health, and risque of
fortune, another should be thanked for that which I did, and against his
orders. I either deserved to be sent out of the service, or at least
have had some little notice taken of me. They have thought it worthy of
notice, and have neglected me. If this is the reward for a faithful
discharge of my duty, I shall be careful, and never stand forward again.
But, I have done my duty, and have nothing to accuse myself of."

What is thus urged against the propriety of giving most thanks to him
who had, from misconception or misrepresentation, been induced rather to
prevent than promote those operations by which thanks were obtained; and
not particularly directing the smallest attention, otherwise than by
indemnifying his law expences, to the individual who had, at all
hazards, effectually performed them; is certainly very natural. Let it
be considered, however, that government might not be so sufficiently
informed of all the particulars as to warrant their entering into a nice
degree of just discrimination.

About this period, March 1786, Captain Nelson seems to have been engaged
in paying his addresses to the widow of Dr. Nesbit, of the Island of
Nevis, Mrs. Frances Herbert Nesbit, who was a daughter of William
Herbert, Esq. the senior judge, and niece of his brother the president:
for he says, in a letter to Captain Locker, "most probably, the next
time you see me, will be as a Benedict; I think, I have found a woman
who will make me happy." He adds, that he shall tell him more shortly;
but, that his paper is full. In two subsequent letters, however, one of
the 29th of December following, and the other of the 9th of February
1787, not an additional word appears respecting the lady.

In the mean time, Admiral Sir Richard Hughes had, in August, quitted the
command; and, shortly after, Captain Nelson received orders from the
Admiralty, to take the Pegasus and Solebay frigates under his command,
immediately on their arrival from Nova Scotia, which was about the
latter end of November. The Pegasus being commanded by Prince William
Henry, the Duke of Clarence, his royal highness was, of course, under
the command of Captain Nelson; who did every thing in his power to
prevent his illustrious friend from being a loser by this pleasing
circumstance. They were, in fact, mutually attached to each other, and
almost inseparable companions. He knew that the prince had foibles, as
well as private men; but he knew, also, that they were far overbalanced
by his virtues. In his professional line, he considered him as superior
to nearly two-thirds of the list; and, in attention to orders, and
respect to his superiors, Captain Nelson declared, that he hardly ever
knew his equal.

The prince was every where received with all the honour and respect due
to his rank, at our different islands: and was invited, also, by the
French Governor of Martinico, the Viscount de Damas; and the Baron de
Clugny, Governor of Guadaloupe; to favour their islands with a visit.

On the 14th of February, Captain Nelson writes to his friend Captain
Locker, from Montserrat--"I am here, with the Pegasus and Solebay. The
island has made fine addresses, and good dinners. Tomorrow, we sail for
Nevis and St. Christopher's, where the same fine things will be done
over again. His royal highness keeps up strict discipline in his ship;
and, without paying him any compliment, she is one of the first ordered
frigates I have seen. He has had more plague with his officers than
enough. His first-lieutenant will, I have no doubt, be broke. I have put
him under arrest; he having written for a court-martial on himself, to
vindicate his conduct, because his captain thought proper to reprimand
him in the order-book. In short, our service has been so much relaxed
during the war, that it will cost many a court-martial to bring it up
again."

The affair above alluded to, which made considerable noise at the time,
appears to have been this: the prince, on going ashore, is said to have
left express orders, that none of the crew should, during his absence,
be permitted to quit the ship. The lieutenant, however, from the general
maxim, that the superior officer on board has a right to exercise
uncontrouled command, permitted a boat to go on shore with some of the
men. This coming to his royal highness's knowledge, who could not
possibly be pleased with what appeared manifestly done in defiance of
his instructions, he adopted the method which has been mentioned of
expressing, in the order-book, his disapprobation of the act.

Captain Nelson proved, by his conduct on the occasion, what he thought
of the business: and, without his knowledge of naval usage, a man at all
conversant in legal constructions, or even the plainest principles of
common sense, must see, if he is not blinded by prejudice, that the
general rule above alluded to could never be intended to overthrow any
positive orders left by a superior officer, at the will of the inferior.
If, indeed, a case of necessity should arise, the latter would have a
right to act according to his discretion; but it must always be at his
peril, if he cannot prove, at least, that it appeared to be absolutely
necessary; still more so, if he manifestly breaks through, wilfully or
perversely, the very orders which himself received from his superior
officer, and is consequently bound to see regularly carried into
execution.

It is somewhat remarkable, that Captain Nelson, in writing to Captain
Locker, whom he always considered as a sort of father as well as a
friend, on the day preceding his departure for Nevis, where he was a few
weeks afterwards married to the widow of Dr. Nesbit, a physician of that
island, should not even yet muster sufficient resolution to say that he
was then going to take possession of the woman who, he thought, was
destined to make him happy.

To this lady, who had a son then about nine years of age, he was, at
length, early in March 1787, actually united. The marriage was
celebrated with considerable splendour, and his Royal Highness the Duke
of Clarence did them the honour to stand as the bride's father on the
joyful occasion.

A very few days afterwards, he proceeded, in the Boreas, on his passage
to Tortola, with his royal highness, who had then only that island and
Grenada left unvisited. Indeed, ever since November, his time had been
entirely taken up in attending the prince on his tour round these
islands.

On the 21st of March, he wrote, while at sea, to Captain Locker,
expressing how happy he should be when the time arrived for a voyage to
England. "No man," he observes, "has had more illness, or more trouble,
on a station, than I have experienced: but, let me lay a balance on the
other side--I am married to an amiable woman, that far makes amends for
every thing. Indeed, till I married her, I never knew happiness. I shall
have great pleasure in introducing you to her."

The prince, he adds, who has shewn him every act of kindness that the
most professed friendship could bestow, was expected to leave the
country in June; and, by that time, himself hopes orders will arrive for
his returning to England. He wonders that any independent man will
accept the command of this station: "for," he concludes, "there is
nothing pleasant to be got by it."

In June 1787, accordingly, the term of three years usually allotted to
ships employed on such stations in times of peace being expired, he was
ordered home; and arrived at Portsmouth the beginning of July, with Mrs.
Nelson and her son.

From this place he writes, on the 3d instant, to his friend Captain
Locker; and, speaking of his "dear wife," says-- "I have no doubt you
will like her, on acquaintance; for, although I must be partial, yet she
possesses great good sense, and good temper."

In all these praises of his lady may be clearly discerned, that he
congratulated himself on having made, at least, a prudent choice. There
is little, however, of that rapturous extasy which issues from many a
finally most infelicitous husband, some days, weeks, or even months,
after the conjugal union.

It was not, certainly, on his side, a mercenary match. He would have
been incapable of marrying with so mean a motive. He is said, indeed, to
have given, about this period, a substantial proof of very much the
contrary disposition. This appears in the following anecdote, which has
been repeatedly published.

The President of Nevis had been so excessively displeased with his only
daughter, that he resolved to disinherit the young lady, and leave her
immense fortune to his niece, Mrs. Nelson: but Captain Nelson, most
generously, instead of widening the breach between them, actually made
use of all his interest with the president, who had the highest regard
for him, completely to close it, by bringing about a perfect
reconciliation; which, at length, to his unspeakable satisfaction, he
had the happiness of accomplishing.

Dr. Nesbit, Mrs. Nelson's first husband, was a native of Scotland. He
had, formerly, been an apothecary at Coventry; but, at Nevis, he
practised as a physician. He had not, however, acquired any very
considerable wealth. It has even been asserted, that Captain Nelson
received the widow and child without any present fortune whatever; and
that four thousand pounds, some years afterwards bequeathed Mrs. Nelson,
on the death of her father or uncle, was the whole that ever came into
his hands by his marriage with that lady. When it is considered, that he
was, at this time, a post-captain in the British navy, of more than
eight years standing, though only twenty-nine years of age, there could,
surely, be no reason for him to expect, without saying a word about
prospects from his transcendent abilities, that he was ever to hear any
reflections on the pecuniary advantages which he derived from this most
disinterested union!

The Boreas was paid off at Sheerness, on the 30th of November 1787; and
the winter was chiefly employed in visiting places of public amusement,
and introducing Mrs. Nelson to his numerous respectable friends.

In a letter, written at Bath, April 3, 1778, to his friend Captain
Locker, he says, that he has been, for the last month, at a relation's
near Bristol, and is only just returned, to drink the waters another
fortnight. He was, in fact, very partial to Bath: not only on account of
the present cure he had himself received there; but because his
venerable and much afflicted father was under the absolute necessity of
spending his winters in that city, during so many of the latter years of
his life. The Reverend Mr. Nelson, indeed, from paralytic and asthmatic
affections, which would scarcely permit him to speak for several hours
after rising in the morning, had actually been given over by the
physicians almost forty years prior to his decease.

From Bath, Captain Nelson proceeded, on another visit of a month, to
Exmouth; and, passing through London, in the summer, went immediately
into Norfolk, where it was agreed to fix his future residence.

His father, accordingly, gave him up the parsonage-house at
Burnham-Thorpe, where he formed his little domestic establishment. He
had, in the mean time, since his arrival in England, been again pestered
with prosecutions from some of the Americans whose ships he seized in
the West Indies, On this subject he says, in a letter to Captain Locker,
"I have written them word, that I will have nothing to do with them, and
they must act as they think proper: government, I suppose, will do what
is right, and not leave me in the lurch. We have heard enough, lately,
of the consequence of the Act of Navigation to this country. They may
take my person; but, if six-pence would save me from a prosecution, I
would not give it."

Though this may have the semblance of treating lightly these menaced
legal prosecutions, it is well known that he felt very acutely on the
occasion: and nothing is more certain, than that he would have for ever
quitted England, had not government so far interfered as entirely to
quiet all his apprehensions on the subject. His remonstrances were too
strong to be resisted. He was a man to be in no way trifled with. Thus,
had a thoughtless or careless administration slighted, or neglected, his
claim to protection, and left him a prey to legal machinations, the
nation would have certainly lost it's chief champion; for, on the best
authority, it is here repeated, he once had it in contemplation to leave
for ever his native country!

What an awful consideration does this demand, from those who are
entrusted with the administration of justice! How many great men have
been driven into eternal exile by the terrors of abused justice, by
legal constructions of equity, and by the horrors of an impending prison
for the perpetual incarceration of unfortunate and injured innocence!

Not, now, likely to be disturbed in the calmness of his retirement, he
willingly descended, from the hero, to the private gentleman. Nor did
he even disdain to cultivate a few acres of glebe land annexed to the
rectory. Known, and beloved, by all the gentry in the neighbourhood, he
joined frequently in their field diversions, and was particularly fond
of coursing. Though one of the best gunners in the world, he was a bad
shot at a hare, a woodcock, or a partridge. In pointing a great gun,
however, on grand and suitable occasions, at a ship, a castle, or a
fort, he was scarcely to be equalled: so well, indeed, was this talent
known, and so universally recognized, by his frequently volunteering his
services on shore, that he was familiarly called the brigadier, ever
after the affair of San Juan.

In cultivating the friendship of respectable neighbours, who laudably
courted his society; in rendering kind offices to the humbler
inhabitants of his vicinity, by whom he was universally beloved; in
enriching his mind by reading and reflection, and improving his land by
cultivation; this great man employed most part of the leisure which
peace afforded him. Sometimes, indeed, he went to Bath, or other
fashionable resorts, during the seasons, where he might meet with his
old friends; and sometimes sought them in the metropolis, where he
occasionally paid his respects at the Admiralty.

His heroic mind, no doubt, amidst the calm of peace, prepared for the
storm of war; and, though he disdained not the culture of the
ploughshare, he looked forward to the day when it would become
necessary to exchange it for the sword. He was particularly fond of
geographical studies: few men were so well acquainted with maps and
charts; and his accurate eye frequently traced with eagerness the
various parts of the globe which he had passed with difficulty or
delight, and the spots at which he had successfully or unpleasantly
paused.

In the mean time, as he had become an affectionate husband to Dr.
Nesbit's widow, so he proved, in every possible sense, a faithful father
to his child. The youth was carefully educated, with all the advantages
of this great man's excellent directions, and his progress was minutely
inspected by the same truly paternal attention. Being treated, in every
respect, with the most indulgent tenderness, and seeming early to evince
an inclination for the naval service, Captain Nelson, who had no
prospect of issue by his lady, willingly consented to take him, as an
only son, under his own immediate protection.

Doubtless, while the mind of this exalted man was thus innocently and
laudably engaged in attending to the various duties of private life, he
not unfrequently felt disposed to indulge in deep reflections on
numerous noble plans meditated for the future service of his country:
for, in common with almost every gifted possessor of superior genius, he
seems to have constantly borne about him an invincible conviction, that
he should, at some period of his life, be enabled to give the fullest
manifestation of it's presence to an admiring world. As war was his
element, he could have no hope of any opportunity to demonstrate his
wonderful abilities till that national calamity should arrive: and,
though he was much too good and pious a man, to be desirous of war, for
no other purpose than a display of his own skill and valour; he was, at
the same time, far too wise and wary, to imagine that a nation so rich
in commerce as Great Britain, surrounded by artful, envious, and
powerful enemies, would be permitted long to preserve an honourable
state of public tranquillity. He was, therefore, as an individual, ever
prepared for what he naturally expected soon to occur; and he was of
opinion, that the power of the country should be kept in an equal state
of continual readiness.

In the year 1790, when the cruelties exercised by the Spaniards at
Nootka Sound, seemed to have awakened the national vengeance, and an
armament was accordingly ordered to be prepared, he immediately offered
his services at the Admiralty; and is said to have felt not a little
mortified, at finding his application ineffectual. The fact, however,
appears to have been, that offers from commanders of longer standing had
previously been made and accepted for all the ships then meant to be
immediately commissioned. No blame, therefore, could be fairly imputed
to the Admiralty, on the occasion: and, when that business came, soon
afterwards, to be adjusted, and the ships paid off, he had reason to
congratulate himself on not having been put to expences for equipment,
which the advantages of so little actual service were quite inadequate
to repay. This, perhaps, at that period, might be no inconsiderable
consolation.

The sum finally stipulated to be paid by Spain, on this occasion,
besides restoring the vessels unjustly seized, was two hundred and ten
thousand dollars.

After two years more passed in retirement, the French revolutionary war
having extended it's baneful influence to this country, there became an
instant necessity for preparing all the strength of our navy to oppose
it's pernicious tendency. He had now, happily, no difficulty in
obtaining a ship; but, at the very commencement of the war, having made
the usual application, he immediately received a positive promise from
Lord Howe, which was handsomely performed still sooner than he had the
smallest reason to expect.

On the 26th of January 1793, he says, in a letter to his friend Captain
Locker, "Lord Hood tells me, that I am now fixed for the Agamemnon, at
Chatham; and, that whatever men are raised for her will be taken care of
on board the Sandwich."

The name of the ship having been thus fixed for the purpose of his
immediately raising men for sea, he had already sent out a lieutenant
and four midshipmen to get men at every sea-port in Norfolk. He
applied, also, to his friends in Yorkshire, and the north, who promised
to obtain him what hands they could, and deliver them over to the
regulating captains at Whitby and Newcastle. To Captain Locker, he
says--"I hope, if any men in London are inclined to enter for the
Agamemnon, you will not turn your back on them; as, though my bills are
dispersed over this country, &c. I have desired that no bills may be
stuck up in London till my commission is signed."

This was one of his delicate punctilios; for he did not expect that,
from what Lord Howe had written him on the occasion, the ship would have
been actually commissioned till about a fortnight longer.

On the 30th of January, however, being only four days, instead of
fourteen, after the date of the above letter, his commission was
actually signed; and, on the 7th of February, he joined his ship, the
Agamemnon of sixty-four guns, which was then under orders of equipment
for the Mediterranean.

His ship's company was soon raised; chiefly from Norfolk and Suffolk,
and not a few from his own immediate neighbourhood. So universally was
he esteemed, and such was even then the general opinion of his conduct
and abilities, that many gentlemen in the vicinity were desirous of
placing their sons under his command; some of whom, persons of
considerable respectability, solicited and obtained this distinguished
favour: particularly, the Reverend Mr. Bolton, his relation, brother of
Thomas Bolton, Esq. his eldest sister's husband; with the Reverend Mr.
Hoste, and the Reverend Mr. Wetherhead, his intimate friends.

Nor must it be forgotten that, on the very first appearance of actual
service, he had taken his son-in-law, young Josiah Nesbit, from school,
equipped him as a midshipman, and carried him on board the Agamemnon.

There is a curious anecdote related, and that from the very best
authority, respecting one of the young gentlemen thus taken as a
midshipman by Captain Nelson. The father of this youth, though a friend
of Captain Nelson, happened to be a very staunch whig. The youth,
therefore, he apprehended, might possibly require some little
counteraction of the principles of modern whiggism, which he did not
think very conducive to the loyalty and subordination of a young British
sailor. Accordingly, when this youth came on board, he called him into
his cabbin, and immediately addressed him in the most impressive manner,
to the following effect.

"There are three things, young gentleman," said he, "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 as your enemy who
speaks ill of your king; and, thirdly, you must hate a Frenchman as you
do the devil."

The youth, who had been thus prepared, always conducted himself with
great propriety; and, it is believed, ever afterwards retained a truly
filial regard for his friendly patron.

Captain Nelson was perfectly indefatigable in getting his ship ready for
sea. In a letter to Captain Locker, written at the Navy Office, the
beginning of February 1793, where his brother Maurice had long held a
situation, after requesting him to discharge Maurice Suckling, and such
men as may be on board the Sandwich, into the Agamemnon, he says--"Pray,
have you got a clerk whom you can recommend? I want one very much, I
urge nothing; I know your willingness to serve. The Duke of Clarence
desires me to say, that he requests you will discharge Joseph King into
the Agamemnon; or, that I am welcome to any other man, to assist me in
fitting out. He is but poorly; but expresses the greatest satisfaction
at the appointment you are likely to succeed to, and in which no one
rejoices more than your affectionate Horatio Nelson."

In another letter to this much honoured and honourable officer, written
at Chatham towards the end of the same month, he congratulates him on
having obtained his appointment, which was that of Lieutenant-Governor
of Greenwich Hospital; from which, he hopes, his friend will derive
every comfort: and tells him, that he need not hurry himself about the
charts, as he shall certainly see him before he sails.

It was not, in fact, till about the middle of May, that the Agamemnon,
in company with the Robust of seventy-four guns, Captain the Honourable
George Keith Elphinstone, proceeded to it's station in the
Mediterranean, under the command of Lord Hood; who followed, a few days
after, with the rest of his fleet, from Plymouth, on the 22d of that
month.

About the beginning of June, he went with six sail of the line to Cadiz,
where they took in water. They also took in some wine: for he tells his
worthy old friend, Captain Locker, that he has got him a cask of, he
hopes, good sherry; which he shall take an early opportunity of sending
home, and begs him to accept as a proof of his remembrance. He observes,
that they have done nothing; and, that the same prospect appears before
them: for, the French would not come out, and they had no means of
getting at them in Toulon. Lord Hood was to be joined, off Barcelona, by
twenty-one Spanish ships of the line: "but," adds he, "if they are no
better manned than those at Cadiz, much service cannot be expected of
them; though, as to ships, I never saw finer men of war."

It was on the occasion above alluded to, when Captain Nelson put into
Cadiz to water, that he exclaimed, at the moment of first beholding the
Spanish fleet--"These ships are, certainly, the finest in the world:
thank God, the Spaniards cannot build men!"

Early in August, Lord Hood went with the fleet to remonstrate with the
Genoese respecting their supply of corn to the French, and bringing back
French property under neutral papers: a practice which Captain Nelson,
who was then off Toulon, justly observed, rendered the station there a
mere farce, if such trade should continue to be allowed.

On the 20th of this month, writing to Captain Locker, he observes that
the Agamemnon sails well, and is healthy; but, that he wants to get into
port for refreshment. He says that, by all the accounts, the district of
Provence would gladly become a separate republic under the protection of
England; and, that the people of Marseilles declared they would
willingly destroy Toulon to accomplish this measure.

There seems, at the time of his thus writing, to have been a positive
proposal to this effect then under the consideration of the commander in
chief: for, on the 23d of August, only three days after, did Admiral
Lord Hood publish his celebrated preliminary declaration to the
inhabitants of Toulon, as well as his proclamation to the inhabitants of
the towns and provinces in the south of France, which ended in his
taking a provisional possession of Toulon, with all the ships of war in
the harbour, &c. on the 28th of the same month.

Captain Nelson, however, was not present during the period of this
negociation, or the subsequent taking possession of Toulon; having been
previously charged with dispatches from Lord Hood, dated off Toulon, the
17th of August 1793, and addressed to Sir William Hamilton, Knight of
the Bath, his Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary at the Court of Naples.

It should seem that he had, also, some intermediate orders to execute;
for, on his passage to Naples, he met with Lord Hugh Conway, at sea, who
had left Toulon in the possession of Lord Hood, and sent Sir William
Hamilton a letter to that effect, dated the 31st of the same month.

There was, evidently, more to be transacted at the court of Naples, than
a mere delivery of these dispatches from Lord Hood, or Captain Nelson
would scarcely have been selected for the business. He went, no doubt,
with confidential communications from the commander in chief to the
British minister plenipotentiary, and objects of discretional discussion
for mutual consideration, which were not possible to be transacted in
writing, and consequently required the talents and address judiciously
employed on the occasion. Lord Hood was no stranger to the superlative
ability which he possessed for negotiation; and how much more rarely
that quality is to be found in British naval officers, than the natural
bravery which seems common to all, or even the great nautical skill
which may justly be boasted by most of them.

It was not till the 11th of September, that Captain Nelson arrived, in
the Agamemnon, at Naples; and so effectually did he accomplish the
objects of his mission, that Sir William Hamilton, who immediately
communicated the intelligence of Toulon's being in possession of Lord
Hood to General Acton, procured two thousand of his Sicilian majesty's
best troops to be embarked, the 16th, on board two line of battle ships,
two frigates, two corvettes, and one Neapolitan transport vessel.

The next day, September 17, Sir William Hamilton sent intelligence of
the above particulars to England, which appeared in the London Gazette,
dated Whitehall, October 12, 1793: where it is added, that a Spanish
frigate, returning to Toulon, had likewise taken some Neapolitan troops
on board; that three more battalions were that night to embark at Gaeta,
on board of two Neapolitan frigates, two brigantines, and nine large
polacres; that, in a week or ten days, the Neapolitan government were to
send off to Toulon the remaining ships, and two thousand more men, with
thirty-two pieces of regimental artillery, and plenty of provisions; and
that, should the wind remain as it then was, these succours might reach
Toulon in five days, or sooner.

In the mean time, Captain Nelson had been introduced to the King and
Queen of Naples, from whom he met with a most cordial and gracious
reception: nor must his singular previous introduction, by Sir William,
to Lady Hamilton, be passed over, without particular notice; on the
result of which, so much of the felicity of this exalted hero's future
life seems evidently to have in a superlative degree depended.

On Sir William Hamilton's returning home, after having first beheld
Captain Nelson, he told his lady that he was about to introduce a little
man to her acquaintance, who could not boast of being very handsome:
"but," added Sir William, "this man, who is an English naval officer,
Captain Nelson, will become the greatest man that ever England produced.
I know it, from the few words of conversation I have already had with
him. I pronounce, that he will one day astonish the world. I have never
entertained any officer at my house, but I am determined to bring him
here. Let him be put in the room prepared for Prince Augustus."

Captain Nelson was, accordingly, introduced to her ladyship; and resided
with Sir William Hamilton during his short stay at Naples: and thus
commenced that fervid friendship between the parties, which continued to
glow, with apparently increasing ardour, to the last moment of their
respective existences whom it has been Lady Hamilton's severe lot to
survive.

The introductory compliment which had been paid by Sir William Hamilton,
to Captain Nelson's transcendent abilities, was not ill requited by one
of the latter's first salutations of the worthy envoy--"Sir William,"
said he, in consequence of the dispatch made use of in obtaining the
Neapolitan troops, "you are a man after my own heart: you do business in
my own way! I am, now, only a captain; but I will, if I live, be at the
top of the tree."

These reciprocal good opinions of each other, which form the basis of
all substantial friendships, could not fail to unite such excellent and
enlightened minds in a sincere amity. It can never appear wonderful,
then, that Lady Hamilton, herself a person of very considerable talents,
and possessing a warm and affectionate heart, naturally attached to
splendid abilities, should be forcibly struck with the pleasing manners,
extreme goodness and generosity of mind, and evident proofs of
comprehensive intellect, which she continually witnessed in the new
friend of her intelligent husband, during the few days of his
continuance at Naples.

The frank and friendly attentions of her ladyship, at the same time, it
must necessarily be supposed, made no slight impression on the
susceptible bosom of Captain Nelson; who was charmed with the
characteristic sweetness of disposition which she so fascinatingly
displayed for the promotion of his ease and comforts.

The imperious calls of professional duty soon separated the hero from
his affectionate friends; but they parted not without mutual assurances
of losing no opportunity which might occur of corresponding with or
seeing each other.

It appears, from Lord Hood's dispatches to the Admiralty, that the first
division of the Neapolitan troops disembarked at Toulon on the 28th of
September, under the command of Brigadier General Pignatelli; and that
they were a very fine body of men, in perfect health, and well
appointed. The second division of Neapolitans, consisting of two
thousand men, arrived on the 5th of October; and the last two thousand
were to leave Naples on that very day. His Sicilian majesty, Lord Hood
added, had manifested the greatest readiness and zeal in fulfilling the
treaty; and confided his ships and troops solely to his lordship's
discretion, as that sovereign had made known to him in writing under his
own hand.

Such was the success of Captain Nelson's services at Naples, where the
king and queen treated him with no less attention and regard than Sir
William Hamilton and his lady, and witnessed his departure with similar
regrets.

The Neapolitan troops thus obtained, greatly signalized themselves, on
several occasions, while at Toulon: but Captain Nelson, almost
immediately on his arrival, received orders to join a squadron under
Commodore Linzee; who had been detached by Lord Hood, at the request of
General Paoli, to protect Corsica. He could, therefore, scarcely be said
to have at all participated in the occurrences which took place at
Toulon, farther than in thus procuring military aids.

Captain Nelson, indeed, appears to have had little concern with this
unfortunate business: not the less so, perhaps, on that very account.
Notwithstanding all the blood and treasure which this expedition cost
Great Britain, on Toulon's being evacuated the 19th of December
following, Lord Hood was only able to carry away three ships of the line
and five frigates; after burning there nine ships of the line, and one
at Leghorn.

About the period of these transactions, Captain Nelson was with
Commodore Linzee, at Tunis, negotiating for a French convoy under an
eighty-gun ship and a corvette. The English, however, he observed, never
yet succeeded in a negotiation against the French. "We have not," says
he, in a letter to Captain Locker, dated off Sardinia, December 1, 1793,
"contradicted our practice at Tunis, for the Monsieurs have completely
upset us with the bey; and, had we latterly attempted to take them, I am
certain he would have declared against us, and done our trade some
damage."

In this letter he also mentions, that Lord Hood has, in a very handsome
letter, ordered him from Commodore Linzee's command, to take the command
of a squadron of frigates off Corsica and the adjoining shore of Italy,
to look out for some French frigates which were in St. Fiorenzo in
Corsica. With these frigates, it seems, Captain Nelson had, joined with
one or two others, what he calls "a little brush," in the preceding
October. He observes that, if they are active, they may do our trade
some mischief: "but," adds he, "to say the truth, I believe that they
are more inclined to be passive; at least, they had much of that
inclination when I saw them."

At this time, he does not appear to have thought Toulon in much danger;
and, at all events, was persuaded that the French fleet and arsenal
might be destroyed. Some of the ships, he remarked, were the finest he
ever beheld. The Commerce de Marseilles, in particular, he says, had
seventeen ports on each deck, and our Victory looked nothing to it.

Their friend, Sir Charles Pole, he observes, is gone to the West Indies,
which was a thing that officer dreaded: had himself been at Toulon, he
would have been a candidate for this service; for, he thought our sea
war was over in the Mediterranean. He admits, however, that the
Agamemnon has had it's share of service; having had the anchor down but
thirty-four times since sailing from the Nore, and then only to get
water or provisions. He says that, having then upwards of one hundred of
his ship's company absent, they are not much better than a fifty gun
ship. To another friend, however, he jocosely observed, on this
occasion, that those he had were chiefly Norfolk men, and he always
reckoned them as good as two others.

In the warmth of gratitude, he asserts that Lord Hood is a very good
friend to him; and is, certainly, the best officer he ever saw: every
thing from him being so clear, that it is impossible to misunderstand
him.

All this day, the 1st of December, he observes, he has been in sight of
the French squadron; which, he hears, has been joined by a frigate from
Calvi. He misses, however, the frigate which had received most of his
fire; and adds, that there are not wanting those who declare that they
beheld it sink.

With these frigates, on the coast of Corsica, Captain Nelson may be said
to have commenced his career as commander of a squadron; and such was
his activity, skill, and bravery, that they were perpetually engaged
against the enemy. It would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to trace
every single transaction which occurred during the time which he held
this command. His services were, occasionally, exerted at land as well
as sea; and such was his dexterity in getting out guns, erecting
batteries, and assisting the reduction of fortresses, that much of our
success in gaining possession of that island was generally ascribed to
his ability.

On the 10th of February 1794, the tower and garrison of Mortella
surrendered; and the strong redoubt and batteries of the Convention were
taken by storm on the 17th, after a severe cannonading of two days. The
enemy abandoned, that same night, the tower of Forneli, and two
considerable sea-batteries dependent on it.

On the 19th, they retreated from St. Fiorenzo to Bastia; having
previously sunk one of their frigates, and burnt another in the gulph:
and the town, forts, and port of St. Fiorenzo, were taken possession of,
the same day, by his majesty's land and sea forces. The frigate which
had been sunk was afterwards weighed, and taken into our service under
the name of the St. Fiorenzo.

At the siege of Bastia, whither the enemy were followed, and which
commenced the beginning of April, Captain Nelson bore a most conspicuous
share; exerting himself with a vigour, alacrity, and judgment, which
obtained universal admiration. It has been said, and re-echoed, that
ample testimony was, on this occasion, given to his skill and
unremitting exertions; but, it may safely be asserted, he never thought
so.

Lord Hood, it is true, makes respectful mention of his services; it
would be extremely wonderful if he did not, when it is considered that
he was the principal naval officer actively employed there, and yet
served, with the most indefatigable perseverance, nearly two months on
land. What follows, however, is all that appears in his lordship's
dispatches relative to Captain Nelson, which few will think too
much--"Captain Nelson, of his majesty's ship Agamemnon, who had the
command and direction of the seamen, in landing the guns, mortars, and
stores, and Captain Hunt, who commanded at the batteries, very ably
assisted by Captain Buller and Captain Serecold, and the Lieutenants
Gore, Hotham, Stiles, Andrews, and Brisbane, have an equal claim to, my
gratitude; as the seamen, under their management, worked the guns with
great judgment and alacrity. Never was a higher spirit, or greater
perseverance exhibited; and I am happy to say, that no other contention
was at any time known, than who should be most forward and indefatigable
for promoting his majesty's service; for, although the difficulties they
had to struggle with were many and various, the perfect harmony and good
humour that universally prevailed throughout the siege overcame them
all."

This, certainly, is no singular praise of Captain Nelson; who, it is
well known, greatly signalized himself on the occasion.

In the very next paragraph of the same Gazette, Lord Hood says--"I
cannot but express, in the strongest terms, the meritorious conduct of
Captain Duncan and Lieutenant Alexander Duncan, of the Royal Artillery,
and Lieutenant De Butts, of the Royal Engineers: but my obligation is
particularly great to Captain Duncan, as more zeal, ability, and
judgment, was never shewn by any officer than were displayed by him; and
I take the liberty of mentioning him as an officer highly entitled to
his majesty's notice."

Such superior praise and recommendation of a military officer, however
deserving, by the naval commander in chief, could not be very pleasing
to Captain Nelson; who felt conscious of having merited at least equal
attention, by ably performing more than could be in any way considered
as his actual duty.

The slight sketch modestly given of this affair, by himself, in a
letter to Captain Locker, will afford some idea of it's importance. It
is dated, at Bastia, May 30, 1794, on board the Agamemnon: and states,
that he has just got on board, after eight weeks service on shore;
where, he trusts, he has acquitted himself in a manner his friends will
be pleased with. The more he saw of this place, the more he was
astonished at it's being given up: but, the truth was, that the
different parties were afraid to trust each other; the surrender could
be justified on no other ground.

The frigates formerly mentioned had now, most of them, fallen into his
hands; for he mentions that he has then on board the Agamemnon two
captains, twenty-four other officers, and three hundred seamen, of the
ships he fell in with the preceding October. The officers abused the
crews; the people, their officers: all joined against their commodore,
for not coming down to the British ships after they were crippled. Not
that Captain Nelson had any idea they could have taken his ships; but,
he admitted that they certainly behaved shamefully ill. The Fortunée was
burned, the Minerve and Le Fleche taken: the Melpomene got to Calvi; and
would, he trusted, fall into his hands.

He adds, that they are now taking on board shot, powder, &c. for Calvi;
which, though very strongly situated, he thinks will soon fall.
Agamemnon is then to go to Gibraltar, for something like a refitment,
having been without the slightest repair, in hull or rigging, sixteen
months. He describes Bastia as most pleasantly situated; containing
fourteen thousand inhabitants, and being capable of holding twenty
thousand. A few hours, he says, will carr parties to Italy: and
observes that, if the Corsicans knew their own interest, they would be
happy with us; but, that they cannot bear dependance.

This opinion of Captain Nelson's, respecting the disposition of the
Corsicans, is a fresh proof of his acute discernment, and was abundantly
confirmed by the event.

It having been agreed, by the two commanders in chief, Lord Hood and
Lieutenant-General the Honourable Charles Stuart, that the utmost
dispatch was necessary, in order to enable the troops selected for the
siege of Calvi to begin their operations before the commencement of the
unhealthy season, every effort was used to forward the necessary
preparations; and so effectual were the exertions of the different
departments, that the regiments embarked at Bastia in the course of a
very few days. Captain Nelson, accordingly, who had been detached on the
9th of June, by Lord Hood, from the fleet off Mortella Bay, to take the
charge of these embarkations, in his lordship's absence, agreed that
they should proceed to Port Agra, where a landing was effected on the
19th of the same month; and, on that very day, the army encamped, in a
strong position, on the Serra del Cappucine, a ridge of mountains three
miles distant from the town of Calvi.

From many of the out-posts, and particularly from those which the
friendly Corsicans were ordered to occupy, it was distinctly
discoverable that the town of Calvi was strong in point of situation,
well fortified, and amply supplied with heavy artillery. The exterior
defences, on which the enemy had bestowed a considerable labour,
consisted in the bomb-proof Stone Star Fort Mozello, mounting ten pieces
of ordnance, with a battery of six guns on it's right, flanked by a
small entrenchment. In the rear of this line, which covered the town to
the westward, was placed, on a rocky hill to the east, a battery of
three guns. Considerably advanced on the plain to the south-west, the
Fort Mollinochesco, on a steep rock, commanded the communication between
Calvi and the province of Balagori; supported by two frigates, moored in
the bay, for the purpose of raking the intermediate country. The
principal difficulties, however, in approaching the enemy's works, did
not so much arise from the strength of the defences, as from the height
of the mountains and rugged rocky surface of the country it was
necessary to penetrate; and so considerable were these obstacles,
against the usual mode of attack, that it was judged expedient to adopt
rapid and forward movements, instead of regular approaches.

In conformity to this plan of proceeding, the seamen and soldiers were
laboriously employed in making roads; dragging guns to the tops of the
mountains; and collecting military stores, for the purpose of erecting
two mortar and four separate gun batteries, on the same night. One of
these was intended against the Mollinochesco; the second, to be
constructed on rocks, to cover the principal one, of six guns; which, by
a sudden march, and the exertions of the whole army, was to be erected
within seven hundred and fifty yards of the Mozello.

Owing to some mistake, the proposed battery against the Mollinochesco
was built and opened two days earlier than the time appointed.
Observing, however, that though this fort was considerably damaged, it
seemed evidently the intention of the enemy to repair rather than
evacuate it, on the evening of the 6th of July, the Royal Irish regiment
was ordered to move towards their left, exposing the men to the fire of
their artillery. At sun set, and during the greatest part of the night,
this diversion was seconded by a feigned attack of the Corsicans: which
so effectually deceived the enemy, that they withdrew a considerable
piquet from the spot where the principal battery was to be constructed,
in order to support the Mollinochesco; and, directing the whole of their
fire to that point, enabled the troops to complete their work.

This important position established, the enemy was compelled to evacuate
the Mollinochesco, and to withdraw the shipping under the protection of
the town.

A heavy firing immediately commenced on both sides; which continued,
with little intermission, till the 18th of that month: when, observing
that their batteries were considerably damaged, and a breach appearing
practicable on the west side of the Mozello, a disposition was made for
a general attack on the outworks, under cover of two batteries ordered
to be erected that night; which would, from their position, in the event
of a check, appear the principal object of the movement.

By the greatest exertions, this battery was completely constructed,
without discovery, within three hundred yards of the Mozello, an hour
before day-break: a signal gun was then fired from it, for the troops to
advance. Covered, in their approach, by two field pieces, they
proceeded, with a cool and steady confidence, and unloaded arms, towards
the enemy; forced their way through a smart fire of musquetry; and,
regardless of live shells thrown into the trench, or the additional
defence of pikes, stormed the Mozello: while the Royal Irish regiment,
with two pieces of cannon, equally regardless of opposition, carried the
enemy's battery on the left, and forced their trenches, without firing a
shot.

The possession of these very important posts, which the troops
maintained under the heaviest fire of shells, shot, and grape, induced
an offer to consider such terms as the garrison of Calvi might incline
to propose.

An unfavourable answer, however, being returned, the navy and army once
more united their efforts; and, in nine days, completed batteries of
thirteen guns, four mortars, and three howitzers, within six hundred
yards of the town. These opened with so well directed a fire, that the
enemy were unable to remain at their guns; and, in eighteen hours, sent
proposals, which terminated in a capitulation, and the expulsion of the
French from Corsica, on the 10th of August, after a siege of fifty-one
days.

The above account of the reduction of Calvi is extracted from the
dispatches of the military commander in chief, and affords a very good
idea of the siege.

Lord Hood, who arrived off Calvi on the 27th of June, where he continued
during the siege, in his dispatches to the Admiralty, writes--"The
Journal I here transmit from Captain Nelson, who had the command of the
seamen, will shew the daily occurrences of the siege; and whose zeal and
exertion I cannot sufficiently express--or, of that of Captain
Hallowell--who took it by turns to command in the advanced battery,
twenty-four hours at a time: and, I flatter myself, they, as well as the
other officers and seamen, will have full justice done them by the
general; it is, therefore, unnecessary for me to say more on the
subject."

What Lieutenant General Stuart did say, respecting Captain Nelson's
wonderful exertions and consummate skill, on this occasion, however,
instead of doing him fuller justice, was sufficiently moderate, and very
concise--"The assistance and co-operation of Captain Nelson, the
activity of Captain Hallowell, and the exertions of the navy, have
greatly contributed to the success of these movements."

Can any person of the smallest discernment, for a moment suppose, that a
mind like that of the heroic Nelson, could feel satisfied by such
indiscriminate and cold approbation as is here expressed? The slightest
glance even of his own modest Journal of the siege, must have convinced
every one, had it been given, as he might expect, to the public, of the
prodigious fatigue and perseverance, at least, which this great man
underwent, if it had not demonstrated the astonishing skill and bravery
which he is so well known to have there most eminently displayed.

An intelligent Corsican, now in England, Mr. Casalonga, perfectly
remembers the general estimation in which Captain Nelson was held
throughout the island, for the various prodigies of valour performed
there during the year 1794; particularly, at the siege of the tower of
Mortella, and the towns of Bastia and Calvi. Respecting this last place,
he observes, an official report was sent to the municipality of Ajaccio,
where himself was a member, that during the siege, which was very
obstinate and dangerous, the place being deemed impregnable, Captain
Nelson ran to every direction; and, in spite of a tremendous fire kept
up by the enemy, he erected his battery in such a position as to throw
shot on the besieged; who, perceiving their works destroyed, and public
and private buildings demolished, were soon panic struck, and sued for
capitulation.

Thus, while Captain Nelson was only considered, at home, as making one
among the many brave officers employed in this service, his
distinguished merits were so attractive in the eyes of foreigners, on
the spot, that they ascribed nearly the whole success to his
transcendent abilities.

Nothing can be more certain, than that his services were supereminently
beneficial; and, that the period was not yet arrived for their being
duly acknowledged.

Though not a word appears, in the official returns of the wounded at the
siege of Calvi, to intimate the fact; though not a single syllable of
regret is expressed, in the dispatches of either commander in chief; it
was at this very siege, that the hero had the misfortune to be entirely
deprived of the sight of his right eye. The calamitous accident was
occasioned by a shot from one of the enemy's batteries striking the
ground near the battery which he commanded; and driving, with prodigious
violence, some minute particles of sand, or small gravel, into that
tender organ.

Even this shocking event, with all it's attendant anguish, was incapable
of forcing him from his post. With a ribbon tied over his inflamed eye,
he persisted in directing the batteries, till the last fortress of
Corsica had submitted to his sovereign's arms.

Surely, if the total loss of sight in one eye, which himself is said
never to have considered as a wound, did not entitle his name to be
placed in the list of wounded officers, which seems somewhat doubtful,
the gallantry of remaining at his post would never have escaped Lord
Hood, as it seems to have done the Honourable Lieutenant General Stuart,
had he been present on the occasion.

On the 8th of August, two days before the capitulation was signed, Lord
Hood, who had received the thanks of both houses of parliament, for his
very gallant conduct in the expedition against Corsica, voted on Friday,
the 20th of June 1794; when, also, the like thanks were voted to all the
officers, sailors, and soldiers, engaged in that expedition; sent a
letter to Captain Nelson, dated on board the Victory, off Calvi, in
which he inclosed the above resolutions: observing that, having received
his majesty's commands, to communicate to the respective officers,
seamen, marines, and soldiers, who had been employed in the different
operations which had been successfully carried on against the enemy in
Corsica, a resolution of the two houses of parliament; he desires that
he will make known, to all in the Agamemnon, and such other officers and
seamen as are with him, and were employed at Bastia, the sense that is
entertained of their spirited and meritorious conduct.

This, too, which is merely an official letter, has been magnified, by
those who clearly know nothing about the matter, into an additional
honour conferred on Captain Nelson, and said to have been highly
flattering to his feelings.

How his feelings were in reality affected at this period, the reader
will presently have an opportunity of knowing from much better
authority.

In the mean time, Lord Hood sent duplicates of his former dispatches to
the Admiralty, dated on board the Victory, off Calvi, August 9, 1794. He
herewith transmits a continuation of Captain Nelson's Journal, from the
28th of July, to the 8th of August: also, the copy of a letter which he
had received from Captain Nelson, highly creditable to Lieutenant
Harrison, a transport agent; as well as to Mr. William Harrington,
master of the Willington, and the transports men; who were all anxiously
eager to serve on shore, or on board his majesty's ships, mentions
having taken possession of the Melpomene and Mignonne frigates: the
former, one of the finest ever built in France, carrying forty guns; the
other, only thirty-two. Captain Cunningham, charged with these
dispatches, who had been three months cruizing off Calvi, with infinite
diligence, and perseverance, under many difficulties, is recommended as
an officer of great merit, and highly deserving any favour that can be
shewn him.

Without wishing to detract from the merits of Captain Cunningham, it may
certainly be contended that he had not, during the time mentioned,
surpassed Captain Nelson, who receives no such decided praise, nor any
positive recommendation whatever.

These observations are drawn from the face of the public dispatches,
compared with a knowledge of the services and character of Captain
Nelson, as they were at that time manifesting themselves to all who
knew him.

His conspicuous merits, it should seem, were growing too conspicuous;
the power of his rising splendour, it might begin to be feared, would
too powerfully eclipse that which was getting into the wane; and,
therefore, though praise could not be entirely denied, it was by no
means to be lavishly bestowed. This is ever the cold and cautious
sentiment of mean and mercenary minds: it sometimes creeps into the
bosoms of even the liberal and the brave. In the former, it begets a
fixed principle of action; from the latter, it is generally soon
expelled by a little dispassionate reflection. It is like the last
struggle of age, contending against a conviction of the superior vigour
of youth: which, by a good parent, is often unwillingly relinquished, in
even corporeal considerations; scarcely ever, willingly, in those of
intellect.

Without meaning to hazard any particular application of these ideas,
there is good reason to think that he began now to be an object of
considerable attraction. His power, though still abundantly too confined
for his ability, had been in some degree extended; and his services
were, in consequence, so numerous and great, that he well merited
recommendation to an enlarged sphere of action.

That he thought himself slighted, is beyond a possibility of doubt:
smarting with the total loss of sight in one eye, and almost exhausted
by fatigue, he felt conscious of deserving applause more ardent than
any which he had yet obtained. He was, probably, not pleased to find
that his journal of the siege of Calvi did not appear, as perhaps it
ought to have done, in the Gazette; nor even the letter in commendation
of his voluntary coadjutors, which he had sent to Lord Hood. His
lordship, however, it is but just to remark, could by no means be
considered as accountable for these omissions, as he certainly
transmitted both these documents to government.

What were his sensations, at this juncture, it would be difficult
exactly to ascertain; but his consolation is known, and it was worthy of
his exalted mind--"They have not done me justice," said he, writing to
his eldest sister, Mrs. Bolton, "in the affair of Calvi; but, never
mind, I'll have a Gazette of my own."

On another occasion, soon after, he remarked that he had then been more
than a hundred days actually engaged, at sea and on shore, against the
enemy, since the commencement of the war; that he had the comfort to be
ever applauded by the commander in chief, but never to be rewarded: and,
what he considered as more mortifying than all the rest, for services in
which he was slightly wounded, others had been extravagantly praised,
who were very snug in bed all the time, far distant from the scene of
action.

In October 1794, Lord Hood returned to England; when the command of the
Mediterranean fleet devolved on the present Lord Hotham, with whom
Captain Nelson continued to serve with equally distinguished ability
wherever opportunities occurred.

At the latter end of December, and beginning of January 1795, they were
cruizing off Toulon for about three weeks: during fifteen days of which,
in such a series of bad weather as he had scarcely ever experienced,
they were almost constantly under storm stay-sails. They saw, while on
this cruise, three French frigates; and had no doubt that, as one of
them was a crippled ship, the Agamemnon, which sailed better than any
ship in the fleet, and was the nearest to them by a couple of leagues,
might have taken one or two of them. A line of battle ship, however,
never chasing on such occasions, and the admiral's anxiety to keep the
fleet together preventing him from making the signal for the frigates to
chase them till too late in the day, they unfortunately effected their
escape.

On the 10th of January, they arrived, from this unsuccessful cruise, in
the Gulph of St. Fiorenzo; where, a few days after, in a very heavy sea,
the Berwick, of seventy-four guns, Captain Smith, which was preparing to
join the fleet, not having the rigging set up, lost all it's masts, and
was rendered a complete wreck. The superiority of the Toulon fleet, at
that time, rendered this a very serious misfortune, and it led to one
which proved still greater.

The French, in fact, had sixteen ships of the line, besides the Sans
Culotte of a hundred and twenty guns, with twelve frigates and five
corvettes, then in the harbour; and thirty Marseilles ships were also
fitting out as transports, generally supposed to be intended for the
conveyance of troops on an expedition against our newly-acquired kingdom
of Corsica.

Admiral Hotham, in the mean time, was desirous of getting again to sea,
for the purpose of covering the convoy and expected reinforcements from
England; and this he was obliged to effect without waiting longer for
the Berwick. He had, in truth, at this period, much to contend with. His
fleet was only half manned; Italy was calling him to her defence; and
Corsica perpetually demanding the reinforcements and convoy hourly
expected.

The French, well aware how inadequate, in numbers and in strength,
Admiral Hotham must necessarily be for the accomplishment of all these
objects in the face of such superior force, came out with positive
orders to seek and to destroy the British Mediterranean fleet. This
being effected, which their presumption left them no doubt would soon
happen, their troops were to be landed, and the kingdom of Corsica
retaken.

On the 8th of March, Admiral Hotham being in Leghorn Road, received an
express from Genoa, that the French fleet, consisting of fifteen sail of
the line and three frigates, was seen on the 6th instant off the Isle of
Marguerite. This intelligence corresponding with a signal made from the
Moselle, then in the offing, for a fleet in the north-west quarter, he
immediately caused the squadron to be unmoored; and, at day-break the
following morning, put to sea, in pursuit of the enemy.

The Moselle having brought intelligence that the fleet seen was steering
to the southward, Admiral Hotham shaped his course for Corsica, lest
their destination should be against that island; dispatching the
Tarleton brig to St. Fiorenzo, with orders for the Berwick to join him
off Cape Corse. He had, however, the misfortune to learn, by the return
of the brig, the same night, that the Berwick had, two days before, been
captured by the enemy's fleet.

Though the French ships were seen daily by the advanced frigates, the
two squadrons did not get sight of each other till the 12th, when the
enemy was discovered to windward.

Next morning, observing them still in that direction, without any
apparent intention of coming down, the signal was made for a general
chace. The weather being squally, and blowing very fresh, the Ca-Ira of
eighty guns, formerly the Couronne, was discovered to be without it's
topmasts; which afforded Captain Freemantle, of the Inconstant frigate,
who was far advanced in the chace, an opportunity of shewing a good
proof of British enterprise, by attacking, raking, and harassing that
ship, till the coming up of Captain Nelson, in the Agamemnon, by whom it
was soon so completely cut up, as to be incapable of getting away: his
brave fellows, all the time, who appear to have been miraculously
preserved, working the ship about the enemy's stern and quarters, with
as much exactness as if going into Spithead. Though the Ca-Ira had
thirteen hundred men on board, and Captain Nelson only three hundred at
quarters, including himself--for this is his own account and mode of
reckoning--he had, after an action of two hours, in which a hundred and
ten of the enemy were killed and wounded, not one of his Agamemnons
slain, and no more than seven wounded. The Sans Culotte, however, of a
hundred and twenty guns, at length coming up, and the British heavy
ships being still distant, Admiral Hotham called him off; making the
signal for the squadron to form on the larboard line of bearing, in
which order they remained during the night.

In the morning of the 14th, the Ca-Ira was discovered in tow of the
Censeur of seventy-four guns, so far separated from their own squadron
as to afford a probable chance of cutting them off. The opportunity was
not lost; and, all sail being made to effect that purpose, the enemy
were reduced to the alternative of abandoning those ships, or coming to
battle. Our advanced ships were so closely supported in their attack on
the Ca-Ira and Censeur, that they were effectually cut off from any
assistance; and the conflict ended by the enemy's yielding them up:
satisfied, after all their boasts, by firing on the British line, as
they passed with a light air of wind, and evidently happy that our van
ships had suffered too much for the squadron to follow them with any
prospect of success.

The grand object of their vaunted armament, however, was completely
frustrated by this encounter. It could not, Captain Nelson observed, be
denominated a battle, as the enemy would not afford any opportunity of
closing with them; if they had, from the zeal and gallantry endeavoured
to be shewn by each individual captain, there was not the smallest doubt
that a glorious victory would have ensued.

The French ships had been all fitted with forges; and fired,
continually, from some of their guns, hot shot and shells. The
diabolical practice of having furnaces in their cockpits, however, was
found too dangerous to be long persisted in.

Several of the French ships were crippled, and some of them went off
towed by frigates, or without bowsprits, &c. The Sans Culotte got to
Genoa, and others to Vado Bay. The British squadron, with the prizes,
which were greatly shattered and very leaky, proceeded to St. Fiorenzo:
where it remained till the 22d; and then sailed for Leghorn, to join the
Blenheim and Bombay Castle, that it might again go in pursuit of some of
the French ships.

Captain Nelson obtained, on this occasion, the highest approbation of
our own fleet, and the handsomest and most liberal testimony from that
of the enemy.

The fleet having been refitted at Leghorn, and obtained another
seventy-four gun ship from the King of Naples, they proceeded to the
westward, for reinforcements, about the 10th of May; and afterwards went
to Minorca, where they remained some time waiting for a convoy's arrival
from Gibraltar.

Having returned to St. Fiorenzo the latter end of June, Captain Nelson
was dispatched, on the 4th of July, with the Agamemnon, Meleager,
Ariadne, Moselle, and the Mutine cutter, to co-operate with the Austrian
general in the recovery of Genoa.

The second day, however, he fell in with the French fleet, which Admiral
Hotham had supposed at Toulon, and was chased back to St. Fiorenzo. It
appears evident, from all their movements, that they did not know our
fleet was in port. The chace continued twenty-four hours; and, owing to
the freshness of the winds in these seas, he was occasionally hard
pressed; but they being, as he said, neither seamen nor officers, gave
him many advantages.

On the 7th, in the morning, Admiral Hotham was much surprised to learn
that the above squadron was seen in the offing, pursued into port by the
enemy's fleet. Immediately on their appearance, he made every
preparation to put to sea after them; having the mortification, in the
mean time, to behold Captain Nelson, with his little squadron, for
nearly seven hours, almost wholly in their possession. The shore, and
his knowledge of it, proved his greatest friends on this occasion.

Though most of the British ships were in the midst of watering and
refitting, by very great exertions, the whole fleet got under weigh that
night; but a calm, and swell, prevented their going out till the
morning.

It was not till day-break, on the 13th of July 1795, that they were
discovered by the fleet. At eight o'clock, Admiral Hotham, finding that
they had no other view than that of endeavouring to get off, made the
signal for a general chace. The baffling winds, and vexatious calms,
which render every naval operation in this country doubtful, soon
afterwards taking place, a few only of our van ships could come up with
the enemy's rear about noon. These they so warmly attacked, that one of
the sternmost ships, the Alcide of seventy-four guns, had struck in the
course of an hour. The rest of their fleet, favoured by a shift of wind,
that placed them to windward, had got so far into Frejus Bay, while the
greater part of our's was becalmed in the offing, that it became
impossible for anything farther to be effected.

Had the wind lasted twenty minutes longer, the six flyers, as they were
called, would have been alongside as many of the enemy. Captain Nelson
had every hope of getting the Agamemnon, one of these flyers, alongside
an eighty-gun ship, with a flag or broad pendant flying; but the west
wind dying away, and the east coming, gave them the advantage, and
enabled them to reach their own shore, from which they were not three
leagues distant.

Rear-Admiral Mann, who had shifted his flag to the Victory on this
occasion, commanded the six ships thus distinguished by their
superiority of sailing: he proved himself, Captain Nelson observed, a
good man, in every sense of the word.

The disappointment of our brave countrymen, on this day, must have been
prodigiously great. In the morning, there had been a hope of taking the
whole of the French fleet; and, even latterly, no bad prospect of
securing six sail of the line. Instead of which, they had only taken a
single ship, the Alcide; and that, such was the fortune of this luckless
day, took fire about half an hour after it had struck, and before being
taken into possession--said to be occasioned by a box of combustibles in
the fore-top--and the whole ship was soon in a blaze. Several boats,
from our fleet, were instantly dispatched to rescue as many as possible
of the unhappy crew from the devouring flames; and, by great exertion,
three hundred were saved: the remainder, consisting of about four
hundred, had the melancholy fate of being blown up with the ship.

The Agamemnon, with it's usual good fortune, had none killed in this
action, and only one wounded. It received, however, several shot under
water, which kept the hands pretty well employed at the pumps: but this,
Captain Nelson insisted, must have happened by accident, as he was very
certain they only fired high.

The six ships engaged were the Victory, Admiral Mann, and Captain
Reeve; Agamemnon, Nelson; Defence, Wells; Culloden, Troubridge;
Cumberland, Rowley; and Blenheim, Bazeley.

After anchoring for a few hours at St. Fiorenzo, with the fleet, Captain
Nelson was again dispatched, in the Agamemnon, with orders to sail as
before directed, when he had been chased back. Accordingly, with a light
squadron under his command, consisting of the Inconstant, Meleager,
Southampton, Tartar, Ariadne, and Speedy, he proceeded to co-operate
with the Austrian General De Vins: and, being informed by the general,
that a convoy of provisions and ammunition was arrived at Alassio, a
place in the possession of the French army, he proceeded thither on the
25th of August; where, within an hour, he took nine vessels, burnt a
tenth, and drove another on shore. Some of the enemy's cavalry fired on
the boats when boarding the vessels near shore, but not a single man was
killed or wounded. The French had two thousand horse and foot soldiers
in the town, which prevented his landing and destroying their magazines
of provisions and ammunition.

Captain Freemantle of the Inconstant, was sent, in the mean time, with
the Tartar, to Languelia, a town on the west side of the Bay of Alassio;
where, Captain Nelson observes, in his dispatches to Admiral Hotham,
published October 3,1795, in the London Gazette, that commander executed
his orders in a most officer-like manner. "I am indebted," he concludes,
"to every officer in the squadron, for their activity: but, most
particularly so, to Lieutenant George Andrews, first-lieutenant of the
Agamemnon; who, by his spirited and officer-like conduct, saved the
French corvette from going on shore."

The vessels taken were--a French corvette of ten guns, four swivels, and
eighty-seven men; a French gun-boat of one brass gun, four swivels, and
forty-nine men; a French galley of one brass gun, four swivels, and
thirty men; a like galley, with twenty-nine men; a French brig, in
ballast, burden a hundred tons; a French bark, burden seventy tons,
laden with powder and shells; a French brig, burden a hundred tons,
laden with wine; a galley, burden fifty tons, in ballast; and a tartane,
burden thirty-five tons, laden with wine: those destroyed--a bark, laden
with powder, drove on shore; and a ditto, laden with provisions, burnt.

Though this enterprise called for no particular exertion of great
ability, it was executed with very complete success; and the result was
both advantageous to the captors and their allies, and distressful to
the common enemy.

Admiral Hotham, in his dispatches to government, inclosing the account
of this business which he had received from Captain Nelson, handsomely
remarks that "his officer-like conduct upon this, and indeed upon every
occasion, where his services are called forth, reflects on him the
highest credit."

Admiral Hotham was a very brave and highly respectable commander; and,
being also a worthy man, he did whatever was in his power to serve
Captain Nelson, whose superior ability he would, probably, have himself
readily acknowledged on any occasion. He might not be sufficiently what
Captain Nelson called a man of business, to admire the agreed
co-operation with the Austrian army, though as ready as any man to
encounter the fleet of the enemy at sea: when, therefore, that
co-operation became necessary, Captain Nelson's known habits of
soldiering, immediately directed the admiral's attention to the
Brigadier; who had, accordingly, a not altogether unpleasant command of
the squadron at Vado Bay, consisting of thirteen sail of frigates and
sloops. This little fleet, however, with the exception of the above
expedition, did very little important business, not a single frigate
being allowed to chase out of sight.

It was about this period, that Captain Nelson had the satisfaction of
learning that he had, on the 6th of June preceding, in consequence of
the then promotion of flag-officers, been appointed one of the Colonels
of Marines.

He had, it seems, been in some expectation of this promotion, but little
imagined that it had already taken place: for, writing to Captain Locker
on the 18th of June, off Minorca, he observes that great changes had
taken place in the fleet, and that more were on the eve of doing so.
"Perhaps," adds he, "the Admiralty may commission me for some ship
here: if so, provided they give me the marines, I shall feel myself
bound to take her, much as I object to serving another winter campaign
without a little rest."

His health, indeed, had been considerably impaired before Lord Hood
quitted the station; but as he had, after the reduction of Corsica, less
occasion for much continued exertion, it was now, on the whole, rather
increased than diminished; and this timely promotion appears to have
operated as a powerful cordial restorative.

With the Austrian General De Vins, at Vado Bay, on the coast of Genoa,
he continued to co-operate during the whole time that Admiral Hotham
retained the command; who quitted it in November 1795, and was succeeded
by Sir John Jervis; the present Earl of St. Vincent.

This change seems to have been a very fortunate circumstance for Captain
Nelson; and, perhaps, on the whole, little less so for Sir John Jervis.
The new commander in chief was much too shrewd and discerning a
character not to see the full value of such an officer as Captain
Nelson. Himself a man of the highest bravery, and of the first
professional knowledge, he could not fail to recognize, in every act,
the vigorous intellect, and undaunted valour, which Captain Nelson
possessed. It was no slight shade of an uncertain tint, but a plain and
decided distinction of character clearly perceptible at a single glance.
Bravery and skill abound, and will, it is hoped, always abound, in the
British navy; and great, indeed, must be the merits of any one who
shines with superior lustre in a constellation of such general
brilliancy. Sir John had, under his command, many able officers; but he
immediately perceived that Captain Nelson was a star of the first
magnitude, and nobly resolved to remove every intervening cloud which
might prevent his appearing in full splendour.

The great importance, not only to both these exalted naval characters,
but to their country, which has been so much benefitted by their
respective and united services, must prevent the necessity of any
apology for reverting to the very origin of their acquaintance with each
other: a communication which the author of these memoirs has the honour
of being enabled to give, on no less authority than that of the Earl of
St. Vincent himself.

His lordship, while Sir John Jervis, was returning from the House of
Commons, of which he was then a member; when, in the Treasury Passage,
he perceived Captain Locker at a distance, whom he instantly knew, from
the singularity of his looking through an eye-glass fitted at the head
of his cane. Sir John immediately hailed his old friend: and Captain
Locker, coming up, expressed his happiness at seeing Sir John Jervis; as
he wished, he said, to introduce his _eleve_, Captain Nelson.

From that period, till the time when Sir John Jervis took the command of
the Mediterranean fleet, he had never again beheld Captain Nelson; who,
having served much with Lord Hood, and not knowing Sir John Jervis's
generous intentions to bring him still more forward, expressed a wish to
return to England in the Agamemnon. That ship, indeed, from it's then
bad state, was expected to be soon sent home: but Sir John Jervis seems
to have felt more unwilling to part with Captain Nelson than his ship.

On the death of Lord Hervey, the captain of the Zealous, which happened
soon after, Sir John Jervis immediately offered Captain Nelson the
command of that ship; which he declined, still persisting in his desire
to go home.

It was not long, however, before he became sufficiently sensible of Sir
John's great attachment to him, and now readily expressed the desire
which he felt to remain under his command. They were, thus, mutually
pleased with each other; and there resulted, from the harmony which
continued to prevail between these two truly great and heroic
characters, the utmost possible advantage to their country, and the most
complete glory to themselves.

On the 23d of February 1796, Captain Nelson, after looking into Toulon,
where there were then thirteen sail of the line and five frigates ready
for sea, left the commander in chief to the westward of Toulon, and
proceeded to Genoa.

In April, so highly did Sir John Jervis approve of Captain Nelson's
conduct, that he promoted him to the rank of temporary commodore, with
directions to wear a distinguishing pendant, which was accordingly
hoisted on board the old Agamemnon.

In May, orders having arrived for a third rate, the worst ship then in
the line, to return home with the convoy, there could be no doubt that
the Agamemnon must be the ship: and John Samuel Smith, Esq. the
commander of the Captain of seventy-four guns, being in a very ill state
of health, and desirous of going to England, Captain Nelson was
appointed to Captain Smith's ship; and he was to have went home in the
Agamemnon, had he not, shortly after, died at Gibraltar.

So completely, indeed, had Captain Nelson worn out his old and favourite
ship, by a series of hard service, that when it went into dock for
refitment, there was not a mast, yard, sail, or any part of the rigging,
which remained fit for service, the whole having been cut to pieces with
shot. The hull, also, was so greatly damaged, that it had for some time
been secured and kept together merely by having cables properly served
or thrapped round.

On the 11th of August, he obtained the permanent rank of commodore,
having a captain appointed to command under him in his new ship.

In the mean time, he had been also incessantly employed, and still
continued actively engaged till October, in the various arduous services
of blockading Leghorn; taking possession of Porto Ferrajio, with the
island of Caprea; and, lastly, in the evacuation of Bastia.

Having convoyed, in safety, all the British troops from Corsica to Porto
Ferrajio, he joined Sir John Jervis in St. Fiorenzo Bay, and proceeded
with him to Gibraltar.

On his way to Gibraltar, November 5, 1796, in writing to his friend
Captain Locker, he remarks that he has seen the first and the last of
the kingdom of Corsica, It's situation, he says, was certainly most
disirable for us; but the generality of the inhabitants were so greedy
of wealth, and so jealous of each other, that it would require the
patience of Job, and the riches of Croesus, to satisfy them. He adds,
that they say, of themselves, they are only to be governed by the ruling
power's shooting all it's enemies, and bribing all it's friends.

In this letter, too, he observes, to his old friend, with evident
exultation, that as soon as the fleet is united, which was then
expecting to be joined by Admiral Mann, he had no doubt that they should
look out for the combined fleet; who, he supposed, were about
thirty-four sail of the line, badly manned, and worse ordered: "while
our's," exclaims the gallant commodore, "is such a fleet as I never
before saw at sea! There is nothing, hardly, beyond our reach. I need
not give you the character of Sir John Jervis, you know him well;
therefore, I shall only say, that he is worthy of such a fleet, for he
knows how to use it in the most beneficial manner for our country."

After landing at Minorca, the 11th of November, where he observes that
they were on shore "upon velvet," the fleet proceeded to it's
destination, and soon safely arrived.

The commodore, however, remained but a short time at Gibraltar with the
fleet; being ordered, by the commander in chief, to remove his broad
pendant on board La Minerve frigate of thirty-two guns, commanded by
Captain George Cockburne; and, accompanied by La Blanche of the same
force, Captain Preston commander, immediately to proceed to Porto
Ferrajio, for the purpose of bringing away the troops, and naval and
military stores, which still remained there, and which were much wanted
at Gibraltar, in consequence of the change of circumstances occasioned
by the recent commencement of the war with Spain.

During the night of the 19th of December, on his passage to Porto
Ferrajio, Commodore Nelson fell in with two Spanish frigates of
considerable force. The largest ship, which carried a poop light, was
immediately attacked by the commodore; who, at the same time, directed
La Blanche to bear down and engage the other. At forty minutes past ten,
La Minerve brought it's opponent to close action; and the fire
continued, without intermission, till half past one in the morning, when
the Spaniard struck. It proved to be La Sabina Spanish frigate of forty
guns; twenty-eight of them, on the main deck, being eighteen pounders;
with two hundred and eighty-six men, commanded by Captain Don Jacobo
Stuart. The captured ship lost it's mizen mast during the action; and
the main and fore masts were so damaged, that they both gave way on the
very first attempt to carry a press of sail. In this terrible conflict,
one hundred and sixty-four Spaniards, more than half the crew, were
killed and wounded; while La Minerve, though it's masts were shot
through, and it's rigging much cut, had only seven men killed, and
thirty-four wounded.

In Commodore Nelson's first letter to Sir John Jervis, relative to this
action, dated December 20, 1796, he assumes not the smallest merit, but
modestly gives the entire praise to his officers and crew.

     "You are, Sir," says he, "so thoroughly acquainted with the merits
     of Captain Cockburne, that it is needless for me to express them:
     but the discipline of La Minerve does the highest credit to her
     captain and lieutenants, and I wish fully to express the sense
     which I have of their judgment and gallantry. Lieutenant
     Culverhouse, the first lieutenant, is an old officer of very
     distinguished merit; Lieutenants Hardy, Gage, and Noble, deserve
     every praise which gallantry and zeal justly entitle them to, as
     does every other officer and man in the ship.

     "You will observe, Sir, I am sure, with regret, among the wounded,
     Lieutenant James Noble; who quitted the Captain to serve with me,
     and whose merits and repeated wounds, received in fighting the
     enemies of our country, entitle him to every reward a grateful
     nation can bestow."

In the handsomest manner, he thus liberally concludes with praising his
vanquished antagonist--"La Minerve's opponent being commanded by a
gallant officer, was well defended; which has caused her list of killed
and wounded to be great, and her masts, sails, and rigging, to be much
damaged."

Lieutenants Culverhouse and Hardy, with a proper number of men, being
put in charge of La Sabina, which was taken in tow, at four in the
morning, a Spanish frigate, known by it's signals, was seen coming up;
and, at half past four, engaged with La Minerve. Commodore Nelson now
cast off the prize, and directed Lieutenant Culverhouse to stand to the
southward. After a trial of strength for more than half an hour, the
Spaniard wore, and hauled off; or it would, the commodore was confident,
have shared the same fate as it's companion.

At this time, three other ships were seen standing for La Minerve. The
hope was now alive, that they were only frigates, and that La Blanche
was one of them: but, when the day dawned, it was mortifying to find
that they were two Spanish ships of the line, and two frigates, while La
Blanche was far to windward. In this situation, the enemy, by bringing
up the breeze frequently within shot, it required all the skill of
Captain Cockburne, which he eminently displayed, to get off with his
crippled ship.

     "Here," says commodore Nelson, from whose letter to Sir John Jervis
     the above facts are chiefly collected, "I must also do justice to
     Lieutenants Culverhouse and Hardy, and express my tribute of praise
     for their management of the prize. A frigate repeatedly fired into
     her without effect; and, at last, the Spanish admiral quitted the
     pursuit of La Minerve for that of La Sabina, which was steering a
     different course; evidently, with the intention of attracting the
     notice of the admiral, as English colours were hoisted over the
     Spanish. The Sabina's main and fore masts fell overboard before she
     surrendered.

     "This is, Sir, an unpleasant tale; but the merits of every officer
     and man in La Minerve and her prize, were eminently conspicuous
     through the whole of this arduous day. The enemy quitted the
     pursuit of La Minerve at dark."

There were ten men wounded in this last attack, but none killed; and the
mainmast was much damaged, and the rigging greatly cut.

D'Arcy Preston, Esq. captain of La Blanche, had brought, on the
preceding night, a few minutes after La Minerve's first broadside, the
smaller Spanish frigate to close action. The enemy made but a trifling
resistance, and eight or nine broadsides completely silenced them; when
they called out for quarter, and their colours were hauled down.

     "I am sorry to add," says Captain Preston, in his letter to
     Commodore Nelson, written at sea, December 20, "the very near
     approach of three fresh ships, two of which we discovered nearly
     within gun-shot before we went into action, rendered my taking
     possession of her impracticable; when I wore, to join La Minerve.
     Finding the ships did not then close with the frigate, which I had
     left much damaged in her hull, sails, and rigging, I again stood
     after her: but she had, by this time, got her fore-sail, fore
     top-sail, and fore top-gallant sail, set; and not only out-sailed
     the Blanche, before the wind, but was joined by another ship
     standing from the land.

     "Nothing could exceed the steadiness and good conduct of the
     first-lieutenant, Mr. Cowen; and the whole of the officers, and
     ship's company, I have the honour to command. I have great pleasure
     to inform you, that not one person was hurt, or the rigging the
     least damaged.

     "I beg leave to add, how much I am obliged to Captain Maitland, who
     is on board, a passenger, to join his ship, for his very great
     assistance on the quarter-deck during the action."

The worthy and gallant commodore was far less chagrined at the loss of
these two prizes, than at that of his brave officers and men who were
unfortunately on board that of which La Minerve had taken possession. He
seized, therefore, the first possible opportunity of sending a letter,
by a flag of truce, to his Excellency Don Miguel Gaston, Captain
General of the Department of Carthagena, of which the following
authentic copy is now for the first time printed.

     "His Britannic Majesty's Ship
     the Minerve, at Sea,
     Dec. 24, 1796.


     "SIR,

     "The fortune of war put La Sabina into my possession, after she had
     been most gallantly defended: the fickle dame returned her to you,
     with some of my officers and men in her.

     "I have endeavoured to make the captivity of Don Jacobo Stuart, her
     brave commander, as light as possible; and I trust to the
     generosity of your nation for it's being reciprocal for the British
     officers and men.

     "I consent, Sir, that Don Jacobo may be exchanged, and at full
     liberty to serve his king, when Lieutenants Culverhouse and Hardy
     are delivered into the garrison of Gibraltar, with such others as
     may be agreed on by the cartel established between Gibraltar and
     St. Roche, for the exchange of prisoners.

     "I have also a domestic taken in La Sabina, his name is Israel
     Coulson. Your excellency will, I am sure, order him to be
     immediately restored to me, for which I shall consider myself as
     obliged to you.

     "I also trust, that those men now prisoners of war with you will be
     sent to Gibraltar. It becomes great nations to act with generosity
     to each other, and to soften the horrors of war.

     "I have the honour to be, with the most perfect esteem, your most
     obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

Not satisfied with this single application, he immediately strengthened
it by another epistle, which he addressed to the Spanish Admiral, Don
Juan Mareno. In this letter, he also kindly bears testimony to the
merits of the unfortunate commander of La Sabina. "I cannot," says he,
"allow Don Jacobo to return to you, without expressing my admiration of
his gallant conduct. To you, who have seen the state of his ship, it is
needless to mention the impossibility of her longer defence. I have lost
many brave men: but, in our masts, I was most fortunate; or, probably, I
should have had the honour of your acquaintance. But it pleased God to
order it otherwise, for which I am thankful. I have endeavoured to make
Don Jacobo's captivity as easy as possible; and I rely on your
generosity, for reciprocal treatment towards my brave officers and men,
your prisoners."

On the 24th of December, La Minerve captured, off the south end of
Sardinia, a French privateer, called the Maria, of six nine pounders,
and sixty-eight men; which was taken in tow, and carried safely into
Porto Ferrajio: they arrived at that port on the 27th, and found there
six of his majesty's ships at anchor.

After employing upwards of a month, in refitting ships, and obviating
various objections which had been unexpectedly made to the embarkation
of the troops and stores from Elba, on the 29th of January 1797, the
whole being embarked in twelve sail of transports, La Minerve, with the
Romulus, Southampton, Dido, Dolphin, Dromedary, and Sardine, sailed from
Porto Ferrajio.

Sir Gilbert Elliot, the late Viceroy of Corsica, since Lord Minto; with
the ingenious Colonel Drinkwater, Secretary at War for that island; and
the rest of the establishment; took their passage in La Minerve, with
Commodore Nelson: who, on his way to Gibraltar, looked into the ports of
the respective enemies, that he might be enabled to ascertain, and
report to the commander in chief, the apparent state of the combined
fleet.

On the 30th, he parted from the convoy, accompanied by the Romulus; and,
on the 1st of February, looked into Toulon harbour. They took, on the
5th, a small Spanish felucca; and, on the 6th, another. On the 9th,
looked into the harbour of Carthagena; and, on the 10th, safely moored
in Rosier Bay, Gibraltar: a few days after the Spanish fleet from
Carthagena had been seen to pass through the Straits.

The next day, Commodore Nelson had the pleasure to receive on board
Lieutenants Culverhouse and Hardy, with all the seamen belonging to La
Minerve, who had been liberated, by the Spaniards, and returned to
Gibraltar, in consequence of his judicious applications.

Anxious to join Sir John Jervis, that he might partake in the glory of
an expected engagement between the two fleets, on Saturday, the 11th, at
half past two in the afternoon, La Minerve weighed, and made sail; when,
on proceeding westward to the appointed place of rendezvous, two Spanish
ships of the line, cut or slipped from Algesiras, and gave chase. La
Minerve, however, making all possible sail, left them fast; and, in the
evening, was within four leagues of Cape Spartel.

In the morning of the 12th, at half past three, the report of several
guns was heard; which, there seemed little doubt, proceeded from the
Spanish fleet. The commodore, therefore, bore up to the northward.

Next morning, the 13th, he saw two strange sail bearing north
north-west, after which he made sail; and, at half past three, heard
several guns fired in that quarter, which was evidently the situation of
the Spanish fleet. At half past eight, Commodore Nelson saw the English
fleet; and made the private signal, which was answered by the commander
in chief.

On joining the fleet, Commodore Nelson communicated to Sir John Jervis
what he had remarked respecting the situation of the Spanish fleet; and
which, with other intelligence, induced the commander in chief to send
off dispatches to England, expressive of his hopes soon to come up with
the enemy; whom it was his determination to engage the first moment
possible.

Commodore Nelson having been made acquainted, by Sir John Jervis, with
the particulars of his plan for the intended order of battle, which had
several days before been imparted to the other commanders of the
respective ships, shifted his broad pendant, at half past six in the
morning, from La Minerve to his former ship, the Captain, of
seventy-four guns, Ralph Willet Miller, Esq. commander: shortly after
which, the signal was thrown out, for every ship to prepare for action.

Though, on joining the British fleet, the Lively frigate, commanded by
the Right Honourable Lord Viscount Garlies, was appointed to proceed
with Sir Gilbert Elliot, and the gentlemen accompanying him, to England;
there being reason to expect an approaching general engagement with the
Spanish fleet, the Lively, at the joint solicitations of Sir Gilbert
Elliot and Lord Garlies, who were desirous of waiting and observing the
issue, was detained with the squadron, and acted as a repeating frigate
during the action.

This circumstance enabled Colonel Drinkwater, who was on board the
Lively, to view that interesting scene with a precision and leisure
which could never have occurred to any person actually engaged in the
conflict.

To the elegant pen of this gentleman, the world is indebted for one of
the most accurate and masterly descriptions of a naval engagement which
has ever been given; and his correct and elegant pencil has also
illustrated his "Narrative of the Proceedings of the British Fleet,
commanded by Admiral Sir John Jervis, K.B. on the 14th of February
1797," with engraved plans of the relative positions of the two fleets,
at the various most momentous periods of the celebrated battle off Cape
St. Vincent's.

From this ingenious pamphlet, now become exceedingly scarce, there will,
perhaps, be no impropriety in extracting the chief particulars of this,
at that time, unparalleled naval victory: particularly as, from the very
extraordinary share which Commodore Nelson actually had in this glorious
engagement, by disingenuously presenting a garbled account relative to
him alone, it might seem rather to appear as his battle, than that of
Sir John Jervis, the illustrious commander in chief; who derives, so
deservedly, from that splendid victory, his title of Earl of St.
Vincent.

The weakness of over-zealous friends is often more prejudicial than the
most violent efforts of professed enemies. No man ever less needed, or
less desired, to strip a single leaf from the honoured wreath of any
other hero, with the vain hope of augmenting his own, than the immortal
Nelson; no man ever more merited the whole of that which a generous
nation unanimously presented to Sir John Jervis, than the Earl of St.
Vincent.

     "Before I enter," says Colonel Drinkwater, "on the detail of the
     proceedings of the important day which will certainly immortalize
     the name of Jervis, and of his brave seconds, it will be proper to
     state the relative force of the British and Spanish fleets.

     "The British fleet--or, to use, I believe, a more correct term, the
     British squadron--consisted of fifteen sail of the line, four
     frigates, a sloop of war, and a cutter; the Spanish fleet, of
     twenty-seven sail of the line, ten frigates, and a brig.

     "Before sun-set, in the evening of the 13th, the signal had been
     made for the British squadron to prepare for battle, and the ships
     were also directed to keep in close order during the night.

     "At day-break, on the 14th--St. Valentine's Day--the British fleet
     was in complete order, formed in two divisions, standing on a wind
     to the south south-west. The morning was hazy. About half past six,
     the Culloden made the signal for five sail in the south-west by
     south quarter; which was soon after confirmed by the Lively and
     Niger frigates, and that the strange sail were by the wind on the
     starboard tack. The Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war, Captain Lindsey,
     was therefore directed to reconnoitre.

     "At a quarter past eight o'clock, the squadron was ordered,
     by-signal, to form in a close order; and, in a few minutes
     afterwards, the signal was repeated to prepare for battle.

     "About half past nine o'clock, the Culloden, Blenheim, and Prince
     George, were ordered to chase in the south by west quarter; which,
     upon the Bonne Citoyenne making a signal that she saw eight sail in
     that quarter, was afterwards strengthened by the Irresistible,
     Colossus, and Orion.

     "A little past ten o'clock, the Minerve frigate made the signal for
     twenty sail in the south-west quarter; and, a few minutes after, of
     eight sail in the south by west. Half an hour afterwards, the Bonne
     Citoyenne made the signal that she could distinguish sixteen--and,
     immediately afterwards, twenty-five--of the strange ships, to be of
     the line. The enemy's fleet were, indeed, now become visible to all
     the British squadron.

     "The ships first discovered by the Culloden were separated from
     their main body; which, being to windward, were bearing down in
     some confusion, with a view of joining their separated ships. It
     appeared to have been the British admiral's intention, on
     discovering the separated ships of the enemy's fleet, to have cut
     them off, if possible, before the main body could arrive to their
     assistance; and, with this view, the fast-sailing ships of his
     squadron were ordered to chase.

     "Assured, now, of the near position of their main body, he probably
     judged it most advisable to form his fleet into the line of battle;
     and the signal was made for their forming the line of battle ahead
     and astern, as most convenient. A signal was made, directing the
     squadron to steer south south-west.

     "About twenty minutes past eleven o'clock, the admiral pointed out
     that the Victory, his flag-ship, would take her station next to the
     Colossus. Some variation in steering was afterwards directed, in
     order to let the rear ships close up. At twenty-six minutes past
     eleven o'clock, the admiral communicated his intention to pass
     through the enemy's line, hoisting his large flag and ensign; and,
     soon after, the signal was made to engage.

     "The British van, by this time, had approached the enemy; and the
     destination of leading the British line into action, fell to the
     lot of the Culloden, commanded by Captain Troubridge. About half
     past eleven o'clock, the firing commenced, from the Culloden,
     against the enemy's headmost ships to windward.

     "As the British squadron advanced, the action became more general;
     and it was soon apparent, that the British admiral had accomplished
     his design of passing through the enemy's line.

     "The animated and regular fire of the British squadron was but
     feebly returned by the enemy's ships to windward; which, being
     frustrated in their attempts to join the separated ships, had been
     obliged to haul their wind on the larboard tack. Those to leeward,
     and which were most effectually cut off from their main body,
     attempted also to form on their larboard tack; apparently, with a
     determination of either passing through, or to leeward of, our
     line, and joining their friends: but the warm reception they met
     with, from the centre ships of our squadron, soon obliged them to
     put about; and, excepting one, the whole sought safety in flight,
     and did not again appear in the action till the close of the day.
     This single ship, which persevered in passing to leeward of the
     British line, was so covered with smoke, that her intention was not
     discovered till she had reached the rear: when she was not
     permitted to pass without notice, but received the fire of our
     sternmost ships; and, as she luffed round the rear, the Lively, and
     other frigates, had also the honour of exchanging, with this
     two-decker, several broadsides.

     "Sir John Jervis having effected his first purpose, now directed
     his whole attention to the enemy's main body to windward;
     consisting, at this time, of eighteen sail of the line. At eight
     minutes past twelve, the signal was therefore made for the British
     fleet to tack in succession; and, soon after, the signal for again
     passing the enemy's line.

     "The Spanish admiral's plan seemed to be, to join his ships to
     leeward, by wearing round the rear of our line; and the ships which
     had passed, and exchanged shot, with our squadron, had actually
     borne up with this view.

     "This design, however, was frustrated by the timely opposition of
     Commodore Nelson; whose station in the rear of the British line
     afforded him an opportunity of observing this manoeuvre, and of
     frustrating the Spanish admiral's intention. His ship, the Captain,
     had no sooner passed the rear of the enemy's ships that were to
     windward, than he ordered her to wear, and stood on the other tack
     towards the enemy.

     "In executing this bold, and decisive manoeuvre, the commodore
     reached the sixth ship from the enemy's rear, which was the Spanish
     admiral's flag, the Santissima Trinidada, of one hundred and
     thirty-six guns; a ship of four decks, and said to be the largest
     in the world. Notwithstanding the inequality of force, the
     commodore instantly engaged this colossal opponent; and, for a
     considerable time, had to contend not only with her, but with her
     seconds ahead and astern, of three decks each. While he maintained
     this unequal combat, which was viewed with admiration, mixed with
     anxiety, his friends were flying to his support: and the enemy's
     attention was soon directed to the Culloden, Captain Troubridge;
     and, in a short time after, to the Blenheim, of ninety guns,
     Captain Frederick; who, very opportunely, came to his assistance.

     "The intrepid conduct of the commodore staggered the Spanish
     admiral, who already appeared to waver in pursuing his intention of
     joining the ships cut off by the British fleet; when the Culloden's
     arrival, and Captain Troubridge's spirited support of the Captain,
     together with the approach of the Blenheim, followed by
     Rear-Admiral Parker, with the Prince George, Orion, Irresistible,
     and Diadem, not far distant, determined the Spanish admiral to
     change his design altogether, and to make the signal for the ships
     of his main body to haul their wind, and make sail on the larboard
     tack.

     "Advantage was now apparent, in favour of the British squadron, and
     not a moment was lost in improving it. As the ships of Rear-Admiral
     Parker's division approached the enemy's ships, in support of the
     Captain, and her gallant seconds, the Blenheim and Culloden, the
     cannonade became more animated and impressive. The superiority of
     the British fire over that of the enemy, and it's effects on the
     enemy's hulls and sails, were so evident, that there was no longer
     any hesitation in pronouncing a glorious termination of the
     contest.

     "The British squadron, at this time, was formed in two divisions,
     both on the larboard tack: Rear-Admiral Parker, with the Blenheim,
     Culloden, Prince George, Captain, Orion, and Irresistible, composed
     one division, which was engaged with the enemy's rear; Sir John
     Jervis, with the other division, consisting of the Excellent,
     Victory, Barfleur, Namur, Egmont, Goliah, and Britannia, was
     pressing forward in support of his advanced squadron, but had not
     yet approached the real scene of action.

     "While the British advanced division warmly pressed the enemy's
     centre and rear, the admiral meditated, with his division, a
     co-operation which must effectually compel some of them to
     surrender.

     "In the confusion of their retreat, several of the enemy's ships
     had doubled on each other; and, in the rear, they were three or
     four deep. It was, therefore, the British admiral's design to reach
     the weathermost of these ships; and, then, to bear up, and rake
     them all, in succession, with the seven ships composing his
     division. His object, afterwards, was to pass on to the support of
     his van division; which, from the length of time they had been
     engaged, he judged might be in want of it. The casual position,
     however, of the rear ships of his van division prevented his
     executing this plan. The admiral, therefore, ordered the Excellent,
     the leading ship of his own division, to bear up; and, with the
     Victory, he himself passed to leeward of the enemy's rearmost and
     leewardmost ships; which, though almost silenced in their fire,
     continued obstinately to resist the animated attack of all their
     opponents.

     "Captain Collingwood, in the Excellent, in obedience to the
     admiral's orders, passed between the two rearmost ships of the
     enemy's line; giving to the one most to windward, a seventy-four,
     so effectual a broadside, in addition to what had been done before,
     that her captain was induced to submit. The Excellent, afterwards,
     bore down on the ship to leeward, a three-decker: but, observing
     the Orion engaged with her, and the Victory approaching her, he
     threw into her only a few discharges of musketry, and passed on to
     the support of the Captain, at that time warmly engaged with a
     three-decker, carrying a flag. His interference here was
     opportune, as the continual and long fire of the Captain had almost
     expended the ammunition she had at hand, and the loss of her
     fore-topmast, and other injuries she had received in her rigging,
     had rendered her nearly ungovernable.

     "The Spanish three-decker had lost her mizen-mast; and, before the
     Excellent arrived in her proper station to open on this ship, the
     three-decker dropped astern aboard of, and became entangled with, a
     Spanish two-decker, that was her second. Thus doubled on each
     other, the Excellent gave the two ships her fire; and then moved
     forwards to assist the headmost ships in their attack on the
     Spanish admiral, and the other ships of the enemy's centre.

     "Meanwhile, Sir John Jervis, disappointed in his plan of raking the
     enemy's rear ships, and having directed, as before observed, the
     Excellent to bear up, ordered the Victory to be placed on the
     lee-quarter of the rearmost ship of the enemy, a three-decker; and
     having, by signal, ordered the Irresistible and Diadem to suspend
     their firing, threw into the three-decker so powerful a discharge,
     that her commander, seeing the Barfleur, carrying Vice-Admiral the
     Honourable William Waldegrave's flag, ready to second the Victory,
     thought proper to strike to the British commander in chief. Two of
     the enemy's ships had now surrendered; and the Lively frigate, and
     Diadem, had orders to secure the prizes. The next that fell, were
     the two with which Commodore Nelson was engaged.

     "While Captain Collingwood so nobly stepped in to his assistance,
     as already mentioned. Captain Ralph Willet Miller, the commodore's
     captain, was enabled to replenish his lockers with shot, and
     prepare for a renewal of the fight. No sooner, therefore, had the
     Excellent passed on, than the gallant commodore renewed the battle.

     "The three-decker with which he was before engaged having fallen
     aboard her second, that ship, of eighty-four guns, became now the
     commodore's opponent. To her, therefore, he directed a vigorous
     fire; nor was it feebly returned, as the loss on board the Captain
     evinced, nearly twenty men being killed and wounded in a very few
     minutes. It was now that the various damages already sustained by
     that ship, through the long and arduous conflict which she had
     maintained, appearing to render a continuance of the contest in the
     usual way precarious, or perhaps impossible, that Commodore Nelson,
     unable to bear the idea of parting with an enemy of whom he had so
     thoroughly assured himself, instantly resolved on a bold and
     decisive measure; and determined, whatever might be the event, to
     attempt his opponent sword in hand. The boarders were accordingly
     summoned, and orders given to lay his ship, the Captain, on board
     the enemy.

     "Fortune favours the brave! nor, on this occasion, was she
     unmindful of her favourite. Captain Miller so judiciously directed
     the course of the Captain, that she was laid aboard the starboard
     quarter of the Spanish eighty-four; her spritsail-yard passing over
     the enemy's poop, and hooking in her mizen shrouds: and, the word
     to board being given, the officers and seamen, destined for this
     duty, headed by Lieutenant Berry, together with the detachment of
     the sixty-ninth regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Pearson, then
     doing duty as marines on board the Captain, passed with rapidity on
     board the enemy's ship; and, in a short time, the San Nicolas was
     in the possession of her intrepid assailants. The commodore's
     impatience would not permit him to remain an inactive spectator of
     this event. He knew, that the attempt was hazardous; and his
     presence, he thought, might contribute to it's success. He,
     therefore, accompanied the party in this attack: passing, from the
     fore-chains of his own ship, into the enemy's quarter gallery; and,
     thence, through the cabin, to the quarter-deck, where he arrived in
     time to receive the sword of the dying commander, who was mortally
     wounded by the boarders. For a few minutes after the officers had
     submitted, the crew below were firing their lower-deck guns: this
     irregularity, however, was soon corrected, and measures taken for
     the security of the conquest. But this labour was no sooner
     atchieved, than he found himself engaged in another, still more
     arduous. The stern of the three-decker, his former opponent, was
     directly amidships on the weather-beam of the San Nicolas; and,
     from her poop and galleries, the enemy sorely annoyed, with
     musketry, the British who had boarded the San Nicolas. The
     commodore was not long in resolving on the conduct to be adopted on
     this momentous occasion. The two alternatives that presented
     themselves to his unshaken mind, were to quit the prize, or
     instantly board the three-decker. Confident of the bravery of his
     seamen, he determined on the latter. Directing, therefore, an
     additional number of men to be sent from the Captain on board the
     San Nicolas, the undaunted Commodore headed, himself, the
     assailants in this new attack; vehemently exclaiming--"Westminster
     Abbey! or, glorious victory!"

     "Success, in a few minutes, and with little loss, crowned the
     enterprise. Such, indeed, was the panic occasioned by his preceding
     conduct, that the British no sooner appeared on the quarter-deck of
     their new opponent, than the commandant advanced; and, asking for
     the British commanding officer, dropped on one knee, and presented
     to him his sword; mentioning, at the same time, as an excuse for
     the Spanish admiral's not appearing, that he was dangerously
     wounded. For a moment, Commodore Nelson could scarcely persuade
     himself of this second instance of good fortune: he, therefore,
     ordered the Spanish commandant, who had the rank of a brigadier, to
     assemble the officers on the quarter-deck, and direct steps to be
     instantly taken for communicating to the crew the surrender of the
     ship. All the officers immediately appeared; and the commodore had
     the surrender of the San Josef duly confirmed, by each of them
     delivering to him his sword.

     "William Fearney, one of the commodore's bargemen, had attended
     close by his side throughout this perilous adventure. To him the
     commodore gave in charge the swords of the Spanish officers, as he
     received them; and the jolly tar, as they were delivered to him,
     tucked these honourable trophies under his arm, with all the
     _sang-froid_ imaginable. It was at this moment, also, that a
     British sailor, who had long fought under the commodore, came up,
     in the fullness of his heart; and, excusing the liberty he was
     taking, asked to shake him by the hand, to congratulate him on
     seeing him safe on the quarter-deck of a Spanish three decker.

     "This new conquest had scarcely submitted, and the commodore
     returned on board the San Nicolas, when the latter ship was
     discovered to be on fire in two places. At the first moment,
     appearances were alarming; but presence of mind, and resources,
     were not wanting to the British officers in this emergency. The
     firemen were immediately ordered from the Captain; and, proper
     means being taken, the fires were soon got under.

     "A signal was now made, by the Captain, for boats to assist in
     separating her from her two prizes: and, as the Captain was
     incapable of farther service till refitted, Commodore Nelson
     hoisted his broad pendant, for the moment, on board La Minerve
     frigate; and, in the evening, shifted it to the Irresistible of
     seventy-four guns, Captain Martin.

     "Four of the enemy's ships were now in possession of the British
     squadron--two of three decks, the Salvador del Mondo, and the San
     Josef, of a hundred and twelve guns each; one of eighty-four, the
     San Nicolas; and the San Ysidro, of seventy-four guns--and the van
     of the British line still continued to press hard the Santissima
     Trinidada, and others, in the rear of the enemy's flying fleet.

     "The close of the day, before the four prizes were secured,
     undoubtedly saved the Spanish admiral's flag from falling into the
     hands of the victors. The Santissima Trinidada, in which he carried
     it, had been so much the object of attention, that the ship was a
     perfect wreck when the action ceased. Many, indeed, aver that she
     actually struck both her flag and ensign; hoisting a white flag, as
     a signal of submission: but, as she continued her course, and
     afterwards hoisted a Spanish jack, others doubt this circumstance.
     It is, however, an indisputable truth, that her fire had been
     silent for some time before this event is reported to have
     occurred. It was a defensive combat, entirely, on their parts,
     after Commodore Nelson obliged them to haul their wind on the
     larboard tack.

     "The loss of the enemy, in this engagement, must have been very
     considerable. The fire of the British squadron was, throughout the
     action, superior, in the proportion of five or six to one; and, if
     we were to judge from the number of killed and wounded found on
     board the prizes, their casualties, must greatly exceed the numbers
     that have been usually computed. Almost all their wounded, that had
     lost limbs, died for want of assistance; and many others, who were
     wounded in other parts, were found dead in the holds.

     "The loss of the British squadron, in killed and wounded, amounted
     to exactly three hundred: moderate, indeed, when compared with that
     of the enemy, and considering the duration of the action! But the
     expenditure of ammunition was beyond any recent example. The
     Culloden, it is said, expended one hundred and seventy barrels of
     powder; the Captain, one hundred and forty-six; and the Blenheim,
     one hundred and eighty: other ships expended in similar
     proportions. It is by no means unworthy of remark, however, that
     not a single British gun burst.

     "The Captain fired more shot than are usually given to a ship of
     her rate, at her first equipment in England: and it was observed
     that, when shot or grape were wanting, on board this ship, for the
     carronades, the tars substituted, in their place, nine-pounds shot,
     seven of which were frequently discharged at one time; and this at
     so short a distance, that every shot of the seven must have had
     effect.

     "I could wish to convey, in some adequate manner, the merits of the
     chief personages in this glorious engagement; but the praise of
     those who were most conspicuous will, after all, be best collected
     from this faithful narrative of their actions: to express it, is
     far above the power of my pen. I confess, the admiration with which
     I viewed their conduct, would not permit me to be silent; or to
     suppress the strong feelings excited in my mind, by all the glories
     of that memorable day--if it were not for a real despair of
     reaching the extraordinary merits of some, and for a sincere
     apprehension of doing injustice even to those whom I might name, as
     well as to those whom I might, from ignorance, omit. Certain it is,
     that while the admiral, and some distinguished actors in this
     scene, are covered with never-fading laurels--if others of the
     squadron had not the same important share in the transactions of
     the day, it was owing to circumstances not dependent on themselves,
     and to no want of ardour or personal exertion.

     "If I may be permitted to hazard an opinion, the whole squadron
     have gained immortal honour; for the victory of the 14th of
     February stands, in all it's circumstances, first and unparalleled
     in naval history.

     "The time mentioned in the narrative is taken from the minutes kept
     on board the Victory. Some difference occurs between them and
     those kept on board other ships; but I have thought proper to
     follow the former, conceiving them to be the most correct."

Such is the account of this glorious victory, as described by Colonel
Drinkwater; who not only had the best possible view of the transactions
in general, but was favoured with many particulars from some of the most
intelligent officers who commanded or served on board the respective
ships.

The official letter of the commander in chief, as addressed, on this
occasion, by Sir John Jervis, to Evan Nepean, Esq. Secretary of the
Admiralty, and published in the London Gazette, it has been frequently
observed, was remarkable for not containing a single syllable of
individual praise. This circumstance has been differently accounted for,
by different persons, as they have been swayed by their prejudices,
their partialities, or their imaginations; few, however, appear to have
been very solicitous about the truth. Indeed, there are no
inconsiderable number of writers, and of readers too, who would be
rather mortified than pleased to discover any positive verity which
might overthrow, or even oppose, their own preconceived notions, however
unjust or erroneous.

That the omission to mention names was the result of design, and not of
accident, in the public letter of the commander in chief, is certainly
true; and the Earl of St. Vincent need never blush at avowing the
motive by which he was laudably actuated to avoid mentioning the names
of individuals. He had seen an instance of the fatal consequences of
such selections, in the then recent example of Lord Howe; who, with the
best intentions, had thus unfortunately excited the most cruel pangs in
the bosoms of many brave commanders. He resolved, therefore, with the
most humane and benevolent view, to speak only, to the public, in terms
of general approbation.

Having had occasion to say so much respecting this public letter, it's
omission might, by the malignant, be construed into a wish to prevent
it's being sufficiently investigated. Truth, however, is always a gainer
by minute enquiry: notwithstanding, therefore, the repetition which this
letter necessarily contains of what has been already seen by the reader
in Colonel Drinkwater's Narrative, it is here subjoined--

     "Victory,
     off Lagos Bay,
     February 16, 1797.


     "SIR,

     "The hopes of falling in with the Spanish fleet, expressed in my
     letter to you of the 13th instant, were confirmed, that night, by
     our distinctly hearing the report of their signal-guns, and by
     intelligence received from Captain Foote, of his majesty's ship
     Niger, who had, with equal judgment and perseverance, kept company
     with them for several days, on my prescribed rendezvous; which,
     from the strong south-east winds, I had never been able to reach:
     and, that they were not more than three or four leagues from us. I
     anxiously waited the dawn of day; when, being on the starboard
     tack, Cape St. Vincent bearing east by north seven leagues, I had
     the satisfaction of seeing a number of ships, extending from
     south-west to south, the wind then at west by south. At forty
     minutes past ten, the weather being extremely hazy, La Bonne
     Citoyenne made the signal that the ships were of the line,
     twenty-five in number: his majesty's squadron, consisting of the
     fifteen ships of the line named in the margin, were happily formed,
     in the most complete order of sailing, in two lines. By carrying a
     press of sail, I was fortunate in getting in with the enemy's fleet
     at half past eleven o'clock, before it had time to connect and form
     a regular order of battle. Such a moment was not to be lost: and,
     confident in the skill, valour, and discipline, of the officers and
     men I had the happiness to command, and judging that the honour of
     his majesty's arms, and the circumstances of the war in these seas,
     required a considerable degree of enterprize, I felt myself
     justified in departing from the regular system; and, passing
     through their fleet, in a line formed with the utmost celerity,
     tacked, and thereby separated one-third from the main body. After a
     partial cannonade, which prevented their rejunction till the
     evening, and by the very great exertions of the ships which had the
     good fortune to arrive up with the enemy on the larboard tack, the
     ships named in the margin were captured, and the action ceased
     about five o'clock in the evening. I inclose the most correct list
     I have been able to obtain of the Spanish fleet opposed to me,
     amounting to twenty-seven sail of the line; and an account of the
     killed and wounded in his majesty's ships, as well as in those
     taken from the enemy. The moment the latter, almost totally
     dismasted, and his majesty's ships the Captain and Culloden, are in
     a state to put to sea, I shall avail myself of the first favourable
     winds to proceed off Cape St. Vincent, in my way to Lisbon. Captain
     Calder, whose able assistance has greatly contributed to the public
     service during my command, is the bearer of this; and will more
     particularly describe, to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty,
     the movements of the squadron on the 14th, and the present state of
     it. I am, &c.


     "J. Jervis."

     "Evan Nepean, Esq."

This is, certainly, a very fair hasty sketch of the business; in which,
though the names of particular commanders are not mentioned, for the
reasons already stated, they are, perhaps, more than sufficiently
hinted, to an eye of any discernment, by those of the ships described as
having suffered most severely in the action.

Nor is this all. Sir John Jervis, in his private letter, of the same
date, addressed to Lord Spencer, then First Lord of the Admiralty, as a
guide for merited promotion, was by no means backward in naming those
commanders who had been enabled most to distinguish themselves.

Of this important letter, which cannot fail to demonstrate that he did
ample justice to individual gallantry and exertion, the author has been
kindly honoured with an extract; which is now, for the first time,
presented to the public, with the consent of the Earl of St. Vincent.

     "The correct conduct of every officer and man in the squadron, on
     the 14th instant, made it improper to distinguish one more than
     another, in my public letter; because I am confident that, had
     those who were least in action been in the situation of the
     fortunate few, their behaviour would not have been less
     meritorious: yet, to your lordship, it becomes me to state, that
     Captain Troubridge, in the Culloden, led the squadron through the
     enemy in a masterly stile, and tacked the instant the signal flew;
     and was gallantly supported by the Blenheim, Prince George, Orion,
     Irresistible, and Colossus. The latter had her fore and
     fore-topsail yards wounded, and they unfortunately broke in the
     slings in stays; which threw her out, and impeded the tacking of
     the Victory.

     "Commodore Nelson, who was in the rear on the starboard tack, took
     the lead on the larboard, and contributed very much to the fortune
     of the day; as did Captain Collingwood: and, in the close, the San
     Josef and San Nicolas having fallen foul of each other, the Captain
     laid them on board; and Captain Berry, who served as a volunteer,
     entered at the head of the boarders, and Commodore Nelson followed
     immediately, and took possession of them both. The crippled state
     of these ships, and the Captain, entangled as they were, and that
     part of the enemy's fleet which had been kept off in the
     morning--as described in the public letter--joining at the instant,
     it became necessary to collect the squadron, to resist an attempt
     to wrest these ships, the Salvador del Mundo, and San Ysidro, from
     us, which occasioned the discontinuance of the action."

It is evident from this letter, and it's consequences, that the merits
of Commodore Nelson were now duly appreciated. The handsome
acknowledgment, by the commander in chief, that he had contributed much
to the fortune of the day, was a very sufficient hint that he ought to
participate in the honours and advantages which it might be expected to
produce. Sir John Jervis, accordingly, became the Earl of St. Vincent;
and Commodore Nelson, Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B.

In the mean time, so enraptured was Sir John Jervis, with the skill and
bravery which he had witnessed in the gallant commodore, that he
literally clasped him in his arms, when he came on board the Victory,
after the action--dirtied and disfigured as he was, with great part of
his hat shot away--and pressed to his own valiant bosom one of the most
heroic hearts that ever inhabited a human breast.

This undoubted fact is given on no less authority than that of Thomas
Bolton, Esq. who received it from the honourable lips of his immortal
brother-in-law.

A week after the action, on his way to Lisbon, the commodore wrote a
letter to Captain Locker, dated on board the Irresistible, Lagos Bay,
February 21, 1797; in which, observing that he had been too unwell to
write by the Lively frigate, which carried the news of victory to
England, he mentions that, as he knows how anxious his friend would be
for his welfare, both in health and reputation, he sends him a short
detail of the transactions of the Captain: adding that, if he approved
of it, he was at perfect liberty to insert it in the newspapers;
inserting the name of "Commodore," instead of "I." He mentions, that
Captain Miller and Berry, &c. authenticated the truth, till he quitted
the San Josef, to go on board La Minerve; and that, farther than this,
the detail should not be printed. As he does not write for the press, he
modestly intimates, there may be parts which require the pruning-knife,
which he desires him to use at discretion, without fear. "I pretend not
to say," concludes he, "that these ships might not have fallen, had I
not boarded them: but, truly, it was far from impossible that they might
have forged into the Spanish fleet, as the other two ships did."

Though the account inclosed in the above letter is in a considerable
degree anticipated by the more copious and general narrative of Colonel
Drinkwater, and in some measure by the letters of the commander in
chief, the circumstance of it's having been written by the heroic
commodore himself will be a better apology for inserting it, than any
that could be offered by his biographer for it's omission.

     _A few Remarks relative to the Proceedings of his Majesty's Ship
     Captain, on board of which Ship Commodore Nelson's Pendant was
     flying on the 14th of February 1797._

     WRITTEN BY THE COMMODORE.

     "At one P.M. the Captain having passed the sternmost of the enemy's
     ships, which formed their van, and part of their centre, consisting
     of seventeen sail of the line, they on the starboard, we on the
     larboard tack, the admiral made the signal to tack in succession;
     but, perceiving all the Spanish ships to bear up before the wind,
     evidently with an intention of forcing their line, going large, and
     joining their separated divisions, at that time engaged with some
     of our centre ships, or flying from us--to prevent either of their
     schemes from taking place, I ordered the ship to be wore; and,
     passing between the Diadem and Excellent, at a quarter past one
     o'clock, was engaged with the headmost, and of course leewardmost,
     of the Spanish division. The ships, which I knew, were the
     Santissima Trinidada of one hundred and thirty-six guns, San Josef
     of one hundred and twelve, Salvador del Mundo of one hundred and
     twelve, San Nicolas of eighty; there was another first-rate, and a
     seventy-four, names unknown.

     "I was immediately joined, and most nobly supported, by the
     Culloden, Captain Troubridge. The Spanish fleet, not wishing, I
     suppose, to have a decisive battle, hauled to the wind on the
     larboard tack, which brought the ships abovementioned to be the
     leewardmost and sternmost ships in their fleet. For near an hour, I
     believe, but I do not pretend to be correct as to time, did the
     Culloden and Captain support this not only apparently, but really,
     unequal contest; when the Blenheim, passing between us and the
     enemy, gave us a respite, and sickened the Dons. At this time, the
     Salvador del Mundo, and San Ysidro, dropped astern; and were fired
     into, in a masterly stile, by the Excellent, Captain Collingwood,
     who compelled the San Ysidro to hoist English colours; and, I
     thought, the large ship, Salvador del Mundo, had also struck: but
     Captain Collingwood, disdaining the parade of taking possession of
     a vanquished enemy, most gallantly pushed up, with every sail set,
     to save his old friend and messmate; who was, to appearance, in a
     critical state. The Blenheim being ahead, the Culloden crippled and
     astern, the Excellent ranged up within two feet of the San Nicolas,
     giving a most tremendous fire. The San Nicolas luffing up, the San
     Josef fell on board her; and the Excellent, passing on for the
     Santissima Trinidada, the Captain resumed her station abreast of
     them, and close alongside. At this time, the Captain having lost
     her fore-top-mast, not a sail, shroud, nor rope left, her wheel
     away, and incapable of farther service in the line or in chace, I
     directed Captain Miller to put the helm a-starboard; and, calling
     for the boarders, ordered them to board. The soldiers of the
     sixty-ninth, with an alacrity which will ever do them credit, and
     Lieutenant Pearson of the same regiment, were almost the foremost
     on this service. The first man who jumped into the enemy's mizen
     chains was Captain Berry, late my first-lieutenant--Captain Miller
     was in the act of going, also, but I directed him to remain--he was
     supported by our spritsail yard, which hooked in the mizen rigging.
     A soldier of the sixty-ninth regiment having broken the upper
     quarter-gallery window, I jumped in, myself, and was followed by
     others as fast as possible. I found the cabin doors fastened, and
     some Spanish officers fired their pistols: but, having broke open
     the doors, the soldiers fired; and the Spanish
     brigadier--commodore, with a distinguishing pendant--instantly
     fell, as retreating to the quarter-deck; where immediately onwards,
     for the quarter-deck; where I found Captain Berry in possession of
     the poop, and the Spanish ensign hauling down. I passed with my
     people, and Lieutenant Pearson, on the larboard gangway, to the
     forecastle; where I met two or three Spanish officers, prisoners to
     my seamen. They delivered me their swords. A fire of pistols or
     muskets, opening from the admiral's stern-gallery of the San Josef,
     I directed the soldiers to fire into her stern; and, calling to
     Captain Miller, ordered him to send more men into the San Nicolas,
     and directed my people to board the first-rate, which was done in
     an instant, Captain Berry assisting me into the main-chains. At
     this moment, a Spanish officer looked over the quarter-deck rail,
     and said they surrendered. From this most welcome intelligence, it
     was not long before I was on the quarter-deck; where the Spanish
     captain, with a bow, presented me his sword, and said the admiral
     was dying of his wounds. I asked him, on his honour, if the ship
     surrendered. He declared, she was. On which, I gave him my hand;
     and desired him to call in his officers, and ship's company, and
     tell them of it: and, on the quarter-deck of a Spanish first-rate,
     extravagant as the story may seem, did I receive the swords of
     vanquished Spaniards; which, as I received, I gave to William
     Fearney, one of my bargemen; who put them, with the greatest
     _sang-froid_, under his arm. I was surrounded by Captain Berry,
     Lieutenant Pearson of the sixty-ninth regiment, John Sykes, John
     Thompson, Francis Cooke--all old Agamemnons--and several other
     brave men, seamen and soldiers. Thus fell these ships.

     "N.B. In boarding the San Nicolas, I believe, we had about seven
     killed, and ten wounded; and about twenty Spaniards lost their
     lives by a foolish resistance. None were lost, I believe, in
     boarding the San Josef.

     "Rear-Admiral Don Francisco Winthuysen died of his wounds on board
     the San Josef, and Commodore Gerraldelino on board the San Nicolas,
     soon after the action ceased.

     "Don Enrique M'Donal was killed on board the San Nicolas, when
     boarded by the Captain."

The second day after writing the letter which inclosed the above
admirable account of the proceedings of the Captain, on the memorable
14th of February, the fleet sailed from Lagos Bay, and proceeded to
Lisbon, which they reached on the 27th instant.

The rejoicings of the Portuguese at this glorious victory over the
Spaniards were little less ardent than if it had been their own; and
their reception of the British heroes, at Lisbon, was cordial beyond
conception.

While the fleet remained at anchor in the Tagus, his majesty's ships the
Orion, Minerve, Romulus, Southampton, Andromache, Bonne Citoyenne,
Leander, and Raven, received orders to put themselves under the command
of Commodore Nelson; and, on the 6th of March, sailed from the Tagus,
with sealed instructions to the squadron, which were only to be opened
in case of separation.

The intention of this cruize is fully unveiled in a letter, written to a
friend in England, dated on board the Irresistible, off Lagos Bay,
March 16, 1797; in which he observes--"I am here, looking out for the
Viceroy of Mexico, with three sail of the line, and hope to meet him.
Two first-rates, and a seventy-four, are with him; but the larger the
ships, the better the mark.

     "The Spanish fleet," he adds, "is in Cadiz; the officers hooted,
     and pelted, by the mobility. Their first report was, the action
     happening in a foggy day; when the fog cleared up, they only saw
     fifteen sail of the line: therefore, concluded that, at least, five
     of our's were sunk in the action. My usual good fortune attended
     me; which, I know, will give you, among my other friends,
     satisfaction."

This letter is extracted from the Naval Chronicle: the following is from
a private letter to the Earl of St. Vincent, bearing the same date--"Our
cruize, as yet, has been unfortunate; but, I believe, no vessels have
passed, which were not examined. The squadron want nothing, and are
remarkably healthy. I shall remain off Cape St. Vincent's till I receive
your farther orders."

Though the object of this cruize was pursued with uncommon ardour, the
viceroy appears to have eluded all the vigilance of the British
squadron; which, on the 20th of March, was joined by the Captain, when
Commodore Nelson again hoisted his broad pendant on board that ship.

On the 2d of April, he joined the commander in chief off Cadiz; and, on
the 11th of that month, having received orders to blockade this port,
wrote to apprize the American and Danish consuls of the event.

About the middle of this month, having been promoted to be Rear-Admiral
of the Blue, he was ordered, by Sir John Jervis, to bring off the
garrison of Porto Ferrajio; a service which he performed with his usual
address: and, as usual, he gives all the praise to his coadjutors. This
will abundantly appear in the following letter to Sir John Jervis, dated
on board the Captain, off Cape Pallas, May 1, 1797.

     "DEAR SIR,

     "As I shall send away the Rose Cutter the moment I see the Rock,
     you will know, from her arrival, that we are in a fair way for
     arriving safe at Gibraltar. I spoke a Danish frigate, on the 27th
     of April, from Malaga four days. He says, the Spanish fleet has
     most positive orders to come to sea, and fight you. This makes me
     doubly anxious to join you. I have not interfered with Captain
     Freemantle's charge and arrangement of the convoy: it could not be
     in better hands; therefore, I only overshadow them with my wings. I
     have the satisfaction to tell you, that all the troops--except the
     Royals, who were always intended to be embarked in the ships of
     war--are embarked in the transports; with the exception of twenty,
     and General Horneck, who are in two vessels loaded with wine. I
     offered to take a hundred into each ship of my squadron, but I
     found there was not the smallest necessity for it. I hope, Sir, you
     will state this point at home; as it would have been a severe
     reflection on me, not to have left what was necessary for the
     embarkation of the army. I rejoice in this opportunity of
     vindicating my conduct; and beg leave again to recommend Lieutenant
     Day, agent for transports, to your notice. I placed my reliance on
     his judgment, not to leave a ship more than was necessary; and, I
     am not deceived: a more zealous, active officer, as agent for
     transports, I never met with. General De Burgh also speaks of him
     in the highest terms; and, I hope, the Transport Board will keep
     their promise of recommending those officers in their service who
     eminently distinguish themselves; which, I take upon myself to say,
     Lieutenant Day has not only done at Bastia, but at Porto Ferrajio.
     For his conduct at the former place, you was so good, on my stating
     his services, to recommend him to the Admiralty; I should not do
     justice to his majesty's service, were I not to urge it again.

     "I have the pleasure to add, that all the captains under my orders
     have conducted themselves like zealous, good officers.

     "I have the honour to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, your most
     obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

On the 20th of May, having arrived safely at Gibraltar, he received a
letter from James Simpson, Esq. the American consul; mentioning, that
twelve sail of vessels belonging to the United States of America, with
their cargoes on board, were in the road of Malaga, unable to proceed on
their respective voyages, because three French privateers were waiting
to seize on them the moment they got from under the guns of that port,
and there was no doubt that the French consul would adjudge them to be
good prizes, as he had recently adjudged several American vessels and
cargoes. The consul added, that it was impossible to get protection for
them, unless the commodore should be pleased to afford them that of his
majesty's fleet till they got close to the Barbary coast, where they
would consider themselves as safe. He accordingly sent, the very next
day, the Andromache frigate, Captain Mansfield, for that purpose. In the
mean time, he returned a polite answer to the consul: in which he
observed that, by thus freely granting the protection of the British
flag to the subjects of the United States, he was sure of fulfilling the
wishes of his sovereign; and, he hoped, of strengthening the harmony
which at present so happily subsisted between the two nations.

On the 27th, he shifted his flag from the Captain to the Theseus; and
was appointed to the command of the inner squadron, at the blockade of
Cadiz.

A curious proof occurs, at this period, of the conciliatory conduct,
amiable manners, and more than chivalrous gallantry, of the heroic
commodore and his commander in chief. This is contained in a letter
addressed to the Spanish admiral, Don Josef de Mazerendo, dated on board
the Theseus, May 30, 1797, as follows--

     "SIR,

     "I have the honour of sending your excellency a packet from Sir
     John Jervis; and I embrace the opportunity of assuring you of my
     high esteem for your character. The 4th of June being the birth-day
     of my Royal Master, Sir John Jervis intends firing a _feu de joye_,
     at eight o'clock in the evening; and has desired me to mention it
     to your excellency, that the ladies at Cadiz may not be alarmed at
     the firing. Believe me your excellency's most faithful servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

The Spanish admiral's answer, addressed to Sir Horatio Nelson, equally
deserves to be recorded, as partaking of the same liberal spirit.

     "On board the Conception,
     off Cadiz,
     1st June 1797.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "I correspond to the urbanity merited by the letter with which you
     honoured me the 30th of May last.

     "The ladies of Cadiz, accustomed to the noisy sounds of salutes of
     the vessels of war, will sit, and will hear what Sir John Jervis
     means to regale them with, for the evening of the 4th current, in
     honour of his Britannic majesty's birth-day; and the general wish
     of the Spanish nation cannot but interest itself in so august a
     motive.

     "God preserve you, many years. I kiss your hands.


     "Your attentive servant, "Josef de Mazerendo.


     "P.S. I beg that you will be pleased to direct the two adjoined
     letters to the Admiral Jervis and to Sir James Saumarez."

Flags of truce, indeed, were continually passing, at this time, between
the British and Spanish commanders; and peace, by the latter, at least,
was ardently wished for.

The naval fête, proposed for his majesty's birth-day, had another object,
which could not very courteously be hinted to the Spanish admiral. On
that day, it seems, Rear-Admiral Nelson was invested, by his commander
in chief, who personated the king on this occasion, with the insignia of
the order of the Bath, and the gold medal, which had been transmitted by
the sovereign, in consequence of the glorious victory of the 14th of
February over the Spanish fleet.

The mutual civilities between the Spanish and British officers, while in
expectation of peace, were certainly to the honour of both parties. It
seems, however, to have been soon suspected, that advantage was taken of
a most humane indulgence.

On the 30th of June, a letter was addressed, by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio
Nelson, to Don Josef Mazerendo, the Spanish admiral, from on board the
Theseus, which evidently intimated apprehensions of such an effect.

     "SIR,

     "I am directed by my worthy commander in chief to inform your
     excellency, that numbers of the Spanish fishing-boats are found at
     such a distance from the land as plainly to evince that they have
     something farther in view than catching fish; and, therefore, that
     orders are given, that no fishing vessel be in future permitted to
     go farther from the shore than their usual fishing ground; which,
     we understand, is in about thirty-five fathoms water. Your
     excellency, I am confident, will receive this communication as an
     additional mark of attention from my commander in chief to the
     inhabitants of Cadiz and it's environs; and will take measures for
     the information of the fishermen that their boats will be sunk, if
     found acting in contradiction to this notification of the British
     admiral. With every sincere good wish towards your excellency,
     believe me, your most obedient,


     "Horatio Nelson."

This seems the prelude of augmented precaution, and a more rigid
adherence to the closeness of the blockade. It was usual to send,
nightly, a guard of one or two boats, manned and armed, from each ship,
into the very mouth of the harbour. These were supported by some
gun-boats, purposely fitted for the occasion; and which, in case of
attack, depended for their own protection on the interior line of ships
under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson. With a view to
enforce a strict attention throughout all the inferior branches of the
service, the rear-admiral was accustomed to be rowed, in his barge,
through these guard-boats, after they had been duly stationed for the
night. Thus officers and men were kept constantly in a state of
alertness; and ready to repel any attack which might be meditated
against them from the blockaded port itself. The Spaniards, too, had
equipped a number of gun-boats and large launches, in which they also
rowed guard during the night, to prevent any nearer approach of the
blockaders; who might, otherwise, they feared, suddenly annoy their
fleet. On these occasions, they sometimes approached each other; and
several little skirmishes had occurred, but none of any importance.

As the Spaniards seemed to be perpetually increasing the number of these
gun-boats and armed launches, the British commander in chief thought it
necessary to give them a timely check. So that, notwithstanding the
occasional civilities of their epistolary correspondence, such are
often the necessary deceptions of war, that hostilities were, perhaps,
all the time, meditating by both parties. Certain it is, that on the
night of the 3d of July, only three days after the date of the above
letter, Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson received orders actually to
bombard Cadiz, without any polite intimation to the ladies of that city
of the real danger which now awaited them.

His letter to the commander in chief, on this occasion, will inform the
reader how far it was successful.

     "Theseus, July 4, 1797.


     "SIR,

     "In obedience to your orders, the Thunder bomb was placed, by the
     good management of Lieutenant Gomley, her present commander,
     assisted by Mr. Jackson, master of the Ville de Paris, who
     volunteered his able services, within two thousand five hundred
     yards of the walls of Cadiz; and the shells were thrown from her,
     with much precision, under the direction of Lieutenant Baynes of
     the Royal Artillery. But, unfortunately, it was soon found, that
     the large mortar was materially injured, from it's former services;
     I therefore judged it proper to order her to return, under the
     protection of the Goliah, Terpsichore, and Fox; which were kept
     under sail for that purpose, and for whose active services I feel
     much obliged.

     "The Spaniards having sent out a great number of mortar and
     gun-boats, and armed launches, I directed a vigorous attack to be
     made on them; which was done with such gallantry, that they were
     drove and pursued close to the walls of Cadiz, and must have
     suffered considerable loss: and I have the pleasure to inform you,
     that two mortar-boats, and an armed launch, remain in our
     possession.

     "I feel myself particularly indebted, for the successful
     termination of this contest, to the gallantry of Captains
     Freemantle and Miller, the former of whom accompanied me in my
     barge: and to my coxswain, John Sykes; who, in defending my person,
     is severely wounded, as was Captain Freemantle, slightly, in the
     attack: and my praises are, generally, due to every officer and
     man; some of whom I saw behave in the most noble manner, and I
     regret that it is not in my power to particularize them.

     "I must also beg to be permitted to express my admiration of Don
     Miguel Tyrason, the commander of the Spanish gun-boats. In his
     barge, he laid my boat alongside, and his resistance was such as to
     honour a brave officer; eighteen of the twenty-six being killed,
     and himself and all the rest wounded.

     "Not having a correct list of our killed and wounded, I can only
     state that, I believe, about six are killed, and twenty wounded.

     "I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

The encounter so modestly described in the above letter, was one of the
sharpest conflicts in which the heroic writer had ever been engaged. Sir
Horatio fought, hand to hand, with the Spanish commandant; and, though
the crew of his own barge consisted only of himself, Captain Freemantle,
the coxswain, and ten bargemen, they killed or wounded the whole of the
twenty-six men, with the commandant, who were in the Spanish armed
launch. Never, indeed, had the rear-admiral been in a more perilous
state. It was always his opinion, that he would probably have lost his
life, if his brave and most faithful coxswain, John Sykes, whose name
deserves to be coexistent with that of Nelson, had not wilfully
interposed his own head to save him from the blow of a Spanish sabre,
which this generous man plainly perceived must otherwise prove fatal to
his beloved master; and, though the poor fellow thus readily received
the diverted stroke, it inflicted on his skull a very dangerous wound,
which was for some time thought to be incurable. Even before this
unexampled proof of attachment, had that worthy and gallant man saved
Sir Horatio, more than once during the conflict, from the dangerous
blows of his numerous assailants; several of whom Sykes, as well as his
master, had mortally wounded.

Sir John Jervis, in his letter to the Admiralty, on this occasion, dated
the 5th of July 1797, gives the handsomest and the highest possible
encomium to Rear-Admiral Nelson.

"The rear-admiral," says he, "who is always present in the most arduous
enterprises, with the assistance of some other barges, boarded and
carried two of the enemy's gun-boats, and a barge-launch belonging to
some of their ships of war, with the commandant of the flotilla.
Rear-Admiral Nelson's actions speak for themselves; any praise of mine
would fall very short of his merit!"

A second and more effectual bombardment of the city of Cadiz, and the
shipping in the harbour, under the direction of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio
Nelson, took place on the evening of the 5th of July. The bomb vessels,
arranged by his instructions, suddenly opened a most tremendous
discharge on the town, as well as on the fleet; which was vigorously
kept up, till they had expended the whole of their allotted portion of
shells: when, having greatly annoyed the enemy, and considerably
diminished the force of the warlike preparations which had been
collecting, they retired in good order, without themselves receiving the
smallest injury.

Even these hostile attacks, however, do not appear to have extinguished
civilities between the contending commanders, though they must certainly
have diminished their satisfaction at receiving them.

Two or three days after, thirty Spanish prisoners having been taken in a
ship from the Havannah, with the captain of a Spanish frigate which had
been burnt there, and who was a passenger in the captured vessel,
Rear-Admiral Nelson wrote a letter to Don Josef Mazerendo, dated on
board the Theseus, July 8, 1797; in which he says, that he is directed,
by Sir John Jervis, to acquaint his excellency that these thirty men are
at liberty to return into Cadiz, whenever he may be pleased to send for
them, on condition that they do not serve till regularly exchanged. Of
the Spanish captain, taken as a passenger, he generously adds--"I know
it to be my commander in chief's intention, that he should not be
considered as a prisoner of war. The distresses occasioned by the known
laws of war," liberally concludes this exalted man, "are miserable
enough, without adding to them!"

The prisoners, accordingly, were immediately sent for; but there seems
to have been a backwardness in the Spanish admiral's performance of the
conditions proposed: and, on the 10th, Rear-Admiral Nelson resolutely
demanded them again, that they might be immediately sent to England, if
they were not received as prisoners of war; which, at length, was
reluctantly agreed to.

It appears that, about this time, intelligence had been received, by the
commander in chief, of a prodigiously rich ship, El Principe d'Asturias,
belonging to the Philippine Company, and bound from Manilla to Cadiz,
being then in the port of Santa Cruz, the capital of the island of
Teneriffe; where the treasure was intended to be landed for security, as
had previously been the case with several other rich cargoes. With a
view of obtaining possession of these valuable treasures, an expedition
against that place was determined on, under the conduct of Rear-Admiral
Sir Horatio Nelson.

He was accordingly detached, by Sir John Jervis, on the 15th of July,
with three ships of the line, the Theseus, Culloden, and Zealous; the
Terpsichore, Emerald, and Seahorse, frigates; and the Fox cutter. These
were afterwards joined by the Leander of fifty guns. The general orders
which Sir Horatio Nelson received were, to make a vigorous and spirited
attack; but, on no account, personally to land with the forces, which
were to be under the command of Captain Troubridge, unless his presence
should be absolutely necessary. These particular injunctions were
generally thought to have been most humanely given, by the commander in
chief, for the sake of preserving the valuable life of the rear-admiral;
which might, otherwise, from his known disregard of danger, be too much
exposed: and some also ascribed them to the wish of giving Captain
Troubridge a considerable share in the glory of that intended brilliant
enterprise.

The plan of this expedition was contrived with all that masterly address
and precision which ever marked the operations projected by the
judicious and gallant rear-admiral; and, as the author is favoured with
the opportunity of giving them in detail, the principles which they
comprise may be adopted, perhaps, with deserved success, by other
commanders, on many future occasions.

The first order issued by Rear-Admiral Nelson was addressed to Thomas
Troubridge, Esq. captain of his majesty's ship Culloden, and commander
of the forces ordered to be landed for taking Santa Cruz.

     "Theseus,
      at Sea, July 20, 1797.


     "SIR,

     "I desire you will take under your command the number of seamen and
     marines named in the margin, who will be under the command of
     Captains Hood, Freemantle, Bowen, Miller, and Waller, and the
     marines under the command of Captain Thomas Oldfield, and a
     detachment of the Royal Artillery under the command of Lieutenant
     Baynes; all of whom are now embarked on board his majesty's
     frigates Seahorse, Terpsichore, and Emerald. With this detachment,
     you will proceed as near to the town of Santa Cruz as possible,
     without endangering your being perceived; when you will embark as
     many men as the boats will carry, and force your landing in the
     north-east part of the bay of Santa Cruz, near a large battery;
     which, when carried, and your post secured, you will either proceed
     by storm against the town and mole-head battery, or send in my
     letter, as you judge most proper, containing a summons, of which I
     send you a copy, and the terms are either to be accepted or
     rejected in the time specified, unless you see good cause for
     prolonging it, as no alteration will be made in them: and you will
     pursue such other methods as you judge most proper for speedily
     effecting my orders; which are, to possess myself of all cargoes
     and treasures which may be landed in the island of Teneriffe.
     Having the firmest confidence in the ability, bravery, and zeal, of
     yourself, and all placed under your command, I have only to
     heartily wish you success; and to assure you, that I am your most
     obedient and faithful servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

The number of seamen and marines mentioned in the margin of the above
letter were--Theseus, Culloden, and Zealous, two hundred each; Seahorse,
Terpsichore, and Emerald, one hundred each: making, in all, nine
hundred, exclusive of officers and their servants.

The Summons alluded to, addressed to the Governor or Commanding Officer
of Santa Cruz, was as follows.

     "_By Sir Horatio Nelson, Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the
     Bath, Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and Commander in Chief of His
     Britannic Majesty's Forces by Sea and Land, before Santa Cruz._

     "Theseus, 20th July 1797.


     "SIR,

     "I have the honour to acquaint you, that I am come here to demand
     the immediate surrender of the ship El Principe d'Asturias, from
     Manilla, bound to Cadiz, belonging to the Phillipine Company,
     together with her whole and entire cargo; and, also, all such other
     cargoes and property as may have been landed in the island of
     Teneriffe, and not intended for the consumption of it's
     inhabitants.

     "And, as it is my earnest wish, that not one individual inhabitant
     of the island of Teneriffe should suffer by my demand being
     instantly complied with, I offer the following most honourable and
     liberal terms; which, if refused, the horrors of war, which will
     fall on the inhabitants of Teneriffe, must be, by the world,
     imputed to you, and to you only: for I shall destroy Santa Cruz,
     and the other towns in the island, by a bombardment, and levy a
     very heavy contribution on the island.

     "ARTICLE I.

     "The forts shall be delivered to me; and, instantly, a party of the
     British troops shall be put in possession of the gates.

     "ARTICLE II.

     "The garrison shall lay down their arms, but the officers shall be
     allowed to keep their swords; and the garrison, without the
     condition of being prisoners of war, shall be transported to Spain,
     or remain in the island while their conduct is orderly and proper,
     as the commanding officer pleases.

     "ARTICLE III.

     "On the express condition, that the full and entire cargoes of the
     El Principe d'Asturias, and all such other cargoes and property as
     may have been landed on the island of Teneriffe, and not intended
     for the consumption of it's inhabitants, be given up, and the first
     article complied with, not the smallest contribution shall be
     levied on the inhabitants, but they shall enjoy the fullest
     protection in their persons and property.

     "ARTICLE IV.

     "No interference whatever shall be made in the holy catholic
     religion; the ministers of it, and all it's religious orders, shall
     be considered as under my especial care and protection.

     "ARTICLE V.

     "The laws and magistrates shall be continued as at present, unless
     by the general wish of the islanders.

     "These terms subscribed to, the inhabitants of the town of Santa
     Cruz shall lodge their arms in one house, under the joint care of
     the bishop and chief magistrate; and it will be my pride to consult
     with these gentlemen what may be most advantageous for the
     inhabitants.


     "Horatio Nelson."

     "I allow half of one hour for acceptance or rejection.

     "Horatio Nelson."

These articles being transmitted to Captain Troubridge, special orders
were sent, the same day, to Captain Thomas Oldfield, senior captain of
the marines ordered to disembark; and to Lieutenant Baynes, of the
Royal Artillery; directing them to attend, respectively, to all the
desires of Captain Thomas Troubridge, who was to command all the forces
landed for taking the town of Santa Cruz. To the latter officer, a copy
of the third article of the following regulations was, at the same time,
particularly addressed.

     _"Regulations recommended by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson_.


     "1.

     "That each ship's boats should be kept together, by towing each
     other, which will keep the people of each ship collected; and the
     boats will be in six divisions, and nearly get on shore at the same
     moment.

     "2.

     "The marines of each ship of the line to be put in their
     launches--which will carry them.

     "3.

     "The moment the boats are discovered, by a firing being made on
     them, the bomb vessel to commence her fire on the town, and to keep
     it up till the flag of truce is hoisted from either the enemy or
     from us.

     "4.

     "That a captain should be directed to see the boats put off from
     the beach, that more men may be speedily got on shore with the
     field pieces.

     "5.

     "Frigates to anchor as soon as possible after the alarm is given,
     or the forces ashore near the battery in the north-east part of the
     bay.

     "6.

     "Immediately as the forces get ashore, they are to get in the rear
     of the battery marked S, in the north-east part of the bay, and to
     instantly storm it; and, also, to take post on the top of the hill
     which is above it.

     "Every ship to land the number of men as against their names
     expressed, with a proper proportion of officers, exclusive of
     commissioned officers and servants--[as stated in the letter to
     Captain Troubridge]--and the captains are at liberty to send as
     many more men as they please; leaving sufficient to manage the
     ship, and to man the launch and another boat. Every captain, that
     chuses, is at liberty to land and command his seamen, under the
     command of Captain Troubridge.

     "It is recommended to put as many marine coats or jackets on the
     seamen as can be procured; and, that all should have canvas crop
     belts.

     "The marines to be all under the direction of Captain Oldfield, the
     senior marine officer: and he is directed to put himself under the
     direction of Captain Troubridge; as is Lieutenant Baynes of the
     Royal Artillery, with his detachment."

To these general regulations were added the following particular
instructions--

     "Theseus, July 21, 1797.

     "The Culloden's officers and men, with only their arms, to be ready
     to go on board the Terpsichore, at one P.M. this day. To carry with
     them four ladders--each of which to have a lanyard four fathoms
     long--a sledge hammer, wedges, and a broad axe.

     "The boats oars to be muffled with either a piece of canvas or
     kersey.

     "Horatio Nelson.

     "Memorandum--The Culloden and Zealous to each make a platform for
     one eighteen pounder, the Theseus to make a sley for dragging
     cannon.

     "Each ship to make as many iron ramrods as possible; it being found
     that the wooden ones are very liable to break, when used in a
     hurry.

     "The Seahorse to make a platform for one nine pounder."

The whole plan of proceedings being thus judiciously arranged, the
attempt was commenced with every hope of success: but it turned out,
that a very erroneous representation had been given of the forces of the
enemy, which appear to have been far too numerous for so small a body of
men successfully to encounter; and, indeed, there were other unexpected
difficulties and disappointments.

The following letter, from Captain Troubridge to Sir Horatio Nelson,
will account, in a considerable degree, for the miscarriage of the
enterprise.

     "Culloden, 25th July 1797.


     "SIR,

     "From the darkness of the night, I did not immediately hit the
     mole, the spot appointed to land at; but pushed on shore under the
     enemy's batteries, close to the southward of the citadel. Captain
     Waller landed at the same instant, and two or three other boats.
     The surf was so high, many put back. The boats were full of water
     in an instant, and stove against the rocks; and most of the
     ammunition in the men's pouches was wet.

     "As soon as I collected a few men, I immediately pushed, with
     Captain Waller, for the square, the place of rendezvous, in hopes
     of there meeting you and the remainder of the people, and waited
     about an hour; during which time, I sent a serjeant, with two
     gentlemen of the town, to summons the citadel. I fear, the serjeant
     was shot on his way, as I heard nothing of him afterwards.

     "The ladders being all lost in the surf, or not to be found, no
     immediate attempt could be made on the citadel. I, therefore,
     marched to join Captains Hood and Miller; who, I had intelligence,
     had made good their landing to the south-west of the place I did,
     with a body of men. I endeavoured, then, to procure some
     intelligence of you, and the rest of the officers, without success.

     "By day-break, we had collected about eighty marines, eighty
     pikemen, and one hundred and eighty small-arm seamen. These, I
     found, were all that were alive, that had made good their landing.
     With this force, having procured some ammunition from the Spanish
     prisoners we had made, we were marching to try what could be done
     with the citadel without ladders: but found the whole of the
     streets commanded by field-pieces; and upwards of eight thousand
     Spaniards, and one hundred French, under arms, approaching by every
     avenue. As the boats were all stove, and I saw no possibility of
     getting more men on shore, the ammunition wet, and no provisions, I
     sent Captain Hood with a flag of truce to the governor, to say I
     was prepared to burn the town; which I should immediately put in
     force, if he approached one inch farther: and, at the same time, I
     desired Captain Hood to say, it would be done with regret, as I had
     no wish to injure the inhabitants; and that, if he would come to my
     terms, I was ready to treat. These he readily agreed to: a copy of
     which I have the honour to send you by Captain Waller; which, I
     hope, will meet your approbation, and appear highly honourable.

     "From the small body of men, and the greater part being pike and
     small-arm seamen, which can be only called irregular, with very
     little ammunition in the pouches but what was wet in the surf at
     landing, I could not expect to succeed in any attempt on the enemy,
     whose superior strength I have before mentioned.

     "The Spanish officers assure me, they expected us, and were
     perfectly prepared with all the batteries, and the number of men I
     have before mentioned under arms; which, with the great
     disadvantages of a rocky coast, high surf, and in the face of forty
     pieces of cannon, though we were not successful, will shew what an
     Englishman is equal to. I have the pleasure to acquaint you, that
     we marched through the town, on our return, with the British
     colours flying at our head.

     "I have the honour to be, with great respect, Sir, your most
     obedient humble servant,


     "Thomas Troubridge.


     "P.S. I beg to say that, when the terms were signed and ratified,
     the governor, in the handsomest manner, sent a large proportion of
     wine, bread, &c. to refresh the people, and shewed every mark of
     attention in his power."

When the treaty just mentioned was first proposed to the Spanish
governor, he told Captain Hood that they ought to surrender as prisoners
of war: to which he replied, that Captain Troubridge had directed him to
say that, if the terms offered were not accepted in five minutes, he
would set the town on fire, and attack the Spaniards at the point of the
bayonet; on which, the governor instantly closed, by signing the
following treaty--


     "Santa Cruz, 25th July 1797.


     "That the troops, &c. belonging to his Britannic majesty, shall
     embark, with all their arms of every kind; and take their boats
     off, if saved, and be provided with such other as may be wanting.
     In consideration of which, it is engaged, on their part, that they
     shall not molest the town, in any manner, by the ships of the
     British squadron now before it, or any of the islands in the
     Canaries, and prisoners shall be given up on both sides.

     "Given under my hand, and word of honour,


     "Samuel Hood.

     "Ratified by--

     "Thomas Troubridge, Commander of the British Troops.

     "Juan Antonio Gutierrez, Commandant General de las Islas
     Canarias."

The next public document relative to this unfortunate expedition, it was
the melancholy lot of the rear-admiral to pen with the left hand, his
right arm having been shot off on the evening of the 24th, for the
information of the commander in chief, to whom it was immediately
transmitted.

     "Theseus,
      off Santa Cruz,
      27th July 1797.


     "SIR,

     "In obedience to your orders to make a vigorous attack on the town
     of Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe, I directed, from the
     ships under my command, a thousand men, including marines, to be
     prepared for landing, under the direction of Captain Troubridge of
     his majesty's ship Culloden; and Captains Hood, Thompson,
     Freemantle, Bowen, Miller, and Waller, who very handsomely
     volunteered their services: and, although I am under the painful
     necessity of acquainting you, that we have not been able to succeed
     in our attack, yet it is my duty to state that, I believe, more
     daring intrepidity never was shewn, than by the captains, officers,
     and men, you did me the honour to place under my command; and the
     Journal which I transmit you herewith will, I hope, convince you,
     that my abilities, humble as they are, have been exerted on the
     occasion.

     "Inclosed, I also transmit you a list of killed and wounded; and,
     among the former, it is with the deepest sorrow I have to place the
     name of Captain Richard Bowen, of his majesty's ship
     Terpsichore--than whom, a more enterprising, able, and gallant
     officer, does not grace his majesty's naval service: and, with
     great regret, I have to mention the loss of Lieutenant John Gibson,
     commander of the Fox Cutter; and a great number of gallant officers
     and men.

     "I have the honour to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, your most
     faithful and obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

The Journal mentioned in this letter, as written by the rear-admiral,
with his left hand, and transmitted to Sir John Jervis, was as follows.
It is remarkable, that neither the letter, nor this Journal, make the
smallest mention of his having lost his arm on the occasion; which
information merely occurs in the list of the killed and wounded. This
singular mode of omitting to particularise himself, forms a curious
trait in the character of the immortal hero.

     _A Detail of the Proceedings of the Expedition against the Town of
     Santa Cruz, in the Island of Teneriffe._

     BY REAR-ADMIRAL NELSON.

     "On Friday the 21st inst. I directed to be embarked, on board the
     Seahorse, Terpsichore, and Emerald frigates, one thousand
     men--including two hundred and fifty men under the command of
     Captain Thomas Oldfield--the whole commanded by Captain Troubridge;
     attended by all the boats of the squadron, scaling ladders, and
     every implement which I thought necessary for the success of the
     enterprise. I directed that the boats should land, in the night,
     between the fort on the north-east side of the Bay of Santa Cruz
     and the town, and endeavour to make themselves masters of that
     fort; which, when done, to send in my summons: the liberal terms of
     which, I am confident, you will approve. Though the frigates
     approached within three miles of the place of debarkation, by
     twelve o'clock; yet, from the unforeseen circumstance of a strong
     gale of wind in the offing, and a strong current against them in
     shore, they did not approach within a mile of the landing-place
     when the day dawned, which discovered to the Spaniards our force
     and intentions.

     "On my approach with the line of battle ships, Captains Troubridge
     and Bowen, with Captain Oldfield of the marines, came on board, to
     consult with me what was best to be done; and were of opinion, if
     they could possess the heights, over the fort before mentioned,
     that it could be stormed. To which, I gave my assent; and directed
     the line of battle ships to batter the fort, in order to create a
     diversion. But, this was found impracticable; not being able to get
     nearer the shore than three miles, from a calm, and contrary
     currents: nor could our men possess themselves of the heights, as
     the enemy had taken possession of them, and seemed as anxious to
     retain as we to get them. Thus foiled in my original plan, I
     considered it for the honour of our king and country, not to give
     over the attempt to possess ourselves of the town; that our enemies
     might be convinced there is nothing that Englishmen are not equal
     to: and, confident in the bravery of those who would be employed in
     the service, I embarked every person from the shore on the 22nd at
     night.

     "On the 24th, I got the ships to an anchor, about two miles to the
     northward of the town, and made every shew for a disposition of
     attacking the heights; which appeared to answer the end, from the
     great number of people they had placed on them. The Leander,
     Captain Thompson, joined this afternoon, and her marines were
     added to the force before appointed; and Captain Thompson also
     volunteered his services. At-eleven o'clock at night, the boats of
     the squadron, containing between six and seven hundred men, a
     hundred and eighty men on board the Fox cutter, and about seventy
     or eighty men in a boat we had taken the day before, proceeded
     towards the town; the divisions of boats conducted by all the
     captains, except Freemantle and Bowen, who attended with me to
     regulate and lead the way to the attack: every captain being
     acquainted, that the landing was to be made on the mole; from
     whence they were to proceed, as fast as possible, into the great
     square; where they were to form, and proceed on such services as
     might be found necessary. We were not discovered, till within half
     gun-shot of the landing-place: when I directed the boats to cast
     off from each other, give a huzza, and push for the shore.

     "A fire of thirty or forty pieces of cannon, with musketry from one
     end of the town to the other, opened on us; but nothing could stop
     the intrepidity of the captains landing the divisions.
     Unfortunately, the greater part of the boats did not see the mole;
     but went on shore, through a raging surf, which stove all the boats
     to the left of it.

     "For a detail of their proceedings, I send you a copy of Captain
     Troubridge's account to me; and I cannot but express my admiration
     of the firmness with which he and his brave associates supported
     the honour of the British flag.

     "Captains Freemantle and Bowen, and myself, with four or five
     boats, stormed the mole; though opposed, apparently, by four or
     five hundred men; took possession of it; and spiked the guns: but
     such a heavy fire of musketry, and grape-shot, was kept up from the
     citadel, and the houses at the head of the mole, that we could not
     advance; and we were all, nearly, killed or wounded.

     "The Fox cutter, in rowing towards the town, received a shot under
     water, from one of the enemy's distant batteries, and immediately
     sunk; and Lieutenant Gibson, her commander, with ninety-seven men,
     were drowned.

     "I must not omit to acquaint you of the satisfaction which I
     received from the conduct of Lieutenant Baynes of the Royal
     Artillery; not only from the ardour with which he undertook every
     service, but also from his professional skill."


     _List of Killed, Wounded, Drowned, and Missing, of his Majesty's
     Ships undermentioned, in storming Santa Cruz, in the Island of
     Teneriffe, in the Night of the 24th of July 1797._


     Theseus, eight seamen, four marines, killed; twenty-five seamen
     wounded; and thirty-four drowned.

     Culloden, one seaman, two marines, killed; twelve seamen, six
     marines wounded; and thirty-six drowned.

     Zealous, three seamen, two marines, killed; and nineteen seamen,
     two marines, wounded.

     Leander, one seaman, five marines, killed; one seaman, four
     marines, wounded; and one missing.

     Seahorse, two seamen killed; and thirteen seamen, one marine,
     wounded.

     Terpsichore, eight seamen killed; nine seamen, two marines,
     wounded; and four missing.

     Emerald, five seamen, three marines, killed; eleven seamen wounded;
     and ten drowned.

     Fox cutter, seventeen drowned.

     Total killed, wounded, and missing, two hundred and fifty-one.


     OFFICERS KILLED.

    Richard Bowen, Captain of the Terpsichore.
    George Thorpe, First-Lieutenant of ditto.
    John Wetherhead, Lieutenant of the Theseus.
    William Earnshaw, Second Lieutenant of the Leander.
    Raby Robinson, Lieutenant of Marines, ditto.
    Lieutenant Baisham, Marines, of the Emerald.
    Lieutenant Gibson, of the Fox Cutter, drowned.

     OFFICERS WOUNDED.

    Rear-Admiral Nelson, right arm shot off.
    Captain Thompson, Leander, slightly.
    Captain Freemantle, Seahorse, in the arm.
    Lieutenant J. Douglas, ditto, in the hand.
    Mr. Waits, Midshipman, Zealous.



In a small Spanish pamphlet, published at Madrid, with a translation of
which the author has been most obligingly furnished by Sir John Talbot
Dillon, though the account of our loss is so prodigiously exaggerated,
as to state the killed to be twenty-two British officers and at least
five hundred and sixty-six men, and adding that some accounts even make
it eight hundred, there are certainly several interesting particulars
which bear every mark of authenticity. The acknowledged loss of the
Spaniards, however, said to be only twenty-three killed, and
thirty-eight wounded, may be considered as not a little apocryphal.
Indeed, no reliance can be placed on their numerical exactness; for the
Fox cutter is asserted, by them, to have contained three hundred and
eighty men, instead of one hundred and eighty; and Rear-Admiral Nelson
is said to have lost his right arm, when in his boat, and before
landing, which obliged him to re-embark on board the Theseus, with the
other officers who accompanied him badly wounded, on the 23d, instead of
on the 24th.

This pamphlet informs us, that Captain Bowen, of the Terpsichore, who
was killed, had first proposed the attack of Santa Cruz to Admiral Sir
John Jervis; which he represented as very easy, having previously cut
out of that bay the Spanish frigate, Prince Ferdinand, from the
Philippine Islands. His chief pilot was a Chinese, taken out of his
former prize, who was also killed on the present occasion.

Lieutenant Robinson, of the marines, badly wounded, was properly
attended in the Spanish hospital. A copy of Captain Thompson's orders
had been found on him, by Don Bernardo Collagon; a brave and most
gallant Spanish youth, who had, sword in hand, defended his country with
great spirit, and was so generous and humane to the unfortunate wounded
enemy, that he is said to have actually stripped himself of his shirt to
make bandages for the wounds of the English. Great humanity, indeed, was
shewn to all the wounded; who were carefully re-embarked, many of them
in a dying state, immediately after the capitulation was signed. The
Spanish governor generously regaled all the English troops with bread
and wine, before they went into their boats, and invited the principal
officers to dine with him that day. This, however, they politely
declined; fearing some irregularity among their soldiers, from the
effects of the wine: but agreed to wait on the governor next day. They
accordingly did so: when, instructed by Rear-Admiral Nelson, they
offered, in his name, to take charge of the governor's dispatches for
the Spanish court; and he thus actually became the first messenger of
his own defeat.

In the mean time, he returned thanks to the Spanish governor, for his
great care of the sick and wounded, by writing him the following letter;
dated on board his majesty's ship Theseus, opposite Santa Cruz de
Teneriffe, July 26, 1797.

     "SIR,

     I cannot take my departure from this island, without returning your
     excellency my sincerest thanks for your attention towards me, by
     your humanity in favour of our wounded men in your power, or under
     your care, and for your generosity towards all our people who were
     disembarked, which I shall not fail to represent to my sovereign;
     hoping, also, at a proper time, to assure your excellency, in
     person, how truly I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,


     "Horatio Nelson.

     P.S. I request your excellency will do me the honour to admit of a
     cask of English beer, and a cheese."

     "His Excellency, Don Antonio Gutierrez, Commandant General of the
     Canary Islands."

To this friendly epistle, the Spanish governor immediately returned the
following liberal answer--

     "Santa Cruz de Teneriffe,
     26th July 1797.


     "SIR,

     With the highest pleasure, I received your esteemed favour,
     proceeding from your generous and well-disposed mind; since, on my
     part, I conceive, no laurel is due to him who only fulfils what
     humanity dictates: and I have done no more, in behalf of the
     wounded men, as well as others who disembarked; and whom, after
     all warfare has ceased, I ought to consider as brothers.

     "If, in the state to which the uncertain fate of war has led you,
     it were in my power, or could any thing that this island produces
     afford the least comfort or aid to you, it would yield me the
     truest satisfaction: and, I hope, you will admit of a couple of
     large flasks of Canary wine; which, I believe, is none of the worst
     that this island produces.

     "A personal intercourse will give me great pleasure, when
     circumstances permit it, with a person so deserving, and of such
     distinguished qualifications as you so feelingly indicate.
     Meantime, I pray God to preserve you in his holy keeping; and am,
     Sir, your most obedient servant,


     "Don Antonio Gutierrez.

     "P.S. I have received, and highly esteem, the cask of beer, and
     cheese, which you have done me the favour to send me."

     "Rear-Admiral Nelson."

On the 27th of July, there was a solemn Te Deum sung by the Spaniards,
in the parochial church of Santa Cruz: that day being the festival of
St. Christopher, the tutelary patron of the island; on which an annual
thanksgiving is celebrated, as being the identical day when that island
was first conquered, three hundred and one years prior to this period.

Such are the chief particulars of the Spanish account, as supplied by
Sir John Talbot Dillon's most respectable translation; and which places
in a very amiable point of view the characters of the respective
commanders.

On comparing the various accounts of this unfortunate expedition, there
are certainly some incongruities. In the numerous biographical memoirs
of Lord Nelson, either abridged or amplified from that in the Naval
Chronicle, it is stated that the rear-admiral "received his wound soon
after the detachment had landed." In these, too, it is added that,
"while they were pressing on with the usual ardour of British seamen,
the shock caused him to fall to the ground; where, for some minutes, he
was left to himself, till Lieutenant Nesbit, missing him, had the
presence of mind to return: when, after some search in the dark, he at
length found his brave father-in-law weltering in his blood on the
ground, with his arm shattered, and himself apparently lifeless.
Lieutenant Nesbit, having immediately applied his neck-handkerchief as a
tourniquet to the rear-admiral's arm, carried him on his back to the
beach; where, with the assistance of some sailors, he conveyed him into
one of the boats, and put off to the Theseus, under a tremendous, though
happily ill-directed, fire from the enemy's batteries. The day after the
rear-admiral lost his arm," concludes the Naval Chronicle account, "he
wrote to Lady Nelson; and, in narrating the foregoing transaction,
says--"I know it will add much to your pleasure, on finding that your
son Josiah, under God's providence, was instrumental in saving my life."

On the other hand, it seems remarkable that the Spanish relation of this
catastrophe positively pronounces him "to have lost his right arm when
in his boat, and before landing."

This, too, corresponds with the following short description of that
unhappy business; which, without any essential alteration as to facts in
it's transit, most assuredly proceeded from the ever to be revered
hero's own faithful lips.

The circumstance of so few boats hitting the mole with the rear-admiral,
who had appointed it as the general place of landing, after having been
baffled in his first design, proved fatal to the enterprise. By landing
in the surf, they lost their scaling implements; and Captain Troubridge
was not prepared instantly to storm the citadel, before the approach of
the Spanish troops, which could only have been carried by a sudden _coup
de main_. Rear-Admiral Nelson had only one foot out of the boat, and was
in the act of landing on the mole, under a most tremendous fire from the
batteries, when his arm was shot nearly off; and he fell back in the
boat. At that awful moment, he recollected the injunction of his
deceased uncle, on receiving the sword which he had thus been compelled
to drop; and, groping at the bottom, speedily recovered it, and firmly
grasped it in his remaining hand. He called to his brave companions in
arms, who had already landed to storm the mole, and directed them to
force the gate of the citadel; a task which, with all their exertion,
they found it impossible to accomplish, though they succeeded in spiking
several of the guns. At this juncture, Lieutenant Nesbit very humanely
took the handkerchief from his neck, and tied it round the shattered arm
of his father-in-law, a little above where it had been shot. The boat,
in the mean time, was hastening to return on board the Theseus, amidst a
most dreadful discharge from the batteries. It soon approached where the
Fox cutter had just been sunk by a shot under water; and the unhappy men
with which it had been charged, consisting of one hundred and eighty
persons, were in the act of struggling for their lives. This was a scene
of distress too dreadful to be passed, by their humane commander,
without at least endeavouring to lessen the extent of the calamity. As
many as possible of these poor fellows were instantly taken into the
boat; an office of humanity in which the rear-admiral himself eagerly
assisted, with his sole arm, smarting as he then was under the agony
occasioned by the recent separation of the other. The corporeal anguish
which he now felt, however, was mitigated by the solace he received in
thus rescuing a few of his brave fellows from impending destruction;
but, alas! the mental horror which he suffered, at beholding some of the
noblest of the human race compelled to be forcibly rejected, and
abandoned to their wretched fate, through dread of sinking his own
overcharged boat, admitted of no alleviation, and inflicted pangs on
his heroic heart, to describe which the powers of language are incapable
of yielding any adequate expression. Every possible exertion was used to
reach the Theseus, with a faint hope of the boat's returning in time to
save a few more of these unhappy victims; and, a chair being called for,
to accommodate the rear-admiral in getting on board, so impatient was he
for the boat's return, that he desired to have only a single rope thrown
over the side, which he instantly twisted round his left arm, and was
thus hauled up into the ship. It appears, on referring to the account of
the drowned, in the list of killed and wounded, &c. that eighty-three
only were saved; so that ninety-seven men, including officers, from the
different ships, thus miserably perished!

The rear-admiral, on getting aboard the Theseus, immediately suffered
the amputation of his arm; but, some mistake having occurred, in taking
up one of the arteries, which is described as having been united with a
nerve, by an ingenious French surgeon, he long felt the most
excruciating tortures.

The Earl of St. Vincent, in his dispatches to government relative to
this expedition, dated on board the Ville de Paris, off Cadiz, August
16, 1797, observes that, though the enterprise had not succeeded, his
majesty's arms had acquired a very great degree of lustre. "Nothing,"
says his lordship, "from my pen, can add to the eulogy the rear-admiral
gives of the gallantry of the officers and men employed under him. I
have greatly to lament," continues the noble earl, "the heavy loss which
the country has sustained in the severe wound of Rear-Admiral Nelson,
and the death of Captain Richard Bowen, Lieutenant Gibson, and the other
brave officers and men who fell in this vigorous and persevering
assault. The moment the rear-admiral joins, it is my intention to send
the Seahorse to England with him, the wound Captain Freemantle has
received in his arm also requiring change of climate; and I hope, that
both of them will live to render important services to their king and
country."

Accordingly, after receiving the kindest condolences from the Earl of
St. Vincent, and sending into Cadiz the dispatches of the worthy
governor of Santa Cruz, he immediately sailed for England.

This affair of Teneriffe, however unfortunate, being the first
expedition against a place, the whole of which was undertaken and
planned by himself, has been thought worthy of very particular
attention. That the plan was not defective in wisdom, the reader has had
an opportunity of sufficiently judging, by a perusal of the various
preliminary documents actually issued on the occasion. The undertaking
could only be expected to prove with certainty successful, by a secret
and rapid _coup de main_, which should suddenly have obtained
possession, in the first place, of the fort on the north-east side of the
bay; and, in the second, of the heights by which it was commanded. The
primary of these objects was wholly frustrated by the non-arrival of the
boats at the place of destination under cover of the night; for, at the
dawning of day, the Spaniards having discovered both the forces and
their intention, were induced to lose as little time as possible in
previously occupying the heights above the fort. Thus, by the delay of
the boats, in the first instance, and by waiting, in the second, to
consult with the rear-admiral, instead of at once pushing forward to
secure this essential post, the business was completely reduced to a
merely forlorn hope; and had better, from that moment, have been
entirely abandoned. The exalted mind of the rear-admiral, however,
though it felt, there is good reason to believe, the full force of this
opinion, being conscious of having received instructions, from his
commander in chief, to make a vigorous and spirited attack, and
convinced that such attack had not been yet made, could by no means have
satisfied itself, had he not at least endeavoured, whatever the risque
might prove, to execute, with every effort, the utmost intention of his
orders. With a promptness which never failed him, he now directed the
troops to be embarked from the shore; having resolved on vigorously
attacking the town, and even the citadel itself. This design, however,
he ingeniously contrived to cover, by remaining apparently inactive on
the 23d, as if he had entirely abandoned his intentions against the
place: and, on the 24th, by approaching and anchoring to the northward
of the town, and making every apparent disposition for assailing the
heights, he drew the notice of the Spaniards entirely to that quarter;
who, consequently, left less invulnerable the objects of his real
attention. The design of this meditated assault was certainly desperate;
and so conscious did he feel of it's danger, though nothing could deter
him from the attempt, that he has been frequently heard to declare the
sensation he experienced, on going over the ship's side, to enter his
boat, on the 24th at night, was a full conviction that he should never
return. There was, indeed, a hope of success, but it was a faint one,
and the evil genius of the expedition again interposed to defeat it. The
boats did not keep together, as instructed; they did not all land, as
directed, on the mole: and, in consequence, they were stove, by running
ashore through a raging surf; the ammunition in the men's pouches got
wet; and the scaling ladders were either lost, or forgotten in the
confusion of the scene. Even those who landed with Captain Troubridge,
and whose valour instantly got entire possession of the town, lost the
only chance there seems to have remained for successfully storming the
citadel, by waiting so long in expectation of the rear-admiral, who had
been fatally prevented from landing, and other aids and augmentations,
that the Spanish troops gained time to collect, and approach them, from
the vicinity, in such force as nothing but the matchless address and
intrepidity of British officers, and British men, could possibly have
braved and surmounted. That they were extricated, by a daring resolution
and determined valour, in Captain Troubridge and Captain Hood, which
would have done honour even to Rear-Admiral Nelson himself, is as
certain, as that no want of courage prevented, in the smallest degree,
the success of the enterprise. There can be no such possible imputation.
By bravery, alone, it was wholly unaccomplishable; it might, possibly,
have been effected, but even that is by no means certain, if they had
not been deprived of the chief hero's most fertile mental resources,
ever rising with the exigency, which his fatal wound had effectually
prevented--and which no other man must be censured for not possessing;
because, perhaps, no other man ever did possess them in so eminent a
degree. Besides, justice demands a due acknowledgment, that those who
may rank among the greatest of men, having others at hand whom they
consider as still greater than themselves, are to be excused for not
hastily relying on their own judgment; though delay should, as it
generally does in the operations of war, prove ultimately dangerous. The
same persons, left under the necessity of acting for themselves, might
be inspired with more confidence in their own ability, and proceed very
differently in their operations.

In lamenting that the several trials were not instantly made, which have
been suggested as remaining at all practicable, during the critical
periods alluded to, due regard must be paid to the opinions of those who
had better opportunities of judging from intervening circumstances. Not,
indeed, that it is by any means unusual for the most exalted characters
to discover, themselves, after the event, opportunities which might have
been seized, and which they have for ever lost, of performing some
peculiarly brilliant achievement. This is no disgrace. Of much regret,
it may often constitute a subject; of just reproach, never.

By indulging these reflections, there is no other object in
contemplation, than that of assisting to afford an accurate view of the
ability which was exerted in this unfortunate enterprise; and thus
demonstrating, by a new example, the force of the old observation--that
success is not always acquirable, even where it is most merited.

About the middle of September 1797, Sir Horatio Nelson having arrived
safely in London, had apartments engaged in Bond Street; where he was
attended by Dr. Moseley, the late celebrated Surgeon Cruikshanks, and
other gentlemen of the faculty.

It appears that, in consequence of a nerve having been improperly
included in one of the ligatures employed for securing a bleeding
artery, at the time of the operation--which ligature, according to the
customary practice of the French surgeons, was of silk instead of waxed
thread--a constant irritation, and perpetual discharge, were kept up;
and, the ends of the ligature, hanging out of the wound, being daily
pulled, in order to effect their separation, occasioned the severest
agony to the heroic sufferer, who had scarcely any intermission of pain,
either by night or day. His excellent spirits, however, never deserted
him: and, in fact, he had not felt the slightest degree of fever on the
occasion; a very unusual circumstance, after the loss of a limb.

His deserved popularity had already acquired such a height, that the
nation might be said to participate in his sufferings; and he received
the most consoling civilities from the Prince of Wales, the Duke of
Clarence, and other illustrious and noble characters. Friends flocked
around him. His worthy relatives hastened to attend and console him,
from the country; and Mr. Bolton, in particular, was his constant
companion.

Besides the order of the Bath, and the gold medal, which he had received
from his sovereign, in consequence of his important share in the victory
of the 14th of February, he had also been presented with the freedom of
the city of London in a gold box; and, in the month of October 1797, it
was generously resolved, by his majesty, to recompence his services, and
ameliorate his sufferings, by granting him a pension of one thousand
pounds a year.

The indispensable custom of presenting a memorial to the sovereign,
before any such grant can be issued, stating the nature of the services
for which it is intended, gave rise to the following very singular
recapitulation.

     "_To the King's Most Excellent Majesty._

     "The Memorial of Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B. and a Rear-Admiral in
     Your Majesty's Fleet,

     "Sheweth--


     "That, during the present war, your memorialist has been in four
     actions with the fleets of the enemy: viz. on the 13th and 14th of
     March 1795; on the 13th of July 1795; and, on the 14th of February
     1797. In three actions in boats, employed in cutting out of
     harbours; in destroying vessels; and, in taking three towns. Your
     memorialist has also served on shore, with the army, four months;
     and commanded the batteries at the sieges of Bastia and Calvi.
     That, during the war, he has assisted at the capture of seven sail
     of the line, six frigates, four corvettes, and eleven privateers of
     different sizes; and taken and destroyed near fifty sail of
     merchant vessels: and, your memorialist has actually been engaged
     against the enemy upwards of one hundred and twenty times. In which
     service, your memorialist has lost his right eye and arm, and been
     severely wounded and bruised in his body; all of which services,
     and wounds, your memorialist most humbly submits to your majesty's
     most gracious consideration.


     "Horatio Nelson."

The pension thus granted proved highly acceptable: but his wound
continued to torment him with unabated violence, till about the latter
end of November; when, having one night experienced the unusual
refreshment of a sound and lasting sleep, he was, on awaking, astonished
to find, that his wound felt nearly free from pain. Impatient to have it
examined, he sent for his surgeon; and, to their mutual surprise, the
silk instantly came away, at a single touch, without the smallest
difficulty. From this hour, the wound began to heal; and, with all that
characteristic piety of disposition, and that sincere gratitude to
Providence for signal deliverances, which he never failed to profess, he
gave the late Reverend Mr. Greville, of St. George's, Hanover Square,
the following form of thanksgiving, to be read at that church during the
time of divine service--

     "_An officer desires to return thanks to Almighty God, for his
     perfect recovery from a severe wound; and, also, for the many
     mercies bestowed on him._"

     "_December 8th 1797; for next Sunday._"

The original of the above thanksgiving, in his own hand-writing, is
still carefully preserved by the present Reverend Mr. Greville, son and
successor of the venerable clergyman to whom it was delivered by Sir
Horatio Nelson.

On the 13th of December, having been pronounced fit for service, by his
surgeons, he made his appearance at court; and his majesty received him
in the most gracious and tender manner: expressing, with peculiar marks
of sensibility, his excessive sorrow for the loss which Sir Horatio had
suffered, and the regret which he felt at beholding him in a state of
health apparently so far reduced as to deprive the country of his future
services. The brave admiral, however, immediately replied to his
sovereign, with the most respectful but dignified tone of expression, in
the following energetic and affectionate speech--"May it please your
majesty, I can never think that a loss, which the performance of my duty
has occasioned; and, while I have a foot to stand on, I will combat for
my king and country!"

His majesty appeared deeply affected by this manly and loyal answer;
and, in consequence, on the 19th, only six days after, Sir Horatio
Nelson received orders to hoist his flag on board the Vanguard, and
again proceed to the Mediterranean, as soon as that ship could be
properly equipped for the voyage.

Not having been before in England since he lost, at Calvi, the sight of
his right eye, it was about this period that he went, accompanied by Mr.
Bolton, to receive a year's pay, as smart-money; that being the
customary allowance, in the navy, on losing an eye or a limb: but could
not obtain payment, for want of the formality of a certificate from the
faculty, to testify that the sight was actually extinguished. Vexed, for
a moment, at what he considered as a superfluous and almost impertinent
requisition, it's loss being sufficiently notorious, though by no means
apparent, he not only immediately procured the desired certificate; but,
from whimsical pleasantry, humorously requested, and actually obtained,
at the same time, a certificate from his surgeons of the loss of his
arm, which was sufficiently obvious: asserting--with much propriety, in
his particular instance, at least--that one might just as well be
doubted as the other. On going, afterwards, to receive the sum, which
was the annual pay of a captain only, that being his rank when he
sustained the loss, the clerk observed that he thought it had been more.
"Oh, no!" jocosely replied the hero, "this is only for an eye: in a few
days, I shall come for an arm; and, in a little time longer, God knows,
most probably, for a leg!"

Accordingly, he soon after went again to the office, accompanied by the
same gentleman as before; and, with perfect good-humour, exhibited the
supererogatory certification of the loss of his arm.

In January 1798, Sir Horatio Nelson having presented to the city of
Norwich the sword of the Spanish admiral, delivered to him on the
memorable 14th of February 1797, an ingenious device, executed by Mr.
Windham of that city, was erected in the council-chamber of the
town-hall, to commemorate this event, and the consequent gift, which has
been thus described--To the ring of an anchor, is suspended a yard and
sail, supposed to be torn in action: on which is inscribed--"The Sword
of the Spanish Admiral, Don Xavier Winthuysen, who died of the wounds he
received in an engagement with the British fleet, under the command of
Admiral Earl St. Vincent, 13th of February 1797, which ended in the most
brilliant victory ever obtained by this country over the enemy at sea;
wherein the heroic valour, and cool determined courage, of Rear-Admiral
Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B. had ample scope for their display. He, being a
native of Norfolk, has honoured the city, by presenting this sword,
surrendered to him in that action." From the flukes of the anchor, the
sword is suspended. Underneath, is the coat of arms of Sir Horatio
Nelson, which was given to him by the king. The crest is the stern of a
man of war; the supporters, are a sailor bearing a British lion,
trampling on the Spanish colours. The motto is--"Faith and works."

Sir Horatio appears to have spent his preceding Christmas, and
commencement of the present year, with his venerable father, and the
esteemed husband of his amiable younger sister, Mrs. Matcham, at Bath;
where, also, he might be desirous to recruit his health and vigour for
his approaching voyage. Certain it is, that he quitted Bond Street in
December, and was at Bath the beginning of February.

It was not till the 1st of April 1798, that the convoy which he had in
charge for Lisbon was completely ready; and, though he sailed with it,
on that day, from Spithead, the wind, at the back of the Isle of Wight,
coming to the westward, he was constrained to return to St. Helen's.

After waiting till the 9th, he proceeded to Lisbon with the convoy; and,
on the 29th of April, joined the Earl of St. Vincent, off Cadiz.

Not a moment was lost by these great men, in proceeding to co-operate
for the glory of their country. The crisis was peculiarly portentous.
Bonaparte, baffled in his views of invading England, or even
Ireland---after the last and most serious disaffection, recently
extinguished, in the mutiny of the home fleet, produced an almost
general unanimity of the country--had been engaged in preparing an
expedition, on a scale of imposing grandeur, for some object which was
endeavoured to be carefully concealed, till it should be manifested by
it's tremendous effects. The armament destined for this grand secret
expedition, which was collecting at Toulon, under Bonaparte, consisted
of thirteen ships of the line, and seven forty-gun frigates, with
twenty-four smaller vessels of war, and nearly two hundred transports;
the latter filled with troops, horses, artillery, provisions, and
military stores. In this fleet, it was said, were also to embark artists
and scientific men of every description, with ancient and modern
linguists, and all sorts of useful and curious instruments and
machinery, calculated to promote knowledge, and extend improvement, in
the intended country which they were about thus to seize and newly
colonize.

It was immediately agreed, by the Earl of St. St. Vincent, and Sir
Horatio Nelson, that the latter should the next morning sail, with the
Vanguard, Orion, and Alexander, of seventy-four guns each, the Emerald
and Terpsichore frigates, and La Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war, to watch
the motions of this formidable French armament. The Earl of St. Vincent
was at no loss to know who was the senior officer under his command, and
what was the customary etiquette; but he knew, at the same time, that he
had, as commander in chief, a discretionary power; and carrying, in his
own bosom, a dread responsibility to his country, he had not an instant
to hesitate on whom it was his duty to depend. To the noble earl's
magnanimity, therefore, is the country to be eternally considered as
indebted for affording our favourite hero the opportunity of
demonstrating his unequalled powers. By other commanders, as he formerly
most feelingly remarked, he had been always praised, but never promoted;
he was now promoted by his commander, and praised by all the world,
while his commander generously declared that no praise could do justice
to his actions. The confidence of the fleet, and of the nation too, were
with the Earl of St. Vincent; and, though a few mean and malignant
characters, envious of superior merit, Mould occasionally suggest their
base insinuations, that Sir Horatio Nelson might not be equal to the
management of a large fleet, the commander in chief, one of the first
naval tacticians any country ever produced, had early seen who had the
readiest and clearest conceptions of his own numerous plans, and well
knew that Nelson's genius would keep full pace with any augmentation of
command which it was possible he should ever obtain.

Sir Horatio, with the squadron abovementioned, sailed from Gibraltar on
the 9th of May; and, on the 17th, having captured a small corvette,
which came out of Toulon the preceding night, gained some little
intelligence respecting the fleet, but none to be relied on as to their
destination. His letter to the Earl of St. Vincent, mentioning this
circumstance, concludes with these words--"You may rely, my lord, that I
shall act as occasion may offer, to the best of my abilities, in
following up your ideas, for the honour of his majesty's crown, and the
advantage of our country." A sufficient proof of the concurrence of
sentiment in these two heroic commanders, which led to so glorious a
result.

On the 22d, being in the Gulph of Lyons, at two in the morning, a most
violent squall of wind took the Vanguard, which carried away all the
topmasts; and, at last, the foremast. The other ships also experienced,
though in a less degree, the ill effects of this severe gale. To add to
the disaster, the line of battle ships lost sight of their three
frigates on this eventful day; which proved to be that on which the
French armament had, at length, taken it's departure from Toulon, and
was then actually passing within a few leagues of the unconscious
sufferers employed to watch it's motions.

The little squadron now bore up for Sardinia; the Alexander taking the
Vanguard in tow, and the Orion looking out ahead for a pilot to conduct
them into St. Pierre's Road. This anchorage they happily reached on the
24th; and expected to have met with that friendly reception which their
distresses demanded, from a power professing neutrality. The governor of
St. Pierre, however, had received orders from the French, not to admit
any British ship; but no dread of hostilities could prevent the brave
admiral from resolutely anchoring in the road.

In a letter, written this very day, dated on board the Vanguard, St.
Peter's Island. Sardinia, May 24, 1798, and addressed to Lady Nelson, he
thus describes the effect produced on his mind by the dangers just
escaped.

     "MY DEAREST FANNY,

     "I ought not to call what has happened to the Vanguard, by the cold
     name of accident: I believe, firmly, it was the Almighty's
     goodness, to check my consummate vanity. I hope it has made me a
     better officer, as I feel it has made me a better man. I kiss, with
     all humility, the rod. Figure to yourself, on Sunday evening, at
     sun-set, a vain man, walking in his cabin, with a squadron around
     him, who looked up to their chief, to lead them to glory; and in
     whom their chief placed the firmest reliance, that the proudest
     ships, of equal numbers, belonging to France, would have bowed
     their flags; and, with a very rich prize lying by him--Figure to
     yourself, on Monday morning, when the sun rose, this proud,
     conceited man, his ship dismasted, his fleet dispersed, and himself
     in such distress that the meanest frigate out of France would have
     been an unwelcome guest. But it has pleased Almighty God to bring
     us into a safe port; where, although refused the rights of
     humanity, yet the Vanguard will, in two days, get to sea again as
     an English man of war."

This is the letter of a truly Christian hero, as well as of a most
affectionate and tender husband. It will not be hastily believed, by the
reflecting part of mankind, that he who possessed so high a sense of all
the relative duties as the immortal Nelson, had not afterwards good
reasons for being separated from the wife whom he could once consent
thus to address. What those reasons were, the reader will, probably, in
the sequel, be enabled to form a tolerably correct judgment.

Notwithstanding the unfavourable reception encountered at St. Peter's
Island, as hinted in the above letter, the resources of British seamen,
which are seldom known to fail, enabled them soon to surmount most of
their difficulties. Captain Berry, with the very able assistance which
he received from Sir James Saumarez and Captain Ball, contrived to
equip the Vanguard with a jury foremast, jury main and mizen topmasts,
and to fish the bowsprit, which was sprung in many places; and, on the
fourth day after anchoring in St. Pierre's Road, they again put to sea,
with top-gallant yards across.

In the mean time, Sir Horatio Nelson had addressed a letter to the
Viceroy of Sardinia, dated on board his Britannic majesty's ship, the
Vanguard, at anchor off the Island of St. Peter, 26th May 1798; in which
he remonstrated, with becoming dignity, but not without considerate
kindness, against the conduct he was experiencing.

     "SIR,

     "Having, by a gale of wind, sustained some trifling damage, I
     anchored a small part of his majesty's fleet under my orders, off
     this island; and was surprised to hear, by an officer sent by the
     governor, that admittance was to be refused to the flag of his
     Britannic majesty into this port. When I reflect that my most
     gracious sovereign is the oldest, I believe, and certainly the most
     faithful, ally which his majesty of Sardinia ever had, I could feel
     the sorrow which it must have been to his majesty to have given
     such an order; and also for your excellency, who has to direct it's
     execution. I cannot but look at Afric's shore; where the followers
     of Mahomet are performing the part of the good Samaritan, which I
     look for in vain at St. Peter's, where it is said the Christian
     religion is professed. May God Almighty bless your excellency, is
     the sincere wish of your most obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."


It is not improbable, that this letter immediately occasioned a little
secret assistance to be bestowed. Certain it is, that some aid was
actually received, or they could not so soon have conveniently taken
their departure.

They now steered for their appointed rendezvous, which they reached on
the 4th of June; and were joined, next day, by La Mutine, Captain Hardy,
who was charged with orders to the admiral, and brought the highly
acceptable information, that Captain Troubridge, with ten sail of the
line, and a fifty-gun ship, had been detached to reinforce him. The
knowledge of this circumstance diffused universal joy throughout the
little squadron; which could scarcely be felt in a superlative degree by
the heroic commander himself, who was now about to obtain what it had
been the business of his life to acquire, an opportunity of evincing the
ability with which he felt conscious of having been gifted by Heaven. In
the exultation of his open and generous heart, he observed to Captain
Berry, that he should soon be a match for any hostile fleet in the
Mediterranean; and his only desire would then be, to encounter one.

The squadron, on the 6th, were widely spread, in anxious expectation,
looking out for the expected reinforcement. They were informed, that
several sail, then in sight, were Spanish ships, richly laden; but the
love of glory now filled too powerfully the hero's breast, to admit the
presence of any sordid or selfish passion. He had heard that, with the
storm in which his ships so severely suffered, the grand armament had
set out from Toulon; and, perhaps, but for this apparently unfriendly
gale, his little squadron might have become the prey of such greatly
superior force. The fury of that tempest, however, though violent, was
soon exhausted, and it's ill effects were quickly repaired: but the dark
storm of desolation, proceeding from the collected thunders of France
issued at the port of Toulon, was now passing dreadfully over the
menaced world; and every country seemed waiting, in awful horror, to
behold where it should finally burst, and fatally descend.

The consideration of the important part which Sir Horatio Nelson had to
act, in the grand theatre of the universe, now absorbed every other
consideration. The Alexander, indeed, had stopped one of the Spanish
ships; but, Captain Ball finding that it had on board eighty or ninety
priests, driven by French persecution from the papal sanctuary of Rome,
considered it would be an act of inhumanity to prevent their seeking an
asylum. He accordingly suffered the ship to proceed: bringing away only
a few volunteer Genoese seamen from the Spanish vessel, who expressed
their desire of the honour to serve in the British fleet, and their
resentment of the ill usage which they had recently experienced from the
detested French.

In a state of the most pleasingly painful anxiety did this little
squadron, and their impatient commander, continue to watch, for the
expected reinforcement, till the 8th at noon; when they had the
happiness to discover, from the mast-head, ten sail; and it was not long
before these were recognized to be British ships of war, standing on a
wind, in close line of battle, with all sails set. Private signals were
now exchanged; and, before sun-set, this important junction was
completely effected.

Captain Troubridge brought no instructions to Admiral Nelson respecting
the course he was to steer, nor any positive account of the destination
of the enemy's fleet. Every thing was left to his own judgment. The
pleasure which he felt at being thought worthy of such a command, called
forth every power of his grateful and magnanimous mind.

He had soon the felicity to find, that the captains under his authority,
had no need of particular instructions to keep in constant readiness for
battle; the ardour of their zeal anticipated his utmost wishes. The
decks of all the ships were perfectly clear night and day, and every man
was ready to take his post at a moment's notice. He perceived them, with
unspeakable satisfaction, daily exercising their men at the great guns,
as well as with small arms; and, in short, placing every thing in the
best state of preparation for actual service.

Knowing that the enemy had sailed with a north-west wind, he naturally
concluded that their course was up the Mediterranean. He sent La Mutine
to Civita Vecchia, and along the Roman coast, for intelligence; and, in
the mean time, steered with the fleet to Corsica, which he reached on
the 12th of June, without obtaining any intelligence. The next day, he
continued his course between Corsica and Elba, and between Planosa and
Elba; through the latter of which passages large ships, or fleets, had
not been accustomed to pass. On making the Roman coast, they were
rejoined by La Mutine; but Captain Hardy, with all his exertions, had
been unable to acquire any information.

Admiral Nelson now resolved to steer towards Naples, with the hope of
proving more successful in his enquiries. It had been rumoured, that the
plundering of Algiers was the object of the French armament; but this
account he considered as much too vague to warrant implicit adoption.

On the 16th, they saw Mount Vesuvius; and Captain Troubridge was
detached, in La Mutine, with letters to Sir William Hamilton, making
earnest enquiries respecting the French fleet, as well as of the powers
and disposition of the court of Naples to accommodate the British
squadron. In one of these letters, he says--

     "If their fleet is not moored in as strong a port as Toulon,
     nothing shall hinder me from attacking them; and, with the
     blessing of Almighty God, I hope for a most glorious victory. I
     send Captain Troubridge to communicate with your excellency; and,
     as Captain Troubridge is in full possession of my confidence, I beg
     that whatever he says may be considered as coming from me. Captain
     Troubridge is my honoured acquaintance of twenty-five years, and
     the very best sea-officer in his majesty's service. I hope, pilots
     will be with us in a few hours; for I will not lose one moment
     after the brig's return, to wait for any thing."

In the mean time, knowing the anxiety of his country, at this period, he
wrote to Earl Spencer, informing him of his belief that, if the French
fleet passed Sicily, towards which they had been seen steering, he
should imagine they were going on their scheme of possessing Alexandria,
and getting troops to India, on a plan concerted with Tippoo Saib.

     "But," adds the hero, "be they bound to the Antipodes, your
     lordship may rely that I will not lose a moment in bringing them to
     action, and endeavour to destroy their transports. I have sent
     Captain Troubridge on shore, to talk to General Acton, and hope the
     King of Naples will send me some frigates; for mine parted company
     on the 20th of May, and have not joined me since. The whole
     squadron is remarkably healthy, and perfectly equal to meet the
     French fleet." After observing, that he shall make sail the moment
     Captain Troubridge returns, he concludes thus--"Highly honoured as
     I feel with this very important command, I beg you will believe
     that I shall endeavour to approve myself worthy of it; and that I
     am, with the highest respect, your lordship's most obedient
     servant,

     "Horatio Nelson."


On the 17th, in answer to a letter sent by a boat from Sir William
Hamilton, he writes--"Captain Troubridge will say every thing I could
put in a ream of paper. I have only to observe, in my present state, if
I meet the enemy at sea, the convoy will get off, for want of frigates.
I submit this to you, to urge General Acton upon. The King of Naples may
now have part of the glory in destroying these pests of the human race;
and the opportunity, once lost, may never be regained. God bless you!
Depend on my exertions."

This day, too, he wrote the following very laconic, but truly
characteristic letter, for the Earl of St. Vincent; to be forwarded, by
Sir William Hamilton, from Naples.

     "Vanguard,
     off Naples,
     17th June 1798.


     "MY LORD,

     "I have only to assure you, I will bring the French fleet to action
     the moment I can lay my hands on them. Till then, adieu.


     "Horatio Nelson."

Having received information, by Captain Troubridge, that the French
were at Malta, on the 8th, going to attack it; and that Naples, being at
peace with the French republic, could afford us no assistance; he seemed
to lament that even a day had been lost, by visiting the Bay of Naples,
and resolved instantly, by the shortest cut, to make the Pharos of
Messina.

Such, at least, was the apparent face of the business; but, in truth,
one grand object of Captain Troubridge's mission had been secretly
successful to a very high degree. He had reached Naples at five in the
morning: when Sir William Hamilton immediately arose, and communicated
on the business with the King of the two Sicilies and General Acton;
who, after much deliberation, agreed, that nothing could possibly be
done, which might endanger their peace with the French republic. Lady
Hamilton, in the mean time, aware what would be the decision; and
convinced, by all she heard from Captain Troubridge, of the importance
to the British fleet, as well as to the real security of the Neapolitan
and Sicilian territories, that the ports of these countries should by no
means be closed against those who were alone able to protect them from
the force or perfidy of General Bonaparte; without consulting any thing
but her own correct judgment, and well-intentioned heart, she contrived
to procure, from some being of a superior order, sylph, fairy, magician,
or other person skilled in the occult sciences, as many in Naples, as
well as elsewhere, positively profess themselves to be, a small
association of talismanic characters, fraught with such magical and
potential influence, in favour of the possessor, that the slightest
glance of this mystic charm no sooner saluted the eye of a Sicilian or
Neapolitan governor, than he was incapable of regarding any other object
except what the bearer presented to his dazzled view, or of hearing any
other injunction but that which the same person addressed to his
astonished ear; while his tongue was, at the same time, impelled to
secrecy, by the dread of an assured death. Possessed of this treasure,
Sir Horatio had immediately sailed; but, as his possession of this
talisman was to remain a profound secret, till those periods should
arrive when it must necessarily be produced, the same sort of
correspondence continued to be kept up, between the parties, as if no
such favour had been conferred on the hero by any friendly enchantress
whatever. Accordingly, the following epistle, dated on board the
Vanguard at Sea, the 18th of June 1798, was sent to Sir William
Hamilton, apologizing for not having answered the letter of that worthy
and most esteemed gentleman previously to sailing.

     "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 the Earl of St. Vincent, by which it would appear as
     determined by the cabinet, to keep a superior fleet to that of the
     enemy in the Mediterranean; for the Admiralty, you know, can give
     no such orders, but by an order from the secretary of state. As for
     what depends on me, I beg, if you think it proper, to tell their
     Sicilian majesties, and General Acton, they may rest assured that I
     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 I 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 the
     worst; which, I am sure, all this fleet would feel to be, the
     escape of the enemy into port. My distress for frigates is extreme;
     but I cannot help myself, and no one will help me. But, I thank
     God, I am not apt to feel difficulties. Pray, present my best
     respects to Lady Hamilton. Tell her, I hope to be presented to her
     crowned with laurel or cypress. 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."

On the 20th of June, the British fleet passed through the Pharos of
Messina, with a fair wind. The joy with which the Sicilians hailed the
squadron, when they discovered it to be British, gave the most heartfelt
satisfaction to all on board. A vast number of boats came off, and rowed
round with the loudest congratulations, and the most sincere exultations
of delight; as they had been apprehensive that the French fleet, having
secured Malta, was coming to act against them.

Having learned, from the British consul, that Malta had certainly been
attacked, and was reported to have, at least, in part, surrendered to
the French, he now addressed a letter to the most illustrious Grand
Master of Malta: apprizing him, that he was hastening to prevent that
island from falling into the hands of the common enemy; and instructing
him how to proceed till his arrival, which might be expected the
following Friday.

He had, at this time, reason to suppose, that the French were only in
possession of the old city; and, that their fleet was anchored between
Goza and Malta. Accordingly, he again wrote to Sir William Hamilton,
requesting him to procure, from the court of Naples, at least, a few
gun-boats, if they could supply nothing more, to assist in dislodging
the enemy from Malta, and prevent their expected subsequent designs on
Sicily.

Both the above letters were delivered to the British consul, who had
gone on board from Messina on the 20th; and, next day, the fleet
proceeded, with a press of sail, for Malta.

In the evening, being close off Syracuse, they hoisted their colours,
when a boat rowed out for about a mile; but, though the fleet brought
to, and the Mutine was sent in shore, it immediately rowed back again.
At day-break, the following morning, La Mutine, being off Cape Passaro,
spoke a Genoese brig which sailed from Malta the day before; and the
master informed Captain Hardy, that Malta having surrendered on Friday
the 15th, the French fleet had left it the very next day, and were gone,
as it was supposed, for Sicily. The wind then blowing Strong from the
west north-west, there was no possibility of getting to Malta till it
should moderate; and, even there, no better information might be
obtainable, while the French were in possession of the place. In the
mean time, he greatly suspected the truth of what the Genoese reported;
well knowing how often vessels had been stationed by the enemy to give
misinformation respecting their intended course. He would himself have
examined the master, but found that he had been gone some hours.

Thus situated, the admiral had no other guide than his own judgment;
and, after a due consideration of all the circumstances, having been
assured, by Sir William Hamilton, that Naples was at peace with the
French, and Sicily positively declared, by Bonaparte, not to be the
object, he determined to steer for Alexandria; with the hope of
frustrating the intentions of this armament, whatever those intentions
might finally prove.

From this period, to the 28th of June, only three vessels were spoken
with; neither of which, though two were from Alexandria, had seen any
thing of the enemy's fleet. This day, the Pharos tower of Alexandria was
perceived by the British squadron: and they continued wearing the land,
with a press of sail, till the whole of them had a distinct view of both
harbours; where, to the general surprise and disappointment of all, not
a French ship was visible.

Having arrived off this port, Captain Hardy was directed to run close in
with La Mutine, and send an officer on shore with the following letter
to Mr. Baldwin--

     "SIR,

     "The French having possessed themselves of Malta, on Friday the
     15th of this month, the next day the whole fleet, consisting of
     sixteen sail of the line, frigates, bomb vessels, &c. and near
     three hundred transports, left the island. I only heard this
     unpleasant news on the 22d, off Cape Passaro. As Sicily was not
     their object, and the wind blew fresh from the westward; from the
     time they sailed, it was clear that their destination was to the
     eastward: and, I think, their object is, to possess themselves of
     some port in Egypt, to fix themselves at the head of the Red Sea,
     in order to get a formidable army into India; and, in concert with
     Tippoo Saib, to drive us, if possible, from India. But, I have
     reason to believe, from not seeing a vessel, that they have heard
     of my coming up the Mediterranean, and are got safe into Corfu.
     Still, I am most exceedingly anxious to know, from you, if any
     reports or preparations have been made in Egypt for them; or any
     vessels prepared in the Red Sea, to carry them to India: or for any
     other information you would be good enough to give me, I shall hold
     myself much obliged. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

The officer charged with this letter, brought back information that Mr.
Baldwin had left Alexandria nearly three months. There were, it
appeared, in the old port, one Turkish ship of the line, four frigates,
and about twelve other Turkish vessels; and, in the Franks port, about
fifty sail of vessels belonging to different nations. The line of battle
ship was observed to be landing it's guns, and the place filling with
troops.

What the brave admiral felt, at being thus disappointed, it would be
less difficult to conceive than to describe: certain it is, that the
anxiety which he suffered in consequence of this so long baffled
pursuit, brought on such violent spasms in the regions of his heroic
heart as continued occasionally to afflict him during the remainder of
his days.

In a letter which he wrote to his commander in chief, the Earl of St.
Vincent, immediately on discovering that the French were not at
Alexandria, after relating the particulars of his unfortunate progress,
he pours forth the effusions of his honourable bosom, in a strain so
affecting, that his biographer has been incapable of transcribing the
passage without tears.

     "To do nothing," says this incomparable man, was, I felt,
     disgraceful; therefore, I made use of my understanding: and, by it,
     I ought to stand or fall. I am before your lordship's
     judgment--which, in the present case, I feel, is the tribunal of my
     country--and if, under all circumstances, it is decided I am wrong,
     I ought, for the sake of our country, to be superseded: for, at
     this moment, when I know the French are not in Alexandria, I hold
     the same opinion as off Cape Passaro; viz. that, under all
     circumstances, I was right in steering for Alexandria; and, by that
     opinion, I must stand or fall. However erroneous my judgment may
     be, I feel conscious of my honest intentions; which, I hope, will
     bear me up under the greatest misfortune that could happen to me as
     an officer, that of your lordship's thinking me wrong."

It was now the object of his incessant contemplation, to ascertain the
possible course of the enemy, and what could be their ultimate design.
He feared, indeed, that Sicily, in his absence, had fallen under the
French yoke. With a mind too perturbed for repose, he was wholly
incapable of remaining inactive. He shaped his course, therefore, to the
northward, for the coast of Caramania; that he might, as expeditiously
as possible, arrive at some quarter where information was likely to be
obtained. On the 4th of July, he made that coast; and, steering along
the south side of Candia, and carrying a press of sail, both night and
day, with a contrary wind, being also in want of water, the fleet came,
on the 18th, in sight of the island of Sicily, and he determined to
enter the port of Syracuse.

Such instructions, however, had been sent to the governor of Syracuse,
through the preponderancy of French interest at this period, that he
would have found it difficult even to enter, and probably have obtained
little or no refreshment of any kind, though much was absolutely
necessary, had he not, very fortunately, experienced the beneficial
effects of Lady Hamilton's powerful influence secretly exerted in the
only quarter which was not rendered impenetrable by the menacing
insinuations of the then Gallic resident at Naples. It was the
assistance he now procured, by virtue of the talismanic gift received
from Lady Hamilton, and without which he could not, in any reasonable
time, have pursued the French fleet, and possibly might never have come
up with them, that he so solemnly recognized, a short time before his
death, as to make it the subject of a codicil annexed to his will, in
which he expressly _bequeaths that lady to the remuneration of his
country_. On the 20th, in a letter to Sir William Hamilton, he says--

     "It is an old saying, the devil's children have the devil's luck. I
     cannot find, or to this moment learn, beyond vague conjecture,
     where the French fleet are gone to. All my ill fortune, hitherto,
     has proceeded from want of frigates. Off Cape Passaro, on the 22d
     of June, at daylight, I saw two frigates, which were supposed to be
     French; and, it has been said, since, that a line of battle ship
     was to leeward of them, with the riches of Malta on board; but it
     was the destruction of the enemy, and not riches for myself, that I
     was seeking. These would have fell to me, if I had had frigates:
     but, except the ship of the line, I regard not all the riches in
     this world. From my information off Malta, I believed they were
     gone to Egypt: therefore, on the 28th, I was communicating with
     Alexandria, in Egypt, where I found the Turks preparing to resist
     them, but knew nothing beyond report. From thence, I stretched over
     to the coast of Caramania; where, not speaking a vessel who could
     give me information, I became distressed for the kingdoms of the
     two Sicilies: and, having gone a round of six hundred leagues, at
     this season of the year, with an expedition incredible, here I am,
     as ignorant of the situation of the enemy, as I was twenty-seven
     days ago. I shall be able, for nine or ten weeks longer, to keep
     the fleet in active service, when we shall want provisions and
     stores. I send a paper on that subject herewith. Mr. Littledale
     is, I suppose, sent up by the admiral to victual us; and, I hope,
     he will do it cheaper than any other person. But, if I find out
     that he charges more than the fair price, and has not the
     provisions of the very best quality, I will not take them: for, as
     no fleet has more fag than this, nothing but the best food, and
     greatest attention, can keep them healthy. At this moment, we have
     not one sick man in the fleet. In about six days, I shall sail from
     hence; and, if I hear nothing more of the French, I shall go to the
     Archipelago; where, if they are gone towards Constantinople, I
     shall hear of them. I shall go to Cyprus; and, if they are gone to
     Alexandretta, or any other part of Syria or Egypt, I shall get
     information. You will, I am sure, and so will our country, easily
     conceive what has passed in my anxious mind; but I have this
     comfort, that I have no fault to accuse myself of: this bears me
     up, and this only."

The next day, July 21st, he writes to Sir William--

     "What a situation am I placed in! as yet, I can learn nothing of
     the enemy; therefore, I have no conjecture, but that they are gone
     to Syria; and, at Cyprus, I hope to hear of them. If they were gone
     to the westward, I rely that every place in Sicily would have
     information for me; for, it is too important news to leave me one
     moment in doubt about. I have no frigate, or a sign of one. The
     masts, yards, &c. for the Vanguard, will I hope be prepared
     directly: for, should the French be so strongly secured in port
     that I cannot get at them, I shall immediately shift my flag into
     some other ship, and send the Vanguard to Naples, to be refitted;
     for, hardly any person but myself would have continued on service
     so long in such a wretched state."

The following letter of complaint, calculated to blind the Neapolitan
government, as well as the French resident, is a masterpiece of
requisite political duplicity, fabricated at the very instant when he
was receiving every possible assistance.

     "Vanguard,
     Syracuse, 22d July 1798.

     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "I have had so much said about the King of Naples's orders only to
     admit three or four of the ships of our fleet into his ports, that
     I 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 the king's flag
     is insulted at every friendly port we look at. I am, with the
     greatest respect, your most obedient servant,


     Horatio Nelson.

     P.S. I do not complain of the want of attention in individuals,
     for all classes of people are remarkably attentive to us."


     "His Excellency, the Right Honourable Sir William Hamilton, K.B."

A secret epistle, at the same time, addressed to Sir William and Lady
Hamilton, has these words--

     "MY DEAR FRIENDS,

     "Thanks to your exertions, we have victualled and watered: and,
     surely, watering at the Fountain of Arethusa, we must have victory!
     We shall sail with the first breeze; and, be assured, I will return
     either crowned with laurel, or covered with cypress."

Though no person in the fleet was acquainted with the harbour of
Syracuse, such was the skill and exertion of the officers that every
ship got safely in: and, full permission having been secured, by the
admirable management and address of Lady Hamilton, not only water, but
other articles of the first necessity, were obtained with the greatest
expedition. Indeed, though there was no proper or regular water-place,
the classical Fountain of Arethusa, that celebrated daughter of Oceanus,
and nymph of the Goddess of Chastity, supplied them copiously with her
pure and traditionally propitious libations; and the hero, it has been
seen, did not fail to anticipate, with becoming gratulations, his sense
of their indisputable efficacy. Such were the exertions of the officers
and men, and such were the facilities, in other respects, which they now
enjoyed, that the whole squadron were in a condition to put to sea by
the 25th.

In the mean time, Admiral Nelson had addressed a letter to the Earl of
St. Vincent, on the 20th instant, stating what he had done since his
last, and his future intentions. "Yesterday," says he, "I arrived here;
where I can learn no more than conjecture, that the French are gone to
the eastward. Every moment, I have to regret the frigates having left
me; to which must be attributed my ignorance of the movements of the
enemy. Your lordship deprived yourself of frigates, to make mine,
certainly, the first squadron in the world; and I feel that I have zeal
and activity to do credit to your appointment: and yet, to be
unsuccessful, hurts me most sensibly. But, if they are above water, I
will find them out; and, if possible, bring them to battle. You have
done your part, in giving me so fine a fleet; and I hope to do mine, in
making use of them. It is my intention to get into the mouth of the
Archipelago; where, if the enemy are gone towards Constantinople, we
shall hear of them directly: if I get no information there, to go to
Cyprus; where, if they are in Syria or Egypt, I must hear of them. We
have a report that, on the 1st of July, the French were seen off Candia;
but, near what part of the island I cannot learn."

Being now ready for sea, and finding that the French fleet had neither
been seen in the Archipelago, nor the Adriatic, nor gone down the
Mediterranean, he concluded that the coast of Egypt must still be the
object of their destination. With this impression on his anxious mind,
it is not to be supposed that he would for a moment hesitate in again
seeking them there, through any consideration of the immoderate heat of
climate, or other experienced or apprehended hardships.

On the 25th of July, accordingly, the British squadron sailed from
Syracuse; and, hoping some positive information might be obtained in the
Morea, he steered first for that coast: having, on the 28th, made the
Gulph of Coron, Captain Troubridge was dispatched with the Culloden,
into the port of Coron; off which place, owing to the usual active
exertion of that able officer, the fleet was not detained longer than
three hours. The Turkish governor, with great pleasure, gave Captain
Troubridge the welcome intelligence, that the enemy had been seen
steering to the south-east, from Candia, about four weeks before. The
captain had, also, during his very short visit, the satisfaction of
observing that the inhabitants of Coron entertained the most serious
apprehensions from the French armament, and expressed the greatest
possible detestation and abhorrence of that people.

The reasons now became evident, which had before seemed unaccountable,
how it happened that the enemy should have been missed by the British
squadron, both in it's passage to Alexandria, and in it's return to
Syracuse. The French, having steered a direct course for Candia, had
necessarily made an angular passage towards Alexandria; while Admiral
Nelson, by immediately proceeding to Alexandria, most materially
shortened the distance. The smallness of his squadron, too, making it
expedient to sail in close order, the space which it occupied was
extremely limited; and, having no frigates to detach on the look out,
the chance of descrying the enemy, unless very near, amid the haze of
the atmosphere in that climate, was prodigiously circumscribed. Under
these circumstances, the distance of about thirty-five leagues, between
Candia and the Barbary coast, must be considered as leaving more than
sufficient space for two of the largest fleets ever known mutually to
pass without the smallest observation of one another. In returning to
Syracuse, the British squadron, by steering up to the northward, while
the enemy kept a southern coast for Alexandria, had the chance of
falling in with them rendered still less likely than before.

Pleased with the information which they had received, though still
unable implicitly to rely on the fact, after such repeated
disappointments, not a moment was lost in carrying all possible sail for
Alexandria.

On the 1st of August, at noon, they had the happiness to descry the port
of Alexandria; with an aspect, however, far different from what it had
before presented to their disappointed view. They perceived, with
delight, that it now appeared filled with ships; and had, soon, the
undescribable transport to behold the French flag flying on board
several of them. A tumult of joy animated every bosom in the British
squadron, at sight of the enemy. The humblest individual felt himself a
hero; and had a great right so to feel, since every individual was
eagerly prepared to risque his life for the safety and glory of his king
and country. The brave admiral was calm, but no mortal can convey to
another the sense of ineffable delight which glowed in every fibre of
his frame. The bliss of his bosom, at this impressive moment, was that
of extatic perfection; for, it admitted not the smallest doubt of
success. His calmness was the result of his piety; for his noble heart
was pouring forth to Heaven the sacred effusions of gratitude,
anticipatory of the glorious conquest which he was about to prove the
honoured medium of atchieving. This perfection of bliss is felt but by a
few favoured mortals, and with none will it consent to abide. That it
was, for a moment, felt by the immortal Nelson, when he first beheld the
French fleet, a due consideration of his entire character, so powerfully
presses on the mind of his biographer, that he cannot resist the
temptation to tender it as an assumed fact.

In a narrative, formed from the minutes of an officer of rank, reported
to be the present Sir Edward Berry, then captain of the Vanguard, first
published in the Naval Chronicle, it is observed, that the pleasure
which the admiral himself felt was perhaps more heightened than that of
any other man, as he had now a certainty by which he could regulate his
future operations. "The admiral had," continues this narrative, and, as
it subsequently appeared, most justly, "the highest opinion of, and
placed the firmest reliance on, the valour and conduct of every captain
in his squadron. It had been his practice, during the whole of his
cruise, whenever the weather and circumstances would permit, to have his
captains on board the Vanguard: where he would fully develope to them
his own ideas of the different and best modes of attack; and such plans
as he proposed to execute, on falling in with the enemy, whatever their
position or situation might be, by night or by day. There was no
possible position in which they could be found, that he did not take
into his calculation, and for the most advantageous attack of which he
had not digested and arranged the best possible disposition of the force
which he commanded. With the masterly ideas of their admiral, therefore,
on the subject of naval tactics, every one of the captains of his
squadron was most thoroughly acquainted; and, on surveying the situation
of,the enemy, they could precisely ascertain what were the ideas and
intentions of their commander, without the aid of farther instructions.
Thus, signals became almost unnecessary; much time was saved; and the
attention of every captain could almost undistractedly be paid to the
condition of his own particular ship: a circumstance from which, on
this occasion, the advantages to the general service were almost
incalculable. It cannot here be thought irrelevant, to give some idea of
what were the plans which Admiral Nelson had formed, and which he
explained to his captains with such perspicuity as to render his ideas
completely their own. To the naval service, at least, they must not only
prove interesting but useful. Had he fallen in with the French fleet at
sea, that he might make the best impression on any part of it that
should appear the most vulnerable, or the most eligible for attack, he
divided his force into three sub-squadrons, viz.

    VANGUARD       ORION             CULLODEN
    MINOTAUR       GOLIAH            THESEUS
    LEANDER        MAJESTIC          ALEXANDER
    AUDACIOUS      BELLEROPHON.      SWIFTSURE.
    DEFENCE
    ZEALOUS.

Two of these sub-squadrons were to attack the ships of war; while the
third was to pursue the transports, and to sink and destroy as many as
it could. The destination of the French armament was involved in doubt
and uncertainty; but it forcibly struck the admiral that, as it was
commanded by the man whom the French had dignified with the title of the
Conqueror of Italy, and as he had with him a very large body of troops,
an expedition had been planned which the land force might execute
without the aid of their fleet, should the transports be permitted to
make their escape, and reach in safety their place of rendezvous: it
therefore became a material consideration with the admiral, so to
arrange his force, as at once to engage the whole attention of their
ships of war, and at the same time materially to annoy and injure their
convoy. It will be fully admitted, from the subsequent information which
has been received on the subject, that the ideas of the admiral on this
occasion were perfectly just, and that the plan which he had arranged
was the most likely to frustrate the designs of the enemy. It is almost
unnecessary to explain his projected mode of attack at anchor, as that
was minutely and precisely executed in the action about to be described.
These plans, however, were formed two months before an opportunity
presented itself of executing any of them; and the advantage now was,
that they were familiar to the understanding of every captain in the
fleet.

     "It has been already mentioned, that the Pharos of Alexandria was
     seen at noon on the 1st of August. The Alexander and Swiftsure had
     been detached ahead on the preceding evening, to reconnoitre the
     port of Alexandria, while the main body of the squadron kept in the
     offing. The enemy's fleet was first discovered by the Zealous,
     Captain Hood, who immediately communicated, by signal, the number
     of ships, sixteen, lying at anchor in a line of battle, in a bay on
     the larboard bow, which was afterwards found to be Aboukir Bay. The
     admiral hauled his wind that instant; a movement which was
     immediately observed, and followed, by the whole squadron: and, at
     the same time, he recalled the Alexander and Swiftsure. The wind
     was, at this time, north north-west; and blew what seamen call a
     top-gallant breeze. It was necessary to take in the royals, to haul
     up on a wind. The admiral made the signal to prepare for battle;
     and, that it was his intention to attack the enemy's van and centre
     as they lay at anchor, according to the plan previously developed.
     His idea, in this disposition of his force was, first, to secure
     the victory; and, then, to make the most of it, as circumstances
     might permit. A bower cable of each ship was immediately got out
     abaft, and bent forward. They continued carrying sail; and standing
     in for the enemy's fleet, in close line of battle. As all the
     officers of the squadron were totally unacquainted with Aboukir
     Bay, each ship kept sounding as she stood in.

     "The enemy appeared to be moored in a strong and compact line of
     battle, close in with the shore; their line describing an obtuse
     angle in it's form, flanked by numerous gun-boats, four frigates,
     and a battery of guns and mortars on an island in their van. This
     situation of the enemy seemed to secure to them the most decided
     advantages; as they had nothing to attend to but their artillery,
     in their superior skill in the use of which the French so much
     pride themselves, and to which, indeed, their splendid series of
     land victories are in general chiefly to be imputed.

     "The position of the enemy presented the most formidable obstacles:
     but the admiral viewed them all with the eye of a seaman determined
     on attack; and it instantly struck his eager and penetrating mind,
     that "where there was room for an enemy's ship to swing, there was
     room for one of our's to anchor." No farther signals were
     necessary, than those which had already been made. The admiral's
     designs were fully known to his whole squadron; as was his
     determination to conquer, or perish in the attempt. The Goliah and
     Zealous had the honour to lead inside, and to receive the first
     fire from the van ships of the enemy, as well as from the batteries
     and gun-boats with which their van was strengthened. These two
     ships, with the Orion, Audacious, and Theseus, took their stations
     inside the enemy's line, and were immediately in close action. The
     Vanguard anchored the first on the outer side of the enemy; and was
     opposed, within half pistol-shot, to Le Spartiate, the third in the
     enemy's line. The shores of the Bay of Aboukir were soon lined with
     spectators, who beheld the approach of the English, and the awful
     conflict of the hostile fleets, in silent astonishment.

     "Sir Horatio Nelson, as Rear-Admiral of the Blue, carried the blue
     flag at the mizen; but, from a standing order of the Earl of St.
     Vincent, the squadron wore the white, or St. George's ensign, in
     the action. This being white, with a red cross, the first quarter
     bearing the union, it occasioned the display of the cross on the
     renowned and ancient coast of Egypt.

     "So entirely was the admiral resolved to conquer, or to perish in
     the attempt, that he led into action with six ensigns, or flags,
     viz. red, white, and blue, flying in different parts of the
     rigging. He could not bear to reflect on the possibility of his
     colours being carried away even by a random shot from the enemy.

     "In standing in, the leading ships were unavoidably obliged to
     receive into their bows the whole fire of the broadsides of the
     French line, till they could take their respective stations: and it
     is but justice to observe, that the enemy received their opponents
     with great firmness and deliberation; no colours having been
     hoisted on either side, nor a gun fired, till our van ships were
     within half gun-shot. At this time, the necessary number of our men
     were engaged aloft in furling sails, and on deck in hauling the
     braces, and other requisite employments, preparatory to casting
     anchor. As soon as this took place, a most animated fire opened
     from the Vanguard; which ship covered the approach of those in the
     rear, who were following in a close line. The Minotaur, Defence,
     Bellerophon, Majestic, Swiftsure, and Alexander, came up in
     succession; and, passing within hail of the Vanguard, took their
     respective stations opposed to the enemy's line. All our ships
     anchored by the stern; by which means, the British line became
     inverted from van to rear. Captain Thompson, of the Leander of
     fifty guns, with a degree of judgment highly honourable to his
     professional character, advanced towards the enemy's line on the
     outside, and most judiciously dropped his anchor athwart hause of
     Le Franklin, raking her with great success; the shot, from the
     Leander's broadside, which passed that ship, all striking L'Orient,
     the flag-ship of the French commander in chief.

     "The action commenced at sun-set, which was at thirty-one minutes
     past six, with an ardour and vigour which it is impossible to
     describe. In a few minutes, every man stationed at the first six
     guns in the fore part of the Vanguard's deck, was down, killed or
     wounded, and one gun in particular was repeatedly cleared: one of
     the midshipmen was just remarking the escapes he had experienced,
     when a shot came, and cut him in two. At about seven o'clock, total
     darkness had come on; but the whole hemisphere was, at intervals,
     illuminated by the fire of the hostile fleets. Our ships, as
     darkness came on, had all hoisted their distinguishing lights, by a
     signal from the admiral.

     "The van ship of the enemy, Le Guerrier, was dismasted in less than
     twelve minutes; and, in ten minutes after, the second ship, Le
     Conquerant, and the third, Le Spartiate, very nearly at the same
     moment, experienced a similar fate. L'Aquilon, and Le Souverain
     Peuple, the fourth and fifth ships of the enemy's line, were taken
     possession of by the British at half past eight in the evening.
     Captain Berry, at that hour, sent Lieutenant Galway, of the
     Vanguard, with a party of marines, to take possession of Le
     Spartiate: and that officer returned, by the boat, the French
     captain's sword, which Captain Berry immediately delivered to the
     admiral; who was then below, in consequence of the severe wound
     which he had received in the head during the heat of the attack."

This wound seems to have been inflicted by langridge shot, or a piece of
iron; which, cutting his forehead at right angles, the skin hung over
his face, Captain Berry, fortunately happening to be sufficiently near,
caught the admiral in his arms, and prevented him from falling. It was,
at first, the universal opinion, that their beloved commander had been
shot through the head; and, indeed, the appearance was rendered
dreadfully alarming, by the hanging skin and the copious effusion of
blood. Not a man on board was now solicitous for his own life; every
brave fellow was alone anxious for that of the worthy admiral. This,
however, far from repressing their ardour, served only to animate their
fury, and prompt them, if possible, to still greater exertions. On being
carried into the cockpit, where several of his gallant crew were
stretched with their shattered limbs, and lacerated wounds, the surgeon,
with the most respectful anxiety, quitted the poor fellow then under
his hands, that he might instantly attend on the admiral.

     "No," replied the heroic commander, with the utmost composure,
     though he had then no hope of surviving, "I will take my turn with
     my brave fellows."

     "The agony of his wound, in the mean time, greatly increasing, he
     became satisfied that the idea which he had long indulged of dying
     in battle was now about to be accomplished. He desired to see his
     chaplain, the Reverend Mr. Comyn, and begged he would bear his
     remembrances to Lady Nelson; and, as the last beneficial office
     that he conceived he should be able to perform, he appointed
     Captain Hardy, of La Mutine, to be Captain of the Vanguard. Having
     expressed a wish to see Captain Louis, of the Minotaur, Captain
     Berry had hailed that ship, and the commander came on board. The
     admiral was desirous of personally thanking him for the assistance
     which he had, in the height of danger, been enabled to render the
     Vanguard. "My dear Louis," said the admiral, "farewel! I shall
     never, should I survive, forget the obligation I am under to you.
     Whatever may become of me, my mind is at peace." He, then, with the
     most pious composure, seemed resigning himself to death. As soon as
     the surgeon had, according to the express injunctions of the
     admiral, paid all necessary attention to every person previously
     wounded, he came forward to examine the wound of their commander.
     An awful silence prevailed; but it was of short duration, for the
     surgeon almost immediately pronounced it to be merely superficial,
     and of no dangerous consequence. The pleasing intelligence speedily
     circulated through the ship, and the excess of sorrow was
     instantaneously converted into the excess of joy: nor did the hero
     feel less delighted at hearing the grateful expressions of gladness
     from his generous crew, than at the unexpected announcement of his
     life's being considered, by the surgeon, as in no sort of danger.
     This circumstance, indeed, greatly tended to alleviate his
     sufferings during the painful operation of dressing his wounded
     forehead.

     "At this time, it appeared that victory had already declared itself
     in our favour; for, though L'Orient, L'Heureux, and Le Tonnant,
     were not taken possession of, they were considered as completely in
     our power: which pleasing intelligence Captain Berry had likewise
     the satisfaction of communicating in person to the admiral.

     "At ten minutes after nine, a fire was observed on board L'Orient,
     the French admiral's ship, which seemed to proceed from the after
     part of the cabin; and which increased with great rapidity,
     presently involving the whole of the after part of the ship in
     flames. This circumstance Captain Berry immediately communicated to
     the admiral; who, though suffering severely from his wound, came
     immediately on deck: where, the first consideration that struck his
     benevolent mind was, concern for the danger of so many lives; to
     save as many as possible of whom, he ordered Captain Berry to make
     every practicable exertion. A boat, the only one that could swim,
     was instantly dispatched from the Vanguard; and other ships, that
     were in a condition to do so, immediately followed the example: by
     which means, from the best possible information, the lives of about
     seventy Frenchmen were saved. The light thrown by the fire of
     L'Orient on the surrounding objects, enabled the commanders to
     perceive, with more certainty, the situation of the two fleets, the
     colours of both being clearly distinguishable. The cannonading was
     partially kept up to leeward of the centre till about ten o'clock,
     when L'Orient blew up with a most tremendous explosion.

     "An awful pause, and death-like silence, for about three minutes,
     ensued; when the wreck of the masts, yards, &c. which had been
     carried to a vast height, fell down into the water, and on board
     the surrounding ships. A port fire from L'Orient fell into the
     main-royal of the Alexander; the fire occasioned by which was,
     however, extinguished in about two minutes, by the active exertions
     of Captain Ball.

     "After this awful scene, the firing recommenced with the ships to
     leeward of the centre, till twenty minutes past ten; when there was
     a total cessation of firing, for about ten minutes: after which, it
     was revived till about three in the morning; when, it again ceased.

     "After the victory had been secured in the van, such British ships
     as were in a condition to move, had gone down on the fresh ships of
     the enemy. At five minutes past five in the morning, the two rear
     ships of the enemy, Le Guillaume Tell and Le Genereux, were the
     only French ships of the line that had their colours flying. At
     fifty-four minutes past five, a French frigate, L'Artemise, fired a
     broadside, and struck her colours: but such was the unwarrantable
     and infamous conduct of the French captain, that after having thus
     surrendered, he set fire to his ship; and, with part of his crew,
     made his escape on shore. Another of the French frigates, La
     Serieuse, had been sunk by the fire from some of our ships; but, as
     her poop remained above water, her men were saved on it, and were
     taken off by our boats in the morning. The Bellerophon, whose masts
     and cables had been entirely shot away, could not retain her
     situation abreast of L'Orient, but had drifted out of the line to
     the lee side of the bay, a little before that ship blew up. The
     Audacious, in the morning, was detached to her assistance. At
     eleven o'clock Le Genereux and Guillaume Tell; with the two
     frigates, La Justice, and La Diane; cut their cables, and stood out
     to sea: pursued by the Zealous, Captain Hood, who handsomely
     endeavoured to prevent their escape. But, as there was no other
     ship in a condition to support the Zealous, she was recalled.

     "The whole day of the 2d of August was employed in securing the
     French ships that had struck; and which were now all completely in
     our possession, Le Tonnant and Timoleon excepted. As these were
     both dismasted, and consequently could not escape, they were
     naturally the last of which it was necessary to think of taking
     possession.

     "On the morning of the 3d, the Timoleon was set fire to; and Le
     Tonnant had cut her cable, and drifted on shore: but that active
     officer, Captain Miller, of the Theseus, soon got her off again,
     and secured her in the British line.

     "The British force engaged, consisted of only twelve ships of
     seventy-four guns, and the Leander of fifty: for, from the over
     anxiety and zeal of Captain Troubridge to get into action, his
     ship, the Culloden, in standing in for the van of the enemy's line,
     had unfortunately grounded on the tail of a shoal, running off from
     the island on which were the mortar and gun batteries of the enemy;
     and, notwithstanding all the exertions of that able officer, and
     his ship's company, she could not be got off. This unfortunate
     circumstance was severely felt, at the moment, by the admiral, and
     all the officers of the squadron: but their feelings were nothing,
     compared to the anxiety, and even agony of mind, which the captain
     of the Culloden himself experienced for so many eventful hours.
     There was but one consolation which could offer itself to him, in
     the midst of the distresses of his situation--a feeble one, it is
     true--that his ship served as a beacon for three other ships, viz.
     the Alexander, Theseus, and Leander, which were advancing, with
     all possible sail set, close in his rear: and which, otherwise,
     might have experienced a similar misfortune; and thus, in a greater
     proportion still, have weakened our force. It was not till the
     morning of the 2d, that the Culloden could be got off: and it was
     then found, that she had suffered very considerable damage in her
     bottom; that her rudder was beat off; and the crew could scarcely
     keep her afloat, with all pumps going. The resources of Captain
     Troubridge's mind availed him much, and were admirably exerted, on
     this trying occasion. In four days, he had a new rudder made, on
     his own deck, which was immediately shipped; and the Culloden was
     again in a state for actual service, though still very leaky.

     "The admiral, knowing that the wounded of his own ships had been
     well taken care of, bent his first attention to those of the enemy.
     He established a truce with the commandant of Aboukir; and, through
     him, made a communication to the commandant of Alexandria, that it
     was his intention to allow all the wounded Frenchmen to be taken
     ashore to proper hospitals, with their own surgeons to attend them:
     a proposal which was assented to by the French, and carried into
     effect the following day. The activity and generous consideration
     of Captain Troubridge were again exerted, at this time, for the
     general good. He communicated with the shore, and had the address
     to procure a supply of fresh provisions, onions, and other
     necessary refreshments, which were served out to the sick and
     wounded, and which proved of essential utility.

     "On the 2d, the Arabs and Mamelukes, who had, during the battle,
     lined the shores of the bay, saw with transport that the victory
     was decisively on the part of the British fleet: an event, in which
     they participated, with an exultation almost equal to that of the
     conquerors; and, on that and the two following nights, the whole
     coast and country were illuminated as far as the eye could
     penetrate, in celebration of the happy event. This had a great
     effect on the minds of the prisoners; as they conceived that this
     illumination was the consequence not entirely of the defeat of
     their fleet, but of some signal success obtained by the Arabs and
     Mamelukes over Bonaparte.

     "Though it is natural to suppose, that the time and attention of
     the admiral, and all the officers of his squadron, were very fully
     employed in repairing the damages sustained by their own ships, and
     in securing those of the enemy which their valour had subdued, yet
     the mind of that great and good man felt the strongest emotions of
     the most pious gratitude to the Supreme Being, for the signal
     success which, by the Divine favour, had crowned his endeavours in
     the cause of his country; and, in consequence, on the morning of
     the 2d, he issued the following memorandum to the different
     captains of his squadron--

        "MEMORANDUM.

        "Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, 2d Aug. 1798.


        "Almighty God having blessed his majesty's arms with victory,
        the admiral intends returning public thanksgiving for the same
        at two o'clock this day; and he recommends every ship doing the
        same, as soon as convenient."

        "To the respective Captains of the Squadron."

     "At two o'clock, accordingly, public service was performed on the
     quarter-deck of the Vanguard, by the Reverend Mr. Comyn; the other
     ships following the example of the admiral, though not all exactly
     at the same time. This solemn act of gratitude to Heaven, seemed to
     make a very deep impression on several of the prisoners, both
     officers and men: some of the former remarked--"That it was no
     wonder such order and discipline were preserved in the British
     navy, when the minds of our men could be impressed with such
     sentiments after a victory so great, and at a moment of such
     seeming confusion."

On the very same day, the following Memorandum was likewise issued to
all the ships; expressive of the admiral's sentiments of the noble
exertions of the different officers and men of his squadron--


        "MEMORANDUM.

        "Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, Aug. 2, 1798.


        "The admiral most heartily congratulates the captains, officers,
        seamen, and marines, of the squadron he has had the honour to
        command, on the event of the late action; and he desires they
        will accept his most sincere and cordial thanks, for their very
        gallant behaviour in this glorious battle. It must strike,
        forcibly, every British seaman, how superior their conduct is,
        when in discipline and good order, to the riotous behaviour of
        lawless Frenchmen. The squadron may be assured, the admiral will
        not fail, with his dispatches, to represent their truly
        meritorious conduct, in the strongest terms, to the commander in
        chief."

        "To the Captains of the Ships of the Squadron."

     "The praise expressed in this memorandum, could not fail to be
     highly acceptable, and gratifying, to every individual in the
     squadron; and the observation which it endeavoured to impress on
     the minds of all, of the striking advantages derived from
     discipline and good order, was so much the effect of recent
     experience, that every bosom immediately assented to it's justice.
     The benefit of this important truth will not, we trust, be confined
     to any particular branch of the British navy: the sentiment of the
     Hero of the Nile must infuse itself into the heart of every British
     seaman, in whatever quarter of the globe he may be extending the
     glory and interests of his country; and will there produce the
     conviction, that courage alone will not lead him to conquest,
     without the aid and direction of exact discipline and order,

     "Let those who desire to emulate, as every British seaman must, the
     glory acquired on this signal occasion, pursue the same means;
     which, principally, led to it's acquisition. Let them repose the
     most perfect reliance in the courage, judgment, and skill, of their
     superior officers; and let them aid the designs of these, by
     uniformly submissive obedience, and willing subordination: so shall
     the British navy continue to prove the admiration of the world,
     till time shall be no more.

     "Immediately after the action, some Maltese, Genoese, and
     Spaniards, who had been serving on board the French fleet, offered
     their services in the British; and, being accepted, expressed the
     greatest happiness, at thus being freed, as they said, from the
     tyranny and cruelty of the French."

It has been thought proper to adopt the description of the battle of the
Nile from this unadorned narrative, not only because it is said to have
been originally sketched by Captain Berry; but because there seems no
small degree of internal evidence that it was originally founded on the
minutes of the hero himself, to whose most glorious victory it adverts
with far less admiration and applause than it probably would have
received from any other pen.

The following Journal of the 1st, 2d, and 3d days of August 1798, said
to have been written by a French officer of high rank, will be found to
comprehend a more just and animated picture of this grand naval
engagement, and it's consequences, than could have been reasonably
expected from what is usually seen of Gallic candour and impartiality.

     "The 1st of August 1798, wind west north-west, light breezes, and
     fair weather. The second division of the fleet sent a party of men
     on shore to dig wells. Every ship in the fleet sent twenty-five
     men, to protect the workmen from the continual attacks of the
     Bedouins and vagabonds of the country. At two in the afternoon,
     L'Heureux made the signal for twelve sail, west south-west; which
     we could easily distinguish, from the mast-heads, to be ships of
     war. The signal was then made, for all the boats, workmen, and
     guards, to repair on board their ships, which was only obeyed by a
     small number. At three o'clock, the admiral, not having any doubt
     that the ships in sight were the enemy, ordered the hammocks to be
     stowed for action; and directed L'Alert and Ruiller brigs of war to
     reconnoitre the enemy; who, we soon perceived, were steering for
     Bequier Bay, under a crowd of canvas, without observing any order
     of sailing. At four o'clock, we saw, over the fort of Aboukir, two
     ships, apparently waiting to join the squadron: without doubt, they
     had been sent to look into the port of Alexandria. We likewise saw
     a brig, with the twelve ships; so that they were, now, fourteen
     sail of the line, and a brig. L'Alert then began to put the
     admiral's orders into execution, viz. to stand toward the enemy
     till nearly within gun-shot, and then to manoeuvre, and endeavour
     to draw them towards the outer shoal lying off the island. But the
     English admiral, without doubt, had experienced pilots on board; as
     he did not pay any attention to the brig's track, but allowed her
     to go away, hauling well round all the dangers. At this time, a
     small boat, dispatched from Alexandria to Rosetta, voluntarily bore
     down to the English brig, which took possession of her,
     notwithstanding the repeated efforts of L'Alert to prevent it, by
     firing a great many shot at the boat. At five o'clock, the enemy
     came to the wind in succession. This manoeuvre convinced us, that
     they intended attacking us that evening. The admiral got the
     top-gallant yards across; but, soon after, made the signal, that he
     intended engaging the enemy at anchor. After this signal, each ship
     ought to have sent a stream-cable to the ship astern of her, and
     to have made a hawser fast to the cable about twenty fathoms in the
     water, and passed the opposite side to that intended as a spring;
     _this was not generally executed_. Orders were then given, to let
     go another bower anchor; and the broadsides of the ships were
     brought to bear upon the enemy, having the ships heads south-east
     from the Island of Bequier, forming a line about thirteen hundred
     fathoms north-west and south-east, distant from each other eighty
     fathoms, and with an anchor out south south-east At a quarter past
     five, one of the enemy's ships that was steering to get to windward
     of the headmost of the line, ran on the reef east north-east of the
     island. She had immediate assistance from the brig, and got afloat
     in the morning. The battery on the island opened a fire on the
     enemy, and their shells fell ahead of the second ship in the line.
     At half past five, the headmost ships of our line being within
     gun-shot of the English, the admiral made the signal to engage;
     which was not obeyed, till the enemy was within pistol-shot, and
     just doubling us. The action then became very warm. Le Conquerant
     began to fire, then Le Guerrier, Le Spartiate, L'Aquilon, Le Peuple
     Souverain, and Le Franklin. At six o'clock, La Serieuse frigate and
     L'Hercule bomb, cut their cables, and got under weigh, to avoid the
     enemy's fire. They got on shore; La Serieuse caught fire, and had
     part of her masts burnt; L'Artemise was obliged to get under weigh,
     and likewise got on shore. The two frigates sent their ships
     companies aboard the different line of battle ships. The sloops of
     war, two bombs, and several transports that were with the fleet,
     were more successful; as they got under weigh, and reached the
     anchorage under the protection of the fort of Aboukir. All the van
     were attacked on both sides by the enemy, who ranged close along
     our line. They had each an anchor out astern, which facilitated
     their motions, and enabled them to place themselves in the most
     advantageous position. At a quarter past six, Le Franklin opened
     her fire on the enemy from the starboard side; at three quarters
     past six, she was engaged on both sides. L'Orient, at this time,
     began firing from her starboard guns; and, at seven, Le Tonnant
     opened her fire. All the ships, from Le Guerrier to Le Tonnant,
     were now engaged against a superior force: this only redoubled the
     ardour of the French, who kept up a very heavy fire. At eight
     o'clock at night, the ship which was engaging L'Orient on the
     starboard quarter, notwithstanding her advantageous position, was
     dismasted; and so roughly treated, that she cut her cables, and
     drove farther from the line. This event gave Le Franklin hopes that
     L'Orient would now be able to assist her, by attacking one of the
     ships opposed to her; but, at this very moment, the two ships that
     had been observed astern of the fleet, and were quite fresh,
     steered right for the centre. One of them anchored on L'Orient's
     starboard bow; and the other cut the line astern of L'Orient, and
     anchored off her larboard quarter. The action, in this place, then
     became extremely warm. Admiral De Brueys, who had at this time been
     slightly wounded in the head and arm, very soon received a shot in
     the belly, which almost cut him in two. He desired not to be
     carried below, but to be left to die on deck: he lived but a
     quarter of an hour. Rear-Admiral Blanquet, as well as his
     aid-du-camp, were unacquainted with this melancholy event till the
     action was nearly over. Admiral Blanquet received a severe wound in
     the face, which knocked him down; he was carried off the deck,
     senseless. At a quarter past eight o'clock, Le Peuple Souverain
     drove to leeward of the line, and anchored a cable's length abreast
     of L'Orient: it was not known what unfortunate event occasioned
     this. The vacant place she made, placed Le Franklin in a more
     unfortunate position; and, it became very critical, from the
     manoeuvre of one of the enemy's fresh ships, which had been sent
     to the assistance of the ship on shore. She anchored athwart Le
     Franklin's bows, and commenced a very heavy raking fire.
     Notwithstanding the dreadful situation of the ships in the centre,
     they continually kept up a very heavy fire. At half past eight
     o'clock, the action was general from Le Guerrier to Le Mercure. The
     Admiral De Brueys's death, and the severe wounds of Admiral
     Blanquet, must have deeply affected the people who fought under
     them: but, it added to their ardour for revenge; and the action
     continued, on both sides, with great obstinacy. At nine o'clock,
     the ships in the van slackened their fire; and, soon after, totally
     ceased: and, with infinite sorrow, we supposed they had
     surrendered. They were dismasted very soon after the action began;
     and so much damaged that, it is to be presumed, they could not hold
     out any longer against an enemy so superior by an advantageous
     position, in placing several ships against one. At a quarter past
     nine o'clock, L'Orient caught fire in the cabin; it soon afterwards
     broke out on the poop. Every effort was made to extinguish it; but,
     without effect; and, very soon, it was so considerable, that there
     was no hope of saving the ship. At half past nine, Citoyen Gillet,
     Capitain de Pavilion of the Franklin, was very severely wounded,
     and was carried off the deck. At three quarters past nine, the
     arm-chest, filled with musket-cartridges, blew up, and set fire to
     several places in the poop and quarter-deck, but was fortunately
     extinguished. Her situation, however, was still very desperate;
     surrounded by enemies, and only eighty fathoms to windward of
     L'Orient entirely on fire, there could not be any other
     expectation, than falling a prey either to the enemy or the flames.
     At ten o'clock, the main and mizen masts fell, and all the guns on
     the main-deck were dismounted. At half past ten, Le Tonnant cut her
     cables, to avoid the fire of L'Orient. The English ship that was on
     L'Orient's larboard quarter, as soon as she had done firing at her,
     brought her broadside on Le Tonnant's bow, and kept up a very heavy
     raking fire. L'Heureux, and Le Mercure, conceived that they ought
     likewise to cut their cables. The manoeuvre created so much
     confusion amongst the rear ships, that they fired into each other,
     and did considerable damage. Le Tonnant anchored ahead of the
     Guillaume Tell; Le Genereux and Timoleon, the other two ships, got
     on shore. The ship that engaged Le Tonnant on her bow cut her
     cables; all her rigging and sails were cut to pieces; and she drove
     down, and anchored astern of the English ship, that had been
     engaging L'Heureux and Le Mercure before they changed their
     position. Those of the etat-major and ship's company of L'Orient,
     who had escaped death, convinced of the impossibility of
     extinguishing the fire, which had got down on the middle gun-deck,
     endeavoured to save themselves. Rear-Admiral Ganteaume saved
     himself in a boat, and went on board of Le Salamine; and, from
     thence, to Aboukir and Alexandria. The Adjutant-General Motard,
     though badly wounded, swam to the ship nearest L'Orient, which
     proved to be English. Commodore Casabianca, and his son, who was
     only ten years old, and who gave, during the action, proofs of
     bravery and intelligence far above his age, were not so fortunate.
     They were in the water, on the wreck of L'Orient's masts, not being
     able to swim, seeking each other, till three quarters past ten,
     when the ship blew up, and put an end to their hopes and fears. The
     explosion was dreadful, and spread the fire all around to a
     considerable distance. Le Franklin's decks were covered with
     red-hot seams, pieces of timber, and rope, on fire. She was on
     fire, but luckily got it under. Immediately after the tremendous
     explosion, the action ceased every where, and was succeeded by the
     most profound silence. The sky was darkened by clouds of black
     smoke, which seemed to threaten the destruction of the two fleets.
     It was a quarter of an hour before the ships crews recovered from
     the kind of stupor into which they had been thrown. Towards eleven
     o'clock, Le Franklin, anxious to preserve the trust confided to
     her, recommenced the action with a few of her lower-deck guns; all
     the rest were dismounted: two thirds of the ship's company were
     killed and wounded, and those who remained prodigiously fatigued.
     She was surrounded by enemy's ships, who mowed down the men every
     broadside. At half past eleven o'clock, having only three
     lower-deck guns that could defend the honour of the flag, it became
     necessary to put an end to so disproportioned a struggle, and
     Citoyen Martinet, captain of a frigate, ordered the colours to be
     struck.

     "The action in the rear of the fleet was very trifling, till three
     quarters past eleven o'clock, when it became very warm. Three of
     the enemy's ships were engaging them, and two were very near. Le
     Tonnant, already badly treated, who was nearest the ships engaged,
     returned a very brisk fire. About three o'clock in the morning, she
     was dismasted, and obliged to cut her cables a second time; and,
     not having any more anchors left, she drove on shore. Le Guillaume
     Tell, Le Genereux, and Le Timoleon, shifted their births, and
     anchored farther down, out of gun-shot. These vessels were not much
     damaged. At half past three o'clock, the action ceased throughout
     the line. Early in the morning, the frigate La Justice got under
     weigh, and made several small tacks to keep near the Guillaume
     Tell; and, at nine o'clock, anchored: an English ship having got
     under weigh, and making small tacks to prevent her getting away. At
     six o'clock, two English ships joined those who had been engaging
     the rear, and began firing on L'Heureux and Le Mercure, which were
     aground. The former soon struck, and the latter followed the
     example, as they could not bring their broadsides to bear on the
     enemy. At half past seven, the ship's crew of L'Artemise frigate
     quitted her, and set her on fire: at eight o'clock, she blew up.
     The enemy, without doubt, had received great damage in their masts
     and yards, as they did not get under weigh to attack the remains of
     the French fleet. The French flag was flying on board four ships of
     the line and two frigates. This division made the most of their
     time; and, at three quarters past eleven, Le Guillaume Tell, Le
     Genereux, La Diane, and La Justice, got under weigh, and formed in
     line of battle. The English ship that was under sail stood towards
     her fleet, fearing that she might be cut off; but, two other
     enemy's ships were immediately under weigh to assist her. At noon,
     Le Timoleon, which probably was not in a state to put to sea,
     steered right for the shore, under her fore-sail; and, as soon as
     she struck the ground, her foremast fell. The French division
     joined the enemy's ships, which ranged along their line on opposite
     tacks, within pistol-shot, and received their broadsides, which it
     returned: they, then, each continued their route. The division was
     in sight at sun-set. Nothing remarkable passed, during the night of
     the 2d. The 3d of August, in the morning, the French colours were
     flying in Le Tonnant and Timoleon. The English admiral sent a flag
     of truce to the former, to know if she had struck; and, on being
     answered in the negative, he directed two ships to go against her.
     When they got within gun-shot of her, she struck, it being
     impossible to defend her any longer. Le Timoleon was aground, too
     near in for any ship to approach her. In the night of the 2d, they
     sent the greatest part of their ship's company on shore; and, at
     noon the next day, they quitted her, and set her on fire.

     "Thus ends the journal of the 1st, 2d, and 3d, days of August;
     which will ever be remembered, with the deepest sorrow, by those
     Frenchmen who possess good hearts, and by all those true
     republicans who have survived this melancholy disaster."

To the above anonymous French account, may be added that of the
celebrated scientific traveller, soldier, and artist, Monsieur Denon;
who was one of the chief Sçavans in the Egyptian expedition, and an
anxious spectator of the interesting scene. It is to be remarked that,
though his description of the battle, like that by which it is preceded,
has less want of candour than is commonly found in French narratives of
this nature, neither of them is altogether free from the characteristic
partiality of that boastful nation. Both of them fail to state the true
number of British ships; but, as frequently happens with those who are
not remarkably tenacious of truth, though both make the number greater
than it actually was, they do not agree with each other any more than
with the fact, and thus mutually aid to produce a conviction of their
own want of veracity. Our true force was fifteen sail only.

Denon, in order to gain an accurate view of the expected engagement,
hastened to a lofty tower--

     "When," says he, "we had reached the tower which commands the
     monastery, we descried a fleet of twenty sail. To come up, to range
     themselves in a line, and to attack, were the operations of a
     minute. The first shot was fired at five o'clock; and, shortly
     after, our view of the two fleets was intercepted by the smoke.
     When night came on, we could distinguish somewhat better; without,
     however, being able to give an account of what passed. The danger
     to which we were exposed, of falling into the hands of the smallest
     troop of Bedouins which might come that way, did not draw our
     attention from an event by which we were so strongly interested.
     Rolls of fire, incessantly gushing from the mouths of the cannon,
     evinced clearly that the combat was dreadful, and supported with an
     equal obstinacy on both sides. On our return to Rosetta, we climbed
     on the roofs of the houses; whence, at ten o'clock, we perceived a
     strong light, which indicated a fire. A few minutes afterwards, we
     heard a terrible explosion, which was followed by a profound
     silence. As we had seen a firing kept up, from the left to the
     right, on the object in flames, we drew a conclusion that it was
     one of the enemy's ships, which had been set fire to by our people;
     and we imputed the silence which ensued, to the retreat of the
     English: who, as our ships were moored, were exclusively in
     possession of the range of the bay; and who, consequently, could
     persevere in or discontinue the combat, at pleasure. At eleven
     o'clock, a slow fire was kept up; and, at midnight, the action
     again became general. It continued till two in the morning. At
     day-break, I was at the advanced posts; and, ten minutes after, the
     fleets were once more engaged. At nine o'clock, another ship blew
     up. At ten, four ships, the only ones which were not disabled, and
     which I could distinguish to be French, crouded their sails, and
     quitted the field of battle; in the possession of which they
     appeared to be, as they were neither attacked nor followed. Such
     was the phantom produced by the enthusiasm of hope!

     "I took my station at the tower of Abumandur; whence I counted
     twenty-five vessels, half of which were shattered wrecks; and the
     others incapable of manoeuvring to afford them assistance.

     "For three days, we remained in this state of cruel uncertainty. By
     the help of my spying-glass, I had made a drawing of this
     disastrous scene; that I might be enabled the better to ascertain,
     whether the morrow would be productive of any change.

     "In this way we cherished illusion, and spurned at all evidence;
     till, at length, the passage across the bar being cut off; and the
     communication with Alexandria intercepted, we found that our
     situation was altered; and that, separated from the mother-country,
     we were become the inhabitants of a distant colony, where we should
     be obliged to depend on our own resources for subsistence, till the
     peace. We learned, that it was L'Orient which blew up at ten
     o'clock at night, and L'Hercule the following morning; and that the
     captains of the ships of the line, Le Guillaume Tell and
     Genereux--and of the frigates, La Diane and La Justice--perceiving
     that the rest of the fleet had fallen into the enemy's hands, had
     taken advantage of a moment of lassitude and inaction on the part
     of the English, to effect their escape. We learned, lastly, that
     the 1st of August had broken the unity of our forces; and that the
     destruction of our fleet, by which the lustre of our glory was
     tarnished, had restored to the enemy the empire of the
     Mediterranean: an empire which had been wrested from them by the
     matchless exploits of our armies, and which could only have been
     secured to us by the existence of our ships of war.

     "The shore, to the extent of four leagues, was covered by wrecks,
     which enabled us to form an estimate of the loss that we had
     sustained at the battle of Aboukir. To procure a few nails, or a
     few iron hoops, the wandering Arabs were employed in burning on the
     beach the masts, gun-cariages, boats, &c. which had been
     constructed at so vast an expence in our ports."

In both these accounts it is sufficiently manifest, that the French were
fully convinced there could be no possibility of denying their defeat,
however they might seek to disguise the extent of their disaster. The
grand designation of their expensive and numerous armament was thus, at
a single blow, completely frustrated: and, instead of finding
themselves, flushed with success, in a treacherously subjugated country,
with a view of extending their conquest to India; they became, at once,
reduced to depend on their own resources for even their subsistence, in
a distant land, without any other hope of ever returning home, than what
was afforded them by the remote prospect of a peace.

Though Admiral Nelson had written his dispatches for the commander in
chief immediately after this glorious victory, he was unable to send
Captain Berry, of the Vanguard, in the Leander of fifty guns, to the
Earl of St. Vincent, off Cadiz, till the 5th of August.

In a few days after, as if the admiral had foreseen the fate of the
Leander, which it will appear he certainly apprehended, he prepared a
copy of these dispatches to the Earl of St. Vincent; and transmitted it
to Evan Nepean, Esq. Secretary to the Admiralty, by the Honourable
Captain Thomas Bladen Capel, in La Mutine brig, to which he had just
been appointed on Captain Hardy's promotion to the Vanguard. In these
will be seen his own modest and pious account of a victory, perhaps,
without parallel, when duly considered in it's completeness and
consequences.

     "Vanguard,
     Mouth of the Nile, 7th August 1798.


     "SIR,

     "Herewith, I have the honour to transmit you a copy of my letter to
     the Earl of St. Vincent, together with a line of battle of the
     English and French squadrons; also, a list of the killed and
     wounded. I have the honour to inform you, that eight of our ships
     have already top-gallant yards across, and are ready for any
     service: the others, with the prizes, will soon be ready for sea.
     In an event of this importance, I have thought it right to send
     Captain Capel, with a copy of my letter to the commander in chief,
     overland; which, I hope, their lordships will approve: and I beg
     leave to refer them to Captain Capel, who is a most excellent
     officer, and fully able to give every information; and I beg leave
     to recommend him to their lordships notice.

     "I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson.

     "P.S. The island I have taken possession of; and brought off the
     two thirteen-inch mortars, with all the brass guns, and destroyed
     the iron ones."

     "Evan Nepean, Esq."

His celebrated letter to the Earl of St. Vincent was in the following
words--

     "Vanguard,
     off the Mouth of the Nile,
     3d August 1798.


     "MY LORD,

     "Almighty God has blessed his majesty's arms, in the late battle,
     by a great victory over the fleet of the enemy; whom I attacked, at
     sun-set on the 1st of August, off the mouth of the Nile. The enemy
     were moored in a strong line of battle, for defending the entrance
     of this bay (of shoals;) flanked by numerous gun-boats, four
     frigates, and a battery of guns and mortars on an island in their
     van: but nothing could withstand the squadron your lordship did me
     the honour to place under my command. Their high state of
     discipline is well known to you; and, with the judgment of the
     captains, together with their valour, and that of the officers and
     men of every description, it was absolutely irresistible. Could any
     thing from my pen add to the characters of the captains, I would
     write it with pleasure; but, that is impossible. I have to regret
     the loss of Captain Westcott, of the Majestic, who was killed early
     in the action; but the ship was continued to be so well fought by
     her first-lieutenant, Mr. Cuthbert, that I have given him an order
     to command her till your lordship's pleasure is known. The ships of
     the enemy, all but their two rear ships, are nearly dismasted; and
     these two, with two frigates, I am sorry to say, made their escape:
     nor was it, I assure you, in my power to prevent them. Captain
     Hood most handsomely endeavoured to do it; but I had no ship in a
     condition to support the Zealous, and I was obliged to call her in.
     The support and assistance I have received from Captain Berry
     cannot be sufficiently expressed. I was wounded in the head, and
     obliged to be carried off the deck; but, the service suffered no
     loss by that event. Captain Berry was fully equal to the important
     service then going on; and, to him, I must beg leave to refer you,
     for every information relative to this victory. He will present you
     with the flag of the second in command, that of the commander in
     chief being burnt in L'Orient. Herewith, I transmit you lists of
     the killed and wounded; and, the lines of battle of ourselves and
     the French.

     "I have the honour to be, my lord, your lordship's most obedient
     servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

     "To Admiral the Earl of St. Vincent, Commander in Chief, &c. off
     Cadiz."


    BRITISH  LINE OF BATTLE.

       Ships.        Captains.                     Guns.  Men.
    1. Culloden   Thomas Troubridge                74    590
    2. Theseus    Ralph Willet Miller              74    590
    3. Alexander  Alexander John Ball              74    590
    4. Vanguard   {Rear-Adm. Sir H. Nelson, K.B.}
                  {Edward Berry                 }  74    595
    5. Minotaur   Thomas Louis                     74    640
    6. Leander    Thomas Boulden Thompson          50    343
    7. Swiftsure  Benjamin Hallowell               74    590
    8. Audacious  Davidge Gould                    74    590
    9.  Defence     John Peyton                     74    590
    10. Zealous     Samuel Hood                     74    590
    11. Orion       Sir James Saumarez              74    590
    12. Goliath     Thomas Foley                    74    590
    13. Majestic    George B. Westcott              74    590
    14. Bellerophon Henry D'E. Darby                74    590

    BRIG.

    15. La Mutine   Thomas Hardy

    Horatio Nelson.

    Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile,
    3d August 1798.

    FRENCH LINE OF BATTLE.

                                                             How disposed
    Ships.                  Commanders.            Guns.  Men.  of.

    1.  Le Guerrier                                 74    700   Taken.
    2.  Le Conquerant                               74    700   Taken.
    3.  Le Spartiate                                74    700   Taken.
    4.  L'Aquilon                                   74    700   Taken.
    5.  Le Souverain Peuple                         74    700   Taken.
    6.  Le Franklin         {Blanquet, 1st Contre }
                            {  Admiral            } 80    800   Taken.

    7.  L'Orient            {Admiral Brueys,      }
                            {Commander in Chief   }120   1010   Burnt.
    8.  Le Tonnant                                  80    800   Taken.
    9.  L'Heureux                                   74    700   Taken.
    10. Le Timoleon                                 74    700   Burnt.
    11. Le Mercure                                  74    700   Taken.
    12. Le Guillaume Tell   {Villeneave, 2d Contre}
                            {  Admiral            } 80    800   Escaped.
    13. Le Genereux                                 74    300   Escaped.

    FRIGATES.

    14. La Diane                                    48    300   Escaped.
    15. La Justice                                  44    300   Escaped.
    16. L'Artemise                                  36    250   Burnt.
    17. Le Serieuse                                 36    250   Dismasted
                                                                 and sunk.


    Horatio Nelson.

    Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile,
    3d August 1798.


No mention is made, in the above French List, of the numerous gun-boats
employed by the enemy; while the Culloden, though not engaged, is
preserved in the British Line of Battle.

     _A Return of the Killed and Wounded in his Majesty's Ships under
     the Command of Sir Horatio Nelson, K. B. Rear-Admiral of the Blue,
     &c. in Action with the French Fleet, at Anchor, on the 1st of
     August 1798, off the Mouth of the Nile._

    +-------------++---------------++---------------++-------+
    |             || Killed        || Wounded       || T K W |
    |             |+---------------++---------------+| o i o |
    |             || O | S | M | T || O | S | M | T || t l u |
    |             || f | e | a | o || f | e | a | o || a l n |
    |             || f | a | r | t || f | a | r | t || l e d |
    |             || i | m | i | a || i | m | i | a ||   d e |
    |             || c | e | n | l || c | e | n | l ||     d |
    |             || e | n | e |   || e | n | e |   ||   a   |
    |             || r |   | r |   || r |   | r |   ||   n   |
    |Ships Names. || s |   | s |   || s |   | s |   ||   d   |
    +-------------++---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---++-------+
    |Theseus      ||   |  5|   |  5||  1| 24|  5| 30||   35  |
    |Alexander    ||  1| 13|   | 14||  5| 48|  5| 58||   72  |
    |Vanguard     ||  3| 20|  7| 30||  7| 60|  8| 75||  105  |
    |Minotaur     ||  2| 18|  3| 23||  4| 54|  6| 64||   87  |
    |Swiftsure    ||   |  7|   |  7||  1| 19|  2| 22||   29  |
    |Audacious    ||   |  1|   |  1||  2| 31|  2| 35||   36  |
    |Defence      ||   |  3|  1|  4||   |  9|  2| 11||   15  |
    |Zealous      ||   |  1|   |  1||   |  7|   |  7||    8  |
    |Orion        ||  1| 11|  1| 13||  5| 18|  6| 29||   42  |
    |Goliath      ||  2| 12|  7| 21||  4| 28|  9| 41||   62  |
    |Majestic     ||  3| 33| 14| 50||  3|124| 16|143||  193  |
    |Bellerophon  ||  4| 32| 13| 49||  5|126| 17|148||  197  |
    |Leander      ||   |   |   |   ||   | 14|   | 14||   14  |
    |             |+---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---++-------+
    |             || 16|156| 46|218|| 37|562| 78|677||  895  |
    +-------------++---+---+---+---++---+---+---+---++-------+

    OFFICERS KILLED

    Of what Ships.  |  Names and Rank.
    ----------------+---------------------------------------------
    Vanguard        | Captain William Faddy, Marines.
                    | Mr. Thomas Seymour, Midshipman
                    | Mr. John G. Taylor, Midshipman.
    Alexander       | Mr. John Collins, Lieutenant.
    Orion           | Mr. Baird, Captain's Clerk.
    Goliath         | Mr. William Davies, Master's Mate.
                    | Mr. Andrew Brown, Midshipman.
    Majestic        | George B. Westcott, Esq. Captain.
                    | Mr. ZebedeeFord, Midshipman.
                    | Mr. Andrew Gilmore, Boatswain.
    Bellerophon     | Mr. Robert Savage Daniel, Lieutenant.
                    | Mr. Philip Watson Launder, Lieutenant.
                    | Mr. George Jolliffe, Lieutenant.
                    | Mr. Thomas Ellison, Master's Mate.
    Minotaur        | Lieutenant John S. Kirchener, Marines.
                    | Mr. Peter Walters, Master's Mate.
    ----------------+-----------------------------------------

    OFFICERS WOUNDED

    Of what Ships.    + Names and Rank.
    ------------------+-----------------
    Vanguard          | Mr. Nathaniel Vassal, Lieutenant.
                      | Mr. John M. Adye, Lieutenant.
                      | Mr. John Campbell, Admiral's Secretary.
                      | Mr. Michael Austin, Boatswain.
                      | Mr. John Weatherstone, Midshipman.
                      | Mr. George Antrim, Midshipman.
    Theseus           | Lieutenant Hawkins.
    Alexander         | Alexander John Ball, Esq. Captain.
                      | Captain J. Creswell, Marines.
                      | Mr. William Lawson, Master.
                      | Mr. George Bulley, Midshipman.
                      | Mr. Luke Anderson, Midshipman.
    Audacious         | Mr. John Jeans, Lieutenant.
                      | Mr. Christopher Font, Gunner.
    Orion             | Sir James Saumarez, Captain.
                      | Mr. Peter Sadler, Boatswain.
                      | Mr. Philip Richardson, Midshipman.
                      | Mr. Charles Miell, Midshipman.
                      | Mr. Lanfesty, Midshipman.
    Goliath           | Mr. William Wilkinson, Lieutenant.
                      | Mr. Lawrence Graves, Midshipman.
                      | Mr. Peter Strahan, Schoolmaster.
                      | Mr. James Payne, Midshipman.
    Majestic          | Mr. Charles Seward, Midshipman.
                      | Mr. Charles Royle, Midshipman.
                      | Mr. Robert Overton, Captain's Clerk.
    Bellerophon       | Henry D'E. Darby, Esq. Captain.
                      | Mr. Edward Kirby, Master.
                      | Captain John Hopkins, Marines.
                      | Mr. Chapman, Boatswain.
                      | Mr. Nicholas Betson, Midshipman.
    Minotaur          | Mr. Thomas Irwin, Lieutenant.
                      | Lieutenant John Jewel, Marines.
                      | Mr. Thomas Foxton, Second Master.
                      | Mr. Martin Wills, Midshipman.
    Swiftsure         | Mr. William Smith, Midshipman.
    ------------------+--------------------------------------


    Horatio Nelson.

It appears, from these lists, that sixteen officers, one hundred and
fifty-six seamen, and forty-six marines, making in all two hundred and
eighteen persons, lost their lives; and that thirty-seven officers,
five hundred and sixty-two seamen, and seventy-eight marines, amounting
to six hundred and seventy-seven persons, were wounded: forming a total,
in killed and wounded, on board the British fleet, if the admiral be
included, who has, as usual, omitted himself, of eight hundred and
ninety-six. Such was the dreadful price paid by the conquerors for this
glorious victory; to the vanquished, the loss was incalculable. On a
moderate estimate, for the exact number has not been ascertained, there
could scarcely be less than three thousand French killed and wounded in
this most memorable conflict. Certain it is, that the Bay of Aboukir,
for many days after the battle, was so covered with the floating bodies
of the slain, as to exhibit a most horrid and painful spectacle; and,
though all possible endeavours were exerted to keep sinking them
whenever they appeared, the shot used for this intention so frequently
slipped off, that many of the bodies perpetually rose again to the
surface. Indeed, from the excessive heat of the weather, the survivors,
besides the offensive disgusts naturally excited, felt very alarming
apprehensions of some pestilential visitation; which, however, they
happily escaped. The numerous prisoners, including all the wounded, were
immediately restored, on condition of not serving against England till
exchanged.

In the mean time, from parts of the floating wreck of L'Orient, the
officers of the fleet vied with each other in causing numerous articles
to be manufactured, as commemorations of this glorious victory, which
they most affectionately presented to their respected commander. Captain
Hallowell, in particular, with singular zeal and attachment, procured a
coffin to be made, by his carpenter, on board the Swiftsure, entirely
from the wreck of L'Orient, iron as well as wood, in the most elegant
manner that the workman could effect with such limited materials, and so
little skill in that particular branch of business; which was delivered
to Admiral Nelson with the following letter.

     Swiftsure,
     August 1798.


     "SIR,

     "I Have taken the liberty of presenting you a coffin made from the
     mainmast of L'Orient; that, when you have finished your military
     career in this world, you may be buried in one of your trophies:
     but, that that period may be far distant, is the earnest wish of
     your sincere friend,


     "Benjamin Hallowell."

The present of this worthy and brave officer, however singular, was
received with an affectionate regard equal to that felt by himself. So
highly, indeed, did the hero prize this gift, that he had it immediately
placed upright in his cabin; and, though he was at length prevailed on,
by the intreaties of an old and favourite servant, to have the coffin
carried below, nothing could possibly prevent his resolution to have it
finally made use of for the purpose originally intended by the gallant
and esteemed donor.

While the various dispatches were preparing to be sent by Captain Capel
to England, as soon as La Mutine could be got ready for sailing, those
of Bonaparte to France were fortunately intercepted; as appears in the
continuation of the following letter from Admiral Nelson to Sir William
Hamilton.

     "Vanguard,
     Mouth of the Nile,
     8th August 1798.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "Almighty God has made me the happy instrument of destroying the
     enemy's fleet; which, I hope, will be a blessing to Europe. You
     will have the goodness to communicate this happy event to all the
     courts in Italy; for my head is so indifferent, that I can scarcely
     scrawl this letter. Captain Capel, who is charged with my
     dispatches for England, will give you every information. Pray, put
     him in the quickest mode of getting home. You will not send, by
     post, any particulars of this action; as I should be sorry to have
     any accounts get home before my dispatches. I hope there will be no
     difficulty in our getting refitted at Naples. Culloden must be
     instantly hove down, and Vanguard have all new masts and bowsprit.
     Not more than four or five sail of the line will probably come to
     Naples: the rest will go with the prizes to Gibraltar. As this army
     never will return, I hope to hear the emperor has regained the
     whole of Italy. With every good wish, believe me, dear Sir, your
     most obliged, and affectionate,


     "Horatio Nelson.

     "9th August. I have intercepted all Bonaparte's dispatches going to
     France. The army is in a scrape, and will not get out of it."

These intercepted dispatches were transmitted to Earl Spencer, as First
Lord of the Admiralty, with the following letter.

     "Mouth of the Nile,
     9th August 1798,


     "MY LORD,

     "Were I to die this moment, _want of frigates_ would be found
     stamped on my heart. No words of mine, can express what I have
     suffered, and am suffering, for want of them. Having only La Mutine
     brig, I cannot yet send off Captain Capel, which I am very anxious
     to do: for, as an accident may happen to Captain Berry, it is of
     some importance, I think, for your lordship to be informed of our
     success as speedily as possible. If the King of Naples had joined
     us, nothing at this moment could prevent the destruction of the
     store ships, and all the transports, in the port of Alexandria;
     four bomb vessels would burn the whole in a few hours: but, as I
     have not the means, I can only regret the circumstance. I send you
     a pacquet of intercepted letters, some of them of great importance;
     in particular, one from Bonaparte to his brother. He writes such a
     scrawl, as no one not used to it can read: but, luckily, we have
     got a man who has wrote in his office to decypher it. Bonaparte has
     differed with his generals here: and he did want--and, if I
     understand his meaning, does want, and will strive to be, the
     Washington of France. "_Ma mere_," is evidently meant for "_my
     country_." But, I beg pardon: all this is, I have no doubt, well
     known to administration. I believe, our victory will, in it's
     consequences, destroy this army; at least, my endeavours shall not
     be wanting. I shall remain here for some time. I have thought it
     right to send an officer (by Alexandretta, Aleppo, and Bussorah)
     over land, to India, with an account of what I have gathered from
     these dispatches; which, I hope, will be approved. I have sent a
     copy of my letter to the Board of Controul, that they may give the
     necessary directions for paying the officers bills. If it should
     have gone to the East India Company, I hope that board will forward
     it. Ever believe me, your lordship's most obliged and obedient
     servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

The letter thus mentioned, as being addressed to the Board of Controul,
was written to the Right Honourable Henry Dundas, then President of that
Board, the present celebrated Lord Melville, in these words--

     "Vanguard,
     Mouth of the Nile,
     9th August 1798.


     "SIR,

     "As President of the Board of Controul for India, I have addressed
     this letter to you: if I ought to have addressed it to the India
     House, I request you will have the goodness to send it to the
     Chairman of the Company; and, that you will excuse the trouble I
     have given you. I have thought it right to send an officer,
     Lieutenant Duval, who very handsomely offered his services, by
     Alexandretta, Aleppo, and Bussorah, to Bombay, to give all the
     accounts I know of the movements of the French army, and their
     future intentions. Herewith, I send a copy of my letter; and of the
     orders I have given him, to draw for money on the East India
     Company, &c. If I have done wrong, I hope the bills will be paid,
     and I will repay the company; for, as an Englishman, I shall be
     proud that it has been in my power to be the means of putting our
     settlements on their guard. Mr. Baldwin not having been for some
     months at Alexandria, has been a great misfortune. I have the
     honour to be, Sir, with the greatest respect, your most obedient
     servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

With a hundred dollars, in cash, and letters of credit to his Britannic
majesty's consuls, vice-consuls, and even British merchants, on his
prescribed route, Lieutenant Duval was this day dispatched by Admiral
Nelson, as bearer of the following letter to his Excellency the Governor
of Bombay.

     "Vanguard,
     off the Mouth of the Nile,
     9th August 1798.


     "SIR,

     "Although, I hope, the consuls who are, or ought to be, in Egypt,
     have sent you an express of the situation of affairs here; yet, as
     I know Mr. Baldwin has, some months, left Alexandria; it is
     possible you may not be regularly informed. I shall therefore
     relate to you, briefly, that a French army of forty thousand men,
     in three hundred transports, with thirteen sail of the line, eleven
     frigates, bomb vessels, gun-boats, &c. arrived at Alexandria on the
     1st of July. On the 7th they left it, for Cairo; where they arrived
     on the 22d. During their march, they had some actions with the
     Mamelukes, which the French call grand victories. As I have
     Bonaparte's dispatches before me, which I took yesterday, I speak
     positively. He says--"I am now going to send off, to take Suez and
     Damietta." He does not speak very favourable of either the country
     or people; but there is so much bombast in his letters, that it is
     difficult to get near the truth. He does not mention India, in
     these dispatches. He is what he calls organizing the country: but,
     you may be assured, is master only of what his army covers. From
     all the enquiries which I have been able to make, I cannot learn
     that any French vessels are at Suez, to carry any part of the army
     to India. Bombay, I know, if they can get there, is their first
     object. But, I trust, Almighty God will, in Egypt, overthrow these
     pests of the human race. It has been in my power to prevent twelve
     thousand men from leaving Genoa; and, also, to take eleven sail of
     the line, and two frigates: in short, only two sail of the line,
     and two frigates, have escaped us. This glorious battle was fought
     at the mouth of the Nile, at anchor. It begun at sun-set, August
     1st, and was not finished at three the next morning. It has been
     severe, but God blessed our endeavours with a great victory. I am
     now at anchor between Alexandria and Rosetta, to prevent their
     communication by water; and nothing, under a regiment, can pass by
     land. But, I should have informed you that the French have four
     thousand men posted at Rosetta, to keep open the mouth of the Nile.
     Alexandria, both town and shipping, are so distressed for
     provisions, which they can only get from the Nile, by water, that I
     cannot guess the good success which may attend my holding our
     present position; for Bonaparte writes his distress for stores,
     artillery, things for their hospitals, &c. All useful communication
     is at an end, between Alexandria and Cairo. You may be assured, I
     shall remain here as long as possible. Bonaparte had never yet to
     contend with an English officer, and I shall endeavour to make him
     respect us. This is all I have to communicate. I am confident,
     every precaution will be taken to prevent, in future, any vessels
     going to Suez, which may be able to carry troops to India. If my
     letter is not so correct as might be expected, I trust for your
     excuse; when I tell you, that my brain is so shook with the wound
     in my head, that I am sensible I am not always so clear as could
     be wished: But, while a ray of reason remains, my heart and my hand
     shall ever be exerted for the benefit of our king and country. I
     have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,


     "Horatio Nelson.

     "The officer, Lieutenant Duval, who carries this dispatch
     voluntarily to you, will--I trust--be immediately sent to England,
     with such recommendations as his conduct will deserve."

The importance of thus sending this information to India, which few
other naval commanders would have thought necessary, proved prodigiously
great. Expensive preparations were at that moment making, by the East
India Company, for a most powerful armament to oppose any force which
the French might be enabled to send against their possessions, in
conjunction with Tippoo Saib: and this timely intelligence, by instantly
quieting every apprehension of that sort, suddenly arrested the progress
of all extraordinary warlike operations, and consequently saved a vast
sum of money to the company; which, without the wonderful circumspection
of this great man, must necessarily have been expended.

The dispatches to England, however, were unable to be forwarded, for
several days. In the mean time, on the morning of the 11th, the
Swiftsure brought into the fleet a captured French corvette of eighteen
guns, and seventy men, called La Fortune. On the 12th, Sir James
Saumarez, captain of the Orion, was directed to take the Bellerophon,
Minotaur, Defence, Audacious, Theseus, and Majestic, under his command;
and proceed with the prizes, Le Souverain Peuple, Conquerant, Spartiate,
Aquilon, Franklin, and Tonnant, for Gibraltar: where, if he found no
orders, he was to join the commander in chief off Cadiz, or go to
Lisbon. Sir James sailed, accordingly, on the 15th; and Admiral Nelson
having, on this very day, received secret orders and letters from the
Earl of St. Vincent, found it requisite to destroy the other French
prizes. The necessity of this measure is explained in the following
letter of the succeeding day, addressed to Evan Nepean, Esq. for the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.

     "SIR,

     "Six of the prizes sailed yesterday, under Sir James Saumarez.
     Three others, viz. Guerrier, Heureux, and Mercure, are in the act
     of repairing. In this state, I last evening received the Earl of
     St. Vincent's most secret orders, and most secret and confidential
     letters, relative to the important operations intended to be
     pursued in the Mediterranean. Thus situated, it became an important
     part of my duty, to do justice between my king and country, and the
     brave officers and men who captured those ships at the Battle of
     the Nile. It would have taken one month, at least, to have fitted
     those ships for a passage to Gibraltar; and not only at a great
     expence to government, but with the loss of the services of at
     least two sail of the line. I, therefore, confiding that the lords
     commissioners will, under the present circumstances, direct that a
     fair value shall be paid for these ships, ordered them to be burnt,
     after saving such stores as would not take too much time out of
     them: and, I have farther thought it my duty to tell the squadron
     the necessity I am under, for the benefit of the king's service, of
     directing their property to be destroyed; but, that I had no doubt
     government would make them a liberal allowance. All which, I hope,
     their lordships will approve.

     "I have the honour to be, Sir, with great respect, your most
     obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

La Mutine being at length ready, these letters were dispatched to
England, by the way of Naples, on the 16th of August.

The sword of the captured French Admiral Blanquet was also sent, by
Captain Capel, from Admiral Nelson to the city of London, with the
following letter, which he had several days previously written for the
lord-mayor.

     "Vanguard,
     Mouth of the Nile,
     8th August 1798.


     "MY LORD,

     "Having the honour of being a freeman of the city of London, I take
     the liberty of sending to your lordship the sword of the
     commanding French admiral, Monsieur Blanquet, who survived after
     the battle of the 1st, off the Nile; and request that the city of
     London will honour me by the acceptance of it, as a remembrance
     that Britannia still rules the waves: which, that she may for ever
     do, is the fervent prayer of your lordship's most obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

     "Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London."

On the 13th, the Alcmene, Emerald, and Bonne Citoyenne frigates, at
length, joined the squadron; and, on the 17th, the Seahorse.

Admiral Nelson now arranged every thing necessary with Captain Samuel
Hood, who was to remain with his own ship, the Zealous; the Swiftsure,
Captain Hallowell; the Goliah, Captain Foley; the Alcmene, Captain Hope;
the Seahorse, Captain Edward James Foote; and the Emerald, Captain
Waller: for the purpose of cruising off Alexandria, or continuing at
anchor, as he might judge most proper, more effectually to prevent any
supplies being thrown into that port for the French fleet; and, also, to
intercept an expected French convoy with provisions, as well as to
prevent, if possible, all communication between the French army at
Rosetta, and their fleet at Alexandria. This business being settled, he
sailed, on the 18th, from Alexandria; and having, on that day, received
a letter from the Honourable William Windham, the British minister at
the court of Florence, he wrote the following answer, dated on board the
Vanguard, 21st August 1798, which presents some additional information
respecting the glorious victory off the Nile, and it's beneficial
effects.

     "My Dear Sir,

     "I received, three days ago, your letter of June 20th, and I beg
     leave to thank you for it. I send you a paper, which will inform
     you of the extent of our victory. My health, from my wound, is
     become so indifferent, that I think of going down the Mediterranean
     as soon as I arrive at Naples; unless I should find any thing very
     extraordinary to detain me, when my health is of no consequence.
     The command, in my absence, will devolve on Captain Troubridge;
     than whom, the king has not a better sea-officer. Sir James
     Saumarez is on his way to Gibraltar, with six of our prizes: the
     others I burnt, that the Mediterranean might not be left without
     ships; for each prize takes a ship of the line to man her, and
     attend to her wants. This you will believe, when I tell you that
     only two masts are standing, out of nine sail of the line. L'Orient
     certainly struck her colours, and did not fire a shot, for a
     quarter of an hour before, unfortunately for us, she took fire:
     but, though we suffer, our country is equally benefitted. She had
     on board nearly six hundred thousand pounds sterling: so says the
     adjutant-general of the fleet, who was saved out of her; and,
     although he does not say she struck her colours, yet he allows that
     all resistance on her part was in vain. Admiral Brueys was killed
     early in the battle; and, from the commencement of the fight,
     declared all was lost. They were moored in a strong position, in a
     line of battle, with gun-boats, bomb-vessels, frigates, and a gun
     and mortar battery on an island in their van; but, my band of
     friends was irresistible. The French army is in possession of
     Alexandria, Aboukir, Rosetta, Damietta, and Cairo; and Bonaparte
     writes, that he is sending a detachment to take possession of Suez
     and Fayume. By the intercepted letters from the army, for we took
     the vessel with Bonaparte's courier, they are grievously
     disappointed, the country between their posts being completely
     hostile. I have little doubt but that army will be destroyed, by
     plague, pestilence, and famine, and battle and murder; which, that
     it may soon be, God grant. The Turks will soon send an army into
     Syria; and as, for the present, we block them up by sea, they must
     soon experience great distress. I hope to find, on my arrival at
     Naples, that the emperor, and many other powers, are at war with
     the French; for, till they are reduced, there can be no peace in
     this world."

This letter appears to have remained unfinished, for want, probably, of
an opportunity of sending it away, about three weeks. It then received
the following conclusion.

     "September 7th. I feel myself so much recovered, that it is
     probable I shall not go home at present. The Turks have seized all
     French ships in the Levant, in consequence of their taking a
     Turkish sixty-gun ship at Alexandria, and seizing all Turkish
     property. This was done on the 14th of August. I shall always
     receive pleasure in hearing from you, both as a public and private
     man; and believe me, dear Sir, with the greatest respect, your most
     obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

In the mean time, Admiral Nelson had written the following letter to
Francis J. Jackson, Esq. his Britannic majesty's minister to the Ottoman
Porte, dated on board the Vanguard, off the Isle of Rhodes, 27th August
1798.

     "Sir,

     "I have the honour to acquaint you, that I attacked the French
     fleet off the Mouth of the Nile, on the 1st inst. the result of
     which you will see by the inclosed paper; and that, on the 14th,
     the French took possession of the Turkish admiral's ship at
     Alexandria, hauled down her colours, and hoisted French colours,
     and seized on all the Turkish property on shore. The French are in
     possession of Alexandria, Aboukir, Rosetta, and Damietta, on the
     coast, and of Grand Cairo: but all communication is cut off between
     their army and their transports at Alexandria, by sea, by an
     English squadron of three ships of the line and four frigates,
     which I have left cruising there; and, by land, by the Bedouins. So
     that, if the Grand Signior will but send a few ships of the line,
     and some bombs, he may destroy all their transports in Alexandria;
     and an army of ten thousand men may retake Alexandria immediately,
     as the French have only four thousand men in it, and the whole
     French army are very sickly.

     "I have been informed, that the French have put to death two
     hundred Turks at Alexandria, for rejoicing at our victory; and that
     General Bonaparte only wants a communication opened by sea, to
     march into Syria, that the transports with stores, &c. for the army
     may go along shore with him.

     "I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

The inclosed papers, mentioned in this and the preceding letter, were
lists of the forces of the English and French fleets at the battle off
the Nile shewing which were taken, burnt, &c. and copies of this last
letter were sent to the Earl of St. Vincent and Earl Spencer.

On the 8th of September, at sea, he addressed a letter to the Marquis
De Niza, commander of the Portuguese squadron; regretting that they had
not joined him prior to the 1st of August, when not a single French ship
could have escaped: but, as he observes, that being without remedy, it
is necessary to look forward to the next important service for the
common cause; which, in his opinion, is that of preventing the French
from getting any supplies of stores, by water, from Alexandria. He
concludes with observing, that the Grand Signior will, he hopes, not
only send an army into Syria; but also send ships of war, with
bomb-vessels, gallies, &c. in order to destroy all the vessels in
Alexandria: and concludes with inviting his excellency to be a partaker
in these joyful events.

In a very few days, however, he learned that the Marquis De Niza had
returned from Alexandria; and he now, with equal address, sent him to
Malta.

On the 14th, by La Mutine, he dispatched letters to the Earl of St.
Vincent, in which he expresses his fear that it will be thought wrong,
not to have returned any of the "numerous frigates, brigs, cutters, &c.
which had been sent to Egypt "It was," says he, "only on the 13th of
August, that the Alcmene, Emerald, and Bonne Citoyenne, joined me. On
the 17th, the Seahorse joined; and, till September 7, I neither saw nor
heard of any. The Earl of St. Vincent cutter then joined me, forty
leagues from Messina; where I was informed that the Portuguese squadron,
with the Lion and Terpsichore, had passed the Pharos, the 28th of
August, on their way to Egypt. I therefore sent the cutter with a letter
to the Marquis De Niza, and to Captain Hood." He then proceeds to state,
that the Thalia had just brought him accounts from Captain Hood, which
he sends; and considers the exertions of the officers as great, and
highly to be approved. He thinks that the two men who saved the
dispatches ought to have a pecuniary reward. "You will see," he adds,
"by my second letter to the Marquis De Niza, that I have requested him
to go off Malta, which may be the means of driving the French out of
that island." After expressing his confidence that, with a little
exertion, the French army in Egypt will fall a prey to plague,
pestilence, famine, and Mamelukes, he concludes with praying that the
earl will give him credit for his earnest endeavours to do what is
right.

This day, the hero of the Nile received a letter from General Sir John
Acton, transmitting the congratulations of the King and Queen of Naples;
to which he returned the following most elegant epistolary
acknowledgment, by the Culloden.

     "Vanguard,
     at Sea,
     15th September 1798.


     "SIR,

     I was yesterday honoured with your excellency's very handsome and
     flattering letter of the 9th, conveying to me their Sicilian
     Majesties congratulations on the victory obtained by my royal
     master's fleet over the enemy. I have to request, that your
     excellency will have the goodness to assure their majesties, that I
     am penetrated with their condescension in noticing this battle;
     which, I most fervently pray, may add security to their majesties
     throne, and peace and happiness to all mankind. The hand of God was
     visibly pressed upon the French; and, I hope, there is not a person
     in the British fleet, who does not attribute this great victory to
     the blessing of the Almighty on our exertions in a just cause. With
     every sentiment of respect, believe, me, your excellency's most
     obedient,


     "Horatio Nelson."
     "Sir John Acton, Bart."

On the 16th, being off Strombolo, he inclosed General Acton's letter,
which contained some state secrets of importance, in a private letter to
Earl Spencer. The Portuguese, he observes, having been got, with no
small difficulty, from Naples, went to Egypt; where, however, they would
neither stay, nor give our ships water, which was all Captain Hood
requested. Having watched for them off Messina, he had now sent them to
Malta; but hoped that his lordship would not build hope on their
exertions. "The moment," says he, "I can get ships, all aid shall be
given the Maltese. What would I give for four bomb-ships! all the French
armament would long since have been destroyed. Pray, if the service will
admit of it, let me have them: I will only say, I shall endeavour to
make a proper use of them."

He complains, also, in this letter, of the uncertainty of our situation
with regard to Genoa; which, he says, has been at war with us during the
two past years. Even at this period of our hero's glory, he seems to
have been suffering under what he considered as legal persecution; and
animadverts, with much severity, on the conduct of the Judge of the
Admiralty.

     "He has cited me to appear before him," complains the indignant
     hero, "and shew cause why I seized a Genoese ship; the accounts of
     which I long ago sent to the board of Admiralty, for the sale of
     her cargo, and which I have long wanted to be taken out of my
     hands. The ship was liberated, when our troops evacuated Porto
     Ferrajio. The seas are covered with Genoese ships; but the Judge of
     the Admiralty's conduct has, to me, so repeatedly militated against
     my duty in the service of my king and country, that I dare not do
     my duty. I have already been half ruined by him; and condemned,
     without knowing I was before him. The treasury, it is true, paid
     part of the expence, but that does not make the judge's conduct
     less grievous." In all this, there is much to regret; but the judge
     could scarcely entertain the smallest personal prejudice against
     our hero, though he might appear too favourable to the frauds of
     neutral powers from even a laudable anxiety to prevent any national
     embroilment. Nelson, on the spot, could better penetrate their
     artifices, than the judge on his distant bench of justice; and,
     fearing nothing, he spurned at every law subtlety which he
     perceived sanctioning fraud, to the present injury of his king, his
     country, and their brave defenders. It was, ever, far less for
     himself, than for others, that he was solicitous. In this very
     letter to Earl Spencer, he thus concludes--"I am looking,
     anxiously, for the Foudroyant; and, also, for your lordship's
     goodness to my son-in-law: I, of course, wish he had a good
     frigate."

Three days after, in another letter to Earl Spencer, the benignity of
his excellent heart pleads powerfully for a son of the late Captain
Faddy. It's perusal cannot fail to gratify every feeling reader.

     "Vanguard,
     at Sea,
     19th Sept. 1798.


     "MY LORD,

     "Captain Faddy, of the marines, who was killed on board the
     Vanguard, has a family of small children: his eldest son is now on
     board this ship, only fourteen years of age. I beg to solicit your
     lordship for a commission in the marines for him. I understand, it
     has been done; and the youth permitted to remain at school, till of
     a proper age to join the corps. If, however, this should, in the
     present instance, be thought wrong, may I request that his name may
     stand as an elevé of the Admiralty, and Mrs. Faddy acquainted of
     it; which must give her some relief, under her present misfortune.


     "Ever your lordship's most obedient servant,

     "Horatio Nelson."

With his mind thus humanely and diligently employed, amidst the toil and
bustle inseparable from an active naval commander, on the 22d, early in
the morning, the hero approached within view of Naples. No sooner was
the Vanguard perceived, at the distance of several leagues, than upwards
of five hundred boats and pleasure-barges, having been apprised of his
coming, by the previous arrival of the Culloden and Alexander, on the
16th, immediately went out to meet him; with bands of music in most of
them, and joy depicted on every countenance. Sir William and Lady
Hamilton, in their state-barge, accompanied by several of the Neapolitan
nobility, led the way, and were consequently his first visitors. The
transports of Sir William, and his amiable lady, at seeing their friend
return covered with laurels, and of the thus honoured hero, at once more
beholding his estimable friends, can only be conceived by minds of equal
susceptibility. The interview, indeed, was exquisitely impressive, and
even affecting, to all by whom it was witnessed. While the company were
partaking of some refreshment in his cabin, a small bird familiarly
perched on his shoulder. On the circumstance being remarked--"It is,"
said he, "a very singular thing; this bird came on board the day before
the battle off the Nile: and I have had other instances of a bird's
coming into my cabin previously to former engagements." This is the more
remarkable, as the same thing is said to have afterwards happened prior
to the battle of Copenhagen. In superstitious times, some inference
would probably have been made from such facts; but philosophy will not
warrant any other deduction, than that, as birds of passage frequently
seek shelter in ships, these visits were merely accidental. The
coincidence, however, is certainly somewhat curious.

In a short time, the King of Naples, and his suite, who had also come
out full three leagues, in the royal barge, to greet the victorious
British admiral, went on board the Vanguard; where the king
affectionately embraced the Hero of the Nile; and, taking him by the
hand, expressed the effusions of his gratitude in terms of the most
flattering regard for our king, our country, and the immortal Nelson:
whom the sovereign of the two Sicilies, his ministers, and all classes
of his subjects, hailed with the appellation of "_Nostro
Liberatore!_"--"Our Deliverer!"

The King of Naples, who prides himself on being a seaman, went all over
the ship, and examined every thing with apparent delight and
satisfaction. His Neapolitan majesty sailed with Admiral Nelson, for
about three hours, on board the Vanguard; which was saluted, as they
passed, by all the forts. As soon as the Vanguard anchored in the bay,
the King of Naples returned on board his own barge, and Admiral Nelson
accompanied Sir William and Lady Hamilton.

Immediately on landing, Sir William's open carriage conveyed the hero,
in triumph, to the house of his esteemed friends, surrounded by the
enraptured Neapolitans; who gave every possible proof of their joy,
admiration, and gratitude. The Lazzaroni, in particular, crowded round
him in multitudes: vast numbers of them bearing birds of different
species, in curious wicker baskets; which they displayed to the hero as
he passed, and then giving them their liberty, watched their flight with
all the anxiety and assumed importance of the ancient Roman augury.

The Queen of Naples had also gone out, with her numerous family, in
another barge; but had, unfortunately, been too late to greet the hero
on board his victorious vessel, from which he had taken his departure
previously to her arrival. Her majesty, however, after being rowed round
the Vanguard, no sooner returned on shore, than she immediately
addressed a letter to Lady Hamilton; requesting to see, as soon as
possible, the Hero of the Nile. Sir William and Lady Hamilton,
accordingly, accompanied him to the palace, in the afternoon, where he
experienced a most gracious and flattering reception. On this visit,
Lady Hamilton acted as interpreter between the queen and Admiral Nelson,
neither of them understanding each other's language sufficiently to
converse together. The queen constantly addressed him by the appellation
of "Our virtuous and brave admiral."

Such, in short, was the universal transport at Naples, on this occasion,
that general illuminations, with apt and ingenious devices, and one
grand scene of unbounded festivity and rejoicing, were continued for
three successive days.

The Queen of Naples, immediately after her interview with Admiral
Nelson, addressed a letter to the Marquis De Circello, the Neapolitan
Ambassador at the court of London, from which the following is said to
be a correctly translated extract--

     "I write to you with joy inexpressible! The brave and enterprising
     British Admiral Nelson has obtained a most signal and decisive
     victory. My heart would fain give wings to the courier who is the
     bearer of these propitious tidings, to facilitate the earliest
     acknowledgments of our gratitude. So extensive is this victory in
     all it's relative circumstances, that were it not that the world
     has been accustomed to see prodigies of glory atchieved by the
     English on the seas, I should almost question the reality of the
     event. It has produced, among us, a general spirit of enthusiasm.
     It would have moved you much, to have seen my infant boys and girls
     hanging round my neck in tears, expressing their joy at the happy
     tidings, made doubly dear to us by the critical period at which
     they arrived. This news of the defeat of Bonaparte's Egyptian fleet
     has made many disaffected persons less daring, and improved the
     prospect of the general good. Make my highest respects acceptable
     to their majesties of England. Recommend the gallant hero, Nelson,
     to his royal master. He has raised, in the Italians, an
     enthusiastic reverence for the English nation. Great expectations
     were naturally founded on his enterprising talents, but no one
     could look for so total an overthrow of the enemy. All here are
     frantic with excess of joy!"

In a letter, of the 25th of September, written to Earl Spencer, by
Admiral Nelson, after slightly mentioning the reception with which he
had thus been honoured, particularly by their Sicilian majesties, he
makes use of these modest and pious expressions--"You will not, my lord,
I trust, think that one spark of vanity induces me to mention the most
distinguished reception that ever, I believe, fell to the lot of a human
being; but, that it is a measure of justice due to his Sicilian majesty
and the nation. God knows, my heart is amongst the most humble of the
creation, full of thankfulness and gratitude."

Even before Admiral Nelson's arrival at Naples, Lachavardiere, the
French consul for Palermo, who had just escaped from Egypt, thus laments
the decline of French influence, and announces the triumph of the
English. "The French name," says he, "is heard here with horror. The
king is arming eighty thousand men. The cabinet either refuses to
answer, or answers with insolence, the notes presented by our Charge
des Affaires, La Chaise, who is an excellent republican. The French are
forbade to enter the country, and the most extravagant predilection
prevails in favour of the English. The people of Sicily are still more
incensed against us. Our vessels are driven out of their ports; and,
wherever the French appear, the populace pelt them with stones, and
sometimes fire on them. Not one French cockade is suffered. In a word,
there only wants Frenchmen, in order to celebrate again Sicilian
vespers. The day before yesterday"--(this letter is dated the 20th of
September)--"two English vessels arrived; and Nelson himself is expected
to-morrow, in a third. To give you some idea of the favour in which the
enemies of our country are held here, you must know that, with my own
eyes, I saw the King of Naples go more than two leagues to sea, to meet
the English, to applaud and congratulate them. The two vessels which are
arrived have brought two French officers with them, one of them is
Vice-Admiral Blanquet." Lachavardiere also gives an account of the
battle; which, however, contains nothing of peculiar importance. One
circumstance, indeed, is sufficiently singular--"Admiral Brueys," he
says, "was wounded in the head and the hand: but continued to command,
till a cannon-ball cut him in two; and," adds this Frenchman, "_he lived
a quarter of an hour afterwards!_"

The integrity of our heroic Nelson seems to have revolted at the
characteristic falsehood and deceit so generally experienced in the
French. He could not be prevailed on, by his friends at Naples, to visit
Admiral Blanquet, who had his nose shot off, and was otherwise
dreadfully wounded in the face. On this occasion, he seems to have
adopted all the rough bluntness of a British tar. He had beaten him, he
said, and would not insult him. "Seeing me," added the hero, "will only
put him in mind of his misfortune. I have an antipathy to Frenchmen;
which is so powerful, that I must, I think, have received it from my
mother, at my birth."

He was, himself, at this period, though in excellent spirits, so
corporeally weak and reduced, that he was obliged to be kept chiefly on
ass's milk for some time after his arrival. Indeed, though excess of
joy, at the first meeting of such friends as Admiral Nelson, and Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, absorbed every other consideration, a most
essential personal difference was manifest in the hero from that which
had appeared on his former visit to Naples. It is to be recollected,
that neither Sir William nor his lady had ever beheld him, prior to this
period, except for a very few days, while the Neapolitan subsidiary
troops were embarking for Toulon, when he was without any wound or
disfigurement whatever, though always of a plain but pleasingly
expressive countenance: he was now returned, in the short space of about
four years, having atchieved victories which might have graced an age
of absence; but, at what a price were they purchased! The vision of an
eye had been completely extinguished, at Calvi; an arm totally lost, at
Teneriffe; and a hideous wound, leaving it's indelible scar on his manly
forehead, had recently been inflicted on their heroic friend, at the
battle of the Nile. To say nothing of various slighter casualties; of
the effect of climate; and of those incessant excessive cares,
anxieties, and disappointments, which so soon and so deeply wrinkle the
smoothest brow, and so cruelly furrow the comeliest countenance. If they
were shocked, at reflecting what their incomparable but mutilated friend
must have suffered, in the severe and disastrous fortune of war; they
were enraptured to perceive him by no means impaired in any of those
higher qualities which had given birth to their reciprocal attachments.
Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, returning from his glorious victory off the
Nile, was the same kind, affable, intelligent, and virtuous friend, as
Captain Nelson had formerly been, when departing for Toulon. An amity
thus founded on a union of superior intellect in the respective parties,
could only be destroyed, however it might be envied, by the decay of
that celestial principle which had served to cement it's origin.

The hero's birth-day occurring on the 29th, when he completed his
fortieth year, a most splendid fête, with a ball and supper, were given
by Sir William and Lady Hamilton, to the nobility and gentry of Naples,
at which upwards of eighteen hundred persons are said to have been
entertained. On this occasion, a grand rostral column was erected in
the principal saloon, with the celebrated old Roman motto--

    "VENI; VIDI; VICI!"

which was never more appropriately applied, since it's original adoption
by Julius Cæsar.

It is to be regretted, that the harmony of this festival, which cost Sir
William Hamilton two thousand ducats, was considerably deranged, towards
it's conclusion, by the hero's son-in-law; who, it seems, so far forgot
himself, as grossly to offend the very man whom every other person was
delighting to honour. To such a height, indeed, was this young
gentleman's intemperance unfortunately carried, that Captain Troubridge
and another officer felt themselves under the absolute necessity of
conducting him out of the room. This disagreeable occurrence, naturally
agitating the breast of the worthy admiral, who was at that very period
soliciting the indiscreet young man's preferment, in a letter then on
it's way to England, occasioned a violent return of those internal
spasms to which all excesses of the passions had constantly subjected
him since the time when this grievance first commenced, while his
anxious mind was occupied in vainly pursuing the French fleet: indeed,
he always said, and it seems highly probable, that the disappointment,
had it much longer continued, and his expectation of encountering them
been finally frustrated, would certainly have "broke his heart." It is
from no disrespect to Captain Nisbet that this affair is mentioned: nor
is it for the sake of observing, what that gentleman must be sensible is
the undoubted fact, that he was indebted for a reconciliation with his
father-in-law, shortly after, to the kind interference of Sir William
and Lady Hamilton; who, very properly representing it as solely the
effect of a young man's pardonable inebriety on so joyous an occasion,
again introduced him to favour at their rural villa in the vicinity of
Naples. The fact, in itself, is trivial; but, on subjects of domestic or
family delicacy, the minutest thread of verity may chance to have it's
use in conducting through the intricate labyrinth by which the temple of
truth is generally found to be environed.

It was not till after Admiral Nelson's arrival at Naples, that he heard
of the capture of the Leander, with his dispatches for the Earl of St.
Vincent respecting the battle of the Nile; an event for which, as has
been seen, he had judiciously and almost prophetically prepared, by
transmitting copies to England. By letters from Corfu, he now learned
that, on the 16th of August, the Leander of fifty guns, Captain
Thompson, having Captain Berry on board, with the dispatches for the
Earl of St. Vincent, fell in with Le Genereux of seventy-four guns,
Captain Lejoille, Jun. one of the French ships which had escaped after
the battle of the Nile. The Leander, with eighty men short of it's
complement, and a number of wounded on board, being off the island of
Candia, was chased by Le Genereux under Neapolitan colours; which, on
approaching nearly within gun-shot, about eight in the morning, were
changed to French. Captain Thompson had not been deceived by this
artifice, but the Leander's inferiority of sailing rendered it
impossible to escape. At nine, being within half gun-shot of the
Leander's weather-quarter, Captain Thompson hauled up sufficiently to
bring his broadside to bear, and immediately commenced a vigorous
cannonade, which was powerfully returned. The ships continued nearing
each other till half past ten, under a constant and heavy fire; when the
enemy, taking advantage of the disabled condition of the Leander,
endeavoured to enter on the larboard bow: but the small party of
marines, on the poop and quarter-deck, by a most spirited and
well-directed fire, aided by a furious cannonade, repulsed them with
great slaughter. A light breeze now springing up, enabled Captain
Thompson to disentangle himself; and, soon after, he had the
satisfaction to luff under Le Genereux's stern, and discharge every gun
into that ship, at the distance of only ten yards. The action continued,
within pistol-shot, till half past three in the afternoon; when Le
Genereux, with a light breeze, passed the Leander's bows, and brought
itself on the starboard side, where the guns had been all nearly
disabled by the wreck of the spar, which had fallen on that side. This
necessarily producing a cessation of the Leander's fire, the enemy
hailed, to know if the ship had surrendered. Being now a complete wreck;
the decks covered with killed and wounded; and Captain Thompson himself
badly wounded, without the most distant hope of success; that brave
officer asked Captain Berry, if it appeared that more could be done:
who, agreeing that farther resistance would be in vain, they consented
to submit. Le Genereux had on board nine hundred men; one hundred of
whom were killed, and a hundred and eighty-eight wounded, in the action;
the Leander had thirty-five killed, and fifty-eight wounded. The captain
of Le Genereux, in an official letter of true French gasconade,
describes the Leander as carrying "seventy-four guns, twenty-four, and
thirty pounders on the lower deck, and twelve pounders on the upper!"

Captain Thompson and his officers no sooner arrived on board Le
Genereux, than they were plundered of every article they had possessed,
except the apparel which covered them. On this harsh treatment, they
vainly expostulated with the captain, and reminded him of the different
situation of the French officers made prisoners by Admiral Nelson. He
coolly answered--"I am sorry for it; but, the truth is, that the French
are good at plundering." Captain Berry expressed his wish to have a pair
of pistols returned, and pointed out the man who had stolen them.
Captain Lejoille, Jun. by immediately securing them for himself, proved
the truth, in his own person, of what he had just observed respecting
French expertness at pillage: for, though he told Captain Berry that he
would give him, in return, a pair of French pistols, to protect him on
his journey home, this mean French officer never performed his promise.
To such a pitch, indeed, did these miscreants carry their cruelty and
theft, that they purloined the English surgeon's instruments, while he
was performing operations on the wounded; and nearly rendered mortal the
wound of Captain Thompson, by forcibly obstructing his attendance. In
short, the miseries suffered by this unfortunate crew, both before and
after their arrival at Corfu, were greater than, it is to be hoped, for
the honour of humanity, often occurs on such occasions; bad as the usage
of the French is generally described to be--not, indeed, by English
speculative writers; but by brave men, speaking from their own
melancholy and repeated experience!

On the 2d of October, the Honourable Captain Capel arrived in England,
with the joyful intelligence of Admiral Nelson's glorious victory off
the Nile: a victory which, from the peculiar period at which it
occurred, the extent of it's beneficial effects, and it's splendid and
complete success, excited in every British bosom such rapturous
sensations as had never, in the memory of any living person, been before
felt by the nation. General illuminations, both in town and country,
were continued for three days; and every other species of public
rejoicing, demonstrative of universal admiration, affection, and
gratitude, to the Hero of the Nile, and his brave associates in arms,
prevailed for several weeks. Even infants were instructed to articulate
the name of Nelson; and to clap their little hands, with transport, in
rapturous applauses of the preserver and protector of innocence, from
their threatened invaders, the corrupters and destroyers of the human
race.

Subscriptions were immediately opened, for the relief of the widows and
children of all those brave men who had lost their lives on this
glorious occasion; and a large fund was soon established, by a committee
at Lloyd's coffee-house, Cornhill, the beneficial effects of which have
since been prodigiously extended.

On the 3d of October, at a court of common-council, the Lord-Mayor of
London read the letter addressed to him by Admiral Nelson; and, when the
tumult of applause had subsided, the sword of Vice-Admiral Blanquet was
ordered, on the motion of Mr. Deputy Leeky, to be placed among the city
regalia. The thanks of the court were then unanimously voted to Admiral
Nelson, and to the officers and seamen under his command. The next day,
having again assembled, the French admiral's sword was ordered to be
placed in an elegant glass-case, in the most conspicuous part of the
council-room, with an inscription expressive of the gift on a marble
tablet. It was then resolved, that a sword of two hundred guineas value
should be presented to Admiral Nelson from the city of London; and the
freedom of the city, in a gold box worth one hundred guineas, to
Captain Edward Berry: and the lord-mayor, Sir William Anderson, Bart,
was requested to provide and present the said sword to the Hero of the
Nile.

On the 6th of October, his majesty created Admiral Nelson a peer of
Great Britain, by the title of Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of
Burnham-Thorpe in the county of Norfolk; and, at the meeting of
parliament, in November, a message from the king was presented by Mr.
Pitt, preparatory to the motion which he immediately afterwards made for
a pension of two thousand pounds per annum, commencing on the 1st of
August 1798, to be granted Admiral Lord Nelson of the Nile, and his two
next successors in the title. General Walpole, who seconded the motion,
having expressed an opinion, that Lord Nelson should also have a higher
degree of rank; Mr. Pitt observed that, entertaining the highest sense
of the transcendent merits of Admiral Nelson, he thought it needless to
enter at any length into the question of rank. His fame, he added, must
be coeval with the British name; and it would be remembered that he had
obtained the greatest naval victory on record, when no man would think
it worth his while to ask, whether he had been created a baron, a
viscount, or an earl. Such a motion was not likely to be opposed; and
the annuity recommended by his majesty was unanimously granted. It may
be remarked, however, that General Walpole's opinion respecting higher
rank, was certainly that of the public.

The thanks of both Houses of Parliament were voted, and ordered to be
transmitted by the respective speakers, to the brave admiral, the
captains, officers, seamen, and marines, for their resolute and intrepid
conduct displayed on this glorious occasion.

A gold medal, of peculiar elegance and beauty, emblematical of the
victory, executed by the inimitable Louis Pingo, Esq. principal engraver
of the Royal Mint in the Tower of London, was struck on the occasion, by
command of his majesty; who ordered one to be given, and in future worn
by, each of the captains, all of whom afterwards received the honour of
knighthood. The obverse of this medal displays a fine figure of Victory
placing a laurel wreath on the head of Britannia, in a stile of the most
chaste simplicity. The reverse incloses each respective name, which is
engraved in the centre, with two branches, one of oak and the other of
laurel. The motto--"In memory of the defeat of the French fleet on the
coast of Egypt."

Various other medals were struck on this memorable occasion; and one, in
particular, most liberally distributed at the expence of Alexander
Davison, Esq. the valuable friend of Lord Nelson, has peculiar claim to
attention. The obverse side of Mr. Davison's medal, to commemorate his
friend's great victory, has the figure of Hope, crowned with laurel,
standing on a rugged rock, with an olive-branch in her right hand; and
supporting, with her left arm, the profile of Lord Nelson on a
medallion, to which her fore-finger is evidently pointing. The motto to
the medallion--"Europe's hope, and Britain's glory." The
legend--"Rear-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson of the Nile." The reverse
represents the French fleet at anchor in Aboukir Bay, with the British
fleet advancing to the attack; the fortified islands in the enemy's van;
the four frigates moored within their line, to cover their flank; the
gun-boats near the islands; the setting-sun; the coast of Egypt; the
mouth of the Nile; and, the castle of Aboukir. The legend--"Almighty God
has blessed his majesty's arms." Beneath the view--"Victory of the Nile,
August 1, 1798."

This handsome and valuable medal was presented, by Mr. Davison, struck
in gold, to Admiral Lord Nelson, and every captain of the British
squadron; in silver, to every other warrant officer; in gilt metal, to
every petty officer; and, in copper, to every individual seaman and
marine serving on board during the action. The whole, as it is said, at
the expence of little less than two thousand pounds: an instance of
private and patriotic munificence, as well as generous friendship, which
has, perhaps, seldom been surpassed.

The government of Ireland, immediately on receiving the joyful
intelligence of this glorious victory, passed a vote of thanks similar
to that of the British parliament, and granted the hero an additional
annuity of one thousand pounds during the same term.

The Honourable United East India Company, which felt so immediately
benefitted on the occasion, unanimously voted him a gift of ten thousand
pounds; the London Turkey Company, plate of very considerable value; and
several other corporate bodies, as well in the metropolis as in our
first provincial cities, the freedom of their respective corporations,
in elegant gold boxes.

To these tributes of esteem from a grateful country, must be added, as
by no means the least acceptable, the proof of affectionate regard
prepared for their beloved commander, by those most honourable and brave
associates in arms, the captains of his own squadron, whom he so
emphatically denominates, "the band of brothers." By these worthy and
valorous officers, was their revered chief, the Hero of the Nile,
presented with a magnificent sword; the hilt of which most appropriately
represented a crocodile, very finely executed in gold.

To enumerate the various epistolary plaudits and congratulations, and
other demonstrations of admiration and applause, expressed by
individuals, in England, of all ranks, to the hero and his friends, on
account of this most splendid victory, is quite impracticable. The
following extract of a letter, however, written by the worthy and
venerable father of the immortal hero, to his friend the Reverend Mr. B.
Allot, in answer to a very kind congratulatory epistle from that
gentleman, is so exquisitely and amiably characteristic both of father
and son, that it cannot, under any consideration, be omitted. It is,
indeed, a charming picture of parental and filial affection.

"My great and good son," says this excellent and intelligent parent,
"went into the world without fortune; but, with a heart replete with
every moral and religious virtue. These have been his compass to steer
by; and it has pleased God to be his shield in the day of battle, and to
give success to his wishes to be of service to his country. His country
seems sensible of his services: but, should he ever meet with
ingratitude, his scars will cry out, and plead his cause--for, at the
siege of Calvi, he lost an eye; at Teneriffe, an arm; on the memorable
14th of February, he received a severe blow on his body, which he still
feels; and, now, a wound on the head! After all this, you will believe,
his bloom of countenance must be faded; but the spirit beareth up, yet,
as vigorously as ever. On the 29th of September, he completed his
fortieth year: cheerful, generous, and good. Fearing no evil, because he
has done none: an honour to my grey hairs; which, with every mark of old
age, creep fast upon me."

While these various honours and gifts were preparing for the hero, in
his native country, foreign nations, not less sensible of his worth, and
in some instances scarcely less benefitted by his exertions and valour,
were emulously pouring, with a laudable profusion, their richest
presents before him, and investing him with their most distinguished
dignities.

On the 8th of September, immediately after receiving information of the
battle off the Nile, the Grand Signior directed a most superb diamond
aigrette--called, by the Turks, a chelengk, or plume of triumph--taken
from one of the imperial turbans, to be sent for our victorious admiral,
with a rich pelisse of the choicest sable fur; and a purse of two
thousand sequins, in cash, to be distributed among the wounded British
seamen. A note, at the same time, was delivered to Mr. Spencer Smith,
his majesty's minister at Constantinople, of which the following is
given as a correct translation.

     "It is but lately that, by a written communication, it has already
     been made known, how much the Sublime Porte rejoiced at the first
     advice received of the English squadron's having defeated that of
     the French, off Alexandria, in Egypt. By recent accounts, however,
     comprehending a specific detail of the action, it appears now more
     positive, that his Britannic majesty's fleet has actually
     destroyed, by that action, the best ships the French had in their
     possession. This joyful event, therefore, laying this empire under
     an obligation, and the service rendered by our much-esteemed
     friend, Admiral Nelson, on this occasion, being of a nature to call
     for public acknowledgment, his imperial majesty, the powerful,
     formidable, and most magnificent Grand Signior, has destined as a
     present, in his imperial name, to the said admiral, a diamond
     aigrette, and a sable fur with broad sleeves; besides two thousand
     sequins, to be distributed among the wounded of his crew: and, as
     the English minister is constantly zealous to contribute, by his
     endeavours, to the increase of friendship between the two courts,
     it is hoped that he will not fail to make known this circumstance
     to his court; and to solicit the permission of the most powerful
     and august King of England, for the said admiral to put on, and
     wear, the said aigrette and pelisse."

These presents were conveyed, under the care of Mahomet Kelim, an
Effendi, or secretary of state, in a Turkish frigate, to Alexandria;
from whence, on finding the hero had departed for Naples, the Effendi,
and his suite, immediately followed, in the Alcmene frigate. The Turkish
secretary, and his twelve associates, on their arrival, performed their
parts with suitable solemnity and address. They put on their state robes
in the hero's anti-chamber; and presented the aigrette, seated on
cushions, after the oriental method. The pelisse was composed of the
finest scarlet cloth, lined and enriched with the most beautiful sable
fur imaginable. The aigrette, which is a sort of artificial plume, or
feather, represents a hand with thirteen fingers, covered with diamonds;
allusive to the thirteen ships taken and destroyed by the hero: and it's
size is that of a child's hand, at the age of five or six years, when
open. The centre diamond, and the four by which it is surrounded, are
estimated at a thousand pounds each, and there are said to be at least
three hundred diamonds of smaller sizes. This immensely rich and
beautiful jewel is more particularly described in the following extract
of a letter, said to have been written by the Grand Signior himself. In
this letter, it it called, a chelengk, or plume of triumph: such as has
been, on every famous and memorable success of the Ottoman arms,
conferred on victorious Mussulmen, Seraskiers--"never, before, I
believe," says the imperial writer, "on any disbeliever--as the _ne plus
ultra_ of personal honour, separate from official dignity. The present
is esteemed rich in it's kind; being a blaze of brilliants, crowned with
a vibrating plumage, and a radiant star in the middle, turning on it's
centre, by means of watch-work which winds up behind. This badge,
actually taken from one of the imperial turbans, can hardly, according
to the idea of such insignia here"--(the letter was dated, at
Constantinople, October 3, 1798)--"be considered as less than equivalent
to the first order of chivalry in Christendom: such, at least,"
concludes the imperial donor, "was my view in the indication."

By these remarks, added to the verbal communications of Mahomet Kelim,
at the time of investiture, Lord Nelson was led to consider this honour
as the Ottoman Order of Merit. It could, certainly, be nothing less; and
the civilized world has to felicitate itself on the brilliance of our
immortal hero's glory, which could, at length, dissipate the cloud of
prejudice, that had so long obscured, from the sincerest followers of
Mahomet, the lustre of every Christian virtue.

Even the Dowager Sultana, mother of the Grand Signior, caught the
enthusiastic admiration of our hero from her generous and illustrious
son, and sent his lordship the superb and flattering present of a very
rich diamond ornament, in the form of a rose.

No sooner were the honours conferred on our hero by the Grand Signior,
and his wish respecting the wearing them, made known to his majesty,
than the imperial desire was immediately complied with, and the
following royal grants and concessions were also published in the London
Gazette--

     "The king has been graciously pleased to give, and grant, to the
     Right Honourable Horatio Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of
     Burnham-Thorpe in the county of Norfolk, Rear-Admiral of the Blue
     Squadron of his Majesty's Fleet, and K.B. in consideration of the
     great zeal, courage, and perseverance, manifested by him on divers
     occasions, and particularly of his able and gallant conduct in the
     glorious and decisive victory obtained over the French fleet, at
     the mouth of the Nile, on the 1st of August last, his royal licence
     and authority, that he, and his issue, may bear the following
     honourable augmentations to his armorial ensign: viz. "A chief,
     undulated, argent--thereon, waves of the sea; from which, a
     palm-tree issuant, between a disabled ship on the dexter, and a
     ruinous battery on the sinister; all proper." And, for his crest,
     "On a naval crown, or; the chelengk, or plume of triumph, presented
     to him by the Grand Signior, as a mark of his high esteem, and of
     his sense of the gallant conduct of the said Horatio Baron Nelson
     in the said glorious and decisive victory; with the motto--_Palmam
     qui meruit ferat_:" and, to his supporters, being a sailor on the
     dexter, and a lion on the sinister, the honourable augmentation
     following; viz. "In the hand of the sailor, a palm branch, and
     another in the paw of the lion, both proper, with the addition of a
     tri-coloured flag and staff in the mouth of the latter;" which
     augmentations to the supporters are to be borne by the said Horatio
     Nelson, and by those to whom the said dignity shall descend in
     virtue of his majesty's letters patent of creation; and, that the
     same may be first duly exemplified, according to the laws of arms,
     and recorded in the Herald's Office: and, also, to order that his
     majesty's said concession, and especial mark of his royal favour,
     be registered in his College at Arms."

The above most appropriate motto was adopted by the express desire of
his majesty: who, also, with the utmost possible propriety, fixed the
honourable plume of triumph on the hero's crest; a circumstance which
could not fail to afford the Grand Signior a pleasing proof, that his
present had been duly appreciated both by the hero and his sovereign.

The Emperor Paul, of Russia, wrote Lord Nelson a congratulatory
epistle, with his own hand, and accompanied it by a valuable portrait of
himself, superbly surrounded with brilliants, and a gold box set with
diamonds, estimated at two thousand five hundred pounds. The King of
Sardinia also sent him a letter, and a gold box richly ornamented with
diamonds; the King and Queen of Naples made him many valuable presents;
from Palermo, he received a gold box and chain, brought on a silver
waiter, containing the freedom of that city, which also conferred on him
the honour of being a grandee of Spain; and even the island of Zante, in
grateful remembrance that they had happily been liberated from French
cruelty by the good effects of the battle of the Nile, sent the
illustrious hero their epistolary acknowledgments, with a valuable
gold-headed sword and cane.

Numerous other presents were received by, and honours conferred on, the
immortal hero of the Nile, as well at Naples, as elsewhere, for a
considerable time after this splendid victory; which, from it's
brilliant success, and important consequences, had powerfully attracted
the attention and admiration of all mankind, in every quarter of the
globe not contaminated by French principles.

During the period while these honours were universally soliciting the
acceptance of this exalted man, his great and active mind, amid every
corporeal lassitude and fatigue, was unceasingly engaged in pursuits
calculated to merit additional renown, and consequently to augment their
acquisition.

With an eye to the recapture of Malta, which the Neapolitans seemed
rather to expect from our hero's prowess than their own exertions, he
had, immediately on his arrival at Naples, detached the Terpsichore to
that island, for the purpose of gaining such intelligence as might
enable him to form the best plan for effectually accomplishing this
purpose; and, a few days afterwards, sent Captain Ball, in the
Alexander, with a frigate and sloop, to cruise off Malta, which was then
under the blockade of the Portuguese squadron.

On the 9th of October, writing to Lord Spencer, he says--"Three weeks, I
admit, is a long time to refit a fleet after a battle; but, when it is
considered that nearly every mast in the fleet has taken much more time
than if they had been new; that Naples Bay is subject to a heavy swell,
of which we have felt the inconvenience; and that we go to sea
victualled for six months, and in the highest health and discipline; I
trust, some allowance will be made for me." He adds, with an almost
prophetic foresight--"Naples sees this squadron no more--except the king
calls for our help; and, if they go on, and lose the glorious moments,
we may be called for _to save the persons of their majesties_." Of
General Mack, who was then at Naples, for the purpose of taking under
his command the Neapolitan army, which had been recently raised to
oppose the French, he thus expresses his predictive
apprehensions--"General Mack cannot move without five carriages. I have
formed my opinion--I heartily pray, I may be mistaken."

On the Tuesday following the date of this letter, General Mack arrived
at Caserta; and Lord Nelson, the next Thursday, accompanied by Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, went to meet him at dinner with the King and
Queen of Naples. Their majesties introduced them to each other, with
every expression of esteem and regard. The queen, however, could not
help saying--"General, be to us, by land, what my hero Nelson has been
at sea!" The emperor, it seems, had desired the King of Naples to begin,
and promised that he would support him. At this interview, Mack said he
would march in ten days; and, by his conversation and address, seems to
have temporarily withdrawn our hero from the contemplation of his
actions, that unerring criterion of character. The judgment which Lord
Nelson had first formed of General Mack, on this principle, has since
appeared to be just. With such a general as Mack, and such a minister as
our hero describes the Marquis De Gallo to have been, in a letter to
Earl Spencer, we can scarcely wonder at any misfortunes which might
befal the amiable sovereigns with whose welfare they were fatally
entrusted.

"This Marquis De Gallo," says our hero, "I "detest. He is ignorant of
common civility. Sir William Hamilton has just found out, that a
messenger sets out for London within an hour; yet, I was with this
minister for an hour last night. He admires his ribbon, ring, and
snuff-box, so much, that an excellent _petit-maître_ was spoiled, when
he was made a minister. The sentiments of my heart have flown from my
pen, and I cannot retract them."

After observing, that he has not, owing to the above circumstance, time
to write what he wished, he concludes, with the most perfect
good-humour--"Pray excuse this short letter, and abuse of the Marquis De
Gallo."

On Monday, the 15th of October, being ready to sail from Naples, at
eight o'clock in the morning, the King and Prince Leopold, as well as
Sir William and Lady Hamilton, went on board the Vanguard, to breakfast
with Lord Nelson. At ten, the British squadron, consisting of the
Vanguard, Minotaur, Audacious, Goliath, and La Mutine brig, weighed
anchor; and, at eleven, the royal and illustrious visitors quitted the
ship, taking an affectionate leave of their heroic protector and
friend--"The king expressed himself," says Lord Nelson, in a letter to
the Earl of St. Vincent, dated off Marsala, the West End of Sicily,
October 22, 1798, "in the most flattering manner towards me. His majesty
had all the respect paid him, by the squadron, which our situation would
admit of, and which it was not only our duty, but so much our
inclination, to pay him. The king," he observes, "having desired my
return to Naples in the first week in November, I shall, after having
arranged the blockade of Malta, return to Naples, and endeavour to be
useful in the movements of their army. In thus acquiescing in the desire
of the King of Naples, I give up my plan; which was, to have gone to
Egypt, and attended to the destruction of the French shipping in that
quarter: but, I hope, before Captain Hood quits his station, both the
Turks and Russian squadron will be on that coast; when all will be
right, I hope: although I own myself not willing to trust any of our
allies to do that which we could do ourselves. I have reason for
thinking, that a strong wish for our squadron's being on the coast of
Naples is, that in case of any mishap, their majesties think their
persons much safer under the protection of the British flag, than under
any other." After observing, that the Culloden would be ready for sea
about the time mentioned, and that he had directed Captain Troubridge to
wait his arrival, with the transports which he had at first intended to
take to Syracuse, he concludes with remarking that he had not a sick man
in the squadron.

On the 24th, Lord Nelson arrived off Malta; when he immediately wrote
the following letter to Sir William Hamilton.

     "Vanguard,
     off Malta,
     24th Oct. 1798.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "I am just arrived off this place, where I found Captain Ball and
     the Marquis De Niza: from these officers, I do not find such an
     immediate prospect of getting possession of the town, as the
     minister at Naples seems to think. All the country, it is true, is
     in possession of the islanders; and, I believe, the French have not
     many luxuries in the town: but, as yet, their bullocks are not eat
     up. The marquis tells me, the islanders want arms, victuals, and
     mortars and cannon to annoy the town. When I get the elect of the
     people on board, I shall desire them to draw up a memorial for the
     King of Naples, stating their wants and desires, which I shall
     bring with me. The marquis sails for Naples to-morrow morning. Till
     he is gone, I shall not do any thing about the island; but I will
     be fully master of that subject, before I leave this place. God
     bless you! is the sincere prayer of your affectionate


     Horatio Nelson."

The very next day, he sent into Malta, by Captain Ball, the following
admirable and most spirited letter, addressed to the French General and
Admiral commanding in the town of Valetta and fort of Malta. It
breathes, throughout, that liberal and manly spirit which so highly
distinguishes our hero, and which conveys to the heart such irresistible
proofs of honour and veracity.

     "His Britannic Majesty's Ship Vanguard,
     off Malta,
     25th Oct. 1798.


     "GENTLEMEN,

     "In addressing to you this letter, containing my determination
     respecting the French now in Malta, I feel confident that you will
     not attribute it either to insolence or impertinent curiosity, but
     a wish of my sentiments clearly understood. The present situation
     of Malta is this: the inhabitants are in possession of all the
     island; except the town of Valetta, which is in your
     possession--that the islanders are in arms against you--and, that
     the port is blockaded by a squadron belonging to his Britannic
     majesty. My objects are, to assist the people of Malta in forcing
     you to abandon the island, that it may be delivered into the hands
     of it's lawful sovereign; and, to get possession of Le Guillaume
     Tell, La Diane, and La Justice. To accomplish these objects as
     speedily as possible, I offer that, on the delivery of the French
     ships to me, all the troops and seamen, now in Malta and Goza,
     shall be landed in France, without the condition of their being
     prisoners of war; that I will take care that the lives of all those
     Maltese who have joined you shall be spared, and I offer my
     mediation with their sovereign for the restoration of their
     property. Should these offers be rejected; or the French ships make
     their escape, notwithstanding my vigilance; I declare, that I will
     not enter, or join, any capitulation, which the general may
     hereafter be forced to enter into, with the inhabitants of Malta;
     much less will I intercede for the forgiveness of those who have
     betrayed their duty to their country. I beg leave to assure you,
     this is the determination of a British admiral; and I have the
     honour to be, gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant,


     "Horatio Nelson."

Though this notice was not successful to the full extent of his wish, it
seems to have accelerated the surrender of Goza. In the mean time, all
possible aid was given to the Maltese; who, it appears, had been
shockingly neglected by the Neapolitan government. In a letter of the
27th, addressed to Sir William Hamilton, the indignant hero enlarges on
this topic with a feeling and energy incomparably expressive of his
heroic and independent character.

     "When I come to Naples, I can have nothing pleasant to say of the
     conduct of his Sicilian majesty's ministers towards the inhabitants
     of Malta, who wish to be under the dominion of their legitimate
     sovereign. The total neglect and indifference with which they have
     been treated, appears to me cruel in the extreme. Had not the
     English supplied fifteen hundred stand of arms, with bayonets,
     cartouch boxes, and ammunition, &c. and the marquis supplied some
     few, and kept the spirit of those brave islanders from falling off,
     they must long ago have bowed to the French yoke. Could you, my
     dear Sir William, have believed, after what General Acton and the
     Marquis De Gallo had said, in our various conversations relative to
     this island, that nothing had been sent by the governor of
     Syracuse--_secretly_, was the word used to us--or openly, to this
     island! and I am further assured, that the governor of Syracuse
     never had any orders sent him, to supply the smallest article. I
     beg your excellency will state this, in confidence, to General
     Acton. I shall most assuredly tell it the king. The justice I owe
     myself, now I feel employed in the service of their Sicilian
     majesties, demands it of me; and also the duty I owe our gracious
     king, in order to shew that I am doing my utmost to comply with his
     royal commands. As I have before stated, had it not been for the
     English, long, long ago, the Maltese must have been overpowered.
     Including the fifteen hundred stand of arms given by us, not more
     than three thousand are in the island. I wonder how they have kept
     on the defensive so long. At least, two thousand stand of small
     arms complete, ammunition, &c. should be sent by the Emerald. This
     is wanted, to defend themselves; for offence, two or three large
     mortars, fifteen hundred shells, with all necessaries; and,
     perhaps, a few artillery. The Bormola, and all the left side of the
     harbour, with this assistance, will fall. Ten thousand men are
     required to defend those works, the French can only spare twelve
     hundred; therefore, a vigorous assault being made in many parts,
     some one must succeed. But, who have the government of Naples sent,
     to lead or encourage these people? A very good, and I dare say
     brave, old man; enervated, and shaking with the palsy. This is the
     sort of man that they have sent; without any supply, without even a
     promise of protection, and without his bringing any answer to the
     repeated respectful memorials of these people to their sovereign. I
     know their majesties must feel hurt, when they hear these truths. I
     may be thought presuming; but, I trust, General Acton will forgive
     an honest seaman for telling plain truths. _As for the other
     minister, I do not understand him._ We are different men. He has
     been bred in a court; and I, in a rough element: but, I believe, my
     heart is as susceptible of the finer feelings as his, and as
     compassionate for the distress of those who look up to me for
     protection."

Having thus very justly and indignantly censured the Neapolitan
government; particularly, the then first minister, the Marquis De Gallo;
he proceeds most judiciously and forcibly to state, not only what ought
to have been done, but what still should be attempted. In doing this, he
has admirably sketched the characteristic outlines of a good commander.

     "The officer sent here should have brought supplies, promises of
     protection, and an answer from the king to their memorials. He
     should have been a man of judgment, bravery, and _activity_. He
     should be the first to lead them to glory; and the last, when
     necessary, to retreat: the first to mount the wall of the Bormola,
     and never to quit it. This is the man to send. Such, many such, are
     to be found. If he succeeds, promise him rewards: my life for it,
     the business would soon be over.

     "God bless you! I am anxious to get this matter finished. I have
     sent Ball, this day, to summon Goza; if it resists, I shall send on
     shore, and batter down the castle. Three vessels, loaded with
     bullocks, &c. for the garrison, were taken yesterday, from Tripoli:
     ten more are coming, but we shall have them. I had almost forgot to
     mention, that orders should be immediately given, that no
     quarantine be laid on boats going to the coast of Sicily for corn.
     At present, as a matter of favour, they have fourteen days only.
     Yesterday, there was only fourteen days bread in the island;
     luckily, we got hold of a vessel loaded with wheat, and sent her
     into St. Paul's. Once more, God bless you! and ever believe me,
     your obliged and affectionate


     "Horatio Nelson.

     "This day I have landed twenty barrels of gunpowder--two thousand
     eight hundred pounds--at Malta."

The Island of Goza, in consequence of the summons mentioned in this
letter, surrendered to his majesty's arms: and Admiral Nelson, in the
evening of the 30th, having received particulars of the capitulation
from Captain Ball, sailed again for Naples; leaving that excellent
officer, the present Sir John Alexander Ball, Governor of Malta, to
continue the blockade, with the same ships as were before employed on
that service.

These particulars were, on the 2d of November, forwarded to the
commander in chief; with the following letter, by which they are here
preceded.

     "Vanguard,
     at Sea,
     1st Nov. 1798.


     "MY LORD,

     "I have the honour to transmit to you a letter received from
     Captain Ball, dated October 30th, together with the capitulation of
     the Castle of Goza, and a list of ordnance, &c. found in it. The
     prisoners are embarked in the Vanguard and Minotaur, till I can get
     a vessel to send them to France. Captain Ball, with three sail of
     the line, a frigate, and fire-ship, is entrusted with the blockade
     of Malta, in which are two sail of the line and three frigates
     ready for sea; and, from the experience I have had of Captain
     Ball's zeal, activity, and ability, I have no doubt that, in due
     time, I shall have the honour of sending you a good account of the
     French in the town of Valetta. I am, with the greatest respect,
     your lordship's most obedient servant,


     "Horatio Nelson." "Earl of St. Vincent."

     "Alexander,
     off Malta,
     30th Oct. 1798.


     "SIR,

     "I have the honour to acquaint you, that the commandant of the
     French troops in the Castle of Goza signed the capitulation on the
     28th inst. which you had approved. I ordered Captain Cresswell of
     the Marines to take possession of it in the name of his Britannic
     Majesty, and his majesty's colours were hoisted. The next day, the
     place was delivered up, in form, to the deputies of the island, his
     Sicilian Majesty's colours hoisted, and he acknowledged their
     lawful sovereign.

     "I embarked, yesterday, all the French officers and men who were on
     the Island of Goza, amounting to two hundred and seventeen. I
     inclose the Articles of Capitulation, and an Inventory of the Arms
     and Ammunition found in the Castle; part of which, I directed to be
     sent to the assistance of the Maltese who are in arms against the
     French. There were three thousand two hundred sacks of corn in the
     castle; which will be a great relief to the inhabitants, who are
     much in want of that article. I have the honour to be, &c.


     "Alex. John Ball."

     "Rear-Admiral Sir H. Nelson, K.B."

     "_Articles of Capitulation, between Alexander John Ball, Esq.
     Captain of his Majesty's Ship the Alexander, appointed to conduct
     the Blockade of Malta, under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B.
     on the Part of Great Britain; and Lieutenant-Colonel Lockey, Aju.
     de Battailon, Commander of the French Troops in the Castle of
     Goza_.


     "1.

     "The French troops shall march out of the Castle of Goza with the
     honours of war, and shall lay down their arms as they get out of
     the gate.


     "2.

     "The Castle of Goza, with all the military implements and stores,
     shall be delivered up to the British officer appointed to take
     charge of them.


     "3

     "The French officers and troops shall be protected in their persons
     and effects, and the officers allowed to retain their side-arms.
     They shall be embarked, immediately, on board his Britannic
     majesty's ships; and sent to France, in transports, at the expence
     of the French government They are not to serve against his
     Britannic majesty, or his allies, during the war, till regularly
     exchanged.

     "Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B. has entered into articles
     with the inhabitants of Goza, that if the French surrender to the
     British, they shall be considered as under their protection, and
     they will not offer them the smallest insult or molestation.

    "Signed, 28th Oct.
    1798.

    "Alexander John Ball,
    Captain of his Britannic Majesty's
    Ship Alexander.


    "Approved,

    "Lockey, Aju. de Battailon.
    Horatio Nelson."

     "_Extract of Articles found in the Castle of Goza, the 28th of
     October_ 1798.

     "Fifty barrels of powder, nine thousand ball-cartridges, one
     thousand musket-cartridges without ball, one thousand flints,
     thirty-eight eighteen-pound cartridges filled, one hundred and
     forty twelve-pound ditto, four hundred and fifty six-pound ditto,
     two hundred and sixty-eight four-pound ditto, twenty-five
     three-pound ditto, eighty-eight two-pound ditto, eighteen good
     eighteen-pounder guns and two hundred shot, two good twelve-pounder
     guns and nine hundred shot, four good six-pounders and two thousand
     nine hundred and eighty-five shot, four hundred hand-grenades
     filled, ninety-nine pikes, ninety halberts, and three thousand two
     hundred sacks of corn.

     "N.B. No small-arms, except those laid down by the French troops."

On the 12th of November, Admiral Nelson, having a few days before
arrived safely at Naples, went to the camp at St. Germaine's, in
consequence of a request from his Sicilian Majesty, to meet General
Mack and General Acton, at a grand review of the whole Neapolitan army;
and Sir William and Lady Hamilton, with all the English nobility and
gentry then at Naples, accompanied our hero, where they joined the king,
queen, and royal family. The account of this meeting, and it's results,
including an intended attack of Leghorn, are sufficiently explained in
the following very interesting letter to Earl Spencer: which is farther
remarkable for being the first epistle that our hero appears to have
ever signed with the omission of his Christian name, in consequence of
being advanced to the peerage; of which honour he had, even yet, it
should seem, by what will be seen hereafter, no official information
from the noble earl to whom he was writing, though he must certainly
have received some regular previous information on the subject.

     "Camp,
     St. Germaine's,
     13th Nov. 1798.


     "MY LORD,

     "A desire from his majesty called me here yesterday, to concert
     with General Mack and General Acton the commencement of the war.
     Thirty thousand of--_Mack says--"La plus belle d'armie d'Europe_,"
     was drawn out, for me to see; and, as far as my judgment goes in
     these matters, I agree, that a finer army cannot be. In the
     evening, we had a council; and it was settled, that four thousand
     infantry, and six hundred cavalry, should take possession of
     Leghorn. The infantry--(having stopped Captain Troubridge's
     squadron for Corfu)--I shall embark in the Vanguard, Culloden,
     Minotaur, two Portuguese ships, (if I can get them ready, not that
     I see they have any wants) and the Alliance storeship. A Neapolitan
     ship brings the cavalry, in a convoy, after us. The king's order
     for the destination was to be given to me; and, when at sea, I was
     to give it to the general commanding the troops: who was to be
     totally ignorant, that Leghorn was the object, and not Malta;
     which, as a secret, was communicated to him. His majesty approved
     of this plan, and Mack was to march--I repeat it with
     pleasure--"with thirty thousand of the finest troops in Europe," on
     Saturday, the 17th, to Rome; and keep advancing, trusting to the
     support of the emperor. Every hour, the French are increasing their
     Italian army, and two new generals are arrived at Rome. Thus I went
     to bed last night; and, at six this morning, came to take leave of
     their majesties. I found them in great distress. The courier who
     left London on the 4th, has not brought any assurance of support
     from the emperor. M. Turget is evasive; and wishes, he says, the
     French to be the aggressors. It is aggression, if this court
     knows--all the world knows--that the French are collecting an army
     to over-run Naples; in a week, destroy the monarchy; plunder, and
     make it a republic. As this is fully known; surely, it is an
     aggression of the most serious nature. The emperor's troops have
     not yet been in the habits of retaking kingdoms; and it is easier
     to destroy, than restore. I ventured to tell their majesties,
     directly, that one of the following things must happen to the King,
     and he had his choice--"Either advance, trusting to God for his
     blessing on a just cause, to die with _l'epée a la main_; or remain
     quiet, and be kicked out of your kingdom." The king replied, that
     he would go on, and trust in God; and desired me to stay till noon,
     to consult with Mack on this new face of affairs.

     "November 15. I came from the king after dinner; and their
     majesties both told me, that things stood precisely as they did
     before the receipt of the dispatches from London and Vienna. There
     was, evidently, a great disappointment at not getting money from
     England. That they want, is certain; nor do the ministers, I
     believe, know how to get it. Their paper money is at forty per
     cent. discount. I long ago told the queen, I did not think Mr. Pitt
     would go to parliament, and ask money of the country, in the
     present moment; that, if England saw every exertion made, in this
     country, to save themselves, John Bull was never backward in
     supporting his friends in distress. Good God, my lord, can the
     emperor submit to this!

     "November 18. Last evening, Lady Hamilton received a letter from
     the queen, full of the idea that money was indispensable: and
     desired her ladyship to shew it to me; and, that I would say what I
     saw. That I can do, very soon. I see the finest country in the
     world, full of resources; yet, without enough to supply the public
     wants: all are plundering, who can get at public money or stores.
     In my own line, I can speak. A Neapolitan ship of the line would
     cost more than ten English ships fitting out. Five sail of the line
     must ruin the country. Every thing else is, I have no doubt, going
     on in the same system of thieving: I could give your lordship so
     many instances of the greatest mal-conduct of persons in office,
     and of those very people being rewarded. If money could be placed
     in the public chest at this moment, I believe it would be well
     used: for the sad thing in this country is, that although much is
     raised, yet very little reaches the public chest. I will give you a
     fact--When the order of Jesuits was suppressed in this country and
     Sicily, they possessed very large estates: although these, with
     every other part of their property, were seized by the crown; yet,
     to this moment, not one farthing has reached the public chest. On
     the contrary, some years, the pretended expence of management was
     more than the produce. Taxes have been sold for sums of money;
     which, now, are five times more than when sold. This, it is true,
     was done by viceroys, to please their distant masters. But, I am
     tiring your patience. In short, their majesties look to us for
     every succour; and, without it, they are undone.

     "I have wrote to the Turkish and Russian admirals, and shall take
     care to keep on the very best footing with all the allied powers.

     "Believe me, your lordship's most obedient and obliged servant,


     "Nelson."

At this Neapolitan review, a curious circumstance is said to have
occurred. By some mistake of General Mack's, in directing the operations
of a feigned fight, it so happened that his own troops were completely
surrounded by those of the enemy; when Lord Nelson, vexed at the
unfortunate and inauspicious blunder, immediately exclaimed, to his
surrounding friends--"This fellow does not understand his business!"

It having been agreed, in a council held at the camp of St. Germaine's,
as suggested in the foregoing letter, to take possession of Leghorn, not
a moment was lost, by Lord Nelson, in preparing for that expedition. The
King and Queen of Naples, affected by the very indifferent state of his
lordship's health, and fearing that the exertion might prove too much
for their chief protector, wished him to remain at Naples. When the
queen, accordingly, through the medium of Lady Hamilton, advised him to
send the troops; he instantly directed her to inform her majesty, that
it was his custom, in order to succeed, not to say--"Go!" but--"Let us
go!"

Such was the dispatch used on this occasion, that all the troops were
embarked, and his lordship sailed from the Bay of Naples, on the 22d
instant. The Vanguard, Culloden, Minotaur, and Alliance, were the only
British ships, on board of which were about two thousand seven hundred
soldiers; and, in the Portuguese Principe Real, Albuquerque, and St.
Sebastian, two thousand four hundred. In all, five thousand, one hundred
and twenty-three. As it blew a strong gale all that night, and the
following day, none but the British kept company with the Vanguard,
which arrived in Leghorn Road on the 28th.

The ministers of their Majesties of Great Britain and of the Two
Sicilies, the Honourable William Windham and the Duke Di Sangro,
immediately going on board the Vanguard, and being of opinion that a
summons in the name of Admiral Lord Nelson, as well as that of the
Neapolitan General Naselli, would be proper, the following was instantly
prepared.

     "We, the commanders of the troops of the King of the Two Sicilies,
     and of the squadron of his Britannic Majesty, now before Leghorn,
     demand of the Governor of Leghorn the free and instant admission of
     his Sicilian Majesty's troops into the town and fortress of
     Leghorn, and every thing thereunto depending. If you refuse, we
     have power to enforce our just demand; which will, undoubtedly,
     instantly be done.


     "Naselli, General.

     "Nelson, Rear-Admiral."

Captain Troubridge, accompanied by the two ministers, went on shore
with this summons: and he returned, at eight in the evening, with a
capitulation signed; in consequence of which the troops were immediately
landed, and possession taken of the town and fortress of Leghorn.

On the following day, the Portuguese squadron also arrived, and landed
the remainder of the troops. In the mean time, the Neapolitan general
refused to seize the French vessels at Leghorn, under pretence that the
King of Naples was not at war with France; and the Neapolitan minister,
the Duke Di Sangro, was likewise weak enough to maintain the same
opinion. The vexation which these impolitic scrupulosities occasioned in
the superior mind of our decided hero, is difficult to be described. He
saw the destructive tendency of such mental imbecility, and trembled for
the fate of a country which was condemned to be thus served. His
lordship's feelings will be best conceived, by his own account of what
passed in his anxious bosom on the occasion, thus addressed to Mr.
Windham.

     Vanguard, 30th Nov. 1798.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "I have been thinking, all night, of the General Naselli and the
     Duke Di Sangro's saying that the King of Naples had not declared
     war against the French. Now, I assert, that he has; and, in a much
     stronger manner than the ablest minister in Europe could write a
     declaration of war. Has not the king received, as a conquest made
     by him, the republican flag taken at Goza? Is not the king's flag
     flying there, and at Malta; not only by the king's absolute
     permission, but by his orders? Is not his flag shot at, every day,
     by the French; and returned, from batteries bearing the king's
     flag? Are not two frigates, and a corvette, placed under my orders?
     and they would fight the French, meet them where they may. Has not
     the king sent publicly, from Naples, guns, mortars, &c. with
     officers and artillery, to fight against the French in Malta? If
     these acts are not tantamount to any written paper, I give up all
     knowledge of what is war. So far, then, I assert, that the general
     is authorized to seize all French and Ligurian vessels. But that is
     a small matter, to what will happen if he permits the many hundreds
     of French which are now in the mole to be neutral, till they have a
     fair opportunity of being active. Even the interest of the Grand
     Duke calls loudly, that the Neapolitan general should act with
     vigour; for, if all other schemes fail, they have one sure: viz.
     set one vessel on fire, and the port of Leghorn is ruined for
     twenty years. Pray, say this to Seratti. I have, you know, no
     interest personal to myself, in this advice. I wish the great duke
     to have no unnecessary risk, and for the Neapolitan general and
     myself to take all the odium on ourselves. Pray, excuse this
     letter; but, I could not resist writing it. Ever your, &c.


     "Nelson."

The unanswerable reasoning in this letter could not fail to produce
perfect conviction; and General Naselli, at his lordship's request,
consented to lay an embargo on all the vessels at Leghorn, till he
should receive orders for their disposal from his Sicilian majesty.
Among these ships, were a great number of French privateers; some of
them, his lordship observed, in a letter to Sir William Hamilton, of
such force as to do the very greatest mischief to our commerce, if
permitted to sail. There were also about seventy sail of vessels,
calling themselves belonging to the Ligurian Republic, before called
Genoa, ready to sail, loaded with corn, for Genoa and France; the
arrival of which, must expedite the entrance into Italy of more French
troops. "General Naselli," says Lord Nelson, "sees, I believe, the
permitting these vessels to depart, in the same light as myself; but,
there is this difference between us--the general, prudently, and
certainly safely, waits the orders of his court, taking no
responsibility on himself; I act from the circumstance of the moment, as
I feel it may be most advantageous for the honour of the cause which I
serve, taking all responsibility on myself."

Having left Captain Troubridge at Leghorn, to act as exigencies might
require, Lord Nelson immediately returned to Naples; where he arrived on
the 5th of December, having been absent little more than ten days.
During this time, letters had arrived from Commodore Duckworth,
relating to the conquest of Minorca; and, these letters having been
forwarded after him to Leghorn, he wrote the following apology and
congratulation to his friend the commodore, now Admiral Sir John
Duckworth, who commanded the squadron which had sailed from Gibraltar on
this expedition.

     "Naples, 6th Dec. 1798.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "On my arrival here, yesterday, I found Lieutenant Gregory, who had
     been charged with your letters to me; but which were, unluckily,
     sent after me to Leghorn: and, as Lieutenant Gregory is very
     anxious to return to you, it is out of my power to answer such part
     of your public letter as might require. However, I most heartily
     congratulate you on the conquest of Minorca; an acquisition
     invaluable to Great Britain, and which completely, in future,
     prevents any movements from Toulon to the westward. My situation in
     this country has had, doubtless, _one_ rose; but, it has been
     plucked from a bed of thorns. Nor is my present state that of ease;
     and my health, at best but indifferent, has not mended lately.
     Naples is just embarked in a new war: the event, God only knows;
     but, without the assistance of the emperor, which is not yet given,
     this country cannot resist the power of France. Leghorn is in
     possession of the King of Naples's troops, as is Civita Vecchia. I
     have Troubridge, with Minotaur, Terpsichore, and Bonne Citoyenne,
     &c. on the north coast of Italy. Three sail of the line, under
     Ball, are off Malta: and Hood, with three sail of the line, and two
     frigates, is in Egypt; but I expect his return every moment, and
     that the Turks and Russian ships and flotilla have relieved him. I
     am here, _solus_; for, I reckon the Portuguese as nothing. They are
     all flag-officers, and cannot serve under any of my brave friends.

     "With every good wish, believe me your most obedient servant,


     "Nelson."

From the following congratulatory letter which Lord Nelson wrote, at the
same time, to his old "brother brigadier," the Honourable
Lieutenant-General Stuart, commander in chief of the forces at the
reduction of Minorca, may be learned the very unpromising state of
military affairs with the Neapolitan army at this important period. It
also clearly developes the secret cause of his lordship's sudden recall
from Egypt.

     Naples, 6th Dec. 1798.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "Allow me to congratulate you on the conquest of Minorca; an
     acquisition, as a sea-port, invaluable to our country. I hurried
     from Egypt, early in August; as, by the Earl of St. Vincent's
     orders, I was in expectation of being summoned to attend you.
     However, I am sure, my place was much better filled by Commodore
     Duckworth. The new war commenced here, it is yet impossible to say
     how it may turn: whether it will really hasten the ruin, or save
     the monarchy. At all events, if the king had not began the war, he
     would have soon been kicked out of his kingdom. The king is at
     Rome; but five hundred French still hold possession of St. Angelo.
     General Mack is gone to Civita Castellana, where thirteen thousand
     French have taken post. Mack's force, with him, is twenty thousand
     fine young men; but, with some few exceptions, wretchedly
     officered. If the French are not soon driven from their post, which
     is very strong by nature, Mack must fall back to the frontier on
     the side of Ancona. The French have drove back, to say no more, the
     right wing of the king's army, and taken all their baggage and
     artillery. The emperor has not yet moved, and his minister, Thugut,
     is not very anxious to begin a new war; but, if he does not, Naples
     and Tuscany will fall in two months. I shall be happy if you will
     honour me, at any time, with your commands, here or elsewhere;
     being, with the highest respect, your most obedient servant,


     "Nelson."

A letter from Earl Spencer had likewise reached Naples, at this period,
with the official intelligence of Admiral Nelson's elevation to the
peerage; an elevation which, it is certain, the Hero of the Nile by no
means considered as excessive, any more than his particular friends, and
even the country in general. In the following answer to Earl Spencer, it
will appear, however, that his zeal kindles with far more ardour for his
friend Troubridge, than for himself.

     Naples, 7th Dec. 1798


     "MY DEAR LORD,

     "On my arrival here, from Leghorn, I received your lordship's
     letter of October 7, communicating to me the title his majesty had
     been graciously pleased to confer upon me; an honour, your lordship
     is pleased to say, the highest that has ever been conferred on an
     officer of my standing, who was not a commander in chief.

     "I receive, as I ought, what the goodness of our sovereign, and not
     my deserts, is pleased to bestow: but, great and unexampled as this
     honour may be, to one of my standing--yet, I own, I feel a higher
     one, in the unbounded confidence of the king, your lordship, and
     the whole world, in my exertions. Even at the bitter moment of my
     return to Syracuse, your lordship is not insensible of the great
     difficulties I had to encounter, in not being a commander in chief.
     The only happy moment I felt, was in the view of the French; then,
     I knew, that all my sufferings would soon be at an end!

     "I observe what your lordship is pleased to say, relative to the
     presenting myself, and the captains who served under me, with
     medals; and, also, that the first lieutenants of the ships engaged
     will be distinguished by promotions, as well as the senior marine
     officers. I hope, and believe, the word "engaged" is not intended
     to exclude the Culloden; the merit of that ship, and her gallant
     captain, are too well known to benefit by any thing I could say.
     Her misfortune was great, in getting aground, while her more
     fortunate companions were in the full tide of happiness. No; I am
     confident, that my good Lord Spencer will never add misery to
     misfortune. Captain Troubridge, on shore, is superior to captains
     afloat. In the midst of his great misfortunes, he made those
     signals which prevented, certainly, the Alexander and Swiftsure
     from running on the shoals. I beg your pardon for writing on a
     subject which, I verily believe, has never entered your lordship's
     head; but my heart, as it ought to be, is warm to my gallant
     friends.


     "Ever your lordship's most faithful and obedient

     "Nelson."

So anxious was Lord Nelson for his gallant friend Troubridge, and the
other brave officers of the Culloden, that he thus urges, at the same
time, in a letter to the Earl of St. Vincent, the subject which occupied
his feeling heart. "I received, yesterday," writes he, "a private letter
from Lord Spencer; saying, that the first lieutenants of all the ships
engaged would be promoted. I sincerely hope, this is not intended to
exclude the first of the Culloden. For Heaven's sake, for my sake, if
it be so, get it altered! Our dear friend Troubridge has suffered
enough; and no one knows, from me, but Culloden was as much engaged as
any ship in the squadron. His sufferings were, in every respect, more
than any of us. He deserves every reward which a grateful country can.
bestow on the most meritorious sea-officer of his standing in the
service. I I have felt his worth every hour of my command. I have before
wrote you, my dear lord, on this subject; therefore, I place Troubridge
in your hands."

Of his own disappointment, at not having obtained higher rank, he writes
nothing to his commander in chief; but, among his most intimate friends,
he is known to have freely expressed his grief and indignation at
receiving the title of baron only. Had they left him as he was, he has
been heard repeatedly to say, he would not have complained; but, he
thought, his services merited more than a barony. It would, perhaps, be
difficult to find any substantial objection against his having been
made, at least, a viscount; which would still have left the commander in
chief his superior in rank. Indeed, on such peculiarly great and
glorious occasions, there need be little dread respecting precedents. No
minister would have been impeached, who had even advised his being
created a duke; and, most assuredly, the country would have rejoiced at
his merited elevation to that dignity. Why should not the navy possess
honours equal to those of a military Marlborough? and, when do we
expect to behold the hero on whom they may with more propriety be
bestowed?

It is a positive fact, that Lord Nelson would never wear his own gold
medal, till he had obtained one for his friend Captain Troubridge; who,
by the strictness of official etiquette, without any actual blame in
administration, had been at first excluded.

The following laconic epistle to Captain Troubridge, at Leghorn,
exhibits a true sailor's letter.

     "Naples, Dec. 10th 1798.


     "MY DEAR TROUBRIDGE,

     "I have just received Mr. Windham's letter of November 30th, and
     find it is settled that all the cargoes of the Genoese ships should
     be landed; and all the French privateers disarmed, and their crews
     sent away. So far, I am content. Money is not our object; but to
     distress the common enemy. I hope, if you liked it, you visited the
     Grand Duke, in my stead; I could not have been better
     represented--the copy is a damned deal better than the original.


     "Nelson."

     "Duckworth has a captain under him; John Dixon, from England, is
     Post Captain; and Mr. Grey arrived."

At the same time, he wrote to his Excellency the Honourable Mr. Windham,
apologizing for not having himself accepted his Royal Highness the
Grand Duke's invitation to visit him at Pisa. "I have," says he, "to
request that you will present my most profound acknowledgments to his
Royal Highness. I was under a sacred promise, to return here as
expeditiously as possible; and not to quit the Queen and Royal Family of
Naples, without her majesty's approbation. This will plead my cause for
quitting Leghorn so expeditiously."

Another letter, written to Mr. Windham this day, is too interesting to
be omitted. It presents his opinion of the patriotic character of Mr.
Windham, the disinterestedness of his own, and the wretched
pusillanimity of the Neapolitan officers.

     Naples, 10th Dec. 1798.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "Your several letters of November 30, came to me this moment.
     Believe me, no person can set a higher value on your friendship
     than I do; for, I know, from experience, that you have nothing more
     at heart, than the honour of our king and country. I rejoice to
     hear, that the cargoes of corn in the Mole of Leghorn will be
     landed; and the privateers disarmed, and the scoundrels belonging
     to them sent away. The enemy will be distressed; and, thank God, I
     shall get no money. The world, I know, think that money is our God;
     and, now, they will be undeceived, as far as relates to us. "Down,
     down with the French!" is my constant prayer. I hope, that the
     emperor is marched to support this country: for, unused to war,
     it's officers seem alarmed at a drawn sword; or a gun, if loaded
     with shot. Many of them, peaceable heroes, are said to have run
     away when brought near the enemy. The King and General Acton being
     at Rome, I know not what orders will be sent to General Naselli;
     but, you may depend, I will do nothing which can do away your just
     demand of retribution to our merchants robbed by the French at
     Leghorn. I arrived here on the 5th of December, and found my
     presence very comfortable for the poor queen. Ever believe me, my
     dear Sir, your most faithful and obliged


     "Nelson."

Our indefatigable hero wrote, also, on this day, two letters to his
Excellency, the Right Honourable Sir Moreton Eden, K.B. Minister
Plenipotentiary at Vienna. In the first of these, he says, with his
usual excellence of heart, "I have to thank you, for your kindness to
Captain Berry. Poor fellow, he has suffered greatly, both in body and
mind; but, I hope, his reception in England will perfectly restore him."
The other letter fully demonstrates that his head was no less excellent
than his heart. It would have been well for the repose of Europe, and
particularly for the welfare of the Emperor of Germany, and his
hereditary dominions, as well as of his royal relatives at Naples, had
our hero's advice, even at this late period, been sufficiently
regarded. We give, with peculiar pleasure, the whole of this almost
prophetic document.

     Naples, Dec. 10, 1798.


     "MY DEAR SIR,

     "I received, with thanks, your favour of November the 15th: and
     perfectly agree with you, that a delayed war, on the part of the
     emperor, will be destructive to this monarchy; and, of course, to
     the newly-acquired dominions of the emperor in Italy. Had the war
     commenced in September or October, all Italy would at this moment
     have been liberated. This month is worse than the last; the next
     will render the contest doubtful; and, in six months, when the
     Neapolitan _republic_ will be organized, armed, and with it's
     numerous resources called forth, I will suffer to have my head cut
     off, if the emperor is not only defeated in Italy, but that he
     totters on his throne at Vienna. Pray, assure the empress, from me,
     that, notwithstanding the councils which have shook the throne of
     her father and mother, I shall remain here, ready to save the
     sacred persons of the king and queen, and of her brothers and
     sisters; and, that I have also left ships at Leghorn, to save the
     lives of the Great Duke and her imperial majesty's sister: for all
     must be a republic, if the emperor does not act with expedition and
     vigour. "Down, down with the French!" ought to be placed in the
     council-room of every country in the world: and, may Almighty God
     give right thoughts to every sovereign! is the constant prayer of
     your excellency's most obliged and obedient servant,


     "Nelson."

     "Whenever the emperor acts with vigour, your excellency may say
     that a proper naval force shall attend to the safety of the
     Adriatic, as far as in my power."

At this period, it appears, the unfavourable news from the royal army,
and the manifest cowardice, treason, and treachery, every where seeming
to pervade the unhappy and devoted kingdom of Naples, plunged the
excellent queen into an agony of grief which admitted not of
consolation. "None, from this house," says Lord Nelson, writing on the
11th of December to Earl Spencer, "have seen her majesty these three
days; but, her letters to Lady Hamilton paint the anguish of her soul.
However," adds his lordship, "on enquiry, matters are not so bad as I
expected. The Neapolitan officers have not lost much honour; for, God
knows, they had not much to lose: but, they lost all they had. Mack has
supplicated the king to sabre every man who ran from Civita Castellana
to Rome. He has, we hear, torn off the epaulets of some of those
scoundrels, and placed them on good serjeants. I will, as briefly as I
can, state the position of the army, and it's lost honour; for, defeat
they have had none. The right wing of nineteen thousand men under
General St. Philip, and Micheux (who ran away at Toulon) were to take
post between Ancona and Rome, to cut off all supplies and communication.
Near Fermi, they fell in with the enemy, about three thousand. After a
little distant firing, St. Philip advanced to the French general; and,
returning to his men, said--_I no longer command you!"_ and was going
off to the enemy. A serjeant said--"You are a traitor; what have you
been talking to the enemy?" St. Philip replied _I no longer command
you!"_--"Then you are an enemy!" and, levelling his musket, shot St.
Philip through the right arm. However, the enemy advanced; he was among
them; Micheux ran away, as did all the infantry; and, had it not been
for the good conduct of two regiments of cavalry, they would have been
destroyed. So great was this panic, that cannon, tents, baggage,
military chest, all were left to the French. Could you credit--but, it
is true--that this loss has been sustained with the death of only forty
men! The French lost many men by the cavalry; and, having got the good
things, did not run after an army three times their number. Some ran
thirty miles, to Pesara. The peasantry took up arms, even the women, to
defend their country. However, the runaways are not only collected, but
advanced to Arcoti; which they took from the French, cutting open the
gates with hatchets. It is said, they have got a good general; Cetto, a
Neapolitan prince; and, I hope, will be ashamed of their former conduct.
General Micheux is bringing a prisoner to Naples. This failure has
thrown Mack backward. It is the intention of that general to surround
Civita Castellana. Chevalier Saxe advanced th Viterbi; General Metch to
Fermi; and Mack, with the main body, finding his communication not open
with Fermi, retreated towards Castellana. In his route, he was attacked
from an entrenchment of the enemy, which it was necessary to carry.
Finding his troops backward, he dismounted, and attempted to rally them:
but they left their general, and basely fled. The natural consequence
was, he was sorely wounded; but saved by some gallant cavalry, and
carried off by the bravery of a coachman: and is safe, poor fellow, at
Rome; and, hopes are entertained of his recovery. The fugitives are fled
to Rome, fancying the French at their heels; who never moved from their
entrenchment, which was carried by another party of troops, under
General Dumas. It is reported, that the king has stripped the Prince di
Tarante, Duc di Tranoulle, of his uniform, and disgraced him. He
commanded under Saxe; and fled, among the first, to Rome. It is for the
traitorous and cowardly conduct of these scoundrels, that the great
queen is miserable, knowing not whom to trust. The French minister, and
his legation, went off by sea yesterday."

On the 14th, the King of Naples returned home; and notice was
immediately given, by Lord Nelson, through the medium of Sir William
Hamilton, with as much secrecy as circumstances would admit, that three
English transports, then in the Bay of Naples, had directions to receive
on board such valuable effects as could be stowed in them, from British
merchants, and other residents, and that the whole squadron would be
ready to receive their persons, should such a measure be found
necessary, in consequence of the kingdom's being invaded by a formidable
French army. The Marquis De Niza, at the same time, was desired, by his
lordship, to spare a number of Portuguese officers and seamen, for the
purpose of assisting to fit some of the Neapolitan ships for sea. He
wrote, also, to Captain Ball, at Malta, for the Goliath, Captain Foley,
to be sent immediately; and to Captain Troubridge, at Leghorn, whom he
desired to join him without one moment's loss of time; leaving the
Terpsichore in Leghorn Roads, to bring off the Grand Duke, should such
an event be necessary. "The King," writes he, "is returned home, and
every thing is as bad as possible. For God's sake, make haste. Approach
the place with caution. Messina, probably, I shall be found at; but you
can enquire, at the Lipari Islands, if we are at Palermo. Caution Gage
to act with secrecy; and desire him to write to Windham, and give him
those instructions which may be necessary, at this time, for his
guarded conduct and secrecy."

It had, at this time, been fully resolved, that the King, Queen, and
Royal Family, of Naples, should embark, with all their richest moveable
effects, on board Lord Nelson's ship, for Sicily. In the mean while, it
was necessary to conceal such an intention from the Neapolitans in
general; who would, probably, never have consented to their departure.
Most of the nobility, who were disaffected, and of the common people,
who were loyal, it was not doubted, would object, for different reasons,
to a measure which they must behold in different points of view, and
consequently both conspire to defeat: while, by the dangerous collision,
a spark might be struck on materials of so inflammable a nature as the
rude populace, and particularly of a populace so very rude as the
Lazzaroni of Naples; which, suddenly blazing forth into a devouring
flame, might fatally involve the whole royal family, and their most
faithful and friendly adherents, and render them the unfortunate victims
of the cruel and destructive conflagration.

It was, therefore, at the extreme hazard of their lives, that Lord
Nelson, with Sir William and Lady Hamilton, for several days preceding
the meditated departure, took in charge the various articles secretly
conveyed from the palace, and concerted the different operations
necessary for effecting the escape of the royal family without discovery
or suspicion. Every day, Lady Hamilton assisted and advised with the
King and Queen of Naples, and their jewels, cloaths, &c. were conveyed
in boxes, during the night. Neither Sir William Hamilton, nor Lord
Nelson, for several days, judged it safe to appear publicly at the
palace; but his lordship secretly accompanied Lady Hamilton, one
evening, for the purpose of exploring a subterraneous passage leading
from the queen's bedchamber to the sea, by which it was agreed that they
should get off; and settled every preliminary preparation with the few
loyal nobility in whom the royal family could confide. Great anxiety was
expressed for the cardinals, and other members of the Romish church, who
had taken refuge, in Naples, from French persecution, and might now be
expected to fall the first victims of their cruelty; but Lord Nelson
desired they might be humanely informed that, on coming in boats
alongside any of his ships, and displaying their red stockings, they
should be instantly received on board.

In the midst of this important business, his lordship had written, on
the 18th, the following very concise epistle to Earl Spencer.

     Naples, Dec. 18, 1798.


     "MY DEAR LORD,

     "There is an old saying--that, when things are at the worst, they
     must mend." Now, the mind of man cannot fancy things worse than
     they are here. But, thank God, my health is better; my mind never
     firmer; and my heart in the right trim, to comfort, relieve, and
     protect, those who it is my duty to afford assistance to. Pray, my
     lord, assure our gracious sovereign--that, whilst I live, I will
     support his glory; and that, if I fall, it shall be in a manner
     worthy of your lordship's faithful and obliged


     "Nelson."

     "I must not write more. Every word may be a text for a long
     letter."

In spite of every precaution, however, an idea of what was going
forward, seems to have prevailed among the people; and, on the 20th,
riotous proceedings began to take place, and some murders were
committed, which filled the royal family, and their loyal adherents,
with new alarms. This was a most critical period for our hero, and Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, who would certainly have been sacrificed to
the fury of the populace, had a full discovery been then made of the
important parts they were acting. Nothing, however, could deter these
firm friends from continuing to assist the royal family in escaping from
the perils by which they were so cruelly surrounded: and, at night, they
were got off, by his lordship, through the subterraneous passage; and
conveyed, in barges, amidst a most tremendous sea, on board the
Vanguard, where they safely arrived about ten o'clock. Among this
unfortunate royal family, thus constrained to quit their kingdom, under
protection of the British flag, was the amiable Princess Royal, and
with her infant of only a month old. They sailed, on the 23d, at night;
and, in addition to their misfortunes, a more furious tempest the next
day arose than Lord Nelson had ever before witnessed. It was borne,
however, by the royal sufferers, with all the magnanimity which can
distinguish minds worthy of majesty. Scarcely had the storm subsided,
when their estimable hearts were subjected to a still more severe trial:
for, next morning, being Christmas-day, their third son, Prince Albert,
seven years of age, was suddenly taken ill; and, at six o'clock in the
evening, died in Lady Hamilton's arms. This was an affliction too
poignant for nature to be defeated of her tribute; and the unhappy pair
were overwhelmed, on the melancholy occasion, with a grief which adorned
their illustrious character, and communicated even to the most heroic of
their friends. At ten o'clock, they entered the Bay of Palermo; and, at
midnight, the viceroy and nobility arrived on board, and informed the
royal mourners that all their Sicilian subjects were ready to receive
their majesties with joy.

The following most interesting letter, written by Lord Nelson to the
Earl of St. Vincent, the third day after their arrival, contains a
valuable narrative of the various proceedings by which this important
business was preceded, and at length thus successfully accomplished.

     "Palermo, Dec. 28, 1798.


     "MY LORD,

     "On the 22d, I wrote a line to Commodore Duckworth, telling him
     that the Royal Family of the Two Sicilies were safely embarked on
     board the Vanguard; and requested him to take the first opportunity
     of acquainting your lordship of this event. For many days previous
     to the embarkation, it was not difficult to foresee that such a
     thing might happen. I, therefore, sent for the Goliath, from off
     Malta; and for Captain Troubridge in the Culloden, and his squadron
     from the north and west coast of Italy: the Vanguard being the only
     ship in Naples Bay. On the 14th, the Marquis De Niza, with three of
     the Portuguese squadron, arrived from Leghorn; as did Captain Hope,
     in the Alcmene, from Egypt. From this time, the danger for the
     personal safety of their Sicilian Majesties was daily increasing;
     and new treasons were found out, even to the minister at war. The
     whole correspondence relative to this important business was
     carried on, with the greatest address, by Lady Hamilton and the
     queen; who, being constantly in the habits of correspondence, no
     one could suspect. It would have been highly imprudent, either in
     Sir William Hamilton or myself, to have gone to court; as we knew
     that all our movements were watched, and that even an idea was
     entertained, by the Jacobins, of arresting our persons, as a
     hostage--as they foolishly imagined--against the attack of Naples,
     should the French get possession of it. Lady Hamilton, from this
     time, to the 21st, every night received the jewels of the royal
     family, &c. &c. &c. and such cloaths as might be necessary for the
     very large party to embark; to the amount, I am confident, of full
     two millions five hundred thousand pounds sterling. On the 18th,
     General Mack wrote, that he had no prospect of stopping the
     progress of the French; and intreated their majesties to think of
     retreating from Naples, with their august family, as expeditiously
     as possible. All the Neapolitan navy were now taken out of the
     mole, consisting of three sail of the line and three frigates. The
     seamen, from the two sail of the line in the bay, left their ships,
     and went on shore; and a party of English seamen, with officers,
     were sent from the Vanguard, to assist in navigating them to a
     place of safety. From the 18th, various plans were formed for the
     removal of the royal family from the palace to the water-side. On
     the 19th, I received a note from General Acton; saying, that the
     king approved of my plan for their embarkation. This day, and the
     20th, and 21st, very large assemblies of the people were in
     commotion; several people were killed, and one was dragged by the
     legs to the palace. The mob, by the 20th, were very unruly, and
     insisted that the royal family should not leave Naples. However,
     they were pacified by the king and queen's speaking to them. On the
     21st, at half past eight, three barges, with myself and Captain
     Hope, landed in a corner of the arsenal. I went into the palace,
     and brought out the whole royal family; put them in the boats; and,
     at half past nine, they were all safely on board the Vanguard: when
     I gave immediate notice to all British merchants, that their
     persons would be received on board every and any ship in the
     squadron, their effects of value being before embarked; and I had
     directed that all the condemned provisions should be thrown
     overboard, in order to make room for their effects. Sir William
     Hamilton had also directed two vessels to be hired for the
     accommodation of the French emigrants, and provisions were supplied
     from our victuallers. In short, every thing had been done for the
     comfort of all persons embarked. I did not forget, in these
     important moments, that it was my duty not to leave the chance of
     any ships of war falling into the hands of the French; therefore,
     every preparation was made for burning them, before I sailed. But
     the reasons given me by their Sicilian majesties, induced me not to
     burn them till the last moment. I, therefore, directed the Marquis
     De Niza to remove all the Neapolitan ships outside the squadron
     under his command; and, if it were possible, to equip some of them
     with jury-masts, and send them to Messina: and, whenever the French
     advanced near Naples, or the people revolted against their
     legitimate government, then immediately to destroy the ships of
     war, and to join me at Palermo; leaving one or two ships to cruise
     between Capri and Ischia, in order to prevent the entrance of any
     English ships into the Bay of Naples. On the 23d, at seven in the
     evening, the Vanguard, Samnite, and Archimedes, with about twenty
     sail of vessels, left the Bay of Naples, The next day, it blew much
     harder than I ever experienced since I have been at sea. Your
     lordship will believe, that my anxiety was not lessened by the
     great charge that was with me; but, not a word of uneasiness
     escaped the lips of any of the royal family. On the 25th, at nine
     in the morning, Prince Albeit, their majesty's youngest child,
     having eat a hearty breakfast, was taken ill; and, at seven in the
     evening, died in the arms of Lady Hamilton! And here it is my duty
     to tell your lordship, the obligations which the whole royal
     family, as well as myself, are under, on this trying occasion, to
     her ladyship. They necessarily came on board without a bed, nor
     could the smallest preparation be made for their reception. Lady
     Hamilton provided her own beds, linen, &c. and became their slave;
     for, except one man, no person belonging to royalty assisted the
     royal family. Nor did her ladyship enter a bed the whole time they
     were on board. Good Sir William, also, made every sacrifice for the
     comfort of the august family embarked with him. I must not omit to
     state, the kindness of Captain Hardy, and every officer in the
     Vanguard; all of whom readily gave their beds for the convenience
     of the numerous persons attending the royal family. At three in the
     afternoon, being in sight of Palermo, his Sicilian majesty's royal
     standard was hoisted at the main top-gallant mast-head of the
     Vanguard: which was kept flying there, till his majesty got into
     the Vanguard's barge; when it was struck in the ship, and hoisted
     in the barge, and every proper honour paid to it from the ship. As
     soon as his majesty set his foot on shore, it was struck from the
     barge. The Vanguard anchored at two in the morning of the 26th. At
     five, I attended her majesty, and all the princesses, on shore: her
     majesty being so much affected, by the death of Prince Albert, that
     she could not bear to go on shore in a public manner. At nine, his
     majesty went on shore; and was received with the loudest
     acclamations and apparent joy. I have the honour to be, with the
     greatest respect, your lordship's most obedient humble servant,


     "Nelson."
     Earl of St. Vincent."

It has been said, that the King of Naples had not, without much
difficulty, been induced to quit the seat of his government. Doubtless,
as will ever be the case, where various powerful parties unhappily
divide a country, each chiefly regardful of it's own particular
interest, the leaders of the several factions would struggle, by all
imaginable stratagems, to draw into their own vortex the sovereign on
whose debasement they could alone hope to erect any satisfactory
individual exaltation. The King of Naples, though a man of excellent
dispositions, and neither defective in valour nor in wisdom, might
possibly have fallen a prey to some of the numerous deceptive artifices
which originated in these causes, if the admirable political sagacity of
his vigilant and august consort, the worthy daughter of Maria Theresa,
aided by the keen council of our immortal Nelson, and the penetrative
wisdom and address of the British minister and his accomplished lady,
had not preserved his Sicilian, majesty's unsuspecting mind from the
ruinous effects of such, destructive machinations. Nothing can possibly
be more obvious, than that the advice of these friendly fellow-sufferers
must necessarily have been sincere; and, if the king really did
hesitate, before he embraced a design which nothing but necessity could
justify, it must only be ascribed to that ardent desire of constantly
doing what is right, which finally induced his majesty to adopt the
proposed salutary measure. The king, however, had by no means abandoned
his loyal Neapolitan subjects, in thus guarding against the treasons of
the disloyal; that would not have been a measure for our exalted hero or
his estimable friends ever to have advised, or either of their Sicilian
majesties to have adopted. On the contrary, Prince Pignatelli had been
previously created a viceroy; a grand, police guard established, to
preserve the tranquillity of the city during his majesty's absence,
commanded by officers selected equally from the respective classes of
the nobility and private citizens; and large sums of money, with a
prodigious number of arms, freely distributed among the Lazzaroni, to
preserve all the advantages of their accustomed ardent zeal and loyal
attachment. It was, therefore, in fact, only a temporary removal of the
court of the King of the Two Sicilies, from his capital of Naples, in
one grand division of his dominions, at a most critical period, to that
of Palermo, in the other. In short, the prudence of the precaution soon
manifested itself by the event; and the noble part which our immortal
hero so successfully performed, by his consummate wisdom, on the
important occasion, liberally interwove, with the civic laurels of
Italy, the honoured wreath of naval glory, which had been recently and
universally yielded to his invincible valour on the banks of the Nile.


END OF VOLUME THE FIRST.


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