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diff --git a/old/50731-0.txt b/old/50731-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7e5a846..0000000 --- a/old/50731-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9644 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Boys' Nelson, by Harold F. B. Wheeler - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Boys' Nelson - The Story of Nelson - -Author: Harold F. B. Wheeler - -Release Date: December 20, 2015 [EBook #50731] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOYS' NELSON *** - - - - -Produced by Shaun Pinder, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: Boldface text is enclosed in =equals signs=; -italics text is enclosed in _underscores_. - - - - - THE STORY - OF NELSON - - - - -_Uniform with this Volume_ - - -THE STORY OF NAPOLEON - - By HAROLD F. B. WHEELER, F.R.Hist.S. With 16 full-page Illustrations. - - -FAMOUS VOYAGES OF THE GREAT DISCOVERERS - - By ERIC WOOD. With 16 full-page Illustrations. - - -THE STORY OF THE CRUSADES - - By E. M. WILMOT-BUXTON, F.R.Hist.S. With 16 full-page Illustrations - by M. MEREDITH WILLIAMS. - - -STORIES OF THE SCOTTISH BORDER - - By Mr and Mrs WILLIAM PLATT. With 16 full-page Illustrations by M. - MEREDITH WILLIAMS. - - -[Illustration: The “Belleisle” went into action at Trafalgar with the -words “Victory or Death” chalked on her guns - -Frank Craig, from a sketch by C. W. Cole - -_Fr._] - - - - - THE BOYS’ - NELSON - - _BY_ - HAROLD F. B. WHEELER F.R.Hist.S. - - MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION - JOINT-AUTHOR OF - ‘NAPOLEON AND THE INVASION OF ENGLAND’ AND - ‘THE WAR IN WEXFORD 1798’ - AUTHOR OF - ‘THE MIND OF NAPOLEON’ ‘THE BOYS’ NAPOLEON’ AND - ‘THE MAXIMS OF NAPOLEON’ - - - ‘_He is the only man who has ever lived - who, by universal consent, is without a peer_’ - - ADMIRAL SIR CYPRIAN BRIDGE G.C.B. - - - NEW YORK - THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - -_Printed by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_ - - - - -DEDICATED TO - -MY FATHER AND MOTHER - - - - -Foreword - - -The career of the little one-eyed, one-armed man who frustrated -Napoleon’s ambitious maritime plans for the subjugation of England, -who is to sailors what Napoleon is to soldiers, who represented in -his person all that sea power meant when the very existence of our -forefathers was threatened in the latter days of the eighteenth century -and the first half-decade of its successor, must ever appeal to those -for whom Great Britain means something more than a splash of red on a -coloured map. - -I do not wish to suggest that his fame is insular. On the contrary, it -is universal. Other lands and other peoples share in our admiration -of him. We must not forget that it was an American naval officer, -Admiral Mahan, who first gave us a really great book about this truly -great man. In his “Life of Nelson,” we have the hero’s career reviewed -by an expert whose knowledge of tactics has not blinded him to the -more romantic aspects of Nelson’s forty-seven years of life. Before -its appearance readers were dependent upon the facts and fancies of -the biography by Clarke and McArthur, the “Memoirs” of Pettigrew, -or the stirring but often inaccurate pictures of Southey. The seven -substantial tomes of “Nelson’s Letters and Despatches,” edited with -indefatigable industry by Sir Harris Nicolas, were not compiled for the -general public, although they have furnished much material for later -historians and must necessarily be the foundation of every modern book -on Nelson. - -On our own side of the Atlantic there is no more eminent authority -than Sir J. Knox Laughton, Litt.D., Professor of Modern History at -King’s College, London. He has not only epitomised Nicolas’s work, -but added to our knowledge by his excellent “Nelson” (English Men of -Action Series), “Nelson and his Companions in Arms,” and “From Howard -to Nelson.” His numerous miscellaneous contributions to the subject are -also of great interest to the serious student. - -Although there is no Nelson cult like that which is associated with the -memory of Napoleon, England’s great sailor has inspired a considerable -literature, as even the shelves of my own library bear witness. There -are works on his career as a whole, the campaigns associated with his -name, his relations with Lady Hamilton, and so on. The only excuse I -can offer for adding to the list is, I hope, a valid one. It seems to -me that Nelson’s life, told in his own words as much as possible, would -specially appeal to the young, and there is, so far as I am aware, no -book which does this in the simple manner which I deem to be necessary. -For help in carrying out my plan of writing a volume of the kind -indicated I am particularly indebted to Nicolas’s “Letters” and Prof. -Sir J. Knox Laughton’s edition of them. - -For good or evil the name of Emma, Lady Hamilton, is inextricably -associated with that of Nelson. Many and varied have been the attempts -to whitewash the character of her whom he regarded as “one of the -very best women in the world.” While it is difficult to associate the -possessor of the beauty which appealed with such irresistible force to -such painters as Romney, Reynolds, Lawrence, and Madame Vigée Le Brun, -with “a most inherent baseness,” it is an indisputable fact that she -exercised an adverse influence on Nelson’s career. Her humble origin, -her loveliness, her poses, her attempts at statecraft, above all, her -connection with the great sailor, have made her the subject of almost -innumerable volumes. For those who wish to read an impartial study I -would recommend Mr Walter Sichel’s “Emma, Lady Hamilton.” - -Nelson’s written communications are not studied literary efforts, but -spontaneous expressions of his inmost thoughts. For these reasons they -are of inestimable value in an attempt to sum up his life and aims. -The kindest of men, he sometimes chose to mix vitriol with his ink. He -wrote what he meant, and it was always very much to the point. Less -eminent folk have sometimes disguised what they thought and written -what they imagined would please. Such was never Nelson’s way. - -“This high man with a great thing to pursue,”[1] was never a trifler. -He recognised the importance of a supreme navy and the supreme -importance of its _personnel_. He watched the health of his men as a -loving mother watches that of her children. Proof of this is furnished -in a Report of the Physician to the Fleet, dated the 14th August -1805.[2] In it Dr Leonard Gillespie says that “the high state of -health” was “unexampled perhaps in any fleet or squadron heretofore -employed on a foreign station.” He attributes this to such causes as -the attention paid to the victualling and purveying for the ships; -a sane system of heating and ventilation; lack of idleness and -intemperance, due to “the constant activity and motion in which the -fleet was preserved”; the promotion of cheerfulness by means of music, -dancing, and theatrical amusements; comfortable accommodation of the -sick; and by the serving of Peruvian bark, mixed in wines or spirits, -to men “employed on the service of wooding and watering,” which -obviated any ill effects. - -Nelson was quite able to “stand on his dignity,” to use a colloquial -and comprehensive phrase, and several instances will be discovered by -the reader as he peruses the following pages, but it is quite wrong -to think that he was in the least a martinet. For instance, during -the trying period when he was hungering for the French fleet to leave -Toulon, he wrote to an officer: “We must all in our several stations -exert ourselves to the utmost, and not be nonsensical in saying, ‘I -have an order for this, that, or the other,’ if the king’s service -clearly marks what ought to be done.” Everyone has heard how Nelson -referred to his captains and himself as “a band of brothers.” You have -only to turn to the memoirs of these gallant officers to learn the -truthfulness of this remark. They loved him: that is the only term that -exactly meets the case. - -What of the humbler men who worked the ships? Read the following, -which was sent home by a rough but large-hearted sailor of the _Royal -Sovereign_, Collingwood’s flagship at Trafalgar, when he heard that the -Master Mariner lay cold in the gloomy cockpit of the _Victory_: “Our -dear Admiral is killed, so we have paid pretty sharply for licking ’em. -I never set eyes on him, for which I am both sorry and glad; for to be -sure I should like to have seen him--but then, all the men in our ship -who have seen him are such soft toads, they have done nothing but blast -their eyes and cry ever since he was killed. God bless you! Chaps that -fought like the Devil sit down and cry like a wench.” - -This spontaneous and perhaps unconscious tribute is worth more than the -encomiums of all modern historians and biographers put together. - -In studying the life of one who has played a leading rôle on the stage -of history there are always a number of subsidiary authorities which -will repay perusal. The memoirs of the men who were associated with -him, of those of his contemporaries who occupied official or high -social positions, even of much humbler folk who have transferred their -opinions to paper or had it done for them, are oftentimes extremely -important. To print a bibliography of the works of this kind which -I have consulted would be inadvisable in such a volume as this, -necessarily limited as it is to a certain number of pages. I need only -say that the nooks and crannies have been explored besides the main -thoroughfare. - -In the Foreword to my companion volume upon Napoleon, I endeavoured -to show that periods of history are merely make-believe divisions for -purposes of clearness and reference. I wish to still further emphasise -this extremely important point, because I find that one of our most -cherished delusions is that history is largely a matter of dates. -Nothing of the kind! Those who think thus are confusing history with -chronology--in other words, mistaking one of the eyes for the whole -body. Dates are merely useful devices similar to the numerals on the -dial of a clock, which enable us to know the hour of the day without -abstruse calculations. The figures 1805 help us to memorise a certain -concrete event, such as the battle of Trafalgar, but they do not tell -us anything of the origin of that event any more than a clock defines -the meaning of time. - -The age in which Nelson lived was not conspicuous for its morals. This -is a factor which must be taken into consideration when we attempt to -sum up his character. The standards of 1911 are scarcely the standards -of over a century ago. The code of virtue varies, although the law does -not. The grave of Nelson’s moral reputation was dug in Sicily, where he -had every provocation, but he certainly never attempted to extricate -himself from the pit into which he had fallen. “_De mortuis nil nisi -bonum_” is a good maxim for the Gospel of Things as they Ought to Be, -but cannot apply to the Testament of Things as they Were. The vanity -of both Nelson and Lady Hamilton contributed to their downfall, the -sordid story of which is necessarily referred to in later pages of this -work. I am of opinion that the lack of sympathy shown to the Admiral, -particularly during Pitt’s administrations, was largely due to Court -influence. George III. was a man of frigid austerity, and Nelson’s -private life was too well known for the King to countenance it by -showing him favours. He recognised the value of the man’s services, but -preferred to take as little notice as possible of the man himself. In -this he was unjust. - -Although Nelson hated the French so vehemently, I cannot help thinking, -after a prolonged study of his career, that he had many of their -characteristics. His vivacity, his imagination, his moods tend to -confirm me in this. A less typical specimen of John Bull would be -difficult to find. - -A word or two concerning Nelson’s crowning victory and then I must -bring my lengthy introduction to a conclusion. It has a literature all -its own. A wordy warfare, which was indulged in the correspondence -columns of the _Times_ from July to October 1905, made one almost -believe that it is easier to fight a battle than to describe it -accurately. To use Prof. Sir J. Knox Laughton’s terse phrase, “the -difficulty is that the traditional account of the battle differs, in -an important detail, from the prearranged plan.” The late Admiral -Colomb held a brief for the theory that the two columns of the British -fleet moved in line abreast, or in line of bearing, as against the -old supposition of two columns, line ahead. In this contention, he is -supported by Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge, G.C.B., whose ideas are set -forth in a pamphlet issued by the Navy Records Society, an institution -which is doing excellent work in rescuing historical documents relating -to the service from ill-deserved oblivion. To add further to the -discussion would probably serve no useful purpose. The second volume of -“Logs of the Great Sea-fights (1794-1805),” and “Fighting Instructions, -1530-1816,” both published by the Society already mentioned, will be -found extremely useful to those who would pursue the subject in detail. - -Tennyson’s “Mighty Seaman” has been apotheosised in poetry as well as -in prose, - - “_For he is Britain’s Admiral - Till setting of her sun,_” - -to quote Meredith’s superb lines. Wordsworth, Scott, Rossetti, Henley, -Swinburne, Newbolt and others have said noble things of the Man of -Duty, while Nelson looms large in Thomas Hardy’s magnificent epic, “The -Dynasts.” No one who has read it is likely to forget: - - “_In the wild October night-time, when the wind raved round the land, - And the Back-Sea met the Front-Sea, and our doors were blocked with - sand, - And we heard the drub of Deadman’s Bay, where the bones of thousands - are, - We knew not what the day had done for us at Trafalgar._ - - (ALL) _Had done, - Had done, - For us at Trafalgar!_ - - * * * * * - - _The victors and the vanquished then the storm it tossed and tore, - As hard they strove, those worn-out men, upon that surly shore; - Dead Nelson and his half-dead crew, his foes from near and far, - Were rolled together on the deep that night at Trafalgar._ - - (ALL) _The deep, - The deep, - That night at Trafalgar!_” - - - - -Contents - - - PAGE - - FOREWORD 7 - - CHAP. - - I. BOYHOOD AND FIRST YEARS AT SEA 19 - - II. A HERO IN THE MAKING 29 - - III. PLEASURE IN FRANCE AND WORK IN THE WEST INDIES 42 - - IV. THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT WAR 52 - - V. “I WISH TO BE AN ADMIRAL” 66 - - VI. NELSON’S FIRST GREAT FIGHT: THE BATTLE OF CAPE ST VINCENT 74 - - VII. FROM TRIUMPH TO FAILURE: THE ATTEMPT ON SANTA CRUZ 87 - - VIII. IN CHASE OF THE FRENCH FLEET 96 - - IX. THE BATTLE OF THE NILE 102 - - X. THE NEAPOLITAN COURT AND LADY HAMILTON 112 - - XI. THE NEAPOLITAN REBELS AND THEIR FRENCH ALLIES 125 - - XII. NELSON IN TEMPORARY COMMAND 139 - - XIII. DISOBEDIENCE TO ORDERS 148 - - XIV. THE CAMPAIGN OF THE BALTIC 162 - - XV. THE BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN 171 - - XVI. THE THREATENED INVASION OF ENGLAND 182 - - XVII. THE VIGIL OFF TOULON 195 - - XVIII. TWELVE WEARY MONTHS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 207 - - XIX. THE CRISIS 215 - - XX. NELSON’S LAST COMMAND 225 - - XXI. THE ROUT IN TRAFALGAR BAY 232 - - - - -Illustrations - - - PAGE - - THE “BELLEISLE” AT TRAFALGAR (_Frank Craig_) _Frontispiece_ - - NELSON AND THE BEAR (_Stephen Reid_) 26 - - “HE HAD THE ILL-LUCK TO FALL UPON HARD STONES” - (_Stephen Reid_) 44 - - COMPARISON OF THE “VICTORY” WITH THE “HERCULES” 64 - - “I’LL NOT LOSE HARDY!” (_H. C. Seppings Wright_) 76 - - NELSON WOUNDED AT SANTA CRUZ (_R. Caton Woodville_) 90 - - “THE FLAME THAT LIT THE BATTLE’S WRECK” (_Chas. Dixon, R.I._) 106 - - THE EXECUTION OF CARACCIOLO (_Stephen Reid_) 136 - - LADY HAMILTON (_Romney_) 156 - - NELSON LANDING AT YARMOUTH (_Stephen Reid_) 160 - - “I REALLY DO NOT SEE THE SIGNAL” (_Stephen Reid_) 172 - - LORD NELSON 192 - - HOISTING THE FAMOUS SIGNAL (_C. M. Padday_) 234 - - NELSON AND COLLINGWOOD CUTTING THE ENEMY’S LINES - (_H. C. Seppings Wright_) 238 - - THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR (_W. L. Wyllie, A.R.A._) 242 - - HOW THE NEWS OF TRAFALGAR WAS CARRIED TO LONDON - (_Frank Dadd, R.I._) 246 - - - - - _For ages past our admirals brave - Pre-eminent have stood; - And, spite of all the world, have held - The mast’ry of the flood, - Howe, Duncan, Hood, - And Collingwood, - Long triumphed o’er the main; - While Nelson’s name, - So dear to Fame!-- - We may never see their like again_ - - - - -[Illustration: The headpiece, a sketch by Mr W. L. Wyllie, R.A., is -printed by permission of the Art Union of London, 112 Strand.] - - - - -Chapter I--Boyhood and First Years at Sea (1758-1773) - - -Thus[3] runs one of the verses of a song dear to the British sailor -for many a long year. Nelson, dead over a century, is still revered in -the King’s Navy. To the landsman there is no more popular hero. The -_Victory_, riding at anchor in the placid waters of the Solent and in -view of the cobble-covered sally port through which the Hero walked -to his barge, still flies an admiral’s flag. One of the most modern -battleships in the service bears his name, the most famous of London’s -many columns is crowned by his effigy. Canvas sails have given place -to steam turbines, the days of oak and hemp are gone, but the memory -of “the greatest sea captain of all time” is at once an incentive and -an inspiration to every true patriot. His ashes lie in the crypt of St -Paul’s Cathedral; his spirit lives in the nation for whom he sacrificed -his life. Perhaps we should not be far wrong in venturing the apparent -paradox that the further we recede from his life and times the more -clearly we understand his consummate genius and appreciate the value -of his achievements. There is no sunset, only an added glory with the -passing of the years. - -Horatio Nelson was born in the quaint old parsonage house of Burnham -Thorpe, a Norfolk Sleepy Hollow, on the 29th September 1758. His -father, the Rev. Edmund Nelson, M.A., was rector of the parish, and as -a clergyman was following the profession of his immediate ancestor. -His mother, Catherine Nelson, was the daughter of the Rev. Dr Maurice -Suckling, Rector of Wooton, Norfolk, Prebendary of Westminster, and -grandnephew of Sir John Suckling, whose name is known to all students -of English literature and of history. Galfridus Walpole, another of -Mrs Nelson’s relatives, had displayed considerable bravery in an -engagement with the French in Vado Bay in 1711. It was through Captain -Maurice Suckling, Nelson’s uncle, that the young son of the parsonage -eventually entered the Navy. In addition, his mother was a grandniece -of Sir Robert Walpole, the famous Whig statesman, and could therefore -boast a distinguished lineage. - -Horatio was the sixth child of a constantly growing family, and early -caused anxiety owing to his delicate constitution. In later years his -letters and despatches teem with reference to his ill-health, which -was accentuated, of course, by injuries which he received in the -performance of his duty. However, he breathed deeply of the North Sea -air which wafted through his native village, was tenderly cared for -by loving parents, and became sufficiently robust to be sent to the -High School at Norwich. The venerable building, endowed by Edward VI., -stands within the cathedral precincts. It is now fronted by a statue of -its illustrious scholar. Later he attended a school at North Walsham, -now one of the yachting centres of the Norfolk Broads, where the -curious will find a brick on which the letters H. N. are scratched. - -It is somewhat remarkable that so few boys who become great men -ever attract sufficient notice during their early scholastic career -for their comrades to remember anecdotes about them likely to be of -assistance to the biographer. Few anecdotes of Nelson in his younger -days have been handed down to posterity, but the following have -probably some basis of fact. - -When quite a small boy he stayed for a time with his grandmother. On -one occasion he did not return at the accustomed dinner-hour, thereby -causing the good dame considerable anxiety, especially as gipsies -were in the neighbourhood and kidnapping was by no means unknown. He -was eventually found seated on the banks of a brook examining with -considerable interest a number of birds’ eggs he had secured in company -with a chum. “I wonder, child, that fear did not drive you home!” the -old lady said when the missing Horatio was restored to her. “Fear, -grandmamma!” he replied in a tone of disgust, “I never saw fear--what -is it?” - -There you have the secret of Nelson’s life summed up in a single -pregnant sentence. His total lack of fear carried him through many a -trying ordeal, enabled him at times to defy the command of a senior -officer when he was convinced that his own plan of operations was -better, and helped him to bear the heat and burden of the day when his -physical energy was almost exhausted. - -On another occasion he was “dared” by some companions to visit the -graveyard unattended at night. As a token of good faith he was to -bring a twig from a certain yew tree at the south-west corner of All -Saints’ Church. The uncanny task was successfully accomplished. From -thenceforth he was a hero, as he deserved to be. - -A further instance of Nelson’s early lack of fear is afforded us. His -master at North Walsham was particularly proud of a certain pear-tree, -and his scholars were equally covetous of the delicious fruit which -it bore. Each preferred the other in the task of picking any of the -pears because of the speedy retribution which they knew would follow. -One night Horatio volunteered the task. His friends tied several sheets -together and lowered him from the dormitory to the garden. He swarmed -up the tree, secured the forbidden and therefore much prized fruit, and -was hauled up again. On distributing the booty, he justified his action -in his own mind by assuring the recipients that he had only taken the -pears “because every other boy was afraid.” Few hours passed before -the schoolmaster found that his tree had been plundered. It redounds -to the credit of the boys that they refused to “split” on their -comrade, although it is said that a tempting reward was offered for the -discovery of the culprit. - -One winter morning Horatio and his brother William set out for school -on their ponies. They had not gone very far before they found the snow -so deep as to be almost impassable. They returned to the Parsonage and -told their father of the great drifts. He persuaded them to try again, -adding that he left it to their honour not to turn back unless it was -absolutely necessary. - -The snow was falling in heavy flakes when they made their second -attempt. William’s heart soon failed him. He suggested that they had -sufficient reason to return. Horatio was as adamant. “Father left it -to our honour. We must go forward,” he replied, and in due course they -arrived at the school. - -William, who was the elder by seventeen months, had the greatest -affection and esteem for his brother. In later years he was his -constant correspondent, and after Horatio’s death he was created Earl -Nelson of Trafalgar. Like his father and grandfather, William became a -clergyman, in which profession he rose to the dignity of Prebendary and -Vice Dean of Canterbury. - -It was during the Christmas vacation of 1770 that Nelson casually -picked up a newspaper and read of Captain Maurice Suckling’s -appointment to the _Raisonnable_, a ship of sixty-four guns. The -announcement seems to have had an instant effect upon Horatio. “Oh, -William,” he exclaimed to his brother, who was standing near, “do, _do_ -write to father, and tell him that I want to go to sea with uncle!” - -The Rev. Edmund Nelson was staying at Bath owing to ill-health. When he -received his son’s letter he was inclined to dismiss the proposition -as a mere boyish whim. On thinking it over a little more carefully he -decided that perhaps the youngster really desired what he asked, and -he accordingly consulted his brother-in-law on the matter. The officer -replied in the easy-going manner of sailors, “Well, let him come and -have his head knocked off by the first cannon-ball--that will provide -for him.” He was afraid Horatio would never be able to stand the -rough-and-ready life, but he had the good sense to know that there is -nothing like putting a theory to a practical test. - -The Navy was not then the skilfully-organised machine it has since -become. It was one of the privileges of a captain that he might take -two or three lads to sea with him as midshipmen or to serve in some -subordinate position. Captain Suckling accordingly sent for Horatio, -and we find his name on the ship’s books under date of the 1st January -1771. The _Raisonnable_ was then anchored in the Medway. - -The lad’s father accompanied his twelve-year-old son as far as London, -put him into the Chatham stagecoach, and then left him to his own -resources. It was neither a pleasant journey in the rambling old -carriage, nor were the streets of Chatham particularly inviting when -he set foot in them. Nobody met the adventurer, and for some time he -wandered about until he met an officer who directed him to the ship -which was to be his temporary home. When he was safely on board it was -to find that his uncle had not arrived.[4] - -The _Raisonnable_ was one of the vessels commissioned when hostilities -between Great Britain and Spain appeared imminent owing to trouble -respecting the Falkland Islands, a group in the South Atlantic. In -1770 Spain had insulted the British colonists there by compelling the -garrison at Fort Egmont to lower their flag. The matter was settled -amicably, for the all-sufficient reason that Spain did not feel strong -enough to come to blows with Great Britain unless she was assisted -by France, and as the support of that Power was not forthcoming, she -climbed down. Consequently Nelson was not introduced to the horrors of -naval warfare at this early stage, and the cannon-ball which his uncle -prophesied would knock off the lad’s head did not leave the cannon’s -mouth. - -When the _Raisonnable_ was paid off Captain Suckling was given command -of the guard-ship _Triumph_ (74), stationed in the Medway, and -recognising that no good could come to his nephew by staying on such a -vessel, he secured a position for him shortly afterwards in a merchant -ship bound for the West Indies. This was not a difficult matter, -because the Master was John Rathbone, who had served with Suckling -on the _Dreadnought_ during part of the Seven Years’ War, that great -struggle in which Louis XV. of France had been forced to cede Canada to -Great Britain. - -Nelson seems to have enjoyed the experience. In a sketch of his life, -which he wrote several years later for the _Naval Chronicle_, he says: - -“From this voyage I returned to the _Triumph_ at Chatham in July 1772; -and, if I did not improve in my education, I returned a practical -seaman, with a horror of the Royal Navy, and with a saying, then -constant with the seamen, ‘Aft the most honour, forward the better -man!’ It was many weeks before I got in the least reconciled to a -man-of-war, so deep was the prejudice rooted; and what pains were taken -to instil this erroneous principle in a young mind! However, as my -ambition was to be a seaman, it was always held out as a reward, that -if I attended well to my navigation, I should go in the cutter and -decked longboat, which was attached to the commanding officer’s ship -at Chatham. Thus by degrees I became a good pilot, for vessels of that -description, from Chatham to the Tower of London, down the Swin, and to -the North Foreland; and confident of myself amongst rocks and sands, -which has many times since been of the very greatest comfort to me. -In this way I was trained, till the expedition towards the North Pole -was fitted out; when, although no boys were allowed to go in the ships -(as of no use), yet nothing could prevent my using every interest to -go with Captain Lutwidge in the _Carcass_; and, as I fancied I was to -fill a man’s place, I begged I might be his coxswain: which, finding my -ardent desire for going with him, Captain Lutwidge complied with, and -has continued the strictest friendship to this moment. Lord Mulgrave, -who I then first knew, continued his kindest friendship and regard to -the last moment of his life. When the boats were fitted out to quit the -two ships blocked up in the ice, I exerted myself to have the command -of a four-oared cutter raised upon, which was given me, with twelve -men; and I prided myself in fancying I could navigate her better than -any other boat in the ship.” - -In this cold, matter-of-fact way, Nelson dismisses a phase of his life -fraught with peril and adventure. When the majority, if not all, of his -former school-fellows were reading of the doings of gallant seamen and -brave soldiers he was undergoing actual experiences. The expedition in -question had been suggested by the Royal Society, and was commanded -by Captain Constantine John Phipps, eldest son of Lord Mulgrave. The -_Racehorse_ and _Carcass_, heavy ships known as bombs because they -mounted one or more mortars for use in bombardments when on ordinary -service, sailed from the Nore on the 4th June 1773. All went well -until the 31st July, when the ice closed upon the vessels, and further -progress became impossible. - -[Illustration: Nelson and the Bear - -Stephen Reid] - -“The following day,” says Colonel J. M. Tucker in his “Life and Naval -Memoirs of Lord Nelson,” “there was not the smallest opening, the -ships were within less than two lengths of each other. The ice, which -the day before had been flat, and almost level with the water’s edge, -was now in many places forced higher than the mainyard by the pieces -squeezing together. A day of thick fog followed; it was succeeded by -clear weather; but the passage by which the ships had entered from -the westward was closed, and no open water was in sight, either in -that or any other quarter. By the pilot’s advice, the men were set to -cut a passage and warp[5] through the small openings to the westward. -They sawed through pieces of ice twelve feet thick; and this labour -continued the whole day, during which their utmost efforts did not move -the ships above three hundred yards, while they were driven together, -with the ice, far to the north-east and east by the current. Sometimes -a field of several acres square would be lifted up between two larger -islands, and incorporated with them; and thus these larger pieces -continued to grow by cohesive aggregation. Another day passed, and -there seemed no probability of getting the ships out, without a strong -east or north-east wind. - -“The season was far advanced, and every hour lessened the chance of -extricating themselves. Young as he was, Nelson was appointed to -command one of the boats which were sent out to explore a passage into -the open water. It was the means of saving a boat belonging to the -_Racehorse_ from a singular but imminent danger. Some of the officers -had fired at, and wounded, a walrus.... The wounded animal dived -immediately, and brought up a number of its companions; and they all -joined in an attack upon the boat. They wrested an oar from one of the -men; and it was with the utmost difficulty that the crew could prevent -them from staving or upsetting her, till the _Carcass’s_ boat, under -Nelson, came up. The walrusses, finding their enemies thus reinforced, -dispersed. - -“A short time after this occurrence, young Nelson exposed himself -in a more daring manner. One night, during the mid-watch, he stole -from the ship with one of his comrades, taking advantage of a rising -fog, and set out over the ice in pursuit of a bear. Nelson, in high -spirits, led the way over the frightful chasms in the ice, armed with -a rusty musket, as was his companion. It was not, however, long before -the adventurers were missed by those on board; and, as the fog had -much increased, the anxiety of Captain Lutwidge and his officers for -them was very great. Between three and four in the morning, the mist -having nearly dispersed, the hunters were discovered at a considerable -distance, attacking a large bear. The signal for their return was -instantly made; but it was in vain that Nelson’s companion urged him -to obey it. He was at this time divided by a rent in the ice from his -shaggy antagonist, which probably saved his life; for the musket had -flashed in the pan, and their ammunition was expended. ‘Never mind,’ -exclaimed Horatio, ‘do but let me get a blow at this devil with the -butt end of my musket, and we shall have him.’ His companion, finding -that entreaty was in vain, left him, and regained the ship. The -Captain, seeing the young adventurer’s danger, ordered a gun to be -fired to terrify the enraged animal; this had the desired effect; but -Nelson was obliged to return without his bear. Captain Lutwidge, though -he could not but admire so daring a disposition, reprimanded him rather -sternly for such rashness, and for conduct so unworthy of the situation -he occupied; and desired to know what motive he could have for hunting -a bear. ‘Sir,’ he replied, pouting his lip, as he was wont to do when -agitated, ‘I wished to kill a bear, that I might carry its skin to my -father.’” - -Towards the middle of August the two ships were able to forge their way -through the ice, although not without considerable difficulty, and duly -sailed for home waters. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -A Hero in the Making - -(1773-1783) - - “_True honour, I hope, predominates in my mind far above riches_” - --NELSON. - - -We are fortunate in having an account of Nelson’s early career at sea -penned by himself, otherwise the material at our disposal would be -extremely scanty. The story of the next few years is therefore told -in his own words. What it lacks in picturesqueness is made up for in -authenticity: - -“On our arrival in England,” he says, “and paid off, 15 October [1773], -I found that a squadron was fitting out for the East Indies; and -nothing less than such a distant voyage could in the least satisfy my -desire of maritime knowledge: and I was placed in the _Seahorse_ of 20 -guns, with Captain Farmer, and watched in the foretop; from whence in -time I was placed on the quarter-deck: having, in the time I was in -this ship, visited almost every part of the East Indies, from Bengal to -Bussorah. Ill-health induced Sir Edward Hughes, who had always shown -me the greatest kindness, to send me to England in the _Dolphin_ of -20 guns, with Captain James Pigot, whose kindness at that time saved -my life. This ship was paid off at Woolwich on 24 September, 1776. On -the 26th I received an order from Sir James Douglas, who commanded -at Portsmouth, to act as lieutenant of the _Worcester_, 64, Captain -Mark Robinson, who was ordered to Gibraltar with a convoy.[6] In this -ship I was at sea with convoys till 2 April, 1777, and in very bad -weather. But although my age might have been a sufficient cause for not -entrusting me with the charge of a watch, yet Captain Robinson used to -say, ‘he felt as easy when I was upon deck, as any officer in the ship.’ - -“On [the 9th] April, 1777, I passed my examination as a lieutenant; -and received my commission the next day, as second lieutenant of the -_Lowestoffe_ frigate of 32 guns, Captain (now Lieutenant-Governor of -Greenwich Hospital) William Locker. In this ship I went to Jamaica; but -even a frigate was not sufficiently active for my mind, and I got into -a schooner, tender to the _Lowestoffe_. In this vessel I made myself a -complete pilot for all the passages through the (Keys) Islands situated -on the north side [of] Hispaniola. Whilst in this frigate, an event -happened which presaged my character; and, as it conveys no dishonour -to the officer alluded to, I shall relate it. - -“Blowing a gale of wind, and very heavy sea, the frigate captured an -American letter of marque.[7] The first lieutenant was ordered to board -her, which he did not, owing to the very high sea. On his return on -board, the captain said, ‘Have I no officer in the ship who can board -the prize?’ On which the master ran to the gangway, to get into the -boat; when I stopped him, saying, ‘It is my turn now; and if I come -back, it is yours.’ This little incident has often occurred to my mind; -and I know it is my disposition, that difficulties and dangers do but -increase my desire of attempting them. - -“Sir Peter Parker, soon after his arrival at Jamaica, 1778, took me -into his own flag-ship, the _Bristol_, as third lieutenant; from which -I rose by succession to be first. Nothing particular happened whilst I -was in this ship, which was actively employed off Cape François, being -the commencement of the French war.” - -A few words with reference to the hostilities mentioned are needed as -explanation. The war between Great Britain and her colonists in North -America, which culminated in the birth of a new World-Power, now known -as the United States, had broken out in 1775, although the seeds of -dissension had been sown much earlier. This unfortunate and disastrous -quarrel had also embroiled “the mother of nations” in a strife with -France and Spain, whose help the New Englanders secured in 1778 and -1779 respectively. In 1780 Holland became involved. The foolishness of -not having sufficiently watched the doings of a potential enemy now -became apparent. For several years “resolute Choiseul, the abrupt proud -man” of Carlyle, had bent his energies on increasing the French navy, -and when the Brest fleet of thirty-two sail-of-the-line, under Count -D’Orvilliers, met the British fleet of thirty sail, under Vice-Admiral -the Hon. A. Keppel, off Ushant on the 27th July 1778, the action was -indecisive. In American waters Lord Howe hove in sight of the fleet -under D’Estaing, the French commander having better ships and heavier -metal, but while Howe was manœuvring to attack the enemy a storm parted -the would-be contestants. Both suffered considerable damage by wind and -not by shot as had been anticipated. Shortly afterwards Admiral Byron -took over Howe’s command and endeavoured to come up with D’Estaing’s -ships. Unfortunately the Frenchman had sailed to the West Indies, which -“in this protracted contest,” to use the words of Admiral Mahan, was to -be “the chief scene of naval hostilities....” “The West Indies is the -Station for honour,” said Nelson sometime later. Froude, the historian, -predicted that “If ever the naval exploits of this country are done -into an epic poem--and since the _Iliad_ there has been no subject -better fitted for such treatment or better deserving it--the West -Indies will be the scene of the most brilliant cantos.” We shall have -occasion to refer to this great strategic point many times in these -pages, especially in the great game of hide-and-seek between Napoleon’s -captains and Nelson immediately preceding the Trafalgar campaign.[8] -The year 1778 was not a brilliant one in British naval annals, although -it closed by Hotham and Barrington attacking D’Estaing off St Lucia and -preventing him from landing more than half the troops intended for the -subjugation of that island. As a consequence the force under Chevalier -de Michaud surrendered, and St Lucia was won. - -“On 8 December, 1778,” Nelson continues, “I was appointed commander -of the _Badger_ brig; and was first sent to protect the Mosquito -shore, and the Bay of Honduras, from the depredations of the American -privateers. Whilst on this service, I gained so much the affections -of the settlers, that they unanimously voted me their thanks, and -expressed their regret on my leaving them; entrusting to me to describe -to Sir Peter Parker and Sir John Dalling their situation, should -a war with Spain break out. Whilst I commanded this brig, H.M.S. -_Glasgow_, Captain Thomas Lloyd, came into Montego Bay, Jamaica, where -the _Badger_ was laying: in two hours afterwards she took fire by a -cask of rum; and Captain Lloyd will tell you, that it was owing to my -exertions, joined to his, that her whole crew were rescued from the -flames.” - -This stirring incident merits a more detailed description than the bare -facts which Nelson chose to set forth. The crew was in a panic when he -and his men set foot on the deck of the doomed vessel, and by almost -superhuman exertions managed to throw all the gunpowder in the magazine -overboard before the flames reached it. He also ordered that the loaded -cannon should be directed upward, so that when they exploded, owing to -the intense heat, no damage would result. Thus early in his career did -Nelson show that he was not at a loss when the unusual and unexpected -happened. In a letter to Captain Locker, who was ill, the young officer -describes the fate of the _Glasgow_ as “a most shocking sight; and had -it happened half an hour later, in all probability a great many people -would have been lost.” He also notes that the company of the derelict -were falling ill very fast owing to the constant tropical rains to -which the men were exposed, there being no room for them on the -_Badger_. - -“On 11 June, 1779,” Nelson continues, “I was made post into the -_Hinchinbrook_. When, being at sea, and Count d’Estaing arriving at -Hispaniola (Haïti) with a very large fleet and army from Martinique, an -attack on Jamaica was expected. In this critical state, I was by both -admiral and general entrusted with the command of the batteries at Port -Royal; and I need not say, as the defence of this place was the key to -the port of the whole naval force, the town of Kingston, and Spanish -Town, it was the most important post in the whole island.” - -D’Estaing’s fleet consisted of twenty-two sail-of-the-line, excluding -transports and privateers which had attached themselves to him, and it -was commonly reported that he had no fewer than 20,000 troops on board. -Nelson, as noted above, was now Post-Captain, and although he had no -occasion to prove his ability as a commander of land batteries, he -seems to have taken kindly to the situation. In a letter to his friend -Captain Parker, dated the 12th August 1779, he states that “Jamaica is -turned upside down since you left it,” and furnishes particulars of the -measures made for the defence of the island. “You must not be surprised -to hear of my learning to speak French,” he remarks as a humorous aside. - -To help to achieve the downfall of the wily d’Estaing was not to fall -to Nelson’s lot. That worthy hastened to Savannah, which was attacked -by troops under General Lincoln and himself. They were routed by the -British lines, whereupon d’Estaing sailed away. - -Great Britain was now at war with Spain, which had thrown in her lot -with France, and was soon to feel the effects of the Armed Neutrality, -consisting of Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, and Prussia. They -resented England’s right to search neutral ships, with the result -that the latter Power could not retain her supremacy at sea, a cause -of Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown and the consequent loss of the -American Colonies. In January 1780 it was resolved to make an attempt -to take the important post of Fort San Juan, on the river of that name. -This would materially aid the British to secure the city of Granada, -on Lake Nicaragua, and to sever the communications of the enemy -between their northern and southern dominions. The idea originated -with Dalling, Governor of Jamaica, to whom history has scarcely done -justice. The naval force was entrusted to Nelson, the command of the -troops to Captain John Polson. - -The soldiers at the disposal of the intrepid adventurers were a mere -handful, scarcely 500 in all, but perhaps that fact added the necessary -spice of danger. Nelson left his ship, and “carried troops in boats one -hundred miles up a river, which none but Spaniards since the time of -the buccaneers had ever ascended,” to use his own words. He “boarded” -an outpost of the enemy, situated on an island in the river; “made -batteries, and afterwards fought them, and was a principal cause of -our success.” When the miniature expedition arrived at Fort San Juan -the rainy season had commenced, bringing malaria in its train. Nelson -was all for making an immediate attack, but Polson ruled the slower, -and perhaps surer, method of erecting batteries and so forth, in which -Nelson lent a willing hand. “I want words to express the obligations I -owe to Captain Nelson,” Polson told Governor Dalling. “He was the first -on every service, whether by day or night. There was not a gun fired -but was pointed by him, or by Captain Despard, Chief Engineer.” Fever -played havoc with the men; of the 200 sailors of the _Hinchinbrook_, -no fewer than “eighty-seven took to their beds in one night; and of -the two hundred, one hundred and forty-five were buried in mine and -Captain Collingwood’s[9] time: and I believe very few, not more than -ten, survived of that ship’s crew; a proof how necessary expedition is -in those climates.” Nelson’s own health was undermined by dysentery. -A few hours before the Spanish flag gave place to the Union Jack he -left the region of the fort in order to join the _Janus_ (44 guns), of -which he had been given command. The ship being stationed at Jamaica, -he was taken to Port Royal in a sloop. Here he met with a good and -tender-hearted friend in Lady Parker, the wife of Sir Peter Parker, -Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica, but he gained so little in strength that -he was compelled to ask leave of absence and leave the West Indies for -England. Had he stayed it is improbable that he could have rendered -useful service while in such a low condition. The expedition eventually -ended in failure. He sailed on the 4th September 1780 in the _Lion_, -commanded by Captain the Hon. William Cornwallis, a younger son of -Earl Cornwallis, who acted the part of nurse to the patient’s entire -satisfaction, and cemented a friendship which lasted until Nelson’s -death. - -Having to resign the _Janus_ probably caused Nelson more torture than -his physical suffering, for he was intensely ambitious. It is stated -that when he arrived in England he would not proceed to Bath to drink -the waters until he had been conveyed to the Admiralty to beg for -another vessel. “This they readily promised me,” he observed in a -humorous way, “thinking it not possible for me to live.” At Bath he -stayed with Mr Spry, an apothecary, who resided at 2 Pierrepont Street; -his medical adviser was Dr Woodward. - -On the 23rd January 1781 Nelson was able to inform Captain Locker that -he was “now upon the mending hand,” although he had been “obliged to -be carried to and from bed, with the most excruciating tortures.” Some -three weeks later further progress was reported; “My health, thank -God, is very near perfectly restored; and I have the perfect use of -all my limbs, except my left arm, which I can hardly tell what is the -matter with it. From the shoulder to my fingers’ ends are as if half -dead; but the surgeon and doctors give me hopes it will all go off. I -most sincerely wish to be employed, and hope it will not be long.” - -Again the flicker of ambition is evident, always a good sign in a -patient. “I never was so well in health that I can remember,” he writes -on the 5th March. On Monday of the following week he began his return -journey to London. Unfortunately his progress was intermittent. He had -“good” days and “bad” days. Two months later we find Nelson telling his -beloved brother William that he has entirely lost the use of his left -arm and nearly of his left leg and thigh. However, the surgeon who was -attending him gave him hopes of recovery, “when I will certainly come -into Norfolk, and spend my time there till I am employed.” - -At this period Nelson did not have to eat out his heart in chagrin and -disappointment owing to neglect as some of our modern naval officers -have had to do. In August 1781, when his health had improved, he was -given command of the _Albemarle_, a frigate of 28 guns, and on the 23rd -of that month he hoisted his pennant at Woolwich. The appearance of -the little vessel pleased him considerably, his officers and men even -more so, as his letters abundantly testify. “My quarter-deck is filled, -much to my satisfaction, with very genteel young men and seamen”; “I -have an exceeding good ship’s company. Not a man or officer in her I -would wish to change”; “I am perfectly satisfied with both officers -and ship’s company. All my marines are likewise old standers,” are -some of his remarks to correspondents. We must not imagine that Nelson -necessarily had a pattern-ship and a pattern-crew because of the kind -things he said of them. His recent recovery from serious illness has -doubtless to be taken into consideration. We all see the world and its -inhabitants through rose-coloured glasses after an enforced absence -from the ordinary duties and modes of life. A natural sweetness of -disposition may also partly account for his optimism. In later years -Samuel Rogers, the Banker-poet, recorded in his entertaining “Table -Talk” that “Lord Nelson was a remarkably kind-hearted man. I have seen -him spin a teetotum with his _one_ hand, a whole evening, for the -amusement of some children.” - -The young captain’s first voyage in the _Albemarle_ was not unattended -by adventures. His reference to his experiences in the Autobiography is -slightly tinged with a semi-humorous cynicism one can readily forgive, -although it contrasts oddly with the remarks just quoted. “In August, -1781,” he writes, “I was commissioned for the _Albemarle_; and, it -would almost be supposed, to try my constitution, was kept the whole -winter in the North Sea.” He cruised to Elsinore, where he found a -number of vessels waiting for convoy to Portsmouth and Plymouth. “We -have not had any success;” he complains, “indeed, there is nothing you -can meet, but what is in force: the Dutch have not a single merchantman -at sea. One privateer was in our fleet, but it was not possible to lay -hold of him. I chased him an hour, and came fast up with him, but was -obliged to return to the fleet. I find since, it was the noted Fall, -the pirate.... What fools the Dutch must have been not to have taken us -into the Texel. Two hundred and sixty sail the convoy consisted of.” - -On another occasion the British ships in the Downs mistook Nelson and -his motley collection for a Dutch fleet. Many of the sail-of-the-line -prepared for action and would have chased their friends had not Nelson -sent a cutter to inform the officers of their ludicrous error. In -the early days of 1782 the _Albemarle_ was ordered to Portsmouth to -take in eight months’ provisions, “and I have no doubt was meant to -go to the East Indies with Sir Richard Bickerton,[10] which I should -have liked exceedingly, but alas, how short-sighted are the best of -us.” The young captain then goes on to tell his brother William of -the fate which overtook him. During a fierce gale an East India store -ship collided with the _Albermarle_. “We have lost our foremast, and -bowsprit, mainyard, larboard cathead, and quarter gallery, the ship’s -[figure] head, and stove in two places on the larboard side--all done -in five minutes. What a change! but yet we ought to be thankful we did -not founder. We have been employed since in getting jury-masts, yards, -and bowsprit, and stopping the holes in our sides. What is to become of -us now, I know not. She must go into dock, and I fear must be paid off, -she has received so much damage.” - -A letter to the same correspondent, dated the 8th February 1782, -reveals something of Nelson’s philosophy of life. “We all rise by -deaths,” he asserts. “I got my rank by a shot killing a post-captain, -and I most sincerely hope I shall, when I go, go out of [the] world -the same way; then we go all in the line of our profession--a parson -praying, a captain fighting.” He had his wish gratified, as we all -know. There was something more than a suspicion of the Stoic in Nelson, -for while it cannot be said that he was unaffected by passion, he -certainly displayed praiseworthy indifference to creature comforts -when at sea. That he grumbled to the authorities proves nothing to the -contrary. It was usually with reference to half-unseaworthy ships, -which added to the trials and troubles of his men and oftentimes -precluded him from doing himself justice where the enemy was concerned. -His letters prove conclusively that he had the utmost faith in God, -whom he regarded as a powerful Ally. - -Shortly afterwards Nelson sailed with a convoy to Newfoundland and -Quebec. The experience was anything but pleasant, and when he returned -to the latter place in the middle of September he was “knocked up -with scurvy,” the old-time sailor’s curse, owing to a diet of salt -beef for eight weeks. “In the end,” he says, “our cruise has been an -unsuccessful one; we have taken, seen, and destroyed more enemies than -is seldom done in the same space of time, but not one arrived in port. -But, however, I do not repine at our loss: we have in other things been -very fortunate, for on 14 August we fell in with, in Boston Bay, four -sail-of-the-line,[11] and the _Iris_, French man-of-war, part of M. -Vaudreuil’s squadron, who gave us a pretty dance for between 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, -upon the clearing up of a fog, within shot of us, and chased us the -whole time about one point from the wind....” Nelson managed to avoid -the enemy by “running them amongst the shoals of St George’s Bank,” -a manœuvre which caused the larger ships to stop pursuit. When he -prepared for action the commander of the frigate, deeming discretion -the better part of valour, wisely decided to rejoin his comrades. - -After taking another convoy from Quebec to New York, Nelson sailed -under the command of Lord Hood for the West Indies, “the grand theatre -of actions.” Here he captured a French vessel attached to Vaudreuil’s -fleet, thereby getting some compensation for the loss of the frigate. -Her cargo consisted of naval material, and as some of the British ships -were urgently in want of topmasts the prize was more than usually -valuable. - -He also attempted to recapture Turk’s Island, which had been taken by -the French. The proceeding was audacious in the extreme, as he had very -few ships at his disposal. An officer was sent on shore, under cover -of a flag of truce, to demand surrender. This proving abortive, a -little band of 167 seamen and marines, under Captain Charles Dixon, was -landed. The _Admiral Barrington_ then came up, and together with the -_Drake_, was about to bombard the town, when a concealed battery opened -upon them. A steady fire was maintained for an hour before Captain -Dixon, who had hoped to reach the enemy’s works while the ships were -engaging some of the French defenders, decided that the experiment was -too dangerous. The enemy’s guns were fought by seamen, the troops had -several field-pieces at their disposal, and two pieces of cannon were -mounted on a hill, consequently continued persistence would have been -foolhardy. “With such a force,” says the instigator of this expedition, -“and their strong position, I did not think anything further could be -attempted.” - -Nelson succeeded in making himself thoroughly acquainted with Lord -Hood, who in his turn introduced him to Prince William, then a -midshipman and afterwards William IV., “our Sailor King.” There was -mutual admiration. “He will be, I am certain, an ornament to our -Service,” Nelson tells Locker. “He is a seaman, which you could hardly -suppose. Every other qualification you may expect from him. But he will -be a disciplinarian, and a strong one: he says he is determined every -person shall serve his time before they shall be provided for, as he -is obliged to serve his.” Such is Nelson’s comment. That of the future -monarch was not made at the time, but when Nelson went on board the -_Barfleur_ the incident made such an impression on the Prince that he -was able to paint a graphic word-picture of the event many years after. -Nelson “appeared to be the merest boy of a captain I ever beheld.... -He had on a full-laced uniform; his lank, unpowdered hair was tied in -a stiff Hessian tail, of an extraordinary length; the old-fashioned -flaps of his waistcoat added to the general quaintness of his figure, -and produced an appearance which particularly attracted my notice; for -I had never seen anything like it before, nor could I imagine who he -was, nor what he came about. My doubts were, however, removed when Lord -Hood introduced me to him. There was something irresistibly pleasing -in his address and conversation; and an enthusiasm when speaking on -professional subjects that showed he was no common being.... Throughout -the whole of the American War the height of Nelson’s ambition was to -command a line-of-battle ship; as for prize-money, it never entered his -thoughts: he had always in view the character of his maternal uncle.” - -On the 25th June 1783 Nelson was again at Portsmouth. After seeing to -the well-being of his sailors he travelled on the leisurely stage-coach -to London, where he was presented to the King by Lord Hood. In the -following September hostilities were concluded between Great Britain, -America, France, Spain, and Holland by the signature of the Treaty of -Versailles. The officer, therefore, found no difficulty in obtaining -six months’ leave to visit France. There he realised that perhaps there -might be some truth in the old adage to the effect that Jack has a -sweetheart in every port. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -Pleasure in France and Work in the West Indies - -(1783-1793) - - _Admirals all, for England’s sake - Honour be theirs, and fame; - And honour, so long as waves shall break, - To Nelson’s peerless name._ - - HENRY NEWBOLT. - - -Nelson took the greatest possible interest in everything he saw in -France: “Sterne’s ‘Sentimental Journey’ is the best description I can -give of our tour.” He travelled in a chaise without springs, slept on -a straw bed--“O what a transition from happy England!”--but had less -fault to find with the scenery about Montreuil, which he describes as -“the finest corn country that my eyes ever beheld, diversified with -fine woods, sometimes for two miles together through noble forests. The -roads mostly were planted with trees, which made as fine an avenue as -to any gentleman’s country seat.” At St Omer he lodged with “a pleasant -French family,” and incidentally made the acquaintance of “two very -agreeable young ladies, daughters, who honour us with their company -pretty often.... Therefore I must learn French if ’tis only for the -pleasure of talking to them, for they do not speak a word of English.” -Soon all thoughts of study and of the “very agreeable” maidens were -banished from his impressionable mind by his introduction to a Miss -Andrews, the daughter of an English clergyman. The affair rapidly -ripened into something more than friendship. - - _Her faults he knew not, Love is always blind, - But every charm resolved within his mind._ - -Nelson’s letters go far to prove the truth of Pope’s couplet. Miss -Andrews was, according to him, “the most accomplished woman my eyes -ever beheld.” Unfortunately marriage is necessarily based on that -mundane and concrete thing, money. When the ardent young officer came -to look into the financial aspect of the matter he found that his -income did not exceed £130 a year. His lady-love’s dowry was “1,000_l._ -I understand.” He therefore appealed to his uncle, William Suckling, -to allow him £100 per annum until he could earn that sum for himself. -Failing this source of supply, would his relative “exert” himself “to -get me a guard-ship, or some employment in a public office where the -attendance of the principal is not necessary...? In the India Service I -understand (if it remains under the Directors) their marine force is to -be under the command of a captain in the Royal Navy: that is a station -I should like.” He prays that his uncle and his family “may never know -the pangs which at this instant tear my heart.” - -Cupid’s shaft neither proved deadly nor barbed. On his return to -England Nelson dismissed his love affair, and was soon “running at -the ring of pleasure” in London. He visited Lord Howe, First Lord -of the Admiralty, “who asked me if I wished to be employed, which I -told him I did”; dined with Lord Hood, who made him feel quite at -home, and told him “that the oftener I came the happier it would make -him.” In January 1784 he was at Bath, and wrote to his brother that -he thought of paying a second visit to the Continent till autumn and -then spending the winter with him at Burnham Thorpe. “I return to many -charming women, _but no charming woman_ will return with me,” is the -plaint. “I want to be a proficient in the language, which is my only -reason for returning. I hate their country and their manners,” which -hatred, it may be said, increased with the passing of the years. This -pessimistic strain is doubtless due to Nelson’s undesirable position as -a half-pay officer, but in the middle of March his somewhat mercurial -temperament underwent a change to “set fair” on his appointment to the -_Boreas_, a frigate of 28 guns, under orders for the Leeward Islands. -The passengers included Lady Hughes, wife of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard -Hughes, Bart., the Commander-in-Chief, and her daughter, whom he very -ungallantly described as “lumber.” His brother, the Rev. William -Nelson, accompanied him as chaplain of the _Boreas_, but returned on -the last day of September 1784 owing to ill-health. - -Before leaving Spithead Nelson had an alarming adventure. He was riding -what he describes as a “_blackguard_ horse” in company with a lady, -when both animals bolted. In order to save his legs from being crushed -in a narrow road blocked by a waggon the young gallant was obliged to -throw himself, and he had the ill-luck to fall upon hard stones, which -injured his back and one of his limbs. His fair companion was only -saved from death by the presence of mind of a passer-by who pluckily -seized the bridle of the terrified animal to which she was frantically -clinging. - -[Illustration: “He had the ill-luck to fall upon hard stones” - -Stephen Reid] - -The voyage to Antigua was devoid of incident. It was monotonous, and -Nelson hated nothing so much as monotony. Lady Hughes bored him, -although it is only just to add that he does not appear to have let her -know it. The lady herself was certainly impressed with the kindly way -Nelson treated “the young gentlemen who had the happiness of being on -his Quarter-Deck,” to quote a letter written by her in 1806. “It may -reasonably be supposed,” she goes on, “that among the number of thirty, -there must be timid as well as bold: the timid he never rebuked, but -always wished to show them he desired nothing of them that he would -not instantly do himself: and I have known him say--‘Well, sir, I am -going a race to the masthead, and I beg I may meet you there.’ No -denial could be given to such a wish, and the poor fellow instantly -began his march. His Lordship never took the least notice with what -alacrity it was done, but when he met in the top, instantly began -talking in the most cheerful manner, and saying how much a person was -to be pitied that could fancy there was any danger, or even anything -disagreeable, in the attempt.... In like manner he every day went to -the schoolroom and saw them do their nautical business, and at twelve -o’clock he was first upon the deck with his quadrant. No one there -could be behindhand in his business when their Captain set them so -good an example. One other circumstance I must mention which will -close the subject, which was the day we landed at Barbadoes. We were -to dine at the Governor’s. Our dear Captain said, ‘You must permit me, -Lady Hughes, to carry one of my aides-de-camp with me,’ and when he -presented him to the Governor, he said, ‘Your Excellency must excuse -me for bringing one of my midshipmen, as I make it a rule to introduce -them to all the good company I can, they have few to look up to besides -myself during the time they are at sea.’ This kindness and attention -made the young people adore him; and even his wishes, could they have -been known, would have been instantly complied with.” - -When Nelson made the acquaintance of Sir Richard Hughes he disliked -him as much as he did her ladyship. Probably the officer’s methods -rather than the man aroused this feeling of antagonism. “The Admiral -and all about him are great ninnies,” he writes, and he soon showed -in no vague way that he refused to support the Commander-in-chief’s -happy-go-lucky policy. Truth to tell, Nelson had no love of authority. -He preferred to be a kind of attached free-lance, although he was a -strict disciplinarian in all relations between his junior officers -and himself. “I begin to be very strict in my Ship,” is an expression -he used while in the _Boreas_. In particular he fell foul of Hughes -in the matter of putting the Navigation Act into force. This law had -been passed by the Rump Parliament in 1651, when the Dutch held the -proud position of the world’s maritime carriers. It was enacted that -only English ships, commanded by an Englishman and manned by a crew -three-fourths of whom were also of the same nationality, should be -allowed to carry the products of Asia, Africa, and America to home -ports. In a similar manner, European manufactures had to be brought in -English vessels or those of the countries which produced the goods. In -the latter case the duties were heavier. It was Protection pure and -simple. - -The Government of Charles II. and the Scottish Parliament passed -similar Acts in later years, thereby fostering the trading companies -which helped to lay the foundations of our colonial empire. Such -measures were a constant “thorn in the flesh” to foreign statesmen. -Several of the statutes were repealed in 1823, but the Navigation -Act was not entirely abandoned by Great Britain until 1848, after an -existence of nearly two hundred years. - -Owing to their separation from the Motherland, the former British -colonists of America were, technically, “foreigners,” and should have -been subject to restrictions in their commercial intercourse with the -West Indies. “I, for one,” Nelson confides to Locker, “am determined -not to suffer the Yankees to come where my Ship is; for I am sure, -if once the Americans are admitted to any kind of intercourse with -these Islands, the views of the Loyalists in settling Nova Scotia are -entirely done away. They will first become the Carriers, and next have -possession of our Islands, are we ever again embroiled in a French -war. The residents of these Islands are Americans by connexion and -by interest, and are inimical to Great Britain. They are as great -rebels as ever were in America, had they the power to show it.... I am -determined to suppress the admission of Foreigners all in my power.” - -“The Americans,” Nelson tells us in his Autobiography, “when colonists, -possessed almost all the trade from America to our West India Islands; -and on the return of peace, they forgot, on this occasion, that they -became foreigners, and of course had no right to trade in the British -Colonies. - -“Our governors and custom-house officers pretended that by the -Navigation Act they had a right to trade; and all the West Indians -wished what was so much for their interest. Having given governors, -custom-house officers, and Americans, notice of what I would do, I -seized many of their vessels, which brought all parties upon me; and I -was persecuted from one island to another, so that I could not leave -my ship.” In this matter it may be said that Nelson found it necessary -to keep himself “a close prisoner” to avoid being served with writs -which had been issued against him by the owners of certain vessels -which he had taken, and who assessed their damages at several thousands -of pounds. “But conscious rectitude,” he adds, “bore me through it; -and I was supported, when the business came to be understood, from -home; and I proved (and an Act of Parliament has since established it) -that a captain of a man-of-war is in duty bound to support all the -maritime laws, by his Admiralty commission alone, without becoming a -custom-house officer.” - -The ardent captain also fell foul of Hughes in another matter. The -commissioner of the dockyard at Antigua was Captain Moutray, a -half-pay officer whom Hughes, going beyond his powers, made commodore. -Nelson refused to recognise him as such. The case was investigated -by the Admiralty at the instigation of both parties, with the result -that Nelson was reprimanded for taking the law into his own hands. -Professor Sir J. Knox Laughton, while admitting that “In both cases -Nelson was right in his contention,” is forced to add that “The first -duty of an officer is to obey orders, to submit his doubts to the -Commander-in-chief, and in a becoming manner to remonstrate against -any order he conceives to be improper; but for an officer to settle -a moot-point himself, and to act in contravention of an order given -under presumably adequate knowledge of the circumstances, is subversive -of the very first principles of discipline. And these were not, it -will be noticed, questions arising out of any sudden and unforeseen -emergency, in providing for which Nelson was forced to depart from his -instructions. Such emergencies do arise in the course of service, and -the decision of the officer may be a fair test of his personal worth; -but neither at St Kitts nor at Antigua was there anything calling for -instant decision, or any question which might not have waited, pending -a reference to the Commander-in-chief or to the Admiralty. And this was -the meaning of the Admiralty minute on Nelson’s conduct at Antigua, a -most gentle admonition for what might have been punished as a grave -offence.” - -It must not be inferred that there was any personal bitterness on -Nelson’s part regarding the Moutray affair. He conceived it to be -a question of principle, of doing right and shunning wrong: “The -character of an Officer is his greatest treasure: to lower that, is to -wound him irreparably.” He was certainly on excellent terms with the -Commissioner’s wife, for whom he cherished the most friendly feelings. -Indeed, in one of his letters he calls her his “dear, sweet friend.... -Her equal I never saw in any country, or in any situation.” Let it be -frankly admitted, however, that Nelson sometimes wore his heart on -his sleeve, and readily betrayed a state of feeling approaching deep -affection for any member of the gentler sex who showed by her ready -sympathy that she possessed a kindly disposition. In the communication -in which the above passage occurs he notes that several of his comrades -had similar amorous tendencies. One officer has proposed and been -refused, another is forestalled in proposing to the lady of his choice -by a more venturesome lover, a third is “attached to a lady at Nevis,” -the said lady being a relation of the future Mrs Nelson. He concludes -with a reference to a niece of Governor Parry, who “goes to Nevis in -the _Boreas_; they trust any young lady with me, being an old-fashioned -fellow.” - -On the 12th May 1785 Nelson confides to his brother William that he has -made the acquaintance of “a young Widow,” and towards the end of the -following month he tells the same correspondent, “between ourselves,” -that he is likely to become a “_Benedict_.... Do not tell.” The lady -of his choice was Mrs Nisbet, then twenty-seven years of age and the -mother of a boy. We are fortunate in having copies of many of his -letters to her, for there is a wealth of affection--scarcely love--and -much sage philosophy in them. “My greatest wish is to be united to -you;” he writes on the 11th September 1785, “and the foundation of -all conjugal happiness, real love and esteem, is, I trust, what you -believe I possess in the strongest degree towards you.... We know that -riches do not always insure happiness; and the world is convinced that -I am superior to pecuniary considerations in my public and private -life; as in both instances I might have been rich.” “You are too good -and indulgent;” he avers on another occasion, “I both know and feel -it: but my whole life shall ever be devoted to make you completely -happy, whatever whims may sometimes take me. We are none of us perfect, -and myself probably much less so than you deserve.” “Fortune, that -is, money, is the only thing I regret the want of, and that only for -the sake of my affectionate Fanny. But the Almighty, who brings us -together, will, I doubt not, take ample care of us, and prosper all our -undertakings. No dangers shall deter me from pursuing every honourable -means of providing handsomely for you and yours....” - -The messages lack the passionate fire of Napoleon’s notes to Josephine, -and on occasion are apt to be rather too business-like for love -letters. The romance did not end like the fairy stories, they did not -live “happily ever after,” but there is no reason to doubt that Nelson -cherished a fond affection for the young widow. “Her sense,” he informs -his brother, “polite manners, and to you I may say, beauty, you will -much admire: and although at present we may not be a rich couple, yet -I have not the least doubt but we shall be a happy pair:--the fault -must be mine if we are not.” Subsequent events proved the truth of the -latter remark. - -In due course Sir Richard Hughes was succeeded in the command of the -Leeward Islands by Sir Richard Bickerton. Nelson complains towards the -end of 1786 that “A total stop is put to our carrying on the Navigation -Laws,” thereby showing that the old problem had by no means been solved -so far as he was concerned. - -On the 12th March 1787 Nelson and Mrs Nisbet were married at Nevis. -Prince William Henry, then captain of the _Pegasus_ and under Nelson’s -command, gave away the bride. Three months later the newly-wedded -captain was at Spithead, the almost unseaworthy condition of the -_Boreas_ making it impossible for her to stand another hurricane season -in the West Indies. - -Nelson was placed on half-pay, a state which he by no means liked. In -May 1788 he had reason to believe that he would be employed again. “I -have invariably laid down,” he tells a friend, “and followed close, a -plan of what ought to be uppermost in the breast of an Officer: that it -is much better to serve an ungrateful Country, than to give up his own -fame. Posterity will do him justice: a uniform conduct of honour and -integrity seldom fails of bringing a man to the goal of Fame at last.” - -Nelson visited Plymouth, Bath, and London, and finally settled down at -Burnham Thorpe. His letters reveal the keenness with which he desired -to obtain employment. He applied to both Viscount Howe, First Lord -of the Admiralty, and to Lord Hood, but all his overtures came to -nought. In September 1789 he tells his old friend Locker that “I am -now commencing Farmer, not a very large one, you will conceive, but -enough for amusement. Shoot I cannot, therefore I have not taken out a -license; but notwithstanding the neglect I have met with, I am happy, -and now I see the propriety of not having built my hopes on such sandy -foundations as the friendships of the Great.” - -Not until January 1793 were his dearest wishes granted. “After clouds -comes sunshine,” he writes to his wife from London. “The Admiralty -so smile upon me, that really I am as much surprised as when they -frowned. Lord Chatham yesterday made many apologies for not having -given me a Ship before this time, and said, that if I chose to take a -Sixty-four to begin with, I should be appointed to one as soon as she -was ready; and whenever it was in his power, I should be removed into a -Seventy-four. Everything indicates War....” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -The Beginning of the Great War - -(1793-1794) - - “_Duty is the great business of a sea officer_” - - NELSON. - - -So far back as 1753 Lord Chesterfield prophesied a revolution in -France. “All the symptoms,” he said, “which I have ever met with in -history, previous to great changes and revolutions in government, now -exist and daily increase in France.” Warning rumbles heralded the -storm, disregarded and thought of no account by some, full of grave -portent to others. It burst in 1789. - -At first William Pitt, First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of -the Exchequer, steadily refused to believe that England was menaced by -the Power which Fox had termed “the natural enemy of Great Britain.” -In January 1792 he assured Parliament that “unquestionably there never -was a time in the history of this country when, from the situation -of Europe, we might more reasonably expect fifteen years of peace -than we may at the present moment.” Either he was over anxious to -persuade himself that things were as he would like them to be, or he -was sadly mistaken. Pitt had by no means the pugnacious disposition -of his father, the famous first Earl of Chatham. He thought that -the fire would burn itself out, that it would be of short duration, -whereas it steadily gained strength and eventually involved practically -every country in Europe. Not until he was convinced that war was -inevitable did the youngest Premier who ever handled the reins of a -British government accept the French Revolution as of more than local -consequence. Hitherto domestic and financial questions had occupied his -attention and absorbed his energies. If France ignored the nation which -he represented, if she refrained from poaching on British preserves or -those of her allies, he was quite content to return the compliment. -Then came the decree that the navigation of the river Scheldt should -be thrown open. It had previously been guaranteed to the Dutch by -Great Britain as well as by other Powers, including France. The -execution of Louis XVI. followed, which led to Chauvelin, the French -Ambassador, being given his passports. If Pitt had been slumbering he -had wooed somnolence with one eye open since the annexation of Savoy. -He was now fully awake, calm and self-reliant, for he recognised the -inevitable. It came in a declaration of war by the French Convention -against Holland and Great Britain on the 1st February 1793. Macaulay, -writing from an essentially Whig point of view, states that Pitt’s -military administration “was that of a driveller,” but to the impartial -historian nothing is further from the truth. He abandoned his schemes -of social reform to plunge whole-heartedly into the titanic struggle -which was to cost him his life. That he made mistakes is obvious--what -statesman has not?--but he fell in his country’s cause as nobly as -Nelson at Trafalgar and Moore at Coruña. - -When Nelson joined the _Agamemnon_ he was immensely pleased with -her. He describes the vessel as “without exception, the finest 64 in -the service, and has the character of sailing most remarkably well.” -She was a unit of the fleet under Lord Hood, her destination the -Mediterranean. The captain was accompanied by his step-son, Josiah, -whose first experience of life at sea cannot have been pleasant. Off -the Nore the _Agamemnon_ encountered a gale, with the result that -Josiah was “a little sea-sick.” However, “he is a real good boy, and -most affectionately loves me,” as his mother was informed. Off Cadiz -Nelson is able to report, “My Ship is remarkably healthy; myself and -Josiah never better.” - -While part of the fleet was watering at Cadiz, Nelson dined on -board the _Concepcion_ (112), a huge Spanish sail-of-the-line. The -experience afforded him food for thought as well as for physical -sustenance. He relates the incident to his wife, criticises the four -Spanish first-rates in commission at the port as “very fine Ships, -but shockingly manned,” and adds that if the crews of the six barges -attached to the British vessels had boarded one of these great vessels -they could have taken her: “The Dons may make fine Ships,--they cannot, -however, make men.” This summing-up of the _morale_ of the Spanish -Navy is particularly valuable. A dozen years later, when Napoleon was -planning his wonderful combinations to elude the prowess of Nelson, -the lack of skill displayed by the Spaniards was a constant source of -annoyance both to the Emperor and his naval officers. Their bravery -in action during the Trafalgar Campaign is not questioned; their -happy-go-lucky code of discipline is on record in documentary evidence. -A bull fight which Nelson saw sickened and disgusted him. “We had what -is called a fine feast, for five horses were killed, and two men very -much hurt: had they been killed, it would have been quite complete.” - -The royalists at Toulon had not only openly rebelled against the -National Convention, but had requested the assistance of the British -fleet, then blockading the harbour of the great southern arsenal, under -Hood, who was shortly afterwards joined by Langara in command of a -number of Spanish vessels. Nelson’s _Agamemnon_ was a fast sailer. He -was therefore sent to Naples with despatches to the courts of Turin and -Naples requesting 10,000 troops for the assault of Toulon. The ardent -young officer, proud of the service which had been delegated to him, -was a little too sanguine as to Hood’s triumph, yet his cheery optimism -is tinged with cynicism when he writes to his wife: “I believe the -world is convinced that no conquests of importance can be made without -us; and yet, as soon as we have accomplished the service we are ordered -on, we are neglected. If Parliament does not grant something to this -Fleet, our Jacks will grumble; for here there is no prize-money to -soften their hardships: all we get is honour and salt beef. My poor -fellows have not had a morsel of fresh meat or vegetables for near -nineteen weeks; and in that time I have only had my foot twice on shore -at Cadiz. We are absolutely getting sick from fatigue. No Fleet, I am -certain, ever served their Country with greater zeal than this has -done, from the Admiral to the lowest sailor.” - -At Naples Nelson was received by the King “in the handsomest manner,” -and a promise of troops was exacted without delay. He also made the -acquaintance of Lady Hamilton, wife of the British Minister, but the -romantic attachment between them did not begin until several years -later. His Majesty was on the point of visiting the _Agamemnon_ when -the Captain received intelligence from the Prime Minister--Sir John -Acton, an English baronet--that a French sail-of-the-line convoying -three vessels had anchored under Sardinia. Nelson acknowledges to his -brother, on the 27th September 1793, that “Fortune has not crowned my -endeavours with success. The French have either got into Leghorn, or -are housed in some port of Corsica.... I purpose staying three days -in Port, when I shall get to Toulon, for I cannot bear the thought of -being absent from the scene of action.” His unsuccessful search for -the enemy had precluded him from accompanying such Neapolitan troops -as were ready to be sent to the scene of conflict. In addition a large -French frigate had put into the neutral port of Leghorn, which gave -him further anxiety. As her commander did not think it wise to attempt -an issue with the _Agamemnon_ Nelson left him to his own devices. He -anchored off Toulon, on the 5th October, to find Lord Hood “very much -pleased” with him. This must have been particularly gratifying after so -luckless a voyage, but what he most desired was action. - -Within a few days of his arrival he received sealed orders from -the Admiral directing him to join Commodore Linzee off Cagliari, -the capital of Sardinia. His longing to get at the enemy was to be -satisfied in an unexpected manner. When he was nearing the island just -before dawn on the morning of the 22nd October, five strange sail made -their appearance. Later they resolved themselves into four of the -enemy’s frigates and a brig. After an engagement which lasted nearly -four hours and was ably contested on both sides, the action terminated -in the French _Melpomène_ being reduced to “a shattered condition,” -and the _Agamemnon_ having her “topmast shot to pieces, main-mast, -mizen-mast, and fore-yard badly wounded”--the last expression is -typically Nelsonian. The Frenchmen did not attempt to renew the fight; -Nelson was prevented from doing so because “The _Agamemnon_ was so cut -to pieces, as to be unable to haul the wind towards them.” The enemy’s -squadron made for Corsica, Nelson for Cagliari, according to orders, -with one man killed and six wounded. - -When Nelson joined hands with Linzee he found that the immediate -business in hand was to endeavour to bring the Bey of Tunis to reason, -in other words, to the British side. The Bey was an exceedingly crafty -individual who, believing that the best time for making hay is when -the sun shines, had sided with the French because he saw an immediate -financial return. Another object was to secure a convoy which had put -in at Tunis under a sail-of-the-line, the _Duquesne_ (84) and four -frigates, the force with which Nelson had already dealt. As the Bey had -purchased the cargoes of the merchantmen at a handsome profit, he was -not disposed to change his policy. Nelson hated pacific overtures; he -was all for contest on the open sea. “Thank God,” he is able to write -to William Suckling, his uncle, on the 5th December 1793, “Lord Hood, -whom Linzee sent to for orders how to act, after having negotiated, -ordered me from under his command, and to command a Squadron of -Frigates off Corsica and the Coast of Italy, to protect our trade, and -that of our new Ally, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and to prevent any -Ship or Vessel, of whatever Nation, from going into the port of Genoa. -I consider this command as a very high compliment,--there being five -older Captains in the Fleet.... - -“Corsica, December 8th:--I have been in sight of the French Squadron -all day, at anchor; they cannot be induced to come out, notwithstanding -their great superiority....” - -On the 19th of the same month Lord Hood vacated Toulon.[12] The -troops of the National Convention, aided by the consummate skill -of Napoleon Bonaparte, a young officer then beginning his amazing -career, had proved too powerful for the British, Spanish, Piedmontese -and Neapolitan forces. The British fleet carried away no fewer than -14,000 fugitives from the doomed city, which for hours afterwards was -given up to pillage. “Everything which domestic Wars produce usually, -is multiplied at Toulon,” Nelson writes to his wife. “Fathers are -here [_i.e._ Leghorn] without their families, families without their -fathers. In short, all is horror.... Lord Hood put himself at the head -of the flying troops, and the admiration of every one; but the torrent -was too strong. Many of our posts were carried without resistance; -at others, which the English occupied, every one perished. I cannot -write all: my mind is deeply impressed with grief. Each teller makes -the scene more horrible. Lord Hood showed himself the same collected -good Officer which he always was.” The siege of Toulon was a qualified -success. The place was lost, but a dozen French ships and the naval -stores were set on fire, and four sail-of-the-line, three frigates, -and several smaller vessels were secured as prizes. To cripple the -French navy was the most desired of all objects. - -Meanwhile Nelson’s division was blockading Corsica, which had passed -from the Republic of Genoa into the hands of the French in 1768, to -the disgust of the patriotic party headed by Pascal Paoli. It was -arranged that Hood should assist the latter to rid the island of the -hated “tyrants,” and that in due course it should be ceded to Great -Britain. In the preliminary negotiations Nelson was represented by -Lieutenant George Andrews, brother of the young lady to whom Nelson -had become attached during his visit to France in 1783;[13] the final -arrangements were made by a commission of which the gallant Sir John -Moore was a member. Hood joined Nelson on the 27th January 1794, and -on the following day the fleet encountered “the hardest gale almost -ever remembered here.” The _Agamemnon_ “lost every sail in her,” her -consorts were dispersed “over the face of the waters.” This delayed the -landing of the troops Hood had brought with him, but Nelson had already -made a preliminary skirmish on his own account near San Fiorenzo, -the first object of the admiral’s attack. He landed 120 soldiers and -seamen, emptied a flour storehouse, ruined a water-mill, and returned -without the loss of a man, notwithstanding the efforts of the French -gunboats to annihilate the little force. Similar expeditions were -undertaken at the beginning of February, when four polaccas, loaded -with wine for the enemy’s fleet, were burned, four other vessels set -on fire, a similar number captured, and about 1,000 tuns of wine -demolished. - -On the 7th of the same month the inhabitants of Rogliani showed -National colours, and the Tree of Liberty--the emblem of the French -Revolution--was planted. Nelson struck a flag flying on the old castle -with his own hand, and ordered the tree to be cut down. More craft and -wine were destroyed. Paoli was highly gratified by this performance, -carried out in the true Nelson spirit, and shortly afterwards the -Captain tells his wife with conscious pride, “I have had the pleasure -to fulfil the service I had been employed upon, since leaving Tunis, -neither allowing provisions nor troops to get into Corsica,”--which he -describes later as “a wonderfully fine Island”--“nor the Frigates to -come out.” - -Hood now took over the command at San Fiorenzo and sent Nelson to -blockade Bastia. The latter calculated that “it would require 1000 -troops, besides seamen, Corsicans, etc., to make any successful -attempt” against the place. Lieutenant-General David Dundas, the -commander of the military forces, refused his aid unless considerable -reinforcements came to hand, although he had at his disposal over -1700 regulars and artillerymen. Hood, relying on Nelson’s statements -to a certain extent, endeavoured to persuade Dundas that the task was -by no means so difficult as he imagined, but the military authority -positively refused to listen to the project. The General entered into -the arrangements for the capture of San Fiorenzo with more goodwill, -for in his opinion it was a less formidable undertaking. Without in -any way disparaging the exertions of the troops it must be admitted -that the gallant conduct of the sailors, who dragged heavy guns up the -heights in order to place them in a position to cannonade the tower of -Mortello, which commanded the situation, contributed largely to the -success of the operation. Dundas and Linzee attacked this formidable -fortification from the bay with a sail-of-the-line and a frigate on -the 8th February with ill success. Its defenders hurled hot shot at -the vessels with such precision that they were obliged to move to a -less dangerous position. The tower was bombarded from the steeps for -two days before its garrison surrendered. Meanwhile Lieutenant-Colonel -John Moore had carried the batteries of Fornelli, which led directly -to the fall of San Fiorenzo on the 17th instant. The French retreated -to Bastia, on the opposite side of the promontory, where Nelson was -exerting himself to the utmost. The British troops marched to within -three miles of the town, as noted below, and were then ordered to -return to San Fiorenzo. - -On the 23rd February the _Agamemnon_ and two frigates dislodged the -French from a battery of six guns; “they to a man quitted the works.” -For Lord Hood’s encouragement he sent him word that shot and shells had -been hurled at the vessels “without doing us any damage of consequence: -our guns were so exceedingly well pointed, that not one shot was fired -in vain.... Indeed, my Lord, I wish the troops were here: Bastia, I am -sure, in its present state, would soon fall.” - -In describing “our little brush” to his wife, he says it “happened at -the moment when part of our Army made their appearance on the hills -over Bastia, they having marched over land from St Fiorenzo, which is -only twelve miles distant. The General sent an express to Lord Hood -at Fiorenzo to tell him of it. What a noble sight it must have been! -indeed, on board it was the grandest thing I ever saw. If I had carried -with me five hundred troops, to a certainty I should have stormed the -Town, and I believe it might have been carried.... You cannot think how -pleased Lord Hood has been with my attack on Sunday last, or rather my -repelling of an attack which the Enemy made on me.” - -Nelson’s ardent temperament, his longing to be up and doing, made him -think bitter things of Dundas. He confides to his Journal on the 3rd -March 1794 that it is his firm opinion that if the _Agamemnon_ and the -attendant frigates could batter down the sea-wall and then land 500 -troops they would “to a certainty carry the place.” “God knows what -it all means,” he writes to his wife with reference to the general’s -retreat. “Lord Hood is gone to St Fiorenzo to the Army, to get them -forward again.... My seamen are now what British seamen ought to be, -to you I may say it, almost invincible: they really mind shot no more -than peas.” - -The delay was simply playing into the hands of the enemy, who occupied -the time in adding to the defences of the town. One can imagine with -what glee Nelson scribbled in his Journal, under date of the 11th -March, “_Romney_ joined me from Lord Hood: brought me letters to say -that General Dundas was going Home, and that he hoped and trusted the -troops would once more move over the Hill.” The crew of the _Agamemnon_ -suffered no little privation. “We are absolutely without water, -provisions, or stores of any kind, not a piece of canvas, rope, twine, -or a nail in the Ship; but we cheerfully submit to it all, if it but -turns out for the advantage and credit of our Country.” - -Dundas was succeeded by General Abraham D’Aubant, an appointment -which gave the Captain of the _Agamemnon_ no satisfaction, for he -also thought it improper to attack Bastia. Not to carry to a finish a -project already begun was considered by Nelson “a National disgrace.” -Hood determined to act contrary to the opinions of his military -colleague. “I am to command the Seamen landed from the Fleet,” Nelson -tells his brother. “I feel for the honour of my Country, and had -rather be beat than not make the attack. If we do not try we never -can be successful. I own I have no fears for the final issue: it will -be conquest, certain we will deserve it.” “When was a place ever yet -taken without an attempt?” he asks Sir William Hamilton. “We must -endeavour to deserve success; it is certainly not in our power to -command it.... My dear Sir, when was before the time that 2,000 British -troops, as good as ever marched, were not thought equal to attack 800 -French troops, allowing them to be in strong works? What would the -immortal Wolfe have done? as he did, beat the Enemy, if he perished in -the attempt. Our Irregulars are surely as good as the Enemy’s; and in -numbers we far exceed them. I truly feel sorrow, but I have hope and -confidence that all will end well.” Again, “We are but few, but of the -right sort: our General at San Fiorenzo not giving us one of the five -Regiments he has there lying idle.” - -On the 4th April 1794 a definite start was made. Some 1400 troops -and sailors, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Villettes and Nelson -respectively, landed at the tower of Miomo, some three miles to the -north of the town. “At noon the Troops encamped about 2,500 yards from -the citadel of Bastia, near a high rock.” The night was employed in -felling trees for the purpose of constructing an abattis, a temporary -defence formed by placing trees with their boughs sharpened to a point -in such a position as to obstruct the enemy and at the same time afford -a certain amount of cover for the riflemen. The getting up of the -guns and ammunition “was performed with an activity and zeal seldom -exceeded.” The French began firing on the night of the 9th and kept it -up until daylight without inflicting injury on a single man, although -the tents were considerably damaged. After sending a flag of truce to -no effect, Hood began the siege in earnest on the 11th. On that day the -frigate _Proselyte_ was set on fire by the enemy’s red-hot shot, and as -her captain could not get her off the shore, he set his ship on fire in -several places and burnt her to the water’s edge so that she might not -fall into the hands of the hated Frenchmen. - -“Only recollect that a brave man dies but once, a coward all his -life long,” Nelson writes to his wife at the beginning of May, when -fighting was of daily occurrence and many a brave man fell on either -side. His only fear was that D’Aubant might alter his mind and advance -with his troops “when Bastia is about to surrender, and deprive us -of part of our glory.” This is exactly what happened. On the 19th -May the troops from San Fiorenzo were seen marching over the hills. -Three days later, as the result of negotiations begun by the enemy, -the French colours were struck and the Union Jack hoisted, and on the -24th “the most glorious sight that an Englishman can experience, -and which, I believe, none but an Englishman could bring about, was -exhibited;--4,500 men laying down their arms to less than 1,000 British -soldiers, who were serving as Marines.” Nelson gives the number of -British killed at 19, wounded 37, and of the enemy 203 killed, wounded -540, “most of whom are dead.” He himself received “a sharp cut in the -back.” Not until the end of January 1795 did he confess to his wife -that he had information given to him “of the enormous number of Troops -we had to oppose us; but my own honour, Lord Hood’s honour, and the -honour of our Country, must have all been sacrificed, had I mentioned -what I knew; therefore, you will believe, what must have been my -feelings during the whole Siege, when I had often proposals made to me -by men, now rewarded, to write to Lord Hood to raise the Siege.” - -Calvi, in the north-west of Corsica, was next attacked. “Dragging -cannon up steep mountains, and carrying shot and shells, has been our -constant employment”; “I am very busy, yet own I am in all my glory: -except with you, [Mrs Nelson] I would not be any where but where I am, -for the world”; “Hallowell[14] and myself take, each one, twenty-four -hours of duty at the advanced battery,” are extracts from some of -Nelson’s letters and despatches at this period. On the 12th July 1794 -he modestly confesses to Hood that “I got a little hurt this morning: -not much, as you may judge by my writing,” but in his Journal he notes, -“at seven o’clock, I was much bruised in the face and eyes by sand from -the works struck by shot.” The “little hurt” proved far otherwise, -and Nelson subsequently became permanently blind in the right eye. -At the moment he attached little or no importance to the injury: -“Hallowell and myself are both well, except my being half blinded by -these fellows, who have given me a smart slap in the face, for which I -am their _debtor_, but hope not to be so long”; “My right eye is cut -entirely down; but the Surgeons flatter me I shall not entirely lose -my sight of that eye. At present I can distinguish light from dark, -but no object: it confined me one day, when, thank God, I was enabled -to attend to my duty. I feel the want of it; but, such is the chance -of War, it was within a hair’s breadth of taking off my head.” To Mrs -Nelson he tones down the news considerably: “Except a very slight -scratch towards my right eye, I have received no hurt whatever: so you -see I am not the worse for Campaigning: but I cannot say I have any -wish to go on with it. This day [4th August 1794] I have been four -months landed, except a few days when we were after the French Fleet, -and I feel almost qualified to pass my examination as a besieging -General.” - -Nelson not unnaturally felt himself slighted when his name did not -appear in the list of wounded. However, he consoled himself by saying, -“Never mind, I’ll have a _Gazette_ of my own.” - -As the result of negotiations between the enemy and General Stuart, the -commander of the 1500 soldiers who had taken part in the siege, the -French garrison marched out with the honours of war on the 10th August, -a proceeding not at all in keeping with Nelson’s ideas. However, it was -not for him to decide, and he had the satisfaction of knowing that he -had materially assisted in the conquest of Corsica. He was specially -delighted with the thought that in future the enemy’s navy would -be deprived of the pine, tar, pitch, and hemp which the island had -formerly sent to Toulon. - -[Illustration: 1765-1911 - -Comparison of the “Victory” with the “Hercules” - -=Photo Stephen Cribb, Southsea=] - -Nelson now looked forward to reaching the quiet waters of Spithead -before the end of the year. In this he was disappointed. Hood returned -to Toulon, where French naval preparations were going on apace, and -Nelson was sent with the _Agamemnon_ to Leghorn in order that his -ship might refit and his men have a little rest after their arduous -exertions in Corsica. On his own showing, he was “the best in health, -but every other Officer is scarcely able to crawl.” When ready for -further service Nelson joined the admiral off Toulon, from whence he -proceeded to Genoa “to keep peace and harmony” with that Republic by -enforcing its neutrality. This mission was not of long duration, and on -the last day of September 1794 he was directed to proceed off Gourjean -and place himself under the orders of Vice-Admiral Hotham, Hood’s -successor as Commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean. - -At this stage of our story it may not be unfitting to study the -accompanying table,[15] which reveals at a glance the active list -of ships, exclusive of harbour and stationary vessels, troop and -storeships, ships building, etc., in the British Navy, at the beginning -of the Great War and in 1805: - -Year. Sail-of- Total of Total Total Naval Seamen and - the-line. Vessels. tonnage. Supplies Marines employed. - granted. - -1793 113 304 295,409 £4,003,984 45,000 -1805 116 534 407,814 £15,035,630 120,000 - -When we come to compare the Navy of Nelson’s day with that of our -own, the result is astounding. The estimates for 1910-11 amount to -£40,603,700. Of this sum, £13,279,830 is for ships either under -construction or about to be laid down. There are 95 battleships and -first-class cruisers afloat or building, and there is a total strength -of 710 vessels, including torpedo gunboats, destroyers, torpedo boats, -and submarines.[16] The entire _personnel_, exclusive of the reserves, -numbers 131,000. - -The accompanying illustration gives an exact idea of the enormous -difference in size between the _Victory_ and the _Hercules_. The -former, launched in 1765, has a gross tonnage of 2,164; the latter--at -the time of writing, the largest British battleship afloat--has a -displacement of 20,250 tons, over nine times that of the _Victory_. -Nelson’s flagship is still afloat, but who can tell when the _Hercules_ -will be obsolete? Progress demands many and costly victims. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -“I wish to be an Admiral” - -(1795-96) - - “_A brave man runs no more risk than a coward_” - - NELSON. - - -The French fleet at Toulon mustered fifteen ships; Hotham had fourteen -at his disposal, including one Neapolitan sail-of-the-line. On the -8th March 1795 it was known that the enemy was at sea with the -object of retaking Corsica, but it was not until the morning of the -13th, that the Admiral flew the signal for a general chase. While -this was proceeding the _Ça-Ira_ (84) collided with the _Victorie_, -which precluded her from keeping up with her consorts. Seizing his -opportunity, the captain of the British frigate _Inconstant_ (36) -pounced down upon the huge battleship and immediately brought her to -action. A French frigate, the _Vestale_, then went to the assistance of -the _Ça-Ira_, and took her in tow. Considerable damage had been done -on board the _Inconstant_ owing to the double fire to which she was -subjected. Nelson, keenly alert to the slightest advantage, got abreast -of the two Frenchmen, and continued to wage a gallant fight for nearly -two hours until called off by Hotham because of the near approach -of several of the enemy’s ships. The action was thereby rendered -indecisive. Nelson describes the _Ça-Ira_ as “absolutely large enough -to take _Agamemnon_ in her hold. I never saw such a ship before.” - -During the night the _Sans Culottes_ (120) separated from her consorts, -and the _Censeur_ (74), with the damaged _Ça-Ira_ in tow, was also -unable to keep up with the remainder of the French fleet. This enabled -the _Bedford_ (74) and the _Captain_ (74) to attempt to capture them -on the following morning. The British ships, as they bore down on -the enemy, were received by a tremendous fire, which they could not -return. For nearly an hour and a half the fight was sustained until the -_Captain_ was little more than a floating wreck, and the distressed -state of the _Bedford_ made her recall imperative. Eventually the -_Ça-Ira_ and the _Censeur_ surrendered to other vessels of the fleet. -“On the 14th,” Nelson relates with reference to the _Agamemnon_, -“although one of the Van-ships, and in close Action on one side and -distant Action on the other for upwards of three hours, yet our -neighbours suffered most exceedingly, whilst we comparatively suffered -nothing. We had only six men slightly wounded. Our sails were ribbons, -and all our ropes were ends. Had our good Admiral have followed the -blow, we should probably have done more, but the risk was thought too -great.” His ambition is aflame when he considers the possibilities of -the day. “In short, I wish to be an Admiral, and in the command of the -English Fleet; I should very soon either do much, or be ruined. My -disposition cannot bear tame and slow measures.... At one period I am -‘the dear Nelson,’ ‘the amiable Nelson,’ ‘the fiery Nelson’: however -nonsensical these expressions are, they are better than censure, and we -are all subject and open to flattery.” - -Several weeks were spent in refitting, a necessary process too slowly -carried out. Meanwhile six French vessels slipped out of Brest -harbour and made their way to Toulon. Then there was delay in sending -reinforcements not at all to Nelson’s liking. He desires “a complete -victory,” and his correspondence betrays his anxiety for the appearance -of Hood, “the best Officer, take him altogether, that England has to -boast of.” His absence was “a great national loss;” Hotham’s continued -appearance, although he did not definitely say so, a calamity. - -On the 6th June 1795 Nelson was appointed a Colonel of Marines, the -welcome intelligence being conveyed to him by his father. This meant -an increase of income not to be despised, as well as “an appointment -certainly most flattering to me, as it marks to the world an -approbation of my conduct.” - -Nelson, with the _Agamemnon_ and a small squadron of frigates, was now -sent “to co-operate with the Austrian General de Vins, in driving the -French out of the Riviera of Genoa,” and “to put an actual stop to all -trade between Genoa, France, and the places occupied by the armies of -France,” the invasion of Italy then being an object much to be desired -by the Republicans. On the 6th of July he sighted a French fleet of -seventeen sail and six frigates, an overpowering force it would have -been madness to attack had the opportunity been given to him. His -little squadron was chased to San Fiorenzo, where Hotham was stationed -but unable to get out owing to contrary winds. It was not until the -13th that the enemy was again seen. There was a general chase and a -partial action: “Hotham has no head for enterprise, perfectly satisfied -that each month passes without any losses on our side,” is Nelson’s -criticism. - -He still endeavoured to be more or less of a freelance. “I am acting, -not only without the orders of my Commander-in-chief,” he tells his -wife, “but in some measure contrary to them. However, I have not only -the support of his Majesty’s Ministers, both at Turin and Genoa, but a -consciousness that I am doing what is right and proper for the service -of our King and Country. Political courage in an Officer is as highly -necessary as military courage.” His position was difficult in the -extreme, for while Genoa posed as a neutral the French did very much as -they pleased, and the Austrian Army, subsidised by England, was “slow -beyond all description.” He found it impossible to patrol the coast as -he would have done had he been able to procure sufficient cruisers and -transports. However, he managed to secure a convoy of provisions and -ammunition, various attacks were made, and for more than a year his -service was one of continual worry and dissatisfaction. - -With the resignation of Hotham and the coming of Sir John Jervis in -November 1795 the naval policy in the Mediterranean underwent a change. -The latter officer believed in watching an enemy’s port at a convenient -distance so as to render pursuit easy if necessary. With the exception -of two or three squadrons on special service the fleet therefore took -up its station off Toulon. - -The victory of the French at the battle of Loano, on the 24th November -1795, was followed by their occupation of the Riviera of Genoa as a -matter of course, the Austrians retreating into Piedmont. A certain -amount of blame was laid on Nelson, who, as already noted, was in the -neighbourhood of Genoa in order to see that the pretended neutrality -was observed. Rumour had it that he and his officers had connived at -the landing of supplies for the French army. This drew from him an -indignant letter to Lord Grenville. It was certain that Genoa was a -hot-bed of sedition and French partisanship. An Austrian commissary -had been robbed, and Voltri temporarily captured; it was said that -an insurrection of the peasantry was imminent and that men were -publicly enlisted for service in the French army. The recruits were -to embark in French ships lying in the port of Genoa and in coasters -at Borghetto and to proceed to a landing-place near Voltri. Nelson, -far from sympathising with the malcontents, prevented the sailing of -the expedition by leaving Vado Bay and proceeding to the scene of the -trouble. He placed the _Agamemnon_ across the harbour-mouth and allowed -none of the enemy’s vessels to leave. - -It is a mournful letter which he pens to Sir Gilbert Elliot, Viceroy -of Corsica, on the 4th December 1795. “My campaign is closed,” he -begins, “by the defeat of the Austrian Army, and the consequent loss -of Vado and every place in the Riviera of Genoa, and I am on my way to -refit poor _Agamemnon_ and her miserable Ship’s company at Leghorn. We -are, indeed, Sir, worn out; except six days I have never been one hour -off the station.” The despatch is too lengthy to quote in full, but it -is significant that he adds, “My being at Genoa, although contrary to -my inclination, has been the means of saving from 8000 to 10,000 men, -and amongst others, General de Vins himself, who escaped by the road, -which, but for me, the Enemy would have occupied. I must, my dear Sir, -regret not having more force.” - -Nelson, who now made the acquaintance of Jervis, early discerned that -his senior officer was a man more after his own heart than either -Hotham or Sir Hyde Parker, who had held the command during the interim. -He was offered either a 90-gun or a 74-gun ship, but preferred to -keep to the well-tried _Agamemnon_, for whose crew he cherished a -fond affection. He was confident that in the succeeding Spring the -victorious French would “make a great exertion to get into Italy.” -This they did, but by land and not by sea as Nelson anticipated. After -refitting Nelson was still kept on the lookout, descents on Italy being -thought not improbable, but in February 1796 he was off Toulon for a -short time to spy on the doings of the French fleet. His health was -by no means good: “I am grown old and battered to pieces, and require -some repairs. However, on the whole, I have stood the fag better than -could be expected.” In the following month Nelson became a Commodore, -hoisting his distinguishing pennant on the _Captain_ (74) a little -later, the condition of the ship which had served him so long and so -well being such that she could no longer be patched up to withstand the -gales without being overhauled in England. - -The war was going from bad to worse so far as the allies were -concerned. The armies of the King of Sardinia and Piedmont and of the -Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire acted in separate bodies, whereas -they would have been superior to the enemy had they concentrated. The -battle of Montenotte, fought on the 12th April 1796, took the Austrians -completely by surprise, and enabled Napoleon to boast that his “title -of nobility” dated from this great victory. Millesimo, Dego, Mondovi, -and Cherasco fell, France and Sardinia made peace, followed by an -armistice between Naples and the Republic which preluded a cessation of -hostilities in the following October. - -Although Nelson was gradually rising in the service he was by no means -a wealthy man. “If we have a Spanish war,” he confides to his brother -on the 20th June 1796, “I shall yet hope to make something this war. -At present, I believe I am worse than when I set out--I mean in point -of riches, for if credit and honour in the service are desirable, I -have my full share. Opportunities have been frequently offered me, and -I have never lost one of distinguishing myself, not only as a gallant -man, but as having a head; for, of the numerous plans I have laid, not -one has failed, nor of opinions given, has one been in the event wrong. -It is this latter which has perhaps established my character more than -the others; and I hope to return in as good health as I set out with.” - -The French having taken possession of Leghorn, Nelson was ordered to -blockade that important port. At the same time he received intelligence -from Sir Gilbert Elliot that there was a likelihood of the enemy making -an attempt on the fortress of Porto Ferrajo in order that Elba might -be used as a stepping-stone to Corsica. The place was secured by the -British without resort to the sword, the good understanding between -the military and naval forces being in marked contrast to Nelson’s -previous experience at Bastia, “a farther proof of what may be effected -by the hearty co-operation of the two services.” He was soon back at -his former station, carrying out his work efficiently and to Jervis’s -complete satisfaction. The Commodore’s letter to his wife, dated the -2nd August 1796, reflects his high spirits and relates two anecdotes of -more than ordinary interest. After telling Mrs Nelson that “Wherever -there is anything to be done, there Providence is sure to direct my -steps. Credit must be given me in spite of envy,” he proceeds as -follows: - -“Even the French respect me: their Minister at Genoa, in answering -a Note of mine, when returning some wearing apparel that had been -taken, said, ‘Your Nation, Sir, and mine, are made to show examples of -generosity, as well as of valour, to all the people of the earth.’... - -“I will also relate another anecdote, all vanity to myself, but you -will partake of it: A person sent me a letter, and directed as follows, -‘Horatio Nelson, Genoa.’ On being asked how he could direct in such -a manner, his answer, in a large party, was ‘Sir, there is but one -Horatio Nelson in the world.’ The letter certainly came immediately. -At Genoa, where I have stopped all their trade, I am beloved and -respected, both by the Senate and lower Order. If any man is fearful of -his Vessel being stopped, he comes and asks me; if I give him a Paper, -or say, ‘All is right,’ he is contented. I am known throughout Italy; -not a Kingdom, or State, where my name will be forgotten. This is my -Gazette.” - -Towards the end of September Jervis was directed by the Home -Authorities to assist the Viceroy in the evacuation of Corsica, “and -with the fleet to retreat down the Mediterranean.” This was deemed -advisable by the knowledge that war was likely to be declared against -Great Britain by Spain, that Power having entered into an offensive and -defensive alliance with the ever victorious French Republic on the 12th -September 1796. Nelson, who had but recently assisted at the capture -of the little island of Capraja, which he hoped with some reason would -“give additional security to the Kingdom of Corsica,” was not pleased -when duty called him to undertake the evacuation of the country so -inseparably associated with Napoleon. “God knows what turn the minds of -the Corsicans may take when the measure comes to be known,” he tells -Jervis. Leaving the Mediterranean was a sore trial, “a measure which I -cannot approve. They at home do not know what this Fleet is capable of -performing; anything, and everything. Much as I shall rejoice to see -England”--he was writing to his wife--“I lament our present orders in -sackcloth and ashes, so dishonourable to the dignity of England, whose -Fleets are equal to meet the World in arms; and of all the Fleets I -ever saw, I never beheld one in point of officers and men equal to Sir -John Jervis’s, who is a Commander-in-chief able to lead them to glory.” - -The Commodore was next instructed to embark the garrison of Porto -Ferrajo preparatory to the abandonment of Elba. Certain of the troops -were then to be landed at Gibraltar and the remainder at Lisbon: “The -object of our Fleet in future is the defence of Portugal, and keeping -in the Mediterranean the Combined Fleets,” namely those of Spain and -France. While on his way to carry out his important mission Nelson was -to meet with a surprising adventure. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -Nelson’s First Great Fight: The Battle of Cape St Vincent - -(1797) - - “_To have had any share in it is honour enough for one man’s life, - but to have been foremost on such a day could fall to your share - alone_” - - SIR GILBERT ELLIOT. - - -Sir John Jervis had concentrated his fleet in Gibraltar Bay. Nelson -was making his way from thence to Elba in the _Minerve_, accompanied -by the _Blanche_, both 32-gun frigates. All went well until late in -the evening of the 19th December 1796, when they fell in with two -Spanish frigates named the _Santa Sabina_ (40) and the _Ceres_ (40) -off Cartagena. The Commodore at once instructed Captain Cockburn to -bring the _Minerve_ to close action with the former. The struggle which -ensued lasted for nearly three hours. The lengthy resistance of the -enemy is proof that there were still gallant officers in the naval -service of what was once the mightiest Sea Power in the world, now long -since fallen from her high estate. Captain Don Jacobo Stuart fought his -ship with praiseworthy calm and daring. Not until 164 of the 286 men -who comprised the crew of the _Santa Sabina_ had been killed or wounded -did the Don strike his colours. The vessel had then lost both main and -fore-masts, and the deck must have resembled a shambles. The _Blanche_ -had also behaved well, although the action was trifling compared with -the determined encounter between the other vessels. The approach of -three additional ships prevented the captain of the _Blanche_ from -following up his advantage and capturing the _Ceres_, which had hauled -down her colours and sustained considerable damage to her sails and -rigging. - -Nelson’s prize was put in charge of Lieutenants Culverhouse and Hardy -and taken in tow by the _Minerve_. They had not proceeded far before a -third Spanish frigate came up and engaged the _Minerve_, necessitating -the casting-off of the _Santa Sabina_, thereby leaving the two young, -but able, junior officers to their own resources. The encounter lasted -a little over half-an-hour, when the frigate having had enough of -Nelson’s pommelling hauled off. The vessels from which Captain D’Arcy -Preston of the _Blanche_ had escaped were now approaching, their -commanders having been attracted by the sound of distant firing. -Dawn revealed them to Nelson as two sail-of-the-line and a frigate. -By hoisting English colours above the Spanish flag on the prize -the enemy’s Admiral was attracted to her, a ruse which enabled the -_Minerve_ and the _Blanche_ to escape, for it would have been foolish -for Nelson to run the risk of sacrificing them because of the prize -crew. Indeed, the situation was so perilous that Nelson afterwards -wrote to Sir Gilbert Elliot, “We very narrowly escaped visiting a -Spanish prison.” Neither before nor since have British Tars behaved in -finer fashion. They sailed the _Santa Sabina_ until she was practically -a hulk, when she was recaptured. - -“The merits of every officer and man in the _Minerve_ and her Prize,” -Nelson reports to Jervis, “were eminently conspicuous through the -whole of this arduous day.” He likewise said the kindest things of his -antagonist: “My late prisoner, a descendant from the Duke of Berwick, -son of James II., was my brave opponent; for which I have returned him -his sword, and sent him in a Flag of truce to Spain ... he was reputed -the best Officer in Spain, and his men were worthy of such a Commander; -he was the only surviving Officer.” He reserved more picturesque -details for his brother. - -“When I hailed the Don,” he relates, “and told him, ‘This is an English -Frigate,’ and demanded his surrender or I would fire into him, his -answer was noble, and such as became the illustrious family from which -he is descended--‘This is a Spanish Frigate, and you may begin as soon -as you please.’ I have no idea of a closer or sharper battle: the -force to a gun the same, and nearly the same number of men; we having -two hundred and fifty. I asked him several times to surrender during -the Action, but his answer was--‘No, Sir; not whilst I have the means -of fighting left.’ When only himself of all the Officers were left -alive, he hailed, and said he could fight no more, and begged I would -stop firing.” Culverhouse and Hardy, after having been conveyed to -Carthagena, were subsequently exchanged for the unlucky but brave Don, -and returned to the _Minerve_. - -[Illustration: “I’ll not lose Hardy!” - -H. C. Seppings Wright] - -Nelson duly anchored at Porto Ferrajo, and met with a lack of -co-operation on the part of the military authority similar to some of -his previous experiences. Lieutenant-General de Burgh, in command of -the troops, declined to evacuate the town. Nelson, having no other -alternative, removed the naval stores, left a number of sloops and -gunboats for use in emergency, and sailed for Gibraltar, which he -reached on the 9th February 1797, having looked into the enemy’s ports -of Toulon and Cartagena on the way. Two days later the Commodore -again set out in his endeavour to join Jervis, and was chased by two -Spanish ships. It was then that a memorable incident occurred in the -lives of both Nelson and Hardy, names inseparably associated. A man -fell overboard, and Hardy and a crew in the jolly-boat hastened to the -rescue. The current was strong, the poor fellow sank, and the boat -rapidly drifted in the direction of one of the oncoming vessels, so -that Hardy stood a very good chance of again falling into the hands -of the enemy. “I’ll not lose Hardy; back the mizen topsail,” shouted -Nelson without a moment’s hesitation. This was done, and the -lieutenant and his sailors were rescued. The Spaniards were completely -put off their guard. Led to imagine by the peculiar manœuvre of the -_Minerve_ that other British ships had been sighted, they gave up the -chase. No further exciting incidents occurred as the doughty frigate -ploughed the blue waters of the Mediterranean, although the Spanish -fleet was passed at night. On the 13th Nelson joined Jervis, off Cape -St Vincent, and was able to assure him that a battle appeared imminent. -“Every heart warmed to see so brave and fortunate a warrior among us,” -says Lieutenant G. S. Parsons, then not quite thirteen years of age -and a first-class volunteer on board the _Barfleur_ (98). During the -succeeding hours of darkness the low and distant rumble of signal guns -proved the truth of the Commodore’s assertion. The enemy’s fleet of -twenty-seven sail-of-the-line and twelve 34-gun frigates was certainly -hastening in the direction of Jervis. It had sailed from Cadiz for a -very important purpose. After concentrating with the Toulon fleet the -allies were to attempt to raise the English blockade of Brest, thus -releasing the important armament there, gain command of the Channel, -and invade Ireland. We shall have occasion to notice that in later -years Napoleon conceived a similar idea. It is open to question whether -Admiral Don Josef de Cordova would have been quite so eager for the -fray had he known the full British strength. He believed it to be -nine sail-of-the-line, whereas fifteen battleships and seven smaller -vessels were awaiting his coming. When the signal-lieutenant of the -_Barfleur_ exclaimed of the oncoming leeward line of vessels, “They -loom like Beachy Head in a fog! By my soul, they are thumpers, for I -distinctly make out _four_ tier of ports in one of them, bearing an -admiral’s flag,” he expressed plain, honest fact. “Don Cordova, in -the _Santissima Trinidad_,” Jervis correctly surmised, “and I trust -in Providence that we shall reduce this mountain into a mole hill -before sunset.” The Spanish flag-ship was the largest vessel afloat, -and carried 130 guns. She must have towered above the insignificant -_Captain_ (74), to which Nelson had transferred his broad pennant, -much like an elephant over a Shetland pony. Nor was the _Santissima -Trinidad_ the only vessel built on what was then considered to be -colossal lines. No fewer than six of the Spanish three-deckers carried -112 guns each; two of them had 80 guns each, and seventeen were 74-gun -ships. England was represented by two sail-of-the-line of 100 guns -each, two of 98 each, ten of 74 each, and one of 64. - -“The British had formed one of the most beautiful and close lines -ever beheld,” Parsons tells us. “The fog drew up like a curtain, and -disclosed the grandest sight I ever witnessed. The Spanish fleet, -close on our weather bow, were making the most awkward attempts to -form their line of battle, and they looked a complete forest huddled -together; their commander-in-chief, covered with signals, and running -free on his leeward line, using his utmost endeavours to get them into -order; but they seemed confusion worse confounded. I was certainly very -young, but felt so elated as to walk on my toes, by way of appearing -taller, as I bore oranges to the admiral and captain, selecting some -for myself, which I stored in a snug corner in the stern-galley, as a -_Corps de réserve_. The breeze was just sufficient to cause all the -sails to sleep, and we were close hauled on the starboard tack, with -royals set, heading up for the Spanish fleet. Our supporting ship, in -the well-formed line, happened to be the _Captain_, and Captain Dacres -hailed to say that he was desired by the vice-admiral to express his -pleasure at being supported by Sir Horatio Nelson.”[17] - -Men famous in British naval annals were present at this memorable -contest, fought on St Valentine’s Day, 1797. Jervis was in the -_Victory_ (100), Troubridge in the _Culloden_ (74), Collingwood in the -_Excellent_ (74), and Saumarez in the _Orion_ (74). Twenty-four years -before Troubridge and Nelson had sailed together in the _Seahorse_; -Collingwood was the Commodore’s life-long friend, and Saumarez, whom -the great little man did not like, was to become second in command at -the battle of the Nile eighteen months later. - -“England,” the Admiral averred, “was in need of a victory,” and he gave -her one. Jervis was indeed a doughty champion of his country’s rights -at sea. “The British Admiral made the signal to prepare for battle,” -says an eye-witness. “As he walked the quarter-deck the hostile numbers -were reported to him, as they appeared, by signal. ‘There are eight -sail-of-the-line, Sir John.’ ‘Very well, sir.’ ‘There are twenty-five -sail-of-the-line.’ ‘Very well, sir.’ ‘There are twenty-seven sail, Sir -John,’ and this was accompanied by some remark on the great disparity -of the forces. ‘Enough, sir--no more of that: the die is cast; and -if there were fifty sail-of-the-line, I would go through them.’” Sir -Benjamin Hallowell-Carew, then a supernumerary on the quarter-deck -of the _Victory_, disregarding the austerity of naval etiquette and -thinking only of the determined utterance of the grim old veteran, so -far forgot himself as to give the Admiral a hearty slap on the back. - -The Spanish fleet was in two divisions of twenty-one and six -sail-of-the-line respectively, separated by a distance of some miles. -Three of the main squadron joined the latter a little later, while one -“sailed away.” Jervis’s fleet, in single column, separated the two -lines. By a skilful manœuvre he held in check the smaller division -and brought his ships to bear on the larger, the _Culloden_ being the -first vessel to attack, which elicited warm praise of Troubridge from -Jervis. The fight at once became general and was waged for some time -without decisive results. Then several of the leading Spanish ships -endeavoured to get round the rear of the British. Had they succeeded -in doing so it would have enabled them to join the detached leeward -division and escape to Cadiz. Nelson at once discerned the project, -and without hesitation placed the _Captain_ in the path of the oncoming -ships. He “dashed in among the Spanish van,” to quote Parsons, “totally -unsupported, leaving a break in the British line--conduct totally -unprecedented, and only to be justified by the most complete success -with which it was crowned....” - -The _Captain_, the smallest 74 in the fleet, stood a good chance -of being annihilated by the oncoming squadron of Spanish ships, -which included the _Santissima Trinidad_, a gigantic four-decker. -Lieutenant-Colonel Drinkwater, who was an eye-witness, tells us that -for a considerable time Nelson “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 90 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 its 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[18]: 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_, _Goliath_, 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 squadron 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 -weather-most 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 74, 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 -musquetry, 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_ ... 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 R. W. 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 84 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 which 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.” - -“At this time,” says Nelson, “the _Captain_ having lost her -fore-topmast, not a sail, shroud, or rope left, her wheel shot away, -and incapable of further service in the line, or in chase, I directed -Captain Miller to put the helm a-starboard, and calling for the -Boarders, ordered them to board. The Soldiers of the 69th Regiment, -with an alacrity which will ever do them credit, and Lieutenant Pierson -of the same Regiment, were amongst 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 very act of -going also, but I directed him to remain); he was supported from our -spritsail-yard, which hooked in the mizzen-rigging. A soldier of the -69th Regiment having broke the upper quarter-gallery window, jumped -in, followed by myself and 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) fell, as retreating -to the quarter-deck, on the larboard side, near the wheel. Having -pushed on the quarter-deck, I found Captain Berry in possession of the -poop, and the Spanish ensign hauling down. I passed with my people and -Lieutenant Pierson on the larboard gangway to the forecastle, where -I met two or three Spanish Officers prisoners to my seamen, and they -delivered me their swords. - -“At this moment, a fire of pistols or muskets opened 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, when the Spanish -Captain, with a bow, presented me his Sword, and said the Admiral was -dying of his wounds below. I asked him, on his honour, if the Ship were -surrendered? he declared she was; on which I gave him my hand, and -desired him to call to his Officers and Ship’s company, and tell them -of it--which he did; 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 _sangfroid_ under -his arm.” - -Nelson afterwards went on board the _Irresistible_. It was then late -in the afternoon, and he did not think it advisable to take possession -of the _Santissima Trinidad_ because he was convinced that “a night -Action with a still very superior Fleet” must inevitably follow. -Jervis received the Commodore with great affection and was not sparing -with well-deserved praise. The hero of the day was no less generous in -acknowledging the services of Collingwood. He described his conduct -as “noble and gallant.” Nelson had no truer friend than the commander -of the _Excellent_, whose admiration for the Commodore’s genius knew -no bounds. “The highest rewards are due to you and _Culloden_:” -Collingwood replied, “you formed the plan of attack--we were only -accessories to the Dons’ ruin; for had they got on the other tack, they -would have been sooner joined, and the business would have been less -complete.” - -While the interest of the fight centres about the _Captain_, each -ship contributed to the victory. In addition to Nelson’s vessel, the -_Colossus_ and _Culloden_ were badly battered but fortunately the loss -in men was remarkably small. Four prizes fell to the British fleet on -St Valentine’s Day, 1797. - -To his wife, Nelson confesses that “the more I think of our late -action, the more I am astonished; it absolutely appears a dream.... -The Spanish war will give us a cottage and a piece of ground, which -is all I want. I shall come one day or other laughing back, when we -will retire from the busy scenes of life: I do not, however, mean to -be a hermit; the dons will give us a little money.” This must not be -taken too seriously, for within forty-eight hours of the battle he -had confided to Sir Gilbert Elliot that “to take hereditary Honours -without a fortune to support the Dignity, is to lower that Honour it -would be my pride to support in proper splendour.” He did not wish a -“baronetage,” but on the other hand, “There are Honours, which die -with the possessor, and I should be proud to accept, if my efforts are -thought worthy of the favour of my King.” George III. created him a -Knight of the Bath; Jervis became Earl of St Vincent. Six days after -the battle Nelson was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral of the Blue, -not as a reward for his meritorious conduct but as his due according to -seniority. - -A beautiful gold casket containing the much-coveted Freedom of the -City and a sword of honour was given to Sir Horatio, as we must now -call him, by the Corporation of London, and Norwich, where some of -his school days were spent, likewise conferred its Freedom upon him. -Nelson on his part presented the county town of Norfolk with the sword -of the Spanish Rear-Admiral who had died of his wounds on board the -_San Josef_. Other cities extended “the right hand of friendship” to -the hero, including Bath and Bristol. Nelson’s father was overcome when -he heard of his son’s brilliant success: “The height of glory to which -your professional judgment, united with a proper degree of bravery, -guarded by Providence, has raised you, few sons, my dear child, attain -to, and fewer fathers live to see. Tears of joy have involuntarily -trickled down my furrowed cheek. Who could stand the force of such -general congratulation? The name and services of Nelson have sounded -throughout the City of Bath, from the common ballad-singer to the -public theatre. Joy sparkles in every eye, and desponding Britain draws -back her sable veil, and smiles.” - -Although he had clearly disobeyed Jervis’s order for the ships to -attack in succession, the Commodore’s daring action had rendered the -battle decisive. Sir Robert Calder, the Captain of the Fleet, is said -to have protested against Nelson’s conduct, but the Admiral’s reply, -“If you ever commit such a breach of orders I will forgive you,” -was entirely worthy of the stern old disciplinarian. Jervis was not -one of those officers who bestow praise on every possible occasion, -both in and out of season. He was just, and therefore recognised the -extremely valuable service which Nelson had rendered to him. We shall -have occasion to see how Calder himself behaved at a certain critical -period, when a stroke of genius such as had been displayed at St -Vincent would have robbed Nelson of the glory of Trafalgar.[19] - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -From Triumph to Failure: The Attempt on Santa Cruz - -(1797) - - “_I have had flattery enough to make me vain, and success enough to - make me confident._” - - NELSON. - - -All hopes on the part of Britain’s enemies for the invasion of the -British Isles were quashed for a time by the victory off Cape St -Vincent. Although the distressed Spanish fleet reached Cadiz safely, -minus four sail-of-the-line which the British had captured, there was -no likelihood at the moment of the ships showing their “noses” out of -port, many of the aforesaid noses being much out of joint. For several -weeks Nelson was engaged in a fruitless search for a treasure-ship, -convoyed by three sail-of-the-line, supposed to be making for Spain; -but in April 1797 he was directed by the Admiral to blockade Cadiz, -a task not altogether devoid of incident if for no other reason than -that no neutral vessel was permitted to enter or leave the port without -his permission. He was particularly concerned as to the welfare of the -garrison at Elba. The Commander-in-Chief believed that the soldiers -were on their way to Gibraltar; Nelson was of opinion that “If the -French get out two sail-of-the-line, which I am confident they may do, -our Troops are lost, and what a triumph would that be to them!” At his -own suggestion he was sent to Porto Ferrajo to make enquiries about -the luckless little army. The convoy had started, and he met it off -the south of Corsica. He learned of Napoleon’s wonderful success in -the subjugation of Italy and the humbling of Austria, admitting that -“there seems no prospect of stopping these extraordinary people,” the -French. Shifting from the _Captain_, which required to be docked, he -hoisted his rear-admiral’s flag on the _Theseus_, and was given command -of the inshore squadron of the fleet blockading the great seaport, “in -sight of the whole Spanish Fleet. I am barely out of shot of a Spanish -Rear-Admiral.” The citizens not unnaturally dreaded a bombardment; -Nelson confessed, “I long to be at them.” At the same time he reverted -to the old idea of a cottage in Norfolk. “The imperious call of honour -to serve my Country,” and a not ignoble desire to add to his prize -money in order to give his wife “those little luxuries which you so -highly merit,” did not, however, permit him to give more than a passing -thought to retirement. - -On the night of the 3rd July 1797 all the barges and launches of -the British blockading fleet, carrying carronades, ammunition and -pikes, were placed at Nelson’s disposal by the Earl of St Vincent for -the bombardment of Cadiz. A spirited action took place between the -British and Spanish sailors, the latter using mortar gunboats and -armed launches. The Spanish met with a repulse and three prizes were -taken. Referring to the blockade in his Autobiography, Nelson says: -“It was during this period that perhaps my personal courage was more -conspicuous than at any other part of my life,” the remark obviously -referring to the following incident. The barge of the Commander of the -enemy’s gunboats came up alongside Nelson’s little craft, containing -thirteen persons in all, and a desperate hand-to-hand fight ensued. -The Rear-Admiral would have lost his life had it not been for the good -services of John Sykes, the coxswain, one of those humble heroes of -whom one hears too little, so predominant are the greater figures -of history. The enemy paid dearly for the exploit. Eighteen of the -crew were killed, several wounded, the Commander was taken prisoner, -and the boat captured. On the 5th of the same month Cadiz was again -bombarded, and according to the official despatch, the cannonade -“produced considerable effect in the Town and among the Shipping.” The -Earl of St Vincent now proved how strict a disciplinarian he was. The -crews of some of the ships had shown unmistakable signs of mutiny, and -the Court Martial having passed sentence on four of the ringleaders, -the Commander-in-Chief saw no reason for delaying the execution of -the sentence. He had the men hanged on a Sunday, a few hours after -they had been found guilty. Nelson strongly approved of the execution, -“even although it is _Sunday_. The particular situation of the service -requires extraordinary measures.” It is significant that no signs of -dissatisfaction made themselves felt in any of the Rear-Admiral’s -ships, but Nelson’s words show that he would not have condoned anything -of the kind. - -An attack on Santa Cruz, where it was believed that the _Principe -d’Asturias_, a ship of considerable value belonging to the Philippine -Company, had taken shelter, next fell to Nelson’s lot. He had already -hinted to the Admiral that the conquest of Teneriffe was an object -very dear to him, which he was confident “could not fail of success, -would immortalize the undertakers, ruin Spain, and has every prospect -of raising our Country to a higher pitch of wealth than she has ever -yet attained....” His plan was to utilise the 3700 soldiers from -Elba; “I will undertake with a very small Squadron to do the Naval -part.” The scheme fell through, to be revived by the Earl himself, -but it was to be carried out without the assistance of the troops. -Three sail-of-the-line and the same number of frigates were placed at -Nelson’s disposal. Ladders, sledge-hammers, wedges, axes, additional -iron ram-rods, and a sleigh for dragging cannon formed a necessary -part of the equipment. A perusal of the regulations recommended by -the Rear-Admiral shows that he took the most elaborate precautions to -ensure success. Captain Thomas Troubridge, of the _Culloden_, was given -command of the entire force, Captain Oldfield directing the Marines, -Lieutenant Baynes his detachment of the Royal Artillery. The first -attempt was made on the night of the 21st and failed, largely owing to -adverse weather. As a consequence the spot which Nelson had indicated -as most suitable for landing was not reached, and dawn disclosed the -whereabouts of the little expedition to the Spaniards. It was also -found impossible to get the battle-ships close enough to the fort to -create a diversion by bombardment while the storming party attempted to -gain the heights. - -Any blame which may have been attributable to Troubridge was minimised -by Nelson in his despatch to the Admiral, “all has hitherto been done -which was possible, without effect.” He therefore decided to command -in person, “and to-morrow my head will probably be crowned with either -laurel or cypress.” Did some premonition of disaster lead him to write -to the Earl of St Vincent to recommend his step-son “to you and my -Country,” and to add that “should I fall in the service of my King and -Country” the Duke of Clarence would “take a lively interest” in Josiah -Nisbet? It was certainly not his way of saying things at this stage -of his career, although we know that in 1805 he avowed that Trafalgar -would be his last battle. - -[Illustration: Nelson wounded at Santa Cruz - -R. Caton Woodville] - -On the 24th Nelson was able to get his ships nearer land than on the -previous occasion. He and nearly a thousand men set out in small boats -at about eleven o’clock at night for the Mole, where they were to -disembark. The oars being muffled and dead silence enjoined, the enemy -did not discover their approach till they were within half gun-shot of -the appointed _rendez-vous_. Immediately thirty or forty cannon blazed -out, the sharp ping of musket shots rent the air, but, says Nelson, -“nothing could stop the intrepidity of the Captains leading the -divisions. Unfortunately, the greatest 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.” - -With the companies of four or five boats and two Captains, the -Rear-Admiral stormed the landing-place in the darkness and took -possession of it in the presence of several hundred of the enemy. They -then proceeded to spike the guns, but were driven back by the heavy -fire which seemed to issue from every available point. Scarcely a man -escaped death or a wound. Nelson was shot through the right elbow as -he was stepping from the boat. With rare presence of mind he quietly -transferred the sword he carried to his left hand. This weapon, once -the property of his uncle Maurice Suckling, was treasured by him -almost more than any other possession. He was not going to leave that -of all things on Spanish soil! Young Nisbet happened to be near his -step-father at the moment he received his wound, and placed him in the -bottom of the boat. He then held the arm so as to staunch the blood, -untied the silk handkerchief round his neck and bound up the injury -as best he could. After passing under the enemy’s batteries the few -men who had regained the little craft bent to the oars and eventually -pulled out of range of the guns, but not before some of the crew of the -_Fox_, who had been flung into the sea owing to the sinking of that -cutter, had been rescued by them. Someone suggested that Nelson should -be taken to the nearest vessel for surgical treatment. He would not -hear of this because the captain’s wife happened to be on board and -he had no intelligence of her husband’s fate. Whatever agonies Nelson -suffered, as the sadly denuded crew made their way to the _Theseus_, -were kept to himself; scarcely a groan escaped his lips. - -“At two o’clock [A.M.],” says a midshipman who saw the sorrowful -boatload, “Admiral Nelson returned on board, being dreadfully wounded -in the right arm with a grape-shot. I leave you to judge of my -situation, when I beheld our boat approach with him who I may say -has been a second father to me, his right arm dangling by his side, -whilst with the other he helped himself to jump up the Ship’s side, -and with a spirit that astonished every one, told the surgeon to get -his instruments ready, for he knew he must lose his arm, and that the -sooner it was off the better. He underwent the amputation with the same -firmness and courage that have always marked his character.” - -Captain Troubridge and his men landed near the citadel after most of -the ammunition had been soaked by the surf, which was so violent that -it filled the boats and stove them against the treacherous rocks. With -a handful of heroes he proceeded to the Square, previously appointed -as the meeting-place of the various parties before the final attack. -The scaling ladders having been lost, and no further men making their -appearance after an hour’s wait, he set out to meet Captains Hood -and Miller, whom he believed had effected a landing elsewhere. “By -day-break,” runs his official report to Nelson, “we had collected about -eighty Marines, eighty Pike-men, 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 further; 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; that if he would come to my terms, I was ready -to treat, which he readily agreed to....” - -The terms were, “That the Troops, etc., 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 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.” - -Troubridge’s game of bluff succeeded. His Excellency Don Antonio -Gutierrez, Commandant-General of the Canary Islands, rid himself of the -invaders and was rewarded by Nelson with a cask of English beer and a -cheese! - -It says much for Nelson’s indomitable pluck and recuperative powers, -as well as for his keen interest in the service, that he allowed only -two days to intervene before he penned a letter with his left hand to -the Admiral. That he was depressed is obvious, that he still had a -fund of grim humour is equally evident by the quaint postscript. The -communication runs as follows: - - _Theseus, July 27th, 1797._ - - “MY DEAR SIR, - - “I am become a burthen to my friends, and useless to my Country; - but by my letter wrote the 24th,[20] you will perceive my anxiety - for the promotion of my son-in-law, Josiah Nisbet.[21] When I - leave your command, I become dead to the World; I go hence, and am - no more seen. If from poor Bowen’s loss,[22] you think it proper - to oblige me, I rest confident you will do it; the Boy is under - obligations to me, but he repaid me by bringing me from the Mole - of Santa Cruz. - - “I hope you will be able to give me a frigate, to convey the - remains of my carcase to England. God bless you, my dear Sir, and - believe me, your most obliged and faithful, - - “HORATIO NELSON. - - “You will excuse my scrawl, considering it is my first attempt. - - “Sir John Jervis, K.Bth.” - -In another despatch to his senior officer the leader of the ill-fated -expedition avers that “A left-handed Admiral will never again be -considered as useful, therefore the sooner I get to a very humble -cottage the better, and make room for a better man to serve the -State.” The noble Earl’s reply must have been as healing balm to the -wounded body and depressed spirit of the man whose brilliant success -had been followed so quickly by disastrous failure. “Mortals cannot -command success;” he begins, “you and your Companions have certainly -deserved it, by the greatest degree of heroism and perseverance that -ever was exhibited.” Such praise from St Vincent was praise indeed, -and he whimsically concludes by saying that he will “bow to your stump -to-morrow morning, if you will give me leave.” - -On the 20th August 1797, Nelson struck his flag on the _Theseus_ and -hoisted it on the _Seahorse_, in which ship he made “a very miserable -passage home.” He arrived at Spithead on the 1st September and -proceeded to Bath. To his brother he reported that his health “never -was better, and my arm is in the fairest way of soon healing.” He -intended to journey to London, perhaps pay a short visit to Norfolk -“for a few days, especially if a decent house is likely to be met with -near Norwich; but Wroxham very far indeed exceeds my purse. Bath will -be my home till next spring.” On the other hand Lady Nelson wrote on -the same date that her husband suffered “a good deal of pain--the arm -is taken off very high, near the shoulder,” and he only obtained rest -by resorting to opium. - -If he never minimised a victory in his communications Nelson certainly -did not remark unduly on his wounds. In writing to the Duke of Clarence -he merely referred to “my accident,” and passed on to assure his royal -friend “that not a scrap of that ardour with which I have hitherto -served our King has been shot away.” It is only right, however, to add -that in communicating with the Comptroller of the Navy he was perhaps -a little unjust to Troubridge in the matter of the initial attempt on -Santa Cruz: “Had I been with the first party, I have reason to believe -complete success would have crowned our endeavours.[23] My pride -suffered; and although I felt the second attack a forlorn hope, yet the -honour of our Country called for the attack, and that I should command -it. I never expected to return, and am thankful.” - -On the 27th September, Nelson was invested with the Ensigns of the -Order of the Bath by George III. at St James’s Palace. In addition he -was granted a pension of £1000 a year, having been “engaged against the -Enemy upwards of one hundred and twenty times.” He became a popular -hero, but as he himself said, “Success covers a multitude of blunders, -and the want of it hides the greatest gallantry and good conduct.” -Compared to the victory off Cape St Vincent the Santa Cruz fiasco was -of little moment. Kind-hearted John Bull dismissed the latter incident -and thought only of the former. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -In Chase of the French Fleet - -(1798) - - “_No Frigates!--to which has been, and may again, be attributed the - loss of the French Fleet._” - - NELSON. - - -The year 1797 had been a particularly trying one for Nelson both as -regards health and reputation; the succeeding twelve months were to -test his powers of endurance and his skill even more. The services of -the one-eyed, one-armed little man were not to be dispensed with, as -he had suggested in a moment of despondency. He neither retired to “a -very humble cottage,” although he had purchased a small property known -as Round Wood, near Ipswich, nor made room for “a better man.” Truth -to tell, there was no better man, and for once the Admiralty knew -its business. Nelson hoisted his flag as Rear-Admiral of the Blue on -board the _Vanguard_ (74) at Spithead on the 29th March 1798, sailed -for Lisbon with a convoy on the 10th April, and joined his old fleet -off Cadiz on the last day of that month, the times “big with events.” -Within forty-eight hours he was ordered by St Vincent to ascertain the -destination of an immense armament which was preparing at Toulon and -other ports in the Mediterranean. For this important service a squadron -of three sail-of-the-line, including his own ship, three frigates -and a sloop were placed at his disposal. A small French corvette was -captured, and by closely examining each member of the crew it was -ascertained that although Bonaparte had appeared at the great French -port it was not believed he would embark. The most important point of -all, namely, the destination of the expedition, was not revealed: “all -is secret.” - -While off Toulon, Nelson encountered one of the worst gales he -ever experienced. His own account of the fight with this universal -enemy lacks the picturesque details given by Captain Berry, of the -_Vanguard_, and we shall therefore quote from Berry’s letter. Nelson -tells his wife that “it was the Almighty’s goodness, to check my -consummate vanity”; his more matter-of-fact captain sees only a natural -cause. Just before sunset on Sunday, the 20th of May, it became evident -that the spell of fine weather, which had been enjoyed hitherto, was -over. The wind increased in violence so much that it became necessary -to furl all the sails with the exception of a main storm-staysail. -“At about two,” says Berry, “the main-topmast went over the side, -with the top-sailyard full of men. I dreaded the inquiry of who were -killed and drowned; fortunately only one man fell overboard, and -one fell on the booms, and was killed on the spot. At half-past two -the mizen-topmast went over the side; the foremast gave an alarming -crack, and at a quarter past three went by the board with a most -tremendous crash, and, what was very extraordinary, it fell in two -pieces across the forecastle. Our situation was really alarming: the -wreck of the fore-topmast and foremast hanging over the side, and -beating against the Ship’s bottom; the best bower-anchor was flung -out of its place, and was also thumping the bottom; the wreck of the -main topmast swinging violently against the main-rigging, every roll -endangering the loss of the mainmast, which we expected to fall every -moment: thus circumstanced, we endeavoured, though with but little -hopes of success, to wear,[24] having no head-sail, and knowing we -were driving on an Enemy’s shore. Fortunately there was a small rag -of the sprit-sail left, and by watching a favourable moment, we got -her on the other tack. The bowsprit did not go, though it was sprung -in three different places. The Ship rolled and laboured dreadfully, -but did not make any water, more than we shipped over all. We cut the -anchor from the bows, and got clear of the wreck, with the loss of a -boat and top-sailyard, etc., and were not apprehensive of our bottom -being damaged.... For want of masts we rolled dreadfully. The storm -did not abate till Tuesday afternoon, which enabled the _Alexander_ to -take us in tow. Our situation on Tuesday night was the most alarming -I ever experienced....” At one time Nelson was of opinion that both -ships would go down, and wished the _Vanguard_ to be cast off. Captain -Alexander Ball, with whom the Rear-Admiral had struck up a slight -acquaintance at St Omer on the occasion of his visit to France in -1783, would not hear of it, and brought the vessels safely to the -shelter of the islands of San Pietro. After being patched up the three -sail-of-the-line again proceeded on their way to Toulon, minus the -smaller craft which had parted company long since, and eventually -returned to St Vincent’s fleet. - -Fortune had played Nelson false. The Toulon fleet had escaped on the -19th May. While the three English battle-ships were riding out the -gale it was making for Genoa, Ajaccio, and Civita Vecchia to rally -transports. The destination of the expedition was Egypt; Malta the -first object of prey. Shortly after the signature of the Treaty of -Campo Formio on the 17th October 1797, which pacified the Continent for -a time, Napoleon had returned in triumph to Paris from his victorious -Italian Campaign. He was then appointed by the French Directory -Commander of the Army of England, so called because the purpose for -which it was brought into being was the subjugation of that country. -Napoleon certainly devoted much of his time to the project, but -soon came to the conclusion that the plan was not practicable at -the moment. He dreamed of Oriental conquest, of occupying Egypt and -invading India: “We may change the face of the world!” How could the -command of the Channel be secured when Admiral Lord Bridport commanded -a formidable fleet in those waters and frequently appeared off Brest, -when Admiral Lord Duncan patrolled the North Sea, and the naval -highways of Spithead, the Downs, the Nore, St George’s Channel, and the -Bay of Biscay were strongly guarded by British fleets or divisions? -The Mediterranean seemed the only vulnerable point, for the Earl of St -Vincent’s fleet was alone stationed within striking distance of that -great inland sea. - -It is necessary at this point to briefly refer to the naval strength of -Great Britain as compared with that of France. At the beginning of 1798 -the Republic possessed fifty-seven sail-of-the-line, forty-six frigates -and seventy-two smaller vessels, to which must be added nine remnants -of the Venetian navy and whatever forces could be commanded from Spain -and Holland. Fourteen sail-of-the-line, seventeen frigates, and three -cutters were on the stocks in French shipyards. During the same year -England had no fewer than one hundred and twenty line-of-battle ships -and over five hundred smaller vessels at her disposal. The recent -mutiny at the Nore had shown that there was some dissatisfaction in -the British naval service, but the ships were not undermanned as in -France, they were in finer condition, and the victories off Cape St -Vincent and Camperdown had acted as a stimulant. If those before the -mast occasionally grumbled, nothing further was heard of organised -insubordination. - -The Admiralty had now sent a reinforcement of eight battle-ships -and two fire-ships to the Admiral, who was told “to lose no time -in detaching from your Fleet a Squadron, consisting of twelve -Sail-of-the-line, and a competent number of Frigates, under the -command of some discreet Flag-Officer, into the Mediterranean, with -instructions to him to proceed in quest of the said Armament;[25] and -on falling in with it, or any other Force belonging to the Enemy, to -take or destroy it.” The officer was also “to remain upon this service -so long as the provisions of the said Squadron will last, or as long -as he may be enabled to obtain supplies from any of the ports in the -Mediterranean.” According to later orders supplies were to be exacted -“from the territories of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the King of the -Two Sicilies, the Ottoman Territory, Malta, and ci-devant Venetian -Dominions now belonging to the Emperor of Germany.” The Dey of Algiers, -the Bey of Tunis, and the Bashaw of Tripoli were also believed to -be friendly. Lord Spencer, First Lord of the Admiralty, suggested -Nelson as the most likely man for this extremely important service. -Several eminent personages claimed to have aided him in his selection, -including Sir Gilbert Elliot and the King. - -Sir Horatio was accordingly given command of a squadron which numbered -thirteen line-of-battle ships, all carrying seventy-four guns, and -one fifty-gun ship, the _Leander_. St Vincent’s selection awoke the -ire of Nelson’s two seniors in the Earl’s fleet, namely, Sir William -Parker and Sir John Orde. As we have seen, the Admiral had scarcely a -voice in the matter, and subsequent events abundantly confirmed the -wisdom of the appointment. Unfortunately there were no frigates, “the -eyes of a fleet.” As to the destination of Napoleon and his army of -adventurers, the Rear-Admiral was not far wrong when he wrote to Lord -Spencer on the 15th June, after interrogating the captain of a Tunisian -cruiser who had seen them on the 4th off Trapani, that “If they pass -Sicily, I shall believe they are going on their scheme of possessing -Alexandria, and getting troops to India--a plan concerted with Tippoo -Saib, by no means so difficult as might at first view be imagined; but -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.” Off Messina he heard that the French had taken -possession of Malta. After discussing the matter with his captains he -decided to sail for Alexandria, which he reached two days before the -enemy’s arrival. He then “stretched the Fleet over to the Coast of -Asia,” and “passed close to the southern side of Candia, but without -seeing one Vessel in our route.” This was the position on the 12th -July, when he was still “without the smallest information of the French -Fleet since their leaving Malta.” A week later the squadron anchored -in Syracuse harbour to obtain water and provisions, set off again on -the 25th, and on the 28th the important news was obtained that about a -month before the French fleet had been seen sailing in the direction of -the south-east from Candia. To Nelson this intelligence meant but one -destination--Alexandria. His surmise was correct: “I attacked at sunset -on the 1st of August, off the Mouth of the Nile.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -The Battle of the Nile - -1798 - - _As long as Egypt’s pyramids shall stand, - Long as the Nile shall fertilize her land; - So long the voice of never-dying fame - Shall add to England’s glory Nelson’s name!_ - - W. T. FITZGERALD. - - -It is difficult for a landsman to appreciate the joy with which -Nelson’s captains, his “Band of Brothers,” as he called them, as -well as the men of lower rank, beheld the enemy moored in line of -battle parallel with the shore in Aboukir Bay on what might well be -termed “the glorious first of August.” They had been searching the -Mediterranean for long, weary weeks, anxious to try conclusions with -Napoleon’s fleet, but thwarted at every turn by lack of information. At -last they were face to face, led by an admiral of unequalled resolution -in whom they placed implicit confidence. - -“The utmost joy,” says Berry,[26] “seemed to animate every breast on -board the Squadron, at sight of the Enemy; and 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, and it 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 the cruize, whenever the weather and circumstances -would permit, to have his Captains on board the _Vanguard_, where he -would fully develop to them his own ideas of the different and best -modes of attack, and such plans as he proposed to execute upon falling -in with the Enemy, whatever their position or situation might be, by -day or by night. 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 upon surveying the situation of the Enemy, they could -ascertain with precision what were the ideas and intentions of their -Commander, without the aid of any further instructions; by which -means signals became almost unnecessary, much time was saved, and the -attention of every Captain could almost undistractedly be paid to -the conduct of his own particular Ship, a circumstance from which, -upon this occasion, the advantages to the general service were almost -incalculable.” - -We must now try to understand the strength and position of the French -fleet. It consisted of thirteen line-of-battle ships, three carrying -eighty guns and one one hundred and twenty guns, and four frigates. -Napoleon, who was far away adding triumph to triumph, had left Admiral -Brueys with three alternative plans. He could enter the port of -Alexandria, Aboukir Roads, or sail for Corfu, leaving the transports at -Alexandria. Brueys soon found that the harbour scarcely held sufficient -water for the navigation of his largest ships. Once inside, it would -be next to impossible to get them out in front of a hostile fleet on -account of the narrow exit. He chose Aboukir Bay, in a position some -ten miles from the Rosetta mouth of the Nile. Here he anchored his -thirteen battle-ships, with great gaps between them, in a line roughly -parallel with the shore, and flanked by gunboats and frigates. His van -was placed as close to Aboukir Island as was practicable. Dr Fitchett -has rather overstated the case in saying that “a battery of mortars -on the island guarded, as with a sword of fire, the gap betwixt the -headmost ship and the island.”[27] In another place he also refers -to the head of the French line being “protected by a powerful shore -battery.”[28] There were certainly a few guns, but “a sword of fire” -suggests a heavy armament, and Napoleon had occasion later to severely -criticise the Admiral’s arrangement in this matter.[29] Brueys was ill, -his marines had almost got out of hand, many of the sailors were raw -recruits, and subversive of discipline, and some of the vessels were -scarcely seaworthy. In tonnage and guns the French had the advantage, -in _morale_ and fighting capacity, the British were first. - -Nelson determined to sail between Brueys’ line and the shallows. Five -British ships, led by the _Goliath_, crossed the bows of the first ship -of the French van, inshore of the enemy’s line, and anchored abreast of -one of the Frenchmen, while three more, including Nelson’s _Vanguard_, -stationed themselves on the outer side. Some of the captains for -various reasons were unable to take up their correct fighting -positions, the _Culloden_, for instance, struck a shoal and took no -part in the battle. The enemy’s van was surrounded and conquered; -the centre became engaged; the rear alone escaped, Villeneuve, its -commander, making off with two battleships and two frigates without -attempting to fight. - -“The actions,” Captain Berry relates, “commenced at sunset, which was -at thirty-one minutes past six, p.m., with an ardour and vigour which -it is impossible to describe. At about seven o’clock total darkness -had come on, but the whole hemisphere was, with intervals, illuminated -by the fire of the hostile Fleets. Our Ships, when 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 Conquérant_, and the third, _Le Spartiate_, very nearly at the same -moment were almost dismasted. _L’Aquilon_ and _Le Peuple Souverain_, -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 Galwey, 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. At this time it appeared that victory -had already declared itself in our favour, for, although _L’Orient_, -_L’Heureux_, and _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 ten, 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 up upon -deck, where the first consideration that struck his 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.[30] The light thrown by -the fire of _L’Orient_ upon the surrounding objects, enabled us 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, etc., 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. - -[Illustration: “The flame that lit the battle’s wreck” - -Charles Dixon, R.I., from a sketch by C. W. Cole] - -“After this awful scene, the firing was 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 upon the fresh Ships of the Enemy, -which occasioned these renewals of the fight, all of which terminated -with the same happy success in favour of our Flag. At five minutes past -five in the morning, the two Rear ships of the Enemy, _Le Guillaume -Tell_ and _Le Généreux_, 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 Sérieuse_, had been sunk by the fire from some of our -Ships; but as her poop remained above water, her men were saved upon -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_ was in the morning detached to her assistance. At eleven -o’clock, _Le Généreux_ 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, as the Admiral himself has stated, -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 2nd 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 we thought of taking possession. On the morning of the third, -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.” - -It was a decisive victory, the only kind of victory that appealed to -Nelson, who styled it a “conquest.” Of the thirteen French battleships, -nine were taken, one was blown up, one was burnt, and two escaped; -one frigate sank, another was destroyed by fire, and two got away. -Napoleon had been deprived of his only means of communication with -France. Thus the sea swallowed his triumphs. From a political point -of view the battle of the Nile paved the way for the formation of the -Second Coalition against France, in which six Powers took part, namely, -England, Russia, Austria, Turkey, Naples, and Portugal. - -Nelson received his wound by being struck in the forehead by a piece -of iron. The skin was torn so badly that it hung over his face, the -blood streaming down with such profusion that he was afraid his left -eye had gone like the right. “I am killed”; he cried to Captain Berry, -“remember me to my wife.” But the Admiral had been “killed” in battle -before, and the intense pain of the wound sufficiently justified the -exclamation. He was carried to the cockpit, the cut bound up, and -strict quiet enjoined. This was easier said than done with a patient -such as Nelson. His abnormal mentality speedily gained ascendancy over -his physical infirmities. He soon declared that he felt better, and -shortly afterwards had so far recovered as to begin a dictated despatch -to the Admiralty. On the Captain informing him that _L’Orient_ was -ablaze he insisted on clambering to the deck, as we have seen. Berry -gave him his arm, and together they witnessed the disaster. Nelson was -certainly more fortunate than Brueys, who was shot almost in two. - -On the 2nd August the Admiral returned Public Thanksgiving on the -_Vanguard_, an example he desired to be followed on every ship “as -soon as convenient.” He also took the opportunity to thank the men of -the squadron for the part they had played in the late action: “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.” - -In those days precedent was a fetish. To depart from what had -previously obtained was not to be thought of, much less suggested. -For this reason Nelson was created a Baron, the lowest rank in the -peerage, but the highest that had been conferred “on an officer of your -standing,” as he was informed. In addition he was voted a pension of -£2000 a year, which was also to be paid to his two next heirs. - -Mention of the “great and brilliant Victory” was made in the King’s -Speech at the opening of Parliament, its organiser received the thanks -of both Houses, as well as of the Parliament of Ireland, and many -foreign potentates and British Corporations paid him honour. Among -the numerous presents he received were two boxes set with diamonds, a -superb diamond aigrette, a gold-headed cane, pieces of valuable plate, -and a coffin. The latter, made of wood and iron from the ill-fated -_L’Orient_, was sent to him by Captain Hallowell. By a strange -coincidence Thanksgiving services were held in the churches of the -United Kingdom on the 21st October, a date ever associated with Nelson, -because of Trafalgar. It may be thought that there was unnecessary -delay, but it must be remembered that the wonders of telegraphy were -then undreamed of. News of the victory was not received in London -until the fifty-seventh day after the event. “God be praised,” writes -the Earl of St Vincent, “and you and your gallant band rewarded by a -grateful Country, for the greatest Achievement the history of the world -can produce.” Perhaps this noble sentiment from the Commander-in-chief -was valued above the insignificant rewards of the Government. - -To “Fighting” Berry Nelson entrusted the charge of his despatches for -the Admiral, for which purpose he was given the _Leander_ (50). With -grim irony Fate played a trick entirely unworthy so gallant an officer. -On the 18th August, off Gozo, near Candia, the _Généreux_, which -it will be remembered escaped from Nelson’s vengeance at the Nile, -appeared on the horizon. The frigate attempted to show “a clean pair of -heels,” but recognising that the enemy was gaining in the race, sail -was shortened and the decks cleared for action. The brave defenders of -the _Leander_ resisted manfully for over six hours until the mastless, -rudderless hulk could be fought no longer. Berry, who was wounded, -together with the officers and crew were landed at Corfu and thence -sent to Trieste, where the officers were released on _parole_, and -the crew kept prisoners. On being exchanged, the captain received the -honour of knighthood, a reward richly deserved and valiantly won. Berry -got even with the French after all, for in 1799 he turned the tables -on the victors by capturing the _Généreux_ with Nelson’s flagship, the -_Foudroyant_. - -Captain Sir James Saumarez, with twelve ships of the squadron, was -directed to convoy the best of the prizes to Gibraltar, the remainder, -being valueless, were set on fire. Hood was called upon to blockade -Alexandria, and two of the battleships were sent to Naples for very -necessary repairs. To this port the _Vanguard_ laboriously followed. -Nelson was “taken with a fever, which has very near done my business: -for eighteen hours, my life was thought to be past hope; I am now -up, but very weak both in body and mind, from my cough and this -fever.” This was on the 20th September, two days before “the wreck of -_Vanguard_ arrived in the Bay of Naples.” The occasion was one of great -rejoicing on the part of the Sicilian Court. Miss Knight, the daughter -of Rear-Admiral Sir Joseph Knight, who was present, thus records the -events of the 22nd inst.: - -“In the evening, went out with Sir William and Lady Hamilton, music, -&c., to meet Admiral Nelson, who in the _Vanguard_, with the _Thalia_ -Frigate (Captain Newhouse) was seen coming in. We went on board, about -a league out at sea, and sailed in with him: soon after us, the King -came on board, and staid till the anchor was dropped. He embraced the -Admiral with the greatest warmth, and said he wished he could have -been in the engagement,[31] and served under his orders; and that he -likewise wished he could have been in England, when the news of the -victory arrived there. He went down to see the Ship, and was delighted -to perceive the care taken of a wounded man, who had two to serve -him, and one reading to him. He asked to see the hat which saved the -Admiral’s life, when he was wounded in the head with a splinter. The -Queen was taken with a fit of the ague when she was coming on board -with the Princesses. Commodore Caraccioli came soon after the King, and -many of the Neapolitan nobility, bands of music, &c. It happened to be -the anniversary of our King’s coronation. The Admiral came on shore -with us, and said, it was the first time he had been out of his Ship -for six months, except once on board Lord St Vincent.[32] The Russian -Ambassador and all the Legation came out to meet him. When we landed at -the Health Office, the applauses and the crowd of people were beyond -description. Admiral Nelson is little, and not remarkable in his person -either way; but he has great animation of countenance, and activity -in his appearance: his manners are unaffectedly simple and modest. -He lodges at Sir William Hamilton’s, who has given him the upper -apartment. The whole City is mad with joy.” - -There was indeed every reason for this jubilation. A starless night -seemed about to give place to a golden dawn. Towards the end of 1796 -Napoleon’s astounding successes had obliged Ferdinand, King of the Two -Sicilies, to agree to terms of peace, especially as the English had -decided to evacuate the Mediterranean.[33] The situation became more -and more ominous. Consequently when Queen Maria Carolina, Ferdinand’s -energetic consort, heard that the King of Spain was about to ally -himself to the hated Republic, she speedily informed Sir William -Hamilton, the English Ambassador.[34] She realised that the hope of the -kingdom depended not in half-measures of friendship towards England, -but in securing her definite assistance and casting off the French -yoke. Hamilton in his turn warned his Government of the proposed -arrangement, which seemed likely to have far-reaching consequences and -to threaten England in the Mediterranean. Her Majesty also kept up -a secret correspondence with London. She was therefore particularly -relieved when information arrived that the protection of the Two -Sicilies against potential French despoilers was to be entrusted to the -Hero of the Nile. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -The Neapolitan Court and Lady Hamilton - - “_‘Down, down with the French!’ is my constant prayer._” - - NELSON. - - -Truth has no secrets. It is the duty of the historian to reveal all and -to hide nothing. The archæologist with pick and spade unearths a buried -city, disclosing alike the mansions of the wealthy and the hovels of -the poor. In describing the result of his researches the investigator -would betray his science were he merely to mention the beauties of -the king’s palace, the tesselated pavements, the marble columns. The -hideous back street must also tell its drab story, for aristocrat and -plebeian are alike members of the Commonwealth. - -The pen is the scalpel of history. It must neither condone nor -palliate, although justice may be tempered with mercy. - -Temptation came to Nelson at Naples, and he fell. Physically frail, he -proved morally frail as well, but we must not unhesitatingly condemn -him. Vanity caused him to stumble, and before he had time to realise -the consequences a woman had sullied his reputation and tarnished his -glory. Probably no reputable biographer of the great Admiral has penned -the chapter dealing with this phase of his life without a wish that he -could be excused from the necessity of doing so. - -No sooner do we begin to investigate the relations between Nelson -and Lady Hamilton than we are in a maze of perplexities. He was ill -and she nursed him, he was victorious and she praised him, she was -beautiful and he admired loveliness, she had a warm heart and he was -susceptible, his wife was reserved and his “friend” was vivacious. -The spider and the fly have their counterpart in real life. Once in -the entangled meshes of the web Nelson never found his way out, even -supposing he had wished to do so, which his passionate letters do not -for a moment suggest. - -When the _Vanguard_ hove in sight off Naples, King Ferdinand, Sir -William Hamilton, Lady Hamilton, and others went to meet “our -liberator.” In writing to Earl Spencer, Nelson says, “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. If God knows my heart, it is amongst -the most humble of the creation, full of thankfulness and gratitude!” -No one doubts the latter portion of the remark. Nelson always exhibited -a lively trust in an All-wise Providence. The “one spark of vanity” -was self-deception, although perhaps “pride” would be more correct -than “vanity,” for the vain man usually distrusts his own opinion in -setting great store by himself and wishes it to be confirmed by others. -The Admiral was nothing if not self-reliant. Those who have read his -voluminous correspondence and the memoirs of those with whom he came -in contact cannot be blind to the fault of which he was seemingly in -ignorance. - -For instance, the writer of the “Croker Papers” furnishes us with the -following particulars of the one and only occasion on which Nelson and -Wellington had conversation. The latter noted the Admiral’s weak point -at once: - -“We were talking of Lord Nelson, and some instances were mentioned -of the egotism and vanity that derogated from his character. ‘Why,’ -said the Duke, ‘I am not surprised at such instances, for Lord Nelson -was, in different circumstances, two quite different men, as I myself -can vouch, though I only saw him once in my life, and for, perhaps, -an hour. It was soon after I returned from India.[35] I went to the -Colonial Office in Downing Street, and there I was shown into the -little waiting-room on the right hand, where I found, also waiting -to see the Secretary of State, a gentleman, whom from his likeness -to his pictures and the loss of an arm, I immediately recognised as -Lord Nelson. He could not know who I was, but he entered at once into -conversation with me, if I can call it conversation, for it was almost -all on his side and all about himself, and in, really, a style so vain -and so silly as to surprise and almost disgust me. I suppose something -that I happened to say may have made him guess that I was _somebody_, -and he went out of the room for a moment, I have no doubt to ask the -office-keeper who I was, for when he came back he was altogether a -different man, both in manner and matter. All that I had thought a -charlatan style had vanished, and he talked of the state of this -country and of the aspect and probabilities of affairs on the Continent -with a good sense, and a knowledge of subjects both at home and abroad, -that surprised me equally and more agreeably than the first part of our -interview had done; in fact, he talked like an officer and a statesman. -The Secretary of State kept us long waiting, and certainly, for the -last half or three-quarters of an hour, I don’t know that I ever had a -conversation that interested me more. Now, if the Secretary of State -had been punctual, and admitted Lord Nelson in the first quarter of -an hour, I should have had the same impression of a light and trivial -character that other people have had, but luckily I saw enough to be -satisfied that he was really a very superior man; but certainly a more -sudden and complete metamorphosis I never saw.’” - -To sum up the whole matter. Pride, or vanity if you prefer it, laid -Nelson open to the great temptation of his life, and it assailed him -at a time when he was ill and suffering. He was by nature sympathetic -and grateful, and could not fail to be impressed by the ministrations -of Lady Hamilton during his sickness, any less than by her flattery--a -hero-worship which may, or may not, have been sincere on her part. - -Josceline Percy, who was on the _Victory_ in the trying times of 1803, -has some sage remarks to offer in this matter. Though the Christian -faith “did not keep him from the fatal error of his life,” Percy says, -“it ought to be remembered that few were so strongly tempted, and I -believe it may safely be affirmed that had Nelson’s home been made to -him, what a wife of good temper and judgment would have rendered it, -never would he have forsaken it.” - -The candid friend, though seldom loved, is oftentimes the best friend. -Nelson was warned of his mad infatuation for Lady Hamilton by more than -one person who desired to save him from himself, but the fatal spell -which she exerted upon him held him beyond reclamation. - -On meeting the Admiral Lady Hamilton fainted away, and we find the hero -writing to his wife that “she is one of the very best women in this -world; she is an honour to her sex. Her kindness, with Sir William’s, -to me, is more than I can express: I am in their house, and I may now -tell you, it required all the kindness of my friends to set me up.” A -week or so later, he says, “The continued kind attention of Sir William -and Lady Hamilton must ever make you and I love them, and they are -deserving the love and admiration of all the world.” - -We must now return to the scene of the tragedy. Italy was in a -turmoil. Berthier had appeared before Rome, the aged Pontiff had been -dragged from his palace and sent into Tuscany, a Republic set up, and -an offensive and defensive alliance entered into with Revolutionary -France. By his placing the citadel of Turin in the hands of the -all-conquering nation for “security” the King of Sardinia became a mere -State-prisoner. These events in the North naturally caused trepidation -in the kingdom of Naples, and Ferdinand wisely secured the assistance -of Austria. The news of the French defeat at the Nile, more especially -the presence of the victor, caused the war party--of which Queen Maria -Carolina and Lady Hamilton were the leaders--to forget that mere -enthusiasm, although a valuable asset, was not the sole requisite in -a campaign, especially when the enemy to be met was one so formidable -as the victorious French. Naples was for up and doing, regardless of -the consequences. She sowed the storm and reaped the whirlwind by -reason of her undue haste in taking up arms before everything was -ready for the conflict. There is perhaps some excuse for her Majesty’s -eagerness. Sister of the ill-fated Marie Antoinette, who had perished -on the scaffold, and “truly a daughter of Maria Theresa,”[36] as Nelson -averred, she wished to be avenged. Lady Hamilton on her part had -become the confidential friend of Her Majesty and had rendered certain -services to the Neapolitan and English Courts which she afterwards -grossly exaggerated in an endeavour to secure a competence for herself. -Nelson is not undeserving of censure for having forced the issue. He -quoted Chatham’s dictum, “The boldest measures are the safest,” to -Lady Hamilton, and told her that should “this miserable ruinous system -of procrastination be persisted in, I would recommend that all your -property and persons are ready to embark at a very short notice.” - -Nelson’s instructions were to provide for the safety of the Sicilian -kingdom, “the cutting off all communication between France and Egypt,” -and “the co-operating with the Turkish and Russian Squadrons which are -to be sent into the Archipelago.” In addition he was to blockade Malta. -He delegated the last duty to Captain Ball, who, with four ships, was -to cruise off the island in company with a Portuguese squadron under -the Marquis de Niza. Of General Mack, who commanded the Neapolitan -army, Nelson at first entertained a favourable opinion. With delightful -_naïveté_ he informed St Vincent, “I have endeavoured to impress the -General with a favourable impression of me, and I think have succeeded. -He is active and has an intelligent eye, and will do well, I have -no doubt.” But something more than these estimable qualities was -necessary, as the total failure of the campaign was to prove. - -Mack was then forty-six years of age, and had served under -Field-Marshal Loudon, the most formidable soldier against whom -Frederick the Great had fought. He was not a brilliant soldier, -although he had acquitted himself with honour in the campaign of -1793. The son of a minor official, Mack had found it difficult to -obtain promotion in a service dominated by the aristocracy, and he -was certainly unpopular, which was not to his advantage in the field. -He had accepted his present service in an army which he called “the -finest in Europe,” but which was scarcely more than a rabble, at the -request of the Empress. Nelson, in a burst of enthusiasm, referred to -it as “composed of 30,000 healthy good-looking troops,” and “as far as -my judgment goes in those matters, I agree, that a finer Army cannot -be.” The optimistic told themselves that Nelson had banished Napoleon -and the finest warriors of France, which was correct, and prophesied -that the scattered Republican army in Italy would be as completely -overwhelmed as was the French fleet in Aboukir Bay. In this they were -grievously mistaken. Instead of concentrating his forces and striking a -decisive blow, the Austrian commander saw fit to divide them, with the -result that although the Eternal City was occupied and Tuscany entered, -the French succeeded in defeating three of the five columns. After -a series of reverses, Mack retreated, Ferdinand fled, and Rome was -retaken. - -Nelson’s part in this unfortunate undertaking was to convey some -5,000 troops to Leghorn and effect a diversion in the rear of the -enemy by taking possession of the aforementioned port. When this was -done, and the cannon and baggage landed, Nelson returned to Naples. -The story of the campaign, which ended in disaster and the creation -of the Parthenopeian Republic[37] at Naples, does not concern us. -Suffice it to say that in the last month of 1798 King Ferdinand and -his Court concluded that they would be safer under Nelson’s protection -than in the Capital. They therefore embarked in the British fleet on -the night of the 21st December, whence they were taken to Palermo. -The circumstances and manner of the enforced retreat are described at -length in the Admiral’s despatch to the Earl of St Vincent, which runs -as follows:-- - -“... 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 of -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 in either Sir William -Hamilton or myself to have gone to Court, as we knew that all our -movements were watched, and even an idea 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., and such clothes 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 entreated their Majesties to think -of retiring 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: 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,[38] saying, that the King approved of my plan for -their embarkation; this day, the 20th and 21st, very large assemblies -of people were in commotion, and several people were killed, and one -dragged by the legs to the palace. The mob by the 20th were very -unruly, and insisted the Royal Family should not leave Naples; however, -they were pacified by the King and Queen speaking to them. - -“On the 21st, at half-past 8 P.M., three Barges with myself and Captain -Hope, landed at a corner of the Arsenal. I went into the palace and -brought out the whole Royal Family, put them into 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 in the three English transports who were -partly unloaded, 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,[39] and provisions were -supplied from our Victuallers; in short, everything 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 was 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, immediately to destroy the Ships of War, and to join me -at Palermo, leaving one or two Ships to cruize between Capri and -Ischia in order to prevent the entrance of any English Ship into the -Bay of Naples. On the 23rd, at 7 P.M., the _Vanguard_, _Sannite_, and -_Archimedes_, with about twenty sail of Vessels left the Bay of Naples; -the next day it blew 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 9 A.M., Prince -Albert, their Majesties’ youngest child, having eat a hearty breakfast, -was taken ill, and at 7 P.M. 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.... 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 3 P.M., 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 2 A.M. of the 26th; at 5, 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 9 A.M., his Majesty went on shore, and was received -with the loudest acclamations and apparent joy.” - -Alas, that one has to admit that while Lady Hamilton was the “slave” of -the Sicilian Royal Family, Nelson was rapidly becoming so infatuated -that the same word might be used to describe his relationship with -“our dear invaluable Lady Hamilton”! He also seems to have had an -exaggerated sense of the importance of the princely personages who -had placed themselves under his protection. In his letters he speaks -of “The good and amiable Queen,” “the great Queen,” and so on. “I am -here,” he writes to Captain Ball, of the _Alexander_, dated Palermo, -January 21st, 1799, “nor will the King or Queen allow me to move. I -have offered to go to Naples, and have wished to go off Malta in case -the Squadron from Brest should get near you, but neither one or the -other can weigh with them.” To Earl Spencer he confides on the 6th -March, “In Calabria the people have cut down the Tree of Liberty; but I -shall never consider any part of the Kingdom of Naples safe, or even -Sicily, until I hear of the Emperor’s entering Italy, when all my Ships -shall go into the Bay of Naples, and I think we can make a Revolution -against the French--at least, my endeavours shall not be wanting. I -hope to go on the service myself, but I have my doubts if the King and -Queen will consent to my leaving them for a moment.” On the 20th of -the same month he tells St Vincent very much the same thing. “If the -Emperor moves, I hope yet to return the Royal Family to Naples. At -present, I cannot move. Would the Court but let me, I should be better, -I believe; for here I am writing from morn to eve: therefore you must -excuse this jumble of a letter.” - -And after evening what? Rumour, not altogether devoid of fact, told -strange tales of gambling continued far into the night, of money -made and money lost, of an insidious enchantment which was beginning -to sully the fair soul of Britain’s greatest Admiral. How far the -influence of Lady Hamilton led Nelson to neglect his duty is a -debatable point. Admiral Mahan points out that on the 22nd October -1798, Nelson wrote to Lord St Vincent to the effect that he had given -up his original plan, “which was to have gone to Egypt and attend to -the destruction of the French shipping in that quarter,” owing to the -King’s desire that he should return to Naples, after having arranged -the blockade of Malta. This and similar expressions, says Mahan, “show -the anxiety of his mind acting against his judgment.” The late Judge -O’Connor Morris, commenting on this phase of the Hero’s career, is -most emphatic in his condemnation. His connection with Emma Hamilton -“kept him at Naples when he ought to have been elsewhere; it led him -to disobey a superior’s orders, on one occasion when there was no -excuse; it perhaps prevented him from being present at the siege of -Malta. It exposed him, too, to just censure at home, and gave pain -and offence to his best friends; and the consciousness that he was -acting wrongly soured, in some degree, his nature, and made him morose -and at odds with faithful companions in arms.” For the defence there -are no more able advocates than Professor Sir J. Knox Laughton and Mr -James R. Thursfield, M.A. Nelson, the former asserts, “in becoming -the slave of a beautiful and voluptuous woman, did not cease to be a -great commander. There is a common idea that his passions detained -him at Naples to the neglect of his duty. This is erroneous. He made -Naples his headquarters because he was ordered to do so, to provide -for the safety of the kingdom and to take measures for the reduction -of Malta.” “The point to be observed and insisted on,” Mr Thursfield -says, “is that the whole of this pitiful tragedy belongs only to the -last seven years of Nelson’s life.” He asks, “Why should the seven -years of private lapse be allowed to overshadow the splendid devotion -of a lifetime to public duty?” This authority does not deny that -during the two years following the victory of the Nile Nelson’s genius -“suffered some eclipse,” that his passion for Lady Hamilton was then -“in its first transports, when he seemed tied to the Court of the -Two Sicilies by other bonds than those of duty, when he annulled the -capitulation at Naples and insisted on the trial and execution of -Caracciolo,[40] and when he repeatedly disobeyed the orders of Lord -Keith.” He further points out that the period is the same “during -which his mental balance was more or less disturbed by the wound he -had received at the Nile, and his _amour-propre_ was deeply and justly -mortified by the deplorable blunder of the Admiralty in appointing Lord -Keith to the chief command in succession to Lord St Vincent.” At the -time with which we are now dealing the latter disturbing element was -not present, although he was considerably worried by the appointment -of Captain Sir Sidney Smith as commander of a squadron in the Levant, -“within the district which I had thought under my command.” “The Knight -forgets the respect due to his superior Officer”: Nelson tells Lord -St Vincent, “he has no orders from you to take my Ships away from my -command; but it is all of a piece. Is it to be borne? Pray grant me -your permission to retire, and I hope the _Vanguard_ will be allowed to -convey me and my friends, Sir William and Lady Hamilton, to England.” -Mr Thursfield makes no mention of this vexation, perhaps because the -matter distressed the Admiral less than Lord Keith’s appointment. On -the other hand, Nelson’s correspondence contains frequent reference to -the gratuitous snub, which shows how deeply the iron had entered into -his soul. “_I do feel, for I am a man_, that it is impossible for me to -serve in these seas, with the Squadron under a junior Officer:--could -I have thought it!--and from Earl Spencer!” is a typical instance. In -the opinion of the same biographer, “the influence of Lady Hamilton, -which ceased only with Nelson’s life, cannot have been the sole cause, -even if it was a contributory cause, of an attitude and temper of mind -which lasted only while other causes were in operation and disappeared -with their cessation. The evil spirit which beset him, whatever it may -have been, had been exorcised for ever by the time that he entered the -Sound.[41]... Yet the influence of Lady Hamilton was not less potent -then and afterward than it was during the period of eclipse. There -are no letters in the Morrison Collection more passionate than those -which Nelson wrote to Lady Hamilton at this time, none which show more -clearly that, as regards Lady Hamilton, and yet only in that relation, -his mental balance was still more than infirm, his moral fibre utterly -disorganized.” - -With this verdict the present writer is in complete accord. Nelson -is to be censured for his moral breach and any neglect of duty which -may be traceable to it, but to condemn him to infamy is to forget his -subsequent career and to consign to the flames many other great figures -of history. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -The Neapolitan Rebels and their French Allies - -(1799) - - “_Speedy rewards and quick punishments are the foundation of good - government._” - - NELSON. - - -In the middle of March 1799 Troubridge returned from the Levant, his -command there having been given to Sir Sidney Smith. Vexatious as was -the arrangement to both Nelson and Lord St Vincent, it had one point -of importance in its favour--and was to have far-reaching results -later--in that it enabled the Admiral to send the trusted captain with -several vessels to blockade Naples. Troubridge was to “seize and get -possession” of the islands of Procida, Ischia, and Capri, to use his -influence with the inhabitants there and elsewhere, “in order to induce -them to return to their allegiance to his Sicilian Majesty, and to -take arms to liberate their Country from French tyranny and oppressive -contributions.” On the 3rd April, Troubridge was able to tell Nelson -that “All the Ponza Islands have the Neapolitan flag flying. Your -Lordship never beheld such loyalty; the people are perfectly mad with -joy, and are asking for their beloved Monarch.” That Nelson’s hands -were “full,” as he wrote to his brother, is sufficiently evident. He -had become “a Councillor and Secretary of State,” to use his own words, -and his public correspondence, “besides the business of sixteen Sail -of the Line, and all our commerce, is with Petersburg, Constantinople, -the Consul at Smyrna, Egypt, the Turkish and Russian Admirals, Trieste, -Vienna, Tuscany, Minorca, Earl St Vincent and Lord Spencer.” Moreover, -he was now Commander-in-Chief of the Neapolitan Navy, and had been -promoted to Rear-Admiral of the Red. His health during this trying -period was far from good. He complained to his friend the Duke of -Clarence of being “seriously unwell,” and he told Lord St Vincent, “I -am almost blind and worn out, and cannot, in my present state, hold out -much longer.” He seemed to be growing more despondent daily, the good -news of the success of the Austrian arms in Italy “does not even cheer -me.” - -Victory no longer attended the French cause in the northern part of -the peninsula, and the forces of the Republic were to evacuate it and -to join the main French army. On the 7th May, Ferdinand’s kingdom was -relieved of its unwelcome visitors, save only the garrisons which were -left at Capua and Caserta, and at the Castle of St Elmo. The internal -condition of the State, however, was still far from settled. Commodore -Caracciolo, representing the Jacobins, commanded a miniature fleet -in Naples Bay; Cardinal Ruffo led a nondescript band called by the -high-sounding title of “the Christian Army,” against the Neapolitan -republicans, who were in some force. The unhappy position of the Royal -Family at this time is well described by the Queen in a letter to the -Marquise d’Osmond, mother of the Comtesse de Boigne. It is from the -Appendix to the first volume of the “Recollections” of the last-named -that the extract is taken. The communication is dated from Palermo, the -2nd May 1799. - -“We continue to live between hope and dread:” she says, “the news -varies every day. We are expecting help from Russia: if it comes -it will be of the greatest service to us. The English render us -the greatest services. Were it not for them both Sicilies would be -democratised, I should be dead of grief or drowned in the sea, or -else, with my dear family, imprisoned in a castle by our rebellious -subjects. You can read in the gazettes, without my naming them to you, -how many ungrateful subjects we have. It suffices to tell you that -in their writings and their ingratitude they have surpassed their -foster-mother France, but with us the classes are different. Here it is -the class which has the most to lose which is the most violent; nobles, -bishops, monks, ordinary lawyers, but not the high magistracy, nor the -people. The latter are loyal, and show it on every occasion.... My dear -children have behaved like angels in all our unfortunate circumstances. -They suffer every kind of privation they did not know before, without -complaining, out of love for me, so that I may notice nothing. They are -always good-humoured, though they have no amusements.” - -While Troubridge was clearing the way for the return of the royal -exiles to Naples, Nelson received the startling intelligence that the -Brest fleet of nineteen sail-of-the-line had not only escaped but had -been seen off Oporto making for the Mediterranean. So far as it went, -the news was correct enough, but the French ships numbered twenty-five -instead of nineteen. Nelson’s despondency and ill-health vanished; -he lost not an instant in making his arrangements. Troubridge was -recalled from Naples, and the “band of brothers” were ordered to join -Rear-Admiral Duckworth off Port Mahon, Nelson’s belief being that the -first item on the French naval programme was the recovery of Minorca. -Shortly afterwards he came to think that Sicily was the object of the -enemy, whereupon he cancelled his former instructions and made the -island of Maritimo the _rendez-vous_. This station he reached on the -23rd May with seven ships, which he hoped to bring up to sixteen, -Duckworth having decided to wait for Lord St Vincent and not to -reinforce Nelson. Ball, who had been ordered to abandon the blockade of -Malta, had not arrived, and the delay filled the Admiral with anxiety. -“I can only have two queries about him--either that he has gone round -to Messina, imagining that the French Fleet were close to him, or he is -taken. Thus situated,” he writes to Lord St Vincent, “I have only to -remain on the north side of Maritimo, to keep covering Palermo, which -shall be protected to the last, and to wait intelligence or orders for -regulating my further proceedings. - -“Your Lordship,” he adds, “may depend that the Squadron under my -command shall never fall into the hands of the Enemy; and before we are -destroyed, I have little doubt but the Enemy will have their wings so -completely clipped that they may be easily overtaken.” - -On the 28th May, Nelson heard from the Commander-in-chief that Bruix -and the French fleet had been sighted off Cadiz on the 4th inst. by -Keith’s blockading squadron, the intention being to form a junction -with the Spanish fleet. In reply to Lord St Vincent’s despatch, Nelson -was able to tell his senior officer that “we are completely on our -guard,” that he had determined to go to Palermo to get provisions and -wine for six months, and to hold his vessels “in momentary readiness -to act as you may order or the circumstances call for. My reason for -remaining in Sicily is the covering the blockade of Naples, and the -certainty of preserving Sicily in case of an attack, for if we were to -withdraw our Ships, it would throw such a damp on the people that I am -sure there would be no resistance. But from the favourable aspect of -affairs in Italy, I am sure no attack will be made here, whilst the -French know we have such a force to act against them. If Captain Ball -has not entirely given up the blockade of Malta, and the poor Islanders -have not given up to the French, I intend to continue the blockade...; -for as the danger from your happy arrival is not so great, I will run -the risk of the Ships for a short time. The Russians will, I am told, -be off there in a week or fortnight. In all this plan I am subject to -your Lordship’s more able judgment. I shall send a Frigate off Cape -Corse, in case the French Fleet should come to be eastward of Corsica, -and if I can find a small craft, one shall be on the west side of -Sardinia, but the Bay of Naples draws me dry.” Two days later, in -writing to the same correspondent to announce the safe arrival of the -_Vanguard_ at Palermo, Nelson makes his usual acknowledgments of the -services of those under his command: “I have our dear Troubridge for -my assistant; in everything we are brothers. Hood and Hallowell are as -active and kind as ever: not that I mean to say any are otherwise; but -you know these are men of resources. Hardy was bred in the old school, -and I can assure you, that I never have been better satisfied with the -real good discipline of a Ship than the _Vanguard’s_. I hope from my -heart that you will meet the Dons alone: if the two Fleets join, I am -ready, and with some of my Ships in as high order as ever went to sea.” - -As it happened, Keith was able to prevent the junction of the enemy’s -fleets. His position was between them--between “the devil and the deep -sea,” as he termed it. When the look-out frigates of the French fleet -were sighted between Corsica and Genoa, orders were received from Lord -St Vincent for Keith to return to Port Mahon, which the former thought -might be the object of attack. Further despatches came to hand a little -later, urging Keith to proceed to Minorca. The Commander-in-chief and -Keith were really playing at cross-purposes, for while St Vincent was -acting only on supposition, Keith was in touch with the enemy. It is -probable in such a case that Nelson would have led his squadron into -action, but Keith was not the type of man to risk acting on his own -initiative to any great extent, and left the Frenchmen to proceed to -Spezia. - -On the 8th June, Nelson vacated the _Vanguard_, hoisted his flag on -the _Foudroyant_ (80), and was strengthened by the arrival of two -ships from Lord St Vincent’s fleet. He also heard of the impending -resignation of the Commander-in-chief, his indifferent health making -him “literally incapable of any service,” as he afterwards wrote to -Nelson. The unexpected news considerably distressed the Admiral. He -felt sincere admiration and regard for the gallant old sailor, who had -served his King so long and so faithfully, sentiments recorded in a -letter dated from Palermo, the 10th June 1799, as follows:-- - - “We have a report that you are going home. This distresses us most - exceedingly, and myself in particular; so much so, that I have - serious thoughts of returning, if that event should take place. - But for the sake of our Country, do not quit us at this serious - moment. I wish not to detract from the merit of whoever may be - your successor; but it must take a length of time, which I hope - the war will not give, to be in any manner a St Vincent. We look - up to you, as we have always found you, as to our Father, under - whose fostering care we have been led to fame. If, my dear Lord, I - have any weight in your friendship, let me entreat you to rouse the - sleeping lion. Give not up a particle of your authority to any one; - be again our St Vincent, and we shall be happy. Your affectionate - - NELSON.” - -To the Admiral’s supreme disgust his own claims to the appointment were -disregarded. Lord St Vincent’s command was given to Lord Keith, who -had the additional good fortune to find that the French fleet was in -Vado Bay. Nelson, urged on by Ferdinand and perhaps by Lady Hamilton, -was on his voyage to Naples with a body of troops to render assistance -to the royalists, when two British sail-of-the-line hove in sight. One -of them bore an important despatch from Keith, to the effect that not -only was the enemy at sea but likely to be bound towards Nelson. The -latter immediately returned to Palermo, disembarked the soldiers and -their munitions, and cruised off Maritimo. Here he hoped to be joined -by the _Alexander_ and _Goliath_, which he had ordered to proceed -from Malta some days before. Provided they arrived his force would -be raised to eighteen battleships, including three Portuguese--four -less than the enemy. “I shall wait off Maritimo,” he says, in reply -to Keith, “anxiously expecting such a reinforcement as may enable me -to go in search of the Enemy’s fleet, when not one moment shall be -lost in bringing them to battle; for I consider the best defence for -his Sicilian Majesty’s Dominions, is to place myself alongside the -French.” No further ships arrived, and Nelson therefore returned to -Palermo. Keith’s neglect aroused Nelson’s wrath to such an extent, that -while he was at sea he sent a copy of the above letter to the Earl -of St Vincent, complaining that the Commander-in-chief had not sent -him “a force fit to face the Enemy: but, as we are, I shall not get -out of their way; although, as I am, I cannot think myself justified -in exposing the world (I may almost say), to be plundered by these -miscreants. I trust your Lordship will not think me wrong in the -painful determination I conceived myself forced to make, for agonized -indeed was the mind of your Lordship’s faithful and affectionate -servant.” - -Mahan remarks that Nelson’s station off Maritimo was strategically -sound, enabling him to intercept the approach of the enemy “to either -Naples or Sicily,” and it was while he was cruising here that he -received a despatch from his former Commander-in-chief to the effect -that Keith was searching for the French, and that reinforcements were -making their way to Port Mahon. Nelson was convinced that the enemy was -steering for Naples. After a brief visit to the King at Palermo and -receiving Sir William and Lady Hamilton on board the _Foudroyant_, he -sailed for the capital. - -On Troubridge’s withdrawal from Naples, the blockade had been placed in -the hands of Captain Foote of the _Seahorse_, a frigate of thirty-eight -guns, who concerted with Ruffo and his Russian and Turkish allies -to rid the city of the insurgents. Fort St Elmo, garrisoned by the -few remaining French, and the castles of Uovo and Nuovo, held by -the rebels, alone held out. The Cardinal arranged an armistice with -the insurgents, and although there was further trouble, the matter -was patched up and negotiations were again begun. Subsequently a -capitulation was signed on the 23rd June. Nelson received the news -before his squadron anchored in the Bay of Naples on the following -day, and, not knowing the exact terms on which it had been granted, -characterised them as “infamous.” - -The main conditions were that the forts Nuovo and Uovo should be -delivered up with their effects; that the troops should keep possession -of the places until the ships which were to be provided for those who -wished to proceed to Toulon were ready to sail; that the garrisons -should march out with the honours of war; that “Persons and Property, -both movable and immovable, of every individual of the two Garrisons, -shall be respected and guaranteed,” a clause applicable also to -prisoners which the allies had made during the blockade of the forts; -and that “All the other hostages and State prisoners, confined in the -two Forts, shall be set at liberty, immediately after the present -Capitulation is signed.” Nelson at once ordered Foote to haul down -the flag of truce flying from the _Seahorse_. Sufficient of his story -has been told to show that the Admiral had little or no pity for -rebels. So far back as the 6th June, he had written to Foote that the -intelligence sent to him by that officer of the hanging of thirteen -Jacobins “gave us great pleasure,” and he also expressed the hope -that three priests who had been condemned would “dangle on the tree -best adapted to their weight of sins.” Without further ado he sent a -declaration to “the Rebellious Subjects” in the two forts that “They -must surrender themselves to His Majesty’s Royal mercy,” and addressed -a summons to the Commanding Officer of the French at the Castle of St -Elmo, that he must either accede to the terms made by Ruffo and the -Russian Commander, or “take the consequences, as I shall not agree -to any other.” A paper signed by Nelson and explained to Ruffo, but -rejected by him, announced that “the British Admiral proposes to the -Cardinal to send, in their joint names, to the French and Rebels, -that the arrival of the British fleet has completely destroyed the -compact, as would that of the French if they had had the power (which, -thank God, they have not) to come to Naples.... That as to Rebels and -Traitors, no power on earth has a right to stand between their gracious -King and them: they must instantly throw themselves on the clemency of -their Sovereign, for no other terms will be allowed them; nor will the -French be allowed even to name them in any capitulation. If these terms -are not complied with, in the time ... viz., two hours for the French, -and instant submission on the part of the Rebels--such very favourable -conditions will never be again offered.” - -Nelson knew the man with whom he was dealing, and as the following -characteristic letter to Rear-Admiral Duckworth shows, he was quite -prepared for any eventuality. With insurgents on land and the -possibility of a French fleet at sea in the near vicinity, it was -incumbent on the British Admiral not to run unnecessary risks:-- - -“As you will believe, the Cardinal and myself have begun our career by -a complete difference of opinion. He will send the Rebels to Toulon,--I -say they shall not go. He thinks one house in Naples more to be prized -than his Sovereign’s honour. Troubridge and Ball are gone to the -Cardinal, for him to read my declaration to the French and Rebels, whom -he persists in calling patriots--what a prostitution of the word! I -shall send Foote to get the Gun-boats from Procida. I wish the Fleet -not to be more than two-thirds of a cable from each other. I shall send -you a sketch of the anchorage, in forty fathom water. The _Foudroyant_ -to be the Van-ship. If the French fleet should favour us with a visit, -I can easily take my station in the centre.” - -The Cardinal positively refused to entertain Nelson’s opinions, but -after some hesitation decided to discuss affairs with him on the -_Foudroyant_. The interview, which was stormy on both sides and -somewhat protracted, owing to the necessity of employing Lord and Lady -Hamilton as interpreters, took place on the afternoon of the 25th. Both -of them held steadfastly to his own point of view. Nelson therefore -wrote that “in his opinion” the Treaty with the rebels “cannot be -carried into execution, without the approbation of his Sicilian -Majesty.” - -Uovo and Nuovo were taken possession of by British seamen under -Troubridge on the evening of the 26th inst., and on the following day, -Nelson communicated the fact to the Admiralty, adding: “This morning I -am going to send a detachment under Captain Troubridge, to cut down the -dangerous Tree of Anarchy, and to burn it before the King’s palace. The -moment I can find the City a little quieted, guns shall be got against -St Elmo, when, I am sure, the French will be glad to surrender.... In -my present position, I have not the smallest alarm should the Enemy -favour us with a visit, inferior as my force is to oppose them.” The -castle capitulated on the 12th July 1799, to Nelson’s “brave friend” -Troubridge, whose “great character,” “ability and resources” were duly -detailed to Lord Keith, while the Admiral told Earl Spencer that, -“On land the captain of the _Culloden_ is a first-rate general!” -Troubridge’s reward was a baronetcy, to which no one ever had a clearer -title. - -Was Nelson justified in cancelling the agreement entered into by Ruffo -and his allies and the enemy? The question has been discussed with -great vehemence and at prodigious length. Mahan’s opinion is that “his -conduct throughout was open and consistent.” He is convinced that the -Admiral acted up to his firm belief “that he not only had a right to -suspend the Capitulation, because, though signed, it had not been -executed, but that it was his bounden duty so to do; having both legal -power and adequate force to prevent its execution.” Nelson “regarded -himself as, and for the time being actually was, the representative of -the King of the Two Sicilies, as well as the admiral of the British -fleet. As representative, he was charged with the interests and honour -of the Sovereign and had authority over all Neapolitan officials; -as admiral, he wielded power to enforce obedience, if refused. -Considering the terms of the Capitulation to be contrary to the -interests and the honour of the Kingdom, he was under an obligation to -prevent their going into effect, until the King’s decision, becoming -known, should supersede his own discretion.” - -Laughton, whose biography of Nelson is much shorter than Mahan’s, and -is therefore not so comprehensive, dismisses the matter by saying, -“it is perfectly well established as the usage of civilised war that -terms granted by a military officer are conditional on the approval -of his superiors, unless he has distinct authority to negotiate, or -the capitulation has been effected wholly or in part. In the present -instance Cardinal Ruffo had not only no authority to negotiate, but -he had express orders from the King not to do so.” By the fourth -Article of the “Instructions to the troops of his Majesty, ordered to -repair to the Bay of Naples,” dated Palermo, June 10th, 1799, “All the -military and political operations shall be agreed upon by the Prince -Royal and Admiral Lord Nelson. The opinion of this latter always to -have a preponderance, on account of the respect due to his experience, -as well as to the forces under his command, which will determine the -operations; and also because we are so deeply indebted to him for the -zeal and attachment of which he has given so many proofs.” By the tenth -Article, “The acts of clemency concerning the noted offenders, and -the pardoning of the same, are reserved for the King, excepting those -stipulated in the articles of capitulation.” - -[Illustration: The Execution of Caracciolo - -Stephen Reid] - -About seventy Jacobins were executed for their misdeeds, but Nelson -was only concerned in the death of one of them. Commodore Francesco -Caracciolo, the commander of the Republican Navy, had previously -accompanied the Sicilian Court to Palermo, but when an edict was issued -by the French that the property of all absentees would be confiscated, -he had obtained King Ferdinand’s permission to return. Marshal -Macdonald, then Commander-in-chief of the French Army of Naples, refers -to the matter in his “Recollections.” “I had resolved,” he writes, -“to induce Admiral Caracciolo to take service in the new fleet; he -equipped a flotilla which secured respect for the port and coasts of -Naples, frequently threatened by attempts of the English, who occupied -the islands and were stationed in the roads.”[42] When Caracciolo’s -position on sea became untenable, he sought a safer asylum in one of -the forts, whence he eventually fled to the mountains disguised as a -peasant. Here he was discovered and captured. The refugee was brought -on board the _Foudroyant_ on the morning of the 29th June. Nelson at -once instructed Count Thurn, Commander of the Sicilian frigate _La -Minerva_, who had been in action with Caracciolo, to assemble five of -the senior officers under his command to inquire if the prisoner were -guilty of rebellion against his lawful Sovereign, and having fired at -his Sicilian Majesty’s colours on board _La Minerva_. The trial duly -took place; the sentence was death. This was to be carried out “by -hanging him at the fore yard-arm of His Sicilian Majesty’s Frigate _La -Minerva_, under your command, at five o’clock this evening; and to -cause him to hang there until sunset, when you will have his body cut -down, and thrown into the sea.” Such were Nelson’s instructions, which -were obeyed. Parsons, who had charge of Caracciolo, describes him as “a -short, thick-set man, of apparent strength, but haggard with misery and -want; his clothing in wretched condition, but his countenance denoting -stern resolution to endure that misery like a man.” The sympathetic -narrator persists in calling him “veteran” and “old man.” The Commodore -was only forty-seven years of age, although his wan appearance may have -made him look considerably older. “At two o’clock in the afternoon,” -Parsons adds, “the veteran, with a firm step, walked into Lord Nelson’s -barge, and with a party of thirty of our seamen, under one of our -lieutenants, was taken to his [Count Thurn’s] flagship, the gun fired, -and the brave old man launched into eternity at the expiration of -the two hours from the time the sentence had passed. The seamen of our -fleet, who clustered on the rigging like bees, consoled themselves that -it was only an Italian prince, and the admiral of Naples, that was -hanging--a person of very light estimation compared with the lowest -man in a British ship. His Majesty of Naples, the Prime Minister, Sir -John Acton, and many of the foreign ambassadors, joined and took up -their quarters in the _Foudroyant_ two days after the execution; and -my Lord Nelson removed to the first lieutenant’s cabin as his sleeping -apartment, giving his cabin to the king’s use, and the larboard side of -the maindeck for his cooks, who condescended to officiate as ours; and -never did midshipmen fare so sumptuously as during the king’s long stay -on board the _Foudroyant_. The day was passed in administering justice -(Italian fashion) to the wretches who fell into the grasp of Cardinal -Ruffo’s lambs, enlivened by the bombardment of St Elmo, which we were -battering in breach. At noon, dinner was served to the royal party and -their guests on the quarter-deck; Lady Hamilton’s graceful form bending -over her harp, and her heavenly music gave a gusto to the dessert. As -the sun went down, the opera singers, in a large, decked galley, came -alongside, and all that could delight the ear or please the eye was -there to fascinate and charm.” - -There is more than a suspicion of irony in the above passage. It is -useful because one can readily believe that it was the point of view -of the majority of the British petty officers and seamen. They failed -to understand why so much deference should be shown to King Ferdinand -and his Queen, who doubtless in their opinion would have shown more -royal qualifications had they remained in their capital instead of -making a hasty flight to Palermo. This is not the place to discuss the -merits and demerits of monarchy and republic, both of which have their -advantages. Certainly the foreign policy of Great Britain at the end of -the eighteenth century did not allow an ally to be dethroned without -making an effort on his behalf. - -Southey, when dealing with the execution of Caracciolo, has seen fit to -introduce Nelson’s relations with Lady Hamilton into the matter, which -may be forgiven a man who published his narrative in 1813, when current -scandal and gossip were often the chief “authorities” of the historian. -“Doubtless” he remarks, “the British Admiral seemed to himself to be -acting under a rigid sense of justice, but to all other persons it -was obvious that he was influenced by an infatuated attachment--a -baneful passion, which destroyed his domestic happiness, and now, in -a second instance, stained ineffaceably his public character.” Now -Lady Hamilton, as a matter of actual fact, had nothing whatever to do -with the hanging of the traitor and did not converse with the Admiral -during Caracciolo’s detention. The rebel was tried by those of his own -nationality, and according to Mahan, “there is no ground for doubting -that he (Nelson) had authority to order a court-martial, and to carry -its sentence into execution, nor that Caracciolo came within the -jurisdiction of a court-martial properly constituted.” It is only just -to add, however, that in the opinion of the same eminent authority -there was no real necessity for such undue haste on Nelson’s part. “He -should have remembered that the act would appear to the world, not as -that of the Neapolitan plenipotentiary, but of the British officer, -and that his nation, while liable like others to bursts of unreasoning -savagery, in its normal moods delights to see justice clothed in -orderly forms, unstained by precipitation or suspicion of perversion, -advancing to its ends with the majesty of law, without unseemly haste, -providing things honest in the sight of all men. That he did not do -so, when he could have done so, has been intuitively felt; and to the -instinctive resentment thus aroused among his countrymen has been due -the facility with which the worst has been too easily believed.” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -Nelson in Temporary Command - -(1799-1800) - - “_The great object of the war is_--Down, down with the French.” - - NELSON. - - -King Ferdinand was again on board the _Foudroyant_, holding his Levées -on the quarter-deck, and making himself as affable as was possible to -a man of his morose temperament. Nelson’s infatuation for the welfare -of his Majesty and his kingdom seemed growing. The castle of St Elmo -had fallen, thereby completing the conquest of Naples, but the Admiral -saw fit to order Troubridge to march against Capua, thereby denuding -the fleet of a thousand men, who were to act in concert with four times -that number of troops. This was done after the receipt of a warning -from Keith that it might be necessary to withdraw the squadron for the -protection of Minorca. - -“Should such an order come at this moment,” Nelson writes to Earl -Spencer, “it would be a cause for some consideration whether Minorca -is to be risked, or the two Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily? I rather -think my decision would be to risk the former.” In other words, -Nelson placed the interests of an allied Power before those of his -own country, although of course his services to the Sicilies were of -importance to the latter. One cannot help thinking that there is more -than a suspicion of ulterior motives in what was to lead to a flagrant -disobedience of orders. The letter concludes with the most affectionate -references to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, who were assuredly his -evil genii at the moment. According to Nelson they were with him to -his “great comfort,” without them “it would have been impossible I -could have rendered half the service to his Majesty which I have now -done: their heads and their hearts are equally great and good.” Writing -to Keith on the same day--13th July 1799--he refers solely to King -Ferdinand: “It has been and is my study to treat his Majesty with all -the respect due to so great a personage, and I have the pleasure to -believe that my humble endeavours have met with the Royal approbation.” - -After penning this communication the Admiral received a despatch from -Keith, dated the 27th June, implicitly requiring him “to send such -Ships as you can possibly spare off the Island of Minorca to wait my -orders.” This he acknowledged by saying that “as soon as the safety of -His Sicilian Majesty’s Kingdoms is secured, I shall not lose one moment -in making the detachment you are pleased to order. At present, under -God’s Providence, the safety of His Sicilian Majesty, and his speedy -restoration to his Kingdom, depends on this Fleet, and the confidence -inspired even by the appearance of our Ships before the City is beyond -all belief; and I have no scruple in declaring my opinion that should -any event draw us from the Kingdom, that if the French remain in any -part of it, disturbances will again arise, for all order having been -completely overturned, it must take a thorough cleansing, and some -little time, to restore tranquillity.” In order to justify his conduct, -Nelson next sent a second note to Earl Spencer. After referring to his -previous letter, which showed that he was prepared for Keith’s order, -he adds, “more than ever is my mind made up, that, at this moment, I -will not part with a single Ship, as I cannot do that without drawing a -hundred and twenty men from each Ship now at the Siege of Capua, where -an Army is gone this day. I am fully aware of the act I have committed; -but, sensible of my loyal intentions, I am prepared for any fate which -may await my disobedience. Capua and Gaeta will soon fall; and the -moment the scoundrels of French are out of this Kingdom, I shall send -eight or nine Ships of the Line to Minorca. I have done what I thought -right; others may think differently; but it will be my consolation -that I have gained a Kingdom, seated a faithful Ally of his Majesty -firmly on his throne, and restored happiness to millions. Do not think, -my dear Lord, that my opinion is formed from the arrangements of any -one. _No_; be it good, or be it bad, it is all my own.” The writer -concludes with an appeal for Earl Spencer’s interest with the Board -of the Admiralty, which was not vouchsafed. His having proceeded to -the Bay of Naples and of the operations against the castle of St Elmo -were approved, but not of the land warfare carried on by the seamen -against Capua. Their Lordships did not see “sufficient reason to -justify your having disobeyed the orders you had received from your -Commanding-Officer, or having left Minorca exposed to the risk of being -attacked, without having any Naval force to protect it.” - -On the 19th July, Nelson was handed a second urgent despatch from -Keith, ordering him either to leave Sicily and repair to Minorca with -his whole force or to detach the greater part of his squadron and -place it under Duckworth. Keith’s “repeated information” led him to -believe that the enemy was not making for Sicily or Egypt, as had -been thought probable, but for Ireland. Nelson again refused to obey -his Commander-in-chief. Not until the 22nd inst., when Keith informed -Nelson that the French fleet was off Cape Tres Forcas, did he see fit -to dispatch Duckworth with four vessels to Minorca. - -The Frenchmen succeeded in joining their Spanish allies at Cartagena -and arriving safely at Brest, from which port they did not issue -for some months, an event which does not therefore concern us at -the moment. Capua and Gaeta eventually surrendered, the articles of -capitulation being signed by Acton and Nelson on behalf of King -Ferdinand on the 31st July 1799, thus liberating “the Kingdom of Naples -from a band of robbers,” as the Admiral informed Keith. - -So far this portion of the narrative has been necessarily confined -to cold, matter-of-fact details. Mention must now be made of the -celebrations held on the first anniversary of the battle of the -Nile. Well might Nelson be fêted on such an occasion; he had served -their Sicilian Majesties all too faithfully. He thus describes the -picturesque scene for the benefit of his wife:-- - -“Thank God all goes well in Italy, and the Kingdom of Naples is -liberated from thieves and murderers. But still, it has so overthrown -the fabric of a regular Government, that much time and great care are -necessary to keep the Country quiet. The 1st of August was celebrated -here with as much respect as our situation would admit. The King -dined with me; and, when His Majesty drank my health, a Royal salute -of twenty-one guns was fired from all his Sicilian Majesty’s Ships -of War, and from all the Castles. In the evening there was a general -illumination. Amongst other representations, a large Vessel was fitted -out like a Roman galley; on its oars were fixed lamps, and in the -centre was erected a rostral column with my name: at the stern were -elevated two angels supporting my picture. In short, my dear Fanny, -the beauty of the whole is beyond my powers of description. More than -2000 variegated lamps were suspended round the Vessel. An orchestra -was fitted up, and filled with the very best musicians and singers. -The piece of music was in a great measure to celebrate my praise, -describing their previous distress, ‘but Nelson came, the invincible -Nelson, and they were preserved, and again made happy.’ This must -not make you think me vain; no, far, very far from it, I relate it -more from gratitude than vanity. I return to Palermo with the King -to-morrow.”[43] - -It was characteristic of Nelson’s fond regard for his father that when -King Ferdinand created him Duke of Bronté, which he believed would -mean an increase of some £3000 a year to his income, he taxed the -estate to the extent of £500 per annum on behalf of the Rev. Edmund -Nelson as “a mark of gratitude to the best of parents.” - -Keith being on the look-out for the forty ships of the allied -fleets--for Bruix had been joined by the Spanish fleet at Cartagena -as previously mentioned--the chief command devolved upon Nelson. -Unfortunately Keith was unable to come up with the enemy, who entered -Brest without being brought to battle. He then returned to England. -Nelson hoped that the Lords of the Admiralty would make his temporary -command permanent. Why they failed to do so is not quite clear. Keith -was sent back, and resumed command in the following January. The -situation was a most difficult one for Nelson, especially as the King -of the Two Sicilies invariably showed the white feather when Nelson -wished to conduct him to Naples: “nothing can move him.” The Admiral’s -health was still unsatisfactory. “I am almost blind, and truly very -unwell.” He was worried because the naval force had been withdrawn -from the coast of Italy, worried about the siege of Malta, and worried -by the stupidity of his Russian and Turkish allies. But he maintained -a bold front, and never let the respective commanders know what he -thought of them. Instead, he wrote the most reassuring messages to -everybody, knowing and appreciating full well the value of optimism. - -In September 1799, we find his squadron disposed at six different -points, namely off Alexandria and the coast of Egypt, under Sir Sidney -Smith; off Malta, under the Portuguese Rear-Admiral the Marquis de -Niza; at Palermo; on the coast of Naples and the Roman coast, under -Troubridge; on the north coast of Italy; and blockading Cadiz and -protecting the Straits of Gibraltar, Minorca, etc., which is sufficient -to show that his task was an arduous one. He endeavoured to stir up -enthusiasm in the land forces on behalf of Malta, Civita Vecchia, -and Rome. To Sir James Erskine, at Port Mahon, he wrote with all the -eloquence he could command to incite him to effort: “The field of glory -is a large one, and was never more open to any one than at this moment -to you. Rome would throw open her gates and receive you as a deliverer; -and the Pope[44] would owe his restoration to the Papal Chair to an -_heretic_. This is the first great object, as it would not only be the -complete deliverance of Italy, but restore peace and tranquillity to -the torn-to-pieces Kingdom of Naples.... The next great object is the -reduction of Malta, and in any other moment than the present, it would -be a most important one.... To return to the first object, I can take -upon me to say, that our King would be much gratified that _Britain_ -not _Austria_ should re-instate the Pope. You are at perfect liberty to -say this from me; for the world sees the ambition of Austria, and her -eagle wants to extend her wings from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean. -I will not say more, but that I will support you to the utmost of my -abilities.” Succour did not come from Erskine but from a division of -troops sent by the veteran Russian commander Suwarrow, and, on the -1st October, Nelson was able to inform the Admiralty of the terms -entered into with the French by Troubridge for the evacuation of Rome -and Civita Vecchia, “on which event I sincerely congratulate their -Lordships.” - -On the 15th of the same month Nelson sent the “Sketch of my Life,” -already remarked upon,[45] to Mr John McArthur of the “Naval -Chronicle,” in which he says that when the terms of capitulation were -signed on board the _Culloden_, “a prophecy, made to me on my arrival -at Naples, was fulfilled, viz., ‘_that I should take Rome with my -Ships_.’” - -“Thus,” he concludes, “may be exemplified by my Life that perseverance -in my profession will most probably meet its reward. Without having any -inheritance, or being fortunate in prize money, I have received all -the honours of my profession, been created a Peer of Great Britain, and -I may say to thee, reader: - - “‘_Go thou and do likewise._’” - -Nelson’s enthusiasm in the matter of Italy was due partly to the -magnificent series of victories which the armies of the coalition had -won. Alessandria and Mantua had fallen, Moreau had retreated near Novi, -and Tortona had surrendered. So far everything seemed to be pitched -in a major key, but the minor element entered when the Russians were -sent into Switzerland instead of being allowed to finish their task -in Italy. Masséna won the battle of Zurich, thereby severing the -communications between the Austro-Russian forces in Switzerland and in -Italy. In October the intrepid Suwarrow, crossing the Alps, withdrew -his forces to Bavaria for the purpose of taking up winter quarters, -declining to further expose his worn-out troops. - -In the same month another and more important event happened, which was -to be far-reaching in its results. On the 9th of that month Napoleon, -having been fortunate enough to escape the vigilance of British -cruisers during his long and tedious voyage from Alexandria, landed -in France. Nelson did not hear the news until the 24th, when he told -Sir Sidney Smith, “I have just got a report that appears to have some -foundation, that Buonaparte has passed Corsica in a Bombard, steering -for France. No Crusader ever returned with more humility--contrast -his going in _L’Orient_, &c., &c.” Nelson was not on intimate terms -with Smith, and was therefore not likely to relieve his mind “against -French villany” as he did to Earl Spencer: “The great object of the war -is--_Down, down with the French!_” “If I could have any Cruisers,” he -said in another letter, “as was my plan, off Cape Bon, in Africa, and -between Corsica and Toulon, Mr Buonaparte could not probably have got -to France; but if it bring on a confusion at Paris, I hope it will be -for the best.” “I have regretted sincerely the escape of Buonaparte”; -he tells the Earl of Elgin, British ambassador at Constantinople; “but -those Ships which were destined by me for the two places where he would -certainly have been intercepted, were, from the Admiralty thinking, -doubtless, that the Russians would do something at sea, obliged to be -at Malta, and other services which I thought the Russian Admiral would -have assisted me in--therefore, no blame lays at my door.” Again, “Our -news here is of a civil war in France--Buonaparte against Barras. May -God increase their confusion.” - -While Sir Sidney Smith had been eminently successful at the siege of -Acre, which made Napoleon miss his “destiny” and precluded him from -changing “the face of the world,” as he himself stated, the defeat of -the Turks after their disembarkation at Aboukir in July considerably -altered the condition of affairs. Smith and the Turkish Government -were for allowing the French to return to their native country, an -arrangement not at all in accord with Nelson’s wishes. “I own my hope -yet is,” he confesses to the Earl of Elgin, “that the Sublime Porte -will never permit a single Frenchman to quit Egypt; and I own myself -wicked enough to wish them all to die in that Country they chose to -invade. We have scoundrels of French enough in Europe without them.... -I again take the liberty of repeating that it is contrary to my -opinion, allowing a single Frenchman from Egypt to return during the -war to France. It would [be a] paper I never would subscribe to; but I -submit to the better judgment of men.” To Spencer Smith, Secretary of -Embassy, Constantinople, he says much the same thing: “I cannot bring -myself to believe they would entirely quit Egypt; and, if they would, I -never would consent to one of them returning to the Continent of Europe -during the war. I wish them to _perish_ in Egypt, and give a great -lesson to the world of the justice of the ALMIGHTY.” “I would have kept -up a more constant communication with Egypt;” he tells Keith on the -7th January 1800, “but I have never had the benefit of small Vessels.” -When the Admiral heard of the Convention of El Arish, concluded by -Smith and Kléber--Napoleon’s successor in Egypt--Nelson was furious. -By its terms the army and its munitions were to be allowed to return -to France. Had Nelson been Commander-in-chief, he would have refused -“to ratify any consent or approbation of Sir Sidney Smith,” and would -never “for a moment have forgot my text--that at all risks of giving -offence, _not one Frenchman should be allowed to quit Egypt_.” Keith -showed a firm hand when the intelligence reached him. He would consent -to “no Capitulation with the French Army in Egypt, except as prisoners -of war,” and he insisted on the abandoning of all ships and munitions. -Moreover, no troops were to return until they were exchanged. In due -course the British Government consented to the terms which had been -made, although it disapproved of Sir Sidney Smith’s high-handed policy. -On Kléber being informed of the conditions imposed on him by Keith, -he refused to entertain them. Hostilities were renewed before the -receipt of the Order from England confirming the capitulation, and the -negotiations came to nothing. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -Disobedience to Orders - - “Pray God we may get alongside of them, the event I leave to - Providence” - - NELSON. - - -Malta was in a pitiful, half-starved condition. Nelson urged Sir -James Erskine at Mahon, and Brigadier-General Graham at Messina, -to send troops to its relief. They were as adamant and refused. He -was therefore kept “in desperation about Malta” until General Fox -arrived at Minorca and released the garrison there for the more urgent -necessities of the unhappy island. The Russians upon whom the Admiral -had also depended were sent elsewhere in pursuance of the Czar’s plan -to withdraw from the enfeebled coalition. - -The Portuguese having withdrawn their ships from the blockade, it -was eminently necessary to fill their place, especially as it was -understood that a French squadron was likely to be sent to the relief -of the beleaguered. Keith was back at his post in January 1800, and was -off Leghorn with Nelson on the 20th of that month. After proceeding to -Palermo they both went to Malta, where the exciting news was received -that the enemy had not only left port but had been seen off the west -end of Sicily. - -The Commander-in-chief remained at Malta ready to give the Frenchmen a -warm welcome should they come his way; Nelson was dispatched to capture -the Republican squadron. This consisted of the famous _Généreux_, -the 74-gun ship, which had escaped after the battle of the Nile, -three corvettes, and an armed store-ship. The Admiral had three -sail-of-the-line at his service, when he came up with Rear-Admiral -Perrée on the 18th February 1800, but the chase had already been -started by the _Alexander_, which happened to be cruising near. The -French store-ship struck her tricoloured ensign after a few shots had -been fired, and was promptly secured. The _Généreux_ was then raked -with several broadsides by the _Success_ frigate, a compliment returned -by the Frenchman to the disadvantage of the British crew, of which -one man was killed and the Master and seven men wounded. When the -_Foudroyant_ and the _Northumberland_ approached, and began to fight in -real earnest, the enemy’s flagship fired her broadside and surrendered. -The corvettes made good their escape. Perrée died of his wounds on the -following day. His flag was sent by the Admiral to Leopold, Prince of -Salerno, through Sir John Acton, who described King Ferdinand’s son as -being “in raptures” at the present. - -On the 24th, the blockade of Malta was entrusted to Nelson by Keith, -the Commander-in-chief sailing for Genoa to assist the Austrians in -the siege of that place, which eventually fell in the first week of -the following June. The position was an ignominious one from Nelson’s -point of view, as his letters testify. He told his superior that -“Without some rest, I am gone,” and that he was “absolutely exhausted.” -In referring to Keith in a note to Lord Minto he underlines “_my -Commander-in-chief_,” for a reason which is fairly obvious. “Ought I to -trust Dame Fortune any more?” he asks, “her daughter may wish to step -in and tear the mother from me. I have in truth serious thoughts of -giving up active service--Greenwich Hospital seems a fit retreat for me -after being _evidently_ thought unfit to command in the Mediterranean.” -“_We of the Nile_ are not equal to Lord Keith in his (Acton’s) -estimation, and ought to think it an honour to serve under such a -_clever_ man,” he tells Troubridge. “I can say little good of myself: -I am far from well”; “My state of health is very precarious. Two days -ago I dropped with a pain in my heart, and I am always in a fever”; -“my very ill state of health”; “I believe I am almost finished,” are -passages to be found in his correspondence at this period. He informed -Keith that his health was “so very indifferent,” that he was obliged -“in justice to myself, to retire to Palermo for a few weeks, and to -direct Troubridge to carry on the service during my necessary absence. -I shall quit this station when matters are all put in a right way.” - -Troubridge heard of Nelson’s decision with unfeigned sorrow. “I beseech -you,” he says in a note of such sincere regard and affection that it -is worthy of place in any “Life of Nelson,” “hear the entreaties of a -sincere friend, and do not go to Sicily for the present.” - -Nelson paid no heed to the warning, and proceeded to Palermo. While -returning to Malta the _Foudroyant_ was able to render assistance -to the _Penelope_ (36) frigate, which was following the _Guillaume -Tell_ (86) in much the same way as a sturdy little terrier sometimes -follows a much larger dog. After some hours the _Lion_ (64) came up, -followed by the _Foudroyant_. The _Guillaume Tell_--the sole remaining -sail-of-the-line which had escaped at the Nile--was endeavouring to -break the blockade of Valetta, but the time had come for her last fight -with the undaunted foe. She surrendered after a splendid resistance -on Sunday morning, the 30th March, and was towed in a very crippled -and dismasted state to Syracuse. In due course she was refitted and -rendered good service in the British navy as the _Malta_. Rear-Admiral -Decrès was wounded and taken prisoner, and some 200 of the 1220 men on -his flagship were either killed or rendered _hors de combat_. - -Sir Edward Berry, who commanded the _Foudroyant_, wrote a hasty letter -giving Nelson a few particulars. “I had but one wish this morning--it -was for you,” is the opening sentence, “How we prayed for you, God -knows, and your sincere and faithful friend,” are the concluding -words. Could better evidence be produced of the love which animated -Nelson and his “band of brothers”? “My task is done, my health is -lost, and the orders of the great Earl of St Vincent are completely -fulfilled--thanks, ten thousand thanks, to my brave friends!” Thus he -wrote to Berry on the 5th April 1800, and on the following day he made -similar remarks to Lord Minto: “Our dear great Earl of St Vincent’s -orders to me were to follow the French Mediterranean fleet, and to -annihilate them: it has been done, thanks to the zeal and bravery of -my gallant friends! My task is done, my health lost, and I have wrote -to Lord Keith for my retreat. May all orders be as punctually obeyed, -but never again an Officer at the close, of what I must, without -being thought vain, (for such I am represented by my enemies,) call a -glorious career, be so treated! I go with our dear friends Sir William -and Lady Hamilton; but whether by water or land depends on the will -of Lord Keith.” Again and again Nelson refers to the prowess of his -comrades in arms. “The happy capture of the _William Tell_,” he writes -to the Capitan Pacha, “is the finish to the whole French fleet, which -my Royal Master desired me to destroy. Having, by the bravery of the -Officers and Men under my command, accomplished my task, I am going to -England for the benefit of my health; but I can assure you, and beg of -your Excellency to assure the Grand Signior of the same, that should -the Enemy again send a Naval force to attack his Dominions, I shall -hold myself ready to come forth again for their destruction.” To the -Caimakan Pacha he says, “It was my orders, in May 1798, to destroy the -French Mediterranean fleet. By the happy capture of the _Généreux_ and -_William Tell_, (the last on the 30th March,) thanks to the Almighty, -and the bravery of the Officers and Men under my command, _all_, _all_, -are taken, burnt, or sunk. Of the thirteen Sail of the Line, not one -remains; and I trust that very soon the same may be told of their Army, -who dared to land on the Territory of the Sublime Porte. Perish all the -enemies of his Imperial Majesty the Grand Signior! Having completely -obeyed my orders, with great injury to my health, I am going to England -for the benefit of it.” He adds that he will not fail his ally, should -another French fleet menace the Turkish dominions. “I shall hold -myself ready, if I am thought fit for such a service, to come forth, -and be the instrument of God’s vengeance on such miscreant infernal -scoundrels.” He writes to Earl Spencer, enclosing Berry’s account -of the capture of the French battleship, and assures himself that -his Lordship “will not be sparing of promotion to the deserving. My -friends wished me to be present. I have no such wish; for a something -might have been given me, which now cannot. Not for all the world -would I rob any man of a sprig of laurel--much less my children of the -_Foudroyant_! I love her as a fond father, a darling child, and glory -in her deeds. I am vain enough to feel the effects of my school. Lord -Keith sending me nothing, I have not, of course, a free communication. -I have wrote to him for permission to return to England, when you -will see a broken-hearted man.... My complaint, which is principally -a swelling of the heart, is at times alarming to my friends....” -“My mind is fixed for retreat at this moment,” he informs “fighting -Berry.” “Assure all the Foudroyants of my sincere regard and affection -for them. _They may depend upon me._” “I glory in them, my darling -children, served in my school, and all of us caught our professional -zeal and fire from the great and good Earl of St Vincent”--thus he -writes to Keith. None of his hundreds of letters more fully reveals the -charming nature of the man, than those quoted above. While Nelson was -fond enough of glory for himself, he was too large-hearted to deprive -others of it. - -We have now to return to his unhappy and miscalculated transactions -with the people whom he served not wisely but too well, to show him -again “a vehement partisan of the Court of Naples,” as Judge O’Connor -Morris expresses it. “I purpose going in the _Foudroyant_,” he tells -Keith, on the 12th May, “in a few days, to Palermo, as I am under -an old promise to her Sicilian Majesty, that whenever she returned -to the Continent, I would escort her over. Her Majesty has now made -application to me for that purpose; and, as it may be necessary to -take another Ship for the escort, I purpose taking the _Alexander_ -with me.” It is clear that Nelson had no right to enter into any such -arrangement, especially as there were too few rather than too many -ships for the blockade of Malta. Before Keith’s despatch was received -forbidding Nelson to use the vessels, the Admiral had left Malta for -Palermo, which he reached on the 31st May. But he _did_ get a despatch -ordering him to take the ships then at Leghorn to Spezia, which Nelson -only partly obeyed, and stationed himself at the former port to await -the convenience of the Queen and family. There he was met on the 24th -June by his Commander-in-chief, whose feelings may be gauged by his -letter to the Hon. A. Paget, Sir William Hamilton’s successor as Envoy -Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the King of the Two -Sicilies. It was written at Leghorn on the 16th July, two days after -the disastrous defeat of the Austrians by Napoleon at Marengo. - -He says: “I was so displeased by the withdrawing of the Ships from -before Malta, and with other proceedings that Her Majesty did not -take any notice of me latterally which had no effect on my attention -to Her Rank, what a Clamour to letting in the Ships to Malta will -occasion I assure you nothing has given me more real concern it was -so near exhausted.”[46] “The Paget Papers” make it quite clear that -Queen Caroline did not go out of her way to impress Keith, but rather -exhibited a fondness for snubbing him. He writes to Paget on another -occasion to the effect that “the Queen expected the Whole Squadron to -attend on Her Court which was impossible a Riot happened in the Square -the Queen desired I would go to the people, I declined having no -Authority to do so and disapproving of all tumults on every pretence -in short Her Majesty took leave of Every one in Public but me....” -An extremely important letter[47] will also be found in the same -collection of documents which sheds much light on the personalities -of the Royal folk with whom Nelson had so much to do in this phase of -his career. Paget is writing to Lord Grenville, Secretary of State for -Foreign Affairs: - -“The King, whose real character has from circumstances shown itself -during and since the revolution more than at any former period, is -timid and bigoted and, as is often the case in the same disposition, -cruel and revengeful. He has no natural turn for, nor do his habits -allow him to attend to business. He has no guide for his Conduct but -that of private consideration, and to take the present Instance, -whatever plea he may set forth for delaying his return to Naples, I am -in my own mind convinced, and I should not utter these opinions but -upon the surest grounds, that His Sicilian Majesty labours under the -strongest apprehensions for his own personal safety. - -“The Queen’s character generally is too well known to Your Lordship to -require any comment upon it from me. I have every reason to suppose -that not from principles but from pique, Her Sicilian Majesty has -been very violent in opposing the King’s return since my arrival. She -had been taught to believe that I was sent here to Dictate and to use -haughty language upon the Subject, at which idea I know from _undoubted -authority_ she was most violently irritated.... But I have reason to -think that She has entirely lost her Influence, though she meddles as -much as ever in business. She assists at every Council that is held.... - -“The King and Queen of Naples are, as I have already mentioned, -upon the worst terms.... His Sicilian Majesty considers the former -intrigues of the Queen as the principal cause of the misfortunes that -have befallen Him. He has made a solemn vow not to return with Her -to Naples, on which account he is anxious that she should take this -Journey to Vienna.” He adds that he has been led to suppose that Queen -Caroline’s visit to Vienna “is to endeavour to produce a change in the -disposition of that Court which is thought to be extremely unfriendly,” -and that her Majesty’s uneasiness was due to a suspicion that the -Emperor might be led to take advantage of the defenceless state of the -Sicilian dominions. In a “Private and Confidential” note to Grenville -of the same date dealing with the intrigues of Lady Hamilton who, -according to Paget, had represented him as a Jacobin and coxcomb, he -mentions Nelson’s health as “I fear sadly impaired, & I am assured -that his fortune is fallen into the same state in consequence of great -losses which both His Lordship & Lady Hamilton have sustained at Faro & -other Games of Hazard. They are expected back from Malta every day, & -are then I understand to proceed by Sea to England.” - -The Earl of Dundonald affords us an intimate glimpse of Nelson at this -time in his “Autobiography.” He was then serving under Keith, and had -several conversations with the great sailor during the visit of the -Commander-in-chief to Palermo. “From one of his frequent injunctions, -‘Never mind manœuvres, always go at them,’ I subsequently had reason,” -he says, “to consider myself indebted for successful attacks under -apparently difficult circumstances. - -“The impression left on my mind during these opportunities of -association with Nelson was that of his being an embodiment of dashing -courage, which would not take much trouble to circumvent an enemy, but -being confronted with one would regard victory so much a matter of -course as hardly to deem the chance of defeat worth consideration.” - -Permission for Nelson’s return home, either by land or sea, was -duly granted by the Admiralty. Earl Spencer took occasion to mildly -rebuke the Admiral in a private letter, stating that in his opinion -it appears “more advisable for you to come home at once, than to be -obliged to remain inactive at Palermo, while active service was going -on in other parts of the station. I should still much prefer your -remaining to complete the reduction of Malta, which I flatter myself -cannot be very far distant.” At the time of writing, news of the -capture of the _Guillaume Tell_ had not been received. After hoping -that she might strike to Nelson’s flag, Spencer adds: “I am quite -clear, and I believe I am joined in opinion by all our friends here, -that you will be more likely to recover your health and strength in -England than in an inactive situation at a Foreign Court, however -pleasing the respect and gratitude shown to you for your services may -be, and no testimonies of respect and gratitude from that Court to you -can be, I am convinced, too great for the very essential services you -have rendered it.” - -[Illustration: Lady Hamilton - -Romney - -=Photo W. A. Mansell & Co.=] - -Nelson struck his flag on the 11th July, and proceeded to England by -way of Florence, Ancona, Trieste, and Vienna. The journey was made by -land so far as Ancona, where the Queen, Nelson, Lord and Lady Hamilton, -and Miss Knight were taken on board a Russian vessel and landed at -Trieste on the 2nd August. The last-mentioned lady, to whom we have -been introduced on a previous page, was intimately acquainted with her -more eminent companions. The journey was of a very adventurous nature, -as the following extracts from her letters to “fighting Berry,” printed -by Nicolas, will prove:-- - -“July 16th.-- ... Lord Nelson is going on an expedition he disapproves, -and against his own convictions, because he has promised the Queen, and -that others advise her. I pity the Queen. Prince Belmonte directs the -march; and Lady Hamilton, though she does not like him, seconds his -proposals, because she hates the sea, and wishes to visit the different -Courts of Germany. Sir William says _he_ shall die by the way, and he -looks so ill, that I should not be surprised if he did. I am astonished -that the Queen, who is a sensible woman,[48] should consent to -run so great a risk; but I can assure you, that neither she nor the -Princesses forget their great obligations to you.... - -“ANCONA, _24th July_, 1800.--As I find delays succeed each other, and -England still recedes from us, I will not omit, at least, informing you -of our adventures. We left Leghorn the day after I wrote to you, ... -and owing more to good fortune than to prudence, arrived in twenty-six -hours at Florence, after passing within _two miles_ of the French -advanced posts. After a short stay, we proceeded on our way to this -place. At Castel San Giovanni, the coach, in which were Lord Nelson, -and Sir William and Lady Hamilton, was overturned; Sir William and Lady -Hamilton were hurt, but not dangerously. The wheel was repaired, but -broke again at Arezzo--the Queen two days’ journey before them, and -news of the French Army advancing rapidly, it was therefore decided -that they should proceed, and Mrs Cadogan[49] and I remain with the -broken carriage, as it was of less consequence we should be left -behind, or taken, than they.... Just as we were going to set off, we -received accounts of the French being very near the road where we had -to pass, and of its being also infested with Neapolitan deserters; -but at the same moment arrived a party of Austrians, and the Officers -gave us two soldiers as a guard. We travelled night and day; the roads -are almost destroyed, and the misery of the inhabitants is beyond -description. At length, however, we arrived at Ancona, and found that -the Queen had given up the idea of going in the _Bellona_, an Austrian -Frigate, fitted up with silk hangings, carpets, and eighty beds for -her reception, and now meant to go with a Russian Squadron of three -Frigates and a Brig. I believe she judged rightly; for there had been a -mutiny on board the _Bellona_, and, for the sake of accommodation, she -had reduced her guns to twenty-four, while the French, in possession -of the Coast, arm Trabaccoli, and other light Vessels, that could -easily surround and take her. This Russian Squadron is commanded by -Count Voinovitsch, a Dalmatian, who having seen his people ill-treated, -and their colours destroyed by the Germans last year at the Siege of -Ancona, made a vow never to come ashore, and keeps it religiously, -for he has not returned the Queen’s visit.... Lord Nelson talks often -of the _Foudroyant_, whatever is done to turn off the conversation; -and last night he was talking with Captain Messer of the manœuvres he -intended to make in case he accepted of another command. In short, -I perceive that his thoughts turn towards England, and I hope, and -believe he will be happy there.... Lord Nelson has been received with -acclamations in all the towns of the Pope’s States.... - -“TRIESTE, _9th of August_, 1800.--... I told you we were become humble -enough to rejoice at a Russian Squadron conveying us across the -Adriatic; but had we sailed, as was first intended, in the Imperial -Frigate, we should have been taken by eight Trabaccoli, which the -French armed on purpose at Pisaro. Sir William and Lady Hamilton, and -Lord Nelson, give a miserable account of their sufferings on board -the Commodore’s Ship, (Count Voinovitsch).[50] He was ill in his cot; -but his First Lieutenant, a Neapolitan, named Capaci, was, it seems, -the most insolent and ignorant of beings. Think what Lord Nelson must -have felt! He says a gale of wind would have sunk the Ship.... Poor -Sir William Hamilton has been so ill, that the physicians had almost -given him up: he is now better, and I hope we shall be able to set off -to-morrow night for Vienna. The Queen and thirty-four of her suite have -had fevers: you can form no idea of the _helplessness_ of the party. -How we shall proceed on our long journey, is to me a problem; but we -shall certainly get on as fast as we can; for the very precarious state -of Sir William’s health has convinced everybody that it is necessary he -should arrange his affairs.... Poor Lord Nelson, whose only comfort -was in talking of ships and harbours with Captain Messer, has had a bad -cold; but is almost well, and, I think, anxious to be in England. He is -followed by thousands when he goes out, and for the illumination that -is to take place this evening, there are many _Viva Nelsons_, prepared. -He seems affected whenever he speaks of _you_, and often sighs out, -‘Where is the _Foudroyant_?’” - -The party arrived at Vienna in the third week of August 1800. Nelson -became the hero of the hour. He was entertained in the most sumptuous -way. The composer Haydn played to him while the Admiral--played -at cards! Nelson was surfeited by attentions for a month, before -proceeding to Prague and Dresden. The beautiful and clever Mrs St -George, who afterwards changed her name a second time and became Mrs -Trench, and the mother of a celebrated Archbishop of Dublin, happened -to be at the latter Court during the visit, and she confides to her -Diary many interesting little happenings connected with Nelson and Lady -Hamilton. The picture she paints of Sir William’s wife is by no means -so prepossessing as others, but at a certain dinner she was _vis-a-vis_ -“with only the Nelson party,” which gives her a right to speak. - -“It is plain,” she writes, “that Lord Nelson thinks of nothing but -Lady Hamilton, who is totally occupied by the same object. She is -bold, forward, coarse, assuming, and vain. Her figure is colossal, -but, excepting her feet, which are hideous, well-shaped. Her bones are -large, and she is exceedingly _embonpoint_. She resembles the bust of -Ariadne; the shape of all her features is fine, as is the form of her -head, and particularly her ears; her teeth are a little irregular, but -tolerably white; her eyes light blue, with a brown spot in one, which, -though a defect, takes nothing away from her beauty or expression. -Her eyebrows and her hair are dark, and her complexion coarse. Her -expression is strongly marked, variable, and interesting; her movements -in common life ungraceful; her voice loud, yet not disagreeable. Lord -Nelson is a little man, without any dignity, who, I suppose, must -resemble what Suwarrow was in his youth, as he is like all the pictures -I have seen of that General. Lady Hamilton takes possession of him, and -he is a willing captive, the most submissive and devoted I have seen. -Sir William is old, infirm, and all admiration of his wife, and never -spoke to-day but to applaud her. Miss Cornelia Knight seems the decided -flatterer of the two, and never opens her mouth but to show forth their -praise; and Mrs Cadogan, Lady Hamilton’s mother, is--what one might -expect. After dinner we had several songs in honour of Nelson, written -by Miss Knight, and sung by Lady Hamilton. She puffs the incense full -in his face, but he receives it with pleasure, and snuffs it up very -cordially.” - -In another passage Mrs Trench refers to Lady Hamilton’s representations -of statues and paintings which Romney painted so delightfully. “She -assumes their attitude, expression, and drapery with great facility, -swiftness, and accuracy.” When she sang she was frequently out of tune, -and her voice had “no sweetness.” Mrs Trench sums up the character of -her subject as “bold, daring, vain even to folly, and stamped with the -manners of her first situation[51] much more strongly than one would -suppose, after having represented Majesty, and lived in good company -fifteen years. Her ruling passions seem to me vanity, avarice, and -love for the pleasures of the table. She showed a great avidity for -presents, and has actually obtained some at Dresden by the common -artifice of admiring and longing.” - -[Illustration: Nelson landing at Yarmouth - -Stephen Reid] - -It is not a pleasant picture, and is perhaps a little overdrawn, but -even allowing a certain amount of latitude for the severity of a woman -criticising a member of her sex with whom she has little in common, it -must be confessed that contemporary opinion is very largely on the -side of the young and beautiful widow who thus confided her opinion so -emphatically in the pages of her private journal. - -Hamburg was reached on the 21st of October. Here Nelson met Dumouriez, -the veteran hero of the battle of Jemappes, and according to Miss -Cornelia Knight, “the two distinguished men took a great fancy to one -another.... Dumouriez at that time maintained himself by his writings, -and Lord Nelson forced him to accept a hundred pounds, telling him he -had used his sword too well to live only by his pen.” Ten days after -the arrival of the party at Hamburg they embarked for England. When -Nelson stepped on shore at Yarmouth on the 6th November 1800, the -crowd which had assembled greeted him with all the enthusiasm of such -gatherings when a great and popular man is in their midst. Some of the -more boisterous spirits unharnessed the horses of the carriage awaiting -the Admiral and his friends and drew them to their destination, a -certain well-known hostelry in the town. - -Thus England welcomed back the hero of the Nile and a pillar of the -Sicilian Kingdom after an absence of nearly three years, every day of -which had been lived to the full. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -The Campaign of the Baltic - -(1800-1) - - “_The service of my King and Country is the object nearest my - heart._” - - NELSON. - - -Ostensibly Nelson had come back to England because of illness. That -his health was improved by the prolonged journey home via the overland -route is quite possible. The relief from worry as to the Mediterranean -in general and to Keith in particular no doubt conduced largely to so -desirable a result. It is evident that he had returned to a normal -condition of mind and of body; otherwise we should not find him writing -to the Secretary of the Admiralty on the day of his arrival in England -that his health was “perfectly re-established” and that he wished “to -serve immediately.” - -Nelson did not have to wait long for his wishes to be fulfilled. On -the first day of the new year he was made a Vice-Admiral of the Blue, -not as a reward for his services but in a general promotion. A little -over a fortnight later he hoisted his flag on the _San Josef_ (112), -one of the prizes of the battle off Cape St Vincent, commanded by -the devoted Hardy. Nelson then made the request, apparently on the -principle of “nothing venture nothing have,” that the Lords of the -Admiralty would not consider his “necessary coming from Italy as a -dereliction of the service, but only a remove from the Mediterranean to -the Channel.” Although he was a favourite of the rank and file of the -Navy, he was certainly not esteemed so highly by “the powers that be.” -No doubt he was himself partly responsible. His friend Collingwood’s -“Correspondence” at the time affords a little sidelight on the matter. -“We are at present lying completely ready,” he writes on the 25th -January, “and, on the least motion made by the enemy, should sail; -so you may conceive what an anxious time I have of it. Lord Nelson -is here; and I think he will probably come and live with me when the -weather will allow him; but he does not get in and out of ships well -with one arm. He gave me an account of his reception at Court, which -was not very flattering, after having been the admiration of that of -Naples. His Majesty merely asked him if he had recovered his health; -and then, without waiting for an answer, turned to General ----, and -talked to him near half an hour in great good humour. It could not be -about his successes.” - -The early days of the nineteenth century were overshadowed by a -storm-cloud which burst with sudden fury and dispersed almost as -rapidly, giving place to a short-lived peace followed by twelve years -of incessant tempest. So far back as 1780 Russia, Sweden and Denmark -had entered into a league of Armed Neutrality by which, in the terse -summing-up of Laughton, they had “bound themselves to resist the right -of ‘visit and search’ claimed by the belligerents, and to enforce -the acceptance of certain principles of so-called international law; -among others, the security of a belligerent’s property under a neutral -flag,--‘a free ship makes free goods’; that a blockade to be binding -must be maintained by an adequate force; and that ‘contraband of war’ -must be distinctly defined beforehand. As these principles, if admitted -by England, amounted to the import by France of naval stores,--masts, -hemp, tar--from the Baltic, to be paid for by French exports, the -English Government was resolved to contest them.” From 1793 to 1800 -Sweden and Denmark were neutral, but Great Britain, secure in her -maritime supremacy, had continued to search merchant-ships, whether -convoyed by a vessel of war or not. Matters were brought to a crisis -by the capture of the Danish frigate _Freya_ on the 25th July 1800, -and the subsequent passage of the Sound by a British squadron. At the -moment Denmark was not prepared for hostilities, and entered into a -convention with Great Britain, which admitted the right of search. - -When, a little later, the half-crazy Czar, Paul I., dissatisfied -with England as an ally, and led on by specious promises on the part -of Napoleon, definitely renewed the League, the two Baltic Powers -willingly joined him. He laid an embargo on all British ships in -Russian ports, and generally showed that it was a case of “off with the -old love and on with the new.” - -It was thought in England that negotiations, backed by a strong fleet, -would be sufficient to sever Denmark from the alliance. With this -object in view fifteen sail-of-the-line[52] having a considerable -number of soldiers on board for use if necessary, and attended by a -collection of smaller vessels, sailed early in March. When Nelson heard -of Sir Hyde Parker’s appointment as Commander-in-chief, he was no more -pleased than when Keith had returned to his former station in the -previous year, but he wisely smothered his disappointment. His “sole -object,” he informs Lord St Vincent, “and to which all my exertions and -abilities tend, is to bring this long war to an honourable termination; -to accomplish which, we must all pull in the collar, and, as we have -got such a driver who will make the lazy ones pull as much as the -willing, I doubt not but we shall get safely, speedily, and honourably -to our journey’s end.” This is Nelson at his best, the Nelson who -could sacrifice himself for King and Country. It was not until the -17th February that he received definite instructions to “put himself -under the command” of Parker. Shortly afterwards he changed his ship -for the _St George_ (98). “The _St George_ will stamp an additional -ray of glory to England’s fame, if Nelson survives;” he writes to Lady -Hamilton, “and that Almighty Providence, who has hitherto protected -me in all dangers, and covered my head in the day of battle, will -still, if it be his pleasure, support and assist me.” To his old friend -Berry he says, “I hope we shall be able as usual to get so close to -our Enemies that our shot cannot miss their object, and that we shall -again give our Northern Enemies that hail-storm of bullets which is so -emphatically described in the ‘Naval Chronicle,’ and which gives our -dear Country the Dominion of the Seas. We have it, and all the Devils -in Hell cannot take it from us, if our Wooden walls have fair play.” -As this letter was penned on the 9th March, before the armament left -Yarmouth, it is clear that the Admiral did not set much store by the -proposed negotiations, for which purpose Mr Vansittart,[53] reputed to -be a skilful diplomatist, sailed with the fleet when it weighed anchor -three days later. - -The first general rendezvous was the Skaw, which was made on the 19th. -A period of heavy weather--bad winds, sleet, snow, frost, and rain--had -set in. Believers in omens not unnaturally predicted the ill-success of -the expedition, which was intensified by the loss of the _Invincible_ -(74) with some 400 souls. She struck a sandbank, floated off into deep -water, and then went down. Nelson’s own ship was not in the best of -condition; she was both leaky and uncomfortable. However, a vessel -is but a means to an end, and so long as the _St George_ could float -and her men could fire a broadside Nelson was content. In his eager, -passionate way, the Admiral strongly disapproved of what he had been -able to ascertain of Parker’s plans: “honour may arise from them, good -cannot. I hear we are likely to anchor outside Cronenburg Castle, -instead of Copenhagen, which would give weight to our negotiation: a -Danish Minister would think twice before he would put his name to war -with England, when the next moment he would probably see his Master’s -Fleet in flames, and his Capital in ruins; but ‘out of sight out of -mind,’ is an old saying. The Dane should see our Flag waving every -moment he lifted up his head.” - -A council of war was held on the 23rd. On the following day Nelson -wrote a lengthy letter to the Commander-in-chief detailing his opinion -of what should be done, Vansittart’s latest report being to the effect -that the Danish Government was hostile “in the greatest possible -degree.” He urged that not a moment should be lost in attacking the -enemy. He brings all the persuasiveness of which he was capable to bear -on Parker. “Here you are,” he says, “with almost the safety, certainly -with the honour of England more intrusted to you, than ever yet fell -to the lot of any British Officer.” This is exaggerating somewhat, but -doubtless the writer felt deeply the urgency of the matter. “On your -decision depends,” he adds with nearer approach to truth, “whether -our Country shall be degraded in the eyes of Europe, or whether she -shall rear her head higher than ever: again do I repeat, never did our -Country depend so much on the success of any Fleet as on this.” He then -proceeds to sketch a plan of campaign, starting with the supposition -that the fleet enters by the Passage of the Sound. He allows for a -certain amount of damage “amongst our masts and yards” taking place -before Cronenburg is reached. There the ships and Crown Island are -attacked, “Ships crippled, and perhaps one or two lost.” This mode -Nelson calls “taking the bull by the horns,” and does not prevent the -ships from Revel, or the Swedish squadron, from joining their allies. -He therefore proposes passing Cronenburg, “taking the risk of damage,” -to “pass up the deepest and straightest Channel above the Middle -Grounds; and coming down the Garbar or King’s Channel, to attack their -Floating batteries, &c., &c., as we find it convenient. It must have -the effect of preventing a junction between the Russians, Swedes, and -Danes, and may give us an opportunity of bombarding Copenhagen.” He -also suggests a passage to the northward of Southolm. An alternative -mode of attack is by the passage of the Belt, an attack on Draco, thus -preventing the junction of the Russians, and “with every probability of -success against the Danish Floating batteries.” His concluding words -are in the true Nelson spirit: “Supposing us through the Belt with -the wind first westerly, would it not be possible to either go with -the Fleet, or detach ten Ships of three and two decks, with one Bomb -and two Fire-Ships, to Revel, to destroy the Russian Squadron at that -place? I do not see the great risk of such a detachment, and with the -remainder to attempt the business at Copenhagen. The measure may be -thought bold, but I am of opinion the boldest measures are the safest; -and our Country demands a most vigorous exertion of her force, directed -with judgment.” Nelson concludes with the assurance that “no exertion -of head or heart” shall be wanting on his part. - -The proposed terms were definitely refused by Denmark, but Nelson’s -“bold measure” of detaching part of the British fleet to attack the -Russian squadron at Revel while the other attacked the Capital did not -appeal to the unimaginative Parker. Copenhagen must first be overcome. -The pilots also assured the Commander-in-chief that the passage of the -Belt was the safest, which drew from Nelson the abrupt but thoroughly -characteristic reply, “Let it be by the Sound, by the Belt, or any how, -only lose not an hour!” Eventually the Sound was chosen. - -Having shifted his flag from the _St George_ to the _Elephant_ (74), -a more serviceable ship for the difficult passage, the British fleet, -in order of battle, slowly threaded its way through the shoals on the -30th March, Nelson commanding the van, Parker the centre, and Graves -the rear. The guns of Cronenburg Castle, dominating the Sound, blazed -away, as did those on the armed hulks with which the Danes had hoped -to defend the narrow channel, but the Swedish guns maintained a stolid -silence. The fleet then anchored a few miles below Copenhagen. Parker, -Nelson, and several other officers boarded a lugger to reconnoitre the -enemy’s defences. Various soundings were made to the accompaniment of -gun-firing, and it was found that the enemy had placed a formidable -flotilla, including two 70-gun ships, a frigate, and two dismasted -64-gun ships, in the front of the harbour and arsenal. The Trekroner -Battery had also been strengthened. A second council of war was held -on the 31st, some interesting particulars of which are furnished by -Colonel William Stewart, who was in command of some of the troops. -After some difficulties had been stated anent “the three Powers we -should either have to engage, in succession or united, in those seas,” -Stewart tells us that “Lord Nelson kept pacing the cabin, mortified -at everything that savoured either of alarm or irresolution. When the -above remark was applied to the Swedes, he sharply observed, ‘The more -numerous the better’; and when to the Russians, he repeatedly said, -‘So much the better, I wish they were twice as many, the easier the -victory, depend on it.’” - -“At the battle of Copenhagen,” writes Mr Ferguson, surgeon of the -_Elephant_, “I was amongst the companions of the hero. The attempt was -arduous in the extreme: no common mind would have dared to conceive it; -but it was suited to the exalted enterprise of Lord Nelson. As _his_ -was the invigorating spirit of the council that planned the attack, so -in the execution _he_ only could have commanded success. During the -interval that preceded the battle, I could only silently admire when -I saw the first man in all the world spend the hours of the day and -night in boats, amid floating ice, and in the severest weather; and -wonder when the light shewed me a path marked by buoys, which had been -trackless the preceding evening. - -“On the first day of April, in the afternoon, we took our departure -with twelve sail-of-the-line, and a proportionate number of smaller -vessels, from the main body of the fleet, then lying about four miles -below Copenhagen; and coasted along the outer edge of the shoal called -the middle ground, until we doubled its farthest extremities, when the -fleet cast anchor. This shoal, of the same extent as the sea front of -the town, lies exactly before it, at about three-quarters of a mile in -distance; the interval between it and the shore had deep water, and is -called the King’s Channel. - -“In this channel the Danes had arranged their defence, as near the town -as possible. It consisted of nineteen ships and floating batteries, -flanked at the town’s extremity by two artificial islands at the mouth -of the harbour, called the Crown batteries, and extending for a mile -along the whole front of the town, leaving intervals for the batteries -on shore to play. - -“As our anchor dropped at eight in the evening, Nelson emphatically -called out, ‘I will fight them the moment I have a fair wind.’ He spent -the whole night in consultation. - -“About half-past nine a.m. of the 2nd of April, the signals of the -different ships having been made, repeated, and answered, we had the -mortification to see the _Agamemnon_ get upon the shoal on the first -attempt to leave her anchorage, where she remained immovable. A similar -misfortune followed in succession to the _Russell_ and _Polyphemus_; -and in addition to all this, the _Jamaica_ frigate, with a convoy of -gunboats and the small craft having fallen in with the counter current, -and being unable to stem it, made the signal of inability to proceed. A -mind less invincible than Nelson’s might have been discouraged: though -the battle had not commenced, yet he had approached the enemy; and he -felt that he could not retreat or wait for reinforcements, without -compromising the glory of his country. The signal to bear down was -still kept flying. His agitation during these moments was extreme; I -shall never forget the impression it made on me. It was not, however, -the agitation of indecision, but of ardent animated patriotism, panting -for glory, which had appeared within his reach, and was vanishing from -his grasp.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -The Battle of Copenhagen - -(1801) - - “_I have a right to be blind sometimes._” - - NELSON. - - -Admiral Mahan, the most scientific of biographical historians, assures -us that the fullest and most interesting account of the Battle of -Copenhagen is that of Colonel William Stewart, an eye-witness of the -thrilling scene and “a very fine gallant man” according to Nelson. -The following particulars are therefore extracted from his graphic -narrative: - -“The Action began at five minutes past ten. In about half an hour -afterwards, the first half of our Fleet was engaged, and before -half-past eleven, the Battle became general. The _Elephant’s_ station -was in the centre, opposite to the Danish Commodore.... The judgment -with which each Ship calculated her station in that intricate Channel, -was admirable throughout. The failure of the three Ships that were -aground, and whose force was to have been opposed to the Trekroner -battery, left this day, as glorious for seamanship as for courage, -incomplete.... The gallant Riou, perceiving the blank in the original -plan for the attack of the Crown Battery, proceeded down the Line with -his Squadron of Frigates, and attempted, but in vain, to fulfil the -duty of the absent Ships of the Line. His force was unequal to it; and -the general signal of recall, which was made about mid-action by the -Commander-in-Chief, had the good effect of, at least, saving Riou’s -Squadron from destruction. - -“About one P.M., few if any of the Enemy’s heavy Ships and Praams had -ceased to fire. The _Isis_ had greatly suffered by the superior weight -of the _Provestein’s_ fire; and if it had not been for the judicious -diversion of it by the _Desirée_, Captain Inman, who raked her, and -for other assistance from the _Polyphemus_, the _Isis_ would have been -destroyed. Both the _Isis_ and _Bellona_ had received serious injury by -the bursting of some of their guns. The _Monarch_ was also suffering -severely under the united fire of the _Holstein_ and _Zealand_; and -only two of our Bomb-vessels could get to their station on the Middle -Ground, and open their mortars on the Arsenal, directing their shells -over both Fleets. Our Squadron of Gun-brigs, impeded by currents, -could not, with the exception of one, although commanded by Captain -Rose in the _Jamaica_, weather the eastern end of the Middle Ground, -or come into Action. The Division of the Commander-in-chief acted -according to the preconcerted plan; but could only menace the entrance -of the Harbour. The _Elephant_ was warmly engaged by the _Dannebrog_, -and by two heavy Praams on her bow and quarter. Signals of distress -were on board the _Bellona_ and _Russell_, and of inability from the -_Agamemnon_. The contest, in general, although from the relaxed state -of the Enemy’s fire, it might not have given much room for apprehension -as to the result, had certainly, at one P.M., not declared itself in -favour of either side. About this juncture, and in this posture of -affairs, the signal was thrown out on board the _London_,[54] for the -Action to cease. - -[Illustration: “I really do not see the signal” - -Stephen Reid] - -“Lord Nelson was at this time, as he had been during the whole Action, -walking the starboard side of the quarter-deck; sometimes much -animated, and at others heroically fine in his observations. A shot -through the mainmast knocked a few splinters about us. He observed to -me, with a smile, ‘It is warm work, and this day may be the last -to any of us at a moment’; and then stopping short at the gangway, he -used an expression never to be erased from my memory, and said with -emotion, ‘but mark you, I would not be elsewhere for thousands.’ When -the signal, No. 39, [to discontinue the engagement], was made, the -Signal Lieutenant reported it to him. He continued his walk, and did -not appear to take notice of it. The Lieutenant meeting his Lordship -at the next turn asked, ‘whether he should repeat it?’ Lord Nelson -answered, ‘No, acknowledge it.’ On the Officer returning to the poop, -his Lordship called after him, ‘Is No. 16 [for close action] still -hoisted?’ the Lieutenant answering in the affirmative, Lord Nelson -said, ‘Mind you keep it so.’ He now walked the deck considerably -agitated, which was always known by his moving the stump of his right -arm. After a turn or two, he said to me, in a quick manner, ‘Do you -know what’s shown on board of the Commander-in-chief, No. 39?’ On -asking him what that meant, he answered, ‘Why, to leave off Action.’ -‘Leave off Action!’ he repeated, and then added, with a shrug, ‘Now, ----- me if I do.’ He also observed, I believe, to Captain Foley, -‘You know, Foley, I have only one eye--I have a right to be blind -sometimes’; and then with an archness peculiar to his character, -putting the glass to his blind eye, he exclaimed, ‘I really do not -see the signal.’[55] This remarkable signal was, therefore, only -acknowledged on board the _Elephant_, not repeated. Admiral Graves did -the latter, not being able to distinguish the _Elephant’s_ conduct: -either by a fortunate accident, or intentionally, No. 16 was not -displaced. The Squadron of Frigates obeyed the signal, and hauled -off. That brave Officer, Captain Riou, was killed by a raking shot, -when the _Amazon_ showed her stern to the Trekroner. He was sitting -on a gun, was encouraging his men, and had been wounded in the head -by a splinter. He had expressed himself grieved at being thus obliged -to retreat, and nobly observed, ‘What will Nelson think of us?’ His -Clerk was killed by his side; and by another shot, several of the -Marines, while hauling on the main-brace, shared the same fate. Riou -then exclaimed, ‘Come then, my boys, let us die all together!’ The -words were scarcely uttered, when the fatal shot severed him in two. -Thus, and in an instant, was the British service deprived of one of -its greatest ornaments, and society of a character of singular worth, -resembling the heroes of romance. - -“The Action now continued with unabated vigour. About two P.M., the -greater part of the Danish Line had ceased to fire: some of the -lighter Ships were adrift, and the carnage on board of the Enemy, -who reinforced their crews from the Shore, was dreadful. The taking -possession of such Ships as had struck, was, however, attended with -difficulty; partly by reason of the batteries on Amak Island protecting -them, and partly because an irregular fire was made on our Boats, as -they approached, from the Ships themselves. The _Dannebrog_ acted -in this manner, and fired at our boat, although that Ship was not -only on fire and had struck, but the Commodore, Fischer, had removed -his Pendant, and had deserted her. A renewed attack on her by the -_Elephant_ and _Glatton_, for a quarter of an hour, not only completely -silenced and disabled the _Dannebrog_, but, by the use of grape, -nearly killed every man who was in the Praams, ahead and astern of -that unfortunate Ship. On our smoke clearing away, the _Dannebrog_ -was found to be drifting in flames before the wind, spreading terror -throughout the Enemy’s Line. The usual lamentable scene then ensued; -and our Boats rowed in every direction, to save the crew, who were -throwing themselves from her at every port-hole; few, however, were -left unwounded in her after our last broadsides, or could be saved. -She drifted to leeward, and about half-past three blew up. The time -of half-past two, brings me to a most important part of Lord Nelson’s -conduct on this day, and about which so much discussion has arisen: -his sending a Flag of Truce on shore. To the best of my recollection, -the facts were as follow. After the _Dannebrog_ was adrift, and had -ceased to fire, the Action was found to be over, along the whole of -the Line astern of us; but not so with the Ships ahead and with the -Crown batteries. Whether from ignorance of the custom of war, or from -confusion on board the Prizes, our Boats were, as before mentioned, -repulsed from the Ships themselves, or fired at from Amak Island. Lord -Nelson naturally lost temper at this, and observed, ‘That he must -either send on shore, and stop this irregular proceeding, or send -in our Fire-ships and burn them.’ He accordingly retired into the -stern gallery, and wrote, with great dispatch, that well-known Letter -addressed to the Crown Prince,[56] with the address, ‘To the Brothers -of Englishmen, the brave Danes, &c.’:[57] and this Letter was conveyed -on shore through the contending Fleets by Captain Sir Frederick -Thesiger, who acted as his Lordship’s Aid-de-camp; and found the Prince -near the Sally-port, animating his people in a spirited manner. - -“Whether we were actually firing at that time in the _Elephant_ or -not, I am unable to recollect; it could only have been partially, at -such of the farther Ships as had not struck. The three Ships ahead -of us were, however, engaged; and from the superiority of the force -opposed to them, it was by no means improbable that Lord Nelson’s -observing eye pointed out to him the expediency of a prudent conduct. -Whether this suggested to him the policy of a Flag of Truce or not, two -solid reasons were apparent, and were such as to justify the measure: -viz., the necessity of stopping the irregular fire from the Ships which -had surrendered--and the singular opportunity that was thus given, of -sounding the feelings of an Enemy, who had reluctantly entered into -the war, and who must feel the generosity of the first offer of amity -coming from a conquering foe. If there were a third reason for the -conduct of the noble Admiral, and some of his own Officers assert this, -it was unnecessary that it should have been expressed; it was certainly -not avowed, and will for ever remain a matter of conjecture.[58] -While the Boat was absent, the animated fire of the Ships ahead of -us, and the approach of two of the Commander-in-chief’s division, -the _Ramilies_ and _Defence_, caused the remainder of the Enemy’s -Line to the eastward of the Trekroner to strike: that formidable Work -continued its fire, but fortunately at too long a range to do serious -damage to any one except the _Monarch_, whose loss in men, this day, -exceeded that of any Line-of-Battle Ship during the war. From the -uninjured state of this Outwork, which had been manned at the close of -the Action with nearly 1500 men, it was deemed impracticable to carry -into execution the projected plan for storming it; the Boats for this -service had been on the starboard side of each Ship during the Action. -The firing from the Crown Battery and from our leading Ships did not -cease until past three o’clock, when the Danish Adjutant-General, -Lindholm, returning with a Flag of Truce, directed the fire of the -battery to be suspended. The signal for doing the same, on our part, -was then made from our Ship to those engaged. The Action closed after -five hours’ duration, four of which were warmly contested. - -“The answer from the Prince Regent was to inquire more minutely into -the purport of the message. I should here observe, that previous to -the Boat’s getting on board, Lord Nelson had taken the opinion of his -valuable friends, Fremantle and Foley, the former of whom had been -sent for from the _Ganges_, as to the practicability of advancing with -the Ships which were least damaged, upon that part of the Danish Line -of Defence yet uninjured. Their opinions were averse from it; and, -on the other hand, decided in favour of removing our Fleet, whilst -the wind yet held fair, from their present intricate Channel. Lord -Nelson was now prepared how to act when Mr Lindholm came on board, and -the following answer was returned to the Crown Prince by Captain Sir -Frederick Thesiger: ‘Lord Nelson’s object in sending the Flag of Truce -was humanity’; etc.[59] His Lordship, having finished this letter, -referred the Adjutant-General to the Commander-in-chief, who was at -anchor at least four miles off, for a conference on the important -points which the latter portion of the message had alluded to; and to -this General Lindholm did not object, but proceeded to the _London_. -Lord Nelson wisely foresaw, that, exclusive of the valuable opportunity -that now offered itself for a renewal of Peace, time would be gained -by this long row out to sea, for our leading Ships, which were much -crippled, to clear the shoals, and whose course was under the immediate -fire of the Trekroner. The Adjutant-General was no sooner gone to the -_London_, and Captain Thesiger despatched on shore than the signal -was made for the _Glatton_, _Elephant_, _Ganges_, _Defiance_, and -_Monarch_, to weigh in succession. The intricacy of the Channel now -showed the great utility of what had been done; the _Monarch_, as -first Ship, immediately hit on a shoal, but was pushed over it by the -_Ganges_ taking her amid-ships. The _Glatton_ went clear, but the -_Defiance_ and _Elephant_ ran aground, leaving the Crown Battery at -a mile distance; and there they remained fixed, the former until ten -o’clock that night, and the latter until night, notwithstanding every -exertion which their fatigued crews could make to relieve them. Had -there been no cessation of hostilities, their situation would certainly -have been perilous; but it should be observed, on the other hand, that -measures would in that case have been adopted, and they were within our -power, for destroying this formidable Work. - -“The _Elephant_ being aground, Lord Nelson followed the -Adjutant-General, about four o’clock, to the _London_, where that -negotiation first began, which terminated in an honourable Peace. -He was low in spirits at the surrounding scene of devastation, and -particularly felt for the blowing up of the _Dannebrog_. ‘Well!’ he -exclaimed, ‘I have fought contrary to orders, and I shall perhaps be -hanged: never mind, let them.’ Lindholm returned to Copenhagen the same -evening, when it was agreed that all Prizes should be surrendered, and -the suspension of hostilities continue for twenty-four hours; the whole -of the Danish wounded were to be received on shore. Lord Nelson then -repaired on board the _St George_, and the night was actively passed -by the Boats of the Division which had not been engaged, in getting -afloat the Ships that were ashore, and in bringing out the Prizes. The -_Desirée_ frigate, towards the close of the Action, going to the aid of -the _Bellona_, became fast on the same shoal; but neither these Ships, -nor the _Russell_, were in any danger from the Enemy’s batteries, as -the world has frequently since been led to suppose.” - -In sending a copy of Nelson’s Report to the Admiralty, Sir Hyde Parker -paid a worthy tribute to the conduct of his second-in-command and of -his “entire acquiescence and testimony of the bravery and intrepidity -with which the Action was supported throughout the Line. Was it -possible,” he continues, “for me to add anything to the well-earned -renown of Lord Nelson, it would be by asserting, that his exertions, -great as they have heretofore been, never were carried to a higher -pitch of zeal for his Country’s service. - -“I have only to lament that the sort of attack, confined within an -intricate and narrow passage, excluded the Ships particularly under my -command from the opportunity of exhibiting their valour; but I can with -great truth assert, that the same spirit and zeal animated the whole of -the Fleet; and I trust that the contest in which we were engaged, will -on some future day afford them an occasion of showing that the whole -were inspired with the same spirit, had the field been sufficiently -extensive to have brought it into action.” - -Sentiments so ably expressed are delightful reading. Nelson, if less -dignified in his language, never failed to show his warm appreciation -of those who worked under him. Caring little for literary form, he -invariably blurted out the naked truth. His despatches were marked -by the same forcible characteristics exhibited in his conduct when -engaging the enemy. “The spirit and zeal of the Navy,” he tells a -correspondent who had congratulated him on the victory, “I never saw -higher than in this Fleet, and if England is true to herself, she may -bid defiance to Europe. The French have always, in ridicule, called us -a Nation of shopkeepers--_so_, I hope, we shall always remain, and, -like other shopkeepers, if our goods are better than those of any other -Country, and we can afford to sell them cheaper, we must depend on our -shop being well resorted to.” - -An armistice for a term of fourteen weeks was agreed upon on the 9th -April 1801. This period would allow Nelson to settle with the Russian -fleet and return to Copenhagen, as he himself bluntly admitted during -the negotiations. Unused to such “straight talk” in diplomatic -overtures, one of the Danish Commissioners began to speak of a renewal -of hostilities. It merely added fuel to Nelson’s fire, and drew from -him the comment, made to one of his friends who was standing near, -“Renew hostilities! Tell him we are ready at a moment; ready to bombard -this very night.” The remark was quite sufficient to silence the man -who talked thus lightly of war. - -An opportunity to teach the Russians a lesson did not come in Nelson’s -way. Scarcely more than a week passed from the time the signatures -had dried on the parchment when to Parker was sent news of the murder -of Paul I. With the death of the monarch Russian policy underwent a -complete change so far as Great Britain was concerned. The castles in -the air for the overthrow of the British rule in India, which the Czar -and Napoleon had hoped to place on solid foundations, melted away as -mist before the sun. Paul’s successor, Alexander I., knowing full well -the enormous importance of the British market for Russian goods, lost -no time in coming to terms with England. Shortly afterwards Sweden, -Denmark, and Prussia followed his example. The much-boasted Maritime -Confederacy was quietly relegated to the limbo of defeated schemes for -the downfall of the great Sea Power. - -Meanwhile Sir Hyde Parker had been recalled from the Baltic, and had -placed his command in the hands of Nelson on the 5th May. The latter -proceeded from Kiöge Bay, his station since the birth of amicable -arrangements with the Danes, to Revel, where he hoped to meet the -Russian squadron he had been so anxious to annihilate before the battle -of Copenhagen. - -“My object was to get to Revel before the frost broke up at Cronstadt, -that the twelve Sail of the Line might be destroyed,” he writes to -Addington, Pitt’s successor as Prime Minister, on the 5th May. “I shall -now go there as a friend, but the two Fleets shall not form a junction, -if not already accomplished, unless my orders permit it.” “My little -trip into the Gulf of Finland,” he tells Lord St Vincent, “will be, I -trust, of National benefit, and I shall be kind or otherwise, as I find -the folks.” Revel harbour was bare when he entered it, the squadron -having sailed for Cronstadt a few days before. However, on the 17th -May, he was able to inform Vansittart, “I left Revel this morning -where everybody has been kind to us.” He eventually returned to Kiöge -Bay, where he remained until he was relieved at his own request owing -to ill-health. “I have been even at _Death’s_ door, apparently in a -consumption,” he tells Ball, probably with a touch of exaggeration. -On the 19th June he set sail in a brig for home, arriving at Yarmouth -on the first day of the following month. His last act before he -quitted the fleet was to congratulate the men on the work they had -accomplished; his first act when he stepped on shore was to visit the -hospitals to which the wounded had been conveyed after the battle of -Copenhagen. As for his own reward, the King had seen fit to create him -Viscount Nelson of the Nile and Burnham Thorpe. - - “_Let us think of them that sleep - Full many a fathom deep - By thy wild and stormy deep - Elsinore!_” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -The Threatened Invasion of England - -(1801) - - “_Our Country looks to its Sea defence, and let it not be - disappointed._” - - NELSON. - - -However much Nelson may have appreciated the visits to London, Box -Hill, and Staines, which he now made in the company of Sir William and -Lady Hamilton, it was soon evident that his stay on shore would be -short. No home ties were severed when he was appointed to a special -service on the 24th July 1801, for he had finally separated from his -wife six months before. It was a mistaken match in every way. Although -it is often said that people of opposite temperaments make the best -partners in marriage, it certainly was not so in the case of Nelson and -Mrs Nisbet. Some of the reasons for the unhappiness of both have been -given in a previous chapter, the prime cause was Lady Hamilton, for -whom Nelson continued to entertain a mad infatuation until the day he -died. Quite naturally and legitimately Lady Nelson resented the conduct -of her husband. Any woman would have done the same. Angry words were -spoken on both sides, leading to the final and irrevocable breach, -but it is characteristic of Nelson’s generous nature that on their -last interview he said: “I call God to witness there is nothing in -you or your conduct I wish otherwise.” He was no less generous in the -allowance which he made to her. - -For some months Napoleon had been intent on the building of a -flotilla for the invasion of England. All manner of wild rumours -had spread throughout the country as to the imminent peril of the -United Kingdom, but we now know that the First Consul’s scheme was -comparatively insignificant when compared to his enormous ship-building -programme of 1803-5 for the same purpose.[60] Indeed, a month before -Lord St Vincent, then First Lord of the Admiralty, communicated to -Admiral Lutwidge, the Commander-in-chief in the Downs, that his -command would be impinged upon to some extent by Nelson’s new post, -and that the enemy’s preparations were “beginning to wear a very -serious appearance,” Napoleon had already postponed his plan. This is -made abundantly clear by the First Consul’s order of the 23rd June -to Augereau, in command of the Army of Batavia: “You will receive -instructions for the formation at Flushing of five divisions of -gunboats, which, added to the sixteen divisions in Channel ports, will -impose on England.” Napoleon perfectly understood that the moment for -“leaping the ditch” had not yet arrived. Of the Navy proper at the -beginning of 1801 Great Britain had no fewer than 127 sail-of-the-line -in commission; France had forty-nine, many in an almost unseaworthy -condition. The Admiralty was not to know of the letter to Augereau or -of the exact state of the French marine. Boulogne, Calais, and Dunkirk, -the ports of concentration, sheltered some 150 boats of various -descriptions for the purpose of the projected expedition, and England -could afford to run no risks. - -Nelson’s command extended from Orfordness, in Suffolk, to Beachy -Head, in Sussex. The specific purpose of his squadron was to defend -the mouths of the Thames and Medway, and of the coasts of Sussex, -Kent, and Essex. He speedily grasped the situation, and surmising -that London _ought_ to be the enemy’s object, informed the Admiralty -that not only should “A great number of Deal and Dover Boats” be -available off Boulogne to “give notice of the direction taken by the -enemy,” but that gunboats and flat boats should be kept near Margate -and Ramsgate, between Orfordness and the North Foreland, and in -Hollesley Bay, these to be aided by floating batteries. “If it is calm -when the Enemy row out, all our Vessels and Boats appointed to watch -them, must get into the Channel, and meet them as soon as possible: -if not strong enough for the attack, they must watch, and keep them -company till a favourable opportunity offers. If a breeze springs up,” -he goes on, “our Ships are to deal _destruction_; no delicacy can be -observed on this great occasion. But should it remain calm, and our -Flotilla not fancy itself strong enough to attack the Enemy on their -passage, the moment that they begin to touch our shore, strong or weak, -our Flotilla of Boats must attack as much of the Enemy’s Flotilla as -they are able--say only one half or two-thirds; it will create a most -powerful diversion, for the bows of our Flotilla will be opposed to -their unarmed sterns, and the courage of Britons will never, I believe, -allow one Frenchman to leave the Beach.” When the enemy comes in sight -the various divisions of the flotilla “are to unite, but not intermix.” -“_Never fear the event._” These notions, embodied in a lengthy -Memorandum to the Admiralty, are remarkable because Nelson prophesies -“a powerful diversion by the sailing of the Combined Fleet,” a plan -developed by Napoleon in the later phase of his gigantic preparations -for the invasion of our country. Whatever may have been in his mind in -1801 regarding this scheme he certainly did not confide to any of his -admirals or military commanders. - -Nelson hoisted his flag on the _Unité_ frigate at Sheerness on the 27th -July. Additional evidence of the humorous turn of his mind is afforded -in a note bearing the same date addressed to Lady Hamilton. “To-day,” -he writes, “I dined with Admiral Græme, who has also lost his right -arm, and as the Commander of the Troops has lost his leg, I expect -we shall be caricatured as the _lame_ defenders of England.” Most -people who have the misfortune to lose a limb are inclined to resent -any reference to the fact on the part of another and to rigidly ignore -the misfortune in their own remarks, but Nelson rather gloried in his -dismembered state than otherwise. It was visible proof of his service -to his country. - -Lord St Vincent did not altogether agree with Nelson’s plans. In his -opinion, “Our great reliance is on the vigilance and activity of our -cruisers at sea.” When Nelson urged upon the Sea Fencibles[61] to man -the coast-defence vessels he was speedily disillusioned. Of the 2600 -men enrolled on that part of the coast under his jurisdiction only -385 offered themselves for active service. However, he determined -to do his best with the raw material at hand, and went so far as to -tell the First Lord of the Admiralty that: “Our force will, by your -great exertions, soon get so formidable, that the Enemy will hardly -venture out.” A week after he had assumed command, he says: “It is -perfectly right to be prepared against a mad Government; but with the -active force your Lordship has given me, I may pronounce it almost -impracticable.” - -On the 2nd August Nelson was off the coast of France, “looking at -Boulogne,” and observed the soldiers erecting guns and mortars “as if -fearful of an attack.” Forty-eight hours later a number of bomb-vessels -were anchored abreast of the port, and the shipping was fired on -without much loss on either side, although several French gunboats were -destroyed. He himself admitted: “The whole of this business is of no -further moment than to show the Enemy, that, with impunity, they cannot -come outside their Ports. I see nothing but a desire on the part of -our Officers and men to get at them.” A vast crowd of people collected -on the cliffs at Dover and watched the spectacle. The _Moniteur_, the -official organ of the French Government, reported the occurrence as -follows: - -“At dawn Nelson with thirty vessels of all sizes appeared before -Boulogne. A division of our flotilla was at anchor slightly in front -of the harbour. Their bomb-ketches opened fire and ours returned it. -Several times the enemy’s line tried to advance and our soldiers asked -to be allowed to board, but the flotilla’s fire prevented the forward -movement and ultimately compelled the enemy to retire. Nine hundred -bombs were fired during the day without killing or wounding any one. -Two gun-sloops were slightly damaged but returned to service without -loss of time.... This is the first fight in sight of _both_ shores.” -Nelson reported that three of the flat-bottom boats and a brig were -sunk, and that six went on shore “evidently much damaged,” of which -five were eventually salved. A captain of the Royal Artillery and three -British seamen were wounded. - -Having had the opportunity to see the preparations of the enemy Nelson -was inclined to believe that Napoleon really meant business. “There can -be no doubt of the intention of the French to attempt the Invasion of -our Country,” he tells four of the captains under his command. “I have -now more than ever reason to believe,” he confides to Lord St Vincent, -“that the Ports of Flushing and Flanders are much more likely places -to embark men from, than Calais, Boulogne, or Dieppe; for in Flanders -we cannot tell by our eyes what means they have collected for carrying -an Army.” “My Flotilla, I hope, will be finished by Wednesday,” he -writes to the worthy Sea Lord, under date of the 7th August, “and I -am vain enough to expect a great deal of mischief to the Enemy from -it. I am sure that the French are trying to get from Boulogne; yet the -least wind at W.N.W. and they are lost. I pronounce that no embarkation -can take place at Boulogne; whenever it comes forth, it will be from -Flanders, and what a forlorn undertaking! consider cross tides, etc., -etc. As for rowing, that is impossible.” This communication was shortly -followed by another: “We are so prepared at this moment, on the Enemy’s -Coasts, that I do not believe they could get three miles from their -own shore.” Again, “Our active force is perfect, and possesses so much -zeal, that I only wish to catch that Buonaparte on the water, either -with the _Amazon_ or _Medusa_; but himself he will never trust.” The -Admiral was far from enjoying his new post. He was “half sea-sick,” -and his one desire was “to get at a proper time clear of my present -command, in which I am sure of diminishing my little fortune, which -at this moment does not reach 10,000 _l._; and never had I an idea of -gaining money by accepting it.” It would be wrong to infer from this -isolated passage that Nelson was particularly fond of money. He was -not, and the present writer is convinced that whenever he grumbled -about financial matters he thought considerably more of justice than -lucre. He could not bear to think he was being “done.” In the present -instance it is clear that he found his command trivial and unprofitable -from a national point of view. Nelson was essentially the man for a -big theatre of action; if he did not actually despise a confined stage -he hated it as paltry and beneath him. He gloried in a battle, not in -a sham-fight; as he himself complained, “there is nothing to be done -on the great Scale.” He appeals pathetically to Lord St Vincent in the -letter from which the above extract is taken: “Do you still think of -sending me to the Mediterranean? If not, I am ready to go, for the spur -of the occasion, on the Expedition which is in embryo, but to return -the moment it is over, for I am afraid of my strength. I am always -ready, as far as I am able.” “As far as September 14th, I am at the -Admiralty’s disposal;” he tells Lady Hamilton, “but, if Mr Buonaparte -does not choose to send his miscreants before that time, my health will -not bear me through equinoctial gales.” The Admiral is just a little -uncertain as to the fate of Napoleon’s flotilla. “I do not believe -they could get three miles from their own shore,” he says on the 9th -August; on the 10th his “well-grounded hope” is that the enemy will be -“annihilated before they get ten miles from their own shores.” - -Nelson considered Flushing as his “grand object” of attack, but -hesitated to venture before consulting the Admiralty because “the -risk is so great of the loss of some Vessels.” It would be “a week’s -Expedition for 4000 or 5000 troops.” To aid his own arguments he -appeals to history: “To crush the Enemy at home was the favourite plan -of Lord Chatham, and I am sure you think it the wisest measure to -carry the war from our own doors.... I own, my dear Lord, that this -Boat warfare is not exactly congenial to my feelings, and I find I get -laughed at for my puny mode of attack. I shall be happy to lead the way -into Helvoet or Flushing, if Government will turn their thoughts to -it: whilst I serve, I will do it actively, and to the very best of my -abilities. I have all night had a fever, which is very little abated -this morning; my mind carries me beyond my strength, and will do me up; -but such is my nature. I have serious doubt whether I shall be able, -from my present feelings, to go to the Mediterranean; but I will do -what I can--I require nursing like a child. Pray God we may have peace, -and with honour, and then let us start fair with the rest of Europe.” -To other correspondents he says, “I am very much fagged”; “I am still -very unwell, and my head is swelled.” - -Notwithstanding the weighty arguments brought forward by Nelson to -support his projected attempt on Flushing, the Lords of the Admiralty -could not see their way to grant the requisite permission. Nelson was -so confident in his belief that he appealed to the Prime Minister. -“Lord St Vincent,” he writes, “tells me he hates Councils, so do I -between Military men; for if a man consults whether he is to fight, -when he has the power in his own hands, _it is certain that his -opinion is against fighting_; but that is not the case at present, and -I own I do want good council. Lord St Vincent is for keeping the Enemy -closely blockaded; but I see that they get along shore inside their -Sandbanks, and under their guns, which line the Coast of France. Lord -Hood is for keeping our Squadrons of Defence stationary on our own -shore, (except light Cutters, to give information of every movement of -the Enemy;) for the time is approaching when a gale of westerly wind -will disperse our light Squadrons.... When men of such good sense, -such great Sea Officers, differ so widely, is it not natural that I -should wish the mode of defence to be well arranged by the mature -considerations of men of judgment? I mean not to detract from my -judgment; even as it is, it is well known: but I boast of nothing but -my zeal; in that I will give way to no man upon earth.” - -On the night of the 15th August Nelson renewed his attempt on the -Boulogne flotilla. His plan of attack shows that he took elaborate -precautions to preclude the possibility of failure. La Touche Tréville, -in command at Boulogne, had also profited by his recent experience with -the British, and had fitted out additional bomb-ketches and placed -mortars on smacks for the purpose of defence. Nelson arranged that -four divisions of ships’ boats should be employed, each accompanied -by one or two flat boats armed with either an 8-inch howitzer or a -24-pound carronade. Two boats of each division were to be prepared for -cutting the enemy’s cable and sternfast and to be provided with stout -hook-ropes for the purpose of towing the prizes. “When any Boats have -taken one Vessel, the business is not to be considered as finished; -but a sufficient number being left to guard the Prize, the others are -immediately to pursue the object, by proceeding on to the next, and so -on, until the whole Flotilla be either taken, or totally annihilated; -for there must not be the smallest cessation until their destruction is -completely finished.” - -Pikes, cutlasses, tomahawks, axes, and all the paraphernalia of war -were to be placed on the boats. Fast-sailing cutters were to keep -close in shore so as to be ready to tow out any vessels which might be -captured. “The greatest silence is to be observed by all the people in -the Boats, and the oars to be muffled.” The watchword was “Nelson,” the -answer “Bronté.” - -The attack was a failure. The brave fellows found the vessels not only -full of soldiers but defended by sharp spikes of iron and netting -placed round the hulls in a similar manner to the torpedo netting of -modern naval warfare. It was said by the attacking party that the -French boats were secured to the shore by stout cables, a belief -entertained by Nelson, but La Touche Tréville indignantly denied the -accusation in his official report. The British seamen went into a -veritable halo of fire, the soldiers on the boats being assisted by -comrades stationed on the heights. It was an unequal contest in every -way, and when the second division of boats, under Captain Parker, -closed with the enemy, it is stated that the French commander plainly -said so. “You can do nothing here,” he shouted, “and it is only useless -shedding the blood of brave men to make the attempt.”[62] Parker’s -thigh was shattered while attempting to board the French Commodore’s -boat, another officer was shot through the leg, and the killed and -wounded were numbered at 172. Officially the French casualties were -returned at ten killed and thirty wounded, probably a low estimate. “No -person can be blamed for sending them to the attack but myself;” the -Commander-in-chief writes to Lord St Vincent, “I knew the difficulty -of the undertaking, therefore I ventured to ask your opinion.” He -attributed the failure to the divisions not having arrived “at the -same happy moment with Captain Parker.” “More determined, persevering -courage, I never witnessed.” “I long to pay them, for their tricks -t’other day,” he writes to Lady Hamilton, “the debt of a drubbing, -which, surely, I’ll pay: but _when, where, or how_, it is impossible, -your own good sense must tell you, for me or mortal man to say.” - -Nelson was deeply attached to Captain Parker, whom he calls “my -child, for I found him in distress.” His correspondence at this time -is replete with references to the condition of the patient. “Would I -could be useful,” he tells the doctor, “I would come on shore and nurse -him.” When the gallant officer died at Deal on the 28th September, -the Admiral begged that his friend’s hair might be cut off; “it shall -remain and be buried with me.” Again we see the wistful, woman-like -emotionalism of Nelson’s nature. He calls it “a happy release,” and -says in the same sentence, “but I cannot bring myself to say I am glad -he is gone; it would be a lie, for I am grieved almost to death.” When -“the cleverest and quickest man and the most zealous in the world” -was buried at Deal, Nelson attended the ceremony. It is recorded that -the man who could stare Death in the face without flinching, who was -“in perils oft” and enjoyed the experience, was visibly affected. -The Admiral’s grief was expressed in a practical way. Finding that -the deceased Captain had left his finances in a most unsatisfactory -condition he paid the creditors in full. - -The war with France had lasted eight weary years. Great Britain had -more than maintained her own on the sea; Napoleon had proved his -consummate skill in the manipulation of land forces. Overtures for -peace were mooted, then definitely made through M. Otto, a French -agent in London for the exchange of prisoners. The cessation of -hostilities became the topic of the hour. After innumerable delays the -preliminaries were signed in London on the 1st October 1801, to the joy -of the populace on both sides of the Channel. Nelson was not convinced -as to Napoleon’s _bonâ fides_. He loathed the French and took no pains -to disguise the fact. In writing to a friend a fortnight or so before -he received news of the event mentioned above, he admits, “I pray God -we may have Peace, when it can be had with honour; but I fear that the -scoundrel Buonaparte wants to humble us, as he has done the rest of -Europe--to degrade us in our own eyes, by making us give up all our -conquests, as proof of our sincerity for making a Peace, and then he -will condescend to treat with us.” The Admiral was not far wrong, as -subsequent events proved. In a letter dated the 14th September, two -days later than the one from which the above quotation is made, he -looks forward “with hope but will not be too sanguine. I yet hope the -negotiation is not broken entirely off, for we can never alter the -situation of France or the Continent, and ours will become a War of -defence; but I hope they will do for the best.” Three days after the -signature of the preliminaries of peace he warns the commanders of the -various squadrons that they are to be “very vigilant in watching the -Enemy, and, on no account to suffer them to put into the Channel, as -hostilities have not yet ceased.” Napoleon confirmed the treaty on the -5th October, the ratifications were exchanged on the 10th, - - “_And London, tho’ so ill repaid, - Illuminations grand display’d_,” - -as a poetaster sang in a contemporary periodical. Nelson referred to it -as “good news,” but received a note from Addington warning him that his -flag must be kept flying until the Definitive Treaty had been signed. - -[Illustration: Lord Nelson] - -When he heard that the mob had unharnessed the horses and drawn the -carriage of General Lauriston, Napoleon’s first _aide-de-camp_ who had -brought the document to London, the Admiral was furious. “Can you cure -madness?” he asks Dr Baird, “for I am mad to read that ... scoundrels -dragged a Frenchman’s carriage. I am ashamed for my Country.” On the -14th October he formally asked the Admiralty to give him permission -to go on shore. He was then suffering from “a complaint in my stomach -and bowels,” probably caused by sea-sickness and cold. This request -was not immediately complied with, but towards the end of the month -he was released, and wrote to Lady Hamilton, “I believe I leave this -little Squadron with sincere regret, and with the good wishes of every -creature in it.” One wonders whether there could be a more restless -nature than Nelson’s, which made him yearn for the land when at sea, -and for the sea when on land. - -He retired to Merton Place, a little estate in Surrey and “exactly one -hour’s drive from Hyde Park.” This had been purchased on his behalf by -Lady Hamilton, who took up her quarters there with her husband. The -first mention of it in Nelson’s “Dispatches and Letters,” as edited by -Sir Harris Nicolas, is in a note to his friend Alexander Davison of -Morpeth, on the last day of August 1801. “So far from making money, -I am spending the little I have,” he tells him. “I am after buying -a little Farm at Merton--the price £9000; I hope to be able to get -through it. If I cannot, after all my labours for the Country, get such -a place as this, I am resolved to give it all up, and retire for life.” -In thanking Mr Davison for his offer of assistance in purchasing “the -Farm,” Nelson goes a little deeper into the question of his personal -expenditure. It will “take every farthing I have in the world,” and -leave him in debt. “The Baltic expedition cost me full £2000. Since -I left London it has cost me, for Nelson cannot be like others, near -£1000 in six weeks. If I am continued here (_i.e._ in the Downs) ruin -to my finances must be the consequence, for everybody knows that Lord -Nelson _is amazingly rich_!” - -The Admiral took his seat in the House of Lords as a Viscount on the -29th October, and made his maiden speech in the upper chamber on the -following day. Appropriately enough it was to second the motion “That -the Thanks of this House be given to Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, -K.B., for his gallant and distinguished conduct in the Action with the -Combined Fleet of the Enemy, off Algeziras, on the 12th and 13th of -July last.” The battle was fought with a French and Spanish squadron -in the Gut of Gibraltar, details of which were entered into by Nelson, -doubtless to the considerable enlightenment of the House. During the -following month he was also able to pay a similar tribute to Keith -and his officers for their services in Egypt. With characteristic -thoroughness he also remarked on the part the Army had played in the -defeat of Napoleon’s expedition. - -He was feasted and feted for his own splendid work, but he fell foul of -the Corporation of the City of London, because that body had seen fit -to withhold its thanks for the victory of Copenhagen, conduct which he -deemed “incomprehensible.” He certainly never forgave the Government -for refusing to grant medals for the same battle. Nelson brought up the -question before the authorities with pugnacious persistence, and some -of the officers renewed their application over a quarter of a century -later, but the Copenhagen medal still remains to be struck. “I am fixed -never to abandon the fair fame of my Companions in dangers,” he avers. -“I may offend and suffer; but I had rather suffer from that, than my -own feelings.” He fought for pensions and appointments for all manner -of officers and men, watched the list of vacancies and appealed that -they might be filled by those who deserved well of their country. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -The Vigil off Toulon - -(1803) - - “_I shall follow them to the Antipodes._” - - NELSON. - - -For over a year Nelson spent the greater part of his time at Merton -Place or at 23 Piccadilly, Sir William Hamilton’s town house. Any -monotony there may have been was relieved by a tour of beautiful Wales, -made in the months of July and August 1802, when Nelson’s spirits had -recovered somewhat from the news of his father’s death at Bath on the -26th of the previous April. The old clergyman’s distinguished son was -ill at the time and did not attend the last sad ceremony in the quiet -churchyard of Burnham Thorpe, where Nelson said he hoped his bones -would eventually be laid to rest, a wish never to be fulfilled. His -father, who called Merton “the Mansion of Peace,” had entertained the -idea of becoming “one of its inhabitants,” and rooms had been prepared -for him. “Sir William and myself are both old men, and we will witness -the hero’s felicity in retirement.” Such was his desire. - -On their journey to the Principality Nelson was presented with -the freedom of Oxford, and both Sir William and the Admiral had -the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws conferred upon them by the -University. A visit was also paid to Blenheim, the ancestral seat of -the Dukes of Marlborough. Gloucester, Ross, Monmouth, Brecon, Milford, -Haverfordwest, Swansea, Worcester, Birmingham, Warwick and other -provincial cities and towns each accorded its distinguished visitor a -most enthusiastic welcome. He afterwards drew up an elaborate report on -the Forest of Dean for Mr Addington’s inspection. Properly cultivated -it would, in Nelson’s opinion, “produce about 9200 loads of timber, -fit for building Ships-of-the-line, every year.” Collingwood, it may -be added, was also deeply interested in afforestation. During the rare -occasions he was on shore he would walk about his estate and stealthily -take an acorn from his pocket and drop it in the earth for later -service in his Majesty’s Navy. - -On his return to Surrey Nelson vegetated. “I am really so very little -in the world,” he tells Davison in October, “that I know little, if -anything, beyond [what] Newspaper reports say respecting our conduct -on the affairs of the Continent. It is true, I have seen Mr Addington -and Lord St Vincent several times; but our conversations were like -Swift’s and Lord Oxford’s. Yet it was not difficult to discover, that -_we_ felt our importance in the scale of Europe degraded, if Buonaparte -was allowed to act as he has lately done; and that it was necessary for -us to speak a dignified language.... By the meeting of Parliament many -things must come forth.” - -The Hamilton-Nelson family forsook Merton for Piccadilly at the -beginning of 1803, and there Sir William died on the 6th April, after -having been tenderly nursed by his wife and her more than intimate -friend. It is impossible to think that the Admiral had any heartfelt -sorrow when the former Ambassador breathed his last, but his emotional -nature led him to write the kindest things of the dead man. “The world -never, never lost a more upright and accomplished gentleman” is one of -his expressions at the event. - -The Truce of Amiens, for it was nothing more, was described by George -III. as “an experimental peace.” Neither side kept strictly to the -letter of the Treaty. Before the brilliant illuminations on both -sides of the Channel had been entirely forgotten statesmen began to -shake their heads and to prophecy the withdrawing of the sword from -the scabbard. Napoleon’s continued aggressions on the Continent, his -great colonial schemes, his restless activity in matters which did not -directly concern him, his threat to invade England showed how unreal -were his wishes for a settled understanding. Great Britain declared -war on the 16th May 1803, thus ending a peace which had lasted one -year and sixteen days. An embargo was immediately laid on French ships -and those of her allies in British ports or on the sea; Napoleon had -been forestalled, an unusual occurrence. He had admitted to Decaen, -who had been sent to India to sum up the political situation and -to ascertain the number of troops necessary for the subjugation of -England’s oriental Empire, that he anticipated war would not break out -before September 1804. He was annoyed, intensely annoyed, and ordered -the seizure of every Briton in France on the pretext that two merchant -vessels had been captured by English frigates before the declaration of -war. This was a gross misrepresentation of facts; the ships mentioned -were taken on the 18th May, the day Nelson hoisted his flag on the -_Victory_ at Portsmouth as Commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean. -Within forty-eight hours he was at sea. His was a tremendous programme, -and it is only possible to give an epitome of it here. He was to -proceed to Malta, where he would probably find Rear-Admiral Sir Richard -Bickerton and his squadron, which were to join him. After having made -arrangements with Sir Alexander Ball for the protection and security of -the island, Nelson was to take up such a position off Toulon as would -enable him to destroy the enemy’s vessels and to detain those belonging -to the allied Batavian Republic. Particular attention was to be paid -to the proceedings of the French at Genoa, Leghorn, and other ports of -western Italy, “for the purpose of gaining the most early information -of any armaments that may be formed there, either with a view to an -attack upon Egypt or any other port of the Turkish dominions, or -against the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, or the islands of Corfu.” -Should such a plan be in contemplation Nelson was to do his best to -counteract it, “as well as to afford to the Sublime Porte, and his -Sicilian Majesty and their subjects, any protection or assistance which -may be in your power, consistently with a due attention to the other -important objects entrusted to your care.” - -There were good reasons for watching the conduct of Spain, which -purported to be a neutral. The Admiral was therefore to watch for any -sign of naval preparations by that Power in the Mediterranean and at -Cadiz. No Spanish ships were to be allowed to form a junction with -those of France or Batavia. As certain French sail-of-the-line recently -employed in conveying troops to San Domingo might attempt to make for a -southern port, Nelson was to detach part of his squadron to intercept -them. - -We must now turn our attention for a moment to the other admirals who -watched the movements of the enemy’s squadrons, or guarded our shores. -Cornwallis was off Ushant, where he could mask the Brest fleet, Keith -was in the Downs, Lord Gardner was at Portsmouth, Admiral George -Montagu--shortly afterwards succeeded by Admiral Sir John Colpoys--was -at Plymouth. Squadrons were detached from these fleets to watch off -such important harbours as Ferrol and Rochefort, and also off the -coast of Holland. The British colonies were not neglected. “Floating -bulwarks” guarded them, for there was no knowing what deep-laid -manœuvres Napoleon might evolve when once his super-active brain was -bent on the problem of how to checkmate England on her own native -element. - -Meanwhile Nelson had reached Ushant and was searching for Cornwallis, -with whom he was to leave the _Victory_, should the former think an -additional sail-of-the-line necessary. As he did not find the Admiral -he left the ship, shifted his flag to the _Amphion_ frigate, called -at Malta, and joined the fleet off Toulon on the 8th July. “With -the casual absence of one or two ships, we shall be always seven -sail-of-the-line,” a none too formidable force to watch the “goings on” -in the great southern arsenal, but he stuck to it with grim tenacity -in fair weather and foul. He soon found that to all appearances from -seven to nine French battle-ships and a considerable number of frigates -and corvettes were sheltered in the harbour. Unfortunately Nelson’s -vessels were far from being in the best of condition; several of them -were scarcely water-tight. His correspondence teems with reference to -their bad state, as, for instance: “It is not a store-ship a week which -could keep them in repair”; they had “crazy masts”; “their hulls want -docking”; “I never saw a fleet altogether so well officered and manned. -Would to God the ships were half as good, but they are what we call -crazy”; “I do not believe that Lord St Vincent would have kept the sea -with such ships,” and so on. - -With the _personnel_ of the fleet Nelson had little fault to find, -although he had occasion to issue a General Memorandum respecting the -desertion of certain seamen or marines to the service of Spain. In his -eyes nothing could atone for such conduct: “A Briton to put himself -under the lash of a Frenchman or Spaniard must be more degrading to any -man of spirit than any punishment I could inflict on their bodies.” -With this exception all was well. While “miserably short of men,” he -was able to declare, towards the end of September 1803: “We are at -this moment the healthiest squadron I ever served in, for the fact is -we have no sick, and are all in good humour,” moreover they were “in -fine order to give the French a dressing.” Again: “The squadron has -health beyond what I have almost ever seen, except our going to the -Nile; and I hope, if the French will give us the opportunity, that -our beef and pudding will be as well applied.” No Admiral, before or -since, has ever paid more attention to the health and comfort of the -men who served under him. In the Memorandum to which we have just -referred he contrasts the “one shilling per day, and plenty of the -very best provisions, with every comfort that can be thought of,” -with the “twopence a day, black bread, horse-beans, and stinking oil” -allotted to those in the service of the enemy. Scurvy was rife when he -joined the fleet, but Nelson obtained onions and lemons, recognised -aids to the cure of the disorder, “and a sight of the French squadron -twenty leagues at sea will cure all our complaints.” Writing in August -to his friend Dr Baird he seeks to entertain the physician by relating -particulars of his treatment for scurvy. “I am now at work in Spain,” -he remarks, “and have procured some bullocks and a good supply of -onions--the latter we have found the greatest advantage from.” He -adds: “The health of our seamen is invaluable; and to purchase that, -no expense ought to be spared.” He even managed to secure cattle and -vegetables from France. The fleet was watered at the Madalena Islands. - -At the end of July the _Victory_, having been returned to the fleet -by Cornwallis, again became Nelson’s flagship. As to the ultimate -destination of the Toulon fleet Nelson was in doubt; that it was to -sail before long he felt convinced owing to the activity manifest in -the harbours. He rightly judged Napoleon’s character: “We know he -is not very scrupulous in the honourable means of accomplishing his -darling object.... My firm opinion is, that the Mediterranean will -again be an active scene; and if Ministers do not look out, I shall -have the Brest fleet to pay me a visit; for as the army can only be -moved by the protection of a superior fleet, that fleet they will try -to have, and a month’s start of us would do all the mischief.” At that -time (July) he believed that Napoleon would make an attempt on the -Morea, perhaps in concert with Russia, the downfall of the Turkish -Empire in Europe would follow, and “Candia and Egypt would, of course, -if this plan is followed, be given to the French, when, sooner or -later, farewell India!” Of the enormous flotilla which Napoleon was -building at Boulogne and elsewhere, Nelson thought little, if at all. -“What! he begins to find excuses!” he writes to Ball. “I thought he -would invade England in the face of the sun! Now he wants a three-days’ -fog, that never yet happened! and if it did, how are his craft to be -kept together? He will soon find more excuses or there will be an end -of Bonaparte, and may the devil take him!” He was more concerned, and -with reason, as to the whereabouts of the fleet returning from San -Domingo, which he thought would “come to the Mediterranean--perhaps, -first to Cadiz, to get the Spaniards to escort them. If so, I may have -two fleets to fight; but if I have the ships, the more the merrier.” -In August the Admiral tells Addington: “I am looking out for the -French squadron--perhaps you may think impatiently; but I have made up -my mind never to go into port till after the battle, if they make me -wait a year, provided the Admiralty change the ships, who cannot keep -the sea in the winter, except _Victory_, _Canopus_, _Donegal_, and -_Belleisle_.” The fitting out of an expedition at Marseilles led Nelson -to think that the invasion of Sardinia was contemplated. He therefore -detached the only two frigates he had with him at the moment to cruise -off Ajaccio to endeavour to intercept the enemy should they come that -way. “Of course they will say that we have broken the neutrality if -we attack them in the ports of Sardinia before their conquest, and if -we do not I shall be laughed at for a fool. Prevention is better than -cure.... My station to the westward of Toulon, an unusual one, has been -taken upon an idea that the French fleet is bound out of the Straits, -and probably to Ireland. It is said 10,000 men are collecting at -Toulon. I shall follow them to the Antipodes.” - -To Sir Richard Strachan he thus sums up the situation on the 26th -August: “The French fleet being perfectly ready for sea, seven of the -line, six frigates, and some corvettes--two sail-of-the-line are now -rigging in the arsenal--I think it more than probable that they are -bound to the westward, out of the Mediterranean. Therefore, as I am -determined to follow them, go where they may, I wish you, in case they -escape me, to send a frigate or sloop after them to find out their -route, giving her a station where I may find her, and keep yourself -either at the mouth of the Straits or off Europa Point, for I certainly -shall not anchor at Gibraltar.” In the middle of October he is still -as uncertain as ever as to the destination of the French. Some folk -favoured the Morea, others Egypt, “and they may be bound outside the -Mediterranean.” “Is it Ireland or the Levant?” he asks Ball in the -early days of dreary November. - -Think for one moment, as you sit reading this book in a comfortable -room or on a little hillock in the open country, of the ceaseless vigil -of Nelson as his weather-beaten vessels lay off Toulon. When a sea fog -obscured his quarry he was in a fever of anxiety. “It was thick for two -days,” he tells his brother William on one occasion, “and our frigates -could not look into Toulon; however, I was relieved, for the first time -in my life, by being informed the French were still in port.” Then -there was always the possibility that the Brest fleet might escape and -make its appearance at an awkward moment, and the likelihood of a visit -from the returning squadron from the West Indies. He early discerned -the outbreak of war with Spain. Pretending to be a neutral, that Power -most assuredly exhibited the most flagrant favouritism for France. We -have noted that Nelson anticipated the aid of the Dons to the French -in the matter of the ships from San Domingo, help that was readily -given when the vessels, evading Rear-admiral Campbell, stole into -Coruña. This, of course, necessitated a strict blockade of the port, -and Pellew was sent there instead of stationing himself off Rochefort -as had been originally intended. References to them are frequent in his -correspondence. Writing to the British Consul at Barcelona under date -of the 13th September Nelson claimed “every indulgence which is shown -to the ships of our enemies. The French squadron at Coruña are acting -almost as they please; the _Aigle_ French ship of war is not turned -out of Cadiz,[63] the French frigate _Revenge_ is permitted to go out -of that port, cruise, and return with prizes, and sell them. I will -not state that every Spanish port is a home for French privateers, for -this is well known; and I am informed that even at Barcelona English -vessels captured by the French have been sold there. You will acquaint -his Excellency [the Captain-general] that I claim for every British -ship, or squadron, the right of lying as long as I please in the ports -of Spain, whilst it is allowed to other powers; that I claim the rights -of hospitality and civility, and every other right which the harmony -subsisting between our sovereigns entitles us to.” This communication -was followed thirteen days later by a despatch to Strachan in which -Nelson is not only prophetic, but exhibits a cautious mood not usually -associated with “the Nelson whom Britons love.” In this respect he has -been much maligned. In battle his genius enabled him to see a little -ahead of more ordinary men, but he never overstepped the bounds of -prudence. “The occurrences which pass every day in Spain forebode, I -fancy, a speedy war with England; therefore it becomes proper for me -to put you upon your guard, and advise you how to act under particular -circumstances. By looking at the former line of conduct on the part of -Spain, which she followed just before the commencement of the last war, -we may naturally expect the same events to happen. The French Admiral -Richery was in Cadiz, blocked up by Admiral Man: on 22 August they -came to sea attended by the Spanish fleet, which saw the French safe -beyond St Vincent, and returned into Cadiz. Admiral Man very properly -did not choose to attack Admiral Richery under such an escort. This is -a prelude to what I must request your strict attention to; at the same -time, I am fully aware that you must be guided, in some measure, by -actual circumstances. - -“I think it very probable, even before Spain breaks with us, that -they may send a ship or two of the line to see _l’Aigle_ round Cape -St Vincent; and that if you attack her in their presence, they may -attack you; and giving them possession of the _Donegal_ would be more -than either you or I should wish, therefore I am certain it must be -very comfortable for you to know my sentiments. From what you hear -in Cadiz, you will judge how far you may venture yourself in company -with a Spanish squadron; but if you are of opinion that you may trust -yourself near them, keeping certainly out of gun-shot, send your boat -with a letter to the Spanish commodore, and desire to know whether he -means to defend the French ships; and get his answer in writing, and -have it as plain as possible. If it be ‘yes, that he will fire at you -if you attack the French under his protection,’ then, if you have force -enough, make your attack on the whole body, and take them all if you -can, for I should consider such an answer as a perfect declaration of -war. If you are too weak for such an attack, you must desist; but you -certainly are fully authorised to take the ships of Spain whenever -you meet them. Should the answer be ambiguous, you must then act as -your judgment may direct you, and I am sure that will be very proper. -Only recollect, that it would be much better to let the French ships -escape, than to run too great a risk of losing the _Donegal_, yourself, -and ship’s company.” To Addington he states that “The Spaniards are -now so very uncivil to our ships, that I suppose we shall not be much -longer friends.” To John Hookham Frere, _Chargé d’Affaires_ at Madrid, -he admits, “We have given up French vessels taken within gun-shot of -the Spanish shore, and yet French vessels are permitted to attack our -ships from the Spanish shore. Your Excellency may assure the Spanish -Government, that in whatever place the Spaniards allow the French to -attack us, in that place I shall order the French to be attacked. The -old order of 1771, now put in force against us, is infamous; and I -trust your Excellency will take proper steps that the present mode of -enforcing it be done away. It is gross partiality, and not neutrality.” - -There is a pathetic letter dated the 12th December 1803 in which -Nelson confides to his old friend Davison some of the perils which he -encountered daily. “My crazy fleet,” he writes, “are getting in a very -indifferent state, and others will soon follow. The finest ships in the -service will soon be destroyed. I know well enough that if I was to go -into Malta, I should save the ships during this bad season. But if I -am to watch the French, I must be at sea, and if at sea, must have bad -weather; and if the ships are not fit to stand bad weather, they are -useless.... But my time of service is nearly over. A natural anxiety, -of course, must attend my station; but, my dear friend, my eyesight -fails me most dreadfully. I firmly believe that, in a very few years, I -shall be stone-blind. It is this only, of all my maladies, that makes -me unhappy; but God’s will be done.” - -Nelson had taken up his station “to the westward of Sicie,” a -position enabling him “to prevent the junction of a Spanish fleet -from the westward,” and also “to take shelter in a few hours either -under the Hières Islands or Cape St Sebastian; and I have hitherto -found the advantage of the position. Now Spain, having settled her -neutrality”--he is writing on the 12th December to Lord St Vincent--“I -am taking my winter’s station under St Sebastian, to avoid the heavy -seas in the gulf, and keep frigates off Toulon. From September we have -experienced such a series of bad weather that is rarely met with, and -I am sorry to say that all the ships which have been from England in -the late war severely feel it.... I know no way of watching the enemy -but to be at sea, and therefore good ships are necessary.” On the same -day he informs a third correspondent that the enemy at Toulon “are -perfectly ready to put to sea, and they must soon come out, but who -shall [say] where they are bound? My opinion is, certainly out of the -Mediterranean.” - -“We have had a most terrible winter: it has almost knocked me up,” he -tells Elliot within a few days of the close of this anxious year. “I -have been very ill, and am now far from recovered, but I hope to hold -out till the battle is over, when I must recruit myself for some future -exertion.” - -An Indomitable Spirit this, the greatest sailor of all time! - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -Twelve weary Months in the Mediterranean - -(1804) - - “_My wish is to make a grand_ coup.” - - NELSON. - - -A new year had dawned. “The storm is brewing,” Nelson wrote, and he -thought Sardinia “one of the objects of its violence.” If that island -were captured or ceded to the enemy, “Sicily, Malta, Egypt, &c., &c., -is lost, sooner or later.” The Madalena Islands, to the north of -Sardinia, not only afforded the ships a safe anchorage but ensured -plenty of fresh water and provisions: “Sardinia is the most important -post in the Mediterranean. It covers Naples, Sicily, Malta, Egypt, -and all the Turkish dominions; it blockades Toulon; the wind which -would carry a French fleet to the westward is fair from Sardinia; and -Madalena is the most important station in this most important island. I -am told that the revenues, after paying the expenses of the island, do -not give the king 5000 _l._ sterling a year. If it is so, I would give -him 500,000 _l._ to cede it, which would give him 25,000 _l._ a year -for ever. This is only my conversation, and not to be noticed--but the -king cannot long hold Sardinia.” On the 11th February 1804 he assures -“my dear friend” Ball that “we are ... on the eve of great events; the -sooner they come the better.” Private letters led him to believe that -the squadrons at Brest and Ferrol were to form a junction with that at -Toulon. Should his surmise prove correct he inferred an invasion of -both the Morea and Egypt, a belief fostered by the wily Napoleon by -means of a camp under General St Cyr at Taranto, in the heel of Italy. - -Nelson communicated his notions to the Grand Vizier. “Your Highness,” -he adds, “knows them too well to put any confidence in what they say. -Bonaparte’s tongue is that of a serpent oiled. Nothing shall be wanting -on my part to frustrate the designs of this common disturber of the -human race.” - -He pens a little grumble to Dr Moseley in March, complaining that the -Mediterranean fleet seems “forgotten by the great folks at home,” but -adding with pardonable pride that although the vessels have been at sea -a week short of ten months, “not a ship has been refitted or recruited, -excepting what has been done at sea. You will readily believe that all -this must have shaken me. My sight is getting very bad, but _I_ must -not be sick until after the French fleet is taken.” He includes some -facts regarding his manifold interests as Commander-in-chief. He always -had good mutton for invalids, gave half the allowance of grog instead -of all wine in winter, changed the cruising ground so as not to allow -“the sameness of prospect to satiate the mind,” obtained onions, “the -best thing that can be given to seamen,” by sending a ship for them to -Corsica, and always had “plenty of fresh water.” In the stirring days -of the first decade of the nineteenth century a British Admiral was in -very truth “shepherd of his flock.” He thought for the men and their -officers, saw to their creature comforts, even provided amusement for -them. Moreover, he had to be a diplomatist, something of a soldier, -and a man of resource and reliance. The sailors of England alone -made invasion impossible and nullified the superhuman efforts of the -greatest soldier of recorded history to subjugate the Island Kingdom. -Unpreparedness is peculiarly characteristic of British policy. It -will not surprise students to be told at the beginning of 1804 there -were ten fewer sail-of-the-line than had been available before the -Peace of Amiens. Weight of brain has won more battles than weight of -metal, although it is safer and wiser to have a preponderating supply -of both. We shall see what a dearth of frigates, which are “the eyes of -a fleet,” to use Nelson’s apt expression, meant to the Admiral in the -prelude to the Trafalgar campaign. He was already complaining of their -absence. - -La Touche Tréville was now in command at Toulon. Nelson disliked the -man as sincerely as he loathed the nation whom he represented; he -could “never trust a Corsican or a Frenchman.” La Touche Tréville had -been commodore, it will be remembered, of the Boulogne flotilla when -Nelson had made his abortive attacks on it. These were lauded all over -France as “glorious contests.” Nelson was what is usually called, by -a strange misnomer, “a good hater.” Thus to duty was added a personal -rivalry that filled him with an ardent longing to “get even” with his -antagonist. - -Napoleon had now a sufficient number of small boats at Boulogne and -neighbouring ports for the conveyance of his 130,000 troops to England. -He had abandoned his original plan and was determined that the Navy -proper should play an important part in the perilous project. The -Toulon fleet, after releasing the French _l’Aigle_ at Cadiz, was to be -joined by five ships off Rochefort under Villeneuve, and then hasten -to Boulogne to convoy the flotilla. The rôle of the squadron at Brest -was to be passive, although reports were spread far and wide that the -ships there were to take an army to Ireland. This was done so that -Cornwallis, blockading that port, might not form a junction with the -squadron in the Downs for the purpose of opposing the crossing of the -vast armament from the northern seaport. If all these combinations were -successfully carried out Napoleon would have sixteen sail-of-the-line -ready for the master-stroke. Everything depended on whether the English -blockading squadrons off Toulon, Cadiz, Rochefort, and in the Downs -could be eluded. - -On the 8th April Nelson again wrote, “We are on the eve of -great events,” and proceeded to tell his correspondent that two -sail-of-the-line had “put their heads outside Toulon,” and a little -later “they all came out. We have had a gale of wind and calm since; -therefore I do not know whether they are returned to port or have kept -the sea. I have only to wish to get alongside of them with the present -fleet under my command; so highly officered and manned, the event ought -not to be doubted.” - -“If we go on playing out and in, we shall some day get at them,” he -tells Frere. - -Monsieur La Touche was merely exercising his ships; the time for the -grand coup was not yet come. Nelson’s opinion now was that the Brest -fleet and a squadron he does not name, but probably that at Rochefort, -were destined for the Mediterranean “either before or after they may -have thrown their cargo of troops on shore in Ireland. Egypt and the -Morea supposed to be their next object after their English and Irish -schemes.” On the 24th May the French made a further excursion, five -sail-of-the-line, three frigates, and several smaller vessels came -out of the harbour, which was being watched by a small squadron under -Rear-Admiral Campbell. Nelson did not believe in showing the whole of -his available resources to the enemy. By being out of sight he hoped -to entice the enemy to leave their safe anchorage: “My system is the -very contrary of blockading.” He was delighted that Campbell did not -allow the French to bring him to action with the small resources at -his disposal, which is another example of Nelson’s cautious methods. -He thanked the admiral by letter, and concluded by saying, “I have no -doubt but an opportunity will offer of giving them fair battle.” - -Nelson continued to complain of ill health. “A sort of rheumatic -fever,” “blood gushing up the left side of my head, and the moment it -covers the brain, I am fast asleep,” a “violent pain in my side, and -night-sweats”--this is his condition as he diagnosed it to Dr Baird -on the 30th May. A week later he is buoyant at the thought of battle: -“Some happy day I expect to see his (La Touche Tréville’s) eight sail, -which are in the outer road, come out; and if he will get abreast of -Porquerolle, I will try what stuff he is made of; therefore you see I -have no occasion to be fretful; on the contrary, I am full of hopes, -and command a fleet which never gives me an uneasy moment.” - -Eight French sail-of-the-line, accompanied by half a dozen frigates, -made an excursion on the 14th June, and Campbell was again chased. The -latter sailed towards the main fleet, but La Touche Tréville was by -no means anxious to try conclusions with his old enemy. After sailing -about four leagues, he crept back to safer quarters. The British -Admiral afterwards referred to this little excursion as a “caper.” “I -was off with five ships-of-the-line,” he adds, “and brought to for his -attack, although I did not believe that anything was meant serious, but -merely a gasconade.” With this conclusion La Touche Tréville begged -to differ. He saw in the “caper” a bold manœuvre and an excellent -opportunity for currying favour in the eyes of his exacting chief, -who by no means overrated the commander’s abilities. His despatch to -Napoleon runs as follows:[64] - -“I have the honour to give you an account of the _sortie_ of the whole -of the squadron under my orders. Having been advised that several -English privateers were infesting the coast and the Islands of Hyères, -I gave orders, three days ago, to the frigates _Incorruptible_ and -_Siren_ and the brig _Ferret_ to proceed to the Bay of Hyères. The -Easterly wind being against them they anchored under the Castle -of Porqueroles. Yesterday morning the enemy became aware of their -presence. Towards noon they detached two frigates and another vessel, -which entered by the broad passage with the intention of cutting off -the retreat of our frigates. As soon as I saw this manœuvre I signalled -to the whole squadron to make sail, and this was done. In fourteen -minutes all were under sail and I made for the enemy in order to cut -him off from the narrow passage and to follow him up if he attempted -it. But the English Admiral soon gave up his design, recalled his -vessel and his two frigates engaged amongst the Islands and took to -flight. I pursued him till nightfall; he was heading for the S.E. At -daybreak I had lost sight of him.” - -When Nelson heard of this communication he was furious. “You will -have seen his letter of how he chased me and how I ran,” he tells his -brother, the Rev. W. Nelson. “I keep it; and, by ----, if I take him he -shall eat it!” - -Nelson continued to fear the loss of Sardinia, which “will be great -indeed.” In this matter he was wrong, for Napoleon entertained no idea -of conquest in that direction. There was every indication, on the other -hand, that he might do so, and the Admiral is not to be blamed but -praised for his zeal in behalf of the island which meant so much to the -fleet under his command. When he heard that Vice-Admiral Ganteaume had -hoisted his flag at Brest he was sure that an attempt would be made to -reach the Mediterranean. “The French navy is daily increasing, both -at Toulon and Brest, whilst ours is as clearly going down-hill,” is -Nelson’s summing-up of the situation in the early days of July 1804. -He then pours out the vials of his wrath on Addington’s administration -because it had not taken sufficiently to heart the old adage, “in times -of peace prepare for war”: “We made use of the peace, not to recruit -our navy, but to be the cause of its ruin. Nothing but a speedy battle, -a complete annihilation of the enemy’s fleets, and a seven years’ -peace, can get our fleet in the order it ought to be; therefore I, -for one, do not wish to be shackled with allies. I am for assisting -Europe to the utmost of my power, but no treaties, which England only -keeps.” This was with reference to a suggested treaty with Russia: -“Such alliances have never benefited our country.” Europe, he says, is -“degenerate.” A month later he refers to his “shattered carcase,” which -“requires rest.” Then he bows to Fate, says he submits, and states that -all his wishes “now rest that I may meet Monsieur La Touche before -October is over.” - -La Touche Tréville died on the 18th August 1804. He was buried on Cape -Sepet, his successor, Villeneuve, making a funeral oration. Unaware -that his enemy was vanquished, we find Nelson writing on the 19th that -“Such a liar is below my notice, except to thrash him, which will be -done,” if in his power. “I never heard of his acting otherwise than -as a poltroon and a liar,” is another of his remarks, which scarcely -soften when he heard the “miscreant” was in his coffin: “La Touche has -given me the slip--he died of the colic; perhaps Bonaparte’s, for they -say he was a rank republican.” With misplaced humour the French press -asserted that the Admiral had died of over-exertion due to “walking so -often up to the signal-post upon Sepet to watch the British fleet.” - -War with Spain, which Nelson had predicted, was formally declared by -that Power on the 12th December 1804. Napoleon had already exacted -a handsome annual sum from her treasury, a matter overlooked by -the British Government for reasons of policy. When he secured the -assistance of the Spanish navy, Pitt, who was again in office, refused -to be hoodwinked, and warned the traitorous neutrals. As this was -unheeded, four frigates, two of which belonged to Nelson’s fleet, were -sent to intercept four treasure ships from South America off Cadiz. -The two forces came in sight on the 5th October. Although the Spanish -vessels were not prepared to fight, an action took place consequent on -the commander refusing to surrender. The Spanish _Mercedes_ blew up, -and the others were seized as prizes. A declaration of war, prompted by -Napoleon, was the result. The ruler of France was playing into his own -hands with his usual unscrupulous skill. - -The command off Cadiz had now been given to Sir John Orde. Nelson, -quite naturally, did not approve this apportioning out of what he -regarded as his own preserves. “I almost begin to think,” he says, -with reference to Orde, “that he is sent off Cadiz to reap the golden -harvest, as Campbell was sent off Cadiz by Cornwallis (by orders from -England) to reap my sugar harvest. It’s very odd, two Admiralties to -treat me so: surely I have dreamt that I have ‘done the State some -service.’ But never mind; I am superior to those who could treat me so. -When am I to be relieved?” - -Not yet! There was much to do and darker days to be lived through -before the Master Mariner could sleep peacefully ashore. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -The Crisis - -(1805) - - “_We know the success of a man’s measures is the criterion by which - we judge of the wisdom or folly of his measures. I have done my - best._” - - NELSON. - - -Napoleon had now completed further plans. These he fondly hoped -would lead to the downfall of British rule in the United Kingdom and -the eventual dismemberment of the Empire. His strategy, if somewhat -involved, was deeply laid. Instead of concentrating his fleet in -European waters, that very essential part of the programme was to be -undertaken in the Atlantic. By means of feints and false intelligence -it was anticipated that Nelson would again suppose that the East -was the destination of the French armament. Again much depended on -whether Napoleon’s commanders at Rochefort and Toulon would prove -sufficiently clever to elude the blockading squadrons and to carry out -the subsequent junction. The former was to make for Martinique, the -latter for Cayenne. Having spread ruin and disaster in the British West -Indies, they were to unite, release the squadron at Ferrol, and return -to Rochefort to threaten Cornwallis, who would thus be precluded from -lending assistance elsewhere. Ganteaume at Brest was to play the chief -part. He was to make a descent on Ireland while his colleagues were -crossing the Atlantic and then cover the invading army from Boulogne. - -On the 11th January 1805 Missiessy, in command at Rochefort, made good -his escape, and eventually reached the West Indies. A week after his -colleague had left port Villeneuve was also at sea. The great war game -had begun. “Our frigates saw part of them all day, and were chased by -some of the ships,” Nelson informs Sir John Acton. The Admiral received -the report of the enemy’s sailing at Madalena at 3 P.M. on the 19th. -Three hours later “the whole fleet was at sea,” steering for the south -end of Sardinia, “where I could have little fear but that I should meet -them; for, from all I have heard from the captains of the frigates, -the enemy must be bound round the south end of Sardinia, but whether -to Cagliari, Sicily, the Morea, or Egypt, I am most completely in -ignorance.” He warns Acton to be on his guard for Sicily and to send -information to Naples. On the 21st a French frigate was discerned off -the south end of Sardinia, but became lost in the fog, and a little -later Nelson heard that one of the French sail-of-the-line had put in -at Ajaccio in a distressed condition. On the 27th he was off Palermo. -“One of two things must have happened,” he conjectures, “that either -the French fleet must have put back crippled, or that they are gone -to the eastward, probably to Egypt, therefore I find no difficulty in -pursuing the line of conduct I have adopted. If the enemy have put back -crippled, I could never overtake them, and therefore I can do no harm -in going to the eastward; and if the enemy are gone to the eastward, I -am right.” He sent vessels to call at Elba, San Fiorenzo, Malta, Tunis, -Pantellaria, Toro and other places to obtain information. He believed -that eleven sail-of-the-line and nine smaller vessels were at sea. “I -shall only hope to fall in with them.” - -On the 11th February Nelson was still in “total ignorance” regarding -the whereabouts of the French fleet, but was more than ever confirmed -in his opinion that Egypt was its destination. He had set off for the -Morea, and then proceeded to Egypt, but the enemy had eluded him. -It was not until he arrived off Malta on the 19th that he received -authentic information that the Toulon fleet had put back to port “in a -very crippled state.” He himself was able to report that the health of -his men was excellent, and “although we have experienced a great deal -of bad weather, have received no damage, and not a yard or mast sprung -or crippled, or scarcely a sail split.” “I have consulted no man,” he -had written to Lord Melville on the anniversary of the battle of Cape -St Vincent, “therefore the whole blame in forming my judgment must rest -with me. I would allow no man to take from me an atom of my glory had I -fallen in with the French fleet, nor do I desire any man to partake of -any of the responsibility--all is mine, right or wrong.” - -Misfortune had dogged Villeneuve almost from the moment he had left -Toulon. After encountering a gale in the Gulf of Lyons his ships were -in such a pitiful state that there was no alternative but to return. -He complained bitterly, and not without reason, to the Minister of -Marine about the wretched condition of the fleet at his disposal. The -vessels, according to his report, were built of superannuated or bad -materials, and lost masts or sails “at every puff of wind.” In addition -they were short-handed, the sailors were inexperienced, and the decks -were encumbered with troops. Napoleon, who never appreciated the many -difficulties of navigation, let alone of naval warfare, entertained the -notion that the Navy could be run with practically as much precision as -the Army; conditions of weather he almost contemptuously dismissed as -of little account. He abruptly tells Villeneuve the plain unvarnished -truth, namely that the great evil of the service “is that the men who -command it are unused to all the risks of command.” Almost in despair -he asks, “What is to be done with admirals who allow their spirits -to sink, and determine to hasten home at the first damage they may -receive?” - -Villeneuve was not a courageous commander. He hated taking risks. It -may be that he realised his own personal limitations to some extent; it -is certain that he fully appreciated those of his men and of his ships. -The only training-place for sailors is the sea, and such excursions as -had been made were as nothing compared to the daily encounters with -storm, wind and tide which fell to the lot of the blockading squadron -below the horizon. - -Such obvious facts appealed to that sense of grim humour which is -so essentially characteristic of Nelson. He thoroughly enjoyed his -adversary’s discomfiture, and poked fun at Napoleon, his men and -his methods, on every possible occasion. “Bonaparte,” he writes to -Collingwood on the 13th March, “has often made his brags that our fleet -would be worn out by keeping the sea; that his was kept in order and -increasing by staying in port; but he now finds, I fancy, if _Emperors_ -hear truth, that his fleet suffers more in one night than ours in a -year.” - -Napoleon, now the Imperial Incarnation of the Revolution, for he had -crowned himself Emperor of the French on the 2nd December 1804, was -not to be thwarted because his subordinates had failed to bring his -giant schemes to a successful issue on two distinct occasions. He was -obsessed by a desire to “leap the ditch.” To humble that Island Power -which was ever in his way, to strike at the very heart of that England -whose wealth was lavished in fostering coalition after coalition, were -now his fondest hopes. He thought, talked, and wrote of little else. - -While his third plan was more involved than the others, it had the -advantage of calling a greater number of ships into service. Villeneuve -was to start from Toulon with eleven ships, release the Spanish -squadron of six sail-of-the-line under the command of Admiral Gravina, -and one French ship, at Cadiz, and then make for Martinique, where he -would find Missiessy’s squadron of five sail. In a similar manner the -twenty-one ships of Ganteaume’s fleet at Brest were to rally Gourdon’s -fifteen vessels at Ferrol and also proceed to the West Indies. Thus -no fewer than fifty-nine sail and many smaller vessels would be -congregated for the final effort. While Nelson was searching for them, -this immense armament, with Ganteaume in supreme command, would recross -the Atlantic, appear off Boulogne, and convoy the flotilla to England. -It is unnecessary to give the alternative plans furnished to the -admirals. To do so would only tend to involve the broad outline of the -manœuvre as detailed above and serve no essential purpose. - -Spurred on by Napoleon’s displeasure, Villeneuve put to sea on the -night of the 30th March 1805, and was sighted “with all sail set” by -two British frigates on the following morning. It was not until the -4th April that Nelson, then off Toro, received this useful if vague -intelligence, for the frigate which had followed in the tracks of -the Toulon fleet had lost sight of the enemy. Her captain “thinks -they either bore away to the eastward or steered S.S.W., as they were -going when first seen,” Nelson informs the Admiralty. He “covered -the Channel from Barbary to Toro with frigates and the fleet” in the -hope of discovering them or obtaining reliable information as to -their whereabouts. On the 18th April he says, “I am going out of the -Mediterranean after the French fleet. It may be thought that I have -protected too well Sardinia, Naples, Sicily, the Morea, and Egypt, from -the French; but I feel I have done right, and am therefore easy about -any fate which may await me for having missed the French fleet. I have -left five frigates, besides the sloops, &c., stationed at Malta for the -present service of the Mediterranean, and with the Neapolitan squadron -will, of course, be fully able to prevent any force the French have -left to convoy troops to Sicily.” - -Nelson only succeeded in making sixty-five leagues in nine days “owing -to very bad weather.” It was not until the 18th April, when Villeneuve -had been at sea nearly three weeks, that he had news of the enemy -having passed through the Straits on the 8th. “I am proceeding with the -fleet under my command as expeditiously as possible to the westward in -pursuit of them.” Sir John Orde had so far forgotten or neglected his -duty that when Villeneuve made his appearance at Cadiz the commander of -the blockading squadron made off without either sending word to Nelson -or leaving a frigate to keep in touch with the enemy. Consequently -Nelson was still uncertain as to their destination. “The circumstance -of their having taken the Spanish ships which were [ready] for sea -from Cadiz, satisfies my mind that they are not bound to the West -Indies (nor probably the Brazils); but intend forming a junction with -the squadron at Ferrol, and pushing direct for Ireland or Brest, as I -believe the French have troops on board.” When off Tetuan on the 4th -May he rightly observes, “I cannot very properly run to the West Indies -without something beyond mere surmise; and if I defer my departure, -Jamaica may be lost. Indeed, as they have a month’s start of me, I see -no prospect of getting out time enough to prevent much mischief from -being done.” Gibraltar Bay was reached on the 6th May, and at 6 P.M., -Nelson was making his way through the Gut owing to there being “every -appearance of a Levanter coming on.” Off Cape St Vincent he hoped to be -met by a frigate from Orde with intelligence of the enemy’s route and -also by a frigate from Lisbon. “If nothing is heard of them from Lisbon -or from the frigates I may find off Cape St Vincent, I shall probably -think the rumours which are spread are true, that their destination -is the West Indies, and in that case think it my duty to follow them, -or to the Antipodes, should I believe that to be their destination. I -shall detach a sloop of war to England from off the Cape, when my mind -is made up from either information or the want of it.” - -Nelson’s idea as to the destination of the allied fleet was -corroborated by Commodore Donald Campbell, a Scotsman who had entered -the Portuguese navy. After clearing transports and taking on board -sufficient provisions for five months, he set out from Lagos Bay with -ten sail-of-the-line and a number of smaller craft on his long chase. -“My lot is cast,” he hurriedly informs Ball, “and I am going to the -West Indies, where, although I am late, yet chance may have given them -a bad passage and me a good one. I must hope the best.” - -Many minds, many opinions. What had become of the Allied fleet? Even -more important, what had it accomplished? Such questions must have been -ever present in the mind of Nelson and his officers. Everything about -the enemy was so vague as almost to suggest a phantom fleet. “I still -think Jamaica is their object,” is Nelson’s comment on the 27th of May -when making for Barbadoes, “but many think Surinam or Trinidad; and -Bayntun, that they will land their troops at the city of San Domingo. -In short, everyone has an opinion, but it will soon be beyond doubt. -Our passage, although not very quick, has been far from a bad one. They -started from Cadiz thirty-one days before we did from St Vincent, and I -think we shall gain fourteen days upon them in the passage; therefore -they will only arrive seventeen days before us at Martinique, for I -suppose them bound there. I shall not anchor at Barbadoes.... I have -prayed Lord Seaforth to lay an embargo, that the French may not know of -my approach, and thus again elude our vigilance. My mind is not altered -that Egypt was their destination last January.” Eight days later, -when the fleet was in Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, and Nelson’s force had -been augmented by the addition of two battleships under Cochrane, we -are informed that “There is not a doubt in any of the admirals’ or -generals’ minds, but that Tobago and Trinidad are the enemy’s objects; -and although I am anxious in the extreme to get at their eighteen -sail-of-the-line, yet, as Sir William Myers has offered to embark -himself with 2000 troops, I cannot refuse such a handsome offer; and, -with the blessing of God on a just cause, I see no cause to doubt of -the annihilation of both the enemy’s fleet and army.” - -It happened that the general had received a letter on the previous -night from Brigadier-General Brereton, stationed at St Lucia, informing -him that the enemy’s fleet, “steering to the southward,” had been -reported as passing that island during the late hours of the 28th May. -According to Brereton’s supposition its destination “must be either -Barbadoes or Trinidad.” - -Knowing full well that if the intelligence proved false it would lose -him the French fleet, but having no alternative, Nelson set off for -Tobago, where he learnt from the captain of an American vessel that -his ship had been boarded by a French sail-of-the-line the day before. -Then he received a signal from a passing ship that the enemy was at -Trinidad, where he anchored on the 7th June. Another report came to -land that on the 4th the enemy had been at Fort Royal and was likely -to sail during the night for the attack of Grenada. He was at the -latter island on the 9th, and heard that the enemy had not only passed -Dominica three days before, “standing to the northward,” but had been -lucky enough to capture a convoy of ships laden with sugar. Nelson -peeped in at Montserrat on the 11th; on the 13th the troops were being -disembarked at St John’s, Antigua, at which place the fleet had arrived -the previous evening. “At noon I sailed in my pursuit of the enemy; -and I do not yet despair of getting up with them before they arrive at -Cadiz or Toulon, to which ports I think they are bound, or at least -in time to prevent them from having a moment’s superiority. I have no -reason to blame Dame Fortune. If either General Brereton could not have -wrote, or his look-out man had been blind, nothing could have prevented -my fighting them on 6 June; but such information, and from such a -quarter, close to the enemy, could not be doubted.” He had already -sent a fast-sailing brig with despatches to the Admiralty informing -them of the probable return of the combined fleet to Europe, although -so late as the 18th July he was not sure that the enemy had not tricked -him and gone to Jamaica. With commendable alacrity Admiral Stirling was -told to form a junction with Sir Robert Calder off Ferrol, and to await -the enemy, for the commander of the brig has sighted the quarry and -was of opinion from the course they were making that the neighbourhood -of Cape Finisterre was their desired haven. It has remained for two -modern historians to point out that Nelson had discerned the likelihood -of Ferrol as an anchorage for Villeneuve’s fleet, and had forwarded a -warning to the Admiral stationed off that port.[65] - -On the date just mentioned Nelson joined Collingwood off Cadiz, but -no accurate news awaited him. Indeed, the former pinned his faith -to an attack on Ireland as the grand _finale_ of Napoleon’s naval -manœuvres. At Gibraltar the Admiral went on shore for the first time -since the 16th June, 1803--over two years. From thence he proceeded to -Cornwallis’s station off Ushant, and received orders from the Admiral -to sail with the _Victory_ and the _Superb_ for Spithead. He struck his -flag on the 19th August 1805 and set off for Merton. - -To what extent had Napoleon’s plans succeeded? Villeneuve had reached -Martinique on the 14th May, only to find that Missiessy had not awaited -his coming according to instructions. Ganteaume was also unable to -carry out his part of the plan, consequently Villeneuve was alone in -the West Indies and might become Nelson’s prey at any moment. The -prospect did not please him. When he heard that the great British -commander had not only arrived at Barbadoes but had been reinforced -by Cochrane he set the bows of his ships in the direction of home, -contrary to the Emperor’s orders to wait for a stated period for -Ganteaume’s arrival. So far from raiding the British West Indies, -Villeneuve only succeeded in capturing the Diamond Rock at Martinique -and Missiessy in taking Dominica, although the latter had reinforced -the French colonies. - -After a perilous voyage Villeneuve was approaching Ferrol in thick -weather on the 22nd July when he came face to face with the squadron of -fifteen battleships and four smaller vessels which had been sent by the -Admiralty to await his coming. The action which followed was anything -but decisive. The fleet Nelson had longed to annihilate was allowed to -escape by Calder, whose only prizes were the Spanish _San Rafael_ (84) -and _El Firme_ (74). After leaving three of his less seaworthy ships at -Vigo, the French commander eventually reached Coruña. - -Another Act of the great Atlantic Drama was over. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -Nelson’s Last Command - -(1805) - - “_May the God of Battles crown my endeavours with success._” - - NELSON. - - -In the previous chapter we left Nelson at Portsmouth after having -chased the enemy nearly seven thousand miles, and been absent from -home twenty-seven months. When “England’s darling” set foot on the -landing-stage he received an immense ovation from the crowds of people -who had assembled to show their appreciation of his services. “It is -really quite affecting to see the wonder and admiration and love and -respect of the whole world,” writes Lord Minto, referring to a mob in -Piccadilly a little later, “and the general expression of all these -sentiments at once, from gentle and simple, the moment he is seen. It -is beyond anything represented in a play or poem.” - -It was characteristic of the man that, before leaving his ship, -he communicated with the Admiralty regarding the companies of the -_Victory_ and the _Superb_. He said they were in “most perfect health, -and only require some vegetables and other refreshments to remove the -scurvy.” Nelson at once proceeded to Merton, where he lived in quiet -retirement with Lady Hamilton, playing with their beloved Horatia, or -having a mental tussle with the French as he walked the garden-paths -for hours without noticing either the passing of time or the presence -of fatigue. Perhaps he pondered over the irony of Fate in giving -the allied fleet into the hands of Calder, who had let the golden -opportunity slip by him so easily, but more probably he wondered if the -fickle goddess would yet allow him to break the yoke of Napoleon on the -seas. - -The Emperor had made a final effort to unite his scattered ships. -When the combined fleet was on its way to Europe the blockades of -Rochefort and Ferrol had been abandoned so that Calder might intercept -the enemy. He was but partially successful, as already explained. The -squadron of five sail-of-the-line at Rochefort, commanded by Allemand, -Missiessy’s successor, had taken advantage of the temporary absence -of the British squadron and was making its way to Vigo, where there -were three sail.[66] Villeneuve had put into Coruña with fifteen -battle-ships, and found fourteen Spanish and French sail-of-the-line -awaiting him. This brought the total of his available resources to -thirty-four sail, provided all were united. If Villeneuve were able to -join Ganteaume at Brest the number would be fifty-five. Cornwallis, -with either thirty-four or thirty-five, was a dangerous menace, but -when that commander detached eighteen sail to blockade Ferrol it did -not seem insurmountable, even supposing that the five ships under -Calder, then stationed off Rochefort, joined him, which they did on the -14th August. After considerable delay Villeneuve weighed anchor on the -13th August 1805, and hoped to reach Brest. He encountered bad weather, -mistook Allemand’s ships for the enemy’s vessels, and, to make matters -worse, was informed that a large British fleet was on the alert. With -this he altered his course and put in at Cadiz a week later. Here he -was watched by Collingwood with three sail-of-the-line and two smaller -vessels, until the latter was reinforced by twenty-two battleships, -four of which were under Sir Richard Bickerton and the remainder under -Calder. When Napoleon heard of Villeneuve’s retirement to Cadiz he knew -that his gigantic exertions for the invasion of the United Kingdom -had been completely shattered. With marvellous facility he shifted his -horizon from the white cliffs of England to the wooded banks of the -Danube. The so-called Army of England was marched from Boulogne to win -fresh conquests in the Austerlitz Campaign and to crush yet another -coalition. - -At five o’clock on the morning of the 2nd September 1805, Captain -Blackwood presented himself at Merton. “I am sure you bring me news -of the French and Spanish fleets,” Nelson exclaimed in his eager, -boyish way, “and I think I shall yet have to beat them.” Blackwood -was the bearer of the important intelligence that Villeneuve, largely -augmented, was at Cadiz. For a time it would appear as if Nelson -hesitated, not on his own account but because of those whom he loved. -His health was bad, he felt the country very restful after his trying -cruise, and he disliked to give Lady Hamilton cause for further -anxiety. He walked the “quarter-deck” in his garden weighing the pros -with the cons, then set off for the Admiralty in Whitehall. - -“I think I shall yet have to beat them.” His mistress was apparently no -less valiant, at least in her conversation. “Nelson,” she is stated to -have said, “however we may lament your absence, offer your services; -they will be accepted, and you will gain a quiet heart by it; you will -have a glorious victory, and then you may return here, and be happy.” - -Eleven days after Captain Blackwood’s call Nelson left Merton for ever. -It was a fearful wrench, but he was prepared to sacrifice everything -to his King and his country. The following night he wrote in his -Diary, little thinking that the outpourings of his spirit would ever -be revealed in the lurid light of publicity, a prayer which shows very -clearly that he had a premonition he would never open its pages again -under the roof of Merton Place: - -“May the great God, whom I adore, enable me to fulfil the expectations -of my Country; and if it is His good pleasure that I should return, my -thanks will never cease being offered up to the Throne of His Mercy. -If it is His good Providence to cut short my days upon earth, I bow -with the greatest submission, relying that He will protect those so -dear to me, that I may leave behind. His will be done. Amen, Amen, -Amen.” - -The _Victory_, on which he hoisted his flag, had been hastily patched -up and put in fighting trim. As her escort went the _Euryalus_ frigate, -joined later by the _Ajax_ and _Thunderer_. - -Collingwood and Calder “sat tight” outside Cadiz harbour with one eye -on the enemy and the other searching for signs of the British ships, -for they had heard that Nelson would be with them ere long. Later, -“my dear Coll” received further tidings by the _Euryalus_ requesting -that “not only no salute may take place, but also that no colours may -be hoisted: for it is as well not to proclaim to the enemy every ship -which may join the fleet.” The supreme modesty of Nelson stands out -clearly in the last words of the note: “I would not have any salute, -even if you are out of sight of land.” - -The day before his forty-seventh birthday, Nelson hove in sight -of Cadiz and assumed command. On the 29th the officers came to -congratulate him. “The reception I met with on joining the fleet,” -he declares, “caused the sweetest sensation of my life. The -officers who came on board to welcome my return, forgot my rank as -Commander-in-chief in the enthusiasm with which they greeted me. As -soon as these emotions were past, I laid before them the plan I had -previously arranged for attacking the enemy; and it was not only my -pleasure to find it generally approved, but clearly perceived and -understood.” Again: “Some shed tears, all approved,” he writes, “it -was new, it was singular, it was simple; and from Admirals downwards -it was repeated, ‘It must succeed if ever they will allow us to get at -them! You are, my Lord, surrounded by friends whom you inspire with -confidence.’”[67] In due course the complete plan of attack was issued. - -On October 19th the signal, “The enemy are coming out of port,” flew -from the mastheads of the frigates stationed to watch the goings-on in -the harbour. Thirty-three ships-of-the-line, with five frigates and -two brigs, had passed out by the following day. They were certainly -“painted ships,” with their vividly-coloured hulls of red and black, -yellow and black, and black and white. Their mission was to support -Napoleon’s army in the south of Italy. - -Once at sea the combined fleet sailed in two divisions, as had been -agreed upon by Villeneuve and Gravina, the commander of the Spanish -vessels. The French Admiral’s own squadron, the _Corps de bataille_, -was made up of twenty-one sail-of-the-line, the centre under Villeneuve -himself, the van under Alava, and the rear under Dumanoir. The _Corps -de réserve_, or Squadron of Observation, consisted of twelve ships -divided into two squadrons of equal strength, each commanded by Gravina -and Magon respectively. The duty of the _Corps de réserve_ was to watch -the battle and to reinforce any weak point as opportunity occurred. - -Nelson’s force consisted of twenty-seven men-o’-war, four frigates, -a schooner, and a cutter. The enemy, therefore, had the advantage -as regards heavy ships, of six sail-of-the-line. In armament the -combatants were nearly equal,[68] as in bravery and daring, but very -inferior in seamanship and general _morale_. It was very necessary to -prevent the enemy from entering the Mediterranean, as Napoleon’s orders -strictly enjoined them to do, therefore the signal was made for a -“general chase S.E.,” namely, towards the Straits of Gibraltar. - -Napoleon had resolved to supersede Villeneuve by Rosily. This decision -probably carried more weight with the French Admiral than any other, -and had determined his course of action, although at a council of war, -held before anchors were weighed, a resolution was passed to avoid an -engagement with the British if possible. Of personal courage he had no -lack, for he wrote to Decrès, the Minister of Marine, “if the French -navy has been deficient in nothing but courage, as it is alleged, -the Emperor shall soon be satisfied, and he may reckon upon the most -splendid success.” His great hope was that he might elude detection and -land the troops he had on board at Naples. He was without faith in his -ships. - -Having seen that his orders were carried out, Nelson went to his cabin -and began the last letter he was destined to write to Lady Hamilton. -Here it is in full: - - “_Victory_, October 19th 1805. Noon. - “CADIZ, E.S.E. 16 Leagues. - - “MY DEAREST BELOVED EMMA, THE DEAR FRIEND OF MY BOSOM,--The signal - has been made that the Enemy’s Combined Fleet are coming out of - Port. We have very little wind, so that I have no hopes of seeing - them before to-morrow. May the God of Battles crown my endeavours - with success; at all events, I will take care that my name shall - ever be most dear to you and Horatia, both of whom I love as much - as my own life. And as my last writing before the Battle will be to - you, so I hope in God that I shall live to finish my letter after - the Battle. May Heaven bless you, prays your - - “NELSON AND BRONTÉ. - - “October 20th.--In the morning, we were close to the Mouth of the - Straits, but the wind had not come far enough to the Westward to - allow the Combined Fleets to weather the Shoals of Trafalgar; but - they were counted as far as forty Sail of Ships of War, which I - suppose to be thirty-four of the Line, and six Frigates. A group - of them was seen off the Lighthouse of Cadiz this morning, but it - blows so very fresh and thick weather, that I rather believe they - will go into the Harbour before night. May God Almighty give us - success over these fellows, and enable us to get a Peace.” - -After Trafalgar had been fought and won, the above letter was found -open on Nelson’s desk. - -The 20th was cold, damp, and miserable, but the fleet had made good -speed and was between Capes Trafalgar and Spartel. By noon the -_Victory_ was within eight or nine leagues of Cadiz. - -Dr Beatty, surgeon of Nelson’s flagship, thus records how the day was -spent: - -“At 8 o’clock in the morning of the 20th, the _Victory_ hove to, and -Admiral Collingwood, with the captains of the _Mars_, _Colossus_, and -_Defence_, came on board to receive instructions from his Lordship: -at eleven minutes past nine they returned to their respective ships, -and the fleet made sail again to the Northward. In the afternoon the -wind increased, and blew fresh from the S.W., which excited much -apprehension on board the _Victory_, lest the enemy might be forced to -return to port. The look-out ships, however, made several signals for -seeing them, and to report their force and bearings. His Lordship was -at that time on the poop; and turning round, and observing a group of -midshipmen assembled together, he said to them with a smile, ‘This day, -or to-morrow, will be a fortunate one for you, young men,’ alluding to -their being promoted in the event of a victory. A little before sunset -the _Euryalus_ communicated intelligence by telegraph[69] that ‘the -enemy appeared determined to go to the Westward.’ His Lordship, upon -this, ordered it to be signified to Captain Blackwood by signal, that -‘he depended on the _Euryalus_ for keeping sight of the enemy during -the night.’ The night signals were so clearly and distinctly arranged -by his Lordship, and so well understood by the respective Captains, -that the enemy’s motions continued to be known to him with the greatest -facility throughout the night: a certain number of guns with false -fires and blue lights, announcing their course, wearing and making or -shortening sail; and signals communicating such changes were repeated -by the look-out ships, from the _Euryalus_ to the _Victory_.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -The Rout in Trafalgar Bay - -(1805) - - “_Thank God, I have done my duty._” - - NELSON. - - -The 21st October 1805 is a red-letter day in the history of England. -Dawn had scarcely succeeded night ere Nelson was up and doing. He wore -his Admiral’s frock-coat, the only decoration being four stars of -different Orders which were pinned on his left breast. “In honour I -gained them,” he said, “and in honour I will die with them.” He had not -buckled on his sword, and this is the only action he fought without it. - -The previous night Villeneuve had signalled for the columns of his -fighting squadron to form in close line of battle without regard -to priority of place, his former intention having been to give the -three-deckers the more important positions. Captain Lucas of the -_Redoutable_ states that the ships “were all widely scattered” in -consequence of this order. “The ships of the battle squadron and -those of the squadron of observation were all mixed up,” although -the commanders of the latter did their best to get into something -approaching order. - -Early the following morning--the glorious 21st--the French Admiral -signalled to “clear for action!” and in response to the _Hermione’s_ -message, “The enemy number twenty-seven sail-of-the-line,” he ordered -each ship to leave but one cable’s length between its immediate -neighbour. They were now on the starboard tack. Almost before these -instructions had been completely carried out Villeneuve decided to -alter their position, signalling them to form in line of battle on the -port tack. The manœuvre was not easily effected. The wind was light, -with a heavy swell, many ships missed their station, and there were -several gaps and groups of ships along the line instead of vessels -at regular intervals. The newly-formed line was consequently very -irregular and almost crescent-shaped. Villeneuve, prudent to a fault, -wished to have Cadiz harbour under his lee; he was apparently already -lending his mind to thoughts of disaster. - -Gravina, with the twelve reserve ships, seems to have pursued his own -tactics. Instead of keeping to windward of the line, so that he might -bring succour to Villeneuve if need should arise, the Vice-Admiral -“moved to the rear to prolong the line”--now extending some five -miles--“without having been signalled to do so.” Whether Villeneuve -took particular notice of this false move at the time is uncertain, -but later, on his attempt to get his colleague to take up the position -previously arranged for him and which would have enabled Gravina “to -reinforce the centre of the line against the attack of the enemy,” no -attention was paid to the command. Never was there a more fatal error -of policy. Had the Spanish Admiral been able to bring twelve ships to -bear upon the battle when it was at its height he might have rendered -valuable assistance. - -Scarcely less reprehensible was the behaviour of Rear-Admiral Dumanoir -Le Pelley, who with ten ships fell to leeward and formed a rear -squadron.[70] Not until it was too late did he attempt to take any part -in the battle. - -The British fleet was formed into two columns, eleven ships following -the _Victory_ (100), and fourteen in the rear of the _Royal Sovereign_ -(100), under Collingwood. Nelson’s idea was to bear down upon the -enemy with these two divisions and break the centre of the combined -fleet in two places at once, Nelson leading the weather line, and -Collingwood the lee. While Villeneuve was issuing his last order before -the struggle, “Every ship which is not in action is not at its post,” -the British Commander-in-chief was committing to paper the following -prayer: - -“May the great God whom I worship grant to my country and for the -benefit of Europe in general a great and glorious victory, and may no -misconduct in anyone tarnish it; and may humanity after victory be the -predominant feature in the British fleet! For myself individually, I -commit my life to Him that made me, and may His blessing alight on my -endeavours for serving my country faithfully. To Him I resign myself -and the just cause which is entrusted me to defend.” - -Nelson also made his will, heading it, “October 21st 1805, then in -sight of the Combined Fleets of France and Spain, distant about ten -miles.” Blackwood and Hardy attached their signatures as witnesses. He -left Emma, Lady Hamilton, “a legacy to my King and country, that they -will give her an ample provision to maintain her rank in life. I also -leave to the beneficence of my country my adopted daughter, Horatia -Nelson Thompson; and I desire she will use in future the name of Nelson -only.” - -[Illustration: Hoisting the Famous Signal - -C. M. Padday] - -Blackwood had gone on board the flag-ship at six o’clock in the -morning, and found the admiral “in good, but very calm spirits.” He -tells us in his “Memoirs” that “during the five hours and a half that -I remained on board the _Victory_, in which I was not ten minutes from -his side, he frequently asked me, ‘What I should consider a victory?’ -the certainty of which he never for an instant seemed to doubt, -although, from the situation of the land, he questioned the possibility -of the subsequent preservation of the prizes. My answer was, that -considering the handsome way in which battle was offered by the enemy, -their apparent determination for a fair trial of strength, and the -proximity of the land, I thought if fourteen ships were captured, it -would be a glorious result; to which he always replied, ‘I shall not, -Blackwood, be satisfied with anything short of twenty.’ A telegraphic -signal had been made by him to denote, ‘that he intended to break -through the rear of the enemy’s line, to prevent them getting into -Cadiz.’ I was walking with him on the poop, when he said, ‘I’ll now -amuse the fleet with a signal;’ and he asked me ‘if I did not think -there was one yet wanting?’ I answered, that I thought the whole of -the fleet seemed very clearly to understand what they were about, and -to vie with each other who should first get nearest to the _Victory_ -or _Royal Sovereign_. These words were scarcely uttered, when his last -well-known signal was made, ‘ENGLAND EXPECTS EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS -DUTY.’ The shout with which it was received throughout the fleet was -truly sublime. ‘Now,’ said Lord Nelson, ‘I can do no more. We must -trust to the Great Disposer of all events, and justice of our cause. I -thank God for this great opportunity of doing my duty.’” - -It has been pointed out that Blackwood is wrong in the matter of -the cheer “throughout the fleet,” for several of the crews were not -informed as to the purport of the signal. The Admiral’s first idea was -to flag “Nelson confides that every man will do his duty.” Captain -Blackwood suggested “England” in place of “Nelson,” which the Admiral -told Pasco, the signal officer, to hoist, adding that he “must be -quick” as he had “one more signal to make, which is for close action.” - -“Then, your Lordship,” ventured Pasco, “if you will permit me to -substitute ‘expects’ for ‘confides’ the signal can be more quickly -completed, because we have ‘expects’ in the vocabulary, while -‘confides’ must be spelled.” The code-book therefore won the day, and -a message which has inspired the Navy for over a century was soon -floating on the breeze. - -In this connection there is a tradition that a Scottish sailor -complained to a fellow-countryman: “Not a word o’ puir auld Scotland.” -“Hoots, Sandy,” answered his comrade, “the Admiral kens that every -Scotsman will do his duty. He’s just giving the Englishers a hint.” - -To continue Blackwood’s narrative: “The wind was light from the S.W., -and a long swell was setting into the Bay of Cadiz, so that our ships, -like sovereigns of the ocean, moved majestically before it; every one -crowding all the sail that was possible, and falling into her station -according to her rate of going. The enemy wore at about seven o’clock, -and then stood in a close line on the larboard tack towards Cadiz. At -that time the sun shone bright on their sails; and from the number of -three-deckers amongst them, they made a most formidable appearance; -but this, so far from appalling our brave countrymen, induced them to -observe to each other, ‘what a fine sight those ships would make at -Spithead.’[71] About ten o’clock, Lord Nelson’s anxiety to close with -the enemy became very apparent. He frequently remarked to me, that they -put a good face upon it; but always quickly added, ‘I’ll give them such -a dressing as they never had before,’ regretting at the same time the -vicinity of the land. At that critical moment I ventured to represent -to his lordship the value of such a life as his, and particularly in -the present battle; and I proposed hoisting his flag in the _Euryalus_, -whence he could better see what was going on, as well as what to order -in case of necessity. But he would not hear of it, and gave as his -reason the force of example; and probably he was right.” - -A sailor who rejoiced in the nickname of Jack Nasty-Face gives us an -excellent view of the proceedings as the sail-of-the-line were got -ready for action: “During this time each ship was making the usual -preparations, such as breaking away the captain and officers’ cabins, -and sending the lumber below--the doctors, parson, purser, and loblolly -men were also busy, getting the medicine chests and bandages and sails -prepared for the wounded to be placed on, that they might be dressed -in rotation as they were taken down to the after-cockpit. In such -bustling, and, it may be said, trying as well as serious time, it is -curious to notice the different dispositions of the British sailor. -Some would be offering a guinea for a glass of grog, while others -were making a sort of mutual verbal will--such as, if one of Johnny -Crapeau’s shots (a term given to the French) knocks my head off, you -will take all my effects; and if you are killed, and I am not, why, I -will have yours; and this is generally agreed to....” - -Another intimate word-picture of what happened just before the contest -of giants began is furnished by General Sir S. B. Ellis, K.C.B., who -was a second lieutenant of Marines in the _Ajax_. “I was sent below -with orders,” he writes, “and was much struck with the preparations -made by the bluejackets, the majority of whom were stripped to the -waist; a handkerchief was tightly bound round their heads and over the -eyes, to deaden the noise of the cannon, many men being deaf for days -after an action. The men were variously occupied; some were sharpening -their cutlasses, others polishing the guns, as though an inspection -were about to take place instead of a mortal combat, whilst three or -four, as if in mere bravado, were dancing a hornpipe; but all seemed -deeply anxious to come to close quarters with the enemy. Occasionally -they would look out of the ports, and speculate as to the various ships -of the enemy, many of which had been on former occasions engaged by our -vessels.” - -At about noon the first shot was fired. It came from the _Fougueux_, a -French ship of 74 guns, under the command of Captain Louis Baudoin. - -The _Royal Sovereign_, with the _Belleisle_ (74), _Mars_ (74), and -_Tonnant_ (80) just behind her, forged ahead. Nelson had signalled -Collingwood to break the enemy’s line at the twelfth ship from the -rear, but on seeing that she was only a two-decker Collingwood changed -his course and steered straight for the _Santa Ana_, a huge Spanish -ship of 112 guns, commanded by Vice-Admiral Alava. The _Fougueux_ -(74) then came up and endeavoured to prevent Collingwood from getting -through the line. This caused the English Admiral to order his captain -to make a target of the bowsprit of the Frenchman and steer straight -for it. Fortunately for the enemy she altered her course, but although -she saved herself she did not prevent the _Royal Sovereign_ from -breaking the line. - -Collingwood was in his element; his usual silent ways gave place to -enthusiasm. “What would Nelson give to be here!” he observed, the -while his double-shotted guns were hurling death into the hold of his -adversary and raking her fore and aft. A broadside and a half tore down -the huge stern gallery of the _Santa Ana_ (112), and killed and wounded -a number of her crew, all of whom showed by deed and daring that they -were worthy of their famous ancestors. - -Both ships were soon in a pitiable condition, but they hugged each -other in a last desperate struggle. A terrific cannonade ensued, the -_Fougueux_ and the _San Leandro_ (64) raking the _Royal Sovereign_, and -the _San Justo_ (74) and _Indomptable_ (80) lending their assistance -some distance away, although it was difficult for them to distinguish -between the two chief contestants, so dense was the smoke from the -guns. Some fifteen or twenty minutes after Collingwood had maintained -the unequal contest alone, several British ships came up and paid -attention to those of the enemy which had gone to Alava’s assistance. -At about a quarter past two the mammoth _Santa Ana_ struck her flag. -On the captain delivering up his sword as deputy for the Vice-Admiral, -who lay dreadfully wounded, he remarked that he thought the conquering -vessel should be called the _Royal Devil_! - -[Illustration: Nelson and Collingwood cutting the Enemy’s Lines at -Trafalgar - -H. C. Seppings Wright] - -Nelson, steering two points more to the north than Collingwood, -so as to cut off the enemy’s way of retreat to Cadiz, came up about -half an hour after the latter had begun his engagement. As the stately -flagship entered the zone of fire a number of Villeneuve’s vessels -poured a perfect avalanche of shot upon her decks. Down went a score -or more of brave fellows, the wheel was smashed, necessitating the -ship being steered in the gun-room, and a topmast dropped on the deck -from aloft. A shot struck one of the launches, a splinter tearing a -buckle from one of the shoes of either Nelson or Hardy, which is not -quite clear. “They both,” writes Doctor Beatty, in his “Narrative,” -“instantly stopped, and were observed by the officers on deck to -survey each other with inquiring looks, each supposing the other to be -wounded. His Lordship then smiled and said, ‘This is too warm work, -Hardy, to last long’; and declared that, through all the battles he had -been in, he had never witnessed more cool courage than was displayed by -the _Victory’s_ crew on this occasion.” - -Steering for the _Santissima Trinidad_ (130), at that time the biggest -floating arsenal ever built in Europe, Nelson sought to engage her, -but an alteration in position precluded this, and he tackled the -_Bucentaure_ (80), Villeneuve’s flagship. The French Admiral was at -last face to face with the man whose spirit had haunted him since he -assumed command. - -Crash went the 68-pounder carronade into the 80-gun Frenchman, and down -came the greater part of the _Bucentaure’s_ stern. The _Victory_ then -grappled with the _Redoutable_, at the same time receiving a hurricane -of fire from the French _Neptuno_ (80). - -Up in the fighting-tops of the _Redoutable_ (74) were riflemen trying -to pick off the officers of the _Victory_. One marksman, a little -keener sighted or more fortunately placed than the others, saw Nelson -walking up and down with Hardy. There was a flash of fire, a sharp -crack as the bullet sped through the air, and the master mariner of -England, of the world, of all time, fell in a heap upon the deck. - -The fatal ball entered his left shoulder by the edge of the epaulet, -cut through the spine, and finally buried itself in the muscles of the -back. - -Three fellows rushed forward to his assistance. - -“They have done for me at last, Hardy,” he murmured, as they carried -him below. - -“I hope not,” was the Captain’s reply, not knowing the extent of -Nelson’s injuries, and probably thinking that it might be possible to -remove the missile. - -“Yes, my backbone is shot through,” and then Nelson placed a -handkerchief over his face that the crew might not know who formed the -central figure of the solemn little procession. Some sailors on the -_Santissima Trinidad_, however, could see from the stars on his coat -that an important officer had fallen, and cheered. - -They laid him in a midshipman’s berth in the dimly-lit cockpit. He -looked into the face of Death as he had looked into the face of the -enemy, without flinching but not without hope. Sometimes a sentence -would escape his lips. “Ah, Mr Beatty,” he said to the surgeon, “you -can do nothing for me; my back is shot through,” and to Dr Scott, the -chaplain, “Doctor, I am gone: I have to leave Lady Hamilton and my -daughter Horatia as a legacy to my country.” - -Very little relief could be afforded him. He sipped lemonade -frequently, his breast was rubbed, and constant fanning helped to -soothe his agonies a little. Nelson sent for Hardy, whom he valued as -an able officer and friend, but as the Captain could not leave his post -at once the dying man feared for his safety. “Will no one bring Hardy -to me? He must be killed! He is surely dead!” - -The cheers of the British tars were borne down to the cockpit as often -as an enemy’s ship struck her flag, and a smile played over the pallid -features. At last Hardy appeared and took his chief’s hand. “How goes -the day with us?” was the eager question. - -“Very well, my Lord. We have taken twelve or fourteen ships; but five -of their van have tacked and mean to bear down on us; but I have called -two or three of our fresh ships round, and have no doubt of giving them -a drubbing.” - -“I hope none of _our_ ships have struck?” Nelson hastened to ask, -seeing that Hardy was anxious to return to his post. - -“There is no fear of that,” was the reassuring answer. - -Hardy, unable to restrain his tears, ascended the companion ladder. As -the guns were fired into the passing squadron of Rear-Admiral Dumanoir, -the ship shook violently, thereby causing the dying man intense agony. -“Oh, _Victory_, _Victory_,” he cried, “how you distract my poor brain,” -followed by “how dear is life to all men.” Then his wandering thoughts -turned homeward, and the memory of happy hours at Merton made him add, -“Yet one would like to live a little longer, too.” Hardy again entered -the cockpit with the good news that fourteen or fifteen ships had -struck. “That is well,” Nelson breathed, “but I bargained for twenty. -Anchor, Hardy, anchor.” The Captain then asked whether Collingwood -should not take the post of Commander-in-chief. The Admiral answered -with all the force he could muster, “Not whilst I live, Hardy--no other -man shall command whilst I live. Anchor, Hardy, anchor; if I live I’ll -anchor.” - -Nelson was sinking: the moment for taking his long farewell of his -Captain had come. “Don’t throw me overboard, Hardy. Take care of my -dear Lady Hamilton; take care of poor Lady Hamilton. Kiss me, Hardy.” -As the sorrowful officer bent over him consciousness began to fade. -“Who is that?” he asked. On being told that it was Hardy, he whispered, -“God bless you, Hardy.” - -His life flickered like the candle fixed on the beam above, and then -slowly went out. He murmured that he wished he had not left the deck, -that he had _not_ been a _great_ sinner, and said with deliberation, -“Thank God, I have done my duty.” “God and my country” were the last -words heard by the sorrowful little group gathered round their beloved -master. In the arms of Mr Walter Burke, the purser of the ship, Nelson -lay dead. - -And above, the heavy guns thundered a funeral dirge. - -As we have already seen, the _Victory_ was engaged in a duel with the -_Redoutable_ when Nelson received his death wound. For a short period -the Frenchman did not return the fire, and thinking that Captain Lucas -was about to surrender, the _Victory’s_ guns also kept silence. But -the interval had been used for another purpose. The French crew were -swarming over the bulwarks of the British flagship, climbing chains, -and even clambering over the anchor in their attempt to get on board. A -desperate resistance was offered, Captain Adair was killed by a musket -ball, as well as eighteen marines and twenty seamen. - -Help came from a sister ship. The _Téméraire_ (98)--the fighting -_Téméraire_ of Turner’s glorious picture--was now astern of the -_Redoutable_. Had she possessed the machine guns of to-day she could -hardly have swept the decks of the enemy with more deadly effect. The -men who were attempting to board went down like ninepins. The carnage -was awful; the sight sickening. When the smoke cleared, little heaps of -corpses were seen piled up on the decks, while the bodies of other poor -fellows floated on the sea, now tinged with the blood of victor and -vanquished. Five hundred and twenty-two of the _Redoutable’s_ crew fell -that day before she struck her colours. - -[Illustration: The Battle of Trafalgar (the “Victory” in centre of -foreground) - -W. L. Wyllie, A.R.A. - -=By permission of the Art Union of London, 112 Strand, Publishers of -the Etching=] - -The _Bucentaure_ and the _Santissima Trinidad_ were together throughout -the battle and received a succession of attacks from various ships -until they surrendered. Both of them were then little more than -dismasted hulks. Villeneuve fought with the strength of despair, -but the case was hopeless, and resistance only prolonged the agony. -No assistance came to him despite his frantic efforts to attract -attention. “My part in the _Bucentaure_ is finished!” he cried at last, -and so the gallant but weak-willed officer was taken. - -In appearance Villeneuve was “a tallish, thin man, a very tranquil, -placid, English-looking Frenchman; he wore a long-tailed uniform coat, -high and flat collar, corduroy pantaloons of a greenish colour, with -stripes two inches wide, half-boots with sharp toes, and a watch-chain -with long gold links.”[72] - -Other ships surrendered as the day wore on, the _Algéçiras_ (74) to -the _Tonnant_ (80), the _Swiftsure_ (74) and the _Bahama_ (74) to the -_Colossus_ (74), the _San Juan Nepomuceno_ (74) to the _Dreadnought_ -(98). Eighteen ships of the Allied Fleet were captured; one, the -_Achille_ (74), blew up with a terrific explosion. - -The _Victory_ had been roughly handled by her adversaries. In Hardy’s -report of the 5th December 1805, he says: - -“The hull is much damaged by shot in a number of different places, -particularly in the wales, strings, and spurketing, and some between -wind and water. Several beams, knees, and riders, shot through and -broke; the starboard cathead shot away; the rails and timbers of the -head and stem cut by shot, and the falling of the mizen-mast; the -principal part of the bulkheads, halfports, and portsashes thrown -overboard in clearing ship for action. - -“The mizen-mast shot away about 9 feet above the deck; the main-mast -shot through and sprung; the main-yard gone; the main-topmast and cap -shot in different places and reefed; the main-topsail yard shot away; -the foremast shot through in a number of different places, and is at -present supported by a topmast, and a part of the topsail and crossjack -yards; the fore-yard shot away; the bowsprit jibboom and cap shot, and -the spritsail and spritsail topsail yards, and flying jibboom gone; -the fore and main-tops damaged; the whole of the spare topmast yards, -handmast, and fishes in different places, and converted into jury geer. - -“The ship makes in bad weather 12 inches water an hour.”[73] - -At five o’clock Gravina made the signal for retreat. What a sorry lot -they were, those eleven ships--six Spanish and five French--which with -their consorts had attempted to dethrone the Mistress of the Seas. -Another four under the command of Dumanoir had also made good their -escape, but only to be captured off Cape Ortegal on November 4th, by -Sir Richard Strachan. - -An eye-witness on board the _Belleisle_ graphically describes the -scene after the last shot had been fired: “The view of the fleet at -this period was highly interesting, and would have formed a beautiful -subject for a painter. Just under the setting rays were five or six -dismantled prizes; on one hand lay the _Victory_ with part of our fleet -and prizes, and on the left hand the _Royal Sovereign_ and a similar -cluster of ships. To the northward, the remnant of the combined fleets -was making for Cadiz. The _Achille_, with the tricoloured ensign still -displayed, had burnt to the water’s edge about a mile from us, and our -tenders and boats were using every effort to save the brave fellows who -had so gloriously defended her; but only two hundred and fifty were -rescued, and she blew up with a tremendous explosion.” - -The battle was over, but much yet remained to be done. Eighteen -sail-of-the-line of the Allied Fleet had struck their flag, and it -was Collingwood’s difficult task to secure the prizes. “A continued -series of misfortunes,” to use the Admiral’s own words, “... of a kind -that human prudence could not possibly provide against, or my skill -prevent,” alone precluded him from keeping more than four trophies of -Trafalgar. - -“On the 22nd, in the morning,” he states in a despatch to the -Admiralty, “a strong southerly wind blew, with squally weather, which, -however, did not prevent the activity of the officers and seamen of -such ships as were manageable from getting hold of many of the prizes -(thirteen or fourteen), and towing them off to the westward, where I -ordered them to rendezvous round the _Royal Sovereign_, in tow by the -_Neptune_. But on the 23rd the gale increased, and the sea ran so high -that many of them broke the tow-rope, and drifted far to leeward before -they were got hold of again; and some of them, taking advantage of -the dark and boisterous night, got before the wind, and have perhaps -drifted upon the shore and sunk. On the afternoon of that day, the -remnant of the combined fleet, ten sail of ships,[74] which had not -been much engaged, stood up to leeward of my shattered and straggling -charge, as if meaning to attack them, which obliged me to collect a -force out of the least injured ships, and form to leeward for their -defence. All this retarded the progress of the hulks; and the bad -weather continuing, determined me to destroy all the leewardmost that -could be cleared of the men, considering that keeping possession of the -ships was a matter of little consequence, compared with the chance of -their falling again into the hands of the enemy; but even this was an -arduous task in the high sea which was running. I hope, however, it has -been accomplished to a considerable extent. I intrusted it to skilful -officers, who would spare no pains to execute what was possible. The -Captains of the _Prince_ and _Neptune_ cleared the _Trinidad_, and sunk -her. Captains Hope, Bayntun, and Malcolm, who joined the fleet this -morning, from Gibraltar, had the charge of destroying four others. The -_Redoutable_ sunk astern of the _Swiftsure_, while in tow. The _Santa -Ana_ I have no doubt is sunk, as her side is almost entirely beat in; -and such is the shattered condition of the whole of them, that, unless -the weather moderates, I doubt whether I shall be able to carry a ship -of them into port....” - -In a later letter Collingwood says, “There never was such a combat -since England had a fleet.” Three of the prizes, the _Santa Ana_, the -_Neptuno_, and the _Algéçiras_ escaped in the gale and entered Cadiz -harbour, the former two having been retaken by Cosmao Kerjulien, who -lost three ships over the transaction. The _Swiftsure_ (French), the -_San Ildefonso_, the _San Juan Nepomuceno_, and the _Bahama_ were the -only Trafalgar prizes saved; these were taken to Gibraltar. - -Villeneuve was sent to England and afterwards exchanged, Alava was -fortunate enough to reach Cadiz on board the shattered _Santa Ana_. -Although severely wounded, he recovered and lived for many years. -Cisneros, after a gallant resistance, also escaped, and was promoted -Vice-Admiral in return for his distinguished services, later taking -up the important positions of Captain-General and Minister of Marine. -Magon, who fought his flagship the _Algéçiras_ until he was struck dead -after receiving several wounds, is one of the most glorious names in -the naval annals of France. Three officers in turn were dangerously -wounded before the tattered flag of the battered hulk was finally -lowered. Of the other admirals, Cosmao retook the _Santa Ana_ and the -_Neptuno_, already noted, Dumanoir was court-martialed, and Gravina -succumbed to his wounds as these words formed themselves on his almost -nerveless lips: “I am a dying man, but I die happy; I am going, I hope -and trust, to join Nelson, the greatest hero that the world perhaps has -produced.”[75] Escano was injured in the leg, but reached Spain safely. -Napoleon’s officers paid dearly for the fight in Trafalgar Bay, but -Villeneuve was the scapegoat of Napoleon’s ambition. On his return to -France he took his own life. - -[Illustration: How the news of Trafalgar was carried to London - -Frank Dadd, R.I., from a sketch by C. W. Cole] - -Collingwood gave the number of prisoners as 20,000, and the monetary -loss of the enemy nearly £4,000,000, “most of it gone to the bottom.” -The British loss was 1690 killed and wounded; that of the allies 5860, -although no exact figures are obtainable. The captives were taken -to England, and the officers allowed on parole, but the seamen and -soldiers of the extinguished Allied Fleet were sent to the prisons of -Porchester, Forton, Weedon, Norman Cross, Mill Bay, and Stapleton, -locked up in local gaols, or interned in hulks. By a cruel fate the -_Bahama_ and the _Swiftsure_ were added to the number of the latter. -Few exchanges were made, and so the poor fellows either died in exile -or remained until the downfall of Napoleon secured them liberty. - -Thus ended the battle of Trafalgar--Napoleon’s maritime Waterloo. The -idea of a great military commander conducting operations at sea was -proved to be impracticable, while the superior qualities of British -seamanship were once more evident. The method of warfare practised -by the combined fleet, that of aiming at the rigging and picking -off combatants by sharp-shooting, was less successful than our own -principle of aiming at the vital parts of the hull. Whereas the British -succeeded in firing a gun nearly once a minute, it took three minutes -for the Allied Fleet to do so. The total armament on the English -vessels numbered 2148 guns, while the French had 1356, and the Spanish -1270, bringing the combined force to 2626. - -Great Britain gained enormously in prestige as a result of Nelson’s -overwhelming victory. Amongst other important consequences Trafalgar -led Napoleon to enforce his disastrous Continental System, by means -of which he hoped to exclude from the Continent the goods of his -persistent enemy. This, in its turn, brought on the war with Russia, a -big step towards the final catastrophe of Waterloo. - -More than two weeks passed before the people of England received -certain intelligence of the great rout of the enemy in Trafalgar Bay. -On the 6th November 1805, guns at the Tower and elsewhere announced -the victory, and the glad tidings flashed through the length and -breadth of the land-- - - _The heart of England throbbed from sea to sea._ - -But, alas! the idol of the nation lay dead in the keeping of his -comrades and sorrowing England could never again greet in life the son -who had loved her so well. - -Nelson had touched the imagination of high and low, and only the sad -circumstance of an early death in the moment of glorious victory was -wanted to ensure him the proudest place in all the long annals of -British naval history. - -Mr William Canton has written an exquisite poem[76] which well -expresses the mingled feelings of elation and grief with which the -nation received the great news. He imagines a “glittering autumn -morning” in Chester, the Cathedral bells clashing a jubilant peal for -the victory. But while yet the air is filled with the glad tongues of -the joy-bells-- - - _Hark, in pauses of the revel--sole and slow-- - Old St Werburgh swung a heavy note of woe! - Hark, between the jocund peals a single toll, - Stern and muffled, marked the passing of a soul! - English hearts were sad that day as sad could be; - English eyes so filled with tears they scarce could see; - And all the joy was dashed with grief in ancient Chester on the Dee!_ - -After Nelson’s remains had been embalmed at Gibraltar they were -conveyed in the _Victory_ to Portsmouth, which was reached on the -2nd December 1805. In the early days of the New Year there was a -lying-in-state in the beautiful Painted Hall of Greenwich Hospital, but -comparatively few of the many thousands of people who wished to pay a -last tribute of respect to the Admiral’s memory were able to do so. -The coffin, made out of the mainmast of the famous _l’Orient_ which -blew up at the Nile, enclosed in an outer case, was then removed to the -Admiralty, where it remained until the 9th January 1806, the day of -the public funeral. The Prince of Wales, Dukes of the realm, prelates, -statesmen, admirals, aristocrats and plebeians crowded into St Paul’s -Cathedral, a fitting shrine for the dust of the greatest sailor of the -country-- - - _Whose flag has braved a thousand years - The battle and the breeze._ - -An Earldom was conferred upon the Rev. William Nelson, a large sum -of money was voted by Parliament for the purchase of an estate to -be named after Trafalgar, and certain monies were given to the dead -Admiral’s two sisters. By such means the country sought to discharge -its heavy debt to the glorious memory of Nelson. Nothing was done for -Lady Hamilton, and although, at the time of Nelson’s death, her income -amounted to about £2000 a year she died in very reduced circumstances -at Calais in the year of Waterloo. Her daughter, and in all probability -Nelson’s, was married on the 24th February 1822 at Burnham, Norfolk, -to the Rev. Phillip Ward, M.A. She is described as both witty and -fascinating, and her portrait by Sir William Charles Ross makes one -believe that she was so. - -More than a century has passed since the great battle was fought “in -Trafalgar’s Bay,” but the memory of the little, one-eyed, one-armed -man is still treasured by those who believe, as he believed, that the -strength of Great Britain rests upon her command of the sea. - - _For he is England’s admiral, - Till setting of her sun._ - - - - -Index of Proper Names - - - Aboukir Bay, 102, 103 - - Acre, Siege of, 146 - - Acton, Sir John, 55, 119, 137, 141, 149, 216 - - Adair, Captain, 242 - - _Achille_, the, 244 - - Addington, 176, 180, 192, 196, 201, 204, 212 - - _Aigle_, the, 203, 204, 209 - - _Admiral Barrington_, the, 40 - - Africa, 46, 145 - - _Agamemnon_, the, 53, 54, 55, 56, 60, 61, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, - 70, 169, 172 - - Ajaccio, 98, 201, 216 - - _Ajax_, the, 228, 237 - - Alava, Vice-Admiral, 238 - - _Albemarle_, the, 36, 37, 38 - - Albert, Prince, 120, 121 - - _Alcmene_, the, 118 - - Alexandria, 100, 101, 103, 110 - - _Alexander_, the, 98, 106, 121, 130, 149, 153 - - Alexander I., 180 - - _Algéçiras_, the, 243 - - Algeziras, 194 - - Allemand, 226 - - Alessandria, 145 - - Ancona, 156, 157 - - Ancona, Siege of, 158 - - Andrews, Miss, 43, 58 - - Andrews, Lieutenant George, 58 - - Antigua, 44, 47, 48, 222 - - Antipodes, the, 201, 220 - - _Amazon_, the, 173, 187 - - America, 41, 46, 47 - - Amiens, Truce of, 196, 209 - - _Amphion_, the, 198 - - _Archimedes_, the, 120 - - Arezzo, 157 - - Asia, 46 - - _Audacious_, the, 107 - - Augereau, 183 - - Austria, 107, 116, 144 - - - _Badger_, the, 32 - - _Bahama_, the, 243, 247 - - Baird, Dr, 192, 200, 211 - - Ball, Captain Alexander, 98, 106, 116, 121, 128, 133, 181, 197, 201 - - Barbadoes, 45, 221, 222, 223 - - Barcelona, 202, 203 - - _Barfleur_, the, 44, 77, 81, 82 - - Barras, 146 - - Barrington, 32 - - Bastia, 59, 60, 61, 62, 71 - - Batavia, 198 - - Batavia, Army of, 183 - - Bath, 35, 43, 50, 86, 94 - - Baudoin, Captain Louis, 237 - - Bavaria, 145 - - Baynes, Lieutenant, 90 - - Bayntun, Captain, 221, 245 - - Beachy Head, 183 - - Beatty, Dr, 239, 240 - - _Bedford_, the, 67 - - _Belleisle_, the, 201, 244, 248 - - _Bellerophon_, the, 107 - - _Bellona_, the, 157, 172, 178 - - Belmonte, Prince, 156 - - Berry, Captain, 83, 84, 97, 102, 104, 105, 108, 109, 150, 151, 152, - 156 - - Berthier, 115 - - Bey of Tunis, the, 56 - - Bickerton, Sir Richard, 38, 50, 197, 226 - - Boigne, Comtesse de, 126 - - Birmingham, 196 - - Blackwood, Captain, 227, 231, 234, 235 - - _Blanche_, the, 74, 75 - - Blenheim, 195 - - _Blenheim_, the, 80, 81 - - Bonaparte, Napoleon, 57, 97, 145, 187, 192, 213, 218 - - _Boreas_, the, 44, 46, 49, 50 - - Borghetto, 69 - - Boulogne, 183, 184, 185, 186, 189, 200, 209, 215 - - Bowen, Captain Richard, 93 - - Box Hill, 182 - - Brecon, 195 - - Brereton, Brigadier-General, 222 - - Brest, 66, 67, 121, 127, 141, 143, 198, 202, 208, 209, 210, 212, 215, - 219, 226 - - Bridport, Admiral Lord, 99 - - _Bristol_, the, 30 - - _Britannia_, the, 81 - - Bronté, 143 - - Brueys, Admiral, 103, 104, 108 - - Bruix, 128, 143 - - _Bucentaure_, the, 239, 242 - - Burke, Walter, 242 - - Burgh, de, Lieutenant-General, 76 - - Burnham Thorpe, 20, 43, 50 - - Bussorah, 29 - - Byron, Admiral, 31 - - - Cadiz, 54, 55, 77, 79, 87, 88, 89, 96, 128, 143, 201, 203, 204, 209, - 210, 213, 214, 218, 220, 222, 223, 226, 230, 231, 233-236, 239, - 245 - - Cadogan, Mrs, 157, 160 - - Cagliari, 56, 216 - - Caimakan Pacha, the, 151 - - _Ça-Ira_, the, 66, 67 - - Calabria, 121 - - Calais, 183, 186 - - Campbell, Rear-Admiral, 202, 210, 214 - - Campbell, Commodore Donald, 221 - - Canada, 24 - - Candia, 109, 200 - - _Canopus_, the, 201 - - Canterbury, 23 - - Canton, William, 248 - - _Captain_, the, 67, 70, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 88 - - Capaci, 158 - - Capraja, island of, 72 - - Capri, 120, 125 - - Capua, 126, 139, 141 - - Capua, Siege of, 140 - - Caracciolo, Commodore, 110, 123, 126, 135, 136, 138 - - _Carcass_, the, 25, 26, 27 - - Carlyle, 31 - - Caroline, Queen, 126, 153, 154 - - Carthagena, 76, 141, 143 - - Caserta, 126 - - Castel San Giovanni, 157 - - Cayenne, 215 - - _Censeur_, the, 67 - - _Ceres_, the, 74, 75 - - Chatham, 23, 24, 25 - - Chatham, First Earl of, 188 - - Chatham, Second Earl of, 51 - - Cherasco, 71 - - Chesterfield, Lord, 52 - - Chevalier de Michaud, 32 - - Choiseul, 31 - - Cisneros, 246 - - Civita Vecchia, 98, 144 - - Clarence, Duke of, 90, 95, 126 - - Cochrane, 221, 223 - - Cockburn, Captain, 74 - - Collingwood, Captain, 35, 78, 79, 81, 82, 85, 196, 218, 223, 226, - 228, 233, 234, 237, 238, 239, 244, 246 - - Colomb, Admiral, 12 - - _Colossus_, the, 85, 231, 243 - - Colpoys, Sir John, 198 - - _Concepcion_, the, 54 - - Constantinople, 126, 146 - - Copenhagen, 165, 167, 168, 169, 171, 179, 181, 194 - - Copenhagen, battle of, 168, 171, 180, 181 - - Cordova, Don Josef de, 77 - - Corfu, 103, 109, 198 - - Cornwallis, Earl, 34, 35 - - Cornwallis, Sir William, 35, 198, 200, 209, 214, 215, 223, 226 - - Corsica, 55, 56, 57, 59, 63, 64, 66, 71, 72, 73, 88, 128, 129, 145, - 208 - - Coruña, 53, 202, 203 - - Cosmao, 246 - - Cronstadt, 180, 181 - - _Culloden_, the, 78, 79, 80, 81, 85, 90, 104, 118, 134, 144 - - Culverhouse, Lieutenant, 75, 76 - - - Dacres, Captain, 78 - - Dalling, Sir John, 32, 34 - - _Dannebrog_, the, 172, 174, 175, 178 - - D’Aubant, General Abraham, 61, 62 - - Davison, Alexander, 193, 196, 205 - - Deal, 184, 191 - - Decaen, 197 - - Decrès, 230 - - _Defence_, the, 176, 231 - - _Defiance_, the, 178 - - Dego, 71 - - Denmark, 34, 163, 164, 167, 180 - - _Desirée_, the, 172, 178 - - Despard, Captain, 34 - - D’Estaing, Count, 31, 32, 33 - - _Diadem_, the, 80, 82 - - Diamond Rock, 223 - - Dieppe, 186 - - Dixon, Captain Charles, 40 - - _Dolphin_, the, 29 - - Dominica, 222, 223 - - _Donegal_, the, 201, 204 - - D’Orvilliers, Count, 31 - - Dover, 184, 185 - - Downs, the, 99 - - Draco, 167 - - _Drake_, the, 40 - - _Dreadnought_, the, 24, 243 - - Dresden, 159, 160 - - Drinkwater, Lieutenant-Colonel, 80 - - Duckworth, Rear-Admiral, 127, 141 - - Dumanoir, 229, 241, 244, 246 - - Dumouriez, 161 - - Dundas, Lieutenant-General David, 59, 60, 61 - - Dundonald, Earl of, 155 - - Dunkirk, 183 - - _Duquesne_, the, 56 - - - _Egmont_, the, 81 - - Egypt, 98, 116, 118, 126, 143, 146, 194, 198, 202, 207, 208, 216, 219 - - Elba, 71, 73, 74, 87, 89, 216 - - El Arish, Convention of, 147 - - _Elephant_, the, 167, 168, 171, 172, 173, 174, 176, 178 - - Ellis, Sir S. B., K.C.B., 237 - - Elgin, Earl of, 146 - - Elliot, Sir Gilbert, 70, 71, 75, 85, 100, 206 - - Elsinore, 37 - - England, 29, 34, 35, 42, 43, 52, 70, 73, 78, 79, 107, 111, 155, 156, - 161, 163, 179, 180, 183, 185, 197, 201, 203, 205, 208, 209, - 213, 227, 232, 246 - - Erskine, Sir James, 144, 148 - - Essex, 183 - - Europe, 52, 117, 166, 179, 192, 213, 223 - - _Euryalus_, the, 228, 231, 236 - - _Excellent_, the, 78, 81, 82, 83 - - - Fall, the pirate, 37 - - Farmer, Captain, 29 - - Fearney, William, 84 - - Ferdinand, King, 113, 117, 118, 126, 130, 137, 139, 140, 142, 149 - - Ferguson, Mr, 168 - - Ferrol, 198, 208, 219, 223, 224, 226 - - _Ferret_, the, 211 - - Finland, Gulf of, 181 - - Fischer, Commodore, 174 - - Fitchett, Dr, 104 - - Flanders, 186 - - Florence, 156, 157 - - Flushing, 183, 186, 188 - - Foley, Captain, 173, 177 - - Foote, Captain, 131, 132 - - Fornelli, 59 - - _Fougueux_, the, 237, 238 - - _Foudroyant_, the, 109, 129, 131, 133, 136, 137, 139, 149, 150, - 152, 158, 159 - - Fox, General, 148 - - _Fox_, the, 91 - - France, 24, 31, 34, 41, 52, 53, 58, 68, 71, 73, 115, 116, 127, 145, - 147, 163, 189, 192, 197, 198, 200, 202, 209 - - Frederick, Captain, 80 - - Frederick the Great, 117 - - Fremantle, 177 - - Frere, John Hookham, 204 - - _Freya_, the, 164 - - Froude, J. A., 31 - - - Gaeta, 141 - - Galwey, Lieutenant, 105 - - _Ganges_, the, 177, 178 - - Ganteaume, Vice-Admiral, 212, 215, 219, 223, 226 - - Gardner, Lord, 198 - - Genoa, 65, 68, 69, 72, 98, 129, 149, 197 - - George III., 85, 95, 196 - - Gibraltar, 30, 87, 110, 202, 229, 231, 248 - - _Glasgow_, the, 32, 33 - - _Glatton_, the, 174, 178 - - Gloucester, 195 - - _Goliath_, the, 81, 104, 118, 130 - - Gourdon, 219 - - Gourjean, 65 - - Gozo, 109 - - Graham, Brigadier-General, 148 - - Græme, Admiral, 184 - - Graves, Admiral, 167, 173 - - Gravina, 218, 229, 233, 244 - - Great Britain, 24, 31, 33, 41, 46, 52, 53, 58, 72, 137, 145, 163, - 164, 180, 183, 191, 197, 247, 249 - - Grenville, Lord, 69, 154, 155 - - Gutierrez, Don Antonio, 93 - - - Haïti, 33 - - Hallowell (is Carew, Sir Benjamin), 63, 79, 109, 129 - - Hamburg, 161 - - Hamilton, Lady, 110, 112, 113, 115, 116, 118, 120, 121, 122, 123, - 130, 131, 133, 137, 138, 140, 151, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, - 160, 165, 182, 184, 187, 190, 193, 225, 227, 230, 234, 240, - 241, 249 - - Hamilton, Sir William, 61, 110, 111, 113, 115, 118, 121, 124, 131, - 133, 140, 151, 153, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 182, 195 - - Hardy, Thomas, Masterman, etc., 75, 76, 121, 129, 162, 234, 239, 240, - 241, 243 - - Haverfordwest, 195 - - Haydn, 159 - - Helvoet, 188 - - _Hermione_, the, 232 - - Hières, Islands of, 205, 211 - - _Hinchinbrook_, the, 33, 34 - - Hispaniola, 30, 33 - - Holland, 31, 34, 41, 53, 99, 198 - - Hood, Lord, 39, 40, 41, 50, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, - 65, 67, 92, 110, 129, 189 - - Hope, Captain, 118, 119, 245 - - _Holstein_, the, 172 - - Hotham, 32, 65, 66, 68, 70 - - Howe, Lord, 31, 43, 50 - - Hughes, Sir Richard, 45, 47, 50 - - Hughes, Sir Edward, 29 - - Hughes, Lady, 44 - - Hyde Park, 193 - - - _Inconstant_, the, 66 - - _Incorruptible_, the, 211 - - _Indomptable_, the, 238 - - India, 100 - - Inman, Captain, 172 - - _Invincible_, the, 165 - - Ipswich, 96 - - Ireland, 77, 108, 202, 209, 223 - - _Iris_, the, 39 - - _Irresistible_, the, 80, 81, 82 - - Ischia, 120, 125 - - _Isis_, the, 172 - - Italy, 57, 88, 118, 122, 126, 143, 145, 162, 229 - - - _Jamaica_, the, 169, 172 - - Jamaica, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 221, 223 - - James II., 75 - - _Janus_, the, 35 - - Jervis, Sir John, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 82, 85, 86, 94 - (see St Vincent). - - Josephine, 49 - - Juan, Fort San, 34 - - - Keith, Lord, 123, 128, 129, 130, 131, 134, 139, 140, 141, 143, 146, - 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 155, 164, 194, 198 - - Kent, 183 - - Keppel, the Hon. Vice-Admiral A., 31 - - Kiöge Bay, 180, 181 - - Kléber, 147 - - Knight, Miss Cornelia, 110, 156, 160, 161 - - Knight, Sir Joseph, 110, 156 - - - _La Diane_, 107 - - _La Justice_, 107 - - _La Minerva_, 136 - - Langara, 54 - - _L’Aquilon_, 105 - - _L’Artemise_, 106 - - _La Sérieuse_, 106 - - La Touche Tréville, 189, 190, 209, 210, 211, 213 - - Laughton, Sir J. Knox, 123, 135, 163 - - Lauriston, General, 192 - - _Leander_, the, 100, 109 - - _Le Conquérant_, 105 - - _Le Généreux_, 106, 107, 109, 148, 149, 151 - - Leghorn, 55, 64, 71, 117, 118, 148, 153, 197 - - _Le Guerrier_, 105 - - _Le Guillaume Tell_, 106, 107, 150, 156 - - Leopold, Prince of Salerno, 149 - - _Le Souverain Peuple_, 105 - - _Le Spartiate_, 105 - - _Le Timoleon_, 107 - - _Le Tonnant_, 107 - - Levant, the, 202 - - _L’Heureux_, 105 - - Lincoln, 33 - - Lindholm, Adjutant-General, 177 - - Linzee, Commodore, 56, 57, 59 - - _Lion_, the, 35, 150 - - Lisbon, 96 - - _Lively_, the, 82 - - Lloyd, Sir Thomas, 32 - - Locker, William, 30, 33, 35, 46, 51 - - London, 19, 36, 43, 50, 86, 94, 182, 183, 191, 194 - - _London_, the, 172, 177, 178 - - _L’Orient_, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 145, 248 - - Loudon, Field-Marshal, 117 - - Louis XV. of France, 24, 126 - - Louis XVI., 53 - - _Lowestoffe_, the, 30 - - Lucas, Captain, 232 - - Lutwidge, Admiral, 25, 27, 183 - - - Macaulay, 53 - - Mack, General, 117, 119 - - Macdonald, Marshal, 135 - - Madalena Islands, 200, 207, 216 - - Madrid, 204 - - Magon, Admiral, 229, 246 - - Mahan, Admiral, 31, 122, 131, 134, 138, 171 - - Mahon, 148 - - Malcolm, Captain, 245 - - _Malta_, the, 150 - - Malta, 98, 100, 101, 116, 118, 121, 122, 123, 127, 128, 130, 144, - 148, 149, 150, 153, 156, 197, 207, 216, 217, 219 - - Malta, Siege of, 143 - - Man, Admiral, 203 - - Mantua, 145 - - Margate, 184 - - Marlborough, Duke of, 195 - - Maria Antoinette, 116 - - Maria Carolina, Queen, 111, 116 - - Maria Theresa, 116 - - Maritimo, 128, 130, 131 - - Marquis de Niza, 117, 118 - - Marquis d’Osmond, 126 - - Marseilles, 201 - - _Mars_, the, 231 - - Martinique, 33, 215, 218, 221, 223 - - McArthur, Mr John, 144 - - Masséna, 145 - - _Medusa_, the, 187 - - _Melpomène_, the, 56 - - Melville, Lord, 217 - - _Mercedes_, the, 214 - - Merton Place, 193, 195, 196, 227, 241 - - Messer, Captain, 158, 159 - - Messina, 100, 128, 148 - - Milford, Duke of, 195 - - Miller, Captain R. W., 83, 84, 92, 107 - - Millesimo, 71 - - _Minerve_, the, 74, 75, 76, 77 - - Minto, Lord, 149, 151, 225 - - Minorca, 126, 139, 141, 143, 148 - - Miomo, 62 - - Missiessy, Admiral, 215, 218, 223, 226 - - _Monarch_, the, 172, 176, 178 - - Mondovi, 71 - - Monmouth, 195 - - Moore, Sir John, 53, 58, 59 - - Montague, Admiral George, 198 - - Montenotte, battle of, 71 - - Montreuil, 42 - - Montserrat, 222 - - Morea, the, 200, 202, 208, 210, 216 - - Moreau, 145 - - Morpeth, 193 - - Morris, Judge O’Connor, 122 - - Mortello, tower of, 59 - - Moseley, Dr, 208 - - Moutray, Captain, 47 - - Mulgrave, Lord, 25 - - Myers, Sir William, 222 - - - _Namur_, the, 81 - - Naples, 54, 55, 71, 107, 110, 112, 113, 116, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, - 125, 127, 130, 131, 133, 139, 142, 143, 154, 163, 198, 216, 219 - - Napoleon, 32, 57, 71, 73, 88, 98, 102, 107, 111, 117, 145, 146, 180, - 183, 184, 186, 188, 191, 194, 200, 208, 209, 211, 212, 214, - 215, 218, 226, 229, 247 - - Nelson, Catherine, 20 - - Nelson, Edmund, 20, 23, 143 - - Nelson, William, 22, 202, 212, 249 - - _Neptune_, the, 245 - - _Neptuno_, the, 239, 246 - - Nevis, 49, 50 - - Newfoundland, 39 - - Newhouse, Captain, 110 - - New York, 39 - - Nicolas, Sir Harris, 156, 193 - - Nile, battle of, 102, 142, 148 - - Nisbet, Josiah, 53, 54, 90, 91, 93 - - Nisbet, Mrs, 49, 182 - - Nore, the, 99 - - _Northumberland_, the, 149 - - Norfolk, 20, 36, 86, 88, 94 - - North America, 31 - - North Walsham, 20, 22 - - Norwich, 20, 86, 94 - - Nuovo, fort of, 132, 134 - - Nova Scotia, 46 - - Novi, 145 - - Nuovo, fort of, 132, 134 - - - Otto, M., 191 - - Oldfield, Captain, 90 - - Oporto, 127 - - Orde, Sir John, 214, 220 - - Orfordness, 183 - - _Orion_, the, 78, 80, 81, 82 - - Oxford, 195 - - - Paget, the Hon. A., 153, 154, 155 - - Palermo, 118, 120, 121, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 135, 137, 142, 148, - 150, 153, 155, 216 - - Pantellaria, 216 - - Paoli, 58 - - Paris, 98, 145 - - Parker, Captain, 33, 190, 191 - - Parker, Lady, 35 - - Parker, Sir Peter, 30, 32, 35 - - Parker, Sir Hyde, 70, 80, 81, 164, 166, 167, 168, 178, 180 - - Parker, Sir William, 100 - - Parsons, Lieutenant G. S., 77, 78, 80, 136 - - Pasco, 235 - - Paul I., 164, 180 - - _Pegasus_, the, 50 - - Pellew, 202 - - _Penelope_, the, 150 - - Percy, Josceline, 115 - - Perrée, Rear-Admiral, 149 - - Petersburg, 126 - - Pettigrew, 7 - - Phipps, Captain Constantine John, 26 - - Piccadilly, 195, 196 - - Piedmont, 69, 71 - - Pierson, Lieutenant, 83, 84 - - Pigot, Captain James, 29 - - Pisaro, 158 - - Pitt, William, 52, 53, 180, 213 - - Plymouth, 37, 50 - - Polson, Sir John, 35 - - _Polyphemus_, the, 169 - - Ponza Islands, 125 - - Pope, 43 - - Porqueroles, castle of, 212 - - Port Mahon, 127, 129, 144 - - Porto Ferrajo, 71, 73, 76, 87 - - Port Royal, 33 - - Portsmouth, 29, 37, 41, 197 - - Portugal, 73, 107 - - Prague, 159 - - Preston, Captain D’Arcy, 75 - - Prince Regent, the, 177 - - _Prince George_, the, 80, 81 - - _Principe d Asturias_, the, 89 - - Procida, Islands of, 125, 133 - - _Proselyte_, the, 62 - - Prussia, 34, 180 - - - Quebec, 39 - - - _Racehorse_, the, 26 - - _Raisonnable_, the, 23, 24 - - _Ramilies_, the, 176 - - Ramsgate, 184 - - Rathbone, John, 24 - - _Redoutable_, the, 232, 239, 242, 245 - - _Revenge_, the, 203 - - Richery, Admiral, 203 - - Riou, Captain, 172, 173, 174 - - Robinson, Captain Mark, 29, 30 - - Rochefort, 198, 202, 209, 210, 215, 216, 226 - - Rogers, Samuel, 37 - - Rogliani, 58 - - Rome, 117, 144 - - Romney, 61, 160 - - Rose, Captain, 172 - - Rosily, 229 - - Ross, 195 - - Ross, Sir William Charles, 249 - - _Royal Sovereign_, the, 233, 235, 237, 238, 244, 245 - - Ruffo, Cardinal, 126, 131, 132, 134, 135, 137 - - _Russell_, the, 169, 172, 178 - - Russia, 34, 107, 126, 163, 200, 213, 247 - - - _Santissima Trinidad_, the, 77, 78, 80, 84, 239, 240, 242 - - Sardinia, King of, 115 - - Sardinia, 55, 56, 71, 129, 201, 207, 212, 216 - - Saumarez, Captain Sir James, 78, 79, 109, 193 - - Savannah, 33 - - Scott, Dr, 240 - - _Seahorse_, the, 29, 79, 94, 131, 132 - - Sheerness, 184 - - Sicily, 100, 122, 127, 131, 139, 148, 150, 198, 207, 216, 219 - - _Siren_, the, 211 - - Smith, Sir Sidney, 123, 125, 143, 145, 146, 147 - - Smith, Spencer, 146 - - Smyrna, 126 - - Southey, 7, 138 - - Southolm, 167 - - Spain, 24, 31, 32, 33, 41, 72, 73, 89, 99, 199, 203, 204, 242, 246 - - Spencer, Lord, 100, 113, 124, 126, 134, 139, 140, 141, 145, 152, 155 - - Spezia, 129, 153 - - Spithead, 50, 64, 94, 96, 99, 223, 236 - - St Cyr, General, 208 - - St George, Mrs, 159 - - _St George_, the, 164, 165, 167, 178 - - St Kitts, 48 - - St Lucia, 32, 222 - - St Omer, 42 - - St Vincent (see Jervis), 85, 88, 89, 93, 96, 98, 99, 109, 118, 122, - 123, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 151, 152, 164, 177, 181, 183, - 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 205 - - San Domingo, 198, 201, 202 - - San Fiorenzo, 58, 59, 60, 62, 68 - - _San Josef_, the, 84, 86, 162 - - _San Juan Nepomuceno_, the, 243, 246 - - _San Justo_, the, 238 - - _San Leandro_, the, 238 - - _San Nicholas_, the, 84 - - _Sannite_, the, 120 - - _Sans Culottes_, the, 67 - - _Santa Ana_, the, 238, 246 - - Santa Cruz, 89, 94, 95 - - _Santa Sabina_, the, 74, 75 - - Spry, Mr, 35 - - Staines, 182 - - Sterne, 42 - - Stewart, Colonel William, 168 - - Stirling, Admiral, 223 - - Strachan, Sir Richard, 201, 203, 244 - - Stuart, Captain Don Jacobo, 74, 76 - - Stuart, General, 64 - - _Success_, the, 149 - - Suckling, John, 20 - - Suckling, Captain Maurice, 20, 23, 24, 91 - - Suckling, William, 36, 43, 56 - - Suffolk, 183 - - _Superb_, the, 223, 225 - - Surrey, 193, 196 - - Sussex, 183 - - Suwarrow, 144, 145, 160 - - Swansea, 195 - - Sweden, 34, 163, 168, 180 - - _Swiftsure_, the, 243, 245 - - Switzerland, 145 - - Sykes, John, 88 - - Syracuse, 101, 150 - - - Taranto, 208 - - _Téméraire_, the, 242 - - Teneriffe, 89 - - Tetuan, 220 - - _Thalia_, the, 110 - - _Theseus_, the, 88, 91, 94, 107 - - Thesiger, Captain Sir Frederick, 175, 177 - - Thompson, Horatia Nelson, 234, 240, 249 - - _Thunderer_, the, 228 - - Thurn, Count, 136 - - Thursfield, James R., 123, 124 - - Tippoo Saib, 100 - - Tobago, 221 - - _Tonnant_, the, 105, 237, 243 - - Toro, 216, 219 - - Toulon, 54, 55, 57, 64, 65, 66, 67, 69, 76, 77, 96, 97, 98, 132, 133, - 145, 197, 201, 202, 205, 207, 208, 210, 215, 217, 218, 222 - - Trabaccoli, 157 - - Trafalgar, 53, 86, 90, 109, 230, 246, 247 - - Trench, Mrs, 159, 160 - - Trench, R. C, Archbishop of Dublin, 159 - - Trieste, 109, 126, 156, 158 - - _Triumph_, the, 24 - - Trinidad, 221, 222 - - Troubridge, Captain, 78, 79, 80, 90, 92, 93, 95, 127, 129, 131, 133, - 139, 143, 144, 149, 150 - - Tucker, Colonel J. M., 26 - - Tunis, 56, 59, 216 - - Turin, 54, 68, 115 - - Turkey, 107 - - Tuscany, Grand Duke of, 57 - - Tuscany, 115, 117, 118, 126 - - - _Unité_, the, 184 - - Ushant, 31, 198, 223 - - - Vado Bay, 130 - - Valetta, 150 - - _Vanguard_, the, 96, 97, 98, 103, 104, 105, 110, 113, 119, 120, - 121, 129 - - Vansittart, Mr, 165, 166, 181 - - Vaudreuil, M., 39 - - _Vestale_, the, 66 - - _Victory_, the, 19, 65, 66, 78, 79, 81, 82, 115, 197, 198, 200, - 201, 223, 225, 228, 231 - - Vienna, 126, 155, 156, 159 - - Vigo, 224, 226 - - Villeneuve, 209, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 223, 229, 232, 234, 239, - 242, 243 - - Villettes, Lieutenant-Colonel, 62 - - Vincent, Earl of St (see Jervis) - - Voinovitsch, Count, 158 - - Voltri, 69 - - - Wales, 195 - - Walpole, Galfridus, 120 - - Walpole, Sir Robert, 20 - - Ward, Rev. Phillip, 249 - - Warwick, 196 - - Waterloo, 247 - - Wellington, Duke of, 113 - - West Indies, 24, 31, 39, 46, 202 - - Whitehall, 227 - - William, Prince (or William IV.), 40, 50 - - _William Tell_, the, 151 - - Wolfe, 61 - - Woodward, Dr., 35 - - Woolwich, 29, 36 - - Wooton, 20 - - Worcester, 196 - - _Worcester_, the, 29 - - Wroxham, 94 - - - Yarmouth, 161, 165, 181 - - Yorktown, 34 - - - _Zealand_, the, 172 - - _Zealous_, the, 107 - - Zurich, battle of, 145 - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] Robert Browning. - -[2] The Report is given in full in Laughton’s edition of “Nelson’s -Letters and Despatches,” pp. 409-11. The editor discovered it in the -Record Office, Admiral’s Despatches, Mediterranean, xxxi. 272. - -[3] See lines on page opposite. - -[4] A Chippendale arm-chair, which was given to Nelson by his great -grandfather, was presented by the boy to Mrs Luckins, his nurse, when -he left home to join the Navy. It appeared in an auction room so -recently as 1908. - -[5] In other words, tow the vessels. - -[6] Ships of war sent to accompany merchantmen during hostilities so as -to protect them from the enemy. - -[7] A private vessel commissioned to attack and capture the vessels of -an enemy. - -[8] See _post_, Chapter xix. - -[9] Nelson’s successor and friend. - -[10] Sir Richard Bickerton (1727-92) sailed from England with a convoy -on the 6th February 1782. He took part in an indecisive engagement -with Suffrein, off Pondicherry, on the 20th June 1783. Not more than -two-thirds of the British crews were effective owing to scurvy. - -[11] In his Autobiography Nelson gives the number as three. - -[12] More detailed particulars of this thrilling siege will be found in -the author’s companion volume, “The Story of Napoleon,” pp. 60-64. - -[13] See _ante_, page 43. - -[14] Captain Benjamin Hallowell (1760-1834). He afterwards assumed the -name of Carew, and became a Vice-Admiral in 1819. - -[15] “The Royal Navy,” by Wm. Laird Clowes, vol. iv., p. 153, vol. v., -pp. 9-10. - -[16] “The Navy League Annual, 1910-11,” p. 226. - -[17] Parsons gives Nelson the title which he had not then won. See -_post_, p. 85. - -[18] “Larboard” has now been superseded by “port,” _i.e._ the left. - -[19] See _post_ p. 224. - -[20] See _ante_, p. 90. - -[21] The Earl of St Vincent appointed him a Master and Commander. - -[22] Captain Richard Bowen, of H.M.S. _Terpsichore_, who was killed at -Santa Cruz. - -[23] This is in marked contrast to the generous words he wrote to the -Earl of St Vincent on the 24th July.--See _ante_, p. 90. - -[24] To bring the vessel round with her stern to the wind. - -[25] _i.e._ the Toulon fleet. - -[26] His “Authentic Narrative” of the battle was published in 1798, -and is a plain, straightforward account of Nelson’s first great naval -action without a superior in command. We shall have occasion to quote -it freely in this chapter. Berry was Nelson’s captain. - -[27] See “Deeds that Won the Empire,” p. 100. - -[28] _Ibid._ p. 103. - -[29] See _Comment_, ii. 341-2, also Mahan’s “Sea Power,” i. 269. - -[30] Among those who perished were Commodore Casabianca and his young -son, whose bravery is immortalised in the well-known poem by Mrs Hemans. - -[31] Battle of the Nile. - -[32] Miss Knight is referring to the Earl of St Vincent’s flagship, and -not to a vessel named after him. - -[33] See _ante_, pp. 72-3. - -[34] He had held the position since 1765. - -[35] In 1804. - -[36] Maria Theresa (1717-1780), Archduchess of Austria, Queen of -Hungary and Bohemia, and Empress of Germany. She crossed swords with -Frederick the Great on more than one occasion, and participated in the -partition of Poland, 1772. - -[37] Parthenopeia was the ancient name of Naples. - -[38] Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. - -[39] After the fall of the Bastille on the 14th July 1789, many of the -French nobility left the country. In 1790, hereditary nobility was -abolished by the National Assembly. _Émigrés_ who had not returned to -France by the 1st January 1792 were declared traitors. - -[40] See _post_, pp. 131-8. - -[41] See _post_, Chapters xiv. and xv. - -[42] This additional corroborative evidence has not been noticed by -many of Nelson’s recent biographers. - -[43] The squadron in Naples Bay was placed under Troubridge. - -[44] Pius VI. - -[45] See _ante_, p. 24. - -[46] The arrival of _La Marguerite_ on the 14th June, with provisions -for the French garrison. Keith’s letters are printed as he wrote them. - -[47] Vol. i., pp. 212-7. Dated Palermo, May 13, 1800. - -[48] Compare this statement with that of Paget, given on p. 154. - -[49] Lady Hamilton’s mother. - -[50] Miss Knight and Mrs Cadogan sailed on one of the frigates, -commanded by Captain Messer, an Englishman. - -[51] She was the daughter of a domestic servant, and at the age of -thirteen became a children’s nurse. - -[52] Afterwards increased to eighteen. - -[53] Subsequently Lord Bexley. - -[54] Parker’s flag-ship. - -[55] This incident is bereft of much of its romance by the knowledge -that Sir Hyde Parker sent a verbal message to the effect that the -question of discontinuing the action was left to the discretion of -Nelson. - -[56] TO THE GOVERNMENT OF DENMARK. _Elephant, 2nd April, 1801_: Lord -Nelson’s object in sending on shore a Flag of Truce is humanity: he, -therefore, consents that hostilities shall cease till Lord Nelson can -take his prisoners out of the Prizes, and he consents to land all the -wounded Danes, and to burn or remove his Prizes. Lord Nelson, with -humble duty to His Royal Highness, begs leave to say, that he will ever -esteem it the greatest victory he ever gained, if this Flag of Truce -may be the happy forerunner of a lasting and happy union between my -most gracious Sovereign and his Majesty the King of Denmark. - -[57] TO THE BROTHERS OF ENGLISHMEN, THE DANES. Lord Nelson has -directions to spare Denmark, when no longer resisting; but if the -firing is continued on the part of Denmark, Lord Nelson will be obliged -to set on fire all the Floating-batteries he has taken, without having -the power of saving the brave Danes who have defended them. Dated on -board his Britannic Majesty’s ship _Elephant_, Copenhagen Roads, _April -2nd, 1801_. - -[58] Nelson afterwards found it necessary to address the Rt. Hon. Henry -Addington, then Prime Minister, on the subject. In a letter written on -the 8th May 1801, he refers to those who thought the sending of a flag -of truce a _ruse de guerre_, to others who “attributed it to a desire -to have no more fighting, and few, very few, to the cause that I felt, -and which I trust in God I shall retain to the last moment, _humanity_.” - -[59] The letter will be found in full in footnote 1, p. 175. - -[60] See “Napoleon and the Invasion of England,” by H. F. B. Wheeler -and A. M. Broadley, especially vol. i. pp. 159-194. - -[61] A volunteer corps enrolled for the purpose of defending the coast. - -[62] See “Annual Register,” for 1801, p. 269. - -[63] The _Aigle_ had taken refuge in Cadiz harbour. - -[64] The despatch is quoted in French by Professor Sir W. Knox Laughton -in his edition of Sir N. Harris Nicolas’s great work (pp. 354-5). - -[65] See Mahan’s “Nelson,” p. 661, and Laughton, p. 202. - -[66] These were crippled ships detached by Villeneuve. - -[67] Mahan accepts this, but Laughton discredits it. - -[68] The total British broadside was 1000 lbs. less. - -[69] Not by telegraph as we understand it, but by semaphore. - -[70] De la Gravière, p. 252. - -[71] Blackwood is, of course, generalising. - -[72] “Seadrift,” p. 253. - -[73] “The Three Dorset Captains at Trafalgar.” By A. M. Broadley and -R. G. Bartelot, M.A., p. 286. - -[74] Eleven ships in all escaped into Cadiz. - -[75] “Diary of the first Earl of Malmesbury,” vol. iv., p. 354. - -[76] _Trafalgar_ in “W. V. Her Book and Various Verses.” - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not -changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. - -Index entries were not checked for proper alphabetization or correct -page references. They were not systematically compared with their -spellings on the pages they reference, but when differences were found, -the Index entries were changed to match the references. - -In the Index, ships’ names were printed in italics and all other -entries were printed in boldface. To improve readability in this eBook, -the boldface entries are shown in normal weight. - -Page 27: “walrusses” was printed that way. - -Page 33: “Haïti” was printed that way; in the Index, it is printed as -“Häiti”. - -Page 149: Closing quotation mark added after “command in the -Mediterranean.” - -Page 246: “court-martialed” originally was printed as -“court-marshalled”. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Boys' Nelson, by Harold F. B. 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