'AMIL.Y LIBRARY. 
 
 ''' -PS Edition.
 
 UCSB LIBRARY
 
 . 9 ^7 Belonging to the proprie- 
 tors of me SECOND SOCIAL LIBRARY in 
 Easton ; to be returned on the first 
 Monday of September, December, 
 March, and June, for inspection.
 
 VALUABLE WORKS 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 J. & J. HARPER, 82 CLIFF-STREET, NEW-YORK 
 
 THE HISTORY OF MODERN 
 EUROPE, from tile rise of the 
 Modern Kingdoms to the present 
 period. By WILLIAM RL=SI-I.I, 
 LL.D., and WILLIAM .JONES, Esq. 
 With Annotations by an Ameri- 
 can. In 3 vols. 9vo. 
 
 THE HISTORICAL WORKS of 
 the Rev. WILLIAM ROBERT- 
 SON, D.D. ; comprising his HIS- 
 TORY of AMERICA; CHARLES 
 V.; SCOTLAND, and INDIA. 
 In 3 vols. 8vo. with Plates. 
 
 GIBBON'S HISTORY OF THE 
 DECLINE AND FALL OF THE 
 ROMAN EMPIRE. In 4 vols. 
 8vo. With Plates. 
 
 The above works (RuKell's, Robertson's, and 
 Gibbon's) are stereotyped and printed 
 uniformly. Great pains have been token 
 to render them perfect in every respect. 
 They are decidedly ihe best editions ever 
 published in this country. 
 
 ENGLISH SYNONYMES, with 
 copious Illustrations and Explan- 
 ations, drawn from the best Wri- 
 ters. By GKORGK CRABB, MA. 
 A new Edition, enlarged. 8vo. 
 [Stereotyped.] 
 
 LIFE OF LORD BYRON. By 
 THOMAS MOORE, Esq. In 2 vols. 
 8vo. With a Portrait. 
 
 HOOPER'S MEDICAL DICTION- 
 ARY. From the last London 
 Edition. With Additions, by SA- 
 MUEL AKKRLY, M.D. 8vo. 
 
 COOPER'S SURGICAL DIC- 
 TIONARY. In 2 vols. 8vo. 
 Greatly enlarged. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 GOOD'S (Dr. JOHN MASON) STUDY 
 OF MEDICINE. In 5 vols. 8vo. 
 A new edition. With additions 
 by SAMDKL COOPER, M.D. 
 
 THE BOOK OF NATURE ; being 
 a popular Illustration of the gene- 
 ral Laws and Phenomena of Crea- 
 tion, &c. Uy JOHN MASON GOOD, 
 M.D. and F.R.S. 8vo. With his 
 Life. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 DOMESTIC DUTIES ; or Instruc- 
 tions to Married Ladies. By Mrs. 
 WILLIAM I'ARKES. 12mo. 
 
 ART OF INVIGORATING and 
 PROLONGING LIFE. By WIL- 
 LIAM KITCHISEK, M.D. ISruo. 
 
 THE COOK'S ORACLE, AND 
 HOUSEKEEPER'S MANUAL. 
 By WILLIAM KITCHINER, M.D. 
 Adapted to the American Public. 
 12mo. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 GIBSON'S SURVEYING. Im- 
 proved and enlarged. By JAMES 
 RYAN. 8vo 
 
 DA VIES' SURVEYING. 8vo. 
 
 SURVEYORS' TABLES. 12mo. 
 
 BROWN'S DICTIONARY of the 
 HOLY BIBLE. From the last 
 genuine Edinburgh edition. 8vo. 
 
 BROWN'S (J.) CONCORDANCE. 
 Printed on Diamond type, in 
 the 32mo. form. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 SERMONS ON IMPORTANT 
 SUBJECTS, by the Rev. SAMUKL 
 DAVIKS, A.M., sometime Presi- 
 dent of the College of New-Jer- 
 sey. In 3 vols. 8vo. 
 
 THE WORKS OF THE REV. 
 JOHN WESLEY, A.M. With 
 his Life. Complete in 10 vols. 
 8vo. From the last London Edi- 
 tion. With a Portrait. 
 
 LETTERS FROM THE AEGEAN. 
 By JAMKS EMKRSUN, Esq. 8vo. 
 
 THE LITERARY REMAINS OF 
 THE LATE HENRY NEELE, 
 Author of the " Romance of His- 
 tory," &c.<fec. 8vo. 
 
 RELIGIOUS DISCOURSES. By 
 
 Sir WALTER SCOTT, Bart. 18mo. 
 
 LIVES OF THE SIGNERS OP 
 THE DECLARATION OF IN- 
 DEPENDENCE. 12mo. 
 
 XENOPHON. Translated by ED- 
 WARD SPKLMAN, Esq. and Sir M. 
 A. Cooper. 2 vols. 18rao.
 
 Works Published by J. <fy J, Harper. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS, 
 From the earliest period to the pre- 
 sent time. By the Rev. H. H. MIL- 
 MAN. In 8 vote. ISmo. illustrated 
 with original maps, &c. 
 
 THE LIFE OF NAPOLEON BUO- 
 NAPARTE. By J. G . LOCKHART, 
 Esq. With copperplate engravings. 
 2 rols. 18mo. 
 
 LIFE OF NELSON. By ROBERT 
 SOUTHEY, Esq. With a portrait. 
 
 THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER 
 THE GREAT. By the Rev. J. 
 WILLIAMS. With a map. ISmo. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY OF IN- 
 SECTS. Illustrated by numerous 
 engravings. ISmo. 
 
 THE LIFE OF LORD BYRON. 
 By JOHN GALT, Esq. ISmo. 
 
 THE LIFE OF MOHAMMED, 
 Founder of the Religion of Islam, 
 and of the Empire of the Saracens. 
 By the Rev. GKORGE BUSH, A.M. 
 With a plate. ISmo. 
 
 LETTERS ON DEMONOLOGY 
 AND WITCHCRAFT. By Sir 
 WALTER SCOTT, Bart. ISmo. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE BIBLE. By 
 the Rev. G. R. GLEIG. In 2 vols. 
 ISmo. with maps of Palestine, <fcc. 
 
 NARRATIVE OF DISCOVERY 
 AND ADVENTURE IN THE 
 POLAR SEAS AND REGIONS. 
 By Professor LESLIE, Professor 
 JAMESON, and Huou MURRAY, 
 Esq. With maps, <fec. ISmo. 
 
 LIFE AND TIMES OF GEORGE 
 tV., with Anecdotes of Distin- 
 guished Persons of the last Fifty 
 Years. By the Rev. GEOROK CRO- 
 LY. With a portrait. 18mo. 
 
 NARRATIVE OF DISCOVERY 
 AND ADVENTURE IN AFRI- 
 CA, from the earliest ages to the 
 present time. With Illustrations 
 of the Geology, Mineralogy, and 
 Zoology. By Professor JAMESON, 
 JAMES WILSON, Esq., and HUGH 
 MURRAY, Esq. With a map and 
 wood engravings. 18mo. 
 
 HISTORY OF CHIVALRY AND 
 THE CRUSADES. By G. P R. 
 JAMES, Esq. 18mo., with a plate. 
 
 LIVES OF EMINENT PAINTERS 
 AND SCULPTORS. By ALLAN 
 CUNNINGHAM, Esq. In 3 vols. 
 I8iiio. with portraits, 
 fl 
 
 LIFE OF MARY QUEEN Of 
 SCOTS. By HKNRY GLASSFORD 
 BEI.L. In 2 vols. 18mo. Portrait. 
 
 HISTORY OF POLAND. By J. 
 
 FLETCHER, Esq. With a portrait 
 of Kosciusko. ISmo. 
 FESTIVALS, GAMES, AND A- 
 MUSEMENTS, Ancient and Mod- 
 ern. By HORATIO SMITH. ISmo. 
 
 MASSINGER'S PLAYS. Designed 
 for family use. In 3 vols. ISmo. 
 With a Portrait: 
 
 PELHAM; OR, THE ADVEN- 
 TURES OF A GENTLEMAN. A 
 Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE DISOWNED. A Novel, to 
 2 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 
 ' Pel bam,' &c. [Stereotyped. ] 
 
 DEVEREUX. A Novel. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. By the Author of 'Pel- 
 ham,' &c. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 PAUL CLIFFORD. A Novel In 
 2 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 
 ' Pelham,' <fec. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 FALKLAND. A Novel. By the 
 Author of ' Pelham,' &c. 12mo. 
 
 THE SIAMESE TWINS. By the 
 Author of 'Pelham,' &c. 12mo. 
 
 AFFECTING SCENES ; being Pas- 
 sages from the Diary of a Physi- 
 cian, 18mo. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 YOUTH AND MANHOOD OF 
 CYRIL THORNTON. A NoveL 
 2 vols. 12mo. [Stereotyped.] 
 
 THE DUTCHMAN'S FIRESIDE. 
 A Tale. By J. K. PAULDINO, 
 Esq. In 2 vols. 12mo 
 
 THE YOUNG DUKE. A Novel. 
 By the Author of ' Vivian Gray.' 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 CALEB WILLIAMS. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. By the Author of ' Cloud- 
 esley,' &c. 
 
 PHILIP AUGUSTUS. A Novel. 
 By the Author of 'Darnley,' 4c. 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 ANASTASIUS. A Novel. In 2 vols 
 12mo. 
 
 LIFE of DR. E. D. CLARKE. 8vo. 
 FRENCH REVOLUTION of 1830. 
 LIFE OF VAN HALEN, &c. 8vo. 
 MILLER'S GREECE, J2mo. 
 SMART'S HORACE. 9
 
 Works published by J. <5f J. Harper, 
 
 BUI 'SfER'S NOVELS. Printed and 
 hot id uniformly in sets of 8 vol- 
 umes embracing "Pelham." "the 
 Disowned," " Devereux," aad 
 " Paul Clifford." 
 
 DARNLEY. A Novel. By G R. 
 JAMES, Author of "Richelieu." In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 DE 1,'ORME. A. Novel. By the 
 Author of " Richelieu" and " Darn- 
 ley." 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 HAVERHILL. A Novel. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. 
 
 TRAITS OF TRAVEL. A Novel. 
 In a vols. 12mo. By T. C. GRAT- 
 TAN, Author of "Highways and 
 Byways." 
 
 THE HEIRESS OF BRUGES. A' 
 Tale. By the Author of " High- 
 ways and Byways," "Traits of 
 Travel," <fcc. 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 HAXWRLL. A Novel. By the 
 Author of " Sayings and Doings." 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 LAWRIE TODD ; OR, THE SET- 
 TLEKS IN THE WOODS. By 
 
 JOHN GALT, Esq., Author of "the 
 Annals of -the Parish," " the Ayr- 
 shire Legatees," &c. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. 
 
 SOUTHENNAN. A Novel. In 2 
 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 
 "Lawrie Todd," "the Annals of 
 the Parish," &c. &c. 
 
 WALTER COLYTON. A Tale. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. By HORACE 
 SMITH, Author of " Brambletye- 
 House," " Zillah," &c. &c. 
 
 THE NEW FOREST. A Novel. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. By the Author 
 of " Brambletye-House," " ZU- 
 lab," &c. &c. 
 
 THE COLLEGIANS. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE RIVALS. A Novel. By the 
 Author of "the Collegians," &.c. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 HUNGARIAN TALES. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. By Mrs. GORE, Author of 
 the Lettre de Cachet" and " Ro- 
 mances of Real Life." 
 
 ROMANCES OF REAL LIFE. In 
 2 vols l'2mo. By the Author ot 
 " Hungarian Tales." 
 
 COMING OUT; and THE FIELD 
 
 OF THE FORTY FOOTSTEPS.' 
 Novels. By Misses JANE and AN- 
 NA MARIA PORTER. In 3 vols. 
 12mo. 
 
 THE BAROXY. A Novel. la 2 
 vols. 12mo. By Miss ANNA. MA, 
 RIA PORTER. 
 
 FRANCE, IN 182930. By Lady 
 MORGAN. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 CLOUDESLEY. A Novel. In 
 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 'C 
 leb Williams," &c. 
 
 SKETCHES OF IRISH CHARAC- 
 TER. By Mrs. SARAH C. HALL. 
 12mo. 
 
 CYRIL THORNTON. A Novel. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 BEATRICE. A Tale, founded on 
 Facts. By Mrs. HOFLAND. In 3 
 vols. 12mo. 
 
 CONTRAST. A Novel. ByREGtNA. 
 MAKIA ROI:HE, Author of "the 
 Children of the Abbey," &c. &c. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE DENOUNCED. A Novel, b 
 2 vols. 12rao. By the Authors o 
 " Tales by the O'Hara Family." 
 
 THE OXONIANS. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 
 " the Rou6." 
 
 THE COUNTRY CURATE. By 
 the Author of "the Subaltern." In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 ROMANCE of HISTORY. FRANC*. 
 In 2 vols. 12rao. By LKITCH 
 KITCIIIE, Esq. 
 
 ROMANCE of HISTORY. SPAIX 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. By Don T. Du 
 TRI-EBA, Author of "the Castil 
 ian," &c. 
 
 THE INCOGNITO; or, SINS AND 
 PECCADILLOES. A Novel. By 
 the Author of " Romance of His- 
 tory, 1 ' " the Castilian," &c. 
 
 THE TALBA. A Novel. By Mrs. 
 BRAY, Author of " the White 
 Hoods," "the Protestant," &c. 
 STORIES OF WATERLOO, AND 
 OTHER TALES. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. 
 
 WA V ERLEY; OR, TIS SIXTY 
 
 YEARS SLNCB- A Novel. In 2 
 
 vols. 12rno. Revised, corrected, 
 
 and enlarged by the Author. 
 
 DE LISLE. ANovel. 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 3
 
 Works published by J. $ J. Harper. 
 
 ST. VALENTINE'S DAY ; or, THE 
 FAIR MAID OF PERTH. Be- 
 ing Second Series of " Chronicles 
 of the Canongate." By the Author 
 of " Waverley." In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE DOOM OF DEVORGOIL ; 
 and AUCHINDRANE. By the 
 Author of " Waverley." 12mo. 
 
 fALES OF A GRANDFATHER. 
 
 A.LMACK'8 REVISITED ; or, HER- 
 BERT MILTON. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 YESTERDAY IN IRELAND. A 
 Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 WALDEGRAVE. A Novel. In 2 
 vols 12mo. 
 
 THE ADVENTURES of a KING'S 
 PAGE. A Novel. 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 TALES AND SKETCHES. By a 
 Country Schoolmaster. 12mo. 
 
 SEPARATION. A Novel. By La- 
 dy CHARLOTTE B( RY, Author of 
 " Flirtation." In 2 vols. 12rno. 
 
 THE EXCLUSIVES. ANovel. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 LIFE OF MANSIE WAUCH, TAI- 
 LOR IN DALKEITII. 12mo. 
 
 THE LOST HEIR; and THE PRE- 
 DICTION. A Novel. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. 
 
 THE SUBALTERN'S LOG-BOOK. 
 A Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 FOSCARINI. A Novel. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. 
 
 HAJJI BABA. ANovel. In 2 vols- 
 12mo. 
 
 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS, FACE- 
 TIOUS AND FANCIFUL, 12mo. 
 
 APICIAN MORLELS. A Comical 
 Work. With Cuts. 12mo. 
 
 STORIES OF A BRIDE. By the 
 Author of " The Mummy." In 2 
 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. A 
 Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 RYBRENT DE CRUCE. A Novel. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE ENGLISH AT HOME. A 
 Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE LAST OF THE PLANTA- 
 GfiNETS. An Historical Ro- 
 mance. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 TALES OF MILITARY LIFE. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 
 " the Military Sketch-Book." 
 
 STRATTON HILL. A Tale of the 
 Civil Wars. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 PEACE CAMPAIGNS OF A COR- 
 NET. A Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 PRIVATE LIFE. A Novel. In 2 
 vols. 12mo. 
 
 TALES OF THE WEST. 2 vols 
 1 2mo. By the Author of " Letters 
 from the East." 
 
 THE TUILERIES. A Novel. By 
 the Author of " Hungarian Tales," 
 &c. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 ROMANCE AND REALITY. A 
 Novel. ByL.E.L. In 2 vols.!2mo. 
 
 THE KING'S SECRET. ANoveL 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 JACQUELINE OF HOLLAND. By 
 
 T. C. GaATTAN, Esq. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. 
 
 ROXOBEL. By Mrs. SHBRWOOD. 
 In 3 vols. 18mo. 
 
 In Press, 
 
 HARPER'S FAMILY LIBRARY 
 Ol" this work, which is intended to 
 combine the two objects of instruc- 
 tion and amusement, comprising 
 as much entertaining matter as 
 can be given along with useful 
 knowledge, and as much know- 
 ledge as can be conveyed in an 
 amusing form, several volumes 
 are already published. 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF SELECT 
 NOVELS which will embrace no 
 works but such as have received 
 the impress of general appro- 
 bation, or have been written by 
 authors of established character. 
 Several volumes are now pub- 
 lished. 
 
 DRAMATIC LIBRARY Being se- 
 lections from popular standard 
 Dramatic writers ; illustrated with 
 Explanatory Notes, and adapted 
 to Family reading, by the omis- 
 sion of all exceptionable passages. 
 Several volumes are already pub- 
 lished. 
 
 FAMILY CLASSICAL LIBRARY; 
 or English translations of the 
 most valuable Greek and Latin 
 Classics. Several volumes ar 
 now published.
 
 HARPER'S FAMILY LIBRARY. 
 
 " Books that you may carry to the fire, and hold readily in your hand, 
 are Ike most useful after all. A man will often look at them, and bt 
 tempted to go on, when he would have been frightened at books of a larger 
 sis<,, and of a more erudite appearance." DR. JOHNSON. 
 
 The proprietors of the Family Library feel themselves stimulated to 
 increased exertions by the distinguished favour with which it has already 
 been received. 
 
 The volumes now before the public may be confidently appealed to 
 as proofs of zeal on the part of the publishers to present to their readers 
 if productions, which, as they are connected, not with ephemeral, 
 but with permanent subjects, may, years hence as well as now, be con- 
 sulted for lively amusement as well as solid instruction. 
 
 To render this Library still more worthy of patronage, the proprie- 
 tors propose incorporating in it such works of interest and value as 
 may api>ear in the various Libraries and Miscellanies now preparing in 
 Europe, particularly the " National" and the ' Edinburgh Cabinet" Libra- 
 ries. All these productions, as they emanate from the press, will be 
 submitted to a committee of literary gentlemen for inspection ; and none 
 will be reprinted but such as shall be found calculated to sustain the 
 exalted character which this Library has already acquired. 
 
 Several well-known authors have been engaged to prepare for it original 
 works of an American character, on History, Biography, Travels, <kc &c. 
 Every' distinct subject will in general be comprehended in one volume, 
 or at most in three volumes, which may form either a portion of the 
 series or a complete work by itself; and each volume will be embellished 
 witli appropriate engravings. 
 
 The entire series wUl be the production of authors of eminence, who 
 have acquired celebrity by their literary labours, and whose names, as 
 they appear in succession, will afford the surest guarantee to the public 
 for the r atisfactory manner in which the subjects will be treated. 
 
 Such is the plan by which it is intended to form an ^American Family 
 Ltlmiry, comprising all that is valuable in those branches of knowledge 
 which most happily unite entertainment with instruction. The utmost 
 care will be taken, not only to exclude whatever can have an injurious 
 inllunnce on the mind, but to embrace everything calculated to strengthen 
 the liest and most salutary impressions. 
 
 With these arrangements and facilities, the publishers flatter them- 
 selves that they shall be able to present to their fellow-citizens a work 
 (.f unparalleled ment and cheapness, embracing subjects adapted to all 
 classes of readers, and forming a body of literature deserving the praise 
 of having instructed many, and amused all ; and above every other spe- 
 cies of eulogy, of being fit to be introduced, without reserve or exception, 
 by the father of a family to the domestic circle. Meanwhile, the very low 
 price at wh:"h it is charged renders more extensive patronage necessary 
 f>r its support and prosecution. The immediate encouragement, there- 
 lijre, of those who approve its plan and execution is respectfully solicited 
 The work may be obtained in complete sets, or in separate numbers, 
 from the principal booksellers throughout the United States
 
 HARPER'S FAMILY LIBRARY. 
 
 The following opinions, selected from highly respectable Journals, vrii 
 enable those who are unacquainted with the Family Library to form an 
 estimate of its merits. Numerous other notices, equally favourable, ann 
 from sources equally respectable, might be presented if deemed necessary. 
 "The Family Library. A very excellent, and always entertaining Mia 
 cellany." Edinburgh Review, No. 103. 
 
 " The Family Library presents, in a compendious and cqnvemeni 
 well-written histories of popular men, kingdoms, sciences, &c. arranged 
 and edited by able writers, and drawn entirely from the most correct and 
 accredited authorities. It is, as it professes to be, a Family Library, from 
 which, at little expense, a household may prepare themselves for a con- 
 sideration of those elementary subjects of education and society, without a 
 due acquaintance with which neither man nor woman has claim to be 
 well bred, or to take their proper place among those with whom they 
 abide." Charleston Gazette. 
 
 " We have repeatedly borne testimony to the utility of this work. It is 
 one of the best that has ever been issued from the American press, and 
 should be in the library of every family desirous of treasuring up useful 
 knowledge." Boston Statesman. 
 
 "The Family Library should be in the hands of every person. Thus 
 far it has treated of subjects interesting to all, condensed in a perspicuous 
 
 and agreeable style We have so repeatedly spoken of the merits of the 
 
 design of this work, and of the able manner in which it is edited, that on 
 this occasion we will only repeat our conviction, that it is worthy a place 
 in every library in the country, and will prove one of the most ustfui aa 
 'i is one of the most interesting publications which has ever issued from 
 he American press." jV. Y. Courier <V Enquirer. 
 
 "The Family Library is. what its name implies, a collection of various 
 riginal works of the best kind, containing reading, ust-ful and interesting 
 io the family circle. It is neat?y printed, and should be in every family 
 that can afford it the price being moderate." .Veto- England Palladium. 
 
 ' The Family Library is, in all respects, a valuable work." Pennsyl- 
 vania Inquirer. 
 
 " We are pleased to see that the publishers have obtained sufficient en 
 couragement to continue their valuable Family Library.'' Baltimore Re 
 publican. 
 
 " We recommend the whole set of the Family Library as one of the 
 cheapest means of affording pleasing instruction, and imparting a proper 
 pride in books, with which we are acquainted." Philadelphia U. S. Ga- 
 zette. 
 
 " It will prove instructing and amusing to all classes. We are please 
 
 to learn that the works comprising this Library have become, as they 
 
 ought to be, quite popular among the heads of Families." If. Y. Gazette. 
 
 " It is the duty of every person having a family to put this excellent 
 
 Library into the hands of his children." *Y. Y. Mircanrile Admit ixrr. 
 
 " We have so often recommended this enterprising and useful publics 
 tion (ihe Family Library), that we can here only ;idd, that each siu-ces 
 give number appears to ecu firm its merited popularity." A', y. A I) 
 
 " U is so emphatically what it purports to be, that we are anxious to se 
 it in every family. It is alike interesting and useful to all classes of 
 readers." Albany Evening Journal. 
 
 "The little volumes of this series truly comport with their title, and are 
 in themselves a Family Library." N. Y. Commercial Advertiser. 
 
 " We have met with no work more interesting and deservedly popular 
 than this valuable Family Library." Monthly Repository. 
 
 " The plan of the Family Library must be acceptable to the American 
 reading community." .V Y. Journal nf Commerce. 
 
 " To all ixntions of the community the enure series may be wariuiy 
 recommended." American Traveller. 
 " It is a delightful publication."- T-utk Telia
 
 FAMILY CLASSICAL LIBRARY. 
 
 To those who are desirous of obtaining a knowledge of the most es- 
 teemed authors of Greece and Rome, but possess noi. the means or leisure 
 lor pursuing a regular course of study, the present undertaking must prov 
 a valuable acquisition. 
 
 So diversified are the objects to which general education is at present 
 directed, that sullicicnt time cannot be allowed, in most instances, to lay 
 the foundation of an adequate acquaintance with the most popular authors 
 in the Greek aitd Latin languages. In those instances even, in which the 
 object has bren attained, where the taste has been forme'd, and the habit 
 of occasional recurrence to the Classics has been preserved, the facility of 
 reference to a Series of correct and elegant Translations must afford 
 pleasure, a::d occasional assistance, even to the scholar. To him who. as 
 Dr Kxox observes, although engaged in other pursuits, is s:ill anxious to 
 " retain a tincture of that elegance and liberality of sentiment which the 
 mind acquires by the study of the Classics, and which contributes more to 
 form (he true iri-ntlornan than all the unsubstantial ornaments of modern 
 affectation," such a collection will, it is confidently hoped, prove accept- 
 able. 
 
 As the learned languages do not form part of the education of females, 
 the only access which they have to the valuable stores of antiquity is 
 through the medium of correct translation. 
 
 The selection is intended to include those authors whose works may 
 with propriety be read by the youth of both sexes ; and it will be obvious 
 that the nature of the publication is of so permanent a character, as to 
 prove equally interesting to posterity as to the present generation. The 
 whole will be presented to the public in a cheap, handsome, and uniform 
 size, forming a complete " Family Classical Library," alike useful for the 
 purpose of instruction and amusement. Indeed, as Dr. PARK says, "if 
 you desire your son, though no great scholar, to read and reflect, it is 
 your duty to place in his hands the best translations of the best Classical 
 Authors." 
 
 A Biographical Sketch will be prefixed to each author; and notes will 
 be added, when, necessary for the purpose of illustration. Engravings of 
 the authors, and Maps, will be given occasionally. 
 
 The importance attached in the present day to translations of the classic 
 authors, may be estimated by the fact, that a series has been recently 
 published in England, and also in France, and that another in the Russian 
 language is now in progress, under the immediate sanction of the Imperial 
 Government. 
 
 AN EPITOME OF ENGLISH LITERATURE. 
 
 UNOER the above titl it is intended to publish, in a new and concen- 
 trated form, a scries of Standard English Authors. The precise nature of 
 '.he plan to be adopted in the work will be stated hereafter, for the present 
 suffice it to observe, that in History no facts, and in Philosophy no reason- 
 ins will be omitted or distorted, so as to render a reference to the original 
 author requisite; and thus persons of both sexes may become perfectly 
 acquainted with authors repulsive from bulk alone, at a comparatively 
 little cost of time as well as price. The series will be routined to the 
 popular productions of writers in prose, such as Kurnet, Clarendon. 
 Gibbon, Hume, Robertson, Bacon, Locke, Paley, Addison, Goldsmitli. 
 Johnson, Swifi, &c Arc., and will be edited by A. J VALPY, M.A. 
 
 HARPER'S FAMILY LIBRARY See Prospectus. 
 LIBRARY OF DELECT NOVELS. See Prospectus
 
 LIBRARY OF SELECT NOVELS. 
 
 FICTITIOUS composition is now admitted to form an extensiw and im 
 poriant portion of literature. Well- wrought novels take their rank by the 
 side of real narratives, and are appealed to as evidence in all questions 
 concerning man. In them the customs of countries, the transitions and 
 shades of character, and even the very peculiarities of costume and dia- 
 .ecj, are curiously preserved ; and the imperishable spirit that surrounds 
 and keeps them for the use of successive generations renders the rarities 
 for ever fresh and green. In them human life is laid down as on a map 
 he strong and vivid exhibitions of passion and of character which they 
 ftirmsh, acquire ana maintain the strongest hold upon the curiosity, and 
 it may be added, the affections of every class of readers ; for not only is 
 entertainment in all the various moods of tragedy and comedy provided in 
 their pages, but he who reads them attentively may often obtain without 
 the bitterness and danger of experience, that knowledge of his fellow 
 creatures which but for such aid could, in the majority of cases, be only 
 acquired at a period of life too late to turn it to account. 
 
 This " Library of Select Novels" will embrace none but such as have 
 received the impress of general approbation, or have been written by 
 authors of established character ; and the publishers hope to receive such 
 jncouragemem from the public patronage as will enable them in the 
 course of time to produce a. e ,es of works of uniform appearance, and 
 Including most of the really valuable novels and romances that have been 
 or shall be issued from the modem English and American press. The 
 store from which they are at liberty to choose is already sufficiently great 
 to ensure them against any want of good material ; and it is their inten- 
 tion to make such arrangements as shall warrant the public confidence in 
 the judgment with which the selection will be made. The price, too, will 
 be so moderate as to make the work accessible to almost any income and 
 the style in which it is to be performed will render it a neat and con- 
 venient addition to every library. 
 
 There is scarcely any question connected with the interests of literature 
 which lias been more thoroughly discussed and investigated than that of 
 the utility or evil of novi 1 reading. In its favour much may be and has 
 been said, and it must be admitted that the reasonings of those who be- 
 lieve novels to be injurious, or at least useless, are not without force and 
 plausibility. Yet, if the arguments against novels are closely examined, 
 it will be found that they are more applicable in general to excessive in- 
 dulgence in the pleasures afforded by the perusal of fictitious adventures 
 than to the works themselves ; and that the evils which can be justly 
 ascribed to them arise almost exclusively, not from any peculiar noxious 
 qualities that can be fairly attributed to novels as a species, but from those 
 individual works which in their class must be pronounced to be indif- 
 ferent. 
 
 But even were it otherwise were novels of every kind, the good as 
 well as the bad, the striking and animated not less than the puerile, in- 
 deed liable to the charge of enfeebling or perverting the mind ; and were 
 there no qualities in any which might render them instructive as well as 
 amusing the universal acceptation which they have ever received, and 
 still continue to receive, from all ages and classes of nvai. would prove 
 an irresistible incentive to their production. The remonstrances of moral- 
 ists and the reasonings of philosophy have ever been, and will still be 
 found, unavailing against the desire to partake of an enjoyrrent so attrac- 
 tive. Men will read novels ; and therefore the utmost that wisdom and 
 philanthropy can do is to cater prudently for the public appetite, and, as it 
 is hopeless to attempt the exclusion of fictitious writings from the shelves 
 of the library, to see that they are encumbered with the least possible 
 number of such as have no other merit than that of novelty.
 

 
 -.Hoppner
 
 Harper's Stereotype Edition. 
 
 THE 
 
 LIFE OF 
 
 BY 
 
 ROBERT SOUTHEY, ESQ. LL.D. 
 
 POET LAUREATE, ETC. ETC 
 
 PRINTED BY J. b J. HARPER, 82 CLIFF-ST. 
 
 Fold by Collins fc Ilannay, Collins & Co.. G. & C. .t II. Carvill, White. 
 Galfaher, & Wliiie, O. A. Roorbach, E. Bliss, and C. S. Francis; 
 I'HIL \DEI.PHIA, faipy & Lea, John Gripir. 'J'ovvar & J. & I). M. 
 Hogan, U. Hunt, E. L. Carey & A. Hart, and M'Carty & Davis. 
 
 1831.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 Nelson's Birth and Boyhood He is entered on Board the Raisonnable 
 Goes to the West Indies in a Merchant-ship; tlien serves in the 
 Trrumph He sails in Capt. Phipps's Voyage of Discovery Goes to 
 the East Indies in the Seahon-e, and returns in ill Health Serves aa 
 acting Lieutenant in the Worcester, and is made Lieutenant into the 
 Lowestoffe, Commander into the Badger Brig, and Post mto the 
 Hinchinbrook Expedition against the Spanish Main Sent to the 
 North Seas in the Alhemarle Services during the American 
 War Page 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Nelson goes to France during the Peace Reappointed to the Boreas, 
 and stationed at the Leeward Islands His firm Conduct concerning 
 the American Interlopers and the Contractors Marries and return! 
 to England Is on the Point of quitting the Service in Disgust 
 Manner of Life while unemployed Appointed to the Agamemnon on 
 the breaking out of the War of the French.Revolution , 41 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 The Agamemnon sent to the Mediterranean Commencement of Nel- 
 son's Acquaintance with Sir William Hamilton He is sent to Cor- 
 sica, to co-operate with Paoli State of Affairs in that Island Nelson 
 undertakes the Siege of Bastia, and reduces it Takes a distinguished 
 Part in the Siege of Calvi, whore he loses an Eye Admiral Hotham'fl 
 Action The Agamemnon ordered to Genoa, to co-operate with the 
 Austrian and Sardinian Forces Gross Misconduct of the Austrian 
 General 00
 
 U CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Sir J. Jervis takes the Command Genoa joins the French Buomipnrte 
 begins his Career Evacuation of Corsica Nelson hoists his broad 
 Pennant in the Minerve Action with the Sabina Battle off Cape 
 St. Vincent Nelson commands the inner Squadron at the Blockade 
 of Cadiz Boat Action in the Bay of Cadiz Expedition against 
 Teneriffe Nelson loses an ArmHis Sufferings in England, and 
 Recovery 95 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Nelson rejoins Earl St. Vincent in the Vanguard Sails in Pursuit of 
 the French to Egypt Returns to Sicily, and sails again to Egypt- 
 Battle of the Nile 123 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Nelson returns to Naples State of that Court and Kingdom General 
 Mack The French approach Naples Flight of the Royal Family 
 Successes of the Allies in Italy Transactions in the Bay of Naples 
 Expulsion of the French from the Neapolitan and Roman States 
 Nelson is made Duke of Bronte He leaves the Mediterranean, and 
 returns to England 153 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Nelson eeparates himself from his Wife Northern Confederacy He 
 goes to the Baltic, under Sir Hyde Parker Battle of Copenhagen, 
 and subsequent Negotiation Nelson is made a Viscount 202 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Sir Hyde Parker is recalled, and Nelson appointed Commander He 
 goes to Revel Settlement of Affairs in the Baltic Unsuccessful 
 Attempt upon the Flotilla at Boulogne Peace of Amiens Nelson 
 takes the Command in the Mediterranean on tlie Renewal of the 
 War Esca|>e of the Toulon fleet Nelson chases them to the West 
 Indies, and back Delivers up his Squadron to Admiral Cormvallis, 
 and lands in England 237 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Sir Robert Calder falls in with the combined Fleets They form a 
 Junction with the Ferrol Squadron, and get into Cadiz Nelson is 
 reappointed to the Command Battle of Trafalgar Victory and 
 Death of Nelson 881
 
 L.IFE OF 

 
 MANY lives of NELSON have been written ; one i yet 
 wanting, clear and concise enough to become a manual 
 for the young sailor, which he may carry about with 
 hini till he has treasured up the example in his memory 
 and in his heart. In attempting such a work, I shall 
 write the eulogy of our great naval hero ; for the best 
 eulogy of NELSON is the faithful history of his actions : 
 and the best history must be that which shall relate 
 them most perspicuously.
 
 THE 
 
 L.IFE OF NEL.SOJV. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Nelson's Birth and Boyhnod He is entered on Board the Raisonnnlile 
 Goes to the West Indies" in a Merchant-ship ; then serves in the 
 Triumph He sails in Capt. Phipp's fat/age of J)iscovery Goes 
 to the East Indies in the Seahorse, and n turns in ill Health Serves 
 as acting Lieutenant in the Worcester, and is made Lieutenant into 
 the Lowestoffe, Commander intn the Badger Brig, and Post into the 
 Htnchinbroak Expedition against the Spanish Main Sent to the 
 North Seai in the Jllbemo.rU Sen-iceis during the American War. 
 
 HORATIO, son of Edmund and Catherine Nelson, 
 was born Sept. 29, 1758, in the parsonage house of 
 Burnham Thorpe, a village in the county of Nor- 
 folk, of which his father was rector. The maiden 
 name of his 'mother was Suckling-: her grand- 
 mother was an elder sister of Sir Robert Walpole, 
 and this child was named after his godfather, the 
 first Lord Walpole. Mrs. Nelson died in 1767, leav- 
 ing eight, out of eleven, children. Her brother, 
 Capt. Maurice Suckling of the navy, visited the 
 widower upon this event, and promised to take care 
 of one of the boyo. Three years afterward, when 
 Horatio was only twelve years of age, being at 
 home during the Christmas holydays, he read in the 
 county newspaper that his uncle was appointed to 
 the Raisonnable, of sixty-four guns. " Do, Wil- 
 liam," said he to a brother who was a year and a 
 half older than himself, " write to my father, and 
 tell him that I should like to go to sea with uncle 

 
 16 LIFE OF NELSOX. [1771. 
 
 Maurice." Mr. Nelson was then at Bath, whither 
 he had gone for the recovery of his health : his cir- 
 cumstances were straitened, and he had no prospect 
 of ever seeing- them bettered : he knew that it was 
 the wish of providing for himself by which Horatio 
 was chiefly actuated ; and did not oppose his reso- 
 lution : he understood also the boy's character, and 
 had always said, that in whatever station he might 
 be placed, he would climb, if possible, to the very 
 top of the tree. Accordingly, Capt. Suckling was 
 written to. " What," said he in his answer, " has 
 poor Horatio done, who is so weak, that he, above 
 all the rest, should be sent to rough it out at sea 1 ? 
 But let him come, and the first time we go into ac- 
 tion, a cannon-ball may knock off his head, and pro- 
 vide for him at once." 
 
 It is manifest from these words, that Horatio was 
 not the boy whom his uncle would have chosen to 
 bring up in his own profession. He was never of a 
 strong body ; and the ague, which at that time was 
 one of the most common diseases in England, had 
 greatly reduced his strength ; yet he had already 
 given proofs of that resolute heart and nobleness of 
 mind, which, during his whole career of labour and 
 of glory, so eminently distinguished him. When a 
 mere child, he strayed a bird's-nesting from his 
 grandmother's house in company with a cow-boy : 
 the dinner hour elapsed ; he was absent, and could 
 not be found; and the alarm of the family became 
 very great, for they apprehended that he might have 
 been carried off by gipsies. At length, after search 
 had been made for him in various directions, he was 
 discovered alone, sitting composedly by the side of 
 a brook which he could not get over. " I wonder, 
 child," said the old lady, when she saw him, "that 
 hunger and fear did not drive you home." " Fear! 
 grandmamma." replied the future hero, " I never 
 saw fear: What is it?" Once, after the winter 
 holydays, when he and his brother William had set
 
 1771.] I-IFE OF NELSON. 17 
 
 off on horseback to return to school, they came 
 back, because there had been a fall of snow ; and 
 William, who did not much like the journey, said it 
 was too deep for them to venture on. " If that be 
 the case," said the father, " you certainly shall not 
 go ; but make another attempt, and I will leave it to 
 your honour. If the road is dangerous, you may 
 return : but remember, boys, I leave it to your ho- 
 nour." The snow was deep enough to have afforded 
 them a reasonable excuse : but Horatio was not to 
 be prevailed upon to turn back. " We must go on," 
 said he : " remember, brother, it was left to our ho- 
 nour !" There were some fine pears growing in the 
 schoolmaster's garden, which the boys regarded as 
 lawful booty, and in the highest degree tempting ; 
 but the boldest among them were afraid to venture 
 for the prize. Horatio volunteered upon this ser- 
 vice : he was lowered down at night from the bed- 
 room window by some sheets, plundered the tree, 
 was drawn up with the pears, and then distributed 
 them among his schoolfellows without reserving 
 any for himself. " He only took them," he said, 
 "because every other boy was afraid." 
 
 Early on a cold and dark spring morning Mr. Nel- 
 son's servant arrived at this school, at North Wals- 
 ham, with the expected summons for Horatio to 
 join his ship. The parting from his brother Wil- 
 liam, who had been for so many years his playmate 
 and bedfellow, was a painful effort, and was the be- 
 ginning of those privations which are the sailor's 
 lot through life. He accompanied his father to 
 London. The Raisonnable was lying in the Med- 
 way. He was put into the Chatham stage, and on 
 its arrival was set down with the rest of the passen- 
 gers, and left to find his way on board as he could. 
 After wandering about in the cold, without being 
 able to reach the ship, an officer observing the forlorn 
 appearance of the boy, questioned him ; and hap- 
 pening to be acquainted with his uncle, took him 
 B2
 
 18 LIFE OP NELSON. [1771. 
 
 home, and gave him some refreshments. When he 
 got on board, Capt. Suckling was not in the ship, 
 nor had any person been apprized of the boy's 
 coming. He paced the deck the whole remainder 
 of the day, without being noticed by any one ; and 
 it was not till the second day that somebody, as 
 he expressed it, "took compassion on him." The 
 pain which is felt when we are first transplanted from 
 our native soil, when the living branch is cut from 
 the parent tree, is one of the most poignant which 
 we have to endure through life. There are after- 
 griefs which wound more deeply, which leave be- 
 hind them scars never to be effaced, which bruise 
 the spirit, and sometimes break the heart : but never 
 do we feel so keenly the want of love, the necessity 
 of being loved, and the sense of utter desertion, as 
 when we first leave the haven of home, and are, as 
 it were, pushed off upon the stream of life. Added 
 to these feelings, the seaboy has to endure phy- 
 sical hardships, and the privation of every comfort, 
 even of sleep. Nelson had a feeble body and an 
 affectionate heart, and he remembered through life 
 his first days of wretchedness in the service. 
 
 The Raisonnable, having been commissioned on 
 account of the disputes respecting the Falkland 
 Islands, was paid off as soon as the difference with 
 the court of Spain was accommodated, and Capt. 
 Suckling was removed to the Triumph, seventy-four, 
 then stationed as a guardship in the Thames. This 
 was considered as too inactive a life for a boy, and 
 Nelson was therefore sent a voyage to the West 
 Indies in a merchant-ship, commanded by Mr. John 
 Rathbone, an excellent seaman, who had served 
 as master's mate under Capt. Suckling, in the 
 Dreadnought. He returned a practical seaman, but 
 with a hatred of the .king's service, and a saying 
 then common among the sailors " aft the most 
 honour: forward the better man." Rathbone had 
 probably been disappointed and disgusted m the
 
 1772.] LIFE OF NELSON. 19 
 
 navy; and, with no unfriendly intentions, warned 
 Nelson against a profession which he himself had 
 found hopeless. His uncle received him on board 
 the Triumph on his return, and discovering' his dis- 
 like to the navy, took the best means of reconciling 
 him to it. He held it out as a reward, that if he 
 attended well to his navigation, he should go in the 
 cutter and decked long-boat, which was attached to 
 the commanding officer's ship at Chatham. Thus 
 he became a good pilot for vessels of that descrip- 
 tion, from Chatham to the Tower, and down the 
 Svvin Channel to the North Foreland, and acquired 
 a confidence among rocks and sands, of which he 
 often felt the value. 
 
 Nelson had not been many months o*n hoard the 
 Triumph, when his love of enterprise was excited 
 by hearing that two ships were fitting out for a 
 voyage of discovery towards the North Pole. In 
 consequence of the difficulties which were expected 
 on such a service, these vessels were to take out 
 effective men instead of the usual number of boys. 
 This, however, did not deter him from soliciting to 
 be received, and, by his uncle's interest, he was ad- 
 mitted as coxswain under Capt. Lutwidge, second 
 in command. The voyage was undertaken in com- 
 pliance with an application from the Royal Society. 
 The Hon. Capt. Constantine John Phipps, eldest 
 son of Lord Mulgrave, volunteered his services. 
 The Racehorse and Carcass bombs were selected, 
 as the strongest ships, and, therefore, best adapted 
 for such a voyage ; and they were taken into dock 
 and strengthened, to render them as secure as pos- 
 sible against the ice. Two masters of Greenland- 
 ( men were emp^ed as pilots for each ship. No 
 expedition was ever more carefully fitted out ; -and 
 the first Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Sandwich, 
 with a laudable solicitude, went on board himself, 
 before their departure, to see that every thing had 
 been completed to the wish of the officers. The
 
 LIFE OF KELSON. [1773. 
 
 ships were provided with a simple and excellent 
 apparatus for distilling fresh from salt water, the 
 invention of Dr. Irving-, who accompanied the ex- 
 pedition. It consisted merely in fitting a tube to 
 the ship's kettle, and applying a wet mop to the 
 surface as the vapour was passing. By these means 
 from thirty-four to forty gallons were produced 
 every day. 
 
 They sailed from the Nore on the 4th of June : 
 on the Gth of the following month they were in lat. 
 79 56' 39" ; long. 9 43' 30" E. The next day, 
 about the place where most of the old discoverers 
 had been stopped, the Racehorse was beset with 
 ice; but they hove her through with ice anchors. 
 Capt, Phipps continued ranging along the ice, north- 
 ward and westward, till the 24th ; he then tried to 
 the eastward. On the 30th he was in lat. 80 13', 
 long. 18 48 E., among the islands and in the ice, 
 Avith no appearance of an opening for the ships. 
 The weather was excedjngly fine, mild, and unusu- 
 ally clear. Here they were becalmed in a large 
 bay, with three apparent openings between the 
 islands which formed it; but every where, as far as 
 they could see, surrounded with ice. There was 
 not a breath of air, the water was perfectly smooth, 
 the ice covered with snow, low arid even, except a 
 few broken pieces, near the edge ; and the pools of 
 water in the middle of the ice-fields just crusted 
 over with young ice. On the next day the ice 
 closed upon them, and no opening was to be seen 
 any where, except a hole or lake, as it might be 
 called, about a mile and half in circumference, 
 where the ships lay fast to the ice with their ice an- 
 chors. They filled their casks with water from 
 these ice-fields, which was very pure and soft. The 
 men were playing on the ice all day ; but the Green- 
 land pilots, who were farther than they had ever 
 been before, and considered that the season was 
 far advancing, \vere alarmed at being thus beset.
 
 1773.] LIFE OP NELSON. 21 
 
 The next day there was not the smallest opening- ; 
 the ships were within less than two lengths of each 
 other, separated by ice, and neither having room to 
 turn. 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 
 pilots' advice the men were set to cut a passage and 
 warp 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 ship 
 above three hundred yards ; while they were driven, 
 together with the ice, far to the N. E. and E. 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 aggregation. Another 
 day passed, and there seemed no probability of get- 
 ting the ships out, without a strong E. or N. E. wind. 
 The season was far advanced, and every hour les- 
 sened 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 pas- 
 sage 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. As no other 
 animal has so human-like an expression in its coun- 
 tenance, so also is there none that seems to possess 
 more of the passions of humanity. The wounded 
 Hiiimal dived immediately, and brought up a num- 
 ber 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 dim*- 

 
 22 LIFE OF NELSON. [1773 
 
 culty that the crew could prevent them from staving 
 or upsetting her, till the Carcass's boat came up; 
 and the walruses, finding their enemies thus rein- 
 forced, dispersed. 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 
 off over the ice in pursuit of a bear. It was not 
 long before they were missed. The fog thickened, 
 and Capt. Lutwidge and his officers became exceed- 
 ingly alarmed for their safety. Between three and 
 four in the morning the weather cleared, and the 
 two adventurers were seen, at a considerable dis- 
 tance from the ship, attacking a huge bear. The 
 signal for them to return was immediately made : 
 Nelson's comrade called upon him to obey it, but in 
 vain ; his musket had flashed in the pan; their am- 
 munition was expended ; and a chasm in the ice, 
 which divided him from the bear, probably preserved 
 his life. " Never mind," he cried ; " do but let me 
 get a blow at this devil with the butt-end of my 
 musket, and we shall have him." Capt. Lutwidge, 
 however, seeing his danger, fired a gun, which had 
 the desired effect of frightening the beast ; and the 
 boy then returned, somewhat afraid of the conse- 
 quences of his trespass. The captain reprimanded 
 him sternly for conduct so unworthy of the office 
 which he filled, and desired to know what motive he 
 could have for hunting a bear. " Sir," said he, 
 pouting his lip, as he was wont to do when agitated, 
 " I wished to kill the bear, that I might carry the 
 ekin to my father." 
 
 A party were now sent to an island, about twelve 
 miles off (named Walden's Island in the charts, 
 from the midshipman who was intrusted with this 
 service), to see where the open water lay. They 
 came back with information, that the ice, though 
 closed all about them, was open to the westward, 
 round the point by which they came in. They said
 
 1773.] 1IFE OF NELSON. 23 
 
 also, that upon the island they had had a fresh east 
 wind. *This intelligence considerably abated the 
 hopes of the crew ; for where they lay it had been 
 almost calm, and their main dependence had been 
 upon the effect of an easterly wind in clearing the 
 bay. There was but one alternative ; either to wait 
 the event of the weather upon the ships, or to be- 
 take themselves to the boats. The. likelihood that 
 it might be necessary to sacrifice the ships had 
 been foreseen ; the boats, accordingly, were adapted, 
 both in number and size, to transport, in case of 
 emergency, the whole crew ; and there were Dutch 
 whalers upon the coast, in which they could all be 
 conveyed to Europe. As for wintering where they 
 were, that dreadful experiment had been already 
 tried too often. No time was to be lost ; the'ships 
 had drive^ into shoal water, having but fourteen 
 fathoms. 'Should they, or the ice to which they 
 were fast, take the ground, they must inevitably be 
 lost : and at this time they were driving fast to- 
 wards some rocks on the N. E. Captain Phipps 
 sent for the officers of both ships, and told them his 
 intention of preparing the boats for going away. 
 They were immediately hoisted out, and the fitting 
 begun. Canvass bread-bags were made, in case it 
 should be necessary suddenly to desert the vessels ; 
 and men were sent with the lead-and-line to the 
 northward and eastward, to sound wherever they 
 found cracks in the ice, that they might have notice 
 before the ice took the ground ; for, in that case, the 
 ships must instantly have been crushed or overset. 
 On the 7th of August they began to haul the boats 
 over the ice, Nelson having command of the four- 
 oared cutter. The men behaved excellently well, 
 like true British seamen: they seemed reconciled 
 to 1'ie thought of leaving the ships, and had full con- 
 fidence in their officers. About noon, the ice ap- 
 pea.ed rather more open near the vessels; and as 
 the wind was easterly, though there was but little
 
 24 LIFE OF NELSON. 
 
 of it, the sails were set, and they got about a mile 
 to the westward. They moved very slowly, and 
 were not now nearly so far to the westward as when 
 they were first beset. However, all sail was kept 
 upon them, to force them through whenever the ice 
 slacked the least. Whatever exertions were made, 
 it could not be possible to get the boats to the water 
 ed^e before the 14th ; and if the situation of the 
 ships should not alter by that time, it would not be 
 justifiable to stay longer by them. The commander 
 therefore resolved to carry on both attempts to- 
 gether, moving the boats constantly, and taking 
 every opportunity of getting the ships through. A 
 party was sent out next day to the westward, to 
 examine the state of the ice : they- returned witi 
 tidings that it was very heavy and cldMconsistmg 
 chiefly of large fields. The ships, hoiS Br, moved 
 something, and the ice itself was driftrf^pstward. 
 There was a thick fog, so that it was iSRssible to 
 ascertain what advantage had been gaugd. It con- 
 tinued on the 9th ; but the ships were moved 
 through some very small openings : the mist cleared 
 off in the afternoon ; and it was then pefceived that 
 thev had driven much more than cpuld have been 
 expected to the westward, and that the ice itself 
 had driven still farther. In the course of the day 
 they got past the boats, and took them on board 
 aeainf On the morrow the wind sprang up to the 
 N N E All sail was set, and the ships forced 
 their way through a great deal of very heavy ice. 
 They frequently struck, and with such force, that 
 one strok q e broke the shank of. the Racehorse s best 
 Sower anchor: but the vessels made way ; .and .by 
 noon they had cleared the ice, and were out at sea. 
 The next day tfcey anchored in Smeerenberg harbour, 
 close to that island of which the westeinmost point 
 s called Hakluyt's Headland, in honour of the great 
 promoter and compiler of our English voyages of 
 discovery.
 
 1776.] LIFE OP NELSON. 25 
 
 Here they remained a few days, that the men 
 might rest after their fatigue. No insect was to be 
 seen in this dreary country, nor any species of rep- 
 tile not even the common earth-worm. Large 
 bodies of ice, called icebergs, filled up the valleys 
 between high mountains, so dark, as, when contrasted 
 with the snow, to appear black. The colour of the 
 ice was of a lively light green. Opposite to the place 
 where they fixed their observatory was one of these 
 icebergs, above three hundred feet high: its sides 
 towards the sea was nearly perpendicular, and a 
 stream of water issued from it. Large pieces fre- 
 quently broke off, and rolled down into the sea. 
 There was no thunder nor lightning during the 
 whole time they were in these latitudes. The sky 
 was generally loaded with hard white clouds, from 
 which it was never entirely free even in the clearest 
 weather. They always knew when they were ap- 
 proaching the ice, long before they saw it, by a 
 bright appearance near the horizon, which the 
 Greenlandmen called the blink of the ice. The 
 season was now so far advanced, that nothing more 
 could have been attempted, if indeed any thing had 
 been left untried : but the summer had been un- 
 usually favourable, and they had carefully surveyed 
 the wall of ice extending for more than twenty de- 
 grees between the latitudes of 80 and 81, without 
 the smallest appearance of any opening. 
 
 The ships were paid off shortly after their return 
 to England; and Nelson was then placed by his 
 uncle with Captain Farmer, in the Seahorse, of 
 twenty guns, then going out to the East Indies in 
 the squadron under Sir Edward Hughes. He was 
 stationed in the foretop at watch ajtid watch. His 
 good conduct attracted the attention of the master 
 (afterward Captain Surridge) in whose watch he 
 was ; and, upon his recommendation, the captain 
 rated him as midshipman. At this time his coun- 
 twiance was florid, and his appearance rather stout 
 C
 
 26 LIFE OF NELSON. 
 
 and athletic ; but when he had been about eighteen 
 months in India, he felt the effects of that clu 
 so perilous to European constitutions. The d 
 baffled all power of medicine ; he was reduce 
 most to a skeleton ; the use of his limbs was 
 some time entirely lost ; and the only hope that re- 
 mained was from a voyage home. Accordingly, h< 
 was brought home by Captain Pigot,m the Dolphin: 
 and had it not been for the attentive and careful 
 kindness of that officer on the way, Nelson would 
 never have lived to reach his native snores, 
 had formed an acquaintance with Sir Charles 
 Sir Thomas Troubridge, and other distmguis 
 officers, then, like himself, beginning their cai 
 he 'had left them pursuing that career in full enjoy- 
 ment of health and hope, and was returning from ; 
 country, in which all things were to him new and 
 interesting, with a body broken down by sickness, 
 and spirits which had sunk with his strength. Lon 
 afterward, when the name of Nelson was known as 
 widely as that of England itself, he spoke of the 
 feelings which he at this time endured 
 pressed," said he, " with a feeling that I should 
 never rise in my profession. My mind was stag- 
 eered with a view of the difficulties I had to sur- 
 mount, and the little interest I possessed. I coul( 
 discover no means of reaching the object 
 ambition. After a long and gloomy reverie, u 
 which I almost wished myself overboard, a si 
 glow of patriotism was kindled within me, and pre- 
 sented my king and country as my patron. ' Well, 
 then,' I exclaimed, 'I will be a hero! and, con- 
 fiding in Providence, I will brave every danger 
 
 Long afterward, Nelson loved to speak of the 
 feeling of 'that moment: and from that time, h 
 often said, a radiant orb was suspended 
 mind's eye, which urged him onward to renown. 
 The state of mind in which these feelings began, is 
 what the mystics mean by their season of dark
 
 1777.] LIFE OF NELSON. 27 
 
 and desertion. If the animal spirits fail, they repre- 
 sent it as an actual temptation. The enthusiasm of 
 Nelson's nature had taken a different direction, bul 
 its essence was the same. He knew to what the 
 previous state of dejection was to be attributed ; 
 that an enfeebled body, and a mind depressed, had 
 cast this shade over his soul : but he always seemed 
 willing to believe, that the sunshine which suc- 
 ceeded, bore with it a prophetic glory, and that the 
 light which led him on, was " light from heaven." 
 His interest, however, was far better than, he 
 imagined. During his absence, Captain Suckling 
 had been made comptroller of the navy ; his health 
 had materially improved upon the voyage; and, as 
 soon as the Dolphin was paid off, he was appointed 
 acting-lieutenant in the Worcester, sixty-four, Cap- 
 tain Mark Robinson, then going out with convoy to 
 Gibraltar. Soon after his return, on the 8th of 
 April, 1777, he passed his examination for a lieu- 
 tenancy. Captain Suckling sat at the head of the 
 board; and when the examination had ended, in a 
 manner highly honourable to Nelson, rose from his 
 seat, and introduced him to the examining captains 
 as his nephew. They expressed their wonder that 
 he had not informed them of this relationship 
 before ; he replied, that he did not wish the younker 
 to be favoured ; he knew his nephew would pass a 
 good examination, arid he had not been deceived. 
 The next day Nelson received his commission as' 
 scrum] lieutenant of the Lowestoffe frigate, Captain 
 William Locker, then fitting out for Jamaica. 
 
 American and French privateers under American - 
 colours were at that time harassing our trade in 
 the West Indies : even a frigate was not sufficiently 
 .active for Nelson, and he repeatedly 'got appointed 
 to the command of one of the Lowestoffe's tenders. 
 During one of their cruises the Lowestoffe cap- 
 tured an American letter-of-marque : it was blowing 
 fi "ale, and a heavy sea running. The first lieule-
 
 28 LIFE OF NELSON. [1778. 
 
 nant being ordered to board the prize, went below to 
 put on his hanger. It happened to be mislaid ; and, 
 while he was seeking it, Captain Locker came on 
 deck. Perceiving the boat still alongside, and in 
 danger every moment of being swamped, and being 
 extremely anxious that the privateer should be in- 
 stantly taken in charge, because he feared that it 
 would otherwise founder, he exclaimed, " Have I 
 no officer in the ship who can board the prize 1" 
 Nelson did not offer himself immediately, waiting, 
 with his usual sense of propriety, for the first lieu- 
 tenant's return ; but hearing the master volunteer, 
 he jumped into the boat, saying, " It is my turn 
 now ; and if I come back, it is yours." The Ameri- 
 can, who had carried a heavy press of sail, in hope 
 of escaping, was so completely water-logged, that 
 the Lowestoffe's boat went in on deck, and out 
 again with the sea. 
 
 About this time he lost his uncle. Captain 
 Locker, however, who had perceived the excellent 
 qualities of Nelson, and formed a friendship for 
 him, which continued during his life, recommended 
 him warmly to Sir Peter Parker, then commander- 
 in- chief upon that station. In consequence of this 
 recommendation he was removed into the Bristol 
 flag-ship, and Lieutenant Cuthbert Collingvvood, 
 who had long been in habits of great friendship 
 with him, succeeded him in the LowestofFe. Sir 
 Peter Parker was the friend of both ; and thus it 
 happened, that whenever Nelson got a step in rank, 
 Collingvvood succeeded him. The former soon be- 
 came first lieutenant ; and, on the 8th of December, 
 1778, was appointed commander of the Badger 
 brig; Collingwood taking his place in the Bristol. 
 While the Badger was lying in Montego Bay, Ja- 
 maica, the Glasgow of twenty guns came in and 
 anchored there, and in two hours was in flames, the 
 steward having set fire to her while stealing rum out 
 of the after-hold. Her crew were leaping into the
 
 1779.] LIFE OF NELSON. 29 
 
 water, when Nelson came up in his boats, made 
 them throw their powder overboard, and point their 
 guns upward: and, by his presence of mind and 
 personal exertions, prevented the loss of life which 
 would otherwise have ensued. On the llth of 
 June, 1779, he was made post into the Hinchin- 
 brook, of twenty-eight guns, an enemy's merchant- 
 man, sheathed with wood, which had been taken 
 into the service. Collingwood was then made com- 
 mander into the Badger. A short time after he left 
 the Lowestoffe, that ship, with a small squadron, 
 stormed the fort of St. Fernando de Omoa, on the 
 south side of the Bay of Honduras, and captured 
 some register ships which were lying under its 
 guns. Two hundred and fifty quintals of quick- 
 silver and three millions of piastres were the re- 
 ward of this enterprise : and it is characteristic of 
 Nelson, that the chance by which he missed a share 
 in such a prize is never mentioned in any of his let- 
 ters ; nor is it likely that it ever excited even a mo- 
 mentary feeling of vexation. 
 
 Nelson was fortunate in possessing good interest 
 at the time when it could be most serviceable to 
 him ; his promotion had been almost as rapid as it 
 could be ; and before he had attained the age of 
 twenty-one he had gained that rank which brought 
 all the honours of the service within his reach. No 
 opportunity, indeed, had yet been given him of dis- 
 tinguishing himself; but he was thoroughly master 
 of his profession, and his zeal and ability were 
 acknowledged wherever he was known. Count 
 d'Estaing, with a fleet of one hundred and twenty- 
 five sail, men of war and transports, and a reputed 
 force of five-and-twenty thousand men, threatened 
 Jamaica from St. Domingo. Nelson offered his ser- 
 vices to the Admiral and to Governor-general Dai- 
 ling, and was appointed to command the batteries 
 of Fort Charles, at Port Royal. Not more than 
 seven thousand men could be mustered for the de- 
 C2
 
 30 LIFE OF NELSON. [1780. 
 
 fence of the island, a number wholly inadequate 
 to resist the force which threatened them. Of this 
 Nelson was so well aware, that when he wrote to 
 his friends in England, he told them they must not 
 be surprised to hear of his learning to speak French. 
 D'Estaing, however, was either not aware of his 
 own superiority, or not equal to the command with 
 which he was intrusted; he attempted nothing with 
 this formidable armament ; and General Calling 
 was thus left to execute a project which he had 
 formed against the Spanish colonies. 
 
 This project was, to take Fort San Juan, on the 
 river of that name, which flows from Lake Nicara- 
 gua into the Atlantic ; make himself master of the 
 lake itself, and of the cities of Granada and Leon ; 
 and thus cut off the communication of the Spa- 
 niards between their northern and southern posses- 
 sions in America. Here it is that a canal between 
 the two seas may most easily be formed ; a work 
 more important in its consequences than any which 
 has ever yet been effected by human power. Lord 
 George Germaine, at that time secretary of state for 
 the American department, approved the plan : and 
 as discontents at that time were known to prevail 
 in the Nuevo Reyno, in Popayan, and in Peru, the 
 more sanguine part of the English began to dream 
 of acquiring an empire in one part of America more, 
 extensive than that which they were on the point of 
 losing in another. General Dalling's plans were 
 well formed; but the history and the nature of the 
 country had not been studied as accurately as its 
 geography : the difficulties which occurred in fitting 
 out the expedition delayed it till the season was too 
 far advanced ; and the men were thus sent to adven- 
 ture themselves, not so much against an enemy, 
 whom they would have beaten, as against a climate, 
 which would do the enemy's work. 
 
 Early in the year 1780, five hundred men, des- 
 tined for this service, were convoyed by Nelson
 
 1780.] LIFE OF NELSON. 31 
 
 from Port Royal to Cape Graoias a Dios, in Hon- 
 duras. Not a native was to be seen when they 
 landed: they had been taught that the English 
 came with no other intent than that of enslaving 
 them, and sending them to Jamaica. After a while, 
 however, one of them ventured down, confiding in 
 his knowledge of one of the party; and by his 
 means the neighbouring tribes were conciliated 
 with presents, and brought in. The troops were en- 
 camped on a swampy and unwholesome plain, where 
 they were joined by a party of the seventy-ninth 
 regiment, from Black River, who were already in a 
 deplorable state of sickness. Having remained 
 here a month, they proceeded, anchoring frequently, 
 along the Mosquito shore, TO collect their Indian 
 allies, who were to furnish proper boats for the 
 river, and to accompany them. They reached the 
 river San Juan, March 24th : and here, according to 
 his orders, Nelson's services were to terminate ; 
 but not a man in the expedition had over been up 
 the river, or knew the distance of any fortification 
 from its mouth : and he, not being one who would 
 turn back when so much was to be done, resolved 
 to carry the soldiers up. About two hundred, there- 
 fore, were embarked in the Mosquito shore craft, 
 and in two of the Hinchinbrook's boats, and they 
 began their voyage. It was the latter end of the 
 dry season, the worst time for such an expedition; 
 the river was consequently low : Indians were sent 
 forward through narrow channels between shoals 
 and sand banks, and the men were frequently 
 obliged to quit the boats, and exert their utmost 
 strength to drag or thrust them along. This labour 
 continued for several days : when they came into 
 deeper water, they had then currents and rapids to 
 contend with, which would have been insurmount- 
 able, but for the skill of the Indians in such diffi- 
 culties. The brunt of the labour was borne by 
 them and by the sailors men never accustomed to
 
 32 LIFE OP NELSON. [1781. 
 
 stand aloof when any exertion of strength or hardi- 
 hood is required. The soldiers, less accustomed to 
 rely upon themselves, were of little use. But all 
 equally endured the violent heat of the sun, ren- 
 dered more intense by being reflected from the white 
 shoals, while the high woods, on both sides of the 
 river, were frequently so close, as to prevent any 
 refreshing circulation of air ; and during the night 
 all were equally exposed to the heavy and unwhole- 
 some dews. 
 
 On the 9th of April they reached an island in the 
 river, called St. Bartolomeo, which the Spaniards 
 had fortified, as an outpost, with a small semicir- 
 cular battery, mounting nine or ten swivels, and 
 manned with sixteen or eighteen men. It com- 
 manded the river in a rapid and difficult part of the 
 navigation. Nelson, at the head of a few of his 
 seamen, leaped upon the beach. The ground upon 
 which he sprung was so muddy, that he had some 
 difficulty in extricating himself, and lost his shoes : 
 barefooted, however, he advanced, and, in his own 
 phrase, boarded the battery. In this resolute at- 
 tempt he was bravely supported by Despard, at that 
 time a captain in the army, afterward unhappily 
 known for his schemes of revolutionary treason. 
 The castle of St. Juan is situated about sixteen 
 miles higher up : the stores and ammunition, how- 
 ever, were landed a few miles below the castle, and 
 the men had to march through woods almost im- 
 passable. One of the men was bitten under the eye 
 by a snake, which darted upon him from the bough 
 of a tree. He was unable to proceed from the vio* 
 lence of the pain : and when, after a short while, 
 some of his comrades were sent back to assist him, 
 he was dead, and the body already putrid. Nelson 
 himself narrowly escaped a similar fate. He had 
 ordered his hammock to be slung under some trees, 
 being excessively fatigued, and was sleeping when 
 # monitory lizard passed across his face. The In?.
 
 1781.] LIFE OF NELSON. 33 
 
 dians happily observed the reptile, and, knowing 1 
 what it indicated, awoke him. He started up, and 
 found one of the deadliest serpents of the country 
 coiled up at his feet. He suffered from poison of 
 another kind ; for, drinking 1 at a spring in which 
 some boughs of the manchineel had been thrown, 
 the effects were so severe, as, in the opinion of some 
 of his friends, to inflict a lasting injury upon his 
 constitution. 
 
 The castle of St. Juan is thirty-two miles below 
 the Lake of Nicaragua, from which it issues, and 
 sixty-nine from the mouth of the river. Boats 
 reach the sea from thence in a day and a half; but 
 their navigation back, even when unladen, is the 
 labour of nine days. The English appeared before 
 it on the llth, two days after they had taken St. 
 Bartolomeo. Nelson's advice was, that it should 
 instantly be carried by assault : but Nelson was not 
 the commander ; and it was thought pjracr to ob- 
 serve all the formalities of a siege.^JPen days 
 were wasted before this could be commenced : it 
 was a work more of fatigue than of danger; but 
 fatigue was more to be dreaded than the enemy ; 
 the rains set in : and, could the garrison have held 
 out a little longer, disease would have rid them of 
 their invaders. Even the Indians sunk under it, 
 the victims of unusual exertion, and of their own 
 excesses. The place surrendered on the 24th. 
 But victory procured to the conquerors none of that 
 relief which had been expected ; the castle was 
 worse than a prison ; and it contained nothing 
 which could contribute to the recovery of the sick, 
 or the preservation of those who were yet unaf- 
 fected. The huts, which served for hospitals, were 
 surrounded with filth, and with the putrefying hides 
 of slaughtered cattle almost sufficient of them- 
 selves to have engendered pestilence : and when, at 
 last, orders were given to erect a convenient hospi- 
 tal, the contagion had become so general, that there
 
 34 LIFE OF NELSQX. [1781. 
 
 were none who could work at it ; for, besides the 
 few who were able to perform garrison duty, there 
 were not orderly men enough to assist the sick. 
 Added to these evils, there was the want of all 
 needful remedies ; for, though the expedition had 
 been amply provided with hospital stores, river 
 craft enough had not beeu procured for transporting 
 the requisite baggage ; and when much was to be 
 left behind, provision for sickness was that which 
 of all things men in health would be most ready to 
 leave. Now, when these medicines were required, 
 the river was swollen, and so turbulent, that its up- 
 ward navigation was almost impracticable. At 
 length, even the task of burying the dead was more 
 than the living could perform, and the bodies were 
 tossed into the stream, or left for beasts of prey, and 
 for the gallinazos those dreadful carrion birds, 
 which do not always wait for death before they 
 begin thay^ work. Five months the English per- 
 sisted iriWhat may be called this war against na- 
 ture; they then left a few men, who seemed proof 
 against the climate, to retain the castle till the Spa- 
 niards should choose to retake it, and make them 
 prisoners. The rest abandoned their baleful con- 
 quest. Eighteen hundred men were sent to differ- 
 ent posts upon this wretched expedition: not more 
 than three hundred and eighty ever returned. The 
 tlinchinbrook's complement consisted of two hun- 
 dred men ; eighty-seven took to their beds in one 
 night; and of the whole crew not more than ten 
 survived. 
 
 The transports' men all died, and some of the 
 ships, having none left to take care of them, sunk in 
 the harbour: but transport ships wdre not wanted, 
 for the troops which they had brought were no 
 more: they had fallen, not by the hand of an enemy, 
 but by the deadly influence of the climate. 
 
 Nelson himself was saved by a timely removal. 
 Jn a few days after the commencement of the
 
 1782.] LIFE OF NELSON. 35 
 
 he was seized with the prevailing dysentery ; mean- 
 time, Capt. Glover (son of the author of Leonidas) 
 died, and Nelson was appointed to succeed him in 
 the Janus, of forty-four guns ; Collingwood being 
 then made post into the Hinchinbrook. He returned 
 to the harbour the day before St. Juan surrendered, 
 and immediately sailed for Jamaica in the sloop 
 which brought the news of his appointment. He 
 was, however, so greatly reduced by the disorder, 
 that when they reached Port Royal he was carried 
 ashore in his cot ; and finding himself, after a partial 
 amendment, unable to retain the command of his 
 new ship, he was compelled to ask leave to return 
 to England, as the only means of recovery. Capt. 
 (afterward Admiral) Cornwallis took him home in 
 the Lion ; and to his care and kindness Nelson 
 believed himself indebted for his life. He went 
 immediately to Bath, in a miserable state ; so help- 
 less, that he was carried to and from his b^d ; and 
 the act of moving him produced the rtiDst violent 
 pain. In three months he recovered, and imme- 
 diately hastened to London, and applied for em- 
 ployment. After an interval of about four months 
 he was appointed to the Albemarle, of twenty- 
 eight guns, a French merchant-man, which had 
 been purchased from the captors for the king's 
 service. 
 
 His health was not yet thoroughly re-established ; 
 and while he was employed in getting his ship 
 ready, he again became so ill as hardly to be able 
 to keep out of bed. Yet in this state, still suffering 
 from the fatal effect of a West Indian climate, as 
 if, it might almost be supposed, he said, to try his 
 constitution* he was sent to the North Seas, and 
 kept there the whole winter. The asperity with 
 which he mentioned this so many years afterward, 
 evinces how deeply he resented a mode of conduct 
 equally cruel to the individual and detrimental to 
 the service. It was during the armed neutrality ;
 
 36 LU-'i: OF MLSOX. [1782. 
 
 and when they anchored off Elsinore, the Danish 
 Admiral sent on board, desiring to be informed 
 what ships had arrived, and to have their force 
 written down. " The Albemarle," said Nelson to 
 the messenger, " is one of his Britannic Majesty's 
 ships : you are at liberty, sir, to count the guns as 
 you go down the side : and you may assure the 
 Danish Admiral, that, if necessary, they shall all 
 be well served." During this voyage he gained a 
 considerable knowledge of the Danish coast, and 
 its soundings ; greatly to the advantage of his 
 country in after-times. The Albemarle was not a 
 good ship, and was several times nearly overset, in 
 consequence of the masts having been made much 
 too long for her. On her return to England they 
 were shortened, and some other improvements made 
 at Nelson's suggestion. Still he always insisted 
 that her first owners, the French, had taught her 
 to run away, as she was ,never a good sailer, except 
 when going directly before the wind. 
 
 On their return to the Downs, while he was 
 ashore visiting the senior officer, there came on so 
 heavy a gale, that almost all the vessels drove, and 
 a storeship came athwart-hawse of the Albemarle. 
 Nelson feared she would drive on the Goodwin 
 Sands: he ran to the beach; but even the Deal 
 boatmen thought it impossible to get on board, 
 such was the violence of the storm. At length, 
 some of the most intrepid offered to make the 
 attempt for fifteen guineas ; and to the astonishment 
 and fear of all the beholders, he embarked during 
 the height of the tempest. With great difficulty 
 and imminent danger he succeeded in reaching her. 
 She lost her bowsprit and foremast, but escaped 
 farther injury. He was now ordered to Quebec ; 
 where, his surgeon told him, he would certainly be 
 laid up by the climate. Many of his friends urged 
 him to represent this to Admiral Keppel: but, 
 having received his orders from Lord Sandwich,
 
 1782.] LIFE OF NELSON. 37 
 
 there appeared to him an indelicacy in applying to 
 his successor to have them altered. 
 
 Accordingly, he sailed for Canada. During her 
 first cruise on that station, the Albemarle captured 
 a fishing schooner, which contained, in her cargo, 
 nearly all the property that her master possessed, 
 and the poor fellow had a large family at home, 
 anxiously expecting him. Nelson employed him 
 as a pilot in Boston Bay, then restored him the 
 schooner and cargo, and gave him a certificate to 
 secure him against being captured by any other 
 vessel. The man came off afterward to the Albe- 
 marle, at the hazard of his life, with a present of 
 sheep, poultry, and fresh provisions. A most va- 
 luable supply it proved ; for the scurvy was raging 
 on board : this was in the middle of August, and the 
 ship's company had not had a fresh meal since the 
 beginning of April. The certificate was preserved 
 at Boston in memory of an act of unusual gene- 
 rosity; and now that the fame of Nelson has given 
 interest to every thing connected with his name, it 
 is regarded as a relic. The Albemarle had a nar- 
 row escape upon this cruise. Four French sail of 
 the line and a frigate, vhich had conie out of Bos- 
 ton harbour, gave chase to her; and Nelson, per- 
 ceiving that they beat him in sailing, boldly ran 
 among the numerous shoals of St. George's Bank, 
 confiding in his own skill in pilotage. Capt. Salter, 
 in the St. Margaretta, had escaped the French fleet, 
 by a similar manoeuvre, not long before. . The fri- 
 gate alone continued warily to pursue him ; but as 
 soon as he perceived that his enemy was unsup- 
 ported, he shortened sail, and hove to : upon which 
 the Frenchman thought it advisable to give over the 
 pursuit, and sail in quest of his consorts. 
 
 At Quebec Nelson became acquainted with Alex- 
 ander Davison ; by whose interference he was prc- 
 vented from making what would have been called 
 an imprudent marriage. The Albemarle was about 
 D
 
 38 LIFE OF KELSOX. [1782. 
 
 to leave the station, her captain had taken leave of 
 his friends, and was gone down the river to the 
 place of anchorage; when, the next morning, as 
 Davison was walking on the beach, to his surprise 
 he saw Nelson coming back in his boat. Upon 
 inquiring the cause of his reappearance, Nelson 
 took his arm, to walk towards the town, and told 
 him he found it utterly impossible to leave Quebec 
 without again seeing the woman whose society had 
 contributed so much to this happiness there, and 
 offering her his hand. " If you do," said his friend, 
 " your utter ruin must inevitably follow." " Then 
 let it follow," cried Nelson, " for I am resolved to 
 do it." " And I," replied Davison, " am resolved* 
 you shall not." Nelson, however, upon this occa- 
 sion, was less resolute than his friend, and suffered 
 himself to be led back to the boat. 
 
 The Albemarle was under orders to convoy a fleet 
 of transports to New- York. " A very pretty job," 
 said her captain, " at this late season of the year" 
 (October was far advanced), " for our sails are at 
 this moment frozen to the yards." On his arrival at 
 Sandy Hook, he waited on the commander-in-chief, 
 Admiral Digby, who told him he was come on a fine 
 station for making prize-money. "Yes, sir," Nel- 
 son made answer ; " but the West Indies is the sta- 
 tion for honour." Lord Hood, with a detachment of 
 Rodney's victorious fleet, was at that time at Sandy 
 Hook : he had been intimate with Capt. Suckling ; 
 and Nelson, who was desirous of nothing but ho- 
 nour, requested him to ask for the Albemarle, that 
 he might go to that station where it was most likely 
 to be obtained. Admiral Digby reluctantly parted 
 with him. His professional merit was already well 
 known : and Lord Hood, on introducing him to 
 Prince William Henry, as the Duke of Clarence was 
 then called, told the prince, if he wished to ask any 
 questions respecting naval tactics, Captain Nelson 
 could give him as much information as any officer
 
 1783.] LIFE OF NELSON. 39 
 
 in the fleet. The Duke, who, to his own honour, 
 became from that time the firm friend of Nelson, de- 
 scribes him as appearing the merest boy of a cap- 
 tain he had ever seen, dressed in a full laced uni- 
 form, an old-fashioned waistcoat with long flaps, and 
 his lank unpowdered hair tied in a stiff Hessian tail 
 of extraordinary length ; making altogether so re- 
 markable a figure, " that," says the Duke, " I had 
 never seen any thing like it before, nor could I ima- 
 gine who he was, nor what he came about. But his 
 address and conversation were irresistibly pleasing ; 
 and when he spoke on professional subjects, it was 
 with an enthusiasm that showed he was no common 
 being." 
 
 It was expected that the French would attempt 
 some of the passages between the Bahamas : and 
 Lord Hood, thinking of this, said to Nelson, "I 
 suppose, sir, from the length of time you were cruis- 
 ing among the Bahama Keys, you must be a good 
 pilot there." He replied, with that constant readi- 
 ness to render justice to every man which was so 
 conspicuous in all his conduct through life, that he 
 was well acquainted with them himself, but that in 
 that respect his second lieutenant was far his supe- 
 rior. The French got into Puerto Cabello on the 
 coast of Venezuela. Nelson was cruising between 
 that port and La Guayra, under French colours, for 
 the purpose of obtaining information ; when a king's 
 launch, belonging to the Spaniards, passed near, and 
 being hailed in French, came alongside without sus- 
 picion, and answered all questions that were asked 
 concerning the number and force of the enemy's 
 ships. The crew, however, were not a little sur- 
 prised when they were taken on board, and found 
 themselves prisoners. One of the party went by 
 the name of the Count de Deux Fonts. He was, 
 however, a prince of the German empire, and brother 
 to the heir of the Electorate of Bavaria : his com- 
 panions were French officers of distinction, and men
 
 40 LIFE OF NELSON. [1783. 
 
 of science, who had been collecting specimens in 
 the various branches of natural history. Nelson 
 having- entertained them with the best his table could 
 afford, told them they were at liberty to depart with 
 their boat and all that it contained : he only required 
 them to promise that they would consider them- 
 selves as prisoners, if the commander-in-chief should 
 refuse to acquiesce in their being thus liberated : 
 a circumstance which was not by any means likely 
 to happen. Tidings soon arrived that the prelimina- 
 ries of peace had been signed ; and the Albemarle 
 returned to England, and was paid off. Nelson's 
 first business, after he got to London, even before 
 he went to see his relations, was to attempt to get 
 the wages due to his men, for the various ships in 
 which they had served during the war. " The dis- 
 gust of seamen to the navy," he said, "was all 
 owing to the infernal plan of turning them over from 
 ship to ship ; so that men could not be attached to 
 the officers, nor the officers care the least about the 
 men." Yet he himself was so beloved by his men, 
 that his whole ship's company offered, if he could 
 get a ship, to enter for her immediately. He was 
 now, for the first time, presented at court. After 
 going through this ceremony, he dined with his 
 friend Davison, at Lincoln's Inn. As soon as he 
 entered the chambers, he threw off what he called 
 his iron-bound coat ; and putting himself at ease in 
 a dressing-gown, passed the remainder of the day 
 in talking over all that had befallen them since they 
 parted on the shore of the River St. Lawrence.
 
 1783.] LIFE OF NELSON. 41 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Jfelson goes to France during the Peace Reappointed to the Boreas, 
 and stationed at the. J.ecward Islands His firm Conduct concerning 
 theJiniericau Interlopers and the Contractors Marries and returns to 
 England 1$ on the Point of quilting the Srrvice in Disgust Manner 
 of Life while unemployed Appointed to the Jigamemnongn thebreak- 
 ing- out of the War of the French Revolution. 
 
 " I HATE closed the war," said Nelson, in one of 
 his letters, " without a fortune ; but there is not a 
 speck in my character. True honour, I hope, pre- 
 dominates in my mind far above riches." He did 
 not apply for a ship, because he was not wealthy 
 enough to live on board in the manner which was 
 then become customary. Finding it, therefore, pru- 
 dent to economize on his half-pay during the peace, 
 he went to France, in company with Captain Mac- 
 namara, of the navy, and took lodgings at St. Omer's. 
 The death of his favourite sister Anne, who died in 
 consequence of going out of the ball-room, at Bath, 
 when heated with dancing, affected his father so 
 much, that it had nearly occasioned him to return 
 in a few weeks. Time, however, and reason, and 
 religion, overcame this grief in the old man ; and 
 Nelson continued at St. Omer's long enough to fall 
 in love with the daughter of an English clergyman. 
 This second attachment appears to have been less 
 ardent than the first ; for, upon weighing the evils 
 of a straitened income to a married man, he thought 
 it better to leave France, assigning to his friends 
 something in his accounts as the cause. This pre- 
 vented him from accepting an invitation from the 
 Count of Deux Fonts to visit him at Paris, couched 
 in the handsomest terms of acknowledgment for the 
 treatment which he had received on board the Albe- 
 niarle. 
 
 D2
 
 42 LIFE OF KELSON. [1784. 
 
 The self-constraint which Nelson exerted in sub- 
 duing this attachment made him naturally desire to 
 be at sea : and when, upon visiting Lord Howe at 
 the Admiralty, he was asked if he wished to be 
 employed, he made answer that he did. Accord- 
 ingly, in March, he was appointed to the Boreas, 
 twenty-eight guns, going to the Leeward Islands, 
 as a cruiser on the peace establishment. Lady 
 Hughes and her family went out with him to Ad- 
 miral Sir Richard Hughes, who commanded on that 
 station. His ship was full of young midshipmen, 
 of whom there were not less than thirty on board : 
 and happy were they whose lot it was to be placed 
 with such a captain. If he perceived that a boy was 
 afraid at first going aloft, he would say to him in a 
 friendly manner: " Well, sir, I am going a race to 
 the mast head, and beg that I may meet you there." 
 The poor little fellow instantly began to climb, and 
 got up how he could, Nelson never noticed in what 
 manner ; but when they met in the top, spoke cheer- 
 fully to him ; and would say, how much any person 
 was to be pitied who fancied that getting up was 
 either dangerous or difficult. Every day he went 
 into the school- room, to see that they were pursuing 
 their nautical studies ; and at noon he was always 
 the first on deck with his quadnmt. Whenever he 
 paid a visit of ceremony, some of these youths ac- 
 companied him : and when he went to dine with the 
 governor at Barbadoes, lie took one of them in his 
 hand, and presented him, saying, " Your Excellency 
 must excuse me for bringing one of my midshipmen. 
 I make it a rule to introduce them to all the good 
 company I rcan, as they have few to look up to, 
 besides myself, during the time they are at sea." 
 
 When Nelson arrived in the West Indies he found 
 himself senior captain, and consequently second in 
 command on that station. Satisfactory as this was, 
 it soon involved him in a dispute with the admiral, 
 which a man less zealous for the service might have
 
 1784.] MPE OF NELSON. 43 
 
 avoided. He found the Latona in English Harbour, 
 Antigua, with a broad pennant hoisted ; and, upon 
 inquiring the reason, was presented with a written 
 order from Sir R. Hughes, requiring and directing 
 him to obey the orders of resident commissioner 
 Moutray, during the time he might have occasion to 
 remain there; the said resident commissioner being, 
 in consequence, authorized to hoist a broad pennant 
 on board any of his Majesty's ships in that port that 
 he might think proper. Nelson was never at a loss 
 how to act in any emergency. " I know of no su- 
 perior officers," said he, " besides the lords commis- 
 sioners of the Admiralty, and my seniors on the post 
 list." Concluding, therefore, that it was not con- 
 sistent with the service for a resident commissioner, 
 who held only a civil situation, to hoist abroad pen- 
 nant, the moment that he had anchored, he sent an 
 order to the captain of the Latona to strike it, and re- 
 turn it to the dock-yard. He went on shore the same 
 day, dined with the commissioner, to show him that 
 he was actuated by no other motive than a sense of 
 duty, and gave him the first intelligence that his 
 pennant had been struck. Sir Richard sent an ac- 
 count of this to the Admiralty ; but the case could 
 admit of no doubt, and Capt. Nelson's conduct was 
 approved. 
 
 He displayed the same promptitude on another 
 occasion. While the Boreas, after the hurricane 
 months were over, was riding at anchor in Nevis 
 Rhodes, a French frigate passed to leeward, close 
 along shore. Nelson had obtained information that 
 this ship was sent from Martinico, with two general 
 officers and some engineers on board, to make a sur- 
 vey of our sugar islands. This purpose he was de- 
 termined to prevent them from executing, and there- 
 fore he gave orders to follow them. The next day 
 he came up with them at anchor in the roads of St. 
 Eustatia, and anchored about two cables' length on the 
 frigate's quarter. Being afterward invited by the
 
 44 LIFE OP NELSON. [1784. 
 
 Dutch governor to meet the Frenah officers at din- 
 ner, he seized that occasion of assuring the French 
 captain, that understanding it was his intention to 
 honour the British possessions with a visit, he had 
 taken the earliest opportunity in his power to accom- 
 pany him, in his Majesty's ship the Boreas, in order 
 that such attention might be paid to the officers of his 
 most Christian Majesty, as every Englishman in the 
 islands would be proud to show. The French, with 
 equal courtesy, protested against giving him this 
 trouble ; especially, they said, as they intended 
 merely to cruise round the islands, without landing 
 on any. But Nelson, with the utmost politeness, 
 insisted upon paying them this compliment, followed 
 them close, in spite of all their attempts to elude his 
 vigilance, and never lost sight of them ; till, finding 
 it impossible either to deceive or escape him, they 
 gave up their treacherous purpose in despair, and 
 beat up for Martinico. 
 
 A business of more serious import soon engaged 
 his attention. The Americans were at this time 
 trading with our islands, taking advantage of the 
 register of their ships, which had been issued'while 
 they were British subjects. Nelson knew, that by 
 the navigation-act, no foreigners, directly or indi- 
 rectly, are permitted to carry on any trade with these 
 possessions : he knew, also, that the Americans had 
 made themselves foreigners with regard to England ; 
 they had disregarded the ties of blood and language, 
 when they acquired the independence which they 
 had been led on to claim, unhappily for themselves, 
 before they were fit for it ; and he was resolved that 
 they should derive no profit from those ties now. 
 Foreigners they had made themselves, and as fo- 
 reigners they were to be treated. " If once," said 
 he, " they are admitted to any kind of intercourse 
 with our islands, the views of the loyalists, in set- 
 tling at Nova Scotia, are entirely done away ; and 
 when we are again embroiled in a French war, the
 
 1784.] LIFE OF KELSON. 45 
 
 Americans will first become the carriers of these 
 colonies, and then have possession of them. Here 
 they come, sell their cargoes for ready money, go to 
 Martinico, buy molasses, and so round and round. 
 The loyalist cannot do this, and consequently must 
 sell a little dearer. The residents here are Ameri- 
 cans 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." 
 In November, when the squadron, having arrived at 
 Barbadoes, was to separate, with no other orders 
 than those for examining anchorages, and the usual 
 inquiries concerning wood and water, Nelson asked 
 his friend Collingwood, then captain of the Mediator, 
 whose opinions he knew upon the subject, to accom- 
 pany him to the commander-in-chief ; whom he then 
 respectfully asked, whether they were not to attend 
 to the commerce of the country, and see that the 
 navigation-act was respected that appearing to him 
 to be the intent of keeping men-of-war upon this 
 station in time of peace ? Sir Richard Hughes re- 
 plied, he had no particular orders, neither had the 
 Admiralty sent him any acts of parliament. But 
 Nelson made answer, that the navigation-act was 
 included in the statutes of the Admiralty, with which 
 every captain was furnished, and that act was di- 
 rected to admirals, captains, &c., to see it carried 
 into execution. Sir Richard said he had never seen 
 the book. Upon this Nelson produced the statutes, 
 read the words of the act, and apparently convinced 
 the commander-in-chief, that men-of-war, as he said, 
 " were sent abroad for some other purpose than to 
 be made a show of." Accordingly, orders were 
 given to enforce the navigation-act. 
 
 Major-general Sir Thomas Shirley was at this 
 time governor of the Leeward Islands ; and when 
 Nelson waited on him to inform him how he intended 
 to act, and upon what grounds, he replied, that " old 
 generals were not in the habit of taking advice from
 
 46 LIFE OF NELSON. [1785. 
 
 young gentlemen."" Sir," said the young officer, 
 with that confidence in himself which never carried 
 him too far, and always was equal to the occasion, 
 " I am as old as the prime minister of England, and 
 think myself as capable of commanding one of his 
 Majesty's ships as that minister is of governing the 
 state." He was resolved to do his duty, whatever 
 might be the opinion or conduct of others : and when 
 he arrived upon his station at St. Kitt's, he sent away 
 all the Americans, not choosing to seize them before 
 they had been well apprized that the act would be 
 carried into effect, lest it might seem as if a trap had 
 been laid for them. The Americans, though they 
 prudently decamped from St. Kitt's, were embold- 
 ened by the support they met with, and resolved to 
 resist his orders, alleging that king's ships had no 
 legal power to seize them without having deputations 
 from the customs. The planters were to a man 
 against him ; the governors and the presidents of 
 the different islands, with only a single exception, 
 gave him no support : and the admiral, afraid to 
 act on either side, yet wishing to oblige the planters, 
 sent him a note, advising him to be guided by the 
 wishes of the president of the council. There was 
 no danger in disregarding this, as it came unofficially, 
 and in the form of advice. But scarcely a month 
 after he had shown Sir Richard Hughes the law, 
 and, as he supposed, satisfied him concerning it, he 
 received an order from him, stating that he had now 
 obtained good advice upon the point, and the Ame- 
 ricans were not to be hindered from coming, and 
 having free egress and regress, if the governor chose 
 to permit them. An order to the same purport had 
 been sent round to the different governors and pre- 
 sidents : and General Shirley and others informed 
 him, in an authoritative manner, that they chose to 
 admit American ships, as the commander-in-chief 
 had left the decision to them. These persons, in his 
 own words, he soon " trimmed up, and silenced ;"
 
 1785.] LIFE OF NELSON. 47 
 
 but it was a more delicate business to deal with the 
 admiral. "I must either," said he, "disobey my 
 orders, or disobey acts of parliament. I determined 
 upon the former, trusting to the uprightness of my 
 intentions, and believing that my country would not 
 let me be ruined for protecting her commerce." 
 With this determination he wrote to Sir Richard, 
 appealed again to the plain, literal, unequivocal 
 sense of the navigation-act ; and in respectful lan- 
 guage told him, he felt it his duty to decline obeying 
 these orders till he had an opportunity of seeing and 
 conversing with him. Sir Richard's first feeling 
 was that of anger, and he was about to supersede 
 Nelson ; but having mentioned the affair to his cap- 
 tain, that officer told him, he believed all the squad- 
 ron thought the orders illegal, and therefore did not 
 know how far they were bound to obey them. It 
 was impossible, therefore, to bring Nelson to a court- 
 martial, composed of men who agreed with him in 
 opinion upon the point in dispute ; and luckily, 
 though the admiral wanted vigour of mind to decide 
 upon what was right, he was not obstinate in wrong, 
 and had even generosity enough in his nature to 
 thank Nelson afterward for having shown him his 
 error. 
 
 Collingwood, in the Mediator, and his brother, 
 Wilfred Collingwood, in the Rattler, actively co-ope- 
 rated with Nelson. The custom-houses were in- 
 formed, that after a certain day all foreign vessels 
 found in the ports would be seized ; and many were, 
 in consequence, seized, and condemned in the Admi- 
 ralty court. When the Boreas arrived at Nevis, she 
 found four American vessels deeply laden, and what 
 are called the island-colours flying white, with a 
 red cross. They were ordered to hoist their proper 
 flag, and depart within eight-and-forty hours ; but 
 they refused to obey, denying that they were Ame- 
 ricans. Some of their crews were then examined 
 in Nelson's cabin, where the judge of Admiralty 

 
 48 LIFE OF TfELSON. [1785. 
 
 happened to be present. The case was plain ; they 
 confessed that, they were Americans, and that the 
 ships, hull and cargo, were wholly American pro- 
 ' perty ; upon which he seized them. This raised a 
 storm : the planters, the custom-house, and the go- 
 vernor were all against him. Subscriptions were 
 opened, and presently filled, for the purpose of car- 
 rying on the cause in behalf of the American cap- 
 tains : and the admiral, whose flag was at that time 
 in the roads, stood neutral. But the Americans and 
 their abettors were not content with defensive law. 
 The marines, whom he had sent to secure the ships, 
 had prevented some of the masters from going 
 ashore ; and those persons, by whose depositions it 
 appeared that the vessels and cargoes were Ameri- 
 can property, declared, that they had given their 
 testimony under bodily fear, for that a man with a 
 drawn sword in his hand had stood over them the 
 whole time. A rascally lawyer, whom the party 
 employed, suggested this story ; and as the sentry 
 at the cabin door was a man with a drawn sword, 
 the Americans made no scruple of swearing to this 
 ridiculous falsehood, and commencing prosecutions 
 against him accordingly. They laid their damages 
 at the enormous amount of 40,000 ; and Nelson 
 was obliged to keep close on board his own ship, 
 lest he should be arrested for a sum for which it 
 would have been impossible to find bail. The mar- 
 shal frequently came on board to arrest him, but was 
 always prevented by the address of the first lieu- 
 tenant, Mr. Wallis. Had he been taken, such was 
 the temper of the people, that it was certain he would 
 have been cast for the whole sum. One of his offi- 
 cers, one day, in speaking of the restraint which he 
 was thus compelled to suffer, happened to use the 
 \vorApity ! " Pity '.'' exclaimed Nelson ; " Pity ! did 
 you say 1 I shall live, sir, to be envied ! and to that 
 
 Joint I shall always direotmy course." Eight weeks 
 e remained under this state of duresse. During
 
 1786.] LIFE OF NELSON. 49 
 
 that, time the trial respecting 1 these detained ships 
 came on in the court of Admiralty. He went on 
 shore under a protection for the day from the judge : 
 hut, notwithstanding this, the marshal was called 
 upon to take that opportunity of arresting him, and 
 the merchants promised to indemnify him for so 
 doing. The judge, however, did his duty, and 
 threatened to send the marshal to prison, if he 
 attempted to violate the protection of the court. 
 Mr. Herbert, the president of Nevis, behaved with 
 singular generosity upon this occasion. Though no 
 man was a greater sufferer by the measures which 
 Nelson had pursued, he offered in court to become 
 his bail for 10,000, if he chose to suffer the arrest. 
 The lawyer whom he had chosen proved to be an 
 able as well as an honest man ; and, notwithstand- 
 ing the opinions and pleadings of most of the coun- 
 sel of the different islands, who maintained that ships 
 of war were not justified in seizing American ves- 
 sels without a deputation from the customs, the law 
 was so explicit, the case so clear, and Nelson 
 pleaded his own cause so well, that the four ships 
 were condemned. During the progress of this bu- 
 siness he sent a memorial home to the king : in con- 
 sequence of which, orders were issued that he 
 should be defended at the expense of the crown. 
 And upon the representations which he made at the 
 same time to the secretary of state, and the sug- 
 gestions with which he accompanied it, the register- 
 act was framed. The sanction of government, and 
 the approbation of his conduct which it implied, 
 were highly gratifying to him : but he was offended, 
 and not without just cause, that the treasury should 
 have transmitted thanks to the commander-in-chief, 
 for his activity and zeal in protecting the commerce 
 of Great Britain.' " Had they known all," said he, 
 " I do not think they would have bestowed thanks 
 in that quarter, and neglected me. I feel much 
 hurt, that, after the loss of health and risk of for- 
 E
 
 50 LIFE OF NELSON. [1787. 
 
 tune, another should be thanked for what I did 
 against his orders. I either deserved to be sent out 
 of the service, or at least to have had some little 
 notice taken of what I had done. They have 
 thought it worthy of notice, and yet have neglected 
 me. If this is the reward for a faithful discharge 
 of my duty, I shall be careful, and never stand for- 
 ward again. But I have done my duty, and have 
 nothing to accuse myself of." 
 
 The anxiety which he had suffered from the 
 harassing uncertainties of law is apparent from 
 these expressions. He had, however, something 
 to console him, for he was at this time wooing the 
 niece of his friend the president, then in her eight- 
 eenth year, the widow of Dr. Nisbet, a physician. 
 She had one child, a son, by name Josiah, who 
 was three years old. One day, Mr. Herbert, who 
 nad hastened, half-dressed, to receive. Nelson, ex- 
 claimed, on returning to his dressing-room, " Good 
 God ! if I did not find that great little man, of 
 whom every body is so afraid, playing: in the next 
 room, under the dining-table, with Mrs. Nisbet's 
 child !" A few days afterward Mrs. Nisbet her- 
 self was first introduced to him, and thanked him 
 for the partiality which he had shown to her little 
 boy. Her manners were mild and winning : and 
 the captain, whose heart was easily susceptible of 
 attachment, found no such imperious necessity for 
 subduing his inclinations as had twice before with- 
 held him from marrying. They were married on 
 March llth, 1787: Prince William Henry, who 
 had come out to the West Indies the preceding 
 winter, being present, by his own desire, to give 
 away the bride. Mr. Herbert, her uncle, was at 
 this time so much displeased with his only daugh- 
 ter, that he had resolved to disinherit her, and 
 leave his whole fortune, which was very rcat, to 
 his niece.- But Nelson, whose nature was too 
 noble to let him profit by aa act of injustice, inter-
 
 1787.] LIFE OF KELSON. 61 
 
 fered, and succeeded in reconciling the president 
 to his child. 
 
 " Yesterday," said one of his naval friends the 
 day after the wedding, " the navy lost one of its 
 greatest ornaments, by Nelson's marriage. It is a 
 national loss that such an officer should marry : 
 had it not been for this, Nelson would have become 
 the greatest man in the service." The man was 
 rightly estimated : but he who delivered this opinion 
 did not understand the effect of domestic love and 
 duty upon a mind of the true heroic stamp. 
 
 " We are often separate," said Nelson, in a letter 
 to Mrs. Nisbet, a few months before their marriage ; 
 " but our affections are not by any means on that 
 account diminished. Our country has th Q first 
 demand for our services ; and private convenience 
 or happiness must ever give way to the public good. 
 Duty is the great business of a sea officer: all pri- 
 vate considerations must give way to it, however 
 painful." " Have you not often heard," says he, in 
 another letter, " that salt water and absence always 
 wash away love ? Now I am such a heretic as not 
 to believe that article : for behold, every morning I 
 have had six pails of salt water poured upon my 
 head, and instead of finding what seamen say to be 
 true, it goes on so contrary to the prescription, that 
 you must, perhaps, see me before the fixed time." 
 More frequently his correspondence breathed a 
 deeper strain. " To write letters to you," says he, 
 " is the next greatest pleasure I feel to receiving them 
 from you. What I experience when I read such as 
 I am sure are the pure sentiments of your heart, 
 my poor pen cannot express : nor, indeed, would I 
 give much for tfny pen or head which could express 
 feelings of that kind. Absent from you, I feel no 
 pleasure: it is you who are everything to me. 
 Without you, T care not for this world i.. for I have 
 found, lately, nothing in it but vexation and trouble. 
 These are my present sentiments. God Almighty
 
 52 LIFE OF KELSON. [1787. 
 
 grant they may never change ! Nor do I think they 
 will. Indeed there is, as far as human knowledge 
 can judge, a moral certainty that they cannot: for 
 it must be real affection that brings us together ; 
 not interest or compulsion." Such were the feel- 
 ings, and such the sense of duty, with which Nelson 
 became a husband. 
 
 During his stay upon this station he had ample 
 opportunity of observing the scandalous practices 
 of the contractors, prize-agents, and other persons 
 in the West Indies connected with the naval ser- 
 vice. When he was first left with the command, 
 and bills were brought him to sign for money which 
 was owing for goods purchased for the navy, he 
 required the original voucher, that he might examine 
 whether those goods had been really purchased at 
 the market price : but to produce vouchers would 
 not have been convenient, and therefore was not 
 the custom. Upon this, Nelson wrote to Sir Charles 
 Middleton, then comptroller of the navy, represent- 
 ing the abuses which were likely to be practised in 
 this manner. The answer which he received seemed 
 to imply that the old forms were thought sufficient : 
 and thus having no alternative, he was compelled, 
 with his eyes open, to submit to a practice origin- 
 ating in fraudulent intentions. Soon afterward two 
 Antigua merchants informed him, that they were 
 privy to great frauds, which had been committed 
 upon government in various departments: at An- 
 tigua, to the amount of nearly 500,000 ; at Lucie, 
 300,000; at Barbadoes, 250,000; at Jamaica, 
 upwards of a million. The informers were both 
 shrewd, sensible men of business ; they did not 
 affect to be actuated by a sense of justice, but re- 
 quired a per centage upon so much as government 
 should actually recover through their means. Nel- 
 son examined the books and papers which they 
 produced, and was convinced that government had 
 been most infamously plundered. Vouchers, he
 
 1787.] LIFE OF NELSON. 53 
 
 '4ite 
 
 found, in that country, were no check whatever : 
 the principle was, that "a thing was always worth 
 what it wouki bring ;" and the merchants were in 
 the habit of signing vouchers for each other, without 
 even the appearance of looking at the articles. 
 These accounts he sent home to the different de- 
 partments which had been defrauded : but the pe- 
 culators were too powerful ; and they succeeded 
 not merely in impeding inquiry, but even in raising 
 prejudices against Nelson at the board of Admiralty, 
 which it was many years before he could subdue. 
 
 Owing, probably, to these prejudices, and the 
 influence of the peculators, he was treated, on his 
 return to England, in a manner which had nearly 
 driven him from the service. During the three 
 years that the Boreas had remained upon a station 
 which is usually so fatal, not a single officer or man 
 of her whole complement had died. This almost 
 unexampled instance of good health, though mostly, 
 no doubt, imputable to a healthy season, must, in 
 some measure, also, be ascribed to the wise con- 
 duct'of the captain. He never suffered the ships to 
 remain more than three or four weeks at a time at 
 any of the islands ; and when the hurricane months 
 confined him to English Harbour, he encouraged 
 all kinds of useful amusements : music, dancing, 
 and cudgelling among the men ; theatricals among 
 the officers : any thing which could employ their 
 attention, and keep their spirits cheerful. The Bo- 
 reas arrived in England in June. Nelson, who had 
 many times been supposed to be consumptive when 
 in the West Indies, and perhaps was saved from 
 consumption by that climate, was still in a preca- 
 rious state of health ; and the raw wet weather of 
 one of our ungenial summers brought on cold, and 
 sore throat, and fever : yet his vessel was kept at 
 the Nore from the end of June till the end, of No- 
 vember, serving as a slop and receiving ship. This 
 unworthy treatment, which more probably proceeded 
 E 3
 
 54 tIFE OF NELSON. [1787. 
 
 from intention than from neglect, excited in Nelson 
 the strongest indignation. During the whole five 
 months he seldom or never quitted the ship, but 
 carried on the duty with strict and sullen attention. 
 On the morning when orders were received to pre- 
 pare the Boreas for being paid off, he expressed his 
 joy to the senior officer in the Medway, saying, 
 " It will release me for ever from an ungrateful 
 service, for it is my firm and unalterable determi- 
 nation never again to set my foot on board a king's 
 ship. Immediately after my arrival in town I shall 
 wait on the first lord of the Admiralty, and resign 
 my commission." The officer to whom he thus 
 communicated his intentions behaved in the wisest 
 and most friendly manner ; for finding it in vain to 
 dissuade him in his present state of feeling, he 
 secretly interfered with the first lord to save him 
 from a step so injurious to himself, little foreseeing 
 how deeply the welfare and honour of England were 
 at that moment at stake. This interference pro- 
 duced a letter from Lord Howe, the day before the 
 ship was paid off, intimating a wish to see Capt. 
 Nelson as soon as he arrived in town : when, being 
 pleased with his conversation, and perfectly con- 
 vinced, by what was then explained to him, of the 
 propriety of his conduct, he desired that he might 
 present him to the king on the first levee day : and 
 the gracious manner in which Nelson was then 
 received effectually removed his resentment. 
 
 Prejudices had been, in like manner, excited 
 against his friend, Prince William Henry. "No- 
 thing is wanting, sir," said Nelson, in one of his 
 letters, " to make you the darling of the English 
 nation, but truth. Sorry I am to say, much to the 
 contrary has been dispersed." This was not flat- 
 tery; for Nelson was MO flatterer. The letter in 
 which this passage occurs shows in how wise and 
 noble a manner he dealt with the prince. One of 
 his royal highness's officers ha^ applied for a court-
 
 1787.] IJFE OF NELSON. 55 
 
 martial upon a point in which he was unquestion- 
 ably wrong. His royal highness, however, wjiile 
 he supported his own character and authority, pre- 
 vented the trial, which must have been injurious to 
 a brave and deserving man. " Now that you are 
 parted," said Nelson, " pardon me, my prince, when 
 I presume to recommend that he may stand in your 
 royal favour as if he had never sailed with you, and 
 that at some future day you will serve him. There 
 only wants this to place your conduct in the highest 
 point of view. None of us are without failings ; 
 his was being rather too hasty: but that, put in 
 competition with his being a good officer, will not, I 
 am bold to say, be taken in the scale against him. 
 More able friends than myself your royal highness 
 may easily find, and of more consequence in the 
 state ; but one more attached and affectionate is not 
 so easily met with. Princes seldom, very seldom, 
 find a disinterested person to communicate their 
 thoughts to : I do not pretend to be that person : but 
 of this be assured, by a man who, I trust, never did 
 a dishonourable act, that I am interested only that 
 your royal highness should be the greatest and best 
 man this country ever produced." 
 
 Encouraged by the conduct of Lord Howe, and 
 by his reception at court, Nelson renewed his at- 
 tack upon the peculators with fresh spirit. He had 
 interviews with Mr. Rose, Mr. Pitt, and Sir Charles 
 Middleton ; to all of whom he satisfactorily proved 
 his charges. .In consequence, it is said, these very 
 extensive public frauds were at length put in a pro- 
 per train to be provided against in future : his re- 
 presentations were attended to; and every step 
 which he recommended was adopted: the investi- 
 gation was put into a proper course, which ended in 
 the detection and punishment of some of the cul- 
 prits ; an immense saving was made to government, 
 and thus its attention was directed to similar pecu- 
 lation in other parts of the colonies. But it is said
 
 66 LIFE OP NELSON. [1788. 
 
 also, that no mark of commendation seems to have 
 been bestowed upon Nelson for his exertion. And 
 it is justly remarked,* that the spirit of the navy 
 cannot be preserved so.effectually by the liberal ho- 
 nours bestowed on officers, when they are worn out 
 in the service, as by an attention to those who, like 
 Nelson at this part of his life, have only their inte- 
 grity and zeal to bring 1 them into notice. A junior 
 officer, who had been left with the command at Ja- 
 maica, received an additional allowance, for which 
 Nelson had applied in vain. Double pay was al- 
 lowed to every artificer and seaman employed in the 
 naval yard: Nelson had superintended the whole 
 business of that yard with the most rigid exactness, 
 and he complained that he was neglected. " It was 
 most true," he said, " that the trouble which he took 
 to detect the fraudulent practices then carried on, 
 was no more than his duty ; but he little thought 
 that the expenses attending his frequent journeys to 
 St. John's upon that duty (a distance of twelve 
 miles), would have fallen upon his pay as captain of 
 the Boreas." Nevertheless, the sense of what he 
 thought unworthy usage did not diminish his zeal. 
 " I," said he, " must still buffet the waves in search 
 of what? Alas! that they called honour is now 
 thought of no more. My fortune, God knows, has 
 grown worse for the service : so much for serving 
 my country. But the Devil, ever willing to tempt 
 the virtuous, has made me offer, if any ships should 
 be sent to destroy his majesty of Morocco's ports, 
 to be there ; and I have some reason to think, that 
 should any more come of it, my humble services 
 will be accepted. I have invariably laid down, and 
 followed close, a plan of what ought to be upper- 
 most 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. 
 
 * Claik and M' Arthur, vol. i. p. 107.
 
 1788.] LIFE OF KELSON. 57 
 
 A uniform course of honour and integrity seldom 
 fails of bringing a man to the goal of fame at last." 
 The design against the Barbary pirates, like all 
 other designs against them, was laid aside ; and 
 Nelson took his wife to his father's parsonage, 
 meaning only to pay him a visit before they went 
 to France ; a project which he had formed for the 
 sake of acquiring a competent knowledge of the 
 French language. But his father could not bear to 
 lose him thus unnecessarily. Mr. Nelson had long 
 been an invalid, suffering under paralytic and asth- 
 matic affections, which, for several hours after 
 he rose in the morning, scarcely permitted him to 
 speak. He had been given over by his physi- 
 cians, for this complaint, nearly forty years before 
 his death ; and was, for many of his last years, 
 obliged to spend all his winters at Bath. The 
 sight of his son, he declared, had given him new 
 life. " But, Horatio," said he, " it would have been 
 better that I had not been thus cheered, if I am 
 so soon to be bereaved of you again. Let me, 
 my good son, see you while I can. My age and in- 
 firmities increase, and I shall not last long." To 
 such an appeal there could be no reply. Nelson 
 took up his abode at the parsonage, and amused 
 himself with the sports and occupations of the 
 country. Sometimes he busied himself with farm- 
 ing the glebe ; sometimes spent the greater part of 
 the day in the garden, where he would dig as if for 
 the mere pleasure of wearying himself. Sometimes 
 he went a bird's-nesting, like a boy : and in these ex- 
 peditions Mrs. Nelson always, by his express desire, 
 accompanied him. Coursing was his favourite 
 amusement. Shooting, as he practised it, was far 
 too dangerous for his companions: for h carried 
 his gun upon the full cock, as if he were going to 
 board an enemy ; and the moment a bird rose, he 
 let fly, without ever putting the fowling-piece to his 
 shoulder. It is not, therefore, extraordinary, that
 
 58 LIFE OF NELSOX. [1788. 
 
 his having once shot a partridge should be remem- 
 bered by his family among the remarkable events of 
 his life. 
 
 Bat his time did not pass away thus without some 
 vexatious cares to ruffle it. The affair of the Ame- 
 rican ships was not yet over, and he was again pes- 
 tered with threats of prosecution. " I have written 
 them word," said he, " that I will have nothing to do 
 with them, and they must act as they think proper. 
 Government, I suppose, will do what is right, and 
 not leave me in the lurch. We have heard enough 
 lately of the consequences of the navigation-act to 
 this country. They may take my person ; but if 
 sixpence would save me from a prosecution, I would 
 not give it." It was his great ambition at this time 
 to possess a pony ; and having resolved to purchase 
 one, he went to a fair for that purpose. During his 
 absence two men abruptly entered the parsonage, 
 and inquired for him: they then asked for Mrs. 
 Nelson ; and after they had made her repeatedly de- 
 clare that she was really and truly the captain's 
 wife, presented her with a writ, or notification, on 
 the part of the American captains, who now laid 
 their damages at -20,000, and they charged her to 
 give it to her husband on his return. Nelson, hav- 
 ing bought his pony, came home with it in high 
 spirits. He called out his wife to admire the pur- 
 chase, and listen to all its excellences: nor was it 
 till his glee had in some measure subsided that the 
 paper could be presented to him. His indignation 
 was excessive : and, in the apprehension that he 
 should be exposed to the anxieties of the suit, and 
 the ruinous consequences which might ensue, he 
 exclaimed, "This affront I did not deserve! But 
 I '11 be trifled with no longer. I will write imme- 
 diately to the treasury ; and, if government will not 
 support me, I am resolved to leave the country." 
 Accordingly, he informed the treasury, that if a sa- 
 tisfactory answer were not sent him by return of
 
 1792.] LIFE OF NELSON. 59 
 
 post, he should take refuge in France. To this he 
 expected he should be driven, and for this he ar- 
 ranged every thing with his characteristic rapidity of 
 decision. It was settled that he should depart imme- 
 diately, and Mrs. Nelson follow under the care of his 
 elder brother, Maurice, ten days after him. But the 
 answer which he received from government quieted 
 his fears ; it stated, that Captain Nelson was a very 
 good officer, and needed to be under no apprehen- 
 sion, for he would assuredly be supported. 
 
 Here his disquietude upon this subject seems to 
 have ended. Still he was not at ease ; he wanted 
 employment, and was mortified that his applications 
 for it produced no effect. " Not being a man of 
 fortune," he said, " was a crime which he was un- 
 able to get over, and therefore none of the great 
 cared about him." Repeatedly he requested the 
 Admiralty that they would not leave him to rust in 
 indolence. During the armament which was made 
 upon occasion of the dispute concerning Nootka 
 tSomid, he renewed his application: and his steady 
 friend, Prince William, who had then been created 
 Duke of Clarence, recommended him to Lord Chat- 
 ham. The failure of this recommendation wounded 
 him so keenly, that he again thought of retiring from 
 the service in disgust : a resolution from which 
 nothing but the urgent remonstrances of Lord Hood 
 induced him to desist. Hearing that the Raison- 
 nable, in which he had commenced his career, was 
 to he commissioned, he asked for her. This also 
 was in vain : and a coolness ensued, on his part, 
 Inwards Lord Hood, because that excellent officer 
 did not use his influence with Lord Chatham upon 
 tliis occasion. Lord Hood, however, ha4 certainly 
 sufficient reasons for not interfering; for he ever 
 continued his steady friend. Iirthe winter of 1792, 
 whrn we were on the eve of the revolutionary war, 
 Nelson once more offered his services, earnestly 
 requested a ship, and added, that if their lordships
 
 60 LIFE OF NELSON [1793. 
 
 should be pleased to appoint him to a cockle-boat, 
 he should feel satisfied. He was answered in the 
 usual official form : " Sir, I have received your letter 
 of the 5th instant, expressing your readiness to 
 serve, and have read the same to my lords commis- 
 sioners of the Admiralty." On the 12th of December, 
 he received this dry acknowledgment. The fresh 
 mortification did not, however, affect him long ; for, 
 by the joint interest of the Duke and Lord Hood, he 
 was appointed, on the 30th of January following, 
 to the Agamemnon, of sixty-four guns. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Agamemnon fnit tn the Mediterranean Commencement of Nel- 
 son's Acquaint inir.f with Sir IV. Hamilton Hi is sent to Corsica., to' 
 co-oprrale with Paoli State of Affairs in t/mt Inland JVWson viuler- 
 taki's the Siege of Hastia., and reduces it 'J'ukes a distinguished 
 Part in th? Siege nf Culoi, where hr, loses mi Eye Admiral Hutham's 
 Action The. A<? imemnon ordered to Genoa, to co-operate with, the 
 Austrian and Sardinian Forces f, ross .Mitcunduct of the Austrian 
 General. 
 
 " THERE are three things, young gentleman," said 
 Nelson to one of his midshipmen, " which you are 
 constantly to bear in inind. First, you must always 
 implicitly obey orders, without attempting to form 
 any opinion of your own respecting their propriety. 
 Secondly, you must consider every man your enemy 
 who speaks ill of your king: and, thirdly, you must 
 hate a Frenchman as you do the Devil." With 
 these feelings he engaged in the war. Josiah, his 
 son-in-law, went witli him as a midshipman. 
 
 The Agamemnon was ordered to the Mediterra- 
 nean, under Lord Hood. The fleet arrived in those 
 seas at a time when the south of France would 
 willingly have formed itself into a separate republic,
 
 1793.] LIFE OF NELSON. 6l 
 
 under the protection of England. But good prin- - 
 ciples had been at that time perilously abused by 
 ignorant and profligate men ; and, in its fear and 
 hatred of democracy, the English government ab- 
 horred whatever was republican. Lord Hood could 
 not take advantage of the fair occasion which pre- 
 sented itself; and which, if it had been seized with 
 vigour, might have ended in dividing France : but 
 he negotiated with the people of Toulon, to take pos- 
 session, provisionally, of their port and city ; which, 
 fatally for themselves, was done. Before the British 
 fleet entered, Nelson was sent with despatches to Sir 
 William Hamilton, our envoy at the court of Naples. 
 Sir William, after his first interview with him, told 
 Lady Hamilton he was about to introduce a little 
 man to her, who could not boast of being very 
 handsome ; but such a man, as he believed, would 
 one day astonish the world. " I have never before," 
 he continued, " entertained an officer at my house ; 
 but I am determined to bring him here. Let him be 
 put in the room prepared for Prince Augustus." 
 Thus that acquaintance began which ended in the 
 destruction of Nelson's domestic happiness. It 
 seemed to threaten no such consequences at its 
 commencement. He spoke of Lady Hamilton, in 
 a letter to his wife, as a young woman of amiable 
 manners, who did honour to the station to which 
 she had been raised : and he remarked, that she had 
 been exceedingly kind to Josiah. The activity with 
 which the envoy exerted himself in procuring troops 
 from Naples, to assist in garrisoning Toulon, so 
 delighted him, that he is said to have exclaimed : 
 " Sir William, you are a man after my own heart ! 
 you do business in my own way :" aiyl ,then to 
 have added, "I am now only a captain; but I will, 
 if I live, be at the top of the tree." Here, also, 
 that acquaintance with the Neapolitan court com- 
 menced, which led to the only blot upon Nelson's 
 public character. The king, who was sincere at 
 F
 
 62 LIFE OF NELSON. [1793. 
 
 that time in his enmity to the French, called the 
 English the saviours of Italy, and of his dominions 
 in particular. He paid the most flattering attentions 
 to Nelson, made him dine with him, and seated him 
 at his right hand. 
 
 Having accomplished this mission, Nelson re- 
 ceived orders to join Commodore Linzee, at Tunis. 
 On the way, five sail of the enemy were discovered 
 off the coast of Sardinia, and he chased them. 
 They proved to be three forty-four gun frigates, 
 with a corvette of twenty-four and a brig of twelve. 
 The Agamemnon had only three hundred and forty- 
 five men at quarters, having landed part of her crew 
 at Toulon, and others being absent in prizes. He 
 came near enough to one of the frigates to engage 
 her, but at great disadvantage, the Frenchman 
 manoeuvring well, and sailing greatly better. A 
 running fight of three hours ensued ; during which 
 the other ships, which were at some distance, made 
 all speed to come up. By this time the enemy was 
 almost silenced, when a favourable change of wind 
 enabled her to get out of reach of the Agamemnon's 
 guns ; and that ship had received so much damage 
 in the rigging, that she could not follow her. Nel- 
 son conceiving that this was but the forerunner of 
 a far more serious engagement, called his officers 
 together, and asked them if the ship was fit to go 
 into action against such a superior force, without 
 some small refit and refreshment for the men? 
 Their answer was, that she certainly was not. He 
 then gave these orders : " Veer the ship, and lay her 
 head to the westward : let some of the best men be 
 employed in refitting the rigging, and the carpenter 
 getting crows and capstan-bars to prevent our 
 wounded spars from coming down : and get the wine 
 up for the people, with some bread, for it may be 
 half an hour good before we are again in action." 
 1 But when the French came up, their comrade made 
 signals of distress, and they all hoisted out their
 
 1794.] LIFE OF NELSON 63 
 
 boats to go to her assistance, leaving the Agamem- 
 non unmolested. 
 
 Nelson found Commodore Linzee at Tunis, where 
 he had been sent to expostulate with the dey upon 
 the impolicy of his supporting the revolutionary 
 government of France. Nelson represented to him 
 the atrocity of that government. Such arguments 
 were of little avail in Barbary : and when the dey 
 was told that the French had put their sovereign to 
 death, he dryly replied, that " Nothing could be more 
 heinous ; and yet, if historians told the truth, the 
 English had once done the same." This answer 
 had doubtless been suggested by the French about 
 him : they had completely gained the ascendency, 
 and all negotiation on our part proved fruitless. 
 Shortly afterward Nelson was detached with a small 
 squadron, to co-operate with General Paoli and the 
 Anti-Gallican party in Corsica. 
 
 Some thirty years before this time, the heroic 
 patriotism of the Corsicans, and of their leader, 
 Paoli, had been the admiration of England. The 
 history of these brave people is but a melancholy 
 tale. The island which they inhabit has been abun- 
 dantly blessed by nature : it has many excellent 
 harbours ; and though the malaria, or pestilential 
 atmosphere, which is so deadly in many parts of 
 Italy, and of the Italian islands, prevails on the 
 eastern coast, the greater part of the country is 
 mountainous and healthy. It is about one hundred 
 arid fifty miles long, and from forty to fifty broad ; 
 in circumference, some three hundred and twenty : 
 a country large enough, and sufficiently distant 
 from the nearest shores, to have subsisted as an 
 independent state, if the welfare and happiness or 
 the human race had ever been considered as the 
 end and aim of policy. The Moors, the Pisans, the 
 kings of Arragon, and the Genoese, successively 
 attempted, and each for a time effected, its conquest. 
 The yoke of the Genoese continued longest, and
 
 64 IJFE OF NELSON. [1794. 
 
 was the heaviest. These petty tyrants ruled with 
 an iron rod : and when at any time a patriot rose to 
 resist their oppressions, if they failed to subdue him 
 by force, they resorted to assassination. At the 
 commencement of the last century they quelled one 
 revolt by the aid of German auxiliaries, whom the 
 Emperor Charles VI. sent against a people who had 
 never offended him, and who were fighting for what- 
 ever is most dear to man. In 1734 the war was 
 renewed ; and Theodore, a Westphalian baron, then 
 appeared upon the stage. In that age men were not 
 accustomed to see adventurers play for kingdoms, 
 and Theodore became the common talk of Europe. 
 He had served in the French armies; and having 
 afterward been noticed both by Ripperda and Albe- 
 roni, their example, perhaps, inflamed a spirit as 
 ambitious and as unprincipled as their own. He 
 employed the whole of his means in raising money 
 and procuring arms : then wrote to the leaders of 
 the Corsican patriots, to offer them considerable 
 assistance, if they would erect Corsica into an in- 
 dependent kingdom, and elect him king. When he 
 landed among them, they were struck with his 
 stately person, his dignified manners, and imposing 
 talents : they believed the magnificent promises of 
 foreign assistance which he held out, and elected 
 him king accordingly. Had his means been as he 
 represented them, they could not have acted more 
 wisely, than in thus at once fixing the government 
 of their country, and putting an end to those rival- 
 ries among the leading families, which had so often 
 proved pernicious to the public weal. He struck 
 money, conferred titles, blocked up the fortified 
 towns which were held by the Genoese, and amused 
 the people with promises of assistance for about 
 eight months : then, perceiving that they cooled in 
 their affections towards him, in proportion as their 
 expectations were disappointed, he left the island, 
 under the plea of expediting himself the succours
 
 1794.] LIFE OF NELSON. 65 
 
 which he had so long awaited. Such was his ad- 
 dress, that he prevailed upon several rich merchants 
 in Holland, particularly the Jews, to trust him with 
 cannon and warlike stores to a great amount. 
 They shipped these under the charge of a super- 
 cargo. Theodore returned with this supercargo to 
 Corsica, and put him to death on his arrival, as the 
 shortest way of settling the account. The remain- 
 der of his life was a series of deserved afflictions. 
 He threw in the stores which he had thus fraudu- 
 lently obtained : but he did not dare to land ; for 
 Genoa had now called in the French to their assist- 
 ance, and a price had been set upon his head. His 
 dreams of royalty were now at an end : he took 
 refuge in London, contracted debts, and was thrown 
 into the King's Bench. After lingering there many 
 years, he was released under an act of insolvency : 
 in consequence of which, he made over the kingdom 
 of Corsica for the use of his creditors, and died 
 Shortly after his deliverance. 
 
 The French, who have never acted a generous 
 part in the history of the world, readily entered into 
 the views of the Genoese, which accorded with 
 their own policy : for such was their ascendency at 
 Genoa, that in subduing Corsica for these allies, 
 they were in fact subduing it for themselves. They 
 entered into the contest, therefore, with their usual 
 vigour, and their usual cruelty. It was in v'ain that 
 the Corsicans addressed a most affecting memorial 
 to the court of Versailles ; that remorseless govern- 
 ment persisted in its flagitious project. They poured 
 in troops ; dressed a part of them like the people of 
 the country, by which means they deceived and 
 destroyed many of the patriots ; cut down tfie stand- 
 ing corn, the vines, and the olives ; set fire to the 
 villages, and hung all the most able and active men 
 who fell into their hands. A war of this kind may 
 be carried on with success against a country so 
 small and so thinly peopled as Corsica. Having 
 F2
 
 66 11FE OF NELSON. [1794. 
 
 reduced the island to perfect servitude, which they 
 called peace, the French withdrew their forces. As 
 soon as they were gone, men, women, and boys 
 rose at once against their oppressors. The circum- 
 stances of the times were now favourable to them ; 
 and some British ships, acting as allies of Sardinia, 
 bombarded Bastia and San Fiorenzo, and delivered 
 them into the hands of the patriots. This service 
 was long remembered with gratitude : the impres- 
 sion made upon our own countrymen was less 
 favourable. They had witnessed the heart-burning 
 of rival chiefs, and the dissensions among the pa- 
 triots ; and perceiving the state of barbarism to 
 which continual oppression, and habits of lawless 
 turbulence, had reduced the nation, did not recollect 
 that the vices of the people were owing to their un- 
 happy circumstances; but that the virtues which 
 they displayed arose from their own nature. This 
 feeling, perhaps, influenced the British court, when, 
 in 1746, Corsica offered to put herself under the pro- 
 tection of Great Britain : an answer was returned, 
 expressing satisfaction at such a communication, 
 hoping that the Corsicans would preserve the same 
 sentiments, but signifying also that the present was 
 not the time for such a measure. 
 
 These brave islanders then formed a government 
 for themselves, under two leaders, Gaffori and 
 Matra, who had the title of protectors. The latter 
 is represented as a partisan of Genoa, favouring the 
 views of the oppressors of his country by the most 
 treasonable means. Gaffori was a hero worthy of 
 old times. His eloquence was long remembered 
 with admiration. A band of assassins was once 
 advancing against him ; he heard of their approach, 
 went out to meet them ; and, with a serene dignity, 
 which overawed them, requested them to hear him : 
 he then spoke to them so forcibly of the distresses 
 of their country, her intolerable wrongs, and the 
 hopes and views of their brethren m arms, that the
 
 1794.] LIFE OF NELSON. 67 
 
 very men who had been hired to murder him, fell at 
 his feet, implored his forgiveness, and joined his 
 banner. While he was besieging the Genoese in 
 Corte, a part of the garrison perceiving the nurse 
 with his eldest son, then an infant in arms, straying 
 at a little distance from the camp, suddenly sallied 
 out and seized them. The use they made of their 
 persons was in conformity to their usual execrable 
 conduct. When Gaffori advanced to batter the walls, 
 they held up the child directly over that part of the 
 wall at which the guns were pointed. The Corsi- 
 cans stopped : but Gaffori stood at their head, and 
 ordered them to continue the fire. Providentially, 
 the child escaped, and lived to relate, with becoming 
 feeling, a fact so honourable to his father. That 
 father conducted the affairs of the island till 1753, 
 when he was assassinated by some wretches, set 
 on, it is believed, by Genoa ; but certainly pensioned 
 by that abominable government after the deed. He 
 left the country in such a state, that it was enabled 
 to continue the war two years after his death with- 
 out a leader : then they found one worthy of their 
 cause in Pasquale de Paoli. 
 
 Paoli's father was one of the patriots who 
 effected their escape from Corsica when the French 
 reduced it to obedience. He retired to Naples, and 
 brought up this his youngest son in the Neapolitan 
 service. The Corsicans heard of young Paoli's 
 abilities, and solicited him to come over to his 
 native country, and take the command. He did not 
 hesitate long : his father, who was too far advanced 
 in years to take an active part himself, encouraged 
 him to go ; and when they separated, the old man 
 fell on his neck, and kissed him, and gave him his 
 blessing. " My son," said he, " perhaps I may never 
 see you more ; but in my mind I shall ever be pre- 
 sent with you. Your design is great and noble ; 
 and I doubt not but God will bless you in it. I shaU 
 devote to your cause the little remainder of mv life
 
 68 LIFE OF NELSON. [1794. 
 
 in offering up my prayers for your success." When 
 Paoli assumed the command, he found all things in 
 confusion : he formed a democratical government, 
 of which he was chosen chief; restored the autho- 
 rity of the laws; established a university ; and took 
 such measures, both for repressing abuses and 
 moulding the rising generation, that, if France had 
 not interfered, upon its wicked and detestable prin- 
 ciple of usurpation, Corsica might, at this day, have 
 been as free, and flourishing, and happy a common- 
 wealth as any of the Grecian states in the days of 
 their prosperity. The Genoese were at this time 
 driven out of their fortified towns, and must in a 
 short time have been expelled. France was indebted 
 some millions of livres to Genoa: it was not con- 
 venient to pay this money; so the French minister 
 proposed to the Genoese, that she should discharge 
 the debt by sending six battalions to serve in Corsica 
 for four years. The indignation which this conduct 
 excited in all generous hearts was forcibly ex- 
 pressed by Rousseau, who, with all his errors, was 
 seldom deficient in feeling for the wrongs of hu* 
 manity. "You Frenchmen," said he, writing to 
 one of that people " are a thoroughly servile nation, 
 thoroughly sold to tyranny, thoroughly cruel and 
 relentless in persecuting the unhappy. If they 
 knew of a freeman at the other end of the world, I 
 believe they would go thither for the mere pleasure 
 of extirpating him." 
 
 The immediate object of the French happened to 
 be purely mercenary : they wanted to clear off their 
 debt to Genoa ; and as the presence of their troops 
 in the island effected this, they aimed at doing the 
 people no farther mischief. Would that the conduct 
 of England had been at this time free from reproach ! 
 but a proclamation was issued by the English go- 
 vernment, after the peace of Paris, prohibiting any 
 hitf'vcourse with the rebels of Corsica. Paoli said, 
 he did not expect this from Great Britain. This
 
 1794.] LIFE OF KELSON. 69 
 
 great man was deservedly proud of his country : 
 " I defy Rome, Sparta, or Thebes," he would say, 
 " to show me thirty years of such patriotism as Cor- 
 sica can boast !" Availing himself of the respite 
 which the inactivity of the French, and the weak- 
 ness of the Genoese allowed, he prosecuted his 
 plans of civilizing the people. He used to say, that 
 though he had an unspeakable pride in the prospect 
 of the fame to which he aspired ; yet, if he could 
 but render his countrymen happy, he could be con- 
 tent to be forgotten. His own importance he never 
 affected to undervalue. " We are now to our coun- 
 try," said he, " like the prophet Elisha, stretched 
 over the dead child of the Shunamite, eye to eye, 
 nose to nose, mouth to mouth, It begins to recover 
 warmth, and to revive : I hope it will yet regain full 
 health and vigour." 
 
 But when the four years were expired, France 
 purchased the sovereignty of Corsica from the Ge- 
 noese for forty millions of livres ; as if the Genoese 
 had been entitled to sell it ; as if any bargain and 
 sale could justify one country in taking possession 
 of another against the will of the inhabitants, and 
 butchering all who oppose the usurpation ! Among 
 the enormities which France has committed, this 
 action seems but as a speck ; yet the foulest mur- 
 derer that ever suffered by the hand of the execu- 
 tioner, has infinitely less guilt upon his soul than the 
 statesman who concluded this treaty, and the mo- 
 narch who sanctioned and confirmed it: A des- 
 perate and glorious resistance was made ; but it was 
 in vain; no power interposed in behalf of these 
 injured islanders, and the French poured in as many 
 troops as were required. They offered to confirm 
 Paoli in the supreme authority, only on condition 
 that he would hold it under their government. His 
 answer was, that "the rocks which surrounded him 
 should melt away before he would betray a cause 
 which he held in common with the poorest Cor-
 
 70 LIFE OP KELSON. [1794 
 
 sican." This people then set a price upon his head. 
 During two campaigns he kept them at bay : they 
 overpowered him at length : he was driven to the 
 shore, and, having escaped on ship-board, took re- 
 fuge in England. It is said that Lord Shelburne 
 resigned his seat in the cabinet, because the ministry 
 looked on, without attempting to prevent France 
 from succeeding in this abominable and important 
 act of aggrandizement. In one respect, however, 
 our country acted as became her. Paoli was wel- 
 comed with the honours which he deserved, a pen- 
 sion of 1200/. was immediately granted him ; ami 
 provision was liberally made for his elder brothei 
 and his nephew. 
 
 Above twenty years Paoli remained in England, 
 enjoying the friendship of the wise, and the admira^ 
 tion of the good. But when the French revolution 
 began, it seemed as if the restoration of Corsica 
 was at hand. The whole country, as if animated 
 by one spirit, rose and demanded liberty; and the 
 national assembly passed a decree, recognising the 
 island as a department of France, and therefore en- 
 titled to all the privileges of the new French consti- 
 tution. This satisfied the Corsicans, which it ought 
 not to have done ; and Paoli, in whom the ardour 
 of youth was past, seeing that his countrymen 
 were contented, and believing that they were about 
 to enjoy a state of freedom, naturally wished to re- 
 turn to his native country. He resigned his pen- 
 sion in the year 1790, and appeared at the bar of 
 the assembly with the Corsican deputies, when they 
 took the oath of fidelity to France. But the course 
 of events in France soon dispelled those hopes of a 
 new and better order of things, which Paoli, in 
 common with so many of the friends of humankind, 
 had indulged ; and perceiving, after the execution 
 of the king, that a civil war was about to ensue, of 
 which no man could foresee the issue, he prepared 
 to break the connexion bet-veen Corsica and the
 
 1794.1 LIFE OF NELSON. 71 
 
 French republic. The convention, suspecting such 
 a design, and perhaps occasioning it by their sus- 
 picions, ordered him to their bar. That way, he 
 well knew, led to the guillotine ; and returning a 
 respectful answer, he declared that he would never 
 be found wanting in his duty, but pleaded age and 
 infirmity as a reason for disobeying the summons. 
 Their second order was more summary: and the 
 French troops, who were in Corsica, aided by those 
 of the natives, who were either influenced by here- 
 ditary party feelings, or who were sincere in ja- 
 cobinism, took the field against him. But the people 
 were with him. He repaired to Corte, the capital 
 of the island, and was again invested with the au- 
 thority which he had held in the noonday of his 
 fame. The convention upon this denounced him as 
 a rebel, and set a price upon his head. It was not 
 the first time that France had proscribed Paoli. 
 
 Paoli now opened a correspondence with Lord 
 Hood, promising, if the English would make an 
 attack upon St. Fiorenzo from the sea, he would, at 
 the same time, attack it by laud. This promise he 
 was unable to perform : and Commodore Linzee, 
 who, in reliance upon it, was sent upon this service, 
 was repulsed with some loss. Lord Hood, who had 
 now been compelled to evacuate Toulon, suspected 
 Paoli of intentionally deceiving him. This was an 
 injurious suspicion. Shortly afterward he des- 
 patched Lieutenant-Colonel (afterward Sir John) 
 Moore and Major Koehler to confer with him upon 
 a plan of operations. Sir Gilbert Elliot accompa- 
 nied them : and it was agreed upon, that in consider- 
 ation of the succours, both military and naval, which 
 his Britannic majesty should afford for the purpose 
 of expelling the French, the island of Corsica should 
 be delivered into the immediate possession of his 
 majesty and bind itself to acquiesce in any settle- 
 ment he might approve .of 1 concerning its govern-, 
 ment and its future relation with Great Britain.
 
 72 LIFE OF KKLSON [1794. 
 
 While this negotiation was going on, Nelson cruised 
 off the island with a small squadron, to prevent the 
 enemy from throwing in supplies. Close to St. 
 Fiorenzo the French had a storehouse of flour, near 
 their only mill : he watched an opportunity, and 
 landed one hundred and twenty men, who threw the 
 flour into the sea, burnt the mill, and re-embarked, 
 before one thousand men, who were sent against 
 him, could occasion them the loss of a single man. 
 While he exerted himself thus, keeping out all sup- 
 plies, intercepting despatches, attacking their out- 
 posts and Forts, and cutting out vessels from the bay, 
 a species of warfare which depresses the spirit of 
 an enemy even more than it injures them, because 
 of the sense of individual superiority which it indi- 
 cates in the assailants, troops were landed, and St. 
 Fiorenzo was besieged. The French, finding them- 
 selves unable to maintain that post, sunk one of 
 their frigates, burnt another, and retreated to Bastia. 
 Lord Hood submitted to General Dundas, who com- 
 manded the land-forces, a plan for the reduction of 
 this place : the general declined co-operating, think- 
 ing the attempt impracticable, without a reinforce- 
 ment of two thousand men, which he expected from 
 Gibraltar. Upon this Lord Hood determined to re- 
 duce it with the naval force under his command ; 
 and leaving part of his fleet off Toulon, he came with 
 the rest to Bastia. 
 
 He showed a proper sense of respect for Nelson's 
 services, and of confidence in his talents, by taking 
 care not to bring with him any older captain. A 
 few days before their arrival, Nelson had had what 
 he called a brush with the enemy. " If I had had 
 with me five hundred troops," he said, " to a cer- 
 tainty I should have stormed the town ; and I be- 
 lieve it might have been carried. Armies go so 
 slow, that seamen think they never mean to get for- 
 ward : but I dare say they act on a surer principle, 
 although we seldom fail. During this partial ac-
 
 1794.] LIFE OF NELSON. 73 
 
 tion our army appeared upon the heights ; and hav- 
 ing reconnoitred the place, returned to St. Fiorenzo. 
 " What the general could have seen to make a re- 
 treat necessary," said Nelson, " I cannot compre- 
 hend. A thousand men would certainly take Bastia; 
 with five hundred and Ag-amemnon I would attempt 
 it. My seamen are now what British seamen ought 
 to be almost invincible. They really mind shot no 
 more than peas." General Dundas had not the same 
 confidence. " After mature consideration," he said 
 in a letter to Lord Hood, " and a personal inspec- 
 tion for several days of all circumstances, local as 
 well as others, 1 consider the siege of Bastia, with 
 our present means and force, to be a most visionary 
 and rash attempt : such as no officer would be jus- 
 tified in undertaking." Lord Hood replied, that 
 nothing would be more gratifying to his feelings 
 than to have the whole responsibility upon himself; 
 and that he was ready and willing to undertake the 
 reduction of the place at his own risk, with the force 
 and means at present there. General d'Aubant, who 
 succeeded at this time to the command of the army, 
 coincided in opinion with his predecessor, and did 
 not think it right to furnish his lordship with a single 
 soldier, cannon, or any stores. Lord Hood could 
 only obtain a few artillery-men ; and ordering on 
 board that part of the troops who, having been em- 
 barked as marines, were borne on the ships' books 
 as part of their respective complements, he began 
 the siege with eleven hundred and eighty-three sol- 
 diers, artillery-men, and marines, and two hundred 
 and fifty sailors. " We are but few," said Nelson, 
 " but of the right sort ; our general at St. Fiorenzo 
 not giving us one of the five reg-iments he has there 
 lying idle." 
 
 These men were landed on the 4th of April, under 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Villettes and Nelson, who had 
 
 now acquired from the army the title of brigadier. 
 
 Guns were dragged by the sailors up heights where 
 
 G
 
 74 LIFE OP NELSOJl. ' [1794 
 
 it appeared almost impossible to convey them ; a 
 work of the greatest difficulty ; and which, Nelson 
 said, could nevei>in his opinion, have been accom- 
 plished by any but British seamen. The soldiers, 
 though less dexterous in such service, because no* 
 accustomed, like sailors, to habitual dexterity, be 
 haved with equal spirit. " Their zeal," said the briga- 
 dier, " is almost unexampled. There is not a man 
 but considers himself as personally interested in the 
 event, and deserted by the general. It has, I am 
 persuaded, made them equal to double their num- 
 bers." This is one proof, of many, that for our sol- 
 diers to equal our seamen, it is only necessary for 
 them to be equally well commanded. They have 
 the same heart and soul, as well as the same flesh 
 and blood. Too much may, indeed, be exacted 
 from them in a retreat ; but set their face towards a 
 foe, and there is nothing within the reach of human 
 achievement which they cannot perform. The 
 French had improved the leisure which our mili- 
 tary commander had allowed them ; and before Lord 
 Hood commenced his operations, he had the morti- 
 fication of seeing that the enemy were every day 
 erecting new works, strengthening old ones, and 
 rendering the attempt more difficult. La Combe St 
 Michel, the commissioner from the national conven- 
 tion, who was in the city, replied in these terms to 
 the summons of the British admiral : " I have hot 
 shot for your ships, and bayonets for your troops. 
 When two-thirds of our men are killed, I will then 
 trust to the generosity of the English." The siege, 
 however, WHS not sustained with the firmness which 
 such a reply sfeemed to augur. On the 19th of May, 
 a treaty of capitulation was begun : that same eve- 
 ning the troops from St. Fiorenzo made their ap- 
 pearance on the hills ; and, on the following morn- 
 ing, General D'Aubant arrived with the vv^o'e army 
 to take possession of Bastia. 
 
 The event of the siege had justified the confidence
 
 1794.] > LIFE OF NELSON. 75 
 
 of the sailors; but they themselves excused the opi- 
 nion of the generals, when they saw what they had 
 done. " I am all astonishment," said Nelson, " when 
 I reflect on what we have achieved ; one thousand 
 regulars, fifteen hundred national guards, and a large 
 party of Corsican troops, four thousand in all, laying 
 down their arms to twelve hundred soldiers, marines, 
 and seamen! I always was of opinion, have ever 
 acted up to it, and never had any reason to repent 
 it, that one Englishman was equal to three French- 
 men. Had this been an English town, I am sure it 
 would not have been taken by them. When it had 
 been resolved to attack the place, the enemy were 
 supposed to be far inferior in number ; and it was 
 not till the whole had been arranged, and the siege 
 publicly undertaken, that Nelson received certain 
 information of the great superiority of the garrison. 
 This intelligence he kepi secret, fearing lest, if so 
 fair a pretext were afforded, the attempt would be 
 abandoned. " My own honour," said he to his wife, 
 "Lord Hood's honour, and the honour of our country, 
 must have 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 to write to Lord Hood 
 to raise ill" Those very persons who thus advised 
 him were rewarded for their conduct at the siege 
 of Bastia: Nelson, by whom it may truly be affirmed 
 that Eastia was taken, received no reward. Lord 
 Hood's thanks to him, both public and private, were, 
 as he himself said, the handsomest which man could 
 give : but his signal merits were not so mentioned 
 in the despatches as to make them sufficiently 
 known to the nation, nor to obtain for him from 
 government those honour* to which they so amply 
 entitled him. This could only have arisen from 
 the haste in which the despatches were written ; 
 certainly not from any deliberate purpose, i\/r Lord 
 Hood was uniformly his steady and /sincere friend,
 
 76 LIFE OP NELSON. | [1794. 
 
 One of the cartel's ships, which carried the gar- 
 rison of Bastia to Toulon, brought back intelligence 
 that the French were about to sail from that port ; 
 such exertions had they made to repair the damage 
 done at the evacuation, and to fit out a fleet. The 
 intelligence was speedily verified. Lord Hood 
 sailed in quest of them towards the islands of 
 Hieres. The Agamemnon was with him. " I pray 
 God," said Nelson, writing to his wife, " that we 
 may meet their fleet. If any accident should happen 
 to me, I am sure my conduct will be such as will 
 entitle you to the royal favour; not that I have 
 the least idea but I shall return to you, and full of 
 honour : if not, the Lord's will be done. My name 
 shall never be a disgrace to those who may belong 
 to me. The little I have, I have given to you, 
 except a small annuity ; I wish it was more ; but 
 I have never got a farthing dishonestly ; it descends 
 from clean hands. Whatever fate awaits me, I 
 pray God to bless you, and preserve you, for your 
 son's sake." With a mind thus prepared, and thus 
 confident, his hopes and wishes seemed on the- point 
 of being gratified, when the enemy were discovered 
 close under the land, near St. Tropez. The wind 
 fell, and prevented Lord Hood from getting between 
 them and the shore, as he designed : boats came 
 out from Antibes and other places, to their assist- 
 ance, and towed them within the shoals in Gourjean 
 roads, where they were protected by the batteries 
 on isles St. Honore and St. Marguerite, and on Cape 
 Garousse. Here the English admiral planned a 
 new mode of attack, meaning to double on five of 
 the nearest ships ; but the wind again died away, 
 and it was found that they had anchored in compact 
 order, guarding the only passage for large ships. 
 There was no way of effecting this passage, except 
 by towing or warping the vessels ; and this rendered 
 the attempt impracticable. For this time the enemy 
 escaped; but Nelson bore in mind the admirable
 
 1794.] LIFE OF NELSON. 77 
 
 plan of attack which Lord Hood had devised, and 
 there came a day when they felt its tremendous 
 effects. 
 
 The Agamemnon was now despatched to co- 
 operate at the siege of Calvi with General Sir 
 Charles Stuart; an officer who, unfortunately for 
 his country, never had an adequate field allotted 
 him for the display of those eminent talents, which 
 were, to all who knew him, so conspicuous.* Nel- 
 son had less responsibility here than at Bastia ; and 
 was acting with a man after his own heart, who 
 was never sparing of himself, and slept every night 
 in the advanced battery. But the service was not 
 less hard than that of the former siege. " We will 
 fag ourselves to death," said he to Lord Hood, 
 " before any blame shall lie at our doors. I trust it 
 will not be forgotten, that twenty-five pieces of 
 heavy ordnance have been dragged to the different 
 batteries, mounted, and, all but three, fought by 
 seamen, except one artillery-man to point the guns." 
 The climate proved more destructive than the 
 service ; for this was during the lion sun, as they 
 there call our season of the jog-days. Of two 
 thousand men, above half werfc sick, and the rest 
 like so many phantoms. Nelson described himself 
 as the reed among the oaks, bowing before the 
 storm when they were laid low by it. "All the pre- 
 vailing disorders have attacked me," said he, " but 
 I have not strength enough for them to fasten on." 
 The loss from the enemy was not great : but Nelson 
 received a serious injury ; a shot struck the ground 
 near him, and drove the sand and small gravel into 
 one of his eyes. He spoke of it slightly at the 
 time : writing the same day to Lord Hood, he only 
 said, that he got a little hurt that morning, not much; 
 and the next day, he said, he should be able to 
 attend his duty in the evening. In fact, he suf> 
 
 * Lord Melville was fully sensible of these talents, and bore testi- 
 mony to them in the handsomest manner after Sir Charles's death. 
 G2
 
 78 LITE OF NELSON. [1794. 
 
 fered it to confine him only one day ; but the sight 
 was lost. 
 
 After the fall of Calvi, his services were, by a 
 strange omission, altogether overlooked; and his 
 name was not even mentioned in the list of wounded. 
 This was no ways imputable to the admiral, for he 
 sent home to government Nelson's journal of the 
 siege, that they might fully understand the nature 
 of his indefatigable and unequalled exertions. If 
 those exertions were not rewarded in the conspi- 
 cuous manner which they deserved, the fault was in 
 the administration of the day, not in Lord Hood. 
 Nelson felt himself neglected. " One hundred and 
 ten days," said he, " I have been actually engaged, 
 at sea and on shore, against the enemy; three 
 actions against ships, two against Bastia in my 
 ship, four boat actions, and two villages taken, and 
 twelve sail of vessels burned. I do not know that 
 any one has done more. I have had the comfort 
 to be always applauded by my commander-in-chief, 
 but never to be rewarded : and, what is more morti- 
 fying, for services in which 1 have been wounded, 
 others have been praised, who, at the same time, 
 were actually in bed, far from the scene of action. 
 They have not- done me justice. But, never mind, 
 I '11 have a gazette of my own." How amply was 
 this second sight of glory realized ! 
 
 The health of his ship's company had now, in 
 his own words, been miserably torn to pieces by as 
 hard service as a ship's cre\v ever performed : one 
 hundred and fifty were in their bfes when he left 
 Calvi ; of them he lost fifty ; and believed that the 
 constitutions of the rest were entirely destroyed. 
 He was now sent with despatches to Mr. Drake, 
 at Genoa, and had his first interview with the doge! 
 The French had, at this time, taken possession of 
 Vado Bay, m the Genoese territory; and Nelson 
 foresaw, that if their thoughts were bent on the 
 invasion of Italy, they would accomplish it the
 
 1794.] LIFE OF NELSON. 79 
 
 ensuing spring-. " The allied powers," he said, 
 " were jealous of each other ; and none but Eng- 
 land was hearty in the cause." His wish was for 
 peace, on fair terms, because England, he thought, 
 was draining herself, to maintain allies who would 
 not fight for themselves. Lord Hood had now re- 
 turned to England, and the command devolved on 
 Admiral Hotham. The affairs of the Mediterranean 
 wore at this time a gloomy aspect. The arts as 
 well as the arms of the enemy were gaining the 
 ascendency there. Tuscany concluded peace, rely- 
 ing upon the faith of France, which was, in fact, 
 placing itself at her mercy. Corsica was in danger. 
 We had taken that island for ourselves, annexed it 
 formally to the crown of Great Britain, and given it 
 a constitution as free as' our own. This was done 
 Avith the consent of the majority of the inhabitants : 
 and no transaction between two countries was ever 
 more fairly or legitimately conducted : yet our con- 
 duct was unwise ; the island is large enough to 
 form an independent state, and such we should have 
 made it, under our protection, as long as protection 
 might be needed; the Corsicans would then have 
 felt as a nation ; but, when one party had given up 
 the country to England, the natural consequence 
 was, that the other looked to France. The question 
 proposed to the people was, to which would they 
 belong 1 Our language and our religion were 
 against us ; our unaccommodating manners, it is to 
 be feared, still more so. The French were better 
 politicians. In intrigue they have ever been un- 
 rivalled ; and it now became apparent, that, in spite 
 of old wrongs, which ought never to have been 
 forgotten or forgiven, their partisans were daily 
 acquiring strength. It is part of the policy of 
 France, and a wise policy it is, to impress upon other 
 powers the opinion of its strength, by lofty language, 
 and by threatening before it strikes ; a system 
 which, while it keeps up the spirit of its allies, and
 
 60 LIFE OF NELSOX. [1794. 
 
 perpetually stimulates their hopes, tends also to 
 dismay its enemies. Corsica was now loudly 
 threatened. The French, who had not yet been 
 taught to feel their own inferiority upon the seas, 
 braved us, in contempt, upon that element. They 
 had a superior fleet in the Mediterranean, and they 
 sent it out with express orders to seek the English 
 and engage them. Accordingly, the Toulon fleet, 
 consisting of seventeen ships of the line, and five 
 smaller vessels, put to sea. Admiral Hotham re- 
 ceived this information at Leghorn, and sailed im- 
 mediately in search of them. He had with him 
 fourteen sail of the line, and one Neapolitan seventy- 
 four; but his ships were only half-manned, contain- 
 ing but seven thousand six hundred and fifty men, 
 whereas the enemy had sixteen thousand nine hun- 
 dred. He soon came in sight of them: a general 
 action was expected ; and Nelson, as was his custom 
 on such occasions, wrote a hasty letter to his wife, 
 as that which might possibly contain his last fare- 
 well. " The lives of all," said he, " are in the hand 
 of Him who knows best whether to preserve mine 
 or not ; my character and good name are in my own 
 keeping." 
 
 But however confident the French government 
 might be of their naval superiority, the officers had 
 no such feeling ; and after manoeuvring for a day, 
 in sight of the English fleet, they suffered themselves 
 to be chased. One of their ships, the Ca Ira, of 
 eighty-four guns, carried away her main and fore- 
 topmasts. The Inconstant frigate fired at the dis- 
 abled ship, but received so many shot, that she was 
 obliged to leave her. Soon afterward a French 
 frigate took the Ca Ira in tow ; and the Sans-Culottes, 
 one hundred and twenty, and the Jean Barras, se- 
 venty-four, kept about gun-shot distance on her 
 weather bow. The Agamemnon stood towards her, 
 having no ship of the line to support her within 
 several miles. As she drew near the Ca Ira fired
 
 1795.] LIFE OF NELSON. 81 
 
 her stern guns so truly, that not a shot missed some 
 part of the ship, and, latterly, the masts were struck 
 by every shot. It had been Nelson's intention not 
 to fire before he touched her stern ; but seeing how 
 impossible it was that he should be supported, and 
 how certainly the Agamemnon must be severely cut 
 up, if her masts were disabled, he altered his plan 
 according to the occasion. As soon, therefore, 
 as he was within a hundred yards of her stern, 
 he ordered the helm to be put a-starboard, and 
 the driver and after-sails to be brailed up and shi- 
 vered ; and, as the ship fell off, gave the enemy 
 her whole broadside. They instantly braced up the 
 after-yards, put the helm a-port, and stood after her 
 again. This manoeuvre he practised for two hours 
 and a quarter, never allowing the Ca Ira to get a 
 single gun from either side to bear on him ; and when 
 the French fired their after-guns now, it was no 
 longer with coolness and precision, for every shot 
 went far ahead. By this time her sails were hang- 
 ing in tatters, her mizen-topmast, mizen-topsail, 
 and cross-jack-yards, shot away. But the frigate 
 which had her in tow hove in stays, and got her 
 round. Both these French ships now brought their 
 guns to bear, and opened their fire. The Agamem- 
 non passed them within half pistol-shot; almost 
 every shot passed over her, for the French had ele- 
 vated their guns for the rigging, and for distant firing, 
 and did not think of altering the elevation. As soon 
 as the Agamemnon's after-guns ceased to bear, she 
 hove in stays, keeping a constant fire as she came 
 round ; and being worked, said Nelson, with as much 
 exactness as if she had been turning into Spithead. 
 On getting round, he saw that the Sans-Culottes, 
 which had wore, with many of the enemy's ships, 
 was under his lee-bow, and standing to leeward. 
 The admiral, at the same time, made the signal for 
 the van-ships to join him. Upon this Nelson bore 
 away, and prepared to set all sail; and the enemy,
 
 82 LIFE OF NELSON. [1795. 
 
 having saved their ship, hauled close to the wind, 
 and opened upon him a distant and ineffectual fire. 
 Only seven of the Agamemnon's men were hurt a 
 thing which Nelson himself remarked as wonderful: 
 her sails and rigging were very much cut, and she 
 had many shots in her hull, and some between wind 
 and water. The Ca Ira lost one hundred and ten 
 men that day, and was so cut up, that she could not 
 get a topmast aloft during the night. 
 
 At daylight, on the following morning, the English 
 ships were taken aback with a fine breeze at N. W. 
 while the enemy's fleet kept the southerly wind. 
 The body of their fleet was about five miles distant ; 
 the Ca Ira, and the Censeur, seventy-four, which 
 had her in tow, about three and a half. " All sail was 
 made to cut these ships off; and, as the French at- 
 tempted to save them, a partial action was brought 
 on. The Agamemnon was again engaged with her 
 yesterday's antagonist ; but she had to fight on both 
 sides the ship at the same time. The Ca Ira and the 
 Censeur fought most gallantly : the first lost nearly 
 three hundred men in addition to her former loss ; the 
 last three hundred and fifty. Both at last struck: and 
 Lieutenant Andrews, of the Agamemnon, brother to 
 the lady to whom Nelson had become attached in 
 France, and, in Nelson's own words, " as gallant an 
 officer as ever stepped a quarter-deck," hoisted 
 English colours on board them both. The rest of 
 the enemy's ships behaved very ill. As soon as 
 these vessels had struck, Nelson went to Admiral 
 Hotham, and proposed that the two prizes should be 
 left with the Illustrious and Courageux, which had 
 been crippled in the action, and with four frigates, 
 and that the rest of the fleet should pursue the enemy, 
 and follow up the advantage to the utmost. But his 
 reply was " We must be contented : we have done 
 very well." "Now," said Nelson, "had we taken 
 ten sail, and allowed the eleventh to escape, when it 
 had been possible to have got at her, I could never
 
 J795.] LIFE OF NELSON. 83 
 
 have called it well done.* Goodall backed me: I 
 got him to write to the admiral ; but it would not do. 
 We should have had such a day as, I believe, the 
 annals of England never produced." In this letter, 
 the character of Nelson fully manifests itself. " I 
 wish," said he, "to be an admiral, and in the com- 
 mand of the English fleet ; I should very soon either 
 do much, or be ruined : my disposition cannot bear 
 tame and slow measures. Sure I am, had I com- 
 manded on the 14th, that either the whole French 
 fleet would have graced my triumph, or I should have 
 been in a confounded scrape." What the event would 
 have been, he knew from his prophetic feelings and 
 his own consciousness of power: and we also know 
 it now, for Aboukir and Trafalgar have told it us. 
 
 The Ca Ira and Censeur probably defended them- 
 selves with more obstinacy in this action, from a 
 persuasion, that, if they struck, no quarter would be 
 given ; because they had fired red-hot shot, and hau 
 also a preparation sent, as they said, by the conven- 
 tion from Paris, which seems to have been of the na- 
 ture of the Greek fire ; for it became liquid when it 
 was discharged, and water would not extinguish its 
 flames. This combustible was concealed with great 
 care in the captured ships ; like the red-hot shot, it 
 had been found useless in battle. Admiral Hotham's 
 action saved Corsica for the time ; but the victory 
 had been incomplete, and the arrival at Toulon of six 
 sail of the line, two frigates, and two cutters from 
 Brest, gave the French a superiority, which, had 
 they known how to use it, would materially have en- 
 dangered the British Mediterranean fleet. That 
 fleet had been greatly neglected during Lord Chat- 
 ham's administration at the Admiralty ; and it did 
 not, for some time, feel the beneficial effect of his 
 
 * " I can, entre nous," says Sir William Hamilton, in a letter to Nelson 
 perceive that my old friend, Hotham, is not quite awake enonh for 
 such a command as that of the king's fleet in the Mediterranean, al- 
 though he appears the best creature imaginable "
 
 84 LIFE OF NELSON. [1795. 
 
 removal. Lord Hood had gone home to represent 
 the real state of affairs, and solicit reinforcements 
 adequate to the exigencies of the times, and the im- 
 portance of the scene of action. But that fatal 
 error of under-proportioning the force to the service ; 
 that ruinous economy, which, by sparing a little, 
 renders all that is spent useless, infected the British 
 councils ; and Lord Hood, not being able to obtain 
 such reinforcements as he knew were necessary, 
 resigned the command. " Surely," said Nelson, the 
 people at home have forgotten us." Another Nea- 
 politan seventy-four joined Admiral Hotham, and 
 Nelson observed with sorrow, that this was matter 
 of exultation to an English fleet. When the store- 
 ships and victuallers from Gibraltar arrived, their es- 
 cape from the enemy was thought wonderful ; and 
 yet, had they not escaped, " the game," said Nelson, 
 "was up here ! At this moment our operations are 
 at a stand for want of ships to support the Austrians 
 in getting possession of the seacoast of the king of 
 Sardinia; and behold our admiral does not feel 
 himself equal to show himself, much less to give 
 assistance in their operations," It was reported 
 that the French were again out with eighteen or 
 twenty sail. The combined British and Neapolitan 
 were but sixteen ; should the enemy be only eigh- 
 teen, Nelson made no doubt of a complete victory ; 
 but if they were twenty, he said, it was not to be 
 expected; and a battle, without complete victory, 
 would have been destruction, because another mast 
 was not to be got on that side Gibraltar. At length, 
 Admiral Man arrived with a squadron from England. 
 " What they can mean by sending him with only 
 five sail of the line," said Nelson, "is truly astonish- 
 ing : but all men are alike, and we in this country 
 do not find any amendment or alteration from the 
 old board of Admiralty. They should know that 
 half the ships in the fleet require to go to England ; 
 and that long ago they ought to have reinforced us."
 
 1795.] LIFE OF NELSON. 85 
 
 About this time Nelson was made colonel of ma- 
 rines : a mark of approbation which he had long 
 wished-for rather than expected. It came in good 
 season, for his spirits were oppr 3ssed by the thought 
 that his services had not been < .cknowledged as they 
 deserved ; and it abated the resentful feeling which 
 would else have been excited by the answer to an 
 application to the war-office. During his four 
 months' land service in Corsica, he had lost all his 
 ship furniture, owing to the movements of a camp. 
 Upon this he wrote to the secretary at war, briefly 
 stating what his services on shore had been, and 
 gaying, he trusted it was not asking an improper 
 thing to request that the same allowance might be 
 made to him which would be made to a land officer 
 of his rank, which, situated as he was, would be that 
 of a brigadier-general : if this could not be accorded, 
 '.e hoped that his additional expenses would be paid 
 aim. The answer which he received was, that "no 
 pay had ever been issued under the direction of the 
 war-office to officers of the navy, serving with the 
 army on shore." 
 
 He now entered upon a new line of service. The 
 Austrian and Sardinian armies, under General de 
 Vins, required a British squadron to co-operate with 
 them in driving the French from the Riviera di Ge- 
 noa, and as Nelson had been so much in the habit 
 of soldiering, it was immediately fixed that the bri- 
 gadier should go. He sailed from St. Fiorenzo on 
 this destination ; but fell in, off Cape del Mele, with 
 the enemy's fleet, who immediately gave his squad- 
 ron chase. The chase lasted four-and-twenty hours ; 
 and, owing to the fickleness of the wind, the British 
 ships were sometimes hard pressed ; but the want 
 of skill on the part of the French, gave them many 
 advantages. Nelson bent his way back to St. 
 Fiorenzo, where the fleet, which was in the midst 
 of watering and refitting, had, f\ seven hours, the 
 mortification of seeii g him almost in possessirr ^f 
 H
 
 86 LIFE OP NELSON. 
 
 the enemy, before the wind would allow them to 
 put out to his assistance. The French, however, 
 at evening, went off, not choosing to approach 
 nearer the shore. During the night, Admiral 
 Hotham, by great exertions, got under way : and, 
 having sought the enemy four days, came in sight 
 of them on the fifth. Baffling winds, and vexatious 
 calms, so common in the Mediterranean, rendered it 
 impossible to close with them ; only a partial action 
 could be brought on; and then the firing made a 
 perfect calm. The French being to windward, 
 drew in shore ; and the English fleet was becalmed 
 six or seven miles to the westward. L'Alcide, of 
 seventy-four guns, struck ; but before she could be 
 taken possession of, a box of combustibles in her 
 foretop took fire, and the unhappy crew experienced 
 how far more perilous their inventions were to 
 themselves than to their enemies. So rapid was 
 the conflagration, that the French in their official 
 account say, the hull, the masts and sails, all 
 seemed to take fire at the same moment; and 
 though the English boats were put out to the as- 
 sistance of the poor wretches on board, not more 
 than two hundred could be saved. The Agamem- 
 non, and Captain Rowley, in the Cumberland, were 
 just getting into close action a second time, when 
 the admiral called them off, the wind now being di- 
 rectly into the gulf of Frejus, where the enemy 
 anchored after the evening closed. 
 
 Nelson now proceeded to his station with eight 
 sail of frigates under his command. Arriving at 
 Genoa, he had a conference with Mr. Drake, the 
 British envoy to that state ; the result of which was, 
 that the obiect of the British must be, to put an 
 entire stop to all trade between Genoa, France, and 
 the places occupied by the French troops : for, un- 
 less this trade were stopped, it would be scarcely 
 possible for the allied armies to hold their situation, 
 and impossible for them to make any progress in
 
 1795.} LIFE OF NELSON. 87 
 
 driving the enemy out of the Riviera di Genoa. Mr. 
 Drake was of opinion, that even Nice might fall for 
 want of supplies, if the trade with Genoa were cut 
 off. This sort of blockade Nelson could not carry 
 on without great risk to himself. A captain in the 
 navy, as he represented to the envoy, is liable to 
 prosecution for detention and damages. This dan- 
 ger was increased by an order which had then 
 lately been issued ; by which, when a neutral ship 
 was detained, a complete specification of her cargo 
 was directed to be sent to the secretary of the Ad- 
 miralty, and no legal process instituted against her 
 till the pleasure of that board should be communi- 
 cated. This was requiring an impossibility. The 
 cargoes of ships detained upon this station, consist- 
 ing chiefly of corn, would be spoiled long before 
 the orders of the Admiralty could be known ; and 
 then, if they should happen to release the vessel, 
 the owners would look to the captain for damages. 
 Even the only precaution which could be taken 
 against this danger, involved another danger not 
 less to be apprehended : for, if the captain should 
 direct the cargo to be taken out, the freight paid for, 
 and the vessel released, the agent employed might 
 prove fraudulent, and become bankrupt ; and in that 
 case the captain became responsible. Such things 
 had happened: Nelson therefore required, as the 
 only means for carrying on that service, which was 
 judged essential to the common cause, without ex- 
 posing the officers to ruin, that the British envoy 
 should appoint agents to pay the freight, release the 
 vessels, sell the cargo, and hold the amount till pro- 
 cess was had upon it : government thus securing its 
 officers. " I am acting," said Nelson, " not only 
 without the orders of my commander-in-chief, but, 
 in some measure, contrary to him. 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
 
 88 LIFE OP NELSON. [1795. 
 
 of our king and country. Political courage, in an 
 officer abroad, is as highly necessary as military 
 courage." 
 
 This quality, which is as much rarer than military 
 courage, as it is more valuable, and without which 
 the soldier's bravery is often of little avail, Nelson 
 possessed in an eminent.degree. His representa- 
 tions were attended to as they deserved. Admiral 
 Hotham commended him for what he had done; 
 and the attention of government was awakened to 
 the injury which the cause of the allies continually 
 suffered from the frauds of neutral vessels. " What 
 changes in my life of activity !" said this indefati- 
 gable man. " Here I am ; having commenced a 
 co-operation with an old Austrian general, almost 
 fancying myself charging at the head of a troop of 
 horse ! I do not write less than from ten to twenty 
 letters every day ; which, with the Austrian general 
 and aids-de-camp, and my own little squadron, 
 fully employ my time. This I like ; active service, 
 or none." It was Nelson's mind which supported 
 his feeble body through these exertions. He was 
 at this time almost blind, and wrote with very great 
 pain. " Poor Agamemnon," he sometimes said, 
 " was as nearly worn out as her captain : and both 
 must soon be laid up to repair." 
 
 When Nelson first saw General de Vins, he 
 thought him an able man, who was willing to act 
 with vigour. The general charged his inactivity 
 upon the Piedmontese and Neapolitans, whom, he 
 said, nothing could induce to x act; and he concerted 
 a plan with Nelson, for embarking a part of the 
 Austrian army, and landing it in the rear of the 
 French. But ^he English, commodore soon began 
 to suspect thai the Austrian general was little dis- 
 posed to any active operations. In the hope of 
 spurring him on, he wr,ote to him, telling him that 
 he had surveyed the coast to the westward as far 
 as Nice, and would undertake to embark four or
 
 1795.] LIFE OF NELSON. 89 
 
 five thousand men, with their arms and a few days' 
 provisions, on board the squadron, and land them 
 within two miles of St. Remo, with their field-pieces. 
 Respecting farther provisic ns for the Austrian army, 
 he would provide convoys, that they should arrive 
 in safety ; and, if a re-embarkation should be found 
 necessary, he would cover it with the squadron. 
 The possession of St. Remo, as head-quarters for 
 magazines of every kind, would enable the Austrian 
 general to turn his army to the eastward or west- 
 ward. The enemy at Oneglia would be cut off 
 from provisions, and men could be landed to attack 
 that place whenever it was judged necessary. St. 
 Remo was the only place between Vado and Ville 
 Tranche, where the squadron could lie in safety, 
 and anchor in almost all winds. The bay was not 
 as good as Vado for large ships ; but it had a mole, 
 which Vado had not, where all small vessels coula 
 lie, and load and unload their cargoes. This bay 
 being in possession of the allied, Nice could be com- 
 pletely blockaded by sea. General de Vins, affect- 
 ing, in his reply, to consider that Nelson's proposal 
 had no other end than that of obtaining the bay oi 
 St. Remo as a station for the ships, told him 
 what he well knew, and had expressed before, that 
 Vado bay was a better anchorage ; nevertheless, il 
 Monsieur le Commandant Nelson was well assured 
 that part of the fleet could winter there, there was 
 no risk to which he would not expose himself with 
 pleasure, for the sake of procuring a safe station for 
 the vessels of his Britannic majesty. Nelson soon 
 assured the Austrian commander,'vthat this was not 
 the object of his memorial. He *no,w began to sus- 
 pect that both the Austrian court and their general 
 had other ends in view than the cause of the allies. 
 " This army," said he, " is slow beyond all descrip> 
 tion; and I begin to think that the emperor is 
 anxious to touch another four millions of English 
 money. As for the German generals, war is their 
 H2
 
 90 LIFE OF KELSON. [1795. 
 
 trade, and peace is ruin to them; therefore, we 
 cannot expect that they should have any wish 
 to finish the war. The politics of courts are so 
 mean, that private people would be ashamed to act 
 in the same way; all is trick and finesse, to which 
 the common cause is sacrificed. The general wants 
 a loophole ; it has for some time appeared to me, 
 that he means to go no farther than his present, 
 position, and to lay the miscarriage of the enterprise 
 against Nice, which has always been held out as 
 the great object of his army, to the non-co-operation 
 of the British fleet, and of the Sardinians." 
 
 To prevent this plea, Nelson again addressed de 
 Vins, requesting only to know the time, and the 
 number of troops ready to embark ; then he would, 
 he said, despatch a ship to Admiral Hotham, re- 
 questing transports, having no doubt of obtaining 
 them, and trusting that the plan would be successful 
 to its fullest extent. Nelson thought at the time, 
 that if the whole fleet were offered him for trans- 
 ports, he would find some other excuse ; and Mr. 
 I)rake, who was now appointed to reside at the 
 Austrian head-quarters, entertained the same idea 
 of the general's sincerity. It was not, however, 
 put so clearly to the proof as it ought to have been. 
 He replied, that as soon as Nelson could declare 
 himself ready with the vessels necessary for con- 
 veying ten thousand men, with their artillery and 
 baggage, he would put the army in motion. But 
 Nelson was not enabled to do this : Admiral Ho- 
 tham, who was highly meritorious in leaving such a 
 man so much at his own discretion, pursued a cau- 
 tious system, ill according with the bold and com- 
 prehensive views of Nelson, who continually regretted 
 Lord Hood, saying, that the nation had suffered 
 much by his resignation of the Mediterranean com- 
 mand. The plan which had been concerted, he 
 said, would astonish the French, and perhaps the 
 English.
 
 1795.] LIFE OP NELSON. 91 
 
 There was no unity in the views of the allied powers, 
 no cordiality in their co-operation, no energy in their 
 councils. The neutral powers assisted France more 
 effectually than the allies assisted each other. The 
 Genoese ports were at this time filled with French 
 privateers, which swarmed out every night, and 
 covered the gulf; and French vessels were allowed 
 to tow out of the port of Genoa itself, board vessels 
 which were coming in, and then return into the 
 mole. This was allowed without a remonstrance ; 
 while, though Nelson abstained most carefully from 
 offering any offence to the Genoese territory or flag, 
 complaints were so repeatedly made against his 
 squadron, that, he says, it seemed a trial who should 
 be tired first ; they of complaining, or he of an- 
 swering their complaints. But the question of 
 neutrality was soon at an end. An Austrian com- 
 missary was travelling from Genoa towards Vado ; 
 it was known that he was to sleep at Voltri, and 
 that he had 10,000 with him ; a booty which the 
 French minister in that city, and the captain of a 
 French frigate in that port considered as far more 
 important than the word of honour of the one, the 
 duties of the other, and the laws of neutrality. The 
 boats of the frigate went out with some privateers, 
 landed, robbed the commissary, and brought back 
 the money to Genoa. The next day men were pub- 
 licly enlisted in that city for the French army: 
 seven hundred men were embarked, with seven 
 thousand stand of arms, on board the frigates and 
 other vessels, who were to land between Voltri and* 
 Savona : there a detachment from the French army 
 was to join them, and the Genoese peasantry were 
 to be invited to insurrection, a measure for which 
 every thing had been prepared. The night of the 
 loth was fixed for the sailing of this expedition : 
 the Austrians called loudly for Nelson to prevent it ; 
 and he, on the evening of the 13th, arrived at 
 Genoa. His presence checked the plan : the frigate,
 
 92 LIFE OF NELSON. [1796 
 
 knowing her deserts, got within the merchant-ships, 
 in the inner mole ; and the Genoese government 
 did not now even demand of Nelson respect to the 
 neutral port, knowing that they had allowed, if not 
 connived at, a flagrant breach <rf neurality, and 
 expecting the answer which he was prepared to re- 
 turn, that it was useless and impossible for him to 
 respect it longer. 
 
 But though this movement produced the imme- 
 diate effect which was designed, it led'to ill conse- 
 quences, which Nelson foresaw, but, for want of 
 sufficient force, was unable to prevent. His squad- 
 ron was too small for the service which it had to 
 perform. He required two seventy-fours, and eight 
 or ten frigates and sloops ; but when he demanded 
 this reinforcement, Admiral Hotham had left the 
 command ; Sir Hyde Parker succeeded till the new 
 commander should arrive ; and he immediately re- 
 duced it almost to nothing, leaving him only one 
 frigate and a brig. This was a fatal error. While 
 the Austrian and Sardinian troops, whether from the 
 imbecility or the treachery of their leaders, remained 
 inactive, the French were preparing for the invasion 
 of Italy. Not many days before Nelson was thus 
 summoned to Genoa, he chased a large convoy into 
 Alassio. Twelve vessels he had formerly destroyed 
 in that port, though two thousand French troops 
 occupied the town: this former attack had made them 
 take new measures of defence ; and there were now 
 above one hundred sail of victuallers, gun-boats, 
 and ships of war. Nelson represented to the admi- 
 ral how important it was to destroy these vessels ; 
 and offered, with his squadron of frigates, and the 
 Culloden and Courageaux, to lead himself in the 
 Agamemnon, and take or destroy the whole. The 
 attempt was not permitted : but it was Nelson's be- 
 lief, that, if it had been made, it would have pre- 
 vented the attack upon the Austrian army which 
 took place almost immediately afterward.
 
 1795.] LIFE OP NELSON. 93 
 
 General de Vins demanded satisfaction of the 
 Genoese government for the seizure of his commis- 
 sary ; and then, without waiting for their reply ? 
 took possession of some empty magazines of the 
 French, and pushed his sentinels to the very gates( 
 of Genoa. Had he done so at first, he would have 
 found the magazines full ; but, timed as the mea- 
 sure was, and useless as it was to the cause of the 
 allies, it was in character with the whole of the 
 Austrian general's conduct: and it is no small 
 proof of the dexterity with which he served the 
 enemy, that in such circumstances he could so act 
 with Genoa, as to contrive to put himself in the 
 wrong. Nelson was at this time, according to his 
 own expression, placed in a cleft stick. Mr. Drake, 
 the Austrian minister, and the Austrian general, all 
 joined in requiring him not to leave Genoa : if he 
 left that port unguarded, they said, not only the im- 
 perial troops at St. Pier d'Arena and Voltri would 
 be lost, but the French plan for taking post between 
 Voltri and Savona would certainly succeed : if the 
 Austrians should be worsted in the advanced posts, 
 the retreat by the Bocchetta would be cut off; and, 
 if this happened, the loss of the army would be 
 imputed to him, for having left Genoa. On the 
 other hand, he knew, that if he were not at Pietra, 
 the enemy's gunboats would harass the left flank 
 of the Austrians, who, if they were defeated, as 
 was to be expected, from the spirit of all their ope- 
 rations, would, very probably, lay their defeat to 
 the want of assistance from the Agamemnon. Had 
 the force for which Nelson applied been given him, 
 he could have attended to both objects : and had he 
 been permitted to attack the convoy in Alassio, he 
 would have disconcerted the plans of the French, 
 in spite of the Austrian general. He had foreseen 
 the danger, and pointed out how it might be pre- 
 vented ; but the means of preventing it were with- 
 held. The attack was made, as he foresaw ; and
 
 94 LIFE OF NELSON. [1795 
 
 the gunboats brought their fire to bear upon the 
 Austrians. It so happened, however, that the left 
 flank, which was exposed to them, was the only part 
 of the army that behaved well ; this division stood 
 its ground till the centre and right wing fled, and 
 then retreated in a soldier-like manner. General de 
 Vins gave up the command in the middle of the bat- 
 tle, pleading ill health. " From that moment," says 
 Nelson, " not a soldier staid at his post : it was the 
 devil take the hindmost. Many thousands ran 
 away who had never seen the enemy; some of them 
 thirty miles from the advanced posts. Had I not, 
 though, I own, against my inclination, been kept at 
 Genoa, from eight to ten thousand men would have 
 been taken prisoners, and among the number Gene- 
 ral de Vins himself : but, by this means, the pass 
 of the Bocchetta was kept open. The purser of the 
 ship, who was at Vado, ran with the Austrians 
 eighteen miles without, stopping ; the men without 
 arms, officers without soldiers, women without as- 
 sistance. The oldest officer, say they, never heard 
 of so complete a defeat, and certainly without any 
 reason. Thus has ended my campaign. We have 
 established the French republic ; which, but for us, 
 I verily believe, would never have been settled by 
 such a volatile, changeable people. I hate a French- 
 man : they are equally objecis of my detestation, 
 whether royalists or republicans : in some points, I 
 believe, the latter are the best." Nelson had a lieu- 
 tenant and two midshipmen taken at Vado : they 
 told him, in their letter, that few of the French sol- 
 diers were more than three or four-and-twenty years 
 old, a great many not more than fourteen, and all 
 were nearly naked : they were sure, they said, his 
 barge's crew could have beat a hundred of them ; 
 and that, had he himself seen them, he would not 
 have thought, if the world had been covered with 
 such people, that they could have beaten the Aus- 
 trian army.
 
 1796.] LIFE OF NELSON. 96 
 
 The defeat of General de Vins gave the enemy 
 possession of the Genoese coast from Savona to 
 Voltri ; and it deprived the Austrians of their direct 
 communication with the English fleet. The Aga- 
 memnon, therefore, could no longer be useful on 
 this station, and Nelson sailed for Leghorn to refit. 
 When his ship went into dock, there was not a mast, 
 yard, sail, or any part of the rigging, but what stood 
 in need of repair, having been cut to pieces with 
 shot. The hull was so damaged, that it had for 
 some time been secured by cables, which were 
 served or thrapped round it. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Sir J. Jervis takes the Command Genoa joins the French Buonaparte 
 begins his Cartel Evacuation of Corsica Nelson hoists his broad 
 Pennant in thr. JWtnerne jlction with the Sabina Battle off Cape 
 St. Fincent JVe/.*oK commands the inner Squadron at the Blockade 
 of Cadiz Boat Jlction in the Bay of Cadiz Expedition against 
 Teneriffe Nelson loses an Arm His Sufferings in England, and 
 Recovery. 
 
 SIR JOHN JERVIS had now arrived to take the com- 
 mand of the Mediterranean fleet. The Agamemnon 
 having, as her captain said, been made as fit for sea 
 as a rotten ship could be. Nelson sailed from Leg- 
 horn, and joined the admiral in Fiorenzo Bay. " I 
 found him," said he, " anxious to know many things, 
 which I was a good deal surprised to find had not 
 been communicated to him by others in the fleet; 
 and it would appear that he was so well satisfied 
 with my opinion of what is likely to happen, and 
 the means of prevention to be taken, that he had 
 no reserve with me respecting his information and 
 idea's of what is likely to be done." The manner 
 in which Nelson was received is said to have excited
 
 96 LIFE OF NELSON [1796. 
 
 some envy. One captain observed to him : " You 
 did just as you pleased in Lord Hood's time, the 
 same in Admiral Hotham's, and now again with Sir 
 John Jervis : it makes no difference to you who is 
 commander-in-chief." A higher compliment could 
 not have been paid to any commander-in-chief, than 
 to say of him, that he understood the merits of 
 Nelson, and left him, as far as possible, to act upon 
 his own judgment. 
 
 Sir John Jervis offered him the St. George, ninety, 
 or the Zealous, seventy-four, and asked if he should 
 have any objection to serve under him with his flag. 
 He replied, that if the Agamemnon were ordered 
 home, and his flag were not arrived, he should, on 
 many accounts, wish to return to England : still, if 
 the war continued, he should be very proud of 
 hoisting his flag under Sir John's command. "We 
 cannot spare you," said Sir John, " either as captain 
 or admiral." Accordingly, he resumed his station 
 in the Gulf of Genoa. The French had not fol- 
 lowed up their successes in that quarter with their 
 usual celerity. Scherer, who commanded there, 
 owed his advancement to any other cause than his 
 merit: he was a favourite of the directory; but, for 
 the present, through the influence of Barras, he 
 was removed from a command for which his inca- 
 pacity was afterward clearly proved, and Buona- 
 parte was appointed to succeed him. Buonaparte 
 had given indications of his military talents at Tou- 
 lon, and of his remorseless nature at Paris : but 
 the extent, either of his ability or his wickedness, 
 was at this time known to none ; and, perhaps, not 
 even suspected by himself. 
 
 Nelson supposed, from the information which he 
 had obtained, that one column of the French army 
 would take possession of Port Especia; eithei 
 penetrating through the Genoese territory, or pro- 
 ceeding coastwise in light vessels; our ships of 
 war not being able to approach the coast, because
 
 7796.] IIFE OF NELSON. 97 
 
 of the shallowness of the water. To prevent this, 
 he said, two things were necessary ; the possession 
 of Vado Bay, and the taking of Port Especia ; if 
 either of these points were secured, Italy would 
 be safe from any attack of the French 'by sea. 
 General Beaulieu, who had now superseded de Vins 
 in the command of the allied Austrian and Sardinian 
 army, sent his nephew and aid-de-camp to com- 
 municate with Nelson, and inquire whether he could 
 anchor in any other place than Vado Bay. Nelson 
 replied, that Vado was the only place where the 
 British fleet could lie in safety : but all places would 
 suit his squadron ; and wherever the general came 
 down to the seacoast, there he should find it. The 
 Austrian repeatedly asked, if there was not a risk 
 of losing the squadron ] and was constantly an- 
 swered, that if these ships should be lost, the admi- 
 ral would find others. But all plans of co-operation 
 with the Austrians were soon frustrated by the battle 
 of Montenotte. Beaulieu ordered an attack to be 
 made upon the post of Voltri ; it was made twelve 
 hours before the time which he had fixed, and before 
 he arrived to direct it. In consequence, the French 
 were enabled to effect their retreat, and fall back to 
 Montenotte ; thus giving the troops there a decisive 
 superiority in number over the division which at- 
 tacked them. This drew on the defeat of the Aus- 
 trians. Buonaparte, with a celerity which had 
 never before been witnessed in modern wai, pur- 
 sued his advantages; and, in the course of a fort- 
 night, dictated to the court of Turin terms of peace, 
 or rather of submission ; by which all the strongest 
 places of Piedmont were put into his hands. 
 
 On one occasion, and only on one, Nelson was 
 able to impede the progress of this new conqueror. 
 Six vessels, laden with cannon and ordnance-stores 
 for the siege of Mantua, sailed from Toulon for 
 St. Pier d' Arena. Assisted by Capt. Cockburn, in 
 the Meleager, he drove them under a battery, pur-
 
 98 MFE OF NELSON. [1796. 
 
 sued them, silenced the batteries, and captured the 
 whole. Military books, plans, and maps of Italy, 
 with the different points marked upon them where 
 former battles had been fought, sent by the directory 
 for Buonaparte's use, were found in the convoy. 
 The loss of this artillery was one of the chief 
 causes which compelled the French to raise the 
 siege of Mantua : but there was too much treachery, 
 and too much imbecility, both in the councils and 
 armies of the allied powers, for Austria to improve 
 this momentary success. Buonaparte perceived 
 that the conquest of all Italy was within his reach : 
 treaties, and the rights of neutral or of friendly 
 powers, were as little regarded by him as by the 
 government for which he acted : in open contempt 
 of both he entered Tuscany, and took possession of 
 Leghorn. In consequence of this movement, Nel- 
 son blockaded that port, and landed a British force 
 in the Isle of Elba, to secure Porto Ferrajo. Soon 
 afterward he took the island of Capraja, which had 
 formerly belonged to Corsica, being less than forty 
 miles distant from it; a distance, however, short as 
 it was, which enabled the Genoese to retain it, after 
 their infamous sale of Corsica to France. Genoa 
 had now taken part with France : its government 
 had long covertly assisted the French, and now wil- 
 lingly yielded to the first compulsory menace which 
 required them to exclude the English from their 
 ports. Capraja was seized, in consequence : but 
 this act of vigour was not followed up as it ought 
 to have been. England at that time depended too 
 much upon the feeble governments of the continent, 
 and too little upon itself. It was determined by the 
 British cabinet to evacuate Corsica, as soon as 
 Spain should form an offensive alliance with France. 
 This event, which, from the moment that Spain 
 had been compelled to make peace, was clearly 
 foreseen, had now taken place ; and orders for the 
 evacuation of the island were immediately sent out.
 
 1796.] LIFE OP KELSON. 99 
 
 It was impolitic to annex this island to the British 
 dominions ; but having done so, it was disgraceful 
 thus to abandon it. The disgrace would have been 
 spared, and every advantage which could have been 
 derived from the possession of the island secured, 
 if the people had at first been left to form a govern- 
 ment for themselves, and protected by us in the en- 
 joyment of their independence. 
 
 The viceroy, Sir Gilbert Elliott, deeply felt the 
 impolicy and ignominy of this evacuation. The 
 fleet also was ordered to leave the Mediterranean. 
 This resolution was so contrary to the last instruc- 
 tions which had been received, that Nelson ex- 
 claimed: "Do his majesty's ministers know their 
 own minds ? They at home," said he, " do not know 
 what this fleet is capable of performing any thing 
 and every thing. Much as I shall rejoice to see 
 England, I lament our present orders in sackcloth 
 and ashes, so dishonourable to the dignity of Eng- 
 land, whose fleets are equal to meet the world in 
 arms : and of all the fleets I ever saw, I never be- 
 held one, in point of officers and men, equal to Sii 
 John Jervis's, who is a commander-in-chief able to 
 lead them to glory." Sir Gilbert Elliott believed 
 that the great body of the Corsicans were perfectly 
 satisfied, as they had good reason to be, with the 
 British government, sensible of its advantages, and 
 attached to it. However this may have been, when 
 they found that the English intended to evacuate 
 the island, they naturally and necessarily sent to 
 make their peace with the French. The partisans 
 of France found none to oppose them. A commit- 
 tee of thirty took upon them the government of 
 Bastia, and sequestered all the British property: 
 armed Corsicans mounted guard at every place, and 
 a plan was laid for seizing the viceroy. Nelson, 
 who was appointed to superintend the evacuation, 
 frustrated these projects. At a time when every 
 one else despaired of saving stores, cannon, provi-
 
 100 LIFE OP NELSON. [1796. 
 
 sions, or property of any kind, and a privateer was 
 moored across the mole-head to prevent all boats 
 from passing, he sent word to the committee, that 
 if the slightest opposition were made to the em- 
 barkment and removal of British property, he would 
 batter the town down. The privateer pointed her 
 guns at the officer who carried this message, and 
 muskets were levelled against his boats from the 
 mole-head. Upon this, Captain Sutton, of the Eg- 
 mont, pulling out his watch, gave them a quarter of 
 an hour to deliberate upon their answer. In five 
 minutes after the expiration of that time, the ships, 
 he said, would open their fire. Upon this the very 
 sentinels scampered off, and every vessel came out 
 of the mole. A ship-owner complained to the com- 
 modore, that the municipality refused to let him take 
 his goods out of the custom-house. Nelson di- 
 rected him to say, that unless they were instantly 
 delivered, he would open his fire. The committee 
 turned pale ; and, without answering a word, gave 
 him the keys. Their last attempt was to levy a 
 duty upon the things that were re-embarked. 'He 
 sent them word, that he would pay them a dis- 
 agreeable visit, if there were any more complaints. 
 The committee then finding that they had to deal 
 with a man who knew his own power, and was de- 
 termined to make the British name respected, 
 desisted from the insolent conduct which they had 
 assumed: and it was acknowledged, that Bastia 
 never had been so quiet and orderly since the Eng 
 lish were in possession of it. This was on the 14th 
 of October: during the five following days the 
 work of embarkation was carried on, the private 
 property was saved, and public stores to the amount 
 of 200,000. The French, favoured by the Spa- 
 nish fleet, which was at that time within twelve 
 leagues of Bastia, pushed over troops from Leg- 
 horn, who landed near Cape Corse on the 18th ; and, 
 on the 20th, at one in the morning, entered the
 
 1796.] LIFE OF NELSON. 101 
 
 citadel, an hour only after the British had spiked 
 Aie guns, and evacuated it. Nelson embarked at 
 daybreak, being the last person who left the shore ; 
 having thus, as he said, seen the first and the last 
 of Corsica. Provoked at the conduct of the muni- 
 cipality, and the disposition which the populace had 
 shown to profit by the confusion, he turned towards 
 the shore, as he stepped into his boat, and ex- 
 claimed : " Now, John Corse, follow the natural 
 bent of your detestable character plunder and 
 revenge." This, however, was not Nelson's deli- 
 berate opinion of the people of Corsica; he knew 
 that their vices were the natural consequences of 
 internal anarchy and foreign oppression, such as the 
 same causes would produce in any people : and 
 when he saw, that of all those who took leave of 
 the viceroy, there was not one who parted from him 
 without tears,he acknowledged, that theymanifestly 
 acted not from dislike of the English, but from fear 
 of the French. England then might, with more 
 reason, reproach her own rulers for pusillanimity, 
 than the Corsicans for ingratitude. 
 
 Having thus ably effected this humiliating ser- 
 vice, Nelson was ordered to hoist his broad pennant 
 on board the Minerve frigate, Captain George Cock- 
 burn, and, with the Blanche under his command, 
 proceed to Porto Ferrajo, and superintend the eva- 
 cuatioiM>f that place also. On his way, he fell in 
 with two Spanish frigates, the Sabina and the Ceres. 
 The Minerve engaged the former, which was com- 
 manded by D. Jacobo Stuart, a descendant of the 
 Duke of Berwick. After an action of three hours, 
 during which the Spaniards lost one hundred and 
 sixty-four men, the Sabina struck. The Spanish 
 captain, who was the only surviving officer, had 
 hardly been conveyed on board the Minerve, when 
 another enemy's frigate came up, compelled her to 
 cast off the prize, and brought her a second time to 
 action. After half an hour's trial of strength, this 
 19
 
 102 LIFE OP NELSON. [1796. 
 
 new antagonist wore and hauled off: but a Spanish 
 squadron of two ships of the line and two frigates 
 came in sight. The Blanche, from which the Ceres 
 had got off, was far to windward, and the Minerve 
 escaped only by the anxiety of the enemy to recover 
 their own ship. As soon as Nelson reached Porto 
 Ferrajo, he sent his prisoner in a flag of truce to 
 Carthagena, having returned him his sword; this 
 he did in honour of the gallantry which D, Jacobo 
 had displayed, and not without some feeling of re- 
 spect for his ancestry. " I felt it," said he, " con- 
 sonant to the dignity of my country, and I always 
 act as I feel right, without regard to custom : he 
 was reputed the best officer in Spain, and his men 
 were worthy of such a commander." By the same 
 flag of truce he sent back all the Spanish prisoners 
 at Porto Ferrajo ; in exchange for whom he re- 
 ceived his own men who had been taken in the 
 prize. 
 
 General de Burgh, who commanded at the Isle 
 of Elba, did not think himself authorized to aban- 
 don the place, till he had received specific instruc- 
 tions from England to that effect; professing that 
 he was unable to decide between the contradictory 
 orders of government, or to guess at what their pre- 
 sent intentions might be : but he said, his only mo- 
 tive for urging delay in this measure arose from a 
 desire that his owji condrfct might be properly 
 sanctioned, not from any opinion that Porto Ferrajo 
 ought to be retained. But Naples having made 
 peace, Sir J. Jervis considered his business with 
 Italy as concluded ; and the protection of Portugal 
 was the point to which he was now instructed to 
 attend. Nelson, therefore, whose orders were per- 
 fectly clear and explicit, withdrew the whole naval 
 establishment from that station, leaving the trans- 
 ports victualled, and so arranged, that all the troops 
 and stores could be embarked in three days". He 
 was now about to leave the Mediterranea'n. Mr.
 
 1797.] LIFE OF NELSON. 103 
 
 Drake, who had been our minister at Genoa, ex- 
 pressed to him, on this occasion, the very high opi- 
 nion which the allies entertained of his conspicuous 
 merit ; adding, that, it was impossible for any one, 
 who had the honour of co-operating with him, not 
 to admire the activity, talents, and zeal which he had 
 so eminently and constantly displayed. In fact, 
 during this long course of services in the Mediter- 
 ranean, the whole of his conduct had exhibited the 
 same zeal, the same indefatigable energy, the same 
 intuitive judgment, the same prompt and unerring 
 decision, which characterized his after-career of 
 glory. His name was as yet hardly known to the 
 English public; but it was feared and respected 
 throughout Italy. A letter came to him, directed 
 ' Horatio Nelson, Genoa:" and the writer, when he 
 was asked how he could direct it so vaguely, re- 
 plied, " Sir, there is but one Horatio Nelson in the 
 world." At Genoa, in particular, where he had so 
 long been stationed, and where the nature of his 
 duty first led him to continual disputes with the go- 
 vernment, and afterward compelled him to stop the 
 trade of the port, he was equally respected by the 
 doge and by the people : for, while he maintained 
 the rights and interests of Great Britain with be- 
 comin- firmness, he tempered the exercise of power 
 with courtesy and humanity, wherever duty would 
 permit. " Had all my actions," said he, writing at 
 this time to his wife, " been gazetted, not one fort- 
 night would have passed, during the whole war, 
 without a letter from me.. One day or other I will 
 have a long gazette to myself. I feel that such an 
 opportunity will be given me. I cannot, if I am in 
 the field of gjory, be kept out of sight : wherever 
 there is any .thing to be done, there Providence is 
 sure to direct my steps." 
 
 These hopes and anticipations were soon to be 
 fulfilled. Nelsonjs mind had long been irritated 
 and depressed by the fear that a general action
 
 104 LIFE OF NELSON. [1797. 
 
 would take place before he could join the fleet. At 
 length he sailed from Porto Ferrajo with a convoy 
 for Gibraltar; and having reached that place, pro- 
 ceeded to the westward in search of the admiral. 
 Off the mouth of the Straits he fell in with the Spa- 
 nish fleet ; and, on the 13th of February, reaching 
 the station off Cape St. Vincent's, communicated this 
 intelligence to Sir John Jervis. He was now di- 
 rected to shift his broad pennant on board the Cap- 
 tain, seventy-four, Captain R. AV. Miller; and, be- 
 fore sunset, the signal was made to prepare for ac- 
 tion, and to keep, during the night, in close order 
 At daybreak the enemy were in sight. The British 
 force consisted of two ships of one hundred guns, 
 two of ninety-eight, two of ninety, eight of seventy- 
 four, and one sixty-four : fifteen of the line in all ; 
 with four frigates, a sloop, and a cutter. The Spa- 
 niards had one four-decker, of one hundred and 
 thirty-six guns; six three-deckers, of one hundred 
 and twelve ; two eighty-fours ; eighteen seventy- 
 fours ; in all, twenty-seven ships of the line, with 
 ten frigates and a brig. Their admiral, D. Joseph 
 de Cordova, had learned from an American, on the 
 5th, that the English had only nine ships, which was 
 indeed the case when his informer had seen them ; 
 for a reinforcement of five ships from England, 
 under Admiral Parker, had not then joined, and the 
 Culloden had parted company. Upon this informa- 
 tion, the Spanish commander, instead of going into 
 Cadiz, as was his intention when he sailed from 
 Carthagena, determined to seek an enemy so infe- 
 rior in force; and relying, with fatal confidence, 
 upon the American account, he suffered his ships to 
 remain too far dispersed, and in some disorder. 
 When the morning of the 14th broke, and discovered 
 the English fleet, a fog for some time concealed 
 their number. That fleet had heard their signal guns 
 during the night, the weather being fine, though 
 thick and hazy ; soon after daylight they were seen
 
 1797.] LIFE OK NELSON. 105 
 
 very much scattered, while the British ships were 
 in a compact little body. The look-out ship of the 
 Spaniards fancying that her signal was disregarded, 
 because so little notice seemed to be taken of it, 
 made another signal, that the English force con- 
 sisted of forty sail of the line. The captain after- 
 ward said, he did this to rouse the admiral : it had 
 the effect of perplexing him, and alarming the whole 
 fleet. The absurdity of such an act shows what 
 was the state of the Spanish navy under that mise- 
 rable government, by which Spain was so long 
 oppressed and degraded, and finally betrayed. In 
 reality, the general incapacity of the naval officers 
 was so well known, that in a pasquinade, which 
 about this time appeared at Madrid, wherein the dif- 
 ferent orders of the state were advertised for sale, 
 the greater part of the sea-officers, with all their ... 
 equipments, were offered as a gift ; and it was added, 
 that any person who would please to take them, 
 should receive a handsome gratuity. When the 
 probability that Spain would take part in the war, 
 as an ally of France, was first contemplated, Nel- 
 son said that their fleet, if it were no better than 
 when it acted in alliance with us, would " soon be 
 done for." 
 
 Before the enemy could form a regular order of 
 battle, Sir J. Jervis, by carrying a press of sail, 
 came up with them, passed through their fleet, then 
 tacked, and thus cut off nine of their ships from the 
 main body. These ships attempted to form on 
 the larboard tack, either with a design of passing 
 through the British line, or to leeward of it, and 
 thus rejoining their friends. Only one of them 
 succeeded in this attempt ; and that only because 
 she was so covered with smoke that her intention 
 was not discovered till she had reached the rear : 
 the others were so warmly received, that they put 
 about, took to flight, and did not appear again in the 
 action till its close. The admiral was now able to
 
 06 LIFE OP NELSON. [1797. 
 
 direct his attention to the enemy's main hody, which 
 was still superior in number to his whole flee', and 
 more so in weight of metal. He made signal to 
 tack in succession. Nelson, whose station was in 
 the rear of the British line, perceived that the Spa- 
 niards were bearing up before the wind, with an in- 
 tention of forming their line, going large, and join- 
 ing their separated ships ; or else, of getting off 
 without an engagement. To prevent either of these 
 schemes, he disobeyed the signal without a mo- 
 ment's hesitation, and ordered his ship to be wore. 
 This at once brought him into action with the San- 
 tissima Trinidad, one hundred and thirty-six, the 
 San Joseph, one hundred and twelve, the Salvador 
 del Mundo, one hundred and twelve, the St. Nicolas, 
 eighty, the San Isidro, seventy-four, another seven- 
 ty-four, and another first-rate. Trowbridge, in the 
 Culloden, immediately joined, and most nobly sup- 
 ported him ; and for nearly an hour did the Culloden 
 and Captain maintain what Nelson called " this ap- 
 parently, but not really, unequal contest;" such 
 was the advantage of skill and discipline, and the 
 confidence which brave men derive from them. 
 The Blenheim then passing between them and the 
 enemy, gave them a respite, and poured in her fire 
 upon the Spaniards. The Salvador del Mundo and 
 S. Isidro dropped astern, and were fired into, in a 
 masterly style, by the Excellent, Capt. Collingwood. 
 The S. Isidro struck ; and Nelson thought that the 
 Salvador struck also ; " but Collingwood," says he, 
 "disdaining the parade of taking possession of 
 beaten enemies, most gallantly pushed up, with 
 every sail set, to save his old friend and messmate, 
 who was, to appearance, in a critical situation;" 
 for the Captain was at this time actually fired upon 
 by three first-rates, by the S. Nicolas, and by a 
 seventy-four within about pistol-shot of that vessel. 
 The Blenheim was ahead, the Culloden crippled 
 and astern. Collingwood ranged up, and hauling
 
 1797.] LIFE OP NELSON. 107 
 
 4P 
 
 wp his mainsail just astern, passed within ten feet 
 of the S. Nicolas, giving her a most tremendous 
 fire, then passed on for the Santissima Trinidad. 
 The S. Nicolas luffing up, the S. Josepkjfell on 
 board her, and Nelson resumed his station abreast 
 of them, and close along-side. The Captain was 
 now incapable of farther service, either in the line or 
 in chase : she had lost her fore-topmast ; not a sail, 
 shroud, or rope was left, and her wheel was shot 
 away. Nelson, therefore, directed Capt. Miller to 
 put the helm a-starboard, and, calling for the board- 
 ers, ordered them to board. 
 
 Capt. Berry, who had lately been Nelson's first 
 
 lieutenant, was the first man who leaped into the 
 
 enemy's mizen-chains. Miller, when in the very 
 
 act of going, was ordered by Nelson to remain. 
 
 Berry was supported from the spritsail-yard, which 
 
 locked in the S. Nicolas's main rigging. A soldier 
 
 of the sixty-ninth broke the upper quarter-gallery 
 
 window, and jumped in, followed by the commodore 
 
 himself, and by others as fast as possible. The 
 
 cabin doors were fastened, and the Spanish officers 
 
 fired their pistols at them through the window : the 
 
 doors were soon forced, and the Spanish brigadier 
 
 fell while retreating to the quarter-deck. Nelson 
 
 pushed on, and found Berry in possession of the 
 
 poop, and the Spanish ensign hauling down. He 
 
 passed on to the forecastle, where he met two or 
 
 three Spanish officers, and received their swords. 
 
 The English were now in full possession of every 
 
 part of the ship ; and a fire of pistols and musketry 
 
 opened upon them from the admiral's stern gallery 
 
 of the San Joseph. Nelson, having placed sentinels 
 
 at the different ladders, and ordered Capt. Miller to 
 
 send more men into the prize, gave orders for 
 
 boarding that ship from the San Nicolas. It was 
 
 done in an instant, he himself leading the way, and 
 
 exclaiming " Westminster Abbey or victory !" 
 
 Berry assisted him into the main-chains; and at 
 
 . 
 '
 
 108 IJFE OF HELSOW. [1797, 
 
 that moment a Spanish officer looked over the quarter- 
 deck-rail, and said they surrendered. It was not 
 long before he was on the quarter-deck, where th& 
 Spanish captain presented to him his sword, and 
 told him the admiral was below, dying of his wounds. 
 There, on the quarter-deck of an enemy's first-rate^ 
 he received the swords of the officers ; giving them, 
 s they were delivered, one by one, to William 
 Fearney, one of his old Agamemnon's, who, with 
 the utmost coolness, put them under his arm ; " bun- 
 dling them up," in the lively expression of Colling- 
 \vood, " with as much composure as he would have 
 made a fagot, though twenty-two sail of their line 
 were still within gunshot." One of his sailors came 
 up, and, with an Englishman's feeling, took him by 
 the hand, saying, he might not soon have such an- 
 other place to do it in, and he was heartily glad to 
 see him there. Twenty-four of the Captain's men 
 were killed, and fifty-six wounded ; a fourth part of 
 the loss sustained by the whole squadron falling 
 upon this ship. Nelson received only a few- 
 bruises. 
 
 The Spaniards had still eighteen or nineteen 
 ships, which had suffered little or no injury : that 
 part of the fleet which had been separated from the 
 main body in the morning was now coming up, and 
 Sir John Jervis made signal to bring to. His ships 
 could not have formed without abandoning those 
 which they had captured, and running to leeward : 
 the Captain was lying a perfect wreck on board her 
 two prizes ; and many of the other vessels were so 
 shattered in their masts and rigging, as to be wholly 
 unmanageable. The Spanish admiral, meantime, 
 according to his official account, being altogether 
 undecided in his own opinion respecting the state 
 of the fleet, inquired of his captains whether it was 
 proper to renew the action : nine of them answered 
 explicitly, that it was not ; others replied that it was 
 expedient to delay the business. The Pelayo and
 
 1797.1 UFE OF NELSON. 109 
 
 . 
 
 the Principe Conquistador were the only ships that 
 were for fighting-. 
 
 As soon as the action was discontinued, Nelson 
 went on board the admiral's ship. Sir John Jervis 
 received him on the quarter-deck, took him in his 
 arms, and said he could not sufficiently thank him. 
 For this victory the commander-in-chief was re- 
 warded with the title of Earl St. Vincent.* Nelson, 
 who, before the action was known in England, had 
 been advanced to the rank of rear-admiral, had the 
 Order of the Bath given him. The sword of the Spa- 
 
 * In the official letter of Sir John Jervis, Nelson was not mentioned. 
 It is said, that the admiial had seen ati instance of the ill-consequence 
 of such selections, after Lord Howe's victory; and. therefore, would 
 not name any individual thinking it proper to speak to the public only 
 In terms of general approbation. His private letter to the first lord of 
 the Admiralty, was, with his consent, published, for the first time, in a 
 Life of Nelson, by Mr. Harrison. Here it is said, that "Commodore 
 Nelson, who was in the rear, on the starboard tack, took the lead on the 
 larboard, and contributed very much to the fortune of the day." It is 
 also said, that he boarded the'two Spanish ships successively; but the 
 fact, that Nelson wore without orders, and thus planned as well as ac- 
 complished the victory, is not explicitly stated. Perhaps it was thought 
 proper to pass over this part of his conduct in silence, as a splendid 
 fault : but such an example is not dangerous. The author of the work 
 in which this letter was first made public, protests against those over- 
 zealous friends, " who would make the action rather appear as Nel- 
 son's battle, than that of the illustrious commander-in-chief, who 
 derives from it so deservftlly his title. Xo man," he says, "ever less 
 needed, or less desired, to strip a single leaf from the honoured wreath 
 of any other hero, with the vain hope of augmenting his own, than the 
 Immortal Nelson : no man ever more merited the whole of that which 
 a generous nation unanimously presented to Sir J. Jervis, than the 
 Earl of St. Vincent." Cenarmy, Earl St. Vincent well deserved the 
 reward which he received ; but it is not detracting from his merit to 
 say, that Nelson is fully entitled to as much fame from this action as 
 the commander-in-chief; not because the brunt of the action fell upon 
 him ; not because he was engaged with fill the four ships which were 
 taken, and took two of them, it may almost be said, with his own hand; 
 but because the decisive movement, which enabled him to perform all 
 this, and by which the action became a victory, was executed in ne^ 
 gleet of orders, upon his own judgment, and at his peril. Earl St. Vin- 
 cent deserved his earldom ; but it is not to the honour of those by 
 whom titles were distributed in those days, that Nelson never obtained 
 the rank of earl for either of those victories which he lived to enjoy, 
 though the one was the most complete and glorious in the annals of 
 naval history, and the other the most important in its consequences of 
 ny which was achieved during the whole war, 
 
 K
 
 HO LIFE OP KELSON. [1797. 
 
 nish rear-admiral, which Sir John Jervis insisted 
 upon his keeping, tie presented to the mayor and cor- 
 poration of Norwich, saying-, that he knew no place 
 where it could give him or his family more pleasure 
 to have it kept, than jn the capital city of the county 
 where he was born. The freedom of that city was 
 voted,him on this occasion. But of all the nume- 
 rous congratulations which he received, none could 
 have affected him with deeper delight than that which 
 came from his venerable father. " I thank my God " 
 said this excellent man, " with all the power of 'a 
 grateful soul, for the mercies he has most gra- 
 ciously bestowed on me in preserving you. Not 
 only my few acquaintance here, but the people in 
 general, met me at every corner with such handsome 
 words, that I was obliged to retire from the public- 
 eye. 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 few fathers live to see 
 Tears of joy have involuntarily trickled down my 
 furrowed cheeks. Who could stand the force of such 
 general congratulation 1 -The name and services of 
 Nelsonhave sounded through this city of Bath from 
 the common ballad-singer to the public theatre" 
 I he ? d ! ? ma . n concluded by telling him, that 
 the field of glory, m which he had so long been con- 
 spicuous, was still open, aryl by givino- him his 
 blessing. 
 
 Sir Horatio, who had now hoisted his flag as rear- 
 admiral of the blue, was senf to bring away the 
 troops from Porto Fevrajo : having performed this, 
 he shifted his flag to the Theseus. That ship had 
 taken part in the mutiny in England, and being just 
 arrived from home, some danger was apprehended 
 from the temper of the men. This was one reason 
 why Nelson was removed to her. He had not been 
 on board many weeks before a paper, signed in the 
 uame of all the ship's company, was dropped on the
 
 1797.] LIFE OF NELSON. Ill 
 
 
 
 quarter-deck, containing these words : " Success 
 attend Admiral Nelson! God bless Capt. Miller! 
 We thank them for the officers they have placed 
 over us. We are happy and comfortable ; and will 
 shed every drop of blood in our veins to support 
 them ; and the name of the Theseus shall be unmor- 
 talized as high as her captain's." Wherever Nelson 
 commanded, the men soon became attached to him ; 
 in ten days' time he would have restored the^nost 
 mutinous ship in the navy to order. Whenever an 
 officer fails to win the affections of those who are 
 under his command, he may be assured that the fault, 
 is chiefly in hirnself.^ 
 
 While Sir HoratnPVas in the Theseus, he wa3 
 employed in the command of the inner squadron at 
 the blockade of Cadiz. During this service, the most 
 perilous action occurred in which he was ever en- 
 gaged. Making a night-attack upon the Spanish 
 gunboats, his barge was attacked by an armed 
 launch, under their commander, D. Miguel Tregoyen, 
 carrying twenty-six men. Nelson had with him 
 only his ten bargemen, Capt. Freemantle, and his 
 coxswain, John Sykes, an old and faithful follower, 
 who twice saved the life of his admiral, by parrying 
 the blows that were aimed at him, and, at last, actu- 
 ally interposed his own head to receive the blow of 
 a Spanish sabre, which he could not by any other 
 means avert; thus dearly was Nelson beloved. 
 This was a desperate service hand to hand with 
 swords : and Nelson always considered that his 
 personal courage was more conspicuous on this oc- 
 casion than on any other Airing his whole life. 
 Notwithstanding the great disproportion of num- 
 bers, eighteen of the enemy were killed, all the rest 
 wounded, and their launch taken. Nelson would 
 have asked for a lieutenancy for Sykes, if he had 
 served long enough: his manner and conduct, he 
 observed, were so entirely above his situation, that 
 Nature certainly intended him for a gentleman : but
 
 112 LIFE OF NEI/6N. [1797, 
 
 though he recovered from the dangerous wound which 
 he received in this act of heroic attachment, he did 
 not live to profit by the gratitude and friendship of 
 his commander. 
 
 Twelve days after this rencounter, Nelson sailed at 
 the hgad of an expedition against Teneriffe. A re- 
 port had prevailed a few months before, that the 
 viceroy of Mexico, with th& treasure-ships had put 
 into that island. This had led Nelson to meditate 
 the plan of an attack upon it, which he communi- 
 cated to Earl St. Vincent. He was perfectly aware 
 of the difficulties of the attempt. " I do not," said 
 he, " reckon myself equal to Blake : but, if I recol- 
 lect right, he was more obligfa to the wind coming 
 off the land than to any exertions of his own. The 
 approach by sea to the anchoring-place is undervery 
 high land, passing three valleys ; therefore the wind 
 is either in from the sea, or squally Stith calms from 
 the mountains:" and he perceived, that if the Spa- 
 nish ships were won, the object would still be frus- 
 trated, if the wind did not come off shore. The land 
 force, he thought, would render success certain ; and 
 there were the troops from Elba, with all necessary 
 stores and artillery, already embarked. " But here," 
 said he " soldiers must be consulted ; and I know, 
 from experience, they have not the same boldness 
 in undertaking a political measure that we have : 
 we look to the benefit of our country, and risk our 
 own fame every day to serve her ; a soldier obeys 
 his orders, and no more." Nelson's experience at 
 Corsica justified him in this harsh opinion : he did 
 not live to see the glorious days of the British army 
 under Wellington. The army from Elba, consisting 
 of three thousand seven hundred men, would do the 
 business, he said, in three days, probably in much 
 less time ; and he would undertake, with a very small 
 squadron, to perform the naval part ; for, though the 
 shore was hot easy of access, the transports might 
 run in and land the troops in one day.
 
 1797.] LIFE OF NELSON. 113 
 
 The report concerning' the viceroy was unfounded ; 
 nut a homeward-bound Manilla ship put into Santa 
 Cruz at this time, and the expedition was determined 
 upon. It was not fitted out upon the scale which 
 Nelson had proposed. Four ships of the line, three 
 frigates, and the Fox cutter formed the squadron; 
 and he was allowed to choose such ships arid offi- 
 cers as he thought proper. No troops were em- 
 barked ; the seamen and marines of the squadron 
 being thought sufficient. His orders were, to make 
 a vigorous attack ; but on no account to land in per- 
 son, unless his presence should be absolutely neces- 
 sary. The plan was, that the boats should land in 
 the night, between the fort on the north-east side of 
 Santa Cruz bay and the town, make themselves mas- 
 ters of that fort, and then send a summons to the 
 governor. By midnight, the three frigates, having 
 the force on board which was intended for this de- 
 barkation, approached within three .miles of the 
 place ; but, owing to a strong gale of wind in the 
 offing, and a strong current against them in shore, 
 they were not able to get within a mile of the land- 
 ing place before daybreak ; and then they were seen, 
 and their intention discovered. Trowbridge and 
 Bowen, with Capt. Oldfield, of the marines, went 
 upon this to consult with the admiral what was to 
 be done ; and it was resolved that they should attempt 
 to get possession of the heights above the fort. T]ie 
 frigates accordingly landed cheir men ; and Nelson 
 stood in with the line-of-battle ships, meaning to 
 batter the fort, for the purpose of distracting the 
 attention of the garxison. 4&. calm and contrary 
 current hindered him from getting within a league 
 of the shore ; and the heights were by this time so 
 secured, and manned with such a force, as to be 
 judged impracticable. Thus foiled in his plans by 
 circumstances of wind and tide, he still considered 
 it a point of honour that some attempt should be 
 made. This was on the twenty-second of July : he 
 K2
 
 114 IJFE OP NELSON. [I78Y. 
 
 re-embarked his men that night, got the ships, on 
 the twenty-fourth, to anchor about two miles north 
 of the town, and made show as if he intended to 
 attack the heights. At six in the evening, signal 
 was made for the boats to prepare to proceed ori the 
 service as previously ordered. 
 
 When this was done, Nelson addressed a letter 
 to the commander-in-chief the last which was ever 
 written with his right hand. " I shall not," said he, 
 " enter on the subject, why we are not in possession 
 of Santa Cruz. Your partiality will give credit, that 
 all has hitherto been done which was possible ; but 
 without effect. This night I, humble as I am, com- 
 mand the whole, destined to land under the batteries 
 of the town ; and to-morrow, my head will probably 
 be crowned either with laurel or cypress. I have 
 only to recommend Josiah Nisbet to you and my 
 country. The duke of Clarence, should I fall, will, 
 I am confident, take a lively interest for my son-in- 
 law, on his name being mentioned." Perfectly 
 aware how desperate a service this was likely to 
 prove, before he left the Theseus, he called lieute- 
 nant Nisbet, who had the watrh on deck, into the 
 cabin, that he might assist in arranging and burning 
 his mother's letters. Perceiving that the young 
 man was armed, he earnestly begged him to remain 
 behind. " Should we both fall, Josiah," said he, 
 " what would become of your poor mother ! The 
 care of the Theseus falls to you : stay, therefore, 
 and take charge of her." Nisbet replied : " Sir, the 
 ship must take care of herself; I will go with you 
 to-night, if I never go jjgain." 
 
 He met his captains at supper on board the Sea- 
 horse, Capt. Freemantle ; whose wife, whom he had 
 lately married in the Mediterranean, presided at 
 table. At eleven o'clock, the boats, containing be- 
 tween six and seven hundred men, with one hun- 
 dred and eighty on board the Fox cutter, and from 
 seventy to eighty in. a boat which had been taken
 
 1797.] LIFE OF NELSON. 115 
 
 the day before, proceeded in six divisions towards 
 the town, conducted by all the captains of the squa- 
 dron, except Freemantle and Bowen, who attended 
 with Nelson to regulate and lead the way to the at- 
 tack. They were to land on the mole, and thence 
 hasten, as fast as possible, into the great square ; 
 then form, and proceed, as should be found expe- 
 dient. They were not discovered till about half 
 past one o'clock, when, being within half gun-shot of 
 the landing place, Nelson directed the boats to cast 
 off from each other, give a huzza, and push for the 
 Shore. But the Spaniards were excellently well 
 prepared : the alarm-bells answered the huzza, and 
 a fire of thirty or forty pieces of cannon, with mus- 
 ketry from one end of the town to the other, 
 opened upon the invaders. Nothing, however, 
 could check the intrepidity with which they ad- 
 vanced. The night was exceedingly dark : most 
 of the boats missed the mole, and went on shore 
 through a raging surf, which stove all to the left of 
 it. The admiral, Freemantle, Thompson, Bowen, 
 and four or five other boats, found the mole : they 
 stormed it instantly, and carried it, though it was 
 defended, as they imagined, by four or five hundred 
 men. Its guns, which were six-and-twenty pound- 
 ers, were spiked ; but such a heavy fire of musketry 
 and grape was kept up from the citadel and the 
 houses at the head of the mole, that the assailants 
 could not advance, and nearly all of them were 
 killed or wounded. 
 
 In the act of stepping out of the boat, Nelson re- 
 ceived a shot through the right elbow, and fell ; but 
 as he fell, he caught the sword, which he had just 
 drawn, in his left hand, determined never to part 
 with it while he lived, for it had belonged to his 
 uncle, Capt. Suckling, and he valued it like a relic. 
 Nisbet, who was close to him, placed him at the 
 bottom of the boat, and laid his hat over the shat- 
 tered arm, lest the sight of the blood, which gushed
 
 116 LIFE OP NELSON. [1797. 
 
 out in great abundance, should increase his faint- 
 ness. He then examined the wound, and taking 
 some silk handkerchiefs from his neck, bound them 
 round tight above the lacerated vessels. Had it not 
 been for this presence of mind in his son-in-law, 
 Nelson must have perished. One of his bargemen, 
 by name Lovel, tore his shirt into shreds, and made 
 a sling with them for the broken limb. They then 
 collected five other seamen, by whose assistance 
 they succeeded, at length, in getting the boat afloat ; 
 for it had grounded with the falling tide. Nisbet 
 took one of the ours, and ordered the steersman to 
 go close under the guns of the battery, that they 
 might be safe from its tremendous fire. Hearing 
 his voice. Nelson roused himself, and desired to be 
 lifted up in the boat, that he might look about him. 
 Nisbet raised him up ; but nothing could be seen, 
 except the firing of the guns on shore, and what 
 could be discerned by their flashes upon the stormy 
 sea. In a few minutes, a general shriek was heard 
 from the crew of the Fox, which had received a 
 shot under water, and went down. Ninety-seven 
 men were lost in her; eighty-three were saved, 
 many by Nelson himself, whose exertions on this 
 occasion greatly increased the pain and danger of 
 his wound. The first ship which the boat could 
 reach happened to be the Seahorse : but nothing could 
 induce him to go on board, though he was assured 
 that if they attempted to row to another ship, it 
 might be at the risk of his life. " I had rather 
 suffer death," he replied, " than alarm Mrs. Free- 
 mantle, by letting her see me in this state, when I 
 can give her no tidings whatever of her husband." 
 They pushed on for the Theseus. When they came 
 along-side, he peremptorily refused all assistance in 
 getting on board, so impatient was he that the boat 
 should return, in hopes that it might save a few 
 more from the Fox. He desired to have only a 
 single rope thrown over the side which he twisted
 
 t797.] LIFE OP MiLSON. 117 
 
 round his left hand, saying, " Let me alone : I have 
 yet my legs left and one arm. Tell the surgeon to 
 make haste and get his instruments. I know I 
 must lose my right arm ; so the sooner it is off the 
 better."* The spirit which he displayed in jumping 
 up the ship's side astonished every body. 
 
 Freemantle had been severely wounded in the 
 right arm, soon after the admiral. He was fortu- 
 nate enough to find a boat at the beach, and got 
 instantly totj^is ship. ^Thompson was wounded: 
 Bowenf kiiBa, to the great regret of Nelson ; as 
 was also one of his own officers, Lieutenant Wea- 
 therhead, who had followed him from the Agamem- 
 non, and whom he greatly and deservedly esteemed. 
 Trowbridge, meantime, fortunately for his party, 
 missed the mole in the darkness, but pushed on 
 shore under the batteries, close to the south end of 
 the citadel. Capt. Waller, of the Emerald, and two 
 or three other boats landed at the same time. The 
 surf was so high that many others put back. The 
 boats were instantly filled with water, and stove 
 against the rocks ; and.most of the ammunition in 
 the men's pouches was wetted. Having collected 
 a few men, they pushed on to the great square, 
 hoping there to find the admiral and the rest of the 
 
 ' 
 
 * During the peace of Amioii=, when Nelson was passing through 
 Salisbury, and received therewith those acclamations which followed 
 him every where, he- recognised, amid the crowd, a man who had as- 
 sisted at the amputation, and attended him afterward. He beckoned 
 him up the stairs of the Council House, shook hands with him, and 
 made l/im a present, in remembrance of his services at that time. 
 The man took from his bosom a piece of lace, which he had lorn from 
 the sleeve of the amputated limb, saying, he liad preserved, and would 
 preserve it to the last moment, in memory of his old commander. 
 
 ( Captain Bowen'sgold seals, and chain, and sword were preserved 
 in the town house at TenerifFe ; his watch and other valuables had 
 been made booty of by the populace. Tn 1810, the magistrates of the 
 island sent these memorials of the dead to his brother, Commissionei 
 Bowen, saying that they conceived it would be gratifying to his feelings 
 to receive them, and that as the two nations were now united in a 
 cause which did equal honour to both, they did not wish to retain a 
 trophy which could remind them that they had ever been opposed to 
 each other. Naoal Chronicle, vol. 24, p. 393.
 
 118 LIFE OF NELSON. [1797. 
 
 lorce. The ladders were all lost, so that they could 
 make no immediate attempt on the citadel ; but they 
 sent a sergeant with two of the town's-people to 
 summon it : this messenger never returned ; and 
 Trowbridge, having waited about an hour, in painful 
 expectation of his friends, marched to join Captains 
 Hood and Miller, who had effected their landing to 
 the south-west. They then endeavoured to procure 
 some intelligence of the admiral and the rest of the 
 officers, but without success. By daybreak they 
 had gathered together about eighty marines, eighty 
 pikemen, and one hundred and eighty small-arm 
 seamen ; all the survivors of those who had made 
 good their landing. They obtained some ammuni- 
 tion from the prisoners whom they had taken, and 
 marched on, to try what could be done at the citadel 
 without ladders. They found all the streets com- 
 manded by field-pieces, and several thousand Spa- 
 niards, with about a hundred French, under arms, 
 approaching by every avenue. Finding himself 
 without provisions, the powder wet, and no possi- 
 bility of obtaining either stores or reinforcements 
 from the ships, the boats being lost, Trowbridg-e, 
 with great presence of mind, sent Capt. Samuel 
 Hood with a flag of truce to the governor, to say 
 he was prepared to burn the town, and would in- 
 stantly set fire to it, if the Spaniards approached 
 one inch nearer: this, however, if he were com- 
 pelled to do it, he should do with regret, for he had 
 no wish to injure the inhabitants : and he was ready 
 to treat upon these terms, that the British troops 
 should re-embark, with all their arms, of every 
 kind, and take their own boats, if they were saved, 
 or be provided with such others as might be want- 
 ing : they, on their part, engaging that the squadron 
 should not molest the town, nor any of the Canary 
 Islands: all prisoners on both sides to be given" up. 
 When these terms were proposed, the governor 
 made answer, that the English ought to surrender
 
 1797.] UFE OF NELSON. 119 
 
 as prisoners of war: but Capt. Hood replied, he 
 was instructed to say, that if the terms were not ac- 
 cepted in five minutes, Capt. Trowbridge would set 
 the town on fire, and attack the Spaniards at the 
 point of the bayonet. Satisfied with his success, 
 which was indeed sufficiently complete, and respect- 
 ing, like a brave and honourable man, the gallantry 
 of his enemy, the Spaniard acceded to the proposal, 
 found boats to re-embark them, their own having all 
 been dashed to pieces in landing, and before they 
 parted gave every man a loaf and a pint of wine. 
 
 "And here," says Nelson in his journal, "it is 
 right we should notice the noble and generous con- 
 duct of Don Juan Antonio Gutierrez, the Spanish 
 governor. The moment the terms were agreed to, 
 he directed our wounded men to be received into the 
 hospitals, and all our people to be supplied with the 
 best provisions that could be procured ; and made it 
 known, that the ships were at liberty to send on 
 shore, and purchase whatever refreshments they 
 were in want of during the time they might be off 
 the island." A youth, by name Don Bernardo Col- 
 lagon, stripped himself of his shirt, to make band- 
 ages for one of those Englishmen against whom 
 not an hour before he had been engaged in battle. 
 Nelson wrote to thank the governor for the humani- 
 ty which he had displayed. Presets were inter- 
 changed between them. Sir Horatio offered to take 
 charge of his despatches for the Spanish govern- 
 ment ; and thus actually became the first messenger 
 to Spain of his own defeat. 
 
 The total loss of the English, in killed, wounded, 
 and drowned, amounted to two hundred and fifty. 
 Nelson made no mention of his own wound in his 
 official despatches : but in a private letter to Lord St. 
 Vincent, the first which he wrote with his left 
 hand, he shows himself to have been deeply af- 
 fected by the failure of this enterprise. " I am 
 become," he said, " a burden to my friends, and
 
 120 LIFE OF NELSON. [1797. 
 
 useless to my country: but by my last letter you 
 will perceive my anxiety for the promotion of my 
 son-in-law, Josiah Nisbet. When I leave your 
 command, I become dead to the world : ' I go 
 hence, and am no more seen.' If from poor Bovven's 
 loss you think it proper to oblige me, 1 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. 1 hope you will be able to give me a 
 frigate, to convey the remains of my carcass to 
 England.'' "A left-handed admiral," ne said, in a 
 subsequent letter, " will never again be considered 
 as useful; therefore, the sooner I get to a very hum- 
 ble cottage the better ; and make room for a sounder 
 man to serve the state." His first letter to Lady 
 Nelson was written under the same opinion, but in 
 a more cheerful strain. " It was the chance of war," 
 said he, " and I have great reason to be thankful : 
 and I know it will add much to your pleasure to find 
 that Josiah, under God's providence, was principally 
 instrumental in saving my life. I shall not be sur- 
 prised if I am neglected ajid forgotten : probably I 
 shall no longer be considered as useful; however, I 
 shall feel rich if I continue to enjoy your affection. 
 I beg neither you nor my father will think much of 
 this mishap : my mind has long been made up to 
 such an event. 
 
 His son-in-law, according to his wish, was imme- 
 diately promoted ; and honours enough to heal his 
 wounded spirit awaited him in England. Letters 
 were addressed to him by the first lord of the Admi- 
 ralty, and by his steady friend, the Duke of Cla- 
 rence, to congratulate him on his return, covered as 
 he was with glory. He assured the duke, in his re- 
 ply, that not a scrap of that ardour, with which he 
 had hitherto served his king, had been shot away. 
 The freeddm of the cities of Bristol and London 
 were transmitted to him : he was invested with the 
 order of the Bath ; and received a pension of 1000
 
 1797.] MFE OF NELSON. 121 
 
 a year. The memorial which, as a matter of form, 
 he was called upon to present on this occasion, ex- 
 hibited an extraordinary catalogue of services per- 
 formed during tfce war. It stated, that he had been 
 in four actions with the fleets of the enemy, and in 
 three actions with boats employed in cutting out of 
 harbour, in destroying vessels, and in taking three 
 towns : he had served on shore with the army four 
 months, and commanded the batteries at the sieges 
 of Bastia and Calvi : he had assisted at the capture 
 of seven sail of the line, six frigates, four corvettes, 
 and eleven privateers: taken and destroyed near 
 fifty sail of merchant vessels ; and actually been en- 
 gaged against the enemy upwards of a hundred and 
 twenty times ; in which service he had lost his right 
 eye and right arm, and been severely wounded and 
 bruised in his body. 
 
 His sufferings from the lost limb were long and 
 painful. A nerve had been taken up in one of the 
 ligatures at the time of the operation ; and the liga- 
 ture, according to the practice of the French sur- 
 geons, was of silk, instead of waxed thread : this 
 produced a constant irritation and discharge ; and 
 the ends of the ligature being pulled every day, in 
 hopes of bringing it away, occasioned fresh agony. 
 He had scarcely any intermission of pain, day or 
 night, for three months after his return to England. 
 Lady Nelson, at his earnest request, attended the 
 dressing his arm, till she had acquired sufficient re- 
 solution and skill to dress it herself. One night, 
 during this state of suffering, after a day of constant 
 pain, Nelson retired early to bed, in hope of enjoy- 
 ing some respite by means of laudanum. He was 
 at that time lodging in Bond-street ; and the family 
 were soon disturbed by a mob knocking loudly and 
 violently at the door. The news of Duncan's vic- 
 tory had been made public, and the house was not 
 illuminated. But when the mob were told that , 
 Admiral Nelson lay there in bed, badly wounded, 
 
 Mi 
 
 I ft
 
 122 LIFE OF NELSON. [1797. 
 
 the foremost of them made answer; "You shall 
 
 fhear no more from us to-night :" and, in fact, the 
 feeling of respect and sympathy was communicated 
 from one to another with such effect, that, under 
 the confusion of such a night, the house was not 
 molested again. 
 
 About the end of November, after a night of 
 sound sleep, he found the arm nearly free from 
 pain : the surgeon was immediately sent for to 
 examine it ; and the ligature came away with the 
 slightest touch. From that time it began to heal. 
 As soon as he thought his health established, he 
 sent the following form of thanksgiving to the 
 minister of St. George's, Hanover Square : "An 
 officer desires to return thanks to Almighty God 
 for his perfect recovery from a severe wound, and 
 also for the many mercies bestowed on him." 
 
 Not having been in England till now, since he 
 lost his eye, he went to receive a year's pay, as 
 smart money; but could not obtain payment, be- 
 cause he had neglected to bring a certificate from 
 a surgeon, that the sight was actually ^destroyed. 
 A little irritated that this form should be insisted 
 upon, because, though the fact was not apparent, he 
 thought it was sufficiently notorious, he procured a 
 certificate, at the same time for the loss of his arm ; 
 saying, they might just as well doubt one as the 
 other. This put him in good-humour with himself, 
 and with the clerk who had offended him. On his 
 return to the office, the clerk finding it was only the 
 annual pay of a captain, observed, he thought it had 
 been more. " Oh !" replied Nelson, " this is only 
 for an eye. In a few days I shall com$ for an arm ; 
 and in a little time longer, God knijivs, most pro- 
 bably for a leg." Accordingly, he mon afterward 
 went; and with perfect good-humour exhibited the 
 certificate of the loss of his arm. 
 

 
 1793.] LIFE OP NELSON. 123 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Mflson rejoins Earl St. Vincent in the Vanguard Sails in Pursuit 
 of t/ie French to F.gypt Returns to Sicily, and sails again to Egypt 
 Battle of the Jftle. 
 
 EARLY in the year 1798, Sir Horatio Nelson 
 hoisted his flag in the Vanguard, and wa$ ordered 
 to rejoin Earl St. Vincent. Upon his departure, his 
 father addressed him with that affectionate solemnity 
 by which all his letters were distinguished. " I 
 trust in the Lord," said he, " that he will prosper 
 your going out and your coming in. I earnestly 
 desired once more to see you, and that wish has 
 been heard. If I should presume to say, I hope to 
 see you again, the question would be readily asked, 
 How old art thou 1 Fjf^e ! vale! Domine, vale .'" It 
 is said, that a gloomy foreboding hung on the spirits 
 of Lady Nelson at their parting. Thftj could have 
 arisen only from the dread of losing him by the 
 chance of war. Any apprehension of losing his 
 affections could hardly have existed ; for all his 
 correspondence to this time shows that he thought 
 himself happy in his marriage ; and his private cha- 
 racter had hitherto been as spotless as his public 
 conduct. One of the last things he said to her was, 
 that his own ambition was satisfied, but that he 
 went to raise her to that rank in which he had long 
 wished to see her. 
 
 Immediately on his rejoining the fleet, he was 
 despatched to the Mediterranean, with a small 
 squadron, in order to ascertain, if possible, the ob- 
 ject of the great expedition which at that time was 
 fitting out, under Buonaparte, at Toulon. The de- 
 feat of this armament, whatever might be its des-
 
 124 LIFE OP KELSON. [1798. 
 
 tination, was deemed by the British government an 
 object paramount to every other; and Earl St. Vin- 
 cent was directed, if he thought it necessary, to 
 take his whole force into the Mediterranean, to re- 
 linquish, for that purpose, the blockade of the 
 Spanish fleet, as a thing of inferior moment : but if 
 he should deem a detachment sufficient, " I think it 
 almost unnecessary," said the first lord of the Ad- 
 miralty, in his secret instructions, " to suggest to 
 you the propriety of putting it under Sir Horatio 
 Nelson." It is to the honour of Earl St. Vincent, 
 that he had already made the same choice. This 
 appointment to a service in which so much honour 
 might be acquired, gave great offence to the senior 
 admirals of the fleet. Sir William Parker, who was 
 a very excellent officer, and as gallant a man as any 
 in the navy, and Sir John Orde, who on all occa- 
 sions of service had acquitted himself with great 
 honour, each wrote to Lord Spencer, complaining 
 that so marked a preference should have been given 
 to a junior of the same fleet. This resentment is 
 what most men in alike case would feel; and if the 
 preference thus given to Nelson had not originated 
 in a clear perception that (as his friend Collingwood 
 said of him a little while before) his spirit was .equal 
 to all undertakings, and his resources fitted to all 
 occasions, an injustice would have been done to 
 them by his appointment. But if the .services were 
 conducted with undeviating respect to seniority, the 
 naval and military character would soon be brought 
 down to the dead level of mediocrity. 
 
 The armament at Toulon consisted of thirteen 
 ships of the line, seven forty-gun frigates, with 
 twenty-four smaller vessels of war, and nearly two 
 hundred transports. Mr. Udney, our consul at Leg- 
 horn, was the first person who procured certain in- 
 telligence of the enemy's design against Malta ; and 
 from his own sagacity foresaw that Egypt must be 
 their after-object. Nelson sailed from Gibraltar on 

 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON 125 
 
 the 9th of May, with the Vanguard, Orion, and Alex- 
 ander, seventy-fours ; the Caroline, Flora, Emerald, 
 and Terpsichore, frigates ; and the Bonne Citoyenne 
 sloop of war ; to watch this formidable armament. 
 On the 19th, when they were in the Gulf of Lyons, a 
 gale came on from the N. W. It moderated so 
 much on the 20th, as to enable them to get their top- 
 gallant-masts and yards aloft. After dark, it again 
 began to blow strong : but the ships had been pre- 
 pared for a gale, and therefore Nelson's mind was 
 easy. Shortly after midnight, however, his main-top- 
 mast went over the side, and the mizen-topmast soon 
 afterward. The night was so tempestuous, that it 
 was impossible for any signal either to be seen or 
 heard ; and Nelson determined as soon as it should 
 be daybreak, to wear, and scud before the gale : but 
 at half-past three the foremast went in three pieces, 
 and the bowsprit was found to be sprung in three 
 places. When day broke, they succeeded in wear- 
 ing the ship with a remnant of the spritsail : this 
 was hardly to have been expected : the Vanguard 
 was at that time twenty-five leagues south of the 
 islands of Hieres, with her head lying .to the N. E., 
 and if she had not wore, the ship must have drifted 
 to Corsica. Capt. Ball, in the Alexander, took her 
 in tow, to carry her into the Sardinian harbour of 
 St. Pietro. Nelson, apprehensive that this attempt 
 might endanger both vessels, ordered him to cast 
 off: but that excellent officer, with a spirit like his 
 commander's, replied, he was confident he could 
 save the Vanguard, and by God's help he would do 
 it. There had been a previous coolness between 
 these great men ; but from this time Nelson became 
 fully sensible of the extraordinary talents of Captain 
 Ball, and a sincere friendship subsisted between 
 them during the remainder of their lives. " I ought 
 not," said the admiral, writing to his wife, "I 
 ought not to call what has happened to the Van- 
 guard by the cold name of accident: I believe 
 L2
 
 126 IJPE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 firmly it was the Almighty's goodness, to check my 
 consummate vanity. I hope it has made me a better 
 officer, as I feel confident it has made me a better 
 man. Figure to yourself, on Sunday evening, at 
 sunset, a vain man walking in his cabin, with a 
 squadron around him, who looked up to their chief to 
 lead them to glory, and in whom their chief placed 
 the firmest reliance that the proudest ships of equal 
 numbers belonging to France would have lowered 
 their flags ; figure to yourself, on Monday morning, 
 when the sun rose, this proud man, his ship dis- 
 masted, his fleet dispersed, and himself in such dis- 
 tress, that the meanest frigate out of France would 
 have been an unwelcome guest." Nelson had, in- 
 deed, more reason to refuse the cold name of acci- 
 dent to this tempest, than he was then aware of; 
 for on that very day, the French fleet sailed from 
 Toulon, and must have passed within a few leagues 
 of his little squadron, which was thus preserved by 
 the thick weather that came on. 
 
 The British government at this time, with a be- 
 coming spirit, gave orders, that any port in the Me- 
 diterranean should be considered as hostile, where 
 the governor, or chief magistrate, should refuse to 
 let our ships of war procure supplies of provisions, 
 or of any article which they might require. 
 
 In these orders the ports of Sardinia were ex- 
 cepted. The continental possessions of the king of 
 Sardinia were at this time completely at the mercy 
 of the French, and that prince was now discovering, 
 when too late, that the terms to which he had con- 
 sented, for the purpose of escaping immediate dan- 
 ger, necessarily involved the loss of the dominions 
 which they were intended to preserve. The citadel 
 of Turin was now occupied by French troops ; and 
 his wretched court feared to afford the common 
 rights of humanity to British ships, lest it should 
 give the French occasion to seize on the remainder 
 of his dominions : a measure for which, it was cer-
 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 127 
 
 tain they would soon make a pretext, if they did 
 not find one. Nelson was informed that he could 
 not be permitted to enter the port of St.-Pietro. 
 Regardless of this interdict, which, under his cir- 
 cumstances, it would have been an act of suicidal 
 folly to have regarded, he anchored in the harbour ; 
 and by the exertions of Sir James Saumarez, Capt. 
 Ball, and Capt. Berry, the Vanguard was refitted in 
 four days ; months would have been emploj'ed in 
 refitting her in England. Nelson, with that proper 
 sense of merit, wherever it was found* which proved 
 at once the goodness and the greatness of his cha- 
 racter, especially recommended to Earl St. Vincent 
 the carpenter of the Alexander, under whose direc- 
 tions the ship had been repaired ; stating, that he 
 was an old and faithful servant of the crown, who 
 had been nearly thirty years a warrant carpenter ; 
 and begging most earnestly that the commander-in- 
 chief would recommend him to the particular no- 
 tice of the board of Admiralty. He did not leave 
 the harbour without expressing his sense of the 
 treatment which he had received there, in a letter to 
 the viceroy of Sardinia. " Sir," it said, " having, 
 by a gale of wind, sustained some trifling damages, 
 I anchored a small part of his majesty's fleet under 
 my orders off this island, and was surprised to hear, 
 by an officer sent by the governor, that admittance 
 was to be refused to the flag of, his Britannic ma- 
 jesty into this port. When I reflect that my most 
 gracious sovereign is the oldest, I believe, and cer- 
 tainly the most faithful ally which the king' of 
 Sardinia ever had, I could feel the sorrow which it 
 must have been to his majesty to have given such 
 an order ; and' also for your excellency, who had to 
 direct its execution. I cannot but look at the Afri- 
 can shore, where the followers of Mahomet are per- 
 forming the part of the good Samaritan, which I 
 look for in vain at St. Peter's, where it is said the 
 Christian religion is professed."
 
 128 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 The delay which was thus occasioned was useful 
 to him in many respects : it enabled him to complete 
 his supply of water, and to receive a reinforcement, 
 which Earl St. Vincent, being- himself reinforced 
 from England, was enabled to send him. It con- 
 sisted of the best ships of his fleet; the Culloden, 
 seventy-four, Captain T. Trowbridge ; Goliath, se- 
 venty-four, Capt. T. Foley ; Minotaur, seventy-four, 
 Capt. T. Louis ; Defence, seventy-four, Capt. John 
 Peyton ; Bellerophon, seventy-four, Capt. H. D. E. 
 Darby ; Majestic, seventy-four, Capt. G. B. West- 
 cott; Zealous, seventy-four, Capt. S. Hood; Swift- 
 sure, seventy-four, Capt. B. Hallowell; Theseus, 
 seventy-four, Capt. R. W. Miller; Audacious, se- 
 venty-four, Capt. Davidg-e Gould. The Leander, 
 fifty, Capt. T. B. Thompson, was afterward added. 
 These ships were made ready for the service as 
 soon as Earl St. Vincent received advice from Eng- 
 land that he was to be reinforced. As soon as the 
 reinforcement was seen from the mast-head of the 
 admiral's ship, off Cadiz Bay, signal was immediately 
 made to Capt. Trowbridge to put to sea ; and he 
 was out of sight before the ships from home cast 
 anchor in the British station. Trowbridge took 
 with him no instructions to Nelson as to the course 
 he was to steer, nor any certain account of the ene- 
 my's destination : every thing was left to his own 
 judgment. Unfortunately, the frigates had been 
 separated from him in the tempest, and had not been 
 able to rejoin : they sought him unsuccessfully in 
 the Bay of Naples, where they obtained no tidings 
 of his course ; and he sailed without them. 
 
 The first news of the enemy's armament was, that 
 it had surprised Malta. Nelson formed a plan for 
 attacking it while at anchor at Gozo ; but on the 22d 
 of June, intelligence reached him that the French 
 had left that island on. the 16th, the day after their 
 arrival. It was clear that their destination was 
 eastward he thought for Egypt and for Egypt,
 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 129 
 
 therefore, he made all sail. Had the frigates been 
 with him he could scarcely have failed to gain in- 
 formation of the enemy : for want of them he only 
 spoke three vessels on the way; two came from 
 Alexandria, one from the Archipelago ; and neither 
 of them had seen any thing of the French. He ar- 
 rived off Alexandria on the 28th, and the enemy 
 were not there, neither was there any account of 
 them ; but the governor was endeavouring to put the 
 city in a state of defence, having received advice 
 from Leghorn, that the French expedition was in- 
 tended against Egypt, after it had taken Malta. 
 Nelson then shaped his course to the northward, for 
 Caramania, and steered from thence along the 
 southern side of Candia, carrying a press of sail, 
 both night and day, with a contrary wind. It would 
 have been his delight, he said, to have tried Buona- 
 parte on a wind. It would have been the delight of 
 Europe, too, and the blessing of the world, if that 
 fleet had been overtaken with its general on board. 
 But of the myriads and millions of human beings 
 who would have been preserved by that day's vic- 
 tory, there is not one to whom such essential benefit 
 would have resulted, as to Buonaparte himself. It 
 would have spared him his defeat at Acre his only 
 disgrace ; for to have been defeated by Nelson upon 
 the seas would not have been disgraceful : it would 
 have spared him all his after-enormities. Hitherto 
 his career had been glorious ; the baneful principles 
 of his heart had never yet passed his lips : history 
 would have represented him as a soldier of fortune, 
 who had faithfully served the cause in which he en- 
 gaged ; and whose career had been distinguished 
 by a series of successes, unexampled in modern 
 times. A romantic obscurity would have hung over 
 the expedition to Egypt, and he would have es- 
 caped the perpetration of those crimes which r ive 
 incarnadined his soul with a deeper die than that of 
 the purple for which he committed them; those
 
 130 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 -acts of perfidy, midnight murder, usurpation, and 
 remorseless tyranny, which have consigned his 
 name to universal execration, now and for ever. 
 
 Conceiving that when an officer is not successful 
 in his plans it is absolutely necessary that he should 
 explain the motives upon which they were founded, 
 Nelson wrote at this time an account and vindica- 
 tion of his conduct for having carried the fleet to 
 Egypt. The objection which he anticipated was, 
 that he ought not to have made so long a voyage 
 without more certain information. " My answer," 
 said he, " is ready Who was I to get it from ? 
 The governments of Naples and Sicily either knew 
 not, or chose to keep me in ignorance. Was I to 
 wait patiently until I heard certain accounts 1 If 
 Egypt were their object, before I could hear of them 
 they would have been in India. To do nothing was 
 disgraceful ; therefore I made use of my under- 
 standing. I am before your lordships' judgment; 
 and if, under all circumstances, it is decided that I 
 am wrong, I ought, for the sake of our country, to 
 be superseded ; for at this moment, when I know 
 the French are not in Alexandria, I hold the same 
 opinion as off Cape Passaro, that, under all cir- 
 cumstances, I was right in steering for Alexandria : 
 and by that opinion I must stand or fall." Captain 
 Ball, to whom he showed this paper, told him, he 
 should recommend a friend never to begin a defence 
 of his conduct before he was accused of error: he 
 might give the fullest reasons for what he had done, 
 expressed in such terms as would evince that he 
 had acted from the strongest conviction of being 
 right ; and of course he must expect that the public 
 would view it in the same light. Capt. Ball judged 
 rightly of the public, whose first impulses, though 
 from want of sufficient information they must fre- 
 quently be erroneous, are generally founded upon 
 just feelings. But the public are easily misled, and 
 there are always persons ready to mislead them,
 
 1798.] H*^ OF NELSON. 
 
 Nelson had not yet attained that fame which com- 
 pels envy to be silent; and when it was known in 
 England that he had returned after an unsuccess ;ful 
 pursuit, it was said that he deserved impeachment , 
 nd Earl St. Vincent was severely censured for 
 having sent so young an officer upon so important a 
 
 Baffled in his pursuit, he returned to Sicily. The 
 Neapolitan ministry had determined to give his 
 squadron no assistance, being resolved to do nothing 
 which could possibly endanger their peace with the 
 French directory : by means, however, of Lady 
 Hamilton's influence at court, he procured seci 
 orders to the Sicilian governors; and, under those 
 orders, obtained every thing which he wanted at 
 Syracuse :-a timely supply; without which, he 
 always said, he could not have recommenced his 
 pursuit with any hope of success. "It is an old 
 saying," said he, in his letter, that the Devil's chil- 
 dren have the Devil's luck. I cannot to this moment 
 learn, beyond vague conjecture, where the Frencl 
 fleet are gone to! and having gone a round of six 
 hundred leagues, at this season of the year, with an 
 expedition incredible, here I am, as ignorant of the 
 situation of the enemy as I was twenty-seven days 
 ago Every moment I have to regret the frigates' 
 Jiving left me; had one-half of them been wi A 
 me I coald not have wanted information. Should 
 the' French be so strongly secured in port that 1 can- 
 not get at them, I shall immediately shift my flag 
 into some other ship, and send the Vanguard to 
 Naples to be refitted; for hardly any person but 
 mvself would have continued on service so long in 
 such a wretched state." Vexed, however, and dis- 
 appointed as he was, Nelson, with the true spirit of 
 i hero, was still full of hope. "Thanks to your 
 exertions," said he, writing to Sir W. and Lady 
 Hamilton, " we have victualled and watered ; and 
 surely watering- at the fountain of Arethusa, we must
 
 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 have victory. We shall sail with the first breeze; 
 and be assured I will return either crowned with 
 laurel, or covered with cypress." Earl St. Vincent 
 
 nniH U fi red 'I hat lf the French we re above water, he 
 would find them out : he still held his opinion that 
 
 *? wfn? T Y? r Egypt : " but '" said he to the 
 nSinS? Admiralty, "be they bound to the 
 
 antipodes, your lordship may rely that I will not 
 lose a moment in bringing them to action." 
 
 On the 25th of July, he sailed from Syracuse for 
 the Morea. Anxious beyond measure, and irritated 
 that the enemy should so long have eluded him, 
 the tedions^c- of the nightg ma<Je hjm . tj 
 
 n t f 
 
 on to ?Pt ? Cer v f the ^ atch Was re Peatedly called 
 
 n to let him know the hour, and convince him, 
 who measured time by his own eagerness, that i 
 
 Pnlfnf V 6t day*""*- The squadron made the 
 Gulf of Coron on the 28th. Tro wbridge entered the 
 port, and returned with intelligence that the French 
 had been seen about four weeks before, steering to 
 
 fm V^'i ? m Candia ' Nelson then determined 
 immediately to return to Alexandria: and the British 
 fleet accordingly, with every sail set, stood once 
 more for the coast of Egypt. On the 1st of August, 
 about ten m the morning, they came in sight of 
 Alexandria; the port had been vacant and solitary 
 when they saw it last : it was now crowded with 
 ships ; and they perceived, with exultation, that the 
 tricolour flag was flying upon the walls. At four 
 m the afternoon, Capt. Hood, in the Zealous, made 
 the signal for the enemy's fleet. For many pre- 
 ceding days Nelson had hardly taken either sleep 
 r iood : he now ordered his dinner to be served, 
 while preparations were making for battle; and 
 when his officers rose from table, and went to their 
 separate stations, he said to them, " Before this time 
 to-morrow, I shall have gained a peerage, or West- 
 minster Abbey." 
 The French, steering direct for Candia, had made
 
 1798.] LIFE OF KELSON. J33 
 
 an angular passage for Alexandria ; whereas Nelson, 
 in pursuit of them, made straight for that place, and 
 thus materially shortened the distance. The com- 
 parative smallness of his force made it necessary 
 to sail in close order, and it covered a less space 
 than it would have done if the frigates had been 
 with him : the weather also was constantly hazy. 
 These circumstances prevented the English from 
 discovering the enemy on the way to Egypt, though 
 it appeared, upon examining the journals of the . 
 French officers taken in the action, that the two 
 fleets must actually have 'crossed on the night of 
 the twenty-second of June. During the return to 
 Syracuse, the chances of falling in with them were 
 fewer. 
 
 Why Buonaparte, having effected his landing, 
 should not have suffered the fleet to return, has 
 never yet been explained. Thus much is certain, 
 that it was detained by his command ; though, with 
 his accustomed falsehood, Jie accused Admiral 
 Brueys, after that officer's death, of having lingered 
 on the coast, contrary to orders. The French fleet 
 arrived at Alexandria on the 1st of July ; and 
 Brueys, not being able to enter the port, which time 
 and neglect had ruined, moored his ships in Aboukir 
 Bay, in a strong and compact line of battle ; the 
 headmost vessel, according to his own account, , 
 being as close as possible to a shoal on the N. W., 
 and the rest of the fleet forming a kind of curve ' 
 along the line of deep water, so as not to be turned 
 by any means in the S. W. By Buonaparte's desire, 
 he had offered a reward of 10,000 livres to any 
 pilot of the country who would carry the squadron 
 in ; but none could be found who would venture to 
 take charge of a single vessel drawing more than 
 twenty feet. He had therefore made the best of 
 his situation, and chosen the strongest positr6n 
 which he could possibly take in an open road. The 
 commissary of the fleet said, they were moored 
 M
 
 134 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798* 
 
 in such a manner as to bid defiance to a force 
 more than double their own. This presumption 
 could not then be thought .unreasonable. Admiral 
 Barrington, when moored in a similar manner off 
 St. Lucia, in the year 1778, beat off the Comte 
 d'Estaign in three several attacks, though his force 
 was inferior by almost one-third to that which 
 assailed it. Here, the advantage of numbers, both 
 in ships, guns, and men, was in favour of the 
 French. They had thirteen ships of the line and 
 four frigates, carrying eleven hundred and ninety- 
 six guns, and eleven thousand two hundred and 
 thirty men. The English had the same number of 
 ships of the line, and one fifty-gun ship, carrying 
 ten hundred and twelve guns," and eight thousand 
 and sixty-eight men. The English ships were all 
 seventy-fours : the French had three eighty-gun 
 ships, and one three-decker of one hundred and 
 twenty. 
 
 During the whole pursuit, it had been Nelson's 
 practice, whenever circumstances would permit, to 
 have his captains on board the Vanguard, and 
 explain to them his own ideas of the different and 
 best modes of attack, and such plans as he proposed 
 to execute, on falling in with the enemy, whatever 
 their situation might be. There is no possible posi- 
 tion, it is said, which he did not take into calculation. 
 His officers were thus fully acquainted with his 
 principles of tactics : and such was his confidence 
 in their abilities, that the only thing determined 
 upon, in case they should find the French at anchor, 
 was for the ships to form as most convenient for 
 their mutual support, and to anchor by the stern. 
 " First gain the victory," he said, " and then make 
 the best use of it you can." The moment he per- 
 ceived the position of the French, that intuitive 
 genius, with which Nelson was endowed, displayed 
 itself; and it instantly struck him, that where 
 there was room for an enemy's ship to swing, there
 
 1798.] LIFE OP NELSON. 135 
 
 was room for one of ours to anchor. The plan 
 which he intended to pursue, therefore, was to keep 
 entirely on the outer side of the French line, and 
 station his ships, as far as he was able, one on the 
 outer bow, and another on the outer quarter, of 
 each of the enemy's. This plan of doubling on 
 the enemy's ships was projected by Lord Hood, 
 when he designed to attack the French fleet at 
 their anchorage in Gourjean Road. Lord Hood 
 fouad it impossible to make the attempt ; but the 
 thought was not lost upon Nelson, who acknow- 
 ledged himself, on this occasion, indebted for it to 
 his old and excellent commander. Capt. Berry, 
 when he comprehended the scope of the design, 
 exclaimed with transport, " If we succeed, what 
 will the world say ?" " There is no if in the case," 
 replied the admiral : " that we shall succeed is 
 certain : who may live to tell the story, is a very 
 different question." 
 
 As the squadron advanced, they were assailed by 
 a shower of shot and shells from the batteries on 
 the island, and the enemy opened a steady fire from 
 the starboard side of their whole line, within half 
 gun-shot distance, full into the bows of our van- 
 ships. It was received in silence : the men on 
 board every ship were employed aloft in furling 
 sails, and below in tending the braces, and making 
 ready for anchoring. A miserable sight for the 
 French; who, with all their skill, and all their 
 courage, and all their advantages of numbers and 
 situation, were upon that element, on which, when 
 the hour of trial comes, a Frenchman has no hope. 
 Admiral Brueys was a brave and able man ; yet the 
 indelible character of his country broke out in one 
 of his letters, wherein he delivered it as his private 
 opinion that the English had missed him, because, 
 not being superior in force, they did not think it pru- 
 dent to try their strength with him. The moment 
 was now come in which he was to be undeceived.
 
 136 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 A French brig was instructed to decoy the English, 
 by manoeuvring so as to tempt them towards a shoal 
 lying off the island of fielder ; but Nelson either 
 knew the danger, or suspected some deceit; and 
 the lure was unsuccessful. Capt. Foley led the 
 way in the Goliath, out-sailing the Zealous, which 
 for some minutes disputed this post of honour with 
 him. He had long conceived that if the enemy 
 were moored in line of battle in with the land, the 
 best plan of attack would be, to lead between them 
 and the shore, because the French guns on that side 
 were not likely to be manned, nor even ready for 
 action. Intending, therefore, to fix himself on the 
 inner bow of the Guerrier, he Jcept as near the edge 
 of the bank as the depth of water would admit ; 
 but his anchor hung, and having opened his fire, he 
 drifted to the second ship, the Conquerant, before it 
 was clear ; then anchored by the stern, inside of 
 her, and in ten minutes shot away her mast. Hood, 
 in the Zealous, perceiving this, took the station 
 which the Goliath intended to have occupied, and 
 totally disabled the Guerrier in twelve minutes. 
 The third ship which doubled the enemy's van was 
 the Orion, Sir J. Saumarez ; she passed to windward 
 of the Zealous, and opened her larboard guns as 
 long as they bore on the Guerrier ; then passing 
 inside the Goliath, sunk a frigate which annoyed 
 her, hauled round towards the French line, and 
 anchoring inside, between the fifth and sixth 
 ships from the Guerrier, took her station on 
 the larboard bow of the Fra.nklin, and the quarter 
 of the Peuple Souverain, receiving and returning the 
 fire of both. The sun was now nearly down. The 
 Audacious, Capt. Gould, pouring a heavy fire into 
 the Gverrier and the Conquerant, fixed herself on 
 the larboard bow of the latter; and when that 
 ship struck, passed on to the Peuple Smiverain. 
 The Theseus, Capt. Miller, followed, brought down 
 the Guerrier's remaining main and mizen-masts, 

 
 1798.] LIFE OP NELSON. 137 
 
 then anchored inside of the Spartiate, the third in 
 the French line. 
 
 While these advanced ships doubled the French 
 line, the Vanguard was the first that anchored on 
 the outer side of the enemy, within half-pistol-shot 
 of their third ship, the Spartiate. Nelson had six 
 colours flying in different parts of his rigging, lest 
 they should be shot away;- that they should be 
 struck, no British admiral considers as a possibility. 
 He veered half a cable, and instantly opened a 
 tremendous fire; under cover of which the other 
 four ships of his division, the Minotaur, Bellero- 
 phon, Defence, and Majestic, sailed on ahead of the 
 admiral. In a few minutes, every man stationed at 
 the first six guns in the fore part of the Vanguard's 
 deck was killed or wounded: these guns were 
 three times cleared. Capt. Louis, in the Minotaur, 
 anchored next ahead, and took off the fire of the 
 Aquilon, the fourth in the enemy's line. The 
 Bellerophon, Capt. Darby, passed ahead, and dropped 
 her stern anchor on the starboard bow of the Orient, 
 seventh in the line, Brueys's own ship, of one hundred 
 and twenty guns, whose difference of force was in 
 proportion of more than seven to three, and whose 
 weight of ball, from the lower deck alone, exceeded 
 that from the whole broadside of the Bellerophon. 
 Capt. Peyton, in the Defence, took his station 
 ahead of the Minotaur, and engaged the Franklin, 
 the sixth in the line ; by which judicious movement 
 the British line remained unbroken. The Majestic, 
 Capt. Westcot, got entangled with the main rigging 
 of one of the French ships astern of the Orient^ 
 and suffered dreadfully from that three-decker's 
 fire : but she swung clear, and closely engaging the 
 Heureux, the ninth ship on the starboard bow, 
 received also the fire of the Tonnant, which was the 
 eighth in th.e line. The other four ships of the 
 British squadron, having been detached previous to 
 the discovery of the French, were at a considerable 
 M2
 
 138 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 distance when the action began. It commenced at 
 half after six ; about seven, night closed, and there 
 was no other light than that from the fire of the 
 contending fleets. 
 
 Trowbridge, in the Culloden, then foremost of 
 the remaining ships, was two leagues astern. He 
 came on sounding, as the others had done ; as he 
 advanced, the increasing darkness increased the 
 difficulty of the navigation ; and suddenly, after 
 having found eleven fathoms water, before the lead 
 could be hove again, he was fast aground ; nor 
 could all his own exertions, joined to those of the 
 Leander and the Mutine brig, which came to his 
 assistance, get him off in time to bear a part in the 
 action. His ship, however, served as a beacon to 
 the Alexander and Swiftsure, which would else, 
 from the course which they were holding, have gone 
 considerably farther on the reef, and must inevitably 
 have been lost. These ships entered the bay, and 
 took their stations, in the darkness, in a manner 
 still spoken of with admiration by all who remem- 
 bered it. Capt. Hallowell, in the Swiftsure, as he 
 was bearing down, fell in with what seemed to be a 
 strange sail : Nelson had directed his ships to hoist 
 four lights horizontally at the mizen-pcak, as soon 
 as it became dark; and this vessel had no such dis- 
 tinction. Hallowel, however, with great judgment, 
 ordered his men not to fire : if she was an enemy, 
 he said, she was in too disabled a state to escape ; 
 but, from her sails being loose, and the way in 
 which her head was, it was probable she might be 
 an English ship. It was the Bellerophon, over- 
 powered by the huge Orient : her lights had gone 
 overboard, nearly two hundred of her crew were 
 killed or wounded, all her masts and cables had 
 been shot away ; and she was drifting out of the 
 line, towards the lee side of the bay. Her station, 
 at this important time, was occupied by the Swift- 
 sure, which opened a steady fire on the quarter of
 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 139 
 
 the Franklin and the bows of the French admiral. 
 At the same instant, Capt. Ball, with the Alexander, 
 passed under his stern, and anchored within-side 
 on his larboard quarter, raking him, and keeping up 
 a severe fire of musketry upon his decks. The 
 last ship which arrived to complete the destruction 
 of the enemy -was the Leander. Capt. Thompson, 
 finding that nothing could be done that night to get 
 off the Culloden, advanced with the intention of an- 
 choring athwart-hawse of the Orient. The Franklin 
 was so near her ahead, that there was not room for 
 him to pass clear of the two ; he therefore took his 
 station athwart-hawse of the latter, in such a posi- 
 tion as to rake both. 
 
 The first two ships of the French line had been 
 dismasted within a quarter of an hour after the 
 commencement of the action ; and the others had 
 in that time suffered so severely, that victory was 
 already certain. The third, fourth, and fifth were 
 taken possession of at half past eight. Meantime, 
 Nelson received a severe wound on the head from a 
 piece of langridge shot. Capt. Berry caught him 
 in his arms as he was falling. The great effusion 
 of blood occasioned an apprehension that the wound 
 was mortal: Nelson himself thought so: a large 
 flap of the skin of the forehead, cut from the bone, 
 had fallen over one eye : and the other being blind, 
 he was in total darkness. When he was carried 
 down, the surgeon, in the midst of a scene 
 scarcely to be conceived by those who have never 
 seen a cockpit in time of action, and the heroism 
 whicli is displayed amid its horrors, with a natural 
 and pardonable eagerness, quitted the poor fellow 
 then under his hands, that he might instantly attend 
 the admiral. " No !" said Nelson, " I will take my 
 turn with my brave fellows." Nor would he suffer 
 his own wound to be examined till every man who 
 nad been previously wounded was properly attended 
 to, Fully believing that the wound was mortal,
 
 140 LIFE OF NELSON. [179& 
 
 and that he was about to die, as he had ever desired, 
 in battle and in victory, he called the chaplain, and 
 desired him to deliver what he supposed to be his 
 dying- remembrance to Lady Nelson ; he then sent 
 for Capt. Louis on board from the Minotaur, that 
 he might thank him personally for the great assist- 
 ance which he had rendered to the Vanguard ; and 
 ever mindful of those who deserved to be his 
 friends, appointed Capt. Hardy from the brig to the 
 command of his own ship, Capt. Berry having to go 
 home with the news of the victory. When the 
 surgeon came in due time to examine his wound 
 (for it was in vain to entreat him to let it be ex- 
 amined sooner), the most anxious silence prevailed ; 
 and the joy of the wounded men, and of the whole 
 crew, when they heard that the hurt was merely 
 superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure, than the 
 unexpected assurance that his life was in no danger. 
 The surgeon requested, and as far as he could, 
 ordered him to remain quiet : but Nelson could not 
 rest. He called for his secretary, Mr. Campbell, to 
 write the despatches. Campbell had himself been 
 wounded ; and was so affected at the blind and suf- 
 fering state of the admiral, that he was unable to 
 write. The chaplain was then sent for; but, before 
 ne came, Nelson, with his characteristic eagerness 
 took the pen, and contrived to trace a few words 
 marking his devout sense of the success which had 
 already been obtained. He was now left alone: 
 when suddenly a cry was heard on the deck, that 
 the Orient was on fire. In the confusion, he found 
 his way up, unassisted and unnoticed; and, to the 
 astonishment of every one, appeared on the quarter- 
 fr i A 6re he imme ^ately gave order that boats 
 should be sent to the relief of the enemy. 
 
 It was soon after nine that the fire on board the 
 Was dead: h e had re- 
 
 V t - 
 
 fonrth f WOUn ? S ' yet W0uld not leave his Pst: 
 fourth cut him almost m two. He desired not to
 
 1798.] LIFE OP KELSON. 141 
 
 be carried below, but to be left to die upon deck. 
 The flames soon mastered his ship. Her sides had 
 just been painted ; and the oil-jars, and paint-bucket, 
 were lying on the poop. By the prodigious light 
 of this conflagration, the situation of the two fleets 
 could now be perceived, the colours of both being 
 clearly distinguishable. About ten o'clock the ship 
 ,blew up, with a shock which was felt to the very 
 bottom of every vesseL Many of her officers and 
 men jumped overboard, some clinging to the spars 
 and pieces of wreck with which the sea was strewn, 
 others swimming to escape from the destruction 
 which they momently dreaded. Some were picked 
 up by our boats ; and some even in .the heat and 
 fury of the action were dragged into the lower 
 ports of the nearest British ships by the British 
 sailors. The greater part of her crew, however, 
 stood the danger till the last, and continued to fire 
 from the lower deck. This tremendous explosion 
 was followed by a silence not less awful : the firing 
 immediately ceased on both sides ; and the first 
 sound which broke the silence, was the dash of her 
 shattered masts and yards, falling into the w.ater 
 from the vast height to which they had been ex- 
 ploded. It is upon record, that a battle between 
 two armies was once broken off by an earthquake : 
 such an event would be felt like a miracle ; but 
 no incident in war, produced by human means, has 
 ever equalled the sublimity of this co-instantaneous 
 pause, and all its circumstances. 
 
 About seventy of the Orient 1 s crew were saved by 
 the English boats. Among the many hundreds who 
 perished, were the commodore, Casa-Bianca, and 
 his son, a brave boy, only ten years old. They 
 were seen floating on a shattered mast when the 
 ship blew up. She had money on board (the 
 plunder of Malta) to the amount of 600,000 
 sterling. The masses of burning wreck, which 
 were scattered by the explosion, excited for some
 
 142 LIFE OF KELSON. [1798. 
 
 moments apprehensions in the English which they 
 had never felt from any other danger. Two large 
 pieces fell into the main and fore-tops of the Swift- 
 sure without injuring any person. A port fire also 
 fell into the main-royal of the Alexander : the fire 
 which it occasioned was speedily extinguished. 
 Capt. Ball had provided, as far as human foresight 
 could provide, against any such danger. All the 
 shrouds and sails of his ship, not absolutely neces- 
 sary for its immediate management, were thoroughly 
 wetted, and so rolled up, that they were as hard and 
 as little inflammable as so many solid cylinders. 
 
 The firing recommenced with the ships to leeward 
 of the centre, and continued till about three. At 
 daybreak, the Guillaume Tell, and the Gtn6reux the 
 two rear ships of the enemy, were the only French 
 ships of the line which had their colours flying: 
 they cut their cables in the forenoon, not having 
 been engaged, and stood out to sea, and two frigates 
 with them. The Zealous pursued ; but as there was 
 no other ship in a condition to support Capt. Hood, 
 he was recalled. It was generally believed by the 
 officers, that if Nelson had not been wounded, not 
 one of these ships could have escaped: the four 
 certainly could not, if the Culloden had got into 
 action : and if the frigates belonging to the squa- 
 dron had been present, not one of the enemy's fleet 
 would have left Aboukir Bay. These four vessels, 
 however, were all that escaped; and the victory 
 was the most complete and glorious in the annals 
 of naval history. " Victory," said Nelson, " is not 
 a name strong enough for such a scene ;" he called 
 it a conquest. Of thirteen sail of the line nine were 
 taken and two burned : of the four frigates, one was 
 sunk, another, the Artemise, was burned in a vil- 
 lanous manner by her captain, M. Estandlet, who, 
 having fired a broadside at the Theseus, struck his 
 colours, then set fire to the ship, and escaped with 
 most of his crew to shore. The British loss, in
 
 1798.] LIFE OF IvELSON. 143 
 
 killed and wounded, amounted to eight hundred and 
 ninety-five. Westcott was the only captain who 
 fell; three thousand one hundred and five of the 
 French, including the wounded, were sent on shore 
 by cartel, and five thousand two hundred and twenty- 
 five perishedi 
 
 As soon as the conquest was completed, Nelson 
 sent orders through the fleet, to return thanksgiving 
 in every ship for the victory with which Almighty 
 God had blessed his majesty's arms. The French 
 at Rosetta, who with miserable fear beheld the 
 engagement, were at a loss to understand the still- 
 ness of the fleet during the performance of this 
 solemn duty ; but it seemed to affect many of the 
 prisoners, officers as well as men : and graceless 
 and godless as the officers were, some of them 
 remarked, that it was no wonder such order was 
 preserved in the British navy, when the minds of 
 our men could be impressed with such sentiments 
 after so great a victory, and at a moment of such 
 confusion. The French at Rosetta, seeing their 
 four ships sail out of the bay unmolested, endea- 
 voured to persuade themselves that they were in 
 possession of the place of battle. But it was in 
 vain thus to attempt, against their own secret and 
 certain conviction, to deceive themselves : and even 
 if they could have succeeded in this, the bonfires 
 which the Arabs kindled along the whole coast, and 
 over the country, for three following nights, would 
 soon have undeceived them. Thousands of Arabs 
 and Egyptians lined the shore, and covered the 
 house-tops during the action, rejoicing in the destruc- 
 tion which had overtaken their invaders. Long 
 after the battle, innumerable bodies were seen 
 floating about the bay, in spite of all the exertions 
 which were made to sink them, as well from fear 
 of pestilence, as from the loathing and horror which 
 the sight occasioned. Great numbers were cast up 
 upon the Isle of Bekisr (Nelson's Island, as it has
 
 344 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 since been called), and our sailors raised mounds 
 of sand over them. Even after an interval of nearly 
 three years Dr. Clarke saw them, and assisted in 
 interring heaps of human bodies, which, having been 
 thrown up by the sea, where there were no jackals 
 to devour them, presented a sight loathsome to 
 humanity. The shore, for an extent of four leagues, 
 was covered with wreck ; and the Arabs found 
 employment for many days in burning on the beach 
 the fragments which were cast up, for the sake of 
 the iron.* Part of the Orient's mainmast was 
 picked up by the Swiftsure. Capt. Hallowell 
 ordered his carpenter to make a coffin of it; the 
 iron, as well as wood, was taken from the wreck of 
 the same ship : it was finished as well and hand- 
 somely as the workman's skill and materials would 
 permit ; and Hallowell then sent it to the admiral 
 with the following letter. "Sir, I have taken the 
 liberty of presenting you a coffin made from the 
 mainmast of VOrient, that when you have finished 
 your military career in this world, you may be 
 buried in one of your trophies. But that that period 
 may be far distant, is the earnest wish of your 
 sincere friend, Benjamin Hallowell." An offering 
 so strange, and yet so suited to the occasion, was 
 received by Nelson in the spirit with which it was 
 sent. As if he felt it good for him, now that he was 
 at the summit of his wishes, to have death before 
 his eyes, he ordered the coffin to be placed upright 
 in his cabin. Such a piece of furniture, however, 
 was more suitable to his own feelings than to those 
 of his guests and attendants ; and an old favourite 
 servant entreated him so earnestly to let it be 
 removed, that at length he consented to have the 
 
 * During his long subsequent cruise off Alexandria, Capt. Hallowell 
 kept his crew employed and amused in fishing up the small anchors in 
 the road, which, with the iron found on the masts, was afterward sold 
 at Rhodes, and the produce applied to purchase vegetables and tobacco 
 JU the ship's company.
 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 146 
 
 coffin carried below ; but he gave strict orders that 
 it should be safely stowed, and reserved for the 
 purpose for which its brave and worthy donor had 
 designed it. 
 
 The victory was complete ; but Nelson could not 
 pursue it as he would have done, for want of means. 
 Had he been provided with small craft, nothing 
 could have prevented the destruction of the store- 
 ships and transports in the port of Alexandria : four 
 bomb-vessels would at that time have burned the 
 whole in a few hours. "Were I to die this 
 moment," said he, in his despatches to the Admiralty, 
 " want of frigates would be found stamped on my 
 heart ! No words of mine can express what I have 
 suffered, and am suffering, for want of them." He 
 had .also to bear up against great bodily suffering : 
 the blow had so shaken his head, that from its con- 
 stant and violent aching, and the perpetual sickness 
 which accompanied the pain, he could scarcely per- 
 suade himself that the skull was not fractured. Had 
 it not been for Trowbridge, Ball, Hood, and Hallo- 
 well, he declared that he should have sunk under 
 the fatigue of refitting the squadron. " All," he said, 
 "had done well; but these officers were his sup- 
 porters." But, amid his sufferings and exertions, 
 Nelson could yet think of all the consequences of 
 his victory ; and that no advantage from it might be 
 lost, he despatched an officer over land to India, 
 with letters to the governor of Bombay, informing 
 him of the arrival of the French in Egypt, the total 
 destruction of their fleet, and the consequent pre- 
 servation of India from any attempt against it on the 
 part of this formidable armament. " He knew that 
 Bombay," he said, " was their first object, if they 
 could get there ; but he trusted that Almighty God 
 would overthrow in Egypt these pests of the human 
 race. Buonaparte had never yet had to contend 
 with an English officer, and he would endeavour to 
 make him respect us." This despatch he sent upon 
 N
 
 146 LIFE OP NELSOW. 
 
 his own responsibility, with letters of credit upon 
 the East India Company, addressed to the British 
 consuls, vice-consuls, and merchants on his route ; 
 Nelson saying, " that if he had done wrong, he 
 hoped the bills would be paid, and he would repay 
 the Company : for, as an Englishman, he should be 
 proud that it had been in his power to put our settle- 
 ments on their guard." The information which by 
 this means reached India was of great importance. 
 Orders had just been received for defensive prepara- 
 tions, upon a scale proportionate to the apprehended 
 danger ; and the extraordinary expenses which 
 would otherwise have been incurred, were thus 
 prevented. 
 
 Nelson was now at the summit of g-lory : con- 
 gratulations, rewards, and honours were showered 
 upon him by all the states* and princes, and powers 
 to whom his victory gave a respite. The first com- 
 munication of this nature which he received was 
 from the Turkish sultan ; who, as soon as the inva- 
 sion of Egypt was known, had called upon " all true 
 believers to take arms against those swinish infi- 
 dels the French, that they might deliver these blessed 
 habitations from their accursed hands ;" and who 
 had ordered his " pachas to turn night into day in 
 their efforts to take vengeance." The present of 
 " his imperial majesty, the powerful, formidable, 
 and most magnificent Grand Seignior," was a pelisse 
 of sables, with broad sleeves, valued at five thou- 
 sand dollars ; and a diamond aigrette, valued at 
 eighteen thousand : the most honourable badge 
 among the Turks ; and in this instance more espe- 
 cially honourable, because it was taken from one of 
 the royal turbans. " If it were worth a million," 
 said Nelson to his wife, " my pleasure would be to 
 see it in your possession." The sultan also sent, in 
 a spirit worthy of imitation, a purse of two thou- 
 sand sequins, to be distributed among the wounded. 
 .The mother of the sultan sent him a box, set
 
 1798.] LIFE OP NELSON. 147 
 
 with diamonds, valued at one thousand pounds. 
 The czar Paul, in whom the better part of his 
 strangely compounded nature at this time predomi- 
 nated, presented him with his portrait, set in dia- 
 monds, in a gold box, accompanied with a letter of 
 congratulation, written by his own hand. The king 
 of Sardinia also wrote to him, and sent a gold box, 
 set with diamonds. Honours in profusion were 
 awaiting him at Naples. In his own country the 
 king granted these honourable augmentations to his 
 armorial ensign; a chief undulated, argent ; thereon 
 waves of the sea ; from which a palm tree issuant, 
 between a disabled ship on the dexter, and a ruinous 
 battery on the sinister, all proper: and for his crest, on 
 a naval crown, or, the chelengk, or plume, presented to 
 him by the Turk, with the motto, Palmamquimeruit 
 ferat.* And to his supporters, being a sailor on the 
 dexter, and a lion on the sinister, were given these 
 honourable augmentations : a palm branch in the 
 sailor's hand, and another in the paw of the lion, 
 both proper ; with a tricoloured flag and staff in 
 the lion's mouth. He was created Baron Nelson of 
 the Nile, and of Burnham Thorpe, with a pension 
 of 2000 for his own life, and those of his two im- 
 mediate successors. When the grant was moved in 
 the house of commons, General Walpole expressed 
 an opinion, that a higher degree of rank ought to be 
 conferred. Mr. Pitt made answer, that he thought 
 it needless to enter into that question. " Admiral 
 Nelson's fame," he said, " would be co-equal with 
 the British name ; and it would be remembered that 
 he had obtained the greatest naval victory on record, 
 when no man would think of asking, whether he 
 
 * It has been erroneously said, that the motto was selected by the king: 
 it was fixed on by Lord Grenville, and taken from an ode of Jortin's. 
 The application was singularly fortunate ; and the ode itself breathes a 
 spirit, Ju which no man ever more truly sympathized than Nelson: 
 Concurrant paribus cum ratibus rates, 
 Spectent numina ponii, et 
 Palmam qui meruit feral-
 
 148 LlPiS OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 had been created a baron, a viscount, or an earl ? >f 
 It was strange, that in the very act of conferring' a 
 title, the minister should have excused himself for 
 not having conferred a higher one, by representing 
 all titles, on such an occasion, as nugatory and su- 
 perfluous. True, indeed, whatever title had been 
 bestowed, whether viscount, earl, marquis, duke, or 
 prince, if our laws had so permitted, he who re- 
 ceived it would have been Nelson still. That name 
 he had ennobled beyond all addition of nobility : it 
 was the name by which England loved him, France 
 feared him, Italy, Egypt, and Turkey celebrated 
 him ; and by which he will continue to be known 
 while the present kingdoms and languages of the 
 world endure, and as long as their history after them 
 shall be held in remembrance. It depended upon 
 the degree of rank what should be the fashion of 
 his coronet, in what page of the red book his name 
 was to be inserted, and what precedency should be 
 allowed his lady in the drawing-room and at the 
 ball. That Nelson's honours were affected thus far, 
 and no farther, might be conceded to Mr. Pitt and 
 his colleagues in administration : but the degree of 
 rank which they thought proper to allot, was the 
 measure of their gratitude,* though not of his ser- 
 vices. This Nelsoa felt; and this he expressed, 
 with indignation, among his friends. 
 Whatever may have been the motives of the mi- 
 
 * Mr. Windham must be excepted from this well-deserved censure, 
 He, whose fate it seems to have been almost always to think and feel 
 more generously than those with whom he acted, declared, when he 
 contended against his own party for Lord Wellington's peerage, that 
 he always thought Lord Nelson had been inadequately rewarded. 
 The case was the more flagrant, because an earldom had so lately been 
 granted for the battle of St. Vincent's ; an action which could never be 
 compared with the battle of the Nile, if the very different manner in 
 which it was rewarded did not necessarily force a comparison ; especi- 
 ally when the part which Nelson bore in it was considered. Lords 
 Duncan and St. Vincent had each a pension of 1000 from the Irish 
 government. This was not granted to Nelson, in consequence of the 
 Union ; though, surely, it would be more becoming to increase the Bri- 
 tish grant, than to save a thousand a year by the Union in such cases.
 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 149 
 
 nistry, and whatever the formalities with which they 
 excused their conduct to themselves, the importance 
 and magnitude of the victory were universally ac- 
 knowledged. A grant of 10,000 was voted to 
 Nelson by the East India Company ; the Turkish 
 Company presented him with a piece of plate ; the 
 city of London presented a sword to him and to 
 each of his captains ; gold medals were distributed 
 to the captains, and the first lieutenants of all the 
 ships were promoted, as had been done after Lord 
 Howe's victory. Nelson was exceedingly anxious 
 that the captain and first lieutenant of the Culloden 
 should not be passed over because of their misfor- 
 tune. To Trowbridge himself he said, " Let us 
 rejoice that the ship which got on shore was com- 
 manded by an officer whose character is so tho- 
 roughly established." To the Admiralty he stated, 
 that Capt. Trowbridge's conduct was as fully enti- 
 tled to praise as that of any one officer in the squa- 
 dron, and as highly deserving of reward. " It was 
 Trowbridge," said he, " who equipped the squadron 
 so soon at Syracuse : it was Trowbridge who ex- 
 erted himself for me after the action : it was Trow- 
 bridge who saved the Culloden, when none that I 
 know in the service would have attempted it." The 
 gold medal, therefore, by the king's express desire, 
 was given to Capt. Trowbridge " for his services 
 both before and since, and for the great and won- 
 derful exertion which he made at the time of the 
 action, in saving and getting off his ship." The 
 private letter from the Admiralty to Nelson informed 
 him, that the first lieutenants of all the ships en- 
 gaged were to be promoted. Nelson instantly 
 wrote to the commauder-in-chief. " I sincerely 
 hope," said he, " this is not intended to exclude the 
 first lieutenant of the Culloden. For heaven's sake, 
 for my sake, if it be so, get it altered. Qur dear 
 friend Trowbridge has endured enough. His suf- 
 ferings were, in every respect, more than any of us,"
 
 IJFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 To the Admiralty he wrote in terms equally warm. 
 
 I hope, and believe, the word engaged is not ii 
 Sin rf r^l? lhe Culloden ' Thfmerft of that 
 hpK"h ga l lant ? aptain ' are to wel1 ktl own to 
 benefit by any thing I could say. Her misfortune 
 was peat m getting aground, while her^ore for! 
 tunate companions were in the full tide of happiness 
 
 nevlr^S C nfide , nt ihat f m ? S od Lord Spen P c P er n wm 
 aever add misery to misfortune. Capt. Trowbridcre 
 on shore is superior to captains afloat : in the n dst 
 of his great misfortunes he made those sS a 
 which prevented certainly the Alexander and Swif- 
 sure from running on the shoals. I beg your pardon 
 for writing on a subject which, I verily beSe? ^ ha 
 never entered your lordship's head ; but mv heart 
 as it ought to be, is warm to my gallant Zends ' 5 
 Thus feelingly alive was Nelson to the clain 
 interests and feelings of others. The AdmiraHv 
 
 ' y ' 

 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 151 
 
 Three of the frigates, whose presence would have 
 been so essential a few weeks sooner, joined the 
 squadron on the twelfth day after the action. The 
 fourth joined a few days after them. Nelson thus 
 received despatches which rendered it necessary 
 for him to return to Naples. Before he left Egypt 
 he burned three of the prizes : they could not have 
 been fitted for a passage to Gibraltar in less than a 
 month, and that at a great expense, and with the 
 loss to the service of at least two sail of the line. 
 " I rest assured," he said to the Admiralty, " that 
 they will be paid for, and have held out that assu- 
 rance to the squadron. For if an admiral, after a 
 victory, is to look after the captured ships, and not 
 to the distressing of the enemy, very dearly, indeed, 
 must the nation pay for the prizes. I trust that 
 60,000 pounds will be deemed a very moderate 
 sum for them : and when the services, time, and 
 men, with the expense of fitting three ships for 
 a voyage to England, are considered, government 
 will save nearly as much as they are valued at. 
 Paying for prizes," he continued " is no new idea 
 of mine, and would often prove an amazing sav- 
 ing to the state, even without taking into calcu- 
 lation what the nation loses by the attention of 
 admirals to the property of the captors ; an at- 
 tention absolutely necessary,- as a recompense for 
 the exertions of the officers and men. An admiral 
 may be amply rewarded by his own feelings, and by 
 the approbation of his superiors ; but what reward 
 have the inferior officers and men, but the value of 
 the prizes 1 If an admiral takes that from them, on 
 any consideration, he cannot expect to be well sup- 
 ported." To Earl St. Vincent he said, " If he could 
 have been sure that government would have paid a 
 reasonable value for them, he would have ordered 
 two of the other prizes to be burned : for they would 
 cost more in refitting, and by the loss of ships at- 
 tending them than they were worth."
 
 152 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 Having sent the six remaining prizes forward, 
 under Sir James ISaumarez, Nelson left Capt. Hood, 
 in the Zealous, off Alexandria, with the Swiftsure, 
 Goliath, Alcmene, Zealous, and Emerald, and stood 
 out to sea himself on the seventeenth day after the 
 battle.* 
 
 * " Some French officers, during the blockade of Alexandria, were 
 sent off to Capt. Hallowell to offer a supply of vegetables, and observe, 
 of course, the state of the blockading i-quadron. They weie received 
 with all possible civility ; in the course of conversation, after dinner, 
 one of them remarked, that we had made use of unfair we;i|Kvis during 
 the action, by which, probably, the Orient was burnt ; and that General 
 Buonaparte had expressed great indignation at it. In proof of this as- 
 sertion, he staled that in the late gunboat aitacks, their camp had twice 
 been set on fire by balls of unextiiigiiishable matter which were fired 
 from one of the English boats. Capt. Hallowell instantly ordered the 
 gunner to brinir up some of those balls, and asked him from whence he 
 had them. To the confusion of the accusers, he related that they wer 
 found on board of the Sparliate, one of the ships captured on the 1s 
 
 with a substance that gave it the appearance of a perfect shell. On 
 
 lably received from the first fire of I'Oi ient." 
 Willy am' s Voyage in the Mediterranean, p. 145.
 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 153 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 NELSON'S health had suffered greatly while he was 
 in the Agamemnon. " My complaint," he sard, " is 
 as if a girth were buckled taut over my breast ; 
 and my endeavour in the night is to get it loose." 
 After the battle of Cape St. Vincent he felt a little 
 rest to be so essential to his recovery, that he de- 
 clared he would not continue to serve longer than 
 the ensuing summer, unless it should be absolutely 
 necessary : for, in his own strong language, he had 
 then been four years and nine months without one 
 moment's repose for body or mind. A few months' 
 intermission of labour he had obtained not of rest, 
 for it was purchased with the loss of a limb ; and 
 the greater part of the time had been a season of 
 constant pain. As soon as his shattered frame had 
 sufficiently recovered for him to resume his duties, 
 he was called to services of greater importance than 
 any on which he had hitherto been employed, and 
 they brought with them commensurate fatigue and 
 care. The anxiety which he endured during his 
 long pursuit of the enemy was rather changed in 
 its direction, than abated by their defeat : and this 
 constant wakefulness of thought, added to the effect 
 of his wound, and the exertions from which it was 
 not possible for- one of so ardent and wide-reaching 
 a mind to spare himself, nearly proved fatal. On 
 his way back to Italy he was seized with fever 
 For eighteen hours his life was despaired of; and
 
 154 XIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 even when the disorder took a favourable turn, and 
 he was so far recovered as again to appear on deck, 
 he himself thought that his end was approaching, 
 such was the weakness to which the fever and 
 cough had reduced him. Writing to Earl St. Vin- 
 cent on his passage, he said to him, " I never expect, 
 my dear lord, to see your face again. It may please 
 God that this will he the finish to that fever of anx- 
 iety which I have endured from the middle of June: 
 but be that as it pleases His goodness. I am re- 
 signed to His will." 
 
 The kindest attentions of the warmest friendship 
 were awaiting him at Naples. " Come here," said 
 Sir William Hamilton, "for God's sake, my dear 
 friend, as soon as the service will permit you. A 
 pleasant apartment is ready for you in my house, 
 and Emma is looking out for the softest pillows to 
 repose the few wearied limbs you have left." Happy 
 would it have been for Nelson if warm and careful 
 friendship had been all that awaited him there ! 
 He himself saw at that time the character of the 
 Neapolitan court, as it first struck an Englishman, 
 in its true light : and when he was on the way, he 
 declared that he detested the voyage to Naples, and 
 that nothing but necessity could' have forced him to 
 it. But never was any hero, on his return from vic- 
 tory, welcomed with more heartfelt joy. Before the 
 battle of Aboukir the court of Naples had been 
 trembling for its existence. The language which 
 the directory held towards it was well described by 
 Sir William Hamilton, as being exactly the language 
 of a highwayman. The Neapolitans were told, 
 that Benevento might be added to their dominions, 
 provided they would pay a large sum, sufficient to 
 satisfy the directory; and they were warned, that if 
 the proposal were refused, or even if there were any 
 delay in accepting it, the French would revolutionize 
 all Italy. The joy, therefore, of the court, at Nel- 
 son's success, was in proportion to the dismay from
 
 1798.] LIFE OP NELSON. 155 
 
 which that success relieved them. The queen was 
 a daughter of Maria Theresa, and sister of Marie 
 Antoinette. Had she been the wisest and gentlest 
 of her sex, it would not have been possible for her 
 to have regarded the French without hatred and 
 horror: and the progress of revolutionary opinions, 
 while it perpetually reminded her of her sister's fate, 
 excited no unreasonable apprehensions for her own. 
 Her feelings, naturally ardent, and little accustomed 
 to restraint, were excited to the highest pitch when 
 the news of the victory arrived. Lady Hamilton, 
 her constant friend and favourite, who was present, 
 says, " It is not possible to describe her transports : 
 she wept, she kissed her husband, her children, 
 walked franticly about the room, burst into tears 
 again, and again kissed and embraced every person 
 near her ; exclaiming, ' O brave Nelson ! O God ! 
 bless and protect our brave deliverer ! O Nelson ! 
 Nelson ! what do we not owe you ! O conqueror 
 saviour of Italy ! O that my swollen heart could now 
 tell him personally what we owe to him.'" She 
 herself wrote to the Neapolitan ambassador at 
 London upon the occasion, in terms which show the 
 fulness of her joy, and the height of the hopes 
 which it had excited. " I wish I could give wings,'* 
 said she, " to the bearer of the news, and, at the 
 same time, to our most sincere gratitude. The 
 whole of the seacoast of Italy is saved ; and this is 
 owing alone to the generous English. This battle, 
 or, to speak more correctly, this total defeat of the 
 regicide squadron, was obtained by the valour of this 
 brave admiral, seconded by a navy which is the 
 terror of its enemies. The victory is so complete, 
 that I can still scarcely believe it : and if it were not 
 the brave English nation, which is accustomed to 
 perform prodigies by sea, I could not persuade myselt 
 that it had happened. It would have moved you to 
 have seen all my children, boys and girls, hanging 
 on my neck, and crying for joy at the happy news.
 
 1 56 UFE OF NELSON. [ 1 798 
 
 Recommend the hero to his master : he has filled 
 the whole of Italy with admiration of the Eno-lish. 
 Great hopes were entertained of some advantages 
 being- gained by his bravery, but no one could look 
 for so total a destruction. All here are drunk 
 with joy." 
 
 Such being the feelings of the royal family, it 
 may well be supposed with what delight, and with 
 what honours, Nelson would be welcomed. Early 
 on the 22d of September, the poor wretched Van- 
 guard, as he called his shattered vessel, appeared in 
 sight of Naples. The Culloden and Alexander had 
 preceded her by some days, and given notice of her 
 approach. Many hundred boats and baro-es were 
 ready to go forth and meet him, with music and 
 streamers, and every demonstration of joy and 
 triumph. Sir William and Lady Hamilton led the 
 way in their state-barge. They had seen Nelson 
 only for a few days, four years ago, but they then 
 perceived in him that heroic spirit which was now 
 so fully and gloriously manifested to the world. 
 Emma Lady Hamilton, who from this time so greatly 
 influenced his future life, was a woman whose per- 
 sonal accomplishments have seldom been equalled, 
 and whose powers of mind were not less fascinating 
 than her person. She was passionately attached to 
 the queen : and by her influence the British fleet had 
 obtained those supplies at Syracuse, without which 
 Nelson always asserted, the battle of Aboukir could 
 not have been fought. During the long interval 
 Avnich passed before any tidings were received, her 
 anxiety had been hardly less than that of Nelson 
 himself, while pursuing a enemy of whom he could 
 obtain no information : and when the tidings were 
 brought her by a joyful bearer, open-mouthed, its 
 effect was such, that she fell like one who had been 
 
 MI u ' She and Sir William ha d literally been made 
 
 1 by their hopes and fears, and joy at a catastrophe 
 
 so far exceeding all that they had dared to hope for.
 
 1798.] LIFE OF NELSON. 157 
 
 Their admiration for the hero necessarily produced a 
 degree of proportionate gratitude and affection ; and 
 when their barge came alongside the Vanguard, at 
 the sight of Nelson, Lady Hamilton sprang up the 
 ship's side, and exclaiming, " O God ! is it pos- 
 sible!" fell into his arms, more, he says, like one 
 dead than alive. He described the meeting as " ter- 
 ribly affecting." These friends had scarcely reco- 
 vered from their tears, when the king, who went out 
 to meet him three leagues in the royal barge, came 
 on board and took him by the hand, calling him his 
 deliverer and preserver ; from all the boats around 
 he was saluted with the same appellations ; the mul- 
 titude who surrounded him when he landed, repeated 
 the same enthusiastic cries; and the lazzaroni dis- 
 played their joy by holding up birds in cages, and 
 giving them their liberty as he passed. 
 
 His birth-day, which occurred a week after his 
 arrival, was celebrated with one of the most splen- 
 did fetes ever beheld at Naples. But, notwithstand- 
 ing the splendour with which he was encircled, and 
 the flattering honours with which all ranks welcomed 
 him, Nelson was fully sensible of the depravity, as 
 well as weakness, of those by whom he was sur- 
 rounded. " What precious moments," said he, " the 
 courts of Naples and Vienna are losing! Three 
 months would liberate Italy ! but this court is so en- 
 ervated, that the happy momeat will be lost. I am 
 very unwell ; and their miserable conduct is not 
 likely to cool my irritable temper. It is a country 
 of fiddlers and poets, whores and scoundrels." This 
 sense of their ruinous weakness he always re- 
 tained ; nor was he ever blind to the mingled folly 
 and treachery of the Neapolitan ministers, and the 
 complication of iniquities under which the country 
 groaned : but he insensibly, under the influence of 
 Lady Hamilton, formed an affection for the court, 
 to whose misgovernment the miserable condition of 
 the country was so greatly to be imputed. By the 
 O
 
 158 LIFE OP NELSON. [1798. 
 
 kindness of her nature, as well as by her attractions, 
 she had won his heart. Earl St. Vincent, writing 
 to her at this time, says, " Ten thousand most 
 grateful thanks are due to your ladyship for restoring 
 the health of our invaluable friend Nelson, ou 
 whose life the fate of the remaining governments in 
 Europe, whose system has riot been deranged by 
 these devils, depends. Pray do not let your fasci- 
 nating Neapolitan dames approach too near him, for 
 he is made of flesh and blood, and cannot resist 
 their temptations." But this was addressed to the 
 very person from whom he was in danger. 
 
 The state o$M$oles may be described in few 
 words. The kmg*Kvas one of the Spanish Bour- 
 bons. AJS the Qj*ars have shown us to what wick- 
 edness the moral nature of princes may be per- 
 verted, so in this family the degradation to which 
 their intellectual nature can be reduced has been 
 not less conspicuously evinced. Ferdinand, like the 
 rest of his race, was passionately fond of field 
 sports^- ; nd cared for nothing else. His queen had 
 /? 
 
 * Sir Williamllamilton's letters give the history of one of this sove- 
 reign's campaigns against tb.3 wolves and boars. ;i Our first ch-mr ha? 
 not succeeded; tlin king would direct how we should beat the wood, 
 and began at the wrong end, by which the wolves and boars escaped. 
 Thy king's face is very long at this moment, but, I dare say, to-mor- 
 row's good sport will shorten it again." " No sport again ! He has no 
 otti'-r comfort to-day, than having killed a wild cat, and his face is a 
 yard long. However, his majesty has vowed vengeance on the boars 
 to-morrow, and will go according to his own fancy and I dare say there 
 will be a terrible slaughter."" To-day has been so thoroughly bad that 
 we have not been able to stir out, and the king, of course, in bad hu- 
 mour." -" The king has killed twenty-one boars to-day, and is quite 
 happy."" We have had a miserable cold day, but good sport. I killed 
 two boars and a doe ; the king nineteen boars two stags, two does, and 
 a porcupine. He is happy beyond expression."" Only think of hi8 
 not being satisfied with killing more than thirty yesterday ! He said, if 
 the wind had favoured him, he should have killed sixty at least."" The 
 king has killed eighty-one animals of one sort or other to-day, and 
 among them a wolf and some stag?. He fell asleep in the coach : and 
 waking told me hs had been dreaming of shooting. One would have 
 thought he had shed blood enough." "It is a long-faced day with the 
 kin. We want fur; ths weathar was bad; and, after all, met with 
 little or no game. Yesterday, when we brought home all we killed, i: 
 filled the house completely, and to-day they are oblig4 to whitewash
 
 1798.] LIFE OF KELSON. 159 
 
 all the vices of the house of Austria, with little to 
 mitigate, and nothing to ennoble them ; provided 
 she could have her pleasures, and the king his 
 sports, they cared not in what manner the revenue 
 was raised or administered. Of course, a system of 
 favouritism existed at court, and the vilest and most 
 impudent corruption prevailed in every department 
 of state, and in every branch of administration, from 
 the highest to the lowest. It is only the institutions 
 of Christianity, and the vicinity of better-regulated 
 states, which prevent kingdoms, under such circum- 
 stances of misrule, from sinking into a barbarism 
 like that of Turkey. A sense of better things was 
 kept alive in some of the Neapolitans by literature, 
 and by their intercourse with happier countries. 
 These persons naturally looked to France, at the 
 commencement of the revolution; and, during all 
 the horrors of that revolution, still cherished a hope, 
 that, by the aid of France, they might be enabled 
 to establish a new order of things in Naples. They 
 were grievously mistaken in supposing that the 
 principles of liberty would ever be supported by 
 France, but they were not mistaken in believing that 
 no government could be worse than their own ; and, 
 therefore, they considered any change as desirable. 
 In this opinion men of the most different characters 
 agreed. Many of the nobles, who were not in 
 favour, wished for a revolution that they might 
 obtain the ascendency to which they thought them- 
 selves entitled : men of desperate fortunes desired 
 it, in the hope of enriching themselves ; knaves and 
 intriguers sold themselves to the French, to promote 
 it ; and a few enlightened men, and true lovers of 
 their country, joined in the same cause, from the 
 
 the walls to take away the blood. There were more than four hundred 
 boars, deer, stags, and all. To-morrow we are to have another slaughter ; 
 and not a word of reason or common sense do I meet with the whole 
 day, till I retire to my volumes of the old Gentleman's Magazine, which 
 just keeps my mind from starving."
 
 160 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 purest and noblest motives. All these were con- 
 founded under the common name of jacobins ; and 
 the jacobins of the continental kingdoms were re- 
 garded by the English with more hatred than they 
 deserved. They were classed with Philippe Ega- 
 lite, Marat, and Hebert ; whereas, they deserved 
 rather to be ranked, if not with Locke, and Sidney, 
 and Russel, at least with Argyle and Monmouth, 
 and those who, having the same object as the prime 
 movers of our own revolution, failed in their prema- 
 ture, but not unworthy attempt. 
 
 No circumstances could be more unfavourable to 
 the best interests of Europe, than those which 
 placed England in strict alliance with the superan- 
 nuated and abominable governments of the conti- 
 nent. The subjects of those governments who 
 wished for freedom thus became enemies to Eng- 
 land, and dupes and agents of France. They looked 
 to their own grinding grievances, and did not see 
 the danger with which the liberties of the world 
 were threatened : England, on the other hand, saw 
 the danger in its true magnitude, but was blind to 
 these grievances, and found herself compelled to 
 support systems which had formerly been equally 
 the object of her abhorrence and her contempt. 
 This was the state of Nelson's mind : he knew that 
 there could be no peace for Europe till the pride of 
 France was humbled, and her strength broken ; and 
 he regarded all those who were the friends of France, 
 as traitors to the common cause, as well as to their 
 own individual sovereigns. There are situations in 
 which the most opposite and hostile parties may 
 mean equally well, and yet act equally wrong. 
 The court of Naples, unconscious of committing 
 any crime by continuing the system of misrule to 
 which they had succeeded, conceived that, in main- 
 taining things as they were, they were maintaining 
 their own rights, and preserving the people from 
 such horrors as had been perpetrated in France,
 
 1798.] LIFE OP NELSON. 161 
 
 The Neapolitan revolutionists thought, that without 
 a total change of system, any relief from the present 
 evils was impossible, and they believed themselves 
 justified in bringing about that change by any means. 
 Both parties knew that it was the fixed intention of 
 the French to revolutionize Naples. The revolu- 
 tionists supposed that it was for the purpose of esta- 
 blishing a free government : the court, and all disin- 
 terested persons, were perfectly aware that the enemy 
 had no other object than conquest and plunder. 
 
 The battle of the Nile shook the power of France. 
 Her most successful general, and her finest army, 
 were blocked up in Egypt, hopeless, as it ap- 
 peared, of return ; and the government was in the 
 hands of men without talents, without character, 
 and divided among themselves. Austria, whom 
 Buonaparte had terrified into a peace, at a time 
 when constancy on her part would probably have 
 led to his destruction, took advantage of the crisis 
 to renew the war. Russia, also, was preparing to 
 enter the field with unbroken forces ; led by a gene- 
 ral, whose extraordinary military genius would have 
 entitled him to a high and honourable rank in his- 
 tory, if it had not been sullied by all the ferocity of 
 a barbarian. Naples, seeing its destruction at hand, 
 and thinking that the only means of averting it was 
 by meeting the danger, after long vacillations, which 
 were produced by the fears and weakness and 
 treachery of its council, agreed at last to join this 
 new coalition with a numerical force of eighty 
 thousand men. Nelson told the king, in plain terms, 
 that he had his choice, either to advance, trusting to 
 God for his blessing on a just cause, and prepared 
 to die, sword in hand, or to remain quiet and be 
 kicked out of his kingdom : one of these things 
 must happen. The king made answer, he would go 
 on, and trust in God and Nelson; and Nelson, who 
 would else have returned to Egypt, for the purpose 
 of destroying the French shipping in Alexandria, 
 O2
 
 162 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 gave up his intention at the desire of the Neapolitan 
 court, and resolved to remain on that station, in the 
 hope that he might be useful to the movements of 
 the army. He suspected also, with reason, that the 
 continuance of his fleet was so earnestly requested, 
 because the royal family thought their persons 
 would be safer, in case of any mishap, under the 
 British flag, than under their own. 
 
 His first object was the recovery of Malta, an 
 island which the king of Naples pretended to claim. 
 The Maltese, whom the villanous knights of their 
 order had betrayed to France, had taken up arms 
 against their rapacious invaders, with a spirit and 
 unanimity worthy the highest praise. They block- 
 aded the French garrison by land, and a small squa- 
 dron, under Captain Ball, began to blockade them by 
 sea, on the 12th of October. Twelve days after- 
 ward, Nelson arrived ; " It is as I suspected," he 
 says : " the ministers at Naples know nothing of the 
 situation of the island. Not a house .or bastion of 
 the town is in possession of the islanders : and the 
 Marquis de Niza tells us, they want arms, victuals, 
 and support. He does not know that any Neapo- 
 litan officers are in the island ; perhaps, although I 
 have their names, none are arrived ; and it is very 
 certain, by the marquis's account, that no supplies 
 have been sent by the governors of Syracuse and 
 Messina." The little island of Gozo, dependent 
 upon Malta, which had also been seized and gar- 
 risoned by the French, capitulated soon after his 
 arrival, and was taken possession of by the British, 
 in the name of his Sicilian majesty, a power who 
 had no better claim to it than France. Having seen 
 this effected, and reinforced Captain Ball, he left 
 that able officer to perform a most arduous and im- 
 portant part, and returned himself to co-operate 
 with the intended movements of the Neapolitans. . 
 
 General Mack was at the head of the Neapolitan 
 troops: all that is now doubtful concerning this
 
 1798.] UFE OF NELSON. 16? 
 
 man is, whether he was a coward or a traitor : at 
 that time he was assiduously extolled as a most 
 consummate commander, to whom Europe might 
 look for deliverance : and when he was introduced 
 by the king and queen to the British admiral, the 
 queen said to him, " Be to us by land, general, what 
 my hero Nelson has been by sea." Mack, on his 
 part, did not fail to praise the force which he was 
 appointed to command : " It was," he said, " the 
 finest army in Europe." Nelson agreed with him, 
 that there could not be finer men : but when the 
 general, at a review, so directed the operations of a 
 mock-fight, that, by an unhappy blunder, his own 
 troops were surrounded instead of those of the ene- 
 my, he turned to his friends, and exclaimed, with 
 bitterness, that the fellow did not understand his 
 business. Another circumstance, not less cha- 
 racteristic, confirmed Nelson in his judgment. 
 " General Mack," said he, in one of his letters, 
 " cannot move without five carriages ! I have 
 formed my opinion. I heartily pray I may be mis- 
 taken." 
 
 While Mack, at the head of thirty-two thousand 
 men, marched into the Roman state, five thousand 
 Neapolitans were embarked on board the British 
 and Portuguese squadron, to take possession of Leg- 
 horn. This was effected without opposition ; and 
 the grand duke of Tuscany, whose neutrality had 
 been so outrageously violated by the French, was 
 better satisfied with the measure than some of the 
 Neapolitans themselves. Naselli, their general, 
 refused to seize the French vessels at Leghorn, 
 because he, and the Duke di Sangro, who was am- 
 bassador at the Tuscan court, maintained, that the 
 king of Naples was not at war with France. 
 " What !" said Nelson, " has not the king received, 
 as a conquest made by him, the republican flag 
 taken at Gozo ? Is not his own flag flying there, 
 and at Malta, not only by his permission, but by his
 
 164 UFE OP NELSON. [1798. 
 
 order ? Is not his flag shot at every day by the 
 French, and their shot returned from batteries which 
 bear that flag ] Are not two frigates and a corvette 
 placed under my orders ready to fight the French, 
 meet them where they may? Has not the king 
 sent publicly from Naples, guns, mortars, &c., with 
 officers and artillery against the French in Malta? 
 If these acts are not tantamount to any written 
 paper, I give up all knowledge of what is war." 
 This reasoning was of less avail than argument ad- 
 dressed to the general's fears. Nelson told him, 
 that if he permitted the many hundred French who 
 were then in the mole to remain neutral, till they 
 had a fair opportunity of being active, they had one 
 sure resource, if aH other schemes failed, which 
 was to set one vessel on fire ; the mole would be 
 destroyed, probably the town also ; and the port 
 ruined for twenty years. This representation made 
 Naselli agree to the half measure of laying an em- 
 bargo on the vessels ; among them were a great 
 number of French privateers, some of which were 
 of such force as to threaten the greatest mischief to 
 our commerce ; and about seventy sail of vessels 
 belonging to the Ligurian republic, as Genoa was 
 now called, laden with corn, and ready to sail for 
 Genoa and France ; where their arrival would have 
 expedited the entrance of more French troops into 
 Italy. " The general," said Nelson, " saw, I believe, 
 the consequence of permitting these vessels to de- 
 part, in the same light as myself; but there is this 
 difference between us : he prudently, and certainly 
 safely, waits the orders of his court, taking no re- 
 sponsibility upon himself; I act from the circum- 
 stances of the moment, as I feel may be most ad- 
 vantageous for the cause which I serve, taking all 
 responsibility on myself." It was in vain to hope 
 for any thing vigorous or manly from such men as 
 Nelson was compelled to act with. The crews of 
 the French ships and their allies were ordered to
 
 1708.] LIFE OP NELSON. 165 
 
 depart in two days. Four days elapsed, and nobody 
 obeyed the order ; nor, in spite of the representa- 
 tions of the British minister, Mr. Wyndham, were 
 any means taken to enforce it : the true Neapoli- 
 tan shuffle, as Nelson called it, took place on all 
 occasions. After an absence of ten days, he re- 
 turned to Naples : and receiving intelligence there, 
 from Mr. Wyndham, that the privateers were at 
 last to be disarmed, the corn landed, and the crews 
 sent away, he expressed his satisfaction at the news 
 in characteristic language, saying, " So far I am 
 content. The enemy will be distressed ; and, thank 
 God, I shall get no money. The world, I know 
 think that money is our god ; and now they will be 
 undeceived as far as relates to us. Down, down 
 with the French ! is my constant prayer." 
 
 Odes, sonnets, and congratulatory poems of every 
 description were poured in upon Nelson, on his 
 arrival at Naples. An Irish Franciscan, who was 
 one of the poets, not being content with panegyric 
 upon this occasion, ventured upon a flight of pro- 
 phecy, and predicted that Lord Nelson would take 
 Rome with his ships. His Lordship reminded Fa- 
 ther M'Cormick, that ships could not ascend the 
 Tiber ; but the father, who had probably forgotten 
 this circumstance, met the objection with a bold 
 front, and declared he saw that it would come to 
 pass notwithstanding. Rejoicings of this kind were 
 of short duration. The king of Naples was with 
 the army which had entered Rome ; but the castle 
 of St. Angelo was held by the French, andthirteen 
 thousand French were strongly posted in the Roman 
 states at Castellana. Mack had marched against 
 them with twenty thousand men. Nelson saw that 
 the event was doubtful ; or rather, that there could 
 be very little hope of the result. But the immedi- 
 ate fate of Naples, as he well knew, hung upon the 
 issue. " If Mack is defeated," said he, " in fourteen 
 days this country is lost ; for the emperor has not
 
 166 LIFE OF KELSON. [1798. 
 
 yet moved his army, and Naples has not the power 
 of resisting the enemy. It was not a case for 
 choice, but of necessity, which induced the king to 
 march out of his kingdom, and not wait till the 
 French had collected a force sufficient to drive him 
 out of it in a week." He had no reliance upon the 
 Neapolitan officers ; who, as he described them, 
 seemed frightened at a drawn sword or a loaded 
 gun ; and he was perfectly aware of the conse- 
 quences which the sluggish movements and deceit- 
 ful policy of the Austrians were likely to bring down 
 upon themselves and all their continental allies. 
 " A delayed war on the part of the emperor," said 
 he, writing to the British minister at Vienna, " will 
 be destructive to this monarchy of Naples ; and, of 
 course, to the newly-acquired dominions of the 
 emperor of Italy. Had the war commenced in Sep- 
 tember or October, all Italy would, at this moment, 
 have been liberated. This month is worse than the 
 last : the next will render the contest doubtful ; 
 and, in six months, when the Neapolitan republic 
 will be organized, armed, and with its numerous 
 resources called forth, the emperor will not only be 
 defeated in Italy, but will totter on his throne at 
 Vienna. Down, down ~&ith the French! ought to be 
 written in the council-room of every country in the 
 world : and may Almighty God give right thoughts 
 to every sovereign, is my constant prayer!" His 
 perfect foresight of the immediate event was clearly 
 shown in this letter, when he desired the ambassa- 
 dor to Ensure the empress (who was a daughter of 
 the house of Naples), that, notwithstanding the 
 councils which had shaken the throne of her father 
 and mother, he would remain there, ready to save 
 their persons, and her brothers and sisters ; and 
 that he had also left ships at Leghorn, to save the 
 lives of the grand duke and her sister : " For all," 
 said he, " must be a republic, if the emperor does 
 not act with expedition and vigour."
 
 1798.] LIFE OP NELSON. 167 
 
 His fears were soon verified. "The Neapolitan 
 officers," said Nelson, " did not lose much honour, 
 for, God knows, they had not much to lose : but they 
 lost all they had." General St. Philip commanded 
 the right wing, of nineteen thousand men. He fell 
 in with three thousand of the enemy; and, as soon 
 as he came near enough, deserted to them. One of 
 his men had virtue enough to level a musket at him, 
 and shot him through the arm ; but the wound was 
 not sufficient to prevent him from joining with the 
 French in pursuit of his own countrymen. Cannon, 
 tents, baggage, and military chest were all forsaken 
 by the runaways, though they lost only forty men: 
 for the French, having put them to flight, and got 
 possession of every thing-, did not pursue an army 
 of more than three times their own number. The 
 main body of the Neapolitans, under Mack, did not 
 behave better. The king returned to Naples, where 
 every day brought with it the tidings of some new 
 disgrace from the army, and the discovery of some 
 new treachery at home ; till, four days after his 
 return, the general sent him advice, that there was 
 no prospect of stopping the progress of the enemy, 
 and that the royal family must look to their own 
 personal safety. The state of the public mind at 
 Naples was such, at this time, that neither the 
 British minister nor the British admiral thought it 
 prudent to appear at court. Their motions were 
 watched ; and the revolutionists had even formed a 
 plan for seizing and detaining them as hostages, 
 to prevent any attack on the city after the French 
 should have taken possession of it. A letter, which 
 Nelson addressed at this time to the first lord of 
 the Admiralty, shows in what manner he contem- 
 plated the possible issue of the storm. It was in 
 these words : " My dear lord, there is an old say- 
 ing, that when things are at the worst, they must 
 mend : now, the mind of man cannot fancy things 
 worse than they are here. But, thank God! my
 
 168 LIFE OF NELSON. [1798. 
 
 health is better, my mind never firmer, and my 
 heart in the right trim to comfort, relieve, and pro- 
 tect those whom it is my duty to afford assistance 
 to. Pray, my lord, assure our gracious sovereign, 
 that, while I live, I will support his glory ; and that, 
 if I fall, it shall be in a manner worthy of your 
 lordship's faithful and obliged Nelson. I must not 
 write more. Every word may be a text for a long 
 letter." 
 
 Meantime, Lady Hamilton arranged every thing 
 for the removal of the royal family. This was con- 
 ducted, on her part, with the greatest address, and 
 without suspicion, because she had been in habits 
 of constant correspondence with the queen. It was 
 known, that the removal could not be effected with- 
 out danger; for the mob, and especially the lazza- 
 roni, were attached to the king, and as, at this time, 
 they felt a natural presumption in their own numbers 
 and strength, they insisted that he should not leave 
 Naples. Several persons fell victims to their fury: 
 among others was a messenger from Vienna, whose 
 body was dragged under the windows of the palace 
 in the king's sight. The king and queen spoke to 
 the mob, and pacified them ; but it would not have 
 been safe, while they were in this agitated state, to 
 have embarked the effects of the royal family openly. 
 Lady Hamilton, like a heroine of modern romance, 
 explored, with no little danger, a subterraneous 
 passage, leading from the palace to the seaside : 
 through this passage, the royal treasures, the 
 choicest pieces of painting and sculpture, and other 
 property, to the amount of two millions and a half, 
 were conveyed to the shore, and stowed safely on 
 board the English ships. On the night of the 21st, 
 at half-past eight, Nelson landed, brought out the 
 whole royal family, embarked them in three barges, 
 and carried them safely, through a tremendous sea, 
 to the Vanguard. Notice was then immediately 
 given to the British merchants, that they would be
 
 1799.] LIFE OP NELSON. J60 
 
 received on board any ship in the squadron. Their 
 property had previously been embarked in transports. 
 Two days were passed in the bay, for the purpose 
 of taking such persons on board as required an 
 asylum; and, on the night of the 23d, the fleet 
 The next day a more violent storm arose 
 than Nelson had ever before encountered. On the 
 25th, the youngest of the princes was taken ill, and 
 died in Lady Hamilton's arms. During this whole 
 trying season, Lady Hamilton waited upon the royal 
 family with the zeal of the most devoted servant, at 
 a time when, except one man, no person belono-in? 
 to the court assisted them. 
 
 On the morning of the 26th, the royal family were 
 anded at Palermo. It was soon seen that their 
 flight had not been premature. Prince Pignatelli, 
 who had been left as vicar-general and viceroy, with 
 orders to defend the kingdom to the last rock in 
 Calabria, sent plenipotentiaries to the French camp 
 fare Capua ; and they, for the sake of saving the 
 capital, signed an armistice, by which the greater 
 part of the kingdom was given up to the enemy: a 
 cession that necessarily led to the loss of the whole. 
 This was on the 10th of January. The French 
 advanced towards Naples. Mack, under pretext of 
 taking shelter from the fury of the lazzaroni, fled to 
 the French general Championet, who sent him under 
 an escort to Milan : but, as France hoped for farther 
 services from this wretched traitor, it was thought 
 prudent to treat him apparently as a prisoner of war. 
 The Neapolitan army disappeared in a few days: 
 of the men, some, following their officers, deserted 
 to the enemy : the greater part took the opportunity 
 of disbanding themselves. The lazzaroni proved 
 true to their country : they attacked the enemy's 
 advanced posts, drove them in, and were not dispi- 
 rited by the murderous defeat which they suffered 
 from the main body. Flying into the city, they con- 
 tinued to defend it, even after the French had planted
 
 170 LIFE OF NELSON. [1799. 
 
 their artillery in the principal streets. Had there 
 been a man of genius to have directed their enthu- 
 siasm, or had there been any correspondent feelings 
 in the higher ranks, Naples might have set a glorious 
 example to Europe, and have proved the grave of 
 every Frenchman who entered it. But the vices of 
 the government had extinguished all other patriot- 
 ism than that of a rabble, who had no other virtue 
 than that sort of loyalty which was like the fidelity 
 of a dog to its master. This fidelity the French 
 and their adherents counteracted by another kind of 
 devotion : the priests affirmed, that St. Januarius 
 had declared in favour of the revolution. The 
 miracle of his blood was performed with the usual 
 success, and more than usual effect, on the very 
 evening when, after two days of desperate fighting, 
 the French obtained possession of Naples. A 
 French guard of honour was stationed at his church. 
 Championet gave " Respect for St. Januarius !" as 
 the word for the army ; and the next day Te Deum 
 was sung by the archbishop in the cathedral ; and 
 the inhabitants were invited to attend the ceremony, 
 and join in thanksgiving for the glorious entry of 
 the French; who, it was said, being under the pecu- 
 liar protection of Providence, had regenerated the 
 Neapolitans, and were come to establish and con- 
 solidate their happiness. 
 
 It seems to have been Nelson's opinion, that the 
 Austrian cabinet regarded the conquest of Naples 
 with complacency, and that its measures were di- 
 rected so as designedly not to prevent the French 
 from overrunning it. That cabinet was assuredly 
 capable of any folly and of any baseness : and it is 
 not improbable that, at this time, calculating upon 
 the success of the new coalition, it indulged a dream 
 of adding extensively to its former Italian posses- 
 sions ; and, therefore, left the few remaining powers 
 of Italy to be overthrown, as a means which would 
 facilitate its own ambitious views. The king of
 
 1799.] LIFE OF NELSON. 171 
 
 Sardinia, finding it impossible longer to endure the 
 exactions of France, and the insults of the French 
 commissary, went to Leghorn, embarked on board 
 a Danish frigate, and sailed under British protection, 
 to Sardinia that part of his dominions, which the 
 maritime supremacy of England rendered a secure 
 asylum. On his arrival, he published a protest 
 against the conduct of France ; declaring, upon the 
 faith and word of a king, that he had never infringed, 
 even in the slightest degree, the treaties which he 
 had made with the French republic. Tuscany was 
 soon occupied by French troops : a fate which bolder 
 policy might, perhaps, have failed to avert, but which 
 its weak and timid neutrality rendered inevitable. 
 Nelson began to fear even for Sicily. "Oh, my 
 dear sir," said he, writing to Commodore Duck- 
 worth, "one thousand English troops would save 
 Messina, and 1 fear General Stuart cannot give me 
 men to save this most important island !" But his 
 representations were not lost upon Sir Charles 
 Stuart : this officer hastened immediately from 
 Minorca, with a thousand men, assisted in the 
 measures of defence which were taken, and did not 
 return before he had satisfied himself, that if the 
 Neapolitans were excluded from the management 
 of affairs, and the spirit of the peasantry properly 
 directed, Sicily was safe. Before his coming, Nel- 
 son had offered the king, if no resources should 
 arrive, to defend Messina with the ship's company 
 of an English man-of-war. 
 
 Russia had now entered into the war. Corfu sur- 
 rendered to a Russian and Turkish fleet, acting 
 now, for the first time, in strange confederacy ; yet 
 against a power which was certainly the common 
 and worst enemy of both. Trowbridge having given 
 up the blockade of Alexandria to Sir Sidney Smith, 
 joined Nelson, bringing with him a considerable 
 addition of strength ; and in himself, what Nelson 
 valued more, a man, upon whose sagacity, indefa-
 
 172 LIFE OF NELSON. [1799. 
 
 tigable zeal, and inexhaustible resources, lie could 
 place full reliance. Trowbridge was intrusted to 
 commence the operations against the French in the 
 bay of Naples : meantime, Cardinal Ruffo, a man 
 of questionable character, but of a temper fitted for 
 such times, having- landed in Calabria, raised what 
 he called a Christian army, composed of the best 
 and the vilest materials ; loyal peasants, enthusiastic 
 priests and friars, galley slaves, the emptying of the 
 jails, and banditti. Tne islands in the bay of Na- 
 ples were joyfully delivered by the inhabitants, who 
 were in a state of famine already, from the effect 
 of this baleful revolution. Trowbridge distributed 
 among them all his flour; and Nelson pressed the 
 Sicilian court incessantly for supplies ; telling them 
 that 10,000 given away in provisions, would, at 
 this time, purchase a kingdom. Money, he was 
 told, they had not to give; and the wisdom and 
 integrity which might have supplied its want, were 
 not to be found. " There is nothing," said he, 
 " which I propose, that is not, as far as orders go, 
 implicitly complied with : but the execution is 
 dreadful, and almost makes mo mad. My desire 
 to serve their majesties faithfuny, as is my duty, 
 has been such, that I am almost blind and worn 
 out; and cannot, in my present state, hold much 
 longer." 
 
 Before any government can be overthrown by the 
 consent of the people, the government must bf> in- 
 tolerably oppressive, or the people thoroughly cor- 
 rupted. Bad as the misrule at Naples had been, 
 its consequences had been felt far less there than in 
 Sicily; and the peasantry had that attachment to 
 the soil, which gives birth to so many of the noblest 
 as well as of the happiest feelings. In all the 
 islands the people were perfectly frantic with joy, 
 when they saw the Neapolitan colours hoisted. At 
 Procida, Trowbridge could not procure even a rag 
 of the tricoloured flag to lay at the king's feet :
 
 1799.] LIFE OF NELSON. 173 
 
 it was rent into ten thousand pieces by the inhabit' 
 ants, and entirely destroyed. " The horrid treat- 
 ment of the French," he said, "had made them 
 mad." It exasperated the ferocity of a character, 
 which neither the laws nor the religion under which 
 they lived tended to mitigate. Their hatred was 
 especially directed against the Neapolitan revolu- 
 tionists ; and the fishermen, in concert among them- 
 selves, chose each his own victim, whom he would 
 stiletto when the day of vengeance should arrive. 
 The head of one was sent off one morning to Trow- 
 bridge, with his basket of grapes for breakfast ; 
 and a note from the Italian, who had, what he called, 
 the glory of presenting it ; saying, he had killed the 
 man as he was running away, and begging his ex- 
 cellency to accept the head, and consider it as a 
 proof of the writer's attachment to the crown. 
 With the first successes of the court the work of 
 punishment began. The judge at Ischia said it 
 was necessary to have a bishop to degrade the trai- 
 torous priests before he could execute them : upon 
 which Trowbridge advised him to hang them first, 
 and send them to him afterward, if he did not think 
 that degradation sufficient. This was said with the 
 straight-forward feeling of a sailor, who cared as 
 little for canon law as he knew about it : but when 
 he discovered that the judge's orders were to go 
 through the business in a summary manner, under 
 his sanction, he told him at once that could not be. 
 for the prisoners were not British subjects ; and he 
 declined having any thing to do with it. There 
 were manifestly persons about the court, who, while 
 they thirsted for the pleasure of vengeance, were 
 devising how to throw the odium of it upon the 
 English. They wanted to employ an English man- 
 of-war to carry the priests to Palermo for degrada- 
 tion, and then bring them back for execution ; and 
 they applied to Trowbridge for a hangman, which 
 he indignantly refused. He, meantime, was almost 
 P2
 
 174 LIFE OP NELSON. [1799. 
 
 heart-broken by the situation in which he found him- 
 self. He had promised relief to the islanders, re- 
 lying upon the queen's promise to him. He .had 
 distributed the whole of his private stock, there 
 was plenty of grain at Palermo, and in its neigh- 
 bourhood, and yet none was sent him : the enemy, 
 he complained, had more interest there than the 
 king: and the distress for bread, which he witnessed, 
 was such, he said, that it would move even a French- 
 man to pity. 
 
 Nelson's heart too was at this time ashore. " To 
 tell you," he says, writing to Lady Hamilton, "how 
 dreary and uncomfortable the Vanguard appears, is 
 only telling you what it is to go from the pleasantest 
 society to a solitary cell ; or from the dearest friends 
 to no friends. I am now perfectly the great man, 
 not a creature near me. From my heart I wish 
 myself the little man again. You and good Sir 
 ^Yilliam have spoiled me for any place, but with 
 you." 
 
 His mind was not in a happier state respecting 
 public affairs. " As to politics," said he, " at this 
 time they are my abomination : the ministers of 
 kings and princes are as great scoundrels as ever 
 lived. The brother of the emperor is just going to 
 marry the great Something of Russia, and it is more 
 than expected that a kingdom is to be found for him 
 in Italy, and that the king of Naples will be sacri- 
 ficed." Had there been a wise and manly spirit in 
 the Italian states, or had the conduct of Austria 
 been directed by any thing like a principle of honour, 
 a more favourable opportunity could not have been 
 desired for restoring order and prosperity in Europe 
 than the misconduct of the French directory at this 
 time afforded. But Nelson saw selfishness and 
 knavery wherever he looked ; and even the pleasure 
 of seeing a cause prosper, in which he was so 
 zealously engaged, was poisoned by his sense of 
 the rascality of those with whom he was compelled
 
 I799.J LUFE OF NEtSON. 175 
 
 to act. At this juncture intelligence arrived that the 
 French fleet had escaped from Brest, under cover of 
 a fog, passed Cadiz unseen by Lord Keith's squa- 
 dron, in hazy weather, and entered the Mediterranean. 
 It was said to consist of twenty-four sail of the 
 line, six frigates, and three sloops. The object of 
 the French was to liberate the Spanish fleet, form a 
 junction with them, act against Minorca and Sicily, 
 and overpower our naval force in the Mediterranean, 
 by falling in with detached squadrons, and thus 
 destroying it in detail. When they arrived off Car- 
 thagena, they requested the Spanish ships to make 
 sail and join ; but the Spaniards replied, they had 
 not men to man them. To this it was answered, 
 that the French had men enough on board for that 
 purpose. But the Spaniards seem to have been ap- 
 prehensive of delivering up their ships thus entirely 
 into the power of such allies, and refused to come 
 out. The fleet from Cadiz, however, consisting of 
 from seventeen to twenty sail of the line, got out, 
 under Masaredo, a man who then bore an honourable 
 name, which he has since rendered infamous by be- 
 traying his country. They met with a violent storm 
 off the coast of Oran, which dismasted many of 
 their ships, and so effectually disabled them, as to 
 prevent the junction, and frustrate a well-planned 
 expedition. 
 
 Before this occurred, and while the junction was 
 as probable as it would have been formidable, Nel- 
 son was in a state of the greatest anxiety. " What 
 a state am I in!" said he to Earl St. Vincent. " If 
 I go, I risk, and more than risk, Sicily : for we know, 
 from experience, that more depends upon opinion 
 than Upon acts themselves : and as I stay, my heart 
 is breaking." His first business was to summon 
 Trowbridge to join him, with all the ships of the 
 line under his command, and a frigate, if possible. 
 Then hearing that the French had entered the Medi- 
 terranean, and expecting them at Palermo, where
 
 176 LIFE OF NELSON. [1799. 
 
 he had only his own ship ; with that single ship he 
 prepared to make all the resistance possible. Trow- 
 bridge having joined him, he left Captain E. J. Foote, 
 of the Seahorse, to command the smaller vessels 
 in the Bay of Naples, and sailed with six ships ; one 
 a Portuguese, and a Portuguese corvette; telling 
 Earl St. Vincent that the squadron should never fall 
 into the hands of the enemy: "And before we are 
 destroyed," said he, " I have little doubt but they 
 will have their wings so completely clipped, that 
 they may be easily overtaken." It was just at this 
 time that he received from Capt. Hallowell the pre- 
 sent of the coffin. Such a present was regarded 
 by the men with natural astonishment : one of his 
 old shipmates in the Agamemnon said " We shall 
 have hot work of it indeed ! You see the admiral 
 intends to fight till he is killed ; and there he is to be 
 buried." Nelson placed it upright against the bulk- 
 head of his cabin, behind his chair, where he sat at 
 dinner. The gift suited him at this time. It is said 
 that he was disappointed in the son-in-law, whom 
 he had loved so dearly from his childhood, and who 
 had saved his life at Teneriffe : and it is certain that 
 he had now formed an infatuated attachment for 
 Lady Hamilton, which totally weaned his affections 
 from his wife. Farther than this, there is no reason 
 to believe that this most unfortunate attachment 
 was criminal : but this was criminality enough and 
 it brought with it its punishment. Nelson was dis- 
 satisfied with himself; and, therefore, weary of the 
 world. This feeling he now frequently expressed 
 " There is no true happiness in this life," said he ' 
 "and in my present state I could quit it with a 
 smile." And in a letter to his old friend Davison, 
 he said : " Believe me, my only wish is to sink with 
 honour into the grave ; and when that shall please 
 God, I shall meet death with a smile. Not that I 
 am insensible to the honours and riches my king 
 and country have heaped upon me, so much more
 
 1799.] LIFE OF NELSON. 177 
 
 
 
 than any officer could deserve ; yet am I ready to 
 quit this world of trouble, and envy none but those 
 of the estate six feet by two." 
 
 Well had it been for Nelson if he had made no 
 other sacrifices to this unhappy attachment than 
 his peace of mind ; but it led to the only blot upon 
 his public character. While he sailed from Palermo, 
 with the intention of collecting his whole force, and 
 keeping off Maretimo, either to receive reinforce- 
 ments there, if the French were bound upwards, or 
 to hasten to Minorca, if that should be their desti- 
 nation ; Capt. Foote, in the Seahorse, with the Nea- 
 oolitan frigates, and some small vessels, under his 
 command, was left to act with a land force consist- 
 ing of a few regular troops, of four different nations, 
 and with the armed rabble which Cardinal Ruffo 
 called the Christian army. His directions were to 
 co-operate to the utmost of his power with the roy 
 alists, at whose head Ruffo had been placed, and he 
 had no other instructions whatever. Ruffo ad- 
 vancing, without any plan, but relying upon the 
 enemy's want of numbers, which prevented them 
 from attempting to act upon the offensive, and ready 
 to take advantage of any accident which might oc- 
 cur, approached Naples. Fort St. Elmo, which 
 commands the town, was wholly garrisoned by the 
 French troops ; the castles of Uovo and Nuovo, 
 which commanded the anchorage, were chiefly de- 
 fended by Neapolitan revolutionists, the powerful 
 men among them having taken shelter there. If 
 these castles were taken, the reduction of Fort St. 
 Elmo would be greatly expedited. They were strong 
 places, and there was reason to apprehend that the 
 French fleet might arrive to relieve them. Ruffo 
 proposed to the garrison to capitulate, on condition 
 that their persons and property should be guaran- 
 teed, and that they should, at their own option, either 
 be sent to Toulon, or remain at Naples, without 
 being molested either in their persons or families.
 
 178 LIFE OP NELSON. [1799. 
 
 This capitulation was accepted : it was signed by 
 the Cardinal, and the Russian and Turkish com- 
 manders; and, lastly, by Capt. Foote, as com- 
 mander of the British force. About six-and-thirty 
 hours afterward, Nelson arrived in the bay, with a 
 force, which had joined him during his cruise, con- 
 sisting- of seventeen sail of the line, with seventeen 
 hundred troops on board, and the Prince Royal of 
 Naples in the admiral's ship. A flag- of truce was 
 flying on the castles, and on board the Seahorse. 
 Nelson made^a signal to annul the treaty; declaring 
 that he would grant rebels no other terms than those 
 of unconditional submission. The Cardinal ob- 
 jected to this : nor could all the arguments of Nel- 
 son, Sir W. Hamilton, and Lady Hamilton, who 
 took an active part in the conference, convince him, 
 that a treaty of such a nature, solemnly concluded, 
 could honourably be set aside. He retired at last, 
 silenced by Nelson's authority, but not convinced. 
 Capt. Foote was sent out of the bay ; and the gar- 
 risons, taken out of the castles, under pretence of 
 carrying the treaty into effect, were delivered over 
 as rebels to the vengeance of the Sicilian court. A 
 deplorable transaction ! a stain upon the memory of 
 Nelson, and the honour of England ! To palliate 
 it would be in vain; to justify it would be wicked: 
 there is no alternative, for one who will not make 
 himself a participater in guilt, but to record the dis- 
 graceful story* with sorrow and with shame. 
 
 Prince Francesco Caraccioli, a younger branch 
 of one of the noblest Neapolitan families, escaped 
 from one of these castles before it capitulated. He 
 was at the head of the marine, and was nearly 
 seventy years of age, bearing a high character, 
 both for professional and personal merit. He had 
 accompanied the court to Sicily ; but when the re- 
 
 In oneof his letters to Lady Hamilton, written a few months before 
 this fatal transaction, Nelson says, speaking of the queen, "I declare 
 to God, my whole rtudy is how to best meet her approbation."
 
 1799.] LIFE OF NELSON. 179 
 
 volutionary government, or Parthenopaean republic, 
 as it was called, issued an edict, ordering all absent 
 Neapolitans to return on pain of confiscation of 
 their property, he solicited and obtained permission 
 of the king to return, his estates being very great. 
 It is said that the king, when he granted him this 
 permission, warned him not to take any part in poli- 
 tics ; expressing, at the same time, his own persua- 
 sion that he should recover his kingdom. But nei- 
 ther the king, nor he himself, ought to have ima- 
 gined that, in such times, a man of such reputation 
 would be permitted to remain inactive ; and it soon 
 appeared that Caraccioli was again in command of 
 the navy, and serving under the republic against 
 his late sovereign. The sailors reported that he 
 was forced to act thus : and this was believed, till 
 it was seen that he directed ably the offensive ope- 
 rations of the revolutionists and did not avail him- 
 self of opportunities for escaping, when they offered. 
 When the recovery of Naples was evidently near, 
 he applied to Cardinal Ruffo, and to the Duke of 
 Calvirrano for protection ; expressing his hope, that 
 the few days during which he had been forced to 
 obey the French, would not outweigh forty years 
 of faithful services : but, perhaps not receiving 
 such assurances as he wished, and knowing too 
 well the temper of the Sicilian court, he endea- 
 voured to secrete himself, and a price was set upon 
 his head. More unfortunately for others than for 
 himself, he was brought in alive, having been dis- 
 covered in the disguise of a peasant, and carried 
 one morning on board Lord Nelson's ship, with 
 his hands tied behind him. 
 
 Caraccioli was well known to the British officers, 
 and had been ever highly esteemed by all who 
 knew him. Capt. Hardy ordered him immediately 
 to be unbound, and to be treated with all those at- 
 tentions which he felt due to a man who, when last 
 on board the Foudroyant, had been received as an
 
 180 1IFE OF NELSOW. [1799. 
 
 admiral and a prince. Sir William and Lady Hamil- 
 ton were in the ship ; but Nelson, it is affirmed, 
 saw no one, except his own officers, during the tra- 
 gedy which ensued. His own determination was 
 made ; and he issued an order to the Neapolitan 
 commodore, Count Thurn, to assemble a court- 
 martial of Neapolitan officers, on board the British 
 flag-ship, proceed immediately to try the prisoner, 
 and report to him, if the charges were proved, what 
 punishment he ought to suffer. These proceedings 
 were as rapid as possible ; Caraccioli was brought 
 on board at nine in the forenoon, and the trial be- 
 gan at ten. It lasted two hours : he averred in his 
 defence, that he had acted under compulsion, having 
 been compelled to serve as a common soldier till 
 he consented to take command of the fleet. This, 
 the apologists of Lord Nelson say, he failed in 
 proving. They forget that the possibility of proving 
 it was not allowed him ; for he was brought to trial 
 within an hour after he was legally in arrest ; and 
 how, in that time, was he to collect his witnesses ? 
 He was found guilty, and sentenced to death ; and 
 Nelson gave orders that the sentence should be 
 carried into effect that evening, at five o'clock, on 
 board the Sicilian frigate, La Minerva, by hanging 
 him at the fore yard-arm till sunset; when the body 
 was to be cut down, and thrown into the sea. Ca- 
 raccioli requested Lieutenant Parkinson, under 
 whose custody he was placed, to intercede with 
 Lord Nelson for a second trial, for this, among 
 other reasons, that Count Thurn, who presided at 
 the court-martial, was notoriously his personal 
 enemy. Nelson made answer, that the prisoner 
 had been fairly tried by the officers of his own 
 country, and he could not interfere: forgetting that, 
 if he felt himself justified in ordering the trial an* 
 the execution, no human being could ever have ques- 
 tioned the propriety of his interfering on the side of 
 mercy. Caraccioli then entreated that he might be
 
 1799.] IIFE OF NELSON. 181 
 
 shot. " I am an old man, sir," said lie : " I leave no 
 family to lament me, and therefore cannot be sup- 
 posed to be veiy anxious about prolonging my life ; 
 but the disgrace of being hanged is dreadful to me." 
 When this was repeated to Nelson, he only told the 
 lieutenant, with much agitation, to go and attend 
 his duty. As a last hope., Caraccioli asked the lieu- 
 tenant, if he thought an application to Lady Hamil- 
 ton would be beneficial 1 Parkinson went to seek 
 her : she was not to be seen on this occasion, but 
 she was present at the execution. She had the most 
 devoted attachment to the Neapolitan court ; and 
 the hatred which she felt against those whom she 
 regarded as its enemies made her, at this time, for- 
 get what was due to the character of her sex, as 
 well as of her country. Here, also, a faithful his- 
 torian is called upon to pronounce a severe and 
 unqualified condemnation of Nelson's conduct. 
 Had he the authority of his Sicilian majesty for 
 proceeding as he did ? If so, why was not that au- 
 thority produced? If not, why were the proceed- 
 ings hurried on without if? Why was the trial 
 precipitated, so that it was impossible for the pri- 
 soner, if he had been innocent, to provide the wit- 
 nesses, who might have proved him so ? Why was 
 a second trial refused, Avhen the known animosity 
 of the president of the court against the prisoner 
 was considered ? W T hy was the execution hastened 
 so as to preclude any appeal for mercy, and render 
 the prerogative for mercy useless ? Doubtless, the 
 British admiral seemed to himself to be acting 
 under a rigid sense of justice; but, to all other per- 
 sons, 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 cha- 
 racter. 
 
 The body was carried out to a considerable dis- 
 tance, and sunk in the bay, with three double- 
 Q
 
 182 LIFE OF NELSON. [1799, 
 
 headed shot, weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, 
 tied to its legs. Between two and three weeks af- 
 terward, when the king was on board ihe Foudroy- 
 ant, a Neapolitan fisherman came to the ship, and 
 solemnly declared, that Caraccioli had risen from 
 the bottom of the sea, and was coming, as fast as 
 he could, to Naples, swimming half out of the wa- 
 ter. Such an account was listened to like a tale of 
 idle credulity. The day being fair, Nelson, to please 
 the king, stood out to sea ; but the ship had not 
 proceeded far before a body was distinctly seen, up- 
 right in the water, and approaching them. It was 
 soon recognised to be, indeed, the corpse of Carac- 
 cioli, which had risen, and floated, while the great 
 weights attached to the legs kept the body in a posi- 
 tion like that of a living man. A fact so extraor- 
 dinary astonished the king, and perhaps excited 
 some feelings of superstitious fear, akin to regret. 
 He gave permission for the body to be taken on 
 shore, and receive Christian burial. It produced no 
 better effect. Naples exhibited more dreadful scenes 
 than it had witnessed in the days of Massaniello. 
 After the mob had had their fill of blood and plunder, 
 the reins \vere given to justice if that can be called 
 justice which annuls its own stipulations, looks to the 
 naked facts, alone disregarding all motives and all 
 circumstances ; and without considering character, 
 or science, or sex, or youth, sacrifices its victims, 
 not for the public weal, but for the gratification of 
 greedy vengeance. 
 
 The castles of St. Elmo, Gaieta, and Capua, re- 
 mained to be subdued. On the land side, there 
 was no danger that the French in these garrisons 
 should be relieved, for Suverof was now beginning 
 to drive the enemy before him ; but Nelson thought 
 his presence necessary in the bay of Naples : and 
 when Lord Keith having received intelligence that 
 the French and Spanish fleets had formed a junction, 
 and sailed for Carthageca, ordered him to repair to
 
 1799.] LIFE OF NELSON.' 183 
 
 Minorca, with the whole or the greater part of his 
 force, he sent Admiral Duckworth with a small 
 part only. This was a dilemma which he had fore- 
 seen. " Should such an order come at this mo- 
 ment," he said, in a letter previously written to the 
 Admiralty, " it would be a case for some considera- 
 tion, 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." And, after 
 he had acted upon this opinion, he wrote in these 
 terms to the Duke of Clarence, with whose high 
 notions of obedience he was well acquainted : " I 
 am well aware of the consequences of disobeying 
 my orders : but as I have often before risked my 
 life for the good cause, so I with cheerfulness did 
 my commission; for, although a military tribunal 
 may think me criminal, the world will approve of 
 my conduct : and I regard not my own safety, when 
 the honour of my king is at stake." 
 
 Nelson was right in his judgment : no attempt 
 was made upon Minorca; and the expulsion of the 
 French from Naples may rather be said to have 
 been effected, than accelerated, by the English and 
 Portuguese of the allied fleet, acting upon shore, 
 under Trowbridge. The French commandant at 
 St. Elmo, relying upon the strength of the place, 
 and the nature of the force which attacked it, had 
 insulted Capt. Foote, in the grossest terms ; but ci- 
 toyen Mejan was soon taught better manners, when 
 Trowbridge, in spite of every obstacle, opened five 
 batteries upon the fort. He was informed, that 
 none of his letters with the insolent printed words 
 at the top, Libertt, Egalitt, Guerre aux Tyrans, &c. 
 would be received ; but that, if he wrote like a sol- 
 dier and a gentleman, he should be answered in the 
 same style. The Frenchman then began to flatter 
 his antagonist upon the bienfaisance anil humanitt, 
 which, he said, were the least of the many virtues 
 which distinguished Monsieur Trowbridge. Mon.
 
 184 LIFE OF NELSON. [1799. 
 
 sieur Trowbridge's bienfuisance was, at this time, 
 thinking- of mining the fort. "If we can accomplish 
 that," said he, " I am a strong advocate to send 
 them, hostages and all, to Old Nick, and surprise 
 him with a group of nobility and republicans. 
 Meantime," he added, " it was some satisfaction to 
 perceive that the shells fell well, and broke some 
 of their shins." Finally, to complete his character, 
 Mejan offered to surrender for 150,000 ducats. Great 
 Britain, perhaps, has made but too little use of this 
 kind of artillery, which France has found so effect- 
 ual towards subjugating the continent: but Trow- 
 bridge had the prey within his reach ; and in the 
 course of a few days, his last battery, " after much 
 trouble and palaver," as he said, " brought the vaga- 
 bonds to their senses." 
 
 Trowbridge had more difficulties to overcome in 
 this siege, from the character of the Neapolitans 
 who pretended to assist him, and whom he made 
 useful, than even from the strength of the place and 
 the skill of the French. " Such damned cowards 
 and villains," he declared, "he had never seen be- 
 fore." The men at the advanced posts carried on, 
 what he called, " a diabolical good understanding" 
 with the enemy, and the workmen would sometimes 
 take fright and run away. " I make the best I can," 
 said he, "of the degenerate race I have to deal 
 with ; the whole means of guns, ammunition, pio- 
 neers, &c. with all materials, rest with them. With 
 fair promises to the men, and threats of instant 
 death if I find any one erring, a little spur has been 
 given." Nelson said of him, with truth, upon this 
 occasion, that he was a first-rate general. M I find, 
 sir," said he afterward, in a letter to the Duke of 
 Clarence, " that General Koehler does not approve 
 of such irregular proceedings as naval officers at- 
 tacking and defending fortifications. We have but 
 one idea, to get close alongside. None but a 
 sailor would have placed a battery only one hun-
 
 1799.] tIFE OP NELSON. 185 
 
 dred and eighty yards from the castle of St. Elmo : 
 a soldier must have gone according to art, and the 
 ^~ w way. My brave Trowbridge went straight 
 on, for we had no time to spare." 
 
 Trowbridge then proceeded to Capua, and took 
 the command of the motley besieging force. One 
 thousand of the best men in the fleet were sent to 
 assist In the siege. Just at this time Nelson re- 
 ceived a peremptory order from Lord Keith, to sail 
 with the whole of his force for the protection of 
 Minorca ; or, at least, to retain no more than was 
 absolutely necessary at Sicily. " You will easily 
 conceive my feelings," said he, in communicating 
 this to earl St. Vincent : " but my mind, as your 
 lordship knows, was perfectly prepared for this 
 order; and it is now, more than ever, made up. 
 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. I am fully aware of the act I have com- 
 mitted ; but I am prepared for any fate which may 
 await my disobedience. Capua and Gaieta 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." 
 
 At Capua, Trowbridge had the same difficulties 
 as at St. Elmo ; and being farther from Naples, and 
 from the fleet, was less able to overcome them. 
 The powder was so bad that he suspected treachery : 
 and when he asked Nelson to spare him forty casks 
 from the ships, he told him it would be necessary 
 that some Englishmen should accompany it, or 
 they would steal one-half, and change the other. 
 u Every man you s^e," said he, " gentle and simple, 
 are such notorious villains, that it is misery to be
 
 186 LIFE OF NELSON. 
 
 with them." Capua, however, soon fell: Gaieta 
 immediately afterward surrendered to Capt. Louis 
 of the Minotaur. Here the commanding officer 
 acted more unlike a Frenchman, Capt. Louis said, 
 than any one he had ever met ; meaning that he 
 acted like a man of honour. He required, however, 
 that the garrison should carry away their horses, 
 and other pillaged property : to which Nelson re- 
 plied, "That no property which they did not bring 
 with them into the country could be theirs ; and 
 that the greatest care should be taken to prevent 
 them from carrying it away." " I am sorry," said 
 he to Capt. Louis, " that you have entered into any 
 altercation. There is no way of dealing with a 
 Frenchman but to knock him down : to be civil to 
 them is only to be laughed at, when they are 
 enemies." 
 
 The whole kingdom of Naples was thus delivered 
 by Nelson from the French. The Admiralty, how- 
 ever, thought it expedient to censure him for dis- 
 obeying Lord Keith's orders, and thus hazarding 
 Minorca, without, as it appeared to them, any suf- 
 ficient reason ; and also from having landed seamen^ 
 for the siege of Capua, to form part of an army em- 
 ployed in operations at a distance from the coast : 
 where, in case of defeat, they might have been pre- 
 vented from returning to their ships ; and they en- 
 joined him not to employ the seamen in like manner 
 in future." This reprimand was issued before the 
 event was known ; though, indeed, the event could 
 not affect the principle upon which it proceeded. 
 When Nelson communicated the tidings of his com- 
 plete success, he said, in his public letter, " that it 
 would not be the less acceptable for having been 
 principally brought about by British sailors." His 
 judgment in thus employing them had been justified 
 by the result ; and his joy was evidently heightened 
 hvthe gratification of a professional and becoming 
 pride. To the first lord he said, at the same time,
 
 1799.] LIPE OP NELSON. 187 
 
 " I certainly, from having only a left hand, cannot 
 enter into details which may explain the motives 
 that actuated my conduct. My principle is, to assist 
 in driving the French to the devil, and in restoring 
 peace and happiness to mankind. I feel that I am 
 fitter to do the action than to describe it." He then 
 added, that he would take care of Minorca. 
 
 In expelling the French from Naples, Nelson had, 
 with characteristic zeal and ability, discharged his 
 duty; but he deceived himself when he imagined 
 that he had seated Ferdinand firmly on his throne, 
 and that he had restored happiness to millions. 
 These objects might have been accomplished if it 
 had been possible to inspire virtue and wisdom into 
 a vicious and infatuated court ; and if Nelson's eyes 
 had not been, as it were, spell-bound, by that unhappy 
 attachment which had now completely mastered 
 him, he would have seen things as they were ; and 
 might, perhaps, have awakened the Sicilian court 
 to a sense of their interest, if not of their duty. 
 That court employed itself in a miserable round of 
 folly and festivity, while the prisons of Naples were 
 filled with groans, and the scaffolds streamed with 
 blood. St. Januarius was solemnly removed from 
 his rank as patron saint of the kingdom, having been 
 convicted of jacobinism; and St. Antonio as so- 
 lemnly installed in his place. The king, instead of 
 re-establishing order at Naples by his presence, 
 speedily returned to Palermo, to indulge in his 
 favourite amusements. Nelson, and the ambassa- 
 dor's family, accompanied the court; and Trow- 
 bridge remained, groaning over the villany and fri- 
 volity of those with whom he was compelled to 
 deal. A party of officers applied to him for a pas- 
 sage to Palermo, to see the procession of St. Ro- 
 salia: he recommended them to exercise their 
 troops, and not behave like children. It was grief 
 enough for him that the court should be busied in 
 these follies, and Nelson involved in them. "I
 
 188 LIFE OP NELSON. [1799. 
 
 dread, my lord," said he, " all the feasting, &c. at 
 Palermo. I am sure your health will be hurt. If 
 so, all their saints will be -damned by the navy. The 
 king would be better employed digesting a good 
 government ; every thing gives way to their plea- 
 sures. The money spent at Palermo gives discon- 
 tent here : fifty thousand people are unemployed, 
 trade discouraged, manufactures at a stand. It is 
 the interest of many here to keep the king away; 
 they all dread reform : their villanies are so deeply 
 rooted, that, j/ some method is not taken to dig them 
 out, this government cannot hold together. Out of 
 twenty millions of ducats, collected as the revenue, 
 only thirteen millions reach the treasury; and the 
 king pays four ducats where he should pay one. 
 He is surrounded by thieves ; and none of them 
 have honour or honesty enough to tell him the real 
 and true state of things." In another letter he ex- 
 pressed his sense of the miserable state of Naples. 
 " There are upwards of forty thousand families," 
 said he, " who have relations confined. If some 
 act of oblivion is not passed, there will be no end of 
 persecution ; for the people of this country have 
 no idea of any thing but revenge ; and, to gain a 
 point, would swear ten thousand false oaths. Con- 
 stant efforts are made to get a man taken up in order 
 to rob him. The confiscated property does not 
 reach the king's treasury. All thieves ! It is sell- 
 ing for nothing. His own people, whom he em- 
 ploys, are buying it up, and the vagabonds pocket 
 the whole. I should not be surprised to hear that 
 they brought a bill of expenses against him for the 
 sale." 
 
 The Sicilian court, however, were at this time 
 duly sensible of the services which had been ren- 
 dered them by the British fleet, and their gratitude 
 to Nelson was shown with proper and princely 
 munificence. They gave him the dukedom and 
 domain of Bronte, worth about 3000 a year. It
 
 1799.] I.IFE OF NELSON. 189 
 
 was some days before he could be persuaded to 
 accept it : the argument which finally prevailed, is 
 said to have been suggested by the queen, and urged, 
 at her request, by Lady Hamilton upon her knees. 
 1 He considered his own honour too much," she said, 
 he persisted in refusing what the king and 
 queen felt to be absolutely necessary for the pre- 
 servation of theirs." The king himself, also, is 
 said to have addressed him in words which show 
 that the sense of rank will sometimes confer a virtue 
 upon those who seem to be most unworthy of the 
 t to which they have been born : " Lovd Nelson, 
 do you wish that your name alone should pass with 
 honour to posterity, and that I, Ferdinand Bourbon, 
 ihould appear ungrateful?" He gave him also, 
 when the dukedom was accepted, a diamond-hilted 
 sword, which his father, Charles III. of Spain, had 
 riven him, on his accession to the throne of the Two 
 Sicilies. Nelson said, " The reward was magnifi- 
 cent, and worthy of a king, and he was determined 
 ; the inhabitants on the domain should be the 
 happiest in all his Sicilian majesty's dominions. 
 Yet," said he, speaking of these and the other remu- 
 nerations which were made him for his services, 
 these presents, rich as they are, do not elevate me. 
 My pride is, that, at Constantinople, from the grand 
 seignior to the lowest Turk, the name of Nelson is 
 familiar m their mouths ; and in this country 1 am 
 every thing which a grateful monarch and people 
 can call me." Nelson, however, had a pardonable 
 pride in the outward and visible signs of honour 
 which he had so fairly won. He was fond of his 
 Sicilian title; the signification, perhaps, pleased 
 him ; Duke of Thunder was what in Dahomy would 
 ; called a strong name ; it was to a sailor's taste- 
 and, certainly, to no man could it ever be more ap- 
 plicable. But a simple offering, which he received, 
 not long afterward, from the island of Zante, af- 
 jcted him with a deeper and finer feeling. The
 
 190 LIFE OF NELSON. [1799. 
 
 Greeks of that little community sent him a golden- 
 headed sword and a truncheon, set round with all 
 the diamonds that the island could furnish, in a 
 single row. They thanked him " for having, by his 
 victory, preserved that part of Greece from the hor- 
 rors of anarchy ; and prayed that his exploits might 
 accelerate the day, in which, amid the glory and 
 peace of thrones, the miseries of the human race 
 would cease." This unexpected tribute touched 
 Nelson to the heart. " No officer," he said, " had 
 ever received from any country a higher acknow- 
 ledgment of his services." 
 
 The French still occupied the Roman states ; from 
 which, according to their own admission, they had 
 extorted in jewels, plate, specie, and requisitions of 
 every kind, to the enormous amount of eight mil- 
 lions sterling: yet they affected to appear as de- 
 liverers among the people whom they were thus 
 cruelly plundering; and they distributed portraits 
 of Buonaparte, with the blasphemous inscription 
 " Tlrs is the true likeness of the holy saviour of the 
 world !" The people, detesting the impiety, and 
 groaning beneath the exactions, of these perfidious 
 robbers, were ready to join any regular force that 
 should come to their assistance ; but they dreaded 
 Cardinal Ruffo's rabble, and declared they would re- 
 sist him as a banditti, who came only for the pur- 
 pose of pillage. Nelson perceived that no object 
 was now so essential for the tranquillity of Naples 
 as the recovery of Rome ; which, in the present 
 state of things, when Suvarof was driving the French 
 before him, would complete the deliverance of Italy, 
 lie applied, therefore, to Sir James St. Clair Ers- 
 kine, who, in the absence of General Fox, com- 
 manded at Minorca, to assist in this great object 
 with twelve hundred men. "The field of glory," 
 said he, " is a large one, and was never more open 
 to any one, than at this moment to you. Rome 
 M'ould throw open her gates and receive you as her
 
 1799.] LIFE OP NELSON. J9J 
 
 deliverer; and the pope would owe his restoration 
 to a heretic." But Sir James Erskine looked only 
 at the difficulties of the undertaking-. "Twelve 
 hundred men, he thought, would be too small a 
 force to be committed in such an enterprise ; for 
 Civita Vecchia was a regular fortress ; the local 
 situation and climate also were such, that, even if 
 this force were adequate, it would be proper to de- 
 lay the expedition till October. General Fox, too, 
 was soon expected; and during his absence, and 
 under existing circumstances, he did not feel justi- 
 fied in sending away such a detachment. 
 
 What this general thought it imprudent to at- 
 tempt, Nelson and Trowbridge effected without his 
 assistance, by a small detachment from the fleet. 
 Trowbridge first sent Capt. Hallowell to Civita 
 Vecchia, to offer the garrison there, and at Castle 
 St. Angelo, the same terms which had been granted 
 o Gaieta. Hallowell perceived, by the overstrained 
 civility of the officers who came off to him, and the 
 JOmpHments which they paid to the English nation, 
 - they were sensible of their own weakness, and 
 their inability to offer any effectual resistance; but 
 the French know, that while they are in a condition 
 to serve their government, they can rely upon it for 
 every possible exertion in their support ; and this 
 reliance gives them hope and confidence to the last. 
 Upon HallowelPs report, Trowbridge, who had now 
 been made Sir Thomas for his services, sent Capt. 
 Louis with a squadron, to enforce the terms which 
 he had offered ; and as soon as he could leave Na- 
 ples, he himself followed. The French, who had 
 no longer any hope from the fate of arms re- 
 lied upon their skill in negotiation, and proposed 
 terms to Trowbridge with that effrontery which cha- 
 racterizes their public proceedings ; but which is 
 as often successful as it is impudent. They had a 
 man of the right stamp to deal with. Their am- 
 bassador at Rome began by saying, that the Roman
 
 192 UFE OF NELSON. [1799. 
 
 territory was the property of the French by right 
 of conquest. The Britisli commodore settled that 
 point, by replying-, " It is mine by re-conquest." A 
 capitulation was soon concluded for all the Roman 
 states, and Capt. Louis rowed up Tiber in his barge, 
 hoisted English colours on the Capitol, and acted, 
 for the time, as governor of Rome. The prophecy 
 of the Irish poet was thus accomplished, and the 
 friar reaped the fruits ; for Nelson, who was struck 
 with the oddity of the circumstance, and not a little 
 pleased with it, obtained preferment for him from 
 the king of Sicily, and recommended him to the 
 pope. 
 
 Having thus completed his work upon the conti- 
 nent of Italy, Nelson's whole attention was directed 
 towards Malta ; where Capt. Ball, with most inade- 
 quate means, was besieging the French garrison. 
 Never was any officer engaged in a more anxious 
 and painful service: the smallest reinforcement 
 from France would, at any moment, have turned 
 the scale against him: and "had it not been for his 
 consummate ability, and the love and veneration 
 with which the Maltese regarded him, Malta must 
 have remained in the hands of the enemy. Men, 
 money, food; all things were wanting. The garri- 
 son consisted of five thousand troops ; the be- 
 sieging force of five hundred English and Portu- 
 guese marines, and about fifteen hundred armed 
 peasants. Long and repeatedly did Nelson solicit 
 troops to effect the reduction of this important 
 place. " It has been no fault of the navy," said lie, 
 " that Malta has not been attacked by land : but we 
 have neither the means ourselves, nor influence 
 with those who have." The same causes of de- 
 murrer existed which prevented British troops from 
 assisting in the expulsion of the French from Rome. 
 Sir James Erskine was expecting General Fox ; he 
 could not act without orders ; and not having, like 
 Nelson, that lively spring of hope within him, which
 
 1799.] LIFE OF NELSON. 193 
 
 partakes enough of the nature of faith to work mi- 
 racles in war, he thought it " evident, that unless a 
 respectable land force, in numbers sufficient to un- 
 dertake the siege of such a garrison, in one of the 
 strongest places of Europe, and supplied with pro- 
 portionate artillery and stores, were sent against it, 
 no reasonable hope could be entertained of its sur- 
 render." Nelson groaned over the spirit of over- 
 reasoning caution and unreasoning obedience. 
 " My heart," said he, " is almost broken. If the 
 enemy gets supplies in, we may bid adieu to Malta ; 
 all the force we can collect would then be of little 
 use against the strongest place in Europe. To say 
 that an officer is never, for any object, to alter his 
 orders, is what I cannot comprehend. The circum- 
 stances of this war so often vary, that an officer has 
 almost every moment to consider, what would my 
 superiors direct, did they know what is passing 
 under my nose. But, sir," said he, writing to the 
 Duke of Clarence, " I find few think as I do. To 
 obey orders is all perfection. To serve my king, 
 and to destroy the French, I consider as the great 
 order of all, from which little ones spring: and if 
 one of these militate against it (for who can tell ex- 
 actly at a distance), I go back, and obey the great 
 order and object, to down, down with the damned 
 French villains ! My blood boils at the name of 
 Frenchman !" 
 
 At length, Gen. Fox arrived at Minorca, and, at 
 length, permitted Col. Graham to go to Malta, but 
 with means miserably limited. In fact, the expedi- 
 tion was at a stand for want of money ; when Trow- 
 bridge, arriving at Messina, to co-operate in it, and 
 finding this fresh delay, immediately offered all that 
 he could command of his own. "I procured him, 
 my lord," said he to Nelson, " fifteen thousand of 
 my cobs : every farthing and every atom of me 
 shall be devoted to the cause." " What can this 
 mean," said Nelson, when he learned that Col. Gra- 
 ft
 
 194 LIFE OF NELSON. [1800. 
 
 ham was ordered not to incur any expense for 
 stores, or any articles except provisions ! " the 
 cause cannot stand still for want of a little money. 
 If nobody will pay it, I will sell Bronte, and the Em- 
 peror of Russia's box." And he actually pledged 
 Bronte for 6600, if there should be any difficulty 
 about paying the bills. The long-delayed expedi- 
 tion was thus, at last, sent forth : but Trowbridge 
 little imagined in what scenes of misery he was to 
 bear his part. He looked to Sicily for supplies : it 
 was the interest, as well as the duty, of the Sicilian 
 government to use every exertion for furnishing 
 them : and Nelson and the British ambassador 
 were on the spot to press upon them the necessity 
 of exertion. But though Nelson saw with what a 
 knavish crew the Sicilian court was surrounded, he 
 was blind to the vices of the court itself; and re- 
 signing himself wholly to Lady Hamilton's influence, 
 never even suspected the crooked policy which it 
 was remorselessly pursuing. The Maltese and the 
 British in Malta severely felt it. Trowbridge, 
 who had the truest affection for Nelson, knew his 
 infatuation, and feared that it might prove injurious 
 to his character, as well as fatal to an enterprise 
 which had begun so well, and been carried on so pa- 
 tiently. 
 
 " My lord," said he, writing to him from the siege, 
 " we are dying off fast for want. I learn that Sir 
 William Hamilton says Prince Luzzi refused corn 
 some time ago, and Sir William does not think it 
 worth while making another application. If that 
 be the case, I wish he commanded this distressing 
 scene instead of me. Puglia had an immense har- 
 vest; near thirty sail left Messina, before I did, to 
 load corn. Will they let us have any? if not, a 
 short time will decide the business. The German 
 interest prevails. I wish 1 was at your lordship's 
 elbow for an hour. All, all will be thrown on you ! 
 I will parry the blpw as much as in my power : I
 
 1800.] LIFE OP NEtSON. 195 
 
 foresee much mischief brewing. God bless your 
 lordship ; I am miserable, I cannot assist your ope- 
 rations more. Many happy returns of the day to 
 you (it was the first of the new year) I never 
 spent so miserable a one. I am not very tender 
 hearted; but really the distress here would even 
 move a Neapolitan." Soon afterward he wrote : 
 " I have this day saved thirty thousand people from 
 starving; but with this day my ability ceases. As 
 the government are bent on starving us, I see no al- 
 ternative, but to leave these poor unhappy people to 
 perish, without our being witnesses of their distress 
 I curse the day I ever served the Neapolitan go- 
 vernment. We have characters, my lord, to lose 
 these people have none. Do not suffer their infa 
 mous conduct to fall on us. Our country is just, 
 but severe. Such is the fever of my brain this 
 minute, that I assure you, on my honour, if the Pa- 
 lermo traitors were here, I would shoot them first, 
 and then myself. Girgenti is full of corn ; the 
 money is ready to pay for it ; we do not ask it as a. 
 gift. Oh ! could you see the horrid distress I daily 
 experience, something would be done. Some en- 
 gine is at work against us "at Naples; and I believe 
 I hit on the proper person. If you complain, he 
 will be immediately promoted, agreeably to the 
 Neapolitan custom. All I write to you is known at 
 the queen's. For my own part, I look upon the 
 Neapolitans as the worst of intriguing enemies 
 every hour shows me their infamy and duplicity 
 1 pray your lordship be cautious : your honest, open 
 . manner of acting will be made a handle of. When 
 I see you, and tell of their infamous tricks, you 
 will be as much surprised as I am. The whole will 
 fall on you." 
 
 Nelson was not,* and could not be, insensible to 
 the distress which his friend so earnestly repre- 
 sented. He begged, almost on his knees, he said, 
 small supplies of money and corn, to keep the Mai-
 
 196 LIFE OF KELSON. [1800. 
 
 tese from starving. And when the court granted a 
 small supply, protesting- their poverty, he believed 
 their protestations, and was satisfied with their pro- 
 fessions, instead of insisting that the restrictions 
 upon the exportation of corn should be withdrawn. 
 The anxiety, however, which he endured, affected 
 him so deeply, that he said it had broken his spirit 
 for ever. Happily, all that Trowbridge, with so 
 much reason, foreboded, did not come to pass. For 
 Capt. Ball, with more decision than Nelson himself 
 would have shown at that time, and upon that occa- 
 sion, ventured upon a resolute measure, for which 
 his name would deserve always to be held in vene- 
 ration by the Maltese, even if it had no other claims 
 to the love and reverence of a grateful people. 
 Finding it hopeless longer to look for succour or 
 common humanity from the deceitful and infatuated 
 court of Sicily, which persisted in prohibiting, by 
 sanguinary edicts, the exportation of supplies, at 
 his own risk he sent his first lieutenant to the port 
 of Girgenti, with orders to seize and bring with him 
 to Malta, the ships which were there lying laden 
 with corn ; of the number of which he had received 
 accurate information. These orders were executed, 
 to the great delight and advantage of the ship-owners 
 and proprietors ; the necessity of raising the siege 
 was removed, and Capt. Ball waited, in calmness, 
 for the consequences to himself. The Neapolitan 
 government complained to the English ambassador, 
 and the complaint was communicatad to Nelson, 
 who, in return, requested Sir "William Hamilton 
 would fully and plainly state that the act ought not 
 to be considered as any intended disrespect to his 
 Sicilian majesty, but as of the most absolute and im- 
 perious necessity ; the alternation being either of 
 abandoning Malta to the French, or of anticipating 
 the king's orders for carrying the corn in those ves- 
 sels to Malta. " I trust," he added, " that the go- 
 vernment of the country will never again force any
 
 1800.] IJFK OP NELSON. 197 
 
 of our royal master's servants to so unpleasant an 
 alternative." Thus ended the complaint of the Nea- 
 politan court. "The sole result was," says Mr. 
 Coleridge, " that the governor of Malta became an 
 especial object of its hatred, its fear, and its re- 
 spect." 
 
 Nelson himself, at the beginning of February, 
 sailed for that island. On the way, he fell in with a 
 French squadron, bound for its relief, and consisting 
 of the Genereux seventy-four, three frigates, and a 
 corvette. One of these frigates, and the line-of- 
 battle ship, were taken ; the others escaped, but 
 failed in their purpose of reaching La Valette. This 
 success was peculiarly gratifying to Nelson for 
 many reasons. During some months he had acted 
 as commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, while 
 Lord Keith was in England. Lord Keith was now 
 returned; and Nelson had, upon his own plan, and 
 at his own risk, left him, to sail for Malta, " for 
 which," said he, " if I had not succeeded, I mighf 
 have been broke ; and, if I had not acted thus, the 
 Genereux never would have been taken." This 
 ship was one of those which had escaped from 
 Aboukir. Two frigates, and the Guillaume Tell, 
 eighty-six, were all that now remained of the fleet 
 which Buonaparte had conducted to Egypt. The 
 Gihllaume Tell was at this time closely watched in 
 the harbour of La Valette : and shortly afterward, at- 
 tempting to make her escape from thence, was taken, 
 a/ter an action in which greater skill wa-s never dis-' 
 played by British ships, nor greater gallantry by an 
 enemy. She was taken by the Foudroyant, Lion, 
 and Penelope frigate. Nelson, rejoicing at what he 
 called this glorious finish to the whole French Me- 
 diterranean fleet, rejoiced also that he was not pre- 
 sent to have taken a sprig of these brave men's lau- 
 rels. " They are," said he, " and I glory in them, 
 my. children : they served in my school ; and all of 
 us caught our professional zeal and fire from the 
 R 3
 
 198 LI*E OF NELSON. [1800. 
 
 great and good Earl St. Vincent. What a pleasure, 
 what happiness, to have the Nile fleet all taken, 
 under my orders and regulations !" The two fri- 
 gates still remained in La Valette : before its sur- 
 render they stole out : one was taken in the attempt; 
 the other was the only ship of the whole fleet which 
 escaped capture or destruction. 
 
 Letters were found on board the Guillaume Tell, 
 showing that the French were now become hopeless 
 of preserving the conquest which they had so foully 
 acquired. Trowbridge and his brother-officers were 
 anxious that Nelson should have the honour of 
 signing the capitulation. They told him, that they 
 absolutely, as far as they dared, insisted on his stay- 
 ing to do this: but their earnest and affectionate en- 
 treaties were vain. Sir William Hamilton had just 
 been superseded : Nelson had no feeling of cor- 
 diality towards Lord Keith ; and thinking that, after 
 Earl St. Vincent, no man had so good a claim to the 
 command in the Mediterranean as himself, he ap- 
 plied for permission to return to England, telling 
 the first lord of the Admiralty, that his spirit could 
 not submit patiently, and that he was a broken- 
 hearted man. From the time of his return from 
 Egypt, amid all the honours which were showered 
 upon him, he had suffered many mortifications. 
 Sir Sidney Smith had been sent to Egypt, with or- 
 ders to take under his command the squadron which 
 Nelson had left there. Sir Sidney appears to have 
 thought that this command was to be independent 
 of Nelson : and Neison himself thinking so, deter- 
 mined to return, saying to Earl St. Vincent, " I do 
 feel, for I am a man, that it is impossible for me to 
 serve in these seas with a squadron under a junior 
 officer." Earl St. Vincent seems to have dissuaded 
 him from this resolution : some heart-burnings, 
 however, still remained, and some incautious ex- 
 pressions of Sir Sidney's were noticed by him in 
 terms of evident displeasure. But this did not con-
 
 1800.] LIFE OF NELSON. 199 
 
 tinue long, as no man bore more willing 1 testimony 
 than Nelson to the admirable defence of Acre. 
 
 He differed from Sir Sidney as to the policy 
 which ought to be pursued towards the French in 
 Egypt ; and strictly commanded him, in the strong- 
 est language, not, on any pretence, to permit a single 
 Frenchman to leave the country, saying, that he 
 considered it nothing short of madness to permit that 
 band of thieves to return to Europe. " No," said 
 he, "to Egypt they went with their own consent, 
 and there they shall remain, while Nelson commands 
 this squadron : for never, never will he consent to 
 the return of one ship or Frenchman. I wish them 
 to perish in Egypt, and give an awful lesson to the 
 world of the justice of the Almighty." If Nelson 
 had not thoroughly understood the character of the 
 enemy against whom he was engaged, their conduct 
 in Egypt would have disclosed it. After the battle 
 of the Nile he had landed all his prisoners, upon a 
 solemn engagement made between Trowbridge on 
 one side, and Capt. Barre on the other, that none of 
 them should serve till regularly exchanged. They 
 were no sooner on shore, than part of them were 
 drafted into the different regiments, and the re- 
 mainder formed into a corps, called the nautic legion. 
 This occasioned Capt. Hallowell to say, that the 
 French had forfeited all claim to respect from us. 
 " The army of Buonaparte," said he, " are entirely 
 destitute of every principle of honour : they have 
 always acted like licentious thieves." Buonaparte's 
 escape was the more regretted by Nelson, because, 
 if he had had sufficient force, he thought it would 
 .certainly have been prevented. He wished to keep 
 ships upon the watch, to intercept any thing coming 
 from Egypt : but the Admiralty calculated upon the 
 assistance of the Russian fleet, which failed when it 
 was most wanted. The ships which should have 
 been thus employed were then required for more 
 pressing services; and the bloody Corsiean was
 
 200 tJFE OF NELSON. [1800. 
 
 thus enabled to reach Europe in safety ; there to be- 
 come the guilty instrument of a wider-spreading de- 
 struction than any with which the world had ever 
 before been visited. 
 
 Nelson had other causes of chagrin. Earl St. 
 Vincent, for whom he felt such high respect, and 
 whom Sir John Orde had challenged, for having 
 nominated Nelson instead of himself to the com- 
 mand of the Nile squadron, laid claim to prize mo- 
 ney, as commander-in-chief, after he had quitted the 
 station. The point was contested, and decided 
 against him. Nelson, perhaps, felt this the more, 
 because his own feelings, with regard to money, 
 were so different. An opinion had been given by 
 Dr. Lawrence, which would have excluded the junior 
 flag officers from prize money. When this was 
 made known to him, his reply was in these words : 
 " Notwithstanding Dr. Lawrence's opinion, I do not 
 believe I have any right to exclude the junior flag 
 officers : and if I have, I desire that no such claim 
 may be made : no, not if it were sixty times the 
 sum, and, poor as I am, I were never to see prize 
 money." 
 
 A ship could not be spared to convey him to Eng- 
 land ; he therefore travelled through Germany to 
 Hamburgh, in company with his inseparable friends, 
 Sir William and Lady Hamilton. The queen of 
 Naples went with their, to Vienna. While they 
 were at Leghorn, upon a report that the French 
 were approaching (for, through the folly of weak 
 courts, and the treachery of venal cabinets, they 
 had now recovered their ascendency in Italy), the 
 people rose tumultuously, and would fain have per- 
 suaded Nelson to lead them against the enemy. 
 Public honours, and yet more gratifying testimonials 
 of public admiration, awaited Nelson wherever 
 he went. The prince of Esterhazy entertained him 
 in a style of Hungarian magnificence a hundred 
 grenadiers, each six feet in height, constantly wait-
 
 1800.] LIFE OF XF.LSOy. 201 
 
 ing at table. At Magdeburgh, the master of the hotel 
 where he was entertained, contrived to show him 
 for money ; admitting the curious to mount a ladder, 
 and peep at him through a small window. A wine 
 merchant at Hamburgh, who was above seventy years 
 of age, requested to speak with Lady Hamilton, 
 and told her he had some Rhenish wine, of the vin- 
 tage of 1625, which had been in his own possession 
 more than half a century : he had preserved it for 
 some extraordinary occasion ; and that which had 
 now arrived was far beyond any that he could ever 
 have expected. His request was, that her ladyship 
 would prevail upon Lord Nelson to accept six dozen 
 of this incomparable wine ; part of it would then 
 have the honour to flow into the heart's blood of that 
 immortal hero ; and this thought would make him 
 happy during the remainder of his life. Nelson, 
 when this singular request was reported to him, 
 went into the room, and taking the worthy old gen- 
 tleman kindly by the hand, consented to receive six 
 bottles, provided the donor would dine with him, 
 next day. Twelve were sent ; and Nelson, saying, 
 that he hoped yet to win half a dozen more great 
 victories, promised to layby six bottles of his Ham- 
 burgh friend's wine, for the purpose of drinking one 
 after each. A German pastor, between seventy and 
 eighty years of age, travelled forty miles, with the 
 Bible of his parish church, to request that Nelson 
 would write his name on the first leaf of it. He 
 called him the saviour of the Christian world. The 
 old man's hope deceived him. There was no Nelson 
 upon shore, or Europe would have been saved; but, 
 in his foresight of the horrors with which all Ger- 
 many and all Christendom were threatened by 
 France, the pastor could not possibly have appre- 
 hended more than has actually taken place.
 
 LIFE OF NELSON. [1800. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 JVWuon separates himself from his W,fe Northern ConfederacyHi 
 goes to the. Baltic, under Sir ffyile Parker Battle of Copenhagen* 
 and subsequent Negotiation Nelson is made a discount. 
 
 NELSON was welcomed in England with every 
 mark of popular honour. At Yarmouth, where he 
 landed, every ship in the harbour hoisted her co- 
 lours. The mayor and corporation waited upon him 
 with the freedom of the town, and accompanied him 
 in procession to church, with all the naval officers 
 on shore, and the principal inhabitants. Bonfires 
 and illuminations concluded the day ; and, on the 
 morrow, the volunteer cavalry drew up and saluted 
 him as he departed, and followed the carriage to the 
 borders of the county. At Ipswich, the people 
 came out to meet him, drew him a mile into the 
 town, and three miles out. When he was in the 
 Agamemnon, he wished to represent this place in 
 parliament, and some of his friends had consulted 
 the leading men of the corporation ; the result was 
 not successful, and Nelson, observing that he would 
 endeavour to find out a preferable path into parlia- 
 ment, said there might come a time when the peo- 
 ple of Ipswich would think it an honour to have 
 had him for their representative. In London, he 
 was feasted by the city, drawn by the populace 
 from Ludgate-hill to Guildhall, and received the 
 thanks of the common council for his great victory, 
 and a golden-hilled sword, studded with diamonds. 
 Nelson had every earthly blessing, except domestic 
 happiness : he had forfeited that for ever. Before 
 he had been three months in England he separated 
 from Lady Nelson. Some of his last words to 
 Uer were; "I call God to witness, there is nothing
 
 1800.] LIFE OF KELSON. 203 
 
 in you or your conduct, that I wish otherwise." 
 This was the consequence of his infatuated attach- 
 ment to Lady Hamilton. It had before caused a 
 quarrel with his son-in-law, and occasioned remon- 
 strances from his truest friends, which produced no 
 other effect than that of making him displeased 
 with them, and more dissatisfied with himself. 
 
 The Addington administration was just at this 
 time formed ; and Nelson, who had solicited em- 
 ployment, and been made vice-admiral of the blue, 
 was sent to the Baltic, as second in command, under 
 Sir Hyde Parker, by Earl St. Vincent, the new first 
 lord of the Admiralty. The three northern courts 
 had formed a confederacy for making England re- 
 sign her naval rights. Of these courts, Russia was 
 guided by the passions of its emperor, Paul, a man not 
 without fits of generosity, and some natural good- 
 ness, but subject to the wildest humours of caprice, 
 and crazed by the possession of greater power than 
 can ever be safely, or perhaps innocently, possessed 
 by weak humanity. Denmark was French at heart: 
 ready to co-operate in all the views of France, to 
 recognise all her usurpations, and obey all her in- 
 junctions. Sweden, under a king whose principles 
 were right, and whose feelings were generous, but 
 who had a taint of hereditary insanity, acted in ac- 
 quiescence with the dictates of two powers whom 
 it feared to offend. The Danish navy, at this time, 
 consisted of twenty-three ships of the line, with 
 about thirty-one frigates and smaller vessels, exclu- 
 sive of guard-ships. The Swedes had eighteen 
 ships of the line, fourteen frigates and sloops, se- 
 venty-four galleys and smaller vessels, besides gun- 
 boats ; and this force was in a far better state of 
 equipment than the Danish. The Russians had 
 eighty-two sail of the line and forty frigates. Of 
 these there were forty-seven sail of the line at Cron- 
 stadt, Revel, Petersburg, and Archangel : but the 
 Russian fleet was ill-manned, ill-officered, and ill-
 
 204 LIFE OF NELSOJf. [1801. 
 
 equipped. Such a combination under the influence 
 of France would soon have become formidable : 
 and never did the British cabinet display more de- 
 cision than in instantly preparing to crush it. They 
 erred, however, in permitting- any petty considera- 
 tion to prevent them from appointing Nelson to the 
 command. The public properly murmured at see- 
 ing it intrusted to another : and he himself said to 
 Earl St. Vincent, that circumstanced as he was, this 
 expedition would probably be the last service that 
 he should ever perform. The earl, in reply, besought 
 him for God's sake, not to suffer himself to be car- 
 ried away by any sudden impulse. 
 
 The season happened to be unusually favourable, 
 so mild a winter had not been known in the Baltic 
 for many years. When Nelson joined the fleet at 
 Yarmouth, he found the admiral " a little nervous 
 about dark nights and fields of ice." " But we must 
 brace up," said he ; " these are not times for nervous 
 systems. I hope we shall give our northern ene- 
 mies that hailstorm of bullets, which gives our dear 
 country the dominion of the sea. We have it, and 
 all the devils in the north cannot take it from us, if 
 our wooden walls have fair play." Before the fleet 
 left Yarmouth, it was sufficiently known that its 
 destination was against Denmark. Some Danes, 
 who belonged to the Amazon frigate, went to Capt. 
 Riou, and telling him what they had heard, begged 
 that he would get them exchanged into a ship bound 
 on some other destination. " They had no wish," 
 they said, " to quit the British service ; but they en- 
 treated that they might not be forced to fight against 
 their own country." There was not. in our whole navy 
 a man who had a higher and more chivalrous sense of 
 duty than Riou. Tears came into his eyes while 
 the men were speaking: without making any reply, 
 he instantly ordered his boat, and did not return to 
 the Amazon till he could tell them that their wish 
 was effected.
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSOW. 205 
 
 The fleet sailed on the 12th of March. Mr. Van- 
 sittart sailed in it ; the British cabinet still hoping 
 to obtain its end by negotiation. It was well for 
 England that Sir Hyde Parker placed a fuller confi- 
 dence in Nelson than the government seems to have 
 done at this most important crisis. Her enemies 
 might well have been astonished at learning, that 
 any other man should for a moment have been 
 thought of for the command. But so little defe- 
 rence was paid, even at this time, to his intuitive 
 and all-commanding genius, that when the fleet had 
 reached its first rendezvous, at the entrance of the 
 Cattegat, he had received no official communication 
 whatever of the intended operations. His own 
 mind had been made up upon them with its accus- 
 tomed decision. " All I have gathered of our first 
 plans," said he, "I disapprove most exceedingly. 
 Honour may arise from them ; good cannot. I hear 
 we are likely to anchor outside of 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 ca- 
 pital in ruins. The Dane should see our flag every 
 moment he lifted up his head." 
 
 Mr. Vansittart left the fleet at the Scaw, and pre- 
 ceded it in a frigate with a flag of truce. Precious 
 time was lost by this delay, which was to be pur- 
 chased by the dearest blood of Britain and Den- 
 mark : according to the Danes themselves, the in- 
 telligence that a British fleet was seen off the Sound 
 produced a much more general alarm in Copenhagen 
 than its actual arrival in the Roads ; for their means 
 of defence were at that time in such a state, that 
 they could hardly hope to resist, still less to repel, 
 an enemy. On the 21st Nelson had a long confer- 
 ence with Sir Hyde ; and the next day addressed a 
 letter to him, worthy of himself and of the occa- 
 S
 
 206 LIFE OF NELSON. [1801. 
 
 sion. Mr. Vansittart's report had then been re- 
 ceived. It represented the Danish government as 
 in the highest degree hostile ; and their state of pre- 
 paration as exceeding what our cabinet had sup- 
 posed possible : for Denmark had profited, with all 
 activity, of the leisure which had so impoliticly been 
 given her. " The more I have reflected," said Nel- 
 son to his commander, " the more I am confirmed 
 in opinion, that not a moment should be lost in at- 
 tacking the enemy. They will every day and every 
 hour be stronger : we shall never be so good a 
 match for them as at this moment. The only con- 
 sideration is, how to get at them with the least risk 
 to our ships. Here you are, with almost the safety, 
 certainly with the honour, of England, more in- 
 trusted to you, than ever yet fell to the lot of any 
 British officer. On your decision depends whether 
 ourcountry shall be degraded in the eyes of Europe, 
 or whether she shall rear her head higher than ever. 
 Again I do repeat, never did our country depend so 
 much upon the success of any fleet as on this. 
 How best to honour her, and abate the pride of her 
 enemies, must be the subject of your deepest consi- 
 deration." 
 
 Supposing him to force the passage of the Sound, 
 Nelson thought some damage might be done among 
 the masts and yards ; though perhaps not one of 
 them but would be serviceable again. " If the wind 
 be fair," said he, " and you determine to attack the 
 ships and Ciown Islands, you must expect the na- 
 tural issue of such a battle ships crippled, and, 
 perhaps, ono or two lost ; for the wind which car- 
 ries you in, will most probably not bring out a crip- 
 pled ship. This mode I call taking the bull by the 
 horns. It, however, will not prevent the Revel 
 ships or the Swedes from joining the Danes : and 
 to prevent this is, in my humble opinion, a measure 
 absolutely necessary ; and still to attack Copenha- 
 gen." For this he proposed two modes. One was,
 
 1801.] UFE OF NELSON. 20T 
 
 to pass Cronenburg, taking the risk of danger, 
 taking the deepest and straightest channel along 
 the Middle Grounds ; and then coming down the 
 Garbar or King's Channel, attack the Danish line 
 of floating batteries and ships, as might be found 
 convenient. This would prevent a junction, and 
 might give an opportunity of bombarding Copen- 
 hagen. Or to take the passage of the Belt, which 
 might be accomplished in four or five days ; and 
 then the attack by Draco might be made, and the 
 junction of the Russians prevented. Supposing 
 them through the Belt, he proposed that a detach- 
 ment of the fleet should be sent to destroy the Rus- 
 sian squadron at Revel ; and that the business at 
 Copenhagen should be attempted with the remainder. 
 " The measure," he said, " might be thought bold : 
 but the boldest measures are the safest." 
 
 The pilots, as men who had nothing but safety to 
 think of, were terrified by the formidable report of 
 the batteries of Elsinore, and the tremendous pre- 
 parations which our negotiators, who were now re- 
 turned from their fruitless mission, had witnessed. 
 They therefore persuaded Sir Hyde to prefer the 
 passage of the Belt. " Let it be by the Sound, by 
 the Belt, or any how," cried Nelson, " only lose not 
 an hour!" On the 26th they sailed for the Belt: 
 such was the habitual reserve of Sir Hyde, that his 
 own captain, the captain of the fleet, did not know 
 which course he had resolved to take till the fleet 
 were getting under way. When Capt. Domett was 
 thus apprized of it, he felt it his duty to represent to 
 the admiral his belief that if that course were per- 
 severed in, the ultimate object would be totally de- 
 feated : it was liable to long delays, and to accidents 
 of ships' grounding ; in the whole fleet there were 
 only one captain and one pilot who knew anything 
 of this formidable passage (as it was then deemed), 
 and their knowledge was very slight : their instruc- 
 tions did not authorize them to attempt it ; supposing
 
 208 LIFE OF NELSON. [1801. 
 
 them safe through the Belts, the heavy ships could 
 not come over the Grounds to attack Copenhagen ; 
 and light vessels would have no effect on such a line 
 of defence as had been prepared against them. 
 Domett urged these reasons so forcibly that Sir 
 Hyde's opinion was shaken, and he consented to 
 bring the fleet to, and send for Nelson on board. 
 There can be little doubt but that the expedition 
 would have failed, if Capt. Domett had not thus 
 timely and earnestly given his advice. Nelson en- 
 tirely agreed with him ; and it was finally determined 
 to take the passage of the Sound, and the fleet re- 
 turned to its former anchorage. 
 
 The next day was more idly expended in des- 
 patching a flag of truce to the governor of Cronen- 
 burg Castle, to ask whether he had received orders 
 to fire at the British fleet ; as the admiral must con- 
 sider the first gun to be a declaration of war on the 
 part of Denmark. A soldier-like and becoming an- 
 swer was returned to this formality. The governor 
 said, that the British minister had not been sent away 
 from Copenhagen, but had obtained a passport at his 
 own demand. He himself, as a soldier, could not 
 meddle with politics ; but he was not at liberty to 
 suffer a fleet, of which the intention was not yet 
 known, to approach the guns of the castle which he 
 had the honour to command : and he requested, if 
 the British admiral should think proper to make any 
 proposals to the king of Denmark, that he might 
 be apprized of it before the fleet approached nearer. 
 During this intercourse, a Dane, who came on board 
 the commander's ship, having occasion to express 
 his business in writing, found the pen blunt ; and, 
 holding it up, sarcastically said, " If your guns are 
 not better pointed than your pens, you will make 
 little impression on Copenhagen !" 
 
 On that day intelligence reached the admiral of 
 the loss of one of his fleet, the Invincible, seventy- 
 four, wrecked on a sand-bank, as she was coming
 
 p 
 
 1801.] LIFE OP NELSOIS. 205 
 
 out of Yarmouth ; four hundred of her men pe- 
 rished in her. Nelson, who was now appointed to 
 lead the van, shifted his flag to the Elephant, Capt. 
 Foley a lighter ship than the St. George, and there- 
 fore fitter for the expected operations. The two 
 following days were calm. Orders had been given 
 to pass the Sound as soon as the wind would per- 
 mit ; and on the afternoon of the 29th, the ships 
 were cleared for action, with an alacrity characteris- 
 tic of British seamen. At daybreak on the 30th, it 
 blew a topsail breeze from the north-west. The 
 signal was made, and the fleet moved on in order of 
 battle ; Nelson's division in the van, Sir Hyde's in 
 the centre, and Admiral Graves's in the rear. 
 
 Great actions, whether military or naval, have 
 generally given celebrity to the scenes from whence 
 they are denominated ; and thus petty villages, and 
 capes, and bays, known only to the coasting trader, 
 become associated with mighty deeds, and their 
 names are made conspicuous in the history of the 
 world. Here, however, the scene was every way 
 worthy of the drama. The political importance of 
 the Sound is such, that grand objects are not needed 
 there to impress the imagination ; yet is the channel 
 full of grand and interesting objects, both of art and 
 nature. This passage, which Denmark had so long 
 considered as the key of the Baltic, is, in its narrow- 
 est part, about three miles wide ; and here the city 
 of Elsinore is situated ; except Copenhagen, the 
 most flourishing of the Danish towns. Every vessel 
 which passes lowers her top-gallant-sails, and pays 
 toll at Elsinore : a toll which is believed to have had 
 its origin in the consent of the traders to that sea, 
 Denmark taking upon itself the charge of construct- 
 ing lighthouses, and erecting signals, to mark the 
 shoals and rocks from the Cattegat to the Baltic : 
 and they, on their part, agreeing that all ships should 
 pass this way, in order that all might pay their 
 shares : none from that time using the passage of the 
 S 2
 
 210 LIFE OF NELSON. [1801 
 
 Belt ; because it was not fitting that they who en- 
 joyed the benefit of the beacons in dark and stormy 
 weather, should evade contributing to them in fair 
 seasons and summer nights. Of late years, about 
 ten thousand vessels had annually paid this contri- 
 bution in time of peace. Adjoining Elsinore, and 
 at the edge of the peninsular promontory, upon the 
 nearest point of land to the Swedish coast, stands 
 Cronenburg Castle, built after Tycho Brahe's de- 
 sign ; a magnificent pile at once a palace, and for- 
 tress, and state-prison, with its spires and towers, 
 and battlements and batteries. On the left of the 
 strait is the old Swedish city of Helsinburg ; at the 
 foot, and on the side of a hill. To the north of Hel- 
 sinburg the shores are steep and rocky ; they lower 
 to the south, and the distant spires of Landscrona, 
 Lund, and Malmoe are seen in the flat country. The 
 Danish shores consist partly of ridges of sand ; but 
 more frequently they are diversified with corn-fields, 
 meadows, slopes, and are covered with rich wood 
 and villages and villas, and summer palaces be- 
 longing to the king and the nobility, and denoting the 
 vicinity of a great capital. The isles of Huen, 
 Statnolm, and Amak, appear in the widening chan- 
 nel ; and at the distance of twenty miles from Elsi- 
 nore, stands Copenhagen, in full view ; the best city 
 of the north, and one of the finest capitals of Eu- 
 rope ; visible, with its stately spires, far off. Amid 
 these magnificent objects, there are some which pos- 
 sess a peculiar interest for the recollections which 
 they call forth. The Isle of Huen, a lovely domain, 
 about six miles in circumference, had been the mu- 
 nificent gift of Frederick the Second to Tycho Brahe. 
 It has higher shores than the near coast of Zealand, 
 or than the Swedish coast in that part. Here most 
 of his discoveries were made ; and here the ruins 
 are to be seen of his observatory, and of the man- 
 sion where he was visited by princes ; and where, 
 with a princely spirit, he received and entertained
 
 1801,] UFE OF KELSON. 
 
 all comers from all parts, and promoted science by 
 his liberality, as well as by his labours. Elsmore is 
 a name familiar to English ears, being inseparably 
 associated with Hamlet, and one of the nobles works 
 of human genius. Cronenburg had been the scene 
 of deeper tragedy: here Queen Matilda was con- 
 fined, the -victim of a foul and murderous court 
 intrigue. Here, amid heart-breaking griefs, she found 
 consolation in nursing her infant Here she took 
 her everlasting leave of that infant, when, by the 
 rnterflrence of England, her own dehverance was 
 obtained; and, as the ship bore her away from a 
 country, where the venial indiscretions of youth 
 and unsuspicious gayety had been so cruelly pu- 
 nished, upon these towers she fixed her eyes, and 
 Stood upon the deck, obstinately gazing towards 
 them till the last speck had disappeared. 
 
 The Sound being the only frequented entrance to 
 the Baltic, the great Mediterranean of the North, few 
 parts of the sea display so frequent a navigation. 
 In the height of the season not fewer than a hun- 
 dred vessels pass every four-and-twenty hours, for 
 many weeks in succession : but never had so I 
 or so splendid a scene been exhibited there as on 
 this day, when the British fleet prepared to f< 
 that passage, where, till now, all ships had veiled 
 their topsails to the flag of Denmark, 
 whole force consisted of fifty-one sail of various 
 descriptions ; of which sixteen were of the line. 
 The greater part of the bomb and gun vessels tooK 
 their stations off Gronenburg Castle, to cover the 
 fleet while others on the larboard were ready to 
 engage the Swedish shore. The Danes, having im- 
 proved every moment which ill-timed negotiation 
 and baffling weather gave them, had luied their shore 
 with batteries ; and as soon as the Monarch, which 
 was the leading ship, came abreast of them, a fire 
 was opened from about a hundred pieces of cannon 
 and mortars : our light vessels immediately, m return,
 
 212 LIFE OF NELSON. [180 . 
 
 opened their fire upon the castle. Here was all the 
 pompous circumstance, and exciting reality of war, 
 without its effects ; for this ostentatious display was 
 but a bloodless prelude to the wide and sweeping 
 destruction which was soon to follow. The ene- 
 mies' shot fell near enough to splash the water on 
 board our ships : not relying upon any^brbearance 
 of the Swedes, they meant to have kept the mid- 
 channel ; but, when they perceived that not a shot 
 was fired from Helsingburg, and that no batteries 
 were to be seen on the Swedish shore, they inclined 
 to that side, so as completely to get out of reach of 
 the Danish guns. The uninterrupted blaze which 
 was kept up from them till the fleet had passed, 
 served only to exhilarate our sailors, and afford them 
 matter for jest, as the shot fell in showers a full ca- 
 ble's length short of its destined aim. A few rounds 
 were returned from some of our leading ships till 
 they perceived its inutility ; this, however, occa- 
 sioned the only bloodshed of the day, some of our 
 men being killed and wounded by the bursting of a 
 gun. As soon as the main body had passed, the gun 
 vessels followed, desisting from their bombardment, 
 which had been as innocent as that of the enemy ; 
 and, about midday, the whole fleet anchored 
 between the island of Huen and Copenhagen. Sir 
 Hyde, with Nelson, Admiral Graves, some of the 
 senior captains, and the commanding officers of the 
 artillery and the troops, then proceeded in a lugger, 
 to reconnoitre the enemy's means of defence; a 
 formidable line of ships, radeaus, pontoons, galleys, 
 fireships, and gun-boats, flanked and supported by 
 extensive batteries, and occupying, from one ex- 
 treme point to the other, an extent of nearly four 
 miles. 
 
 A council of war was held in the afternoon. It 
 was apparent that the Danes could not be attacked 
 without great difficulty and risk ; and some of the 
 jnembers of the council spoke of the number of the
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON, 213 
 
 Swedes and the Russians whom they should after- 
 ward have to engage, as a consideration which ought 
 to be borne in mind. Nelson, who kept pacing the 
 cabin, impatient as he ever was of any thing which 
 savoured of irresolution, repeatedly said, "The 
 more numerous the better ; I wish they were twice 
 as many, the easier the victory, depend on it." 
 The plan upon which he had determined, if ever it 
 should be his fortune to bring a Baltic fleet to ac- 
 tion, was, to attack the head of their line, and con- 
 fuse their movements. " Close with a Frenchman," 
 he used to say, " but out-manoeuvre a Russian." He 
 offered his services for the attack, requiring ten sail 
 of the line, and the whole of the smaller craft. Sir 
 Hyde gave him two more line-of-battle ships than 
 he asked, and left every thing to his judgment. 
 
 The enemy's force was not the only, nor the 
 greatest, obstacle with which the British fleet had 
 to contend : there was another to be overcome be- 
 fore they could come in contact with it. The chan- 
 nel was little known, and extremely intricate ; all 
 the buoys had been removed, and the Danes con- 
 sidered this difficulty as almost insuperable, think- 
 ing the channel impracticable for so large a fleet. 
 Nelson himself saw the soundings made, and the 
 buoys laid down, boating it upon this exhausting 
 service, day and night, till it was effected. When 
 this was done, he thanked God for having enabled 
 him to get through this difficult part of his duty. 
 <* It had worn him down," he s*M, " and was mfi- 
 nitely more grievous to ha than any resistance 
 which he could experience from the enemy " 
 
 At the firs* council of war, opinions inclined to 
 an attack from the eastward: but the next day, the 
 wind being southerly, after a second examination 
 of the Daflish position, it was determined to attack 
 from the south, approaching in the manner which 
 Nelson had suggested in his first thoughts. On the 
 morning of the 1st of April, the whole fleet removed
 
 214 LIFE OF KELSON [l801. 
 
 to an anchorage within two leagues of the town, 
 and off the N. W. end of the Middle Ground : a 
 shoal lying exactly before the town, at about three- 
 quarters of a mile distance, and extending along its 
 whole sea front. The King's Channel, where there 
 is deep water, is between this shoal and the town ; 
 and here the Danes had arranged their line of de- 
 fence, as near the shore as possible ; nineteen ships 
 and floating batteries, flanked at the end nearest 
 the town by the Crown Batteries, which were two 
 artificial islands, at the mouth of the harbour most 
 formidable works ; the larger one having, by the 
 Danish account, sixty-six guns ; but, as Nelson be- 
 lieved, eighty-eight. The fleet having anchored, 
 Nelson, with Riou, in the Amazon, made his last 
 examination of the ground ; and about one o'clock, 
 returning to his own ship, threw out the signal to 
 weigh. It was received with a shout throughout 
 the whole division ; they weighed with a light and 
 favourable wind : the narrow channel between the 
 island of Saltholm and the Middle Ground had been 
 accurately buoyed ; the small craft pointed out the 
 course distinctly ; Riou led the way ; the whole di- 
 vision coasted along the outer edge of the shoal, 
 doubled its farther extremity, and anchored there 
 off Draco Point, just as the darkness closed the 
 headmost of the enemy's line not being more than 
 two miles distant. The signal to prepare for action 
 had been nmdo early in the evening; and, as his own 
 anchor dropped, Nei SO n called out, "I will fio-ht 
 them the moment I have * f air w i n d." It had been 
 agreed that Sir Hyde, with tv, remaining ships, 
 should weigh on the following morning at the same 
 time as Nelson, to menace the Crown Batteries on 
 his side, and the four ships of the line which lay at 
 the entrance of the arsenal ; and to cover our own 
 disabled ships as they came out of action. 
 
 The Danes, meantime, had not been idle: no 
 sooner did the guns of Cronenburg make it known
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 215 
 
 to the whole city that all negotiation was at an end, 
 that the British fleet was passing the Sound, and 
 that the dispute between the two crowns must now 
 be decided by arms, than a spirit displayed itself 
 most honourable to the Danish character. All 
 ranks offered themselves to the service of their 
 country ; the university furnished a corps of twelve 
 hundred youths, the flower of Denmark: it was 
 one of those emergencies in which little drilling or 
 discipline is necessary to render courage available ^ 
 they had nothing to learn but how to manage the 
 guns, and day and night were employed in prac- 
 tising them. When the movements of Nelson's 
 squadron were perceived, it was known when and 
 where the attack was to be expected, and the line 
 of defence was manned indiscriminately by soldiers, 
 sailors, and citizens. Had not the whole attention 
 of the Danes been directed to strengthen their own 
 means of defence, they might most materially have 
 annoyed the invading squadron, and, perhaps, frus- 
 trated the impending attack; for the British ships 
 were crowded in an anchoring ground of little ex- 
 tent : it was calm, so that mortar-boats might have 
 acted against them to the utmost advantage ; and they 
 were within range of shells from Amak Island. A 
 few fell among them; but the enemy soon ceased 
 to fire. It was learned afterward, that, fortunately 
 for the fleet, the bed of the mortar had given way ; 
 and the Danes either could not get it replaced, or, 
 in the darkness, lost the direction. 
 
 This was an awful night for Copenhagen, far 
 more so than for the British fleet, where the men 
 were accustomed to battle and victory, and had 
 none of those objects before their eyes which ren- 
 der death terrible. Nelson sat down to table with 
 a large party of his officers : he was, as he was ever 
 wont to be when on the eve of action, in high spi- 
 rits, and drank to a leading wind, and to the suc- 
 cess of the morrow. After supper they returned to
 
 216 IJFE OF NEtSOW. [1801. 
 
 their respective ships, except Riou, who remained 
 to arrange the order of battle with Nelson and 
 Foley, and to draw up instructions : Hardy, mean- 
 time, went in a small boat to examine the channel 
 between them and the enemy ; approaching so 
 near, that he sounded round their leading ship with 
 a pole, lest the noise of throwing the lead should 
 discover him. The incessant fatigue of body, as 
 well as mind, which Nelson had undergone during 
 the last three days, had so exhausted him, that he 
 was earnestly urged to go to his cot ; and his old 
 servant, Allen, using that kind of authority, which 
 long and affectionate services entitled and enabled 
 him to assume on such occasions, insisted upon his 
 complying. The cot was placed on the floor, and 
 he continued to dictate from it. About eleven, 
 Hardy returned, and reported the practicability of 
 the channel, and the depth of water up to the 
 enemy's line. About one, the orders were com- 
 pleted ; and half a dozen clerks, in the foremost 
 cabin, proceeded to transcribe them : Nelson fre- 
 quently calling out to them from his cot to hasten 
 their work, for the wind was becoming fair. In- 
 stead of attempting to get a few hours' sleep, he 
 was constantly receiving reports on this important 
 point. At daybreak, it was announced as becoming 
 perfectly fair. The clerks finished their work about 
 six. Nelson, who was already up, breakfasted, and 
 made signal for all captains. The land forces, and 
 five hundred seamen, under Captain Freemantle and 
 the Hon. Col. Stewart, were to storm the Crown 
 Battery as soon as its fire should be silenced : and 
 Riou whom Nelson had never seen till this expe- 
 dition, but whose worth he had instantly perceived, 
 and appreciated as it deserved had the Blanche and 
 Alcmene frigates, the Dart and Arrow sloops, and 
 the Zephyr and Otter fireships, given him, with a 
 special command to act as circumstances might
 
 1801.] LIFE OF KELSON. 217 
 
 require : every other ship had its station ap- 
 pointed. 
 
 Between eight and nine, the pilots and masters 
 were ordered on board the admiral's ships. 'The 
 pilots were mostly men who had been mates in Bal- 
 tic traders ; and their hesitation about the bearing 
 of the east end of the shoal, and the exact line of 
 -deep water, gave ominous warning of how little 
 their knowledge was to be trusted. The signal for 
 action had been made, the wind was fair not a 
 moment to be lost. Nelson urged them to be 
 steady, to be resolute, and to decide : but they 
 wanted the only ground for steadiness and decision 
 in such cases; and Nelson had reason to regret 
 that he had not trusted to Hardy's single report. 
 This was one of the most painful moments of his 
 life; and he always spoke of it with bitterness. 
 
 [ experienced in the Sound," said he, " the misery 
 of having the honour of our country intrusted to a 
 set of pilots, who have no other thought than to 
 keep the ships clear of danger, and their own silly 
 heads clear of shot. Every body knows what I 
 must have suffered : and if any merit attaches it- 
 self to me, it was for combating the dangers of the 
 shallows in defiance of them." At length, Mr. Bry- 
 crly, the master of the Bellona, declared that he was 
 prepared to lead the fleet: his judgment was ac- 
 ceded to by the rest : they returned to their ships ; 
 and, at half-past nine, the signal was made to weigh 
 in succession. 
 
 Captain Murray, in the Edgar, led the way; the 
 Agamemnon was next in order; but, on the first at- 
 tempt to leave her anchorage, she could not weather 
 the edge of the shoal ; and Nelson had the grief to 
 see his old ship, in which he had performed so many 
 years' gallant services, immoveably aground, at a 
 moment when her help was so greatly required. 
 Signal was then made for the Polyphemus: and 
 this change in the order of sailing was executed 
 T
 
 218 LIFE OF NELSON. [1801, 
 
 with the utmost promptitude : yet so much delay 
 had thus been unavoidably occasioned, that the Ed- 
 gar was for some time unsupported : and the Poly- 
 phemus, whose place should have been at the end 
 of the enemy's line, where their strength was the 
 greatest, could get no farther than the beginning, 
 owing to the difficulty of the channel : there she 
 occupied, indeed, an efficient station, but one where 
 her presence was less required. The Isis followed, 
 with better fortune, and took her own birth. The 
 Bellona, Sir Thomas Boulde Thompson, kept too 
 close on the starboard shoal, and grounded abreast 
 of the outer ship of the enemy : this was the more 
 vexatious, inasmuch as the wind was fair, the room 
 ample, and three ships had led the way. The Rus- 
 sell, following" the Bellona, grounded in like man- 
 ner : both were within reach of shot ; but their ab- 
 sence from their intended stations was .severely 
 felt. Each ship had been ordered to pass her leader 
 on the starboard side, because the water was sup- 
 posed to shoal on the larboard shore. Nelson, who 
 came next after these two ships, thought they had 
 kept too far on the starboard direction, and made 
 signal for them to close with the enemy, not know- 
 ing that they were aground : but when he perceived 
 that they did not obey the signal, he ordered the 
 Elephant's helm to starboard, and went within these 
 ships: thus quitting the appointed order of sailing, 
 and guiding those which were to follow. The 
 greater part of the fleet were probably, by this act 
 of promptitude on his part, saved from going on 
 shore. Each ship, as she arrived nearly opposite' 
 to her appointed station, let her anchor go by the 
 stern, and presented her broadside to the Danes. 
 The distance between each was about half a cable. 
 The action was fought nearly at the distance of a 
 cable's length from the enemy. This, which ren- 
 dered its continuance so long, was owing to the 
 ignorance and consequent indecision of the pilots.
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON". 219 
 
 In pursuance of the same error which had le'd the 
 Bellona and the Russell aground, they, when the 
 lead was at a quarter less five, refused to approach 
 nearer, in dread of shoaling their water on the lar- 
 board shore: a fear altogether erroneous, for the 
 water deepened up to the very side of the enemy's 
 
 At five minutes after ten the action began. The 
 first half of our fleet was engaged in about half an 
 hour; and, by half-past eleven, the battle became 
 general. The plan of the attack had been complete : 
 but seldom has any plan been more disconcerted 
 by untoward accidents. Of twelve ships of the line, 
 one was entirely useless, and two others in a situa- 
 tion where they could not render half the service 
 which was required of them. Of the squadron of 
 gun-brigs, only one could get into action; the rest 
 were prevented by baffling currents from weather- 
 ing the eastern end of the shoal ; and only two o 
 the bomb-vessels could reach their station on the 
 Middle Ground, and open their mortars on the arse- 
 nal, firing over both fleets. Riou took the vacant 
 station against the Crown Battery, with his frigates ; 
 attempting, with that unequal force, a service in 
 which three sail of the line had been directed to 
 assist. , , 
 
 Nelson's agitation had been extreme when he 
 saw himself, before the action begun, deprived of a 
 fourth part of his ships of the line ; but no sooner 
 was he in battle, where his squadron was received 
 with the fire of more than a thousand guns, than, 
 as if that artillery, like music, had driven away all 
 care and painful thoughts, his countenance bright- 
 ened ; and, as a bystander describes him, his con- 
 versation became joyous, animated, elevated, and 
 delightful The commander-in-chief, meantime, 
 near enough to the scene of action to know the un- 
 favourable accidents which had so materially weak- 
 ened Nelson, and yet too distant to know the real
 
 218 LIFE OF KELSON. [1801. 
 
 with the utmost promptitude : yet so much delay 
 had thus been unavoidably occasioned, that the Ed- 
 gar was for some time unsupported : and the Poly- 
 phemus, whose place should have been at the end 
 of the enemy's line, where their strength was the 
 greatest, could get no farther than the beginning, 
 owing to the difficulty of the channel: there she 
 occupied, indeed, an efficient station, but one where 
 her presence was less required. The Isis followed, 
 with better fortune, and took her own birth. The 
 Bellona, Sir Thomas Boulde Thompson, kept too 
 close on the starboard shoal, and grounded abreast 
 of the outer ship of the enemy : this was the more 
 vexatious, inasmuch as the wind was fair, the room 
 ample, and three ships had led the way. The Rus- 
 sell, following the Bellona, grounded in like man- 
 ner: both were within reach of shot; but their ab- 
 sence from their intended stations was .severely 
 felt. Each ship had been ordered to pass her leader 
 on the starboard side, because the water was sup- 
 posed to shoal on the larboard shore. Nelson, who 
 came next after these two ships, thought they had 
 kept too far on the starboard direction, and made 
 signal for them to close with the enemy, not know- 
 ing that they were aground : but when he perceived 
 that they did not obey the signal, he ordered the 
 Elephant's helm to starboard, and went within these 
 ships: thus quitting the appointed order of sailing, 
 and guiding those which were to follow. The 
 greater part of the fleet were probably, by this act 
 of promptitude on his part, saved from going on 
 shore. Each ship, as she arrived nearly opposite' 
 to her appointed station, let her anchor go by the 
 stern, and presented her broadside to the Danes. 
 The distance between each was about half a cable. 
 The action was fought nearly at the distance of a 
 cable's length from the enemy. This, which ren- 
 dered its continuance so long, was owing to the 
 ignorance and consequent indecision of the pilots.
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 219 
 
 In pursuance of the' same error which had le'd the 
 Bellona and the Russell aground, they, when the 
 lead was at a quarter less five, refused to approach 
 nearer, in dread of shoaling their water on the lar- 
 board shore: a fear altogether erroneous, for the 
 water deepened up to the very side of the enemy s 
 
 At five minutes after ten the action began. The 
 first half of our fleet was engaged in about halt 
 hour: and, by half-past eleven, the battle became 
 ereneral. The plan of the attack had been complete : 
 but seldom has any plan been more disconcerte, 
 bv untoward accidents. Of twelve ships of the line, 
 one was entirely useless, and two others m a situa- 
 tion where they could not render half the service 
 
 vhLhwas required of them. Of the squadron of 
 gun-brig's, only one could get into action; the re 
 were prevented by baffling currents from weather- 
 ing the eastern end of the shoal; and only two o 
 thl bomb-vessels could reach their station on the 
 Middle Ground, and open theii : mortars on the arse- 
 nal firing over both fleets. Riou took the vacant 
 
 ta ion alainst the Crown Battery, with his frigates ; 
 aUempUng, with that unequal force, a service in 
 which P ffie sail of the line had been directed to 
 
 assist. 
 
 Nelson's agitation had been extreme when he 
 saw himself, before the action begun, deprived of a 
 Sthmrt of his ships of the line; but no sooner 
 was he In battle, where his squadron was received 
 wHh the fire of more than a thousand guns, than, 
 Is if that artillery, like music, had driven away a 1 
 care and painful thoughts, his countenance , bright- 
 S and as a bystander describes him, his con- 
 versation became joyous, animated, elevated and 
 dehgl ful. The commander-m-chief, meantime, 
 near enough to the scene of action to know the un- 
 Favourab^accidents which had so materially weak- 
 ened Nelson, and yet too distant to know the real
 
 220 LIFE OF XELSO.V. [1801. 
 
 state of the contending parties, suffered the most 
 dreadful anxiety. To get to his assistance was im- 
 possible ; both wind and current were against him. 
 Fear for the event, in such circumstances, would 
 naturally preponderate in the bravest mind ; and, at 
 one o'clock, perceiving that, after three hours' en- 
 durance, the enemy's fire was unslackened,he began 
 to despair of success. " I will make the signal of 
 recall, srid he to his captain, "for Nelson's sake. 
 If he is in a condition to continue the action suc- 
 cessfully, he will disregard it; if he is not, it \.ill 
 be an excuse for his retreat, and no blame can be 
 imputed to him." Captain Domett urged him at 
 least to delay the signal, till he could communicate 
 with Nelson ; but, in Sir Hyde's opinion, the danger 
 was too pressing for delay : " The fire," he said, 
 " was too hot for Nelson to oppose ; a retreat he 
 thought must be made, he was aware of the con- 
 sequences to his own personal reputation, but it 
 would be cowardly in him to leave Nelson to bear 
 the whole shame of the failure, if shame it should 
 be deemed." Under a mistaken judgment,* there- 
 fore, but with this disinterested and generous feeling, 
 he made the signal for retreat. 
 
 Nelson was at this time, in all the excitement of 
 action, pacing the quarter-deck. A shot through 
 the mainmast knocked the splinters about ; and he 
 observed to one of his officers 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, added, with emotion " But mark you ! I 
 would not be elsewhere for thousands." About this 
 time the signal lieutenant called out, that number 
 thirty-nine (the signal for discontinuing the action), 
 was thrown out by the commander-in-chief. He 
 continued to walk the deck, and appeared to take 
 
 I have great pleasure in rendering this jus! ire to Sir Hyde Parker's 
 reasoning. The fact is here staled upon the highest and most unques- 
 tionable authority.
 
 1801.] LIFE OP NELSON. 221 
 
 no notice of it. The signal officer met him at the 
 next turn, and asked if he should repeat it. " No," 
 he replied ; " acknowledge it." Presently he called 
 after him to know if the signal for close action was 
 still hoisted; and being answered in the affirmative, 
 said, " Mind you keep it so." He now paced the 
 deck, moving the stump of his lost arm in a manner 
 which always indicated great emotion. " Do you 
 know," said he to Mr. Ferguson, " what is shown on 
 board the commander-in-chief 1 Number thirty- 
 nine !" Mr. Ferguson asked what that meant. 
 " Why, to leave off action !" Then, shrugging up 
 his shoulders, he repeated the words " Leave off 
 action ? Now, damn me if I do ! You know, 
 Foley," turning to the captain, " I .have only one 
 eye, I have a right to be blind sometimes :" and 
 then, putting the glass to his blind eye, in that mood 
 of mind which sports with bitterness, he exclaimed, 
 " I really do not see the signal !" Presently he ex- 
 claimed, " Damn the signal. Keep mine for closer 
 battle flying! That's the way 1 answer such signals ! 
 Nail mine to the mast !" Admiral Graves, who was 
 so situated that he could not discern what was done 
 on board the Elephant, disobeyed Sir Hyde's signal 
 in like manner: whether by fortunate mistake, or 
 by a like brave intention, has not been made 
 known. The other ships of the line, looking only 
 to Nelson, continued the action. The signal, how- 
 ever, saved Riou's little squadron, but did not save 
 its heroic leader. This squadron, which was nearest 
 the commander-in-chief, obeyed, and hauled off. 
 It had suffered severely in its most unequal contest. 
 For a long time the Amazon had been firing, 
 enveloped in smoke, when Riou desired his men to 
 stand fast, and let the smoke clear off, that they 
 might see what they were about. A fatal order ; 
 for the Danes then got clear sight of her from the 
 batteries, and pointed their guns with such tremen- 
 dous effect, that nothing but the signal for retreat 
 T2
 
 222 LIFE OF KELSON. [1801. 
 
 saved this frigate from destruction. "What will 
 Nelson think of us !" was Riou's mournful excla- 
 mation, when he unwillingly drew off. He had been 
 wounded in the head by a splinter, and was sitting 
 on a gun, encouraging his men, when, just as the 
 Amazon showed her stern to the Trekroner battery, 
 his clerk was killed by his side ; and another 
 shot swept away several marines, who were haul- 
 ing in the main brace. " Come, then, my boys !" 
 cried Riou ; " let us die all together !" The words 
 had scarcely been uttered, before a raking shot 
 cut him in two. Except it had been Nelson him- 
 self, the British navy could not have suffered a 
 severer loss. 
 
 The action continued along the line with unabated 
 vigour on our side, and with the most determined 
 resolution on the part of the Danes. They fought 
 to great advantage, because most of the vessels in 
 their line of defence were without masts : the few 
 which had any standing had their topmasts struck, 
 and the hulls could not be seen at intervals. The 
 Isis must have been destroyed by the superior weight 
 of her enemy's fire, if Capt. Inman, in the Desiree 
 frigate, had not judiciously taken a situation which 
 enabled him to rake the Dane, and if the Polyphemus 
 hadjfet also relieved her. Both in the Bellona and 
 the Isis many men were lost by the bursting of their 
 guns. The former ship was about forty years old, 
 and these guns were believed to be the same which 
 she had first taken to sea: they were, probably, 
 originally faulty, for the fragments were full of little 
 air-holejs. The Bellona lost seventy-five men ; the 
 Isis, one hundred and ten ; the Monarch, two 
 hundred and ten. She was, more than any other 
 line-of-battle ship, exposed to the great battery: 
 and, supporting at the same time the united fire of 
 the Holstein and the Zealand, her loss this day 
 exceeded that of any single ship during the whole 
 war. Amid the tremendous carnage in this vessel,
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 223 
 
 some of the men displayed a singular instance of 
 coolness ; the pork and pease happened to be in the 
 kettle ; a shot knocked its contents about ; they 
 picked up the pieces, and ate and fought at the same 
 time. 
 
 The prince royal had taken his station upon one 
 of the batteries, from whence he beheld the action, 
 and issued his orders. Denmark had never been 
 engaged in so arduous a contest, and never did the 
 Danes more nobly display their national courage : 
 a courage not more unhappily, than impoliticly 
 exerted in subserviency to the interest of France. 
 Capt. Thura, of the Indfoedsretten, fell early in the 
 action; and all his officers, except one lieutenant 
 and one marine officer, were either killed or 
 wounded. In the confusion, the colours were 
 either struck, or shot away; but she was moored 
 athwart one of the batteries, in such a situation 
 that the British made no attempt to board her; and 
 a boat was despatched to the prince, to inform him 
 of her situation. He turned to those about him, 
 find said, " Gentlemen, Thura is killed ; which of 
 you will take the command ?" Schroedersee, a 
 captain who had lately resigned, on account of 
 extreme ill-health, answered, in a feeble voice, " I 
 will !" and hastened on board. The crew, perceiving 
 a new commander coming alongside, hoisted their 
 colours again, and fired a broadside. Schroedersee, 
 when he came on deck, found himself surrounded 
 by the dead and wounded, and called to those in the 
 boat to get quickly on board : a ball struck him at that 
 moment. A lieutenant, who had accompanied him, 
 then took the command, and continued to fight the 
 ship. A youth of seventeen, by name Villemoes, 
 .particularly distinguished himself on this memora- 
 ble day. He had volunteered to take the command 
 of a floating battery; which was a raft, consisting 
 merely of a number of beams nailed together, with 
 a flooring to support the guns : it was square, with
 
 224 LIFE OF KELSON. [J801. 
 
 a breastwork full of port-holes, and without masts, 
 carrying twenty-four guns, and one hundred and 
 twenty men. With this he got under the stern of 
 the Elephant, below the reach of the stern-chasers ; 
 and, under a heavy fire of small arms from the 
 marines, fought his raft, till the truce was announced, 
 with such skill, as well as courage, as to excite 
 Nelson's warmest admiration. 
 
 Between one and two the fire of the Danes 
 slackened ; about two it ceased from the greater 
 part of their line, and some of their lighter ships 
 were adrift. It was, however, difficult to take 
 possession of those who struck, because the bat- 
 teries on Amak Island protected them ; and because 
 an irregular fire was kept up from the ships them- 
 selves as the boats approached. This arose from 
 the nature of the action ; the crews were continu- 
 ally reinforced from the shore ; and fresh men 
 coming on board, did not inquire whether the flag 
 had been struck, or, perhaps, did not heed it ; 
 many, or most of them, never having been engaged 
 in war before, knowing nothing, therefore, of its 
 laws, and thinking only of defending their country 
 to the last extremity. The Danbrog fired upon the 
 Elephant's boats in this manner, though her com- 
 modore had removed her pennant and deserted her, 
 though she had struck, and though she was in 
 flames. After she had been abandoned by the com- 
 modore, Braun fought her till he lost his right hand, 
 and then Captain Lemming took the command. 
 This unexpected renewal of her fire, made the Ele 
 phant and Glatton renew theirs, till she was not 
 only silenced, but nearly every man in the prames, 
 ahead and astern of her, were killed. When the 
 smoke of their guns died away, she was seen drift-, 
 ing in flames before the wind : those of her crew 
 who remained alive, and able to exert themselves, 
 throwing themselves out at her port-holes. Captain
 
 1801.] LIFE OF KELSON. 225 
 
 Bertie of the Ardent sent his launch to their assist- 
 ance, and saved three-and-twenty of them. 
 
 Captain Rothe commanded the Nyeborg prame ; 
 and, perceiving that she could not much longer be 
 kept afloat, made for the inner road. As he passed 
 the line, he found the Aggershuus prame in a more 
 miserable condition than his own ; her masts had 
 all gone by the board, and she was on the point of 
 sinking. Rothe made fast a cable to her stern, and 
 towed her off: but he could get her no 'farther than 
 a shoal called Stubben, when she sunk : and soou 
 after he had worked the Nyeborg up to the landing 
 place, that vessel also sunk to the gunwale. Never 
 did any vessel come out of action in a more dread- 
 ful plight. The stump of her foremast was the only 
 stick standing; her cabin had been stove in ; every 
 gun, except a single one, was dismounted ; and her 
 deck was covered with shattered limbs and dead 
 bodies. 
 
 By half-past two the action had ceased along that 
 part of the line which was astern of the Elephant, 
 but not with the ships ahead and the Crown Batte- 
 ries. Nelson, seeing the manner in which his boats 
 were fired upon, when they went to take possession 
 of the prizes, became angry, and said, he must 
 either send on shore to have this irregular proceed- 
 ing stopped, or send afireship and burn them. Half 
 the shot from the Trekroner, and from the batteries 
 at Amak, at this time struck the surrendered ships, 
 four of which had got close together: and the fire 
 of the English, in return, was equally, or even 
 more, destructive to these poor devpted Danes. 
 Nelson, who was as humane as he was brave, was 
 shocked at this massacre, for such he called it : 
 and, with a presence of mind peculiar to himself, 
 and never more signally displayed than now, he 
 retired into the stern-gallery, and wrote thus to the 
 Crown Prince : " Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson has 
 been commanded to spare Denmark, when she no
 
 * 
 226 UFE OF NELSON. [1801. 
 
 longer resists. The line of defence which covered 
 her shores has struck to the British flag-; but if the 
 firing is continued on the part of Denmark, he must 
 set on fire all the prizes that he has taken, without 
 having the power of saving the men who have so 
 nobly defended them. The brave Danes are the 
 brothers, and should never be the enemies, of the 
 English." A wafer was given him ; but he ordered 
 a candle to be brought from the cockpit, and sealed 
 the letter with wax, affixing a larger seal than he 
 ordinarily used. " This," said he, " is no time to 
 appear hurried and informal." Capt. Sir Frederic 
 Thesiger, who acted as his aid-de-camp, carried 
 this letter with a flag of truce. Meantime, the fire 
 of the ships ahead, and the approach of the Rainil- 
 lies and Defence, from Sir Hyde's division, which 
 had now worked near enough to alarm the enemy, 
 though not to injure them, silenced the remainder 
 of the Danish line to the eastward of the Trekroner. 
 That battery, however, continued its fire. This for- 
 midable work, owing to the want of the ships which 
 had been destined to attack it, and the inadequate 
 force of Riou's little squadron, was comparatively 
 uninjured : towards the close of the action it had 
 been manned with nearly fifteen hundred men ; and 
 the intention of storming it, for which every prepa- 
 ration had been made, was abandoned as imprac- 
 ticable. 
 
 During Thesiger's absence, Nelson sent for Free- 
 mantle, from the Ganges, and consulted with him 
 and Foley, whether it was advisable to advance, 
 with those ships which had sustained least damage, 
 against the yet uninjured part of the Danish line. 
 They were decidedly of opinion, that the best thing 
 which could be done was, while the wind continued 
 fair, to remove the fleet out of the intricate channel, 
 from which it had to retreat. In somewhat more 
 than half an hour after Thesiger had been despatched, 
 the Danish adjutant-general Lindholm came, bear-
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 227 
 
 ing a flag of truce ; upon which the Trelfroner 
 ceased to fire, and the action closed, after four 
 hours' continuance. He brought an inquiry from 
 the prince, What was the object of Nelson's note 1 
 The British admiral wrote in reply: "Lord Nel- 
 son's object in sending the flag of truce was hu- 
 manity : he therefore consents that hostilities shall 
 cease, and that the wounded Danes may be taken 
 on shore. And Lord Nelson will take his prisoners 
 out of the vessels, and burn or carry off his prizes 
 as he shall think fit. Lord Nelson, with humble 
 duty to his royal highness the prince, will consider 
 this the greatest victory he has ever gained, if it 
 may be the cause of a happy reconciliation and 
 union between his own most gracious sovereign and 
 his majesty the king of Denmark." Sir Frederic 
 Thesiger was despatched a second time with the 
 reply ; and the Danish adjutant-general was referred 
 to the commander-in-chief for a conference upon 
 this overture. Lindholm assenting to this, pro- 
 ceeded to the London, which was riding at anchor 
 full four miles off; and Nelson, losing not one of 
 the critical moments which he had thus gained, 
 made signal for his leading ships to weigh in suc- 
 cession: they had the shoal to clear, they were 
 much crippled, and their course was immediately 
 under the guns of the Trekroner. 
 
 The Monarch led the way. This ship had re- 
 ceived six-and-twenty shot between wind and water. 
 She had not a shroud standing ; there was a double- 
 headed shot in the heart of her foremast, and the 
 slightest wind would have sent every mast,* over 
 
 *'It would have been well if the fleet, before they went under the 
 b.-uierrps, had left their spare spars moored out of reach of shot. Many 
 would have been saved which were destroyed lying on the booms, and 
 the hurt done by thf ir splinters would have been saved also. Small 
 craft could have towed them up when they were required: and, after 
 Biich an ariidii, so many must necessarily he wanted, that, if tho?e 
 which iveri> not in use were wounded, H might thus have rendered it 
 impossible to refit the ships.
 
 228 LIFE OP TfELSO:*. [1801. 
 
 hersiBe. The imminent danger from which Nelson 
 had extricated himself soon became apparent: the 
 Monarch touched immediately upon a shoal, over 
 which she was pushed by the Ganges taking her 
 amid ships ; the Glatton went clear ; but the other 
 two, the Defiance and the Elephant, grounded about 
 a mile from the Trekroner, and there remained 
 fixed for many hours, in spite of all the exertions 
 of their wearied crews. The Desiree frigate also, 
 at the other end of the line, having gone, towards 
 the close of the action, to assist the Bellona, became 
 fast on the same shoal. Nelson left the Elephant, 
 soon after she took the ground, to follow Lindholm. 
 The heat of action was over ; and that kind of feel- 
 ing which the surrounding scene of havoc was so 
 well fitted to produce, pressed heavily upon his ex- 
 hausted spirits. The sky had suddenly become 
 overcast ; white flags were waving from the mast- 
 heads of so many shattered ships : the slaughter 
 had ceased, but the grief was to come ; for the ac- 
 count, of the dead was not yet made up, and no" man 
 could tell for what friends he might have to mourn. 
 The very silence which follows the cessation of 
 such a battle becomes a weight upon the heart at 
 first, rather than a relief; and though the work of 
 mutual destruction was at an end, the Danbrog was, 
 at this time, drifting about in flames : presently she 
 blew up; while our boats, which had put off In all 
 directions to assist her, were endeavouring to pick 
 up her devoted crew, few of whom could be saved. 
 The fate of these men, after the gallantry which 
 they had displayed, particularly affected Nelson : 
 for there was nothing in this action of that indigna- 
 tion against the enemy, and that impression of 
 retributive justice, which at the Nile had given a 
 sterner temper to his mind, and a sense of austere 
 delight^ in beholding the vengeance of which he 
 was the appointed minister. The Danes were an 
 honourable foe; they were of English mould as
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 229 
 
 well as English blood ; and now that the battle had 
 ceased, he regarded them rather as brethren than 
 as enemies. There was another reflection, also, 
 which mingled with these melancholy thoughts, 
 and predisposed him to receive them. He was 
 not here master of his own movements, as at Egypt; 
 he had won the day by disobeying his orders ; and 
 in so far as he had been successful, had convicted 
 the commander-in-chief of an error in judgment. 
 " Well," said he, as he left the Elephant, " I have 
 fought contrary to orders, and I shall perhaps be 
 hanged. Never mind : let them !" 
 
 This was the language of a man who, while he is 
 giving utterance to an uneasy thought, clothes it 
 half in jest, because he half repents that it has been 
 disclosed. His services had been too eminent on 
 that day his judgment too conspicuous, his suc- 
 cess too signal, for any commander, however jealous 
 of his own authority, or envious of another's merits, 
 to express anything but satisfaction and gratitude : 
 which Sir Hyde heartily felt, and sincerely ex- 
 pressed. It was speedily agreed that there should 
 be a suspension of hostilities for four-and-twenty 
 hours ; that all the prizes should be surrendered, and 
 the wounded Danes carried on shore. There was a 
 pressing necessity for this ; for the Danes, either 
 from too much confidence in the strength of their 
 position, and the difficulty of the channel ; or, sup- 
 posing that the wounded might be carried on shore 
 during the action, which was found totally imprac- 
 ticable ; or, perhaps, from the confusion which the 
 attack excited, had provided no surgeons : so that 
 when our men boarded the captured ships, they 
 found many of the mangled and mutilated Danes 
 bleeding to death, for want of proper assistance : a 
 scene, of all others, the most shocking to a brave 
 man's feelings. 
 
 The boats of Sir Hyde's division were actively 
 employed all night in bringing out the prizes, and in
 
 232 LIFE OF NELSOX. [1801. 
 
 five engagements, but that this was the most tre- 
 mendous of all. "The French," he said, "fought 
 bravely ; but they could not have stood for one hour 
 the fight which the Danes had supported for four." 
 He requested that Villemoes might be introduced to 
 him ; and, shaking hands with the youth, told the 
 prince that he ought to be made an admiral. The 
 prince replied ; " If, my lord, I am to make all my 
 brave officers admirals, I should have no captains or 
 lieutenants in my service." 
 
 The sympathy of the Danes for their countrymen 
 who had bled in their defence was not weakened by 
 distance of time or place in this instance. Things 
 needful for the service, or the comfort of the 
 wounded, were sent in profusions to the hospitals, 
 till the superintendents gave public notice that they 
 could receive no more. On the third day after the 
 action the dead were buried in the naval churchyard : 
 the ceremony was made as public and as solemn as 
 the occasion required ; such a procession had never 
 before been seen in that, or, perhaps, in any other 
 city. A public monument was erected upon the 
 spot where the slain were gathered together. A 
 subscription was opened on the day of the funeral 
 for the relief of the sufferers, and collections in aid 
 of it made throughout all the churches in the king- 
 dom. This appeal to the feelings of the people was 
 made with circumstances which gave it full effect. 
 A monument was raised in the midst of the church, 
 surmounted by the Danish colours : young maidens, 
 dressed in white, stood round it, with either one who 
 had been wounded in the battle, or the widow and 
 orphans of some one who had fallen : a suitable 
 oration was delivered from the pulpit, and patriotic 
 hymns and songs were afterward performed. Me? 
 dais were distributed to all the officers, and to the 
 men who had distinguished themselves. Poets and 
 painters vied with each other in celebrating a battle, 
 which, disastrous as it was, had yet been honourable 

 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 233 
 
 to their country : some, with pardonable sophistry, 
 represented the advantage of the day as on their 
 own skle. One writer discovered a more curious, 
 but less disputable ground of satisfaction, in the re- 
 flection, that Nelson, as may be inferred, from his 
 name, was of Danish descent, and his actions, 
 therefore, the Dane argued, were attributable to 
 Danish valour. 
 
 The negotiation was continued during the five fol- 
 lowing days ; and, in that interval, the prizes were 
 disposed of, in a manner which was little approved 
 by Nelson. Six line-of-battle ships and eight 
 prames had been taken. Of these the Holstein, 
 sixty-four, was the only one which was sent home. 
 The Zealand was a finer ship: but the Zealand, and 
 all the others, were burned, and their brass battering 
 cannon sunk with the hulls in such shoal water, 
 that, when the fleet returned from Revel, they found 
 the Danes, with craft over the wrecks, employed in 
 getting the guns up again. Nelson, though he for- 
 bore from any public expression of displeasure at 
 seeing the proofs and trophies of his victory de- 
 stroyed, did hot forget to represent to the Admiralty 
 the case of those who were thus deprived of their 
 prize money. " Whether," said he to Earl St. Vin- 
 cent, " Sir Hyde Parker may mention the subject to 
 you, I know not ; for he is rich and does not want 
 it: nor is it, you will believe 1 me, any desire to get 
 a few hundred pounds that actuates me to address 
 this letter to you ; but justice to the brave officers 
 and men who fought on that day. It is true, our op- 
 ponents were in hulks and floats, only adapted for 
 .the position they were in ; but that made our battle 
 so much the harder, and victory so much the more 
 difficult to obtain. Believe me, I have weighed all 
 circumstances ; and, in my conscience, I think that 
 the king should send a gracious message to the 
 house of commons for a gift to this fleet : for what 
 must be the natural feelings of the officers and men 
 U2
 
 234 LIFE OF NELSON. [1801. 
 
 belonging to it, to see their rich commander-in-chief 
 burn all the fruits of their victory, which, if fitted 
 up and sent to England (as many of the* might 
 have been by dismantling part of our fleet), would 
 have sold for a good round sum." 
 
 On the 9th Nelson landed again, to conclude 
 the terms of the armistice. During its continuance 
 the armed ships and vessels of Denmark were to 
 remain in their then actual situation, as to arma- 
 ment, equipment, and hostile position ; and the 
 treaty of armed neutrality, as far as related to the 
 co-operation of Denmark, was suspended. The 
 prisoners were to be sent on shore ; an acknow- 
 ledgment being given for them, and for the wounded 
 also, that they might be carried to Great Britain's 
 credit in the account of war in case hostilities 
 should be renewed. The British fleet was allowed 
 to provide itself with all things requisite for the 
 health and comfort of its men. A difficulty arose 
 respecting the duration of the armistice. The 
 Danish commissioners fairly stated their fears of 
 Russia; and Nelson, with that frankness which 
 sound policy and the sense of power seem often to 
 require as well .as justify in diplomacy, told them, 
 his reason for demanding a long term was, that he 
 might have time to act against the Russian fleet, and 
 then return to Copenhagen. Neither party would 
 yield upon this point ; and one of the Danes hinted 
 at the renewal of hostilities. " Renew hostilities !" 
 cried Nelson to one of his friends, for he under- 
 stood French enough to comprehend what was 
 said, though not to answer it in the same language ; 
 " tell him we are ready at a moment ! Ready to 
 bombard this very night '." The conference, how- 
 ever, proceeded amicably on both sides ; and as the 
 commissioners could not agree upon this head, they 
 broke up, leaving Nelson to settle it with the prince. 
 A levee was held forthwith in one of the state rooms ; 
 a scene well suited for such a consultation : for all
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 235 
 
 these rooms had been stripped of their furniture, in 
 dear of a bombardment. To a bombardment also 
 ^Nelscafc was looking at this time : fatigue and 
 anxietf, and vexation at the dilatory measures of 
 the commander-in-chief, combined to make him 
 irritable : and as he was on the way to the prince s 
 dining-room, he whispered to the officer on whose 
 arm he was leaning, "Though I have only one 
 eye, I can see that all this will burn well." After 
 dinner he was closeted with the prince ; and they 
 agreed that the armistice should continue fourteen 
 weeks ; and that, at its termination, fourteen days 
 notice should be given before the recommencement 
 of hostilities. 
 
 AnMfcial account of the battle was published 
 by OlfeR Fischer, the Danish commander-in-chief, 
 in which it was asserted that our force was greatly 
 superior; nevertheless, that two of our ships of 
 the line had struck, that the others were so weak- 
 ened, and especially Lord Nelson's own ship, as to 
 fire only single shots for an hour before the end of 
 the action ; and that this hero himself, in the middle 
 and very heat of the conflict, sent a flag of truce on 
 shore, to propose a cessation of hostilities. For 
 the truth of this account the Dane appealed to the 
 prince, and all those who, like him, had been eye- 
 witnesses of the scene. Nelson was exceedingly 
 indignant at such a stateng|nt, and addressed a 
 letter, in confutation of it, tdx the adjutant-general 
 Lindholm ; thinking this incumbent upon him, for 
 the information of the prince, since his royal high- 
 ness had been appealed to as a witness : " Other- 
 wise," said he, " had Commodore Fischer confined 
 himself to his own veracity, I should have treated 
 his official letter with the contempt it deserved, and 
 allowed the world to appreciate the merits of the 
 two contending officers." After pointing out and 
 detecting some of the misstatements in the account, 
 he proceeds : " As to his nonsense about victory,
 
 236 LIFE OF NELSON. [I80t. 
 
 his royal highness will not much credit him. I 
 sunk, burned, captured, or drove into the harbour,, 
 the whole line of defence to the southwaiAfaf the 
 Crown Islands. He says he is told that twl^ritish 
 ships struck. Why did he not take possession of 
 them 1 I took possession of his as fast as they ' 
 struck. The reason is clear, that he did not believe * 
 it ; he must have known the falsity of the report. 
 He states, that the ship in which I had the honour 
 to hoist my flag, fired latterly only single guns. It 
 is true : for steady and cool were my brave fellows, 
 and did not wish to throw away a single shot. 
 He seems to exult that I sent on shore a flag- of 
 truce. You know, and his royal highness J^nows, 
 that the guns fired from the shore could Jfcy fire 
 through the Danish ships which had sui^Mtlered ; 
 and that, if 1 fired at the shore, it could omy be in 
 the same manner. God forbid that I should destroy 
 an unresisting Dane ! When they became my 
 prisoners I became their protector." 
 
 This letter was written in terms of great asperity 
 against the Danish commander. Lindholm replied 
 in a manner every way honourable to himself. He 
 vindicated the commodore in some points, and ex- 
 cused him in others; reminding Nelson, that every 
 commander-in-chief was liable to receive incorrect 
 reports. With a natural desire to represent the 
 action in a most favourable light to Denmark, he 
 took into the comparative strength of the two par- 
 ties the ships which were aground, and which could 
 not get into action; and omitted the Trekroner and 
 the batteries upon Amak Island. He disclaimed all 
 idea of claiming as a victory " what to every intent 
 and purpose," said he, "was a defeat, but not an 
 inglorious one. As to your lordship's motive for 
 sending a flag of truce, it never can be miscon- 
 strued ; and your subsequent conduct has suffi- 
 ciently shown that humanity is always the com- 
 panion of true valour. You have done more ; you
 
 1801.] LIFE OF KKI.SON. 237 
 
 have shown yourself a friend to the re-ostablish- 
 ment of peace and good harmony between this 
 country and Great Britain. It is, therefore, with 
 the sincerest esteem I shall always feel myself 
 attached to your lordship." Thus handsomely 
 Avinding up his reply he soothed and contented 
 Nelson ; who, drawing up a memorandum of the 
 .comparative force of the two parties, for his own 
 satisfaction, assured Lindholm, that if the com- 
 modore's statement had been in the same manly 
 and honourable strain, he Avould have been the last 
 man to have noticed any little inaccuracies Avhich 
 might get into a commander-in-chief's public letter. 
 For the battle of Copenhagen, Nelson was raised 
 to the rank of viscount : an inadequate mark of 
 reward for services" so splendid and of such para- 
 mount importance to the dearest interests of Eng- 
 land. There was, however, some prudence in 
 dealing out honours to him step by step: had he 
 lived long enough, he would have fought his way up 
 to a dukedom. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Sir Hyle Parker is recalled, and JVelson appointed Commander He 
 goes to Revel Settlement of Affairs in the Baltic Unsuccessful 
 Attempt upon the Flotilla at. Bologne Peace of Jl miens JVelmm 
 takes the Command in the Mediterranean on thr Renewal of the War 
 Escape of the Taulon Fleet JVelson chases them to the West 
 Indies, and back Delivers up his Squadron to Jldmiral Comwallis, 
 and lands in England. 
 
 WHEN Nelson informed Earl St. Vincent that the 
 armistice had been concluded, he told him also, 
 without reserve, his own discontent at the dilatori- 
 ness and indecision which he witnessed, and could 
 not remedy. "No man," said he, "but those who
 
 238 LIFE OF NELSOX. [1801. 
 
 are on the spot, ran tell what I have gone through, 
 and do suffer. I make no scruple in saying, that I 
 would have been at Revel fourteen days ago ! that, 
 without this armistice, the fleet would never have 
 gone, but by order of the Admiralty ; and with it, 
 I dare say, we shall not go this week. I wanted 
 Sir Hyde to let me, at least, go and cruise off 
 Carlscrona, to prevent the Revel ships from getting 
 in. I said I would not go to Revel to take any of 
 those laurels, which I was sure he would reap there. 
 Think for me, my dear lord; and if I have deserved 
 well, let ine return: if ill, for heaven's sake super- 
 sede me, for I cannot exist in this state." 
 
 Fatigue, incessant anxiety, and a climate little 
 suited to one of a tender constitution, which had 
 now for many years been a'ccustomed to more 
 genial latitudes, made him at this time seriously 
 determine upon returning home. " If the northern 
 business were not settled," he said, " they must 
 send more admirals ; for the keen air of the north 
 had cut Jiim to the heart." He felt the want of 
 activity and decision in the comrnander-in-chief 
 more keenly; and this affected his spirits, and, con- 
 sequently his health, more than the inclemency of 
 the Baltic. Soon after the armistice was signed, 
 Sir Hyde proceeded to the eastward, with such ships 
 as were fit for service, leaving Nelson to follow 
 with the rest, as soon*as those which had received 
 slight damages should be repaired, and the rest 
 sent to England. In passing between the isles of 
 Amak and Saltholm, most of the ships touched the 
 ground, and some of them stuck fast for awhile : 
 no serious injury, however, was sustained. It was 
 intended to act against the Russians first, before 
 the breaking up of the frost should enable them to 
 leave R^vel ; but learning on the way, that the 
 Swedes had put to sea to effect a junction with 
 them, Sir Hyde altered his course, in hopes of in- 
 tercepting this part of the enemy's force. Nelson
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 239 
 
 had, at this time, provided for the more pressing 
 emergencies of the service, and prepared, on the 
 18th, to follow the fleet. The St. George drew too 
 much water to pass the channel between the isles 
 without being lightened : the guns were therefore 
 taken out, and put on board an American vessel : 
 a contrary wind, however, prevented Nelson from 
 moving; and on that same evening, while he was 
 thus delayed, information reached him of the rela- 
 tive situation of the Swedish and British fleets, and 
 the probability of an action. The fleet was nearly 
 ten leagues distant ; and both wind and current 
 contrary ; but it was not possible that Nelson could 
 wait for a favourable season under such an expect- 
 ation. He ordered his boat immediately, and 
 stepped into it. Night was setting in, one of the 
 cold spring nights of the north, and it was dis- 
 covered soon after they had left the ship, that in 
 their haste, they had forgotten to provide hirn with 
 a boat-cloak. He, however, forbade them to return 
 for one : and when one of his companions offered 
 his own great coat, and urged him to make use of 
 it, he replied, " I thank you very much, but, to tell 
 you the truth, my anxiety .keeps me sufficiently 
 warm at present." 
 
 " Do you think," said he, presently, " that our 
 fleet has quitted Bornholm ? If it has, we must fol- 
 low it to Carlscrona." About midnight he reached 
 it, and once more got on board the Elephant. On 
 the following morning the Swedes were discovered ; 
 as soon, however, as they perceived the English 
 approaching, they retired, and took shelter in Carl- 
 scrona, behind the batteries on the island, at the en- 
 trance of that port. Sir Hyde sent in a flag of truce, 
 stating, that Denmark had concluded an armistice, 
 and requiring an explicit declaration from the court 
 of Sweden, whether it would adhere to or abandon 
 the hostile measures which it had taken against the 
 rights and interests of Great Britain? The com-
 
 240 tlFE OF KELSON. [1C01. 
 
 mander, Vice-Admiral Cronstadt, replied, " That 
 he could not answer a question which did not come 
 within the particular circle of his duty ; but that the 
 king was then at Maloe, and would soon be at Carl- 
 scrona." Gustavus shortly afterward arrived, and 
 an answer was then returned to this effect : " That 
 his Swedish majesty would not, for a moment, fail 
 to fulfil, with fidelity and sincerity, the engagements 
 he had entered into with his allies ; but he would 
 not refuse to listen to equitable proposals made, by 
 deputies furnished with proper authority by the 
 king of Great Britain to the united northern pow- 
 ers." Satisfied with this answer, and with the 
 known disposition of the Swedish court, Sir Hyde 
 sailed for the Gulf of Finland ; but he had not pro- 
 ceeded far, before a despatch boat, from the Russian 
 ambassador at Copenhagen, arrived, bringing intel- 
 ligence of the death of the emperor Paul : and that 
 his successor, Alexander, had accepted the offer 
 made by England to his father, of terminating the 
 dispute by a convention; the British admiral was 
 therefore required to desist from all farther hos- 
 tilities. 
 
 It was Nelson's maxim, that, to negotiate with 
 effect, force should be at hand, and in a situation to 
 act. The fleet, having been reinforced from Eng- 
 land, amounted to eighteen sail of the line ; and the 
 wind was fair for Revel. There he would have 
 sailed immediately to place himself between that 
 division of the Russian fleet and the squadron at 
 Cronstadt, in case this offer should prove insincere. 
 Sir Hyde, on the other hand, believed that the death 
 of Paul had effected all which was necessary. The 
 manner of that death, indeed, rendered it apparent, 
 that a change of policy would take place in the ca- 
 binet of Petersburg : but Nelson never trusted 
 any thing to the uncertain events of time, which 
 could possibly be secured by promptitude or reso- 
 lution. It was not, therefore, without severe mor-
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 241 
 
 tification, that he saw the commander-in-chief 
 return to the coast of Zealand, and anchor in Kioge 
 Bay ; there to wait patiently for what might happen. 
 
 There the fleet remained, till despatches arrived 
 from home, on the 5th of May, recalling Sir Hyde, 
 and appointing Nelson commander-in-chief. 
 
 Nelson wrote to Earl St. Vincent that he was 
 . unable to hold this honourable station. Admiral 
 Graves also was so ill, as to be confined to his bed ; 
 and he entreated that some person might come out 
 and take the command. " I will endeavour," said 
 he, " to do my best while I remain : but, my dear 
 lord, I shall either soon go to heaven I hope, or 
 must rest quiet for a time. If Sir Hyde were gone, 
 1 would now be under sail." On the day when 
 this was written he received news of his appoint- 
 ment. Not a moment was now lost. His first 
 signal, as commandeiMn-chief, was to hoist in all 
 launches, and prepare to weigh : and on the 7th he 
 sailed from Kioge. Part of his fleet was left at. 
 IJornholm, to watch the Swedes : from whom he 
 required and obtained an assurance, that the British 
 trade in the Cattegat, and in the Baltic, should not 
 be molested ; and saying how unpleasant it would 
 be to him if any thing should happen which might, 
 for a moment, disturb the returning harmony be- 
 tween Sweden and Great Britain, he apprized them 
 *that he was not directed to abstain from hostilities 
 should he meet with the Swedish fleet at sea. 
 Meantime, he himself, with ten sail of the line, two 
 frigates, a brig, and a schooner, made for the Gulf 
 of Finland. Paul, in one of the freaks of his ty- 
 ranny, had seized upon all the British effects in 
 Russia, and even considered British subjects as his 
 prisoners. " I will have all the English shipping 
 and property restored," said Nelson, "but I will do 
 nothing violently, neither commit the affairs of my 
 country, nor suffer Russia to mix the affairs of Den- 
 mark or Sweden with the detention of our ships." 
 X
 
 242 LIFE OF XIXSON. [1801. 
 
 The wind was fair, and carried him in four days to 
 Revel Roads. But the bay had been clear of firm 
 ice on the 29th of April, while the English were 
 lying: idly at Kioge. The Russians had cut 
 through the .ice in the mole six feet thick, and their 
 whole squadron had sailed for Cronstadt on the 
 third. Before that time it had laid at the mercy 
 of the English. " Nothing," Nelson said, " if it 
 had been right to make the attack, could have saved 
 one ship of them in two hours after our entering the 
 bay." 
 
 It so happened that there was no cause to regret 
 the opportunity which had been lost, and Nelson 
 immediately put the intentions of Russia to the 
 proof. He sent on shore, to say, that he came with 
 friendly views, and was ready to return a salute. 
 On their part the salute was delayed, till a message 
 was sent to them, to inquire for what reason : and 
 the officer, whose neglect had occasioned the delay, 
 .was put under arrest. Nelson wrote to the em- 
 peror, proposing to wait on him personally, and con- 
 gratulate him on his accession, and urged the imme- 
 diate release of British subjects, and restoration of 
 British property. 
 
 The answer arrived on the 16th : Nelson, mean- 
 time, had exchanged visits with the governor, and 
 the most friendly intercourse had subsisted between 
 the ships and the shore. Alexander's ministers, ii 
 their reply, expressed their surprise at the arrival 
 of a British fleet in a Russian port, and their wish 
 that it should return : they professed, on the part of 
 Russia, the most friendly disposition towards Great 
 Britain ; but declined the personal visit of Lord 
 Nelson, unless he came in a single ship. There 
 wag a suspicion implied in this, which stung Nel- 
 son : and he said, the Russian ministers would never 
 have written thus if their fleet had been at Revel. 
 He wrote an immediate reply, expressing what he 
 felt : he told the court of Petersburg, " that the
 
 1801.] LIFE OP 'NELSON. 243 
 
 word of a British admiral, when given in explana- 
 tion of any part of his conduct, was as sacred as that 
 of any sovereign's in Europe." . And he repeated, 
 " that, under other circumstances, it would have 
 been his anxious wish to have paid his personal 
 respects to the emperor, and signed with his own 
 hand the act of amity between the two countries." 
 Having despatched this, he stood out to sea imme- 
 diately, leaving a brig to bring off the provisions 
 which had been contracted for, and to settle the 
 accounts. " I hope all is right," said he, writing 
 to our ambassador at Berlin ; but seamen are but 
 bad negotiators ; for we put to issue in five mi- 
 nutes what diplomatic forms would be five months 
 doing." 
 
 On his way down the Baltic, however, he met the 
 Russian admiral Tcbitchagof, whom the emperor, 
 in reply to Sir Hyde's overtures, had sent to com- 
 municate personally with the British commander- 
 in-chief. The reply was such as had been wished 
 and expected : and these negotiators going, sea- 
 men-like, straight to their object, satisfied each 
 other of the friendly intentions of their respective 
 governments. Nelson then anchored off Rostock : 
 and there he received an answer to his last des- 
 patch from Revel, in which the Russian court ex- 
 pressed their regret that there should have been 
 any misconception between them ; informed him, 
 that the British vessels which Paul had detained 
 were ordered to be liberated, and invited him to 
 Petersburg in whatever ' mode might be most 
 agreeable to himself. Other honours awaited him : 
 the Duke of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, the queen's 
 brother, came to visit him on board his ship ; and 
 towns of the inland parts of Mecklenburgh sent 
 deputations, with their public books of record, that 
 they might have the name of Nelson in them written' 
 by his own hand. 
 
 From Rostock the fleet returned to Kioge Bay.
 
 244 LIFE OF XKLSOJf. [ 1 CO 1 . 
 
 Nelson saw that the temper of the Danes towards 
 England was such as naturally arose from the chas- 
 tisement which they had so recently received. " In 
 this nation," said he, " we shall not be forgiven for 
 having the upper hand of them : I only thank God 
 we have, or they would try to humble us to the 
 dust." He saw also that the Danish cabinet was 
 completely subservient to France : a French officer 
 was at this time the companion and counsellor of 
 the crown prince ; and things were done in such 
 open violation of the armistice, that Nelson thought 
 a second infliction of vengeance would soon be ne- 
 cessary. He wrote to the Admiralty, requesting a 
 clear and explicit reply to his inquiry, whether 
 the commander-in-chief was at liberty to hold the 
 language becoming a British admiral ?- " Which, 
 very probably," said he, " if .1 am here, will break 
 the armistice, and set Copenhagen in a blaze. I 
 see every thing which is dirty and mean going on, 
 and the prince royal at the head of it. Ships have 
 been masted, guns taken on board, floating batteries 
 prepared, and, except hauling out and completing 
 their rigging, every thing is done in defiance of the 
 treaty. My heart burns at seeing the word of a 
 prince, nearly allied to our good king, so falsified : 
 but his conduct is such, that he will lose his king- 
 dom if he goes on ; for jacobins rule in Denmark. 
 I have made no representations yet, as it would be 
 useless to do so until I have the power of correc- 
 tion. All I beg, in the name of the future com- 
 mander-in-chief, is, that the orders may be clear ; 
 for enough is done to break twenty treaties, if it 
 should be wished, or to make the prince royal 
 humble himself before British generosity." 
 
 Nelson was not deceived in his judgment of the 
 Danish cabinet, but the battle of Copenhagen had 
 crippled its power. The death of the czar Paul 
 had broken the confederacy : and that cabinet, there- 
 fore, was compelled to defer, till a more convenient
 
 1801.] LIFE OF NELSON. 245 
 
 season, the indulgence of its enmity towards Great 
 Britain. Soon afterward, Admiral Sir Charles Mau- 
 rice Pole arrived to take the command. The 
 business, military and political, had by that time 
 been so far completed, that the presence of the Bri- 
 tish fleet soon became no longer necessary. Sir 
 Charles, however, made the short time of his com- 
 mand memorable, by passing the Great Belt, for the 
 first time, with line-of-battle ships ; working through 
 the channel against adverse winds. When Nelson 
 left the fleet, this speedy termination of the expe- 
 dition, though confidently expected, was not certain ; 
 and he, in his unwillingness to weaken the British 
 force, thought at one time of traversing Jutland in 
 his boat, by the canal, to Tonningen on the Eyder, 
 and finding his way home from thence. This in- 
 tention was not executed : but he returned in a brig, 
 declining to accept a frigate ; which few admirals 
 would have done ; especially if, like him, they suf- 
 fered from sea-sickness in a small vessel. On his 
 arrival at Yarmouth, the first thing he did was to visit 
 the hospital, and see the men who had been wounded 
 in the late battle ; that victory, which had added 
 new glory to the name of Nelson, and which was of 
 more importance even than the battle of the Nile, to 
 the honour, the strength, and security of England. 
 
 The feelings of Nelson's friends, upon the news 
 of his great victory at Copenhagen, were highly de- 
 scribed by Sir William Hamilton, in a letter to him. 
 " We can only expect," he says, " what we know 
 well, and often said before, that Nelson was, is, and 
 to the last ~jai.ll ever be the first. Emma did not know 
 whether she was on her head or heels, in such a 
 hurry to tell your great news, that she could utter 
 nothing but tears of joy and tenderness. I went to 
 Davison, and found him still in bed, having had a 
 severe fit of the gout, and with your letter, which he 
 had just received; and he cried like a child: but 
 what was very extraordinary, assured me that, from 
 X2
 
 246 LIFE OF XF.LSOX [1801. 
 
 the instant he had read your letter, all pain had left 
 him, and that he felt himself able to get up and walk 
 about. Your brother, Mrs. Nelson, and Horace 
 dined with us. Your brother was more extraordi- 
 nary than ever. He would get up suddenly and cut 
 a caper; rubbing his hands every time that the 
 thought of your fresh laurels came into his head. 
 In short, except myself (and your lordship knows 
 that I have some phlegm), all the company, which 
 was considerable after dinner, were mad with joy. 
 But I am sure that no one really rejoiced more at 
 heart than I did. I have lived too long to have 
 ecstasies ! But with calm reflection, I felt for my 
 friend having got to the very summit of glory ! the 
 ne plus ultra ! that he has had another opportunity 
 of rendering his country the most important service; 
 and manifesting again his judgment, his intrepidity, 
 and humanity." 
 
 He had not been many weeks on shore before he 
 was called upon to undertake a service, for which 
 no Nelson was required. Buonaparte, who was 
 now first consul, and in reality sole ruler of France, 
 was making preparations, upon a great scale, for 
 invading England; but his schemes in the Baltic 
 had been baffled ; fleets could not be created as they 
 were wanted; and his armies, therefore, were to 
 come over in gun-boats, and such small craft, as 
 could be rapidly built or collected for the occasion. 
 From the former governments of France such threats 
 have only been matter of insult and policy : in Buo- 
 naparte they were sincere : for this adventurer, in- 
 toxicated with success, already began to imagine 
 that all things were to be submitted to his fortune. 
 We had not at that time proved the superiority of 
 our soldiers over the French ; and the unreflecting 
 multitude were not to be persuaded that an invasion 
 oould only be effected by numerous and powerful 
 fleets. A general alarm was excited ; and, in con- 
 descension to this unworthy feeling, Nelson was
 
 1801.] LIFE OP NELSON. 247 
 
 appointed to a command, extending from Orford- 
 ness t.o Beachy Head, on both shores : a sort of 
 service, he said, for which he felt no other ability 
 than what might be found in his zeal. 
 
 To this service, however, such as it was, he ap- 
 plied with his wonted alacrity ; though in no cheer- 
 ful frame of mind. To Lady Hamilton, his only 
 female correspondent, he says, at this time, " I am 
 not in very good spirits ; and except that our coun- 
 try demands all our services and abilities to bring 
 about an honourable peace, nothing should prevent 
 my being the bearer of my own letter. But, my 
 dear friend, I know you are so true and loyal an 
 Englishwoman, that you would hate those who 
 would not stand forth in defence of our king, laws, 
 religion, and all that is dear to us. It is your sex 
 that make us go forth, and seem to tell us, ' None 
 but the brave deserve the fair ;' and if we fall, we 
 still live in the hearts of those females. It is your 
 sex that reward us, it is your sex who cherish our 
 memories ; and you, my dear, honoured friend, are, 
 believe me, the first, the best of your sex. I have 
 been the world around, and in every corner of it, 
 and never yet saw your equal, or even one who 
 could be put in comparison with you. You know 
 how to reward virtue, honour, and courage, and 
 never to ask if it is placed in a prince, duke, lord, or 
 peasant." Having hoisted his flag in the Medusa 
 frigate, he went to reconnoitre Boulogne ; the point 
 from which it was supposed the great attempt would 
 be made, and which the French, in fear of an attack 
 themselves, were fortifying with all care. He ap- 
 proached near enough to sink two of their floating 
 batteries, and destroy a few gun-boats, which were 
 without the pier: what damage was done within 
 could not be ascertained. "Boulogne," he said, 
 " was certainly not a very pleasant place that morn- 
 ing : but," he added, " it is not my wish to injure 
 the poor inhabitants; and the town is spared as
 
 248 LIFE OF NELSON. f]801. 
 
 much as the nature of the service will admit." 
 Enough was done to show the enemy that they 
 could not, with impunity, come outside their own 
 ports. Nelson was satisfied, by what he saw, that 
 they meant to make an attempt from this place, but 
 that it was impracticable ; for the least wind at 
 W. N. W., and they were lost. The ports of Flush- 
 ing and Flanders were better points : there we could 
 not tell by our eyes what means of transport were 
 provided. From thence, therefore, if it came forth 
 at all, the expedition would come : " And what a 
 forlorn undertaking !" said he : " consider cross 
 tides, &c. As for rowing, that is impossible. It is 
 perfectly right to be prepared for a mad govern- 
 ment ; but with the active force which has been 
 given me, I may pronounce it almost impracticable." 
 That force had been got together with an alacrity 
 which has seldom been equalled. On the twenty- 
 eighth of July, we were, in Nelson's own words, 
 literally at the foundation of our fabric of defence: 
 and twelve days afterward we were so prepared on 
 the enemy's coast, that he did not believe they 
 could get three miles from their ports. The Medusa, 
 returning to our own shores, anchored in the rolling 
 ground off Harwich ; and when Nelson wished to 
 get to the Nore in her, the wind rendered it impos- 
 sible to proceed there by the usual channel. In 
 haste to be at the Nore, remembering that he had 
 been a tolerable pilot for the month of the Thames in 
 his younger days, and thinking it necessary that he 
 should know all that should be known of the navi- 
 gation, he requested the maritime surveyor of the 
 coast, Mr. Spence, to get him into the Swin, by any 
 channel ; for neither the pilots which he had oh 
 board, nor the Harwich ones, would take charge of 
 the ship. No vessel drawing more than fourteen 
 feet had ever before ventured over the Naze. Mr. 
 Spence, however, who had surveyed the channel, 
 carried her safely through. The channel has since
 
 1801.] JII'K OF M.LSOX. 249 
 
 been caller! Nelson's, though lie himself wished it 
 to be named after the Medusa: his name needed no 
 new memorial. 
 
 Nelson's eye was upon Flushing. "To take pos- 
 session of that place," he said, " would be a week's 
 expedition for four or five thousand troops." This, 
 however, required a consultation with the Admi- 
 ralty ; and that something might be done, meantime, 
 he resolved upon attacking the flotilla in the mouth 
 of Boulogne harbour. This resolution was made 
 in deference to the opinion of others, and to the 
 public feeling, which was so preposterously excited. 
 He himself scrupled not to assert, that the French 
 army would never embark at Boulogne for the inva- 
 sion of P^ngland ; and he owned, that this boat- 
 warfare was not exactly congenial to his feelings. 
 Into Helvoet or Flushing, he should be happy to 
 lead, if government turned their thoughts that way. 
 " While I serve," said he, " I will do it actively, and 
 to the very best of my abilities. I require nursing 
 like a child," he added; "my mind carries me be- 
 yond my strength, and will do me up : but such is 
 my nature." 
 
 The attack was made by the boats of the squa- 
 dron in five divisions, under Captains Somerville, 
 Parker, Cotgraye, Jones, and Conn. The previous 
 essay had taught the French the weak parts of their 
 position ; and they omitted no means of strengthen- 
 ing it, and of guarding against the expected attempt. 
 The boats put off about half an hour before mid- 
 night; but, owing to the darkness, and tide and half 
 tide, which must always make night attacks so un- 
 certain on the coasts of the channel, the divisions 
 separated. One could not arrive at all ; another not 
 till near daybreak. The others made their attack 
 gallantly; but the enemy were fully prepared : every 
 vessel was defended by long poles, headed with iron 
 spikes, projecting from their sides; strong nettings 
 were braced up to their lower yards ; they were
 
 250 LIFE OF NELSON. [1801. 
 
 moored by the bottom to the shore:* they were 
 strongly manned with soldiers, and protected by 
 land batteries, and the shore was lined with troops. 
 Many were taken possession of ; and, though they 
 could not have been brought out, would have been 
 burned, had not the French resorted to a mode of 
 offence, which they have often used, but which no 
 other people have ever been wicked enough to em- 
 ploy. The moment the firing ceased on board one 
 of their own vessels they fired upon it from the 
 shore, perfectly regardless of their own men. 
 
 The commander of one of the French divisions 
 acted like a generous enemy. He hailed the boats 
 as they approached, and cried out in English: "Let 
 me advise you, my brave Englishmen, to keep your 
 distance : you can do nothing here ; and it is only 
 uselessly shedding the blood of brave men to make 
 the attempt." The French official account boasted 
 of the victory. " The combat,"-it said, " took place 
 in sight of both countries ; it was the first of the 
 kind, and the historian would have cause to make 
 this remark." They guessed our loss at four or 
 five hundred : it amounted to one hundred and 
 seventy-two. In his private letters to the Admiralty 
 Nelson affirmed, that had our force arrived as he in- 
 tended, it was not all the chains in France which 
 could have prevented our men from bringing off the 
 whole of the vessels. There had been no error 
 committed, and never did Englishmen display more 
 courage. Upon this point Nelson was fully satis- 
 fied ; but he said he should never bring himself 
 
 * In the former editions I had stated, upon what appeared authentic 
 information, that the boats were chained one to another. Nelson him- 
 self believed this. Hut 1 have been a-suied that it wa< m>t the ra-.>, 
 by M. de Bercet, who, when I had th>' pica-lire of sein<r him in 1 -,!">, 
 was (and I hope still is) comiiiandan' i>f Boulogne. The word of thi.s 
 brave and loyal soldier is as little to be doubled as his wnrih. lie is 
 the last survivor of Chare! te's hand: audhisw;i memoirs, ivmld he be 
 persuaded to write them (a d-ity which he nw * to Irs country as wi-ll 
 as to himself), would form a redeeming episode in the history of Uio 
 French revolution.
 
 1801.] LIFE OP NELSOX. 
 
 251 
 
 again to allow any attack, wherein he was not per- 
 sonally concerned ; and that his mind suffered more 
 than if he had had a leg shot off in the affair. He 
 grieved particularly for Captain Parker, an excel- 
 lent officer, to whom he was greatly attached, and 
 ) had an aged father looking to him for assist- 
 His thigh was shattered in the action; and 
 the wound proved mortal, after some weeks of suf- 
 fering and manly resignation. During this interval, 
 Nelson's anxiety was very great. " Dear Parker is 
 my child," said he ; " for I found him in distress." 
 And when he received the tidings of his death, he 
 replied: "You will judge of my feelings: God's 
 will be done. I beg that his hair may be cut off and 
 given me; it shall be buried iomy grave. Poor 
 Mr. Parker! What a son has hetast ! If I were to 
 say I was content, I should lie ; but I shall endea- 
 vour to submit with all the fortitude in my power. 
 His loss has made a wound in my heart, which time 
 will hardly heal." 
 
 " You ask me, ray dear friend," he says, to Lady 
 Hamilton, " if I am going on more expeditions ] 
 and even if I was to forfeit your friendship, which is 
 dearer to me than all the world, I can tell you no- 
 thing. For, I go out ; I see the enemy and can get 
 at them, it is my duty ; and you would naturally 
 hate me, if I kept back one moment. I long to pay 
 them, for their tricks t' other day, the debt of a drub- 
 bing, which surely I'll pay: but when, where, or 
 ho~e, it is impossible, your own good sense must tell 
 you, for me or mortal man to say." Yet he now 
 wished to be relieved from this service. The coun- 
 try, he said, had attached a confidence to his name, 
 which he had submitted to, and therefore had cheer- 
 fully repaired to the station; but this boat busi- 
 ness, though it might be part of a great plan of in- 
 vasion, could never be the only one, and he did not 
 think it was a command for a vice-admiral. It was 
 not that he wanted a more lucrative situation ; for,
 
 252 LIFE OF XELSOX. [1801. 
 
 seriously indisposed as he was, and low-spirited 
 from private considerations, he did not know, if the 
 Mediterranean were vacant, that he should be equal 
 to undertake it. He was offended with the Admi- 
 ralty for refusing him leave to go to town when he 
 had solicited; in reply to a friendly letter from 
 Trowbridge he says, "I am at this moment as 
 firmly of opinion as ever, that Lord St. Vincent and 
 yourself should have allowed of my coming to town 
 for my own affairs, for every one knows I left it 
 without a thought for myself." His letters at this 
 time breathe an angry feeling towards Trowbridge, 
 who was now become, he said, one of his lords and 
 masters. " I have a letter from him," he says, " re- 
 commending me \g wear flannel shirts. Does he 
 care for me? NO: but never mind. They shall 
 work hard to get me again. The cold has settled 
 in my bowels. I wish the Admiralty had my com- 
 plaint: but they have no bowels, at least for me. I 
 dare say Master Trowbridge is grown fat. I know 
 I am grown lean with my complaint, which, but for 
 their indifference about my health, could never have 
 happened ; or, at least, I should have got well long 
 ago in a warm room, with a good fire and sincere 
 friend." In the same tone of bitterness, he com- 
 plained that he was not able to promote those whom 
 he thought deserving : " Trowbridge," he says, 
 " has so completely prevented my ever mentioning 
 any body's service, that I am become a cipher, and 
 he has gained a victory over Nelson's spirit. I am 
 kept here, for what 1 he may be able to tell, I can- 
 not. But long it cannot, shall not be." An end was 
 put to this uncomfortable state of mind when, fortu- 
 nately (on that account) for him, as well as happily 
 for the nation, the peace of Amiens was, just at this 
 time, signed. Nelson rejoiced that the experiment 
 was made, but was well aware that it was an expe- 
 riment : he saw what he called the misery of peace, 
 unless the utmost vigilance and prudence were ex-
 
 1801.] LlFt OF NELSON. 25$ 
 
 erted : and he expressed, in bitter terms, his proper 
 indignation at the manner in which the mob of Lon- 
 don welcomed the French general, who brought the 
 ratification ; saying, " that they made him ashamed 
 of his country." 
 
 He had purchased a house and estate at Merton, 
 in Surry; meaning to pass his days there in the 
 society of .Sir William and Lady Hamilton. He had 
 indulged in pleasant dreams when looking on to this 
 as his place of residence and rest. " To be sure," 
 he says, " we shall employ the tradespeople of out 
 village in preference to any others, in what we want 
 for common use, and give them every encourage- 
 ment to be kind and attentive tous." " Have we 
 a nice church at Merton 1 We will set an example 
 of goodness to the under-parishioners. I admire 
 the pigs and poultry. Sheep are certainly most be- 
 neficial to eat off the grass. Do you get paid for 
 them, and take care that they are kept on the pre- 
 mises all night, for that is the time they do good to 
 the land. They should be folded. Is your head 
 man a good person, and true to our interest 1 I in- 
 tend to have a farming-book. I expect that all 
 animals will increase where you are, for I never ex- 
 pect that you will suffer any to be killed. No per- 
 son can take amiss our not visiting. The answer 
 from me will always be very civil thanks, but that 
 I wish to live retired. We shall have our sea- 
 friends ; and I know Sir William thinks they are 
 the best." This place he had never seen* till he 
 was now welcomed there by the friends to whom 
 he had so passionately devoted himself, and who 
 were not less sincerely attached to him. The place, 
 and every thing which. Lady Hamilton had done to 
 it, delighted him ; and he declared that the longest 
 liver should possess it all. Here he amused him- 
 self with angling in the Wandle, having been a good 
 fly-fisher in former days, and learning now to praC- 
 Y
 
 2T54 LIFE OF NELSON. [1801, 
 
 tise with his left hand,' 1 what he could no longer 
 pursue as a solitary diversion. His pensions for 
 his victories, and for the loss of his eye and arm, 
 amounted with his half-pay to about 3,400 a year. 
 From this he gave l,800 to Lady Nelson, 200 to 
 a brother's widow, and 150 for the education of 
 his children; and he paid 500 interest for bor- 
 rowed money; so that Nelson was comparatively a 
 poor man ; and though much of the pecuniary em- 
 barrassment which he endured was occasioned by 
 the separation from his wife even if that cause had 
 not existed, his income would not have been suffi- 
 cient for the rank which he held, and the claims 
 which would necessarily be made upon his bounty. 
 The depression of spirits under which he had long 
 laboured, arose partly from this state of his circum- 
 stances, and partly from the other disquietudes in> 
 which his connexion with Lady Hamilton had in- 
 volved him : a connexion which it was not possible 
 his father could behold without sorrow and displea- 
 sure. Mr. Nelson, however, was soon persuaded 
 that the attachment, which Lady Nelson regarded 
 with natural jealousy and resentment, did not, in 
 reality, pass the bounds of ardent and romantic ad- 
 miration : a passion which the manners and accom- 
 plishments of Lady Hamilton, fascinating as they 
 were, would not have been able to excite, if they 
 had not been accompanied by more uncommon in- 
 tellectual endowments, and by a character which, 
 both in its strength and in its weakness, resembled 
 his own. It did not, therefore, require much ex- 
 planation to reconcile him to his son; an event 
 the more essential to Nelson's happiness, because, a 
 
 * This is mentioned on the authority, and by the desire of Sir Hum- 
 phrey Dayy,t whose name I write with the respect to which it is so 
 justly entitled ; and calling to mind the time when we were inhabits 
 of daily and intimate intercourse with affectionate regret 
 
 t Salmonla, p. 6.
 
 1801.] IJFE OF NELSON. 255 
 
 few months afterward, the good old man died, at the 
 age of seventy-nine. 
 
 Soon after the conclusion of peace, tidings arrived 
 of our final and decisive successes in Egypt : in 
 consequence of which the common council voted 
 their thanks to the army and navy for bringing the 
 campaign to so glorious a conclusion. When Nel- 
 son, after the action off Cape St. Vincent, had been 
 entertained at a city feast, he had observed to the 
 lord-mayor, " that, if the city continued its gene- 
 rosity, the navy would ruin them in gifts." To 
 which the lord-mayor replied, putting his hand upon 
 the admiral's shoulder, " Do you find victories, and 
 we will find rewards." Nelson, as he said, had kept 
 his word, had doubly fulfilled his part of the con- 
 tract, but no thanks had been voted for the battle 
 of Copenhagen ; and, feeling that he and his com- 
 panions in that day's glory had a fair and honour- 
 able claim to this reward, he took the present oppor- 
 tunity of addressing a letter to the lord-mayor, com- 
 plaining of the omission and the injustice. " The 
 smallest services," said he., " rendered by the armjfa. 
 or navy to the country, have always been noticed^ 
 by the great city of London, with one exception 
 the glorious 2d of April : a day, when the greatest 
 dangers of navigation were overcome ; and the 
 Danish force, which they thought impregnable, to- 
 tally taken or destroyed, by the consummate skill of 
 our commanders, and by the undaunted bravery of 
 as gallant a band as ever defended the rights of this 
 country. For myself, if I were only personally 
 concerned, I should bear the stigma, attempted to 
 be now first placed upon my brow? with humility. 
 But, my lord, I am the natural guardian of the fame 
 of all the officers of the navy, army, and marines, 
 who fought, and so profusely bled, under my com- 
 mand on that day. Again, I disclaim for myself 
 more merit than naturally falls to a successful com- 
 mander ; but when I am called upon to speak of the
 
 25G ITFE OF KKLSO.V. [1803. 
 
 merits of the captains of his majesty's ships, and of 
 the officers and men, whether seamen, marines, or 
 soldiers, whom I that day had the happiness to com- 
 mand, I then say, that never was the glory of this 
 country upheld with more determined bravery than 
 on that occasion : and, if I may be allowed to give an 
 opinion as a Briton, then I say, that more important 
 service was never rendered to our king 1 and country. 
 It is my duty, my lord, to prove to the brave fellows, 
 my companions in danger, that I have not failed, at 
 every proper place, to represent, as well as I am 
 able, their bravery and meritorious conduct." 
 
 Another honour, of greater import, was withheld 
 from the conquerors. The king had given medals 
 to those captains who were engaged in the battles 
 of the 1st of June, of Cape St. Vincent, of Cam- 
 perdown, and of the Nile. Then came the victory 
 at Coprnhngen ; which Nelson truly culled the mos't 
 difficult achievement, the hardest fought battle, the 
 most glorious result, that ever graced the annals of 
 pur country. He, of course, expected the medal : 
 nd, in writing to Earl St. Vincent, said, "He 
 
 nged to have it, and would not give it up to be 
 made an English duke." The medal, however, was 
 not given : " For what reason," said Nelson, " Lord 
 St. Vincent best knows." Words plainly implying 
 a suspicion, that it was withheld by some feeling of 
 jealousy: and that suspicion estranged him, during 
 the remaining part of his life, from one who had at 
 one time been essentially, as well as sincerely, his 
 friend ; and of whose professional abilities he ever 
 entertained the highest opinion. 
 
 The happiness which Nelson enjoyed in the so- 
 ciety of his chosen friends, was of no long conti- 
 nuance. Sir William Hamilton, who was far ad- 
 vanced in years, died early in 1803 ; a mild, amiable, 
 accomplished man, who has thus, in a letter, de- 
 scribed his own philosophy : " My study of anti- 
 quities," he says, " has kept me in constant thought
 
 1803.] LIFK OF NELSON. 257 
 
 of the perpetual fluctuation of every thing. The 
 whole art is really to live all the days of our life ; 
 and not with anxious care disturb the sweetest hour 
 that life affords, which is the present. Admire the 
 Creator, and all his works, to us incomprehensible ; 
 and do all the good you can upon earth : and take 
 the chance of eternity without dismay." He expired 
 in his wife's arms, holding Nelson by the hand; and 
 . almost in his last words left her to his protection ; 
 requesting him that he would see justice done her 
 by the government, as he knew what she had done 
 for her country. He left him her portrait in enamel, 
 calling him his dearest friend; the most virtuous, 
 loyal, and truly brave character he had ever known. 
 The codicil, containing this bequest, concluded with 
 these words : " God bless him, and shame fall on 
 those who do not say amen." Sir William's pension, 
 of 1200 a year, ceased with his death. Nelson 
 applied to Mr. Addington in Lady Hamilton's behalf, 
 stating the important service which she had ren- 
 dered to the fleet at Syracuse : and Mr. Addington, 
 it is said, acknowledged that she had a just claim 
 upon the gratitude of the country. This barren ac- 
 knowledgment was all that was obtained : but a 
 sum, equal to the pension which her husband had 
 enjoyed, was settled on her by Nelson, and paid in 
 monthly payments during his life. A few weeks 
 after this event, the war was renewed ; and, the day 
 after his majesty's message to parliament, Nelson de- 
 parted to take the command of theMediterranean fleet. 
 The war, he thought, could not be long; just enough 
 to make him independent in pecuniary matters. 
 
 He took his station immediately off Toulon ; and 
 there, with incessant vigilance, waited for the 
 coming out of the enemy. The expectation of ac- 
 quiring a competent fortune did not last long. 
 " Somehow," he says, " my mind is not sharp 
 enough for prize-money. Lord Keith would have 
 made 20.000, and I have not made 6000." More 
 Yfl
 
 25t! LIFE OF NELSON. [ 1 t>U3. 
 
 than once he says that the prizes taken in the Medi- 
 terranean had not paid his expenses : and once he 
 expresses himself as if it were a consolation to 
 think that some ball might soon close all his ac- 
 counts with this world of care and vexation. At 
 this time the widow of his brother, being then blind 
 and advanced in years, was distressed for money, 
 and about to sell her plate ; he wrote to Lady Ha- 
 milton, requesting of her to find out what her debts 
 were, and saying, that if the amount was withiu his 
 power he would certainly pay it, and rather pinch 
 himself than that she should want. Before he had 
 finished the letter, an account arrived that a sum 
 was payable to him for some neutral taken four 
 years before, which enabled him to do this without 
 being the poorer : and he seems to have felt at the 
 moment that what is thus disposed of by a cheerful 
 giver, shall be paid to him again. One from whom 
 he had looked for a very different conduct, had com- 
 pared his own wealth in no becoming manner with 
 Nelson's limited means. " I know," said he to 
 Lady Hamilton, " the full extent of the obligation I 
 owe him, and he may be useful to me again ; but 
 *"l can never forget his unkindness to you. But I 
 guess many reasons influenced his conduct in brag- 
 ging of his riches and my honourable poverty ; but, 
 HS I have often said, and with honest pride, what I 
 have is my own : it never cost the widow a tear, or 
 the nation a farthing. I got what I have with my 
 pure blood, from the enemies of my country. Our 
 house, my own Emma, is built upon a solid founda- 
 tion ; and will last to us, when his house and lands 
 may belong to others than his children." 
 
 His hope was that peace might soon be made, or 
 that he should be relieved from his command, and 
 retire to Merton, where at that distance he was 
 planning and directing improvements. On his birth- 
 day he writes, " This day, my dearest Emma, I con- 
 sider as more fortunate than common days, as by
 
 1803.] LIFE OF KELSON. 259 
 
 my coming into this world it has brought me so inti- 
 mately acquainted with you. I well know that you 
 will keep it, and have my dear Horatio to drink my 
 health. Forty-six years of toil and trouble ! How 
 few more the common lot of mankind leads us to 
 expect ! and therefore it is almost time to think of 
 spending the last few years in peace and quietness." 
 It is painful to think that this language was not ad- 
 dressed to his wife, but to one with whom he pro- 
 mised himself "many, many happy years, when that 
 impediment," as he calls her, "shall be removed, if 
 God pleased;" and they might be surrounded by 
 their children's children. 
 
 When he had been fourteen months off Toulon, he 
 received a vote of thanks from the city of London, 
 for his skill and perseverance in blockading that 
 port, so as to prevent the French from putting to sea. 
 Nelson had not forgotten the wrong which the city 
 had done to the Baltic fleet by their omission, and 
 did not lose the opportunity which this vote afforded 
 of recurring to that point. " I do assure your lord- 
 ship," said he, in his answer to the lord-mayor, 
 " that there is not that man breathing who sets a 
 higher value upon the thanks of his fellow-citizens 
 of London than myself; but I should feel as much 
 ashamed to receive them for a particular service, 
 marked in the resolution, if I felt that I did not 
 come within that line of service, as I should feel 
 hurt at having a great victory passed over without 
 notice. I beg to inform your lordship, that the port 
 of Toulon has never been blockaded by me: quite 
 the reverse. Every opportunity has been offered 
 the enemy to put to sea : for it is there that we hope 
 to realize the hopes and expectations of our 
 country." Nelson then remarked, that the junior 
 flag- officers of his fleet had been omitted in this vote 
 of thanks ; and his surprise at the omission was ex- 
 pressed with more asperity, perhaps, than an 
 offence, so entirely and manifestly unintentional, de-
 
 260 LIFE OF NELSON. [1803. 
 
 served : but it arose from that generous regard for 
 
 t; feelings as well as interests of all who were 
 der his command, which made him as much be- 
 loved in the fleets of Britain as he was dreaded in 
 those of the enemy. 
 
 Never was any commander more beloved. He 
 governed men by their reason and their affections : 
 they knew that he was incapable of caprice or ty- 
 ranny ; and they obeyed him with alacrity and joy, 
 because he possessed their confidence as well as 
 their love. " Our Nel," they used to say, " is as brave 
 as a lion, and as gentle as a lamb." Severe dis- 
 cipline he detested, though he had been bred in a 
 severe school : he never inflicted corporal punish- 
 ment, if it were possible to avoid it, and when com- 
 pelled to enforce it, he, who was familiar with 
 wounds and death, suffered like a woman. In his 
 whole life Nelson was never known to act unkindly 
 towards an officer. If he was asked to prosecute 
 one for ill-behaviour, he used to answer, " That 
 there was no occasion for him to ruin a poor devil, 
 who was sufficiently his own enemy to ruin him- 
 self." But in Nelson there was more than the easi- 
 ness and humanity of a happy nature : he did not 
 merely abstain from injury; his was an active and 
 watchful benevolence, ever desirous not only to ren- 
 der justice, but to do good. During the peace, he 
 had spoken in parliament upon the abuses respect- 
 ing prize-money ; and had submitted plans to 
 government for more easily manning the navy, and 
 preventing desertion from it, by bettering the condi- 
 tion of the seamen. He proposed that their certifi- 
 cates should be registered, and that every man who 
 had served, with a good character, five years in 
 war, should receive a bounty of two guineas annu- 
 ally after that time, and of four guineas after eight 
 years. " This," he said, " might, at first sight, ap- 
 pear an enormous sum for the state to pay ; but the 
 average life of seamen is, from hard service, finished
 
 1803.] LIFE OF NELSON. 261 
 
 at forty-five : he cannot, therefore, enjoy the an- 
 nuity many years ; and the interest of the money 
 saved by their not deserting, would go far to pay the 
 whole expense." 
 
 To his midshipmen he ever showed the most win- 
 ning kindness, encouraging the diffident, tempering 
 the hasty, counselling and befriending both. " Re- 
 collect," he used to say, " that you must be a sea- 
 man to*be an ofilcer; and also, that you cannot be 
 a good officer without being a gentleman." A 
 lieutenant wrote to him to say, that he was dissa- 
 tisfied with his captain. Nelson's answer was in 
 that spirit of perfect wisdom and perfect goodness, 
 which regulated his whole conduct towards those 
 who were under his command. " I have just re- 
 ceived your letter; and 1 am truly sorry that any 
 difference should arise between your captain, who 
 has the reputation of being one of the bright officers 
 of the service, nnd yourself, a very young man, and 
 a very young officer, who must naturally have much 
 to learn: therefore, the chance is, that you are per- 
 fectly wrong in the disagreement. However, as 
 your present situation must be very disagreeable, I 
 will certain!}' take an early opportunity of removing 
 you, provided your conduct to your present captain 
 be such, that another may not refuse to receive 
 you." The gentleness and benignity of his disposi- 
 tion never made him forget what was due to disci- 
 pline. Being on one occasion applied to, to save a 
 young officer from a court-martial, which he had 
 provoked by his misconduct, his reply was, " That 
 he would do every thing in his power to oblige so 
 gallant and good an officer as Sir John Warren," 
 in whose name the intercession had been made : 
 " But what," he added, " would he do if he were 
 here ? Exactly what I have done, and am still will- 
 ing to do. The young man must write such a let- 
 ter of contrition as would be an acknowledgment 
 of his great fault ; and, with a sincere promise, if
 
 262 LIFE OF NELSON. 
 
 his captain will intercede to prevent the impending 
 court-martial, never to so misbehave again. On hi 
 captain's enclosing me such a letter, with a request 
 to cancel the order for the trial, I might be induce 
 to do it : but the letters and reprimand will be given 
 in the public order-book of the fleet, and read to all 
 the officers. The young man has pushed himse 
 forward to notice, and he must take the consequence. 
 
 It was upon the quarter-deck, in the face of the 
 
 ship's company, that he treated his captain with 
 contempt ; and I am in duty hound to support the 
 authority and consequence of every officer unde 
 my command. A poor ignorant seaman is for ever 
 punished for contempt to his superiors." 
 
 A dispute occurred in the fleet, while it was off 
 Toulon, which called forth Nelson's zeal for the 
 rights and interest of the navy. Some young artil- 
 lery officers, serving on board the bomb vessels, re- 
 fused to let their men perform any other duty but 
 what related to the mortars. They wished to have 
 it established, that their corps was not subject to 
 the captain's authority. The same pretensions were 
 made in the channel fleet about the same time; 
 and the artillery rested their claims to separate and 
 independent authority on board, upon a clause in 
 the act, which they interpreted in their favour. 
 Nelson took up the subject with all the earnestness 
 which its importance deserved. " There is no real 
 happiness in this world," said he, writing to Earl 
 St. Vincent, as firg} lord. " With all content, and 
 smiles around me, up start these artillery boys (I 
 understand they are not beyond that age), and set 
 us at defiance ; speaking in the most disrespectful 
 manner of the navy, and its commanders. I Know 
 you, my dear lord, so well, that, with your quick- 
 ness, the matter would have been settled; and per- 
 haps some of them been broke. I am, perhaps, 
 more patient : but I do assure you, not less resolved, 
 if my plan of conciliation is not attended to. You
 
 1803.] LIFE OF NELSON. 
 
 and I are on the eve of quitting the theatre of our 
 exploits ; but we hold it due to our successors, 
 never? while we have a tongue to speak or a hand 
 to write, to allow the navy to be, m the smallest 
 decree/injured in its discipline by our conduct ' 
 To Trowbridge he wrote in the same spirit. It 
 is the old history, trying to do away the , art of 
 parliament; but I trust they will never succeed, 
 for, when they do, farewell to our naval "?** 
 We should be prettily commanded ! Let them once 
 gam the step It being independent of the navy on 
 board a ship, and they will soon have the , other, 
 and command us. But, thank God! my dear 
 Trowbridge, the lung himself cannot do away the 
 act of parliament. Although my career is nearly 
 run yet it would imbitter my future days and ex- 
 png y moments, to hearof our navy being sacrificed 
 to the army." As the surest way of preventing such 
 deputes he suggested that the navy should have 
 ufown corps of artillery ; and a corps of marine 
 artillery was accordingly established. 
 
 Instead (Uenening the power of the commander. 
 Nelson would have wished to see it increased : it 
 absolutely necessary, he thought, that merit 
 hould be rewarded at the moment, and that the 
 officers of the fleet should look up to the com- 
 Ser-in-chief for their reward. He himself was 
 never more happy than when he could promote 
 those who were deserving of promotion. Many 
 wre the services which he thus rendered unsoli- 
 cited -and frequently the officer, in whose behalf 
 he ha'dTnterested himself with the Admiralty, did 
 not know to whose friendly interference he was in- 
 debted for his good fortune He used to say, I 
 wish it to appear as a God-send." The love which 
 he bore the navy made him promote the interests, 
 and honour the memory, of all who had added to 
 Us glories. "The near relations of brother-offi- 
 cers;" he said, " he considered as legacies to the
 
 264 LIFE OF NELSON. [1803. 
 
 service." Upon mention being made to him of 
 a son of Rodney, by the Duke of Clarence, his 
 reply was : " I agree with your royal highness 
 most entirely, that the son of a Rodney ought to 
 be the protegg of every person in the kingdom, and 
 particularly of the sea-officers. Had I known that 
 there had been this claimant, some of my own 
 lieutenants must have given way to such a name, 
 and he should have been placed in the Victory : she 
 is full, and I have twenty on my list; but, what- 
 ever numbers I have, the name of Rodney must 
 cut many of them out." Such was the proper 
 sense which Nelson felt of what A\as due to splen- 
 did services and illustrious names. His feelings 
 towards the brave men who had served with him, are 
 shown by a note in his diary, which was probably 
 not intended for any other eye than his own. 
 " Nov. 7. I had the comfort of making an old 
 Agamemnon, George Jones, a gunner into the 
 Chameleon brig." 
 
 When Nelson took the command, it was ex- 
 pected that the Mediterranean would MB an active 
 scene. Nelson well understood the cnaracter of 
 the perfidious Corsican, who was now sole tyrant 
 of France ; and knowing that he was as ready to 
 attack his friends as his enemies, knew, therefore, 
 that nothing could be more uncertain than the di- 
 rection of the fleet from Toulon, whenever it should 
 put to sea : " It had as many destinations," he 
 said, " as there were countries." The momentous 
 revolutions of the last ten years had given him 
 ample matter for reflection, as well as opportunities 
 for observation : the film was cleared from his eyes ; 
 and now, when the French no longer went abroad 
 with the cry of liberty and equality, he saw that 
 the oppression and misrule of theoowers which had 
 been opposed to them had been the main causes of 
 their success, and that those caused would still pre- 
 pare the way before them. Even in Sicily, where,
 
 1803.] LIFE OF NELSON. 265 
 
 if it had been possible longer to blind himself, 
 Nelson would willingly have seen no evil, he per- 
 ceived that the people wished for a change, and 
 acknowledged that they had reason to wish for it. 
 In Sardinia the same burden of misgovernment was 
 felt ; and the people, like the Sicilians, were im- 
 poverished by a government so utterly incompetent 
 to perform its first and most essential duties, that 
 ' it did not protect its own coasts from, the Barbary 
 pirates. He would fain have had us purchase this 
 island (the finest in the Mediterranean) from its 
 sovereign, who did not receive 5000 a year from 
 it, after its wretched establishment was paid. There 
 was reason to think that France was preparing to 
 possess herself of this important point, which af- 
 forded our fleet facilities for watching Toulon, not 
 to be obtained elsewhere. An expedition was pre- 
 paring at Corsica for the purpose ; and all the 
 Sardes who had taken part with revolutionary 
 France were ordered to assemble there. It was 
 certain that, if the attack were made, it would suc- 
 ceed. Nelson thought that the only means to pre- 
 vent Sardinia from becoming French, was to make 
 it English, and that half a million would give the 
 king a rich price, and England a cheap purchase. 
 A better, and therefore a wiser, policy would have 
 been to exert our influence in removing the abuses 
 of the government : for foreign dominion is always, 
 in some degree, an evil ; and allegiance neither can 
 nor ought to be made a thing of bargain and sale. 
 Sardinia, like Sicily and Corsica, is large enough 
 to form a separate state. Let us hope that these 
 islands may one day be made free and independent. 
 Freedom and independence will bring with them 
 industry and prosperity; and wherever these are 
 found, arts and letters will flourish, and the im- 
 provement of the human race proceed. 
 
 The proposed attack was postponed. Views of 
 wider ambition were opening upon Buonaparte, who
 
 266 LIFE OF KELSON. [1803. 
 
 now almost undisguisedly aspired to make himself 
 master of the continent of Europe ; and Austria 
 was preparing for another struggle, to be conducted 
 as weakly and terminated as miserably as the for- 
 mer. Spain, too, was once more to be involved in 
 Avar, by the policy of France : that perfidious 
 government having in view the double object of 
 employing the Spanish resources against England, 
 and exhausting them, in order to render Spain her- 
 self finally its prey. Nelson, who knew that Eng- 
 land and the Peninsula ought to be in alliance, for 
 the common interest of both, frequently expressed 
 his hopes that Spain might resume her natural rank 
 among the nations. " We ought," he said, " by 
 mutual consent, to be the very best friends, and 
 both to be ever hostile to France." But he saw that 
 Buonaparte was meditating the destruction of 
 Spain ; and that, while the wretched court of Ma- 
 drid professed to remain neutral, the appearances of 
 neutrality were scarcely preserved. An order of the 
 year 1771, excluding British ships of war from the 
 Spanish ports, was revived, and put in force ; while 
 French privateers, from these very ports, annoyed 
 the British trade, carried their prizes in, and sold 
 them even at Barcelona. Nelson complained of 
 this to the captain-general of Catalonia, informing 
 him, that he claimed, for every British ship or squa- 
 dron the right of lying, as long as it pleased, in the- 
 ports of Spain, while that right was allowed to 
 other powers. To the British ambassador he said, 
 " I am ready to make large allowances for the mise- 
 rable situation Spain has placed herself in ; but there 
 is a certain line, beyond which I cannot submit to be 
 treated with disrespect. We have given up French 
 vessels taken within gunshot 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 what- 
 ever plaoe the Spaniards allow the French to attack
 
 1803.] MFE OF NELSON. 267 
 
 us, in that place I shall order the French to be at- 
 tacked." 
 
 During this state of things, to which the weak- 
 ness of Spain, and not her will, consented, the ene- 
 my's fleet did not venture to put to sea. Nelson 
 watched it with unremitting and almost unexampled 
 perseverance. The station off Toulon he called 
 . his home. " We are in the right fighting trim," said 
 he : " let them come as soon as they please. I 
 never saw a fleet, altogether, so well officered and 
 manned : would to God the ships were half as good ! 
 The finest ones in the service would soon be de- 
 stroyed by such terrible weather. I know well 
 enough, that if I were 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." 
 Then only he was satisfied, and at ease, when he 
 had the enemy in view. Mr. Elliot, our minister at 
 Naples, seems, at this time, to have proposed to 
 send a confidential Frenchman to him with informa- 
 tion. " I should be very happy," he replied, " to re- 
 ceive authentic intelligence of the destination of the 
 French squadron, their route, and time of sailing. 
 Any thing short of this is useless; and I assure 
 your excellency, that I would not, upon any consi- 
 deration, have a Frenchman in the fleet, except as a 
 prisoner. I put no confidence in them. You think 
 yours good, the queen thinks the same : I believe 
 they are all alike. Whatever information you can 
 get me I shall be very thankful for ; but not a French- 
 man comes here. Forgive me, but my mother hated 
 the French." 
 
 M. Latouche Treville, who had commanded at 
 Boulogne, commanded now at Toulon. " He was 
 sent for on purpose," said Nelson, " as he beat me at 
 Boulogne, to beat me again : but he seems very 
 Joath to try." One day, while the main body of
 
 268 LIFE OF NEI.SOT:. [1803. 
 
 our fleet was out of sight of land, Rear-Admiral 
 Campbell, reconnoitring with the Canopus, Donne- 
 gal, and Amazon, stood in close to the port ; and M. 
 Latouche, taking advantage of a breeze which 
 sprung up, pushed out, with four ships of the line 
 and three heavy frigates, and chased him about four 
 leagues. The Frenchman, delighted at having 
 found himself in so novel a situation, published a 
 boastful account ; affirming that he had given chase 
 to the whole British fleet, and that Nelson had fled 
 before him ! Nelson thought it due to the Admi- 
 ralty to send home a copy of the Victory's log upon 
 this occasion. " As for himself," he said, " if his 
 character was not established by that time for not 
 being apt to run away, it was not worth his while 
 to put the world right." " If this fleet gets fairly 
 up with M. Latouche," said he to one of his corres- 
 pondents, " his letter, with all his ingenuity, must be 
 different from his last. We had fancied that we 
 chased him into Toulon ; for, blind as I am, I could 
 see his water line, when he clewed his topsails up, 
 shutting in Sepet. But, from the time of his meet- 
 ing Capt. Hawker, in the Isis, I never heard of his 
 acting otherwise than as a poltroon and a liar. Con- 
 tempt is the best mode of treating such a miscreant." 
 In spite, however, of contempt, the impudence of 
 this Frenchman half angered him. He said to his 
 brother : " You will have seen Latouche's letter ; 
 how he chased me, and how I ran. I keep it : and 
 if I take him, by God he shall eat it." 
 
 Nelson, who used to say, that in sea-affairs no- 
 thing is impossible, and nothing improbable, feared 
 the more that this Frenchman might get out and 
 elude his vigilance ; because he was so especially 
 desirous of catching him, of administering to him 
 his own lying letter in a sandwich. M. Latouche, 
 however, escaped him in another way. He died, 
 according to the French papers, in consequence of 
 walking so often up to the signal post upon Sepet,
 
 1803.] LIFE OP NELSON. 269 
 
 to watch the British fleet. " I always pronounced 
 that would be his death," said Nelson. " If he had 
 come out and fought me, it would, at least, have 
 added ten years to my life." The patience with 
 which he had watched Toulon he spoke of, truly, 
 as a perseverence at sea which had never been sur- 
 passed. From May, 1803, to August, 1805, he him- 
 self went out of his ship but three times ; each of 
 those times was upon the king's service, and nei- 
 ther time of absence exceeded an hour. In 1804, 
 the Swift cutter going out with despatches was 
 taken, and all the despatches and letters fell into 
 the hnnds of the enemy. " A very pretty piece of 
 work !" says Nelson, " I am not surprised at the 
 capture, but am very much so that any despatches 
 should be sent in a vessel with twenty-three men, 
 not equal to cope with any row-boat privateer. The 
 loss of the Hindostan was great enough ; but for 
 importance, it is lost, in comparison to the probable 
 knowledge the enemy will obtain of our connexions 
 with foreign countries. Foreigners for ever say, 
 and it is true, we dare not trust England : one way 
 or other we are sure to be committed." In a sub- 
 sequent letter, he says, speaking of the same cap- 
 ture : " I find, my dearest Emma, that your picture 
 is very much admired by the French Consul at Bar- 
 celona ; and that he has not sent it to be admired, 
 which I am sure it would be, by Buonaparte. They 
 pretend that there were three pictures taken. I wish 
 I had them : but they are all gone as irretrievably 
 as the despatches ; unless we may read them in a 
 book, as we printed their correspondence from 
 Egypt. But from us what can they find out ? That 
 I love you most dearly, and hate the French most 
 damna'oly. Dr. Scott went to Barcelona ten try to 
 get the private letters ; but I fancy they are all gone 
 to Paris. The Swedish and American Consuls told 
 him, that the French Consul had your pictures and 
 read your letters : and the Doctor thinks one of 
 Z2
 
 270 LIFE OF NELSON. [1803. 
 
 them, probably, read the letters. By the master's 
 account of the cutter, I would not have trusted an 
 old pair of shoes in her. He tells me she did not 
 sail, but was a good sea-boat. I hope Mr. Marsden 
 will not trust any more of my private letters in 
 such a conveyance : if they choose to trust the 
 affairs of the public in such a thing, I cannot help it." 
 While he was on this station, the weather had 
 been so unusually severe, that he said, the Medi- 
 terranean seemed altered. It was his rule never 
 to contend with the gales ; but either run to the 
 southward, to escape their violence, or furl all the 
 sails, and make the ships as easy as possible. The 
 men, though he said flesh and blood could hardly 
 stand it, continued in excellent health, which he 
 ascribed, in great measure, to a plentiful supply of 
 lemons and onions. For himself, he thought he 
 could only last till the battle was over. One battle 
 more it was his hope that he might fight. " How- 
 ever," said he, " whatever happens, I have run a 
 glorious race." "A few months' rest,' 1 he says, 
 " I must have very soon. If I am in my grave, 
 what are the mines of Peru to me ? But to say the 
 truth, I have no idea of killing myself. I may, 
 with care, live yet to do good service to the state. 
 My cough is very bad, and my side, where I was 
 struck on the 14th of February, is very much 
 swelled; at times, a lump as large as my fist, 
 brought on occasionally by violent coughing. But 
 I hope and believe my lungs are yet safe." He 
 was afraid of blindness ; and this was the only evil 
 which he could not contemplate without unhappi- 
 ness. More alarming symptoms he regarded with 
 less apprehension ; describing his own "shattered 
 carcass," as in the worst plight of any in the fleet : 
 and he says, " I have felt the blood gushing up 
 the left side of my head ; and, the moment it 
 covers the brain, I am fast asleep." The fleet was 
 in worse trim than the men : but when he com-
 
 1803.] LIFT] OF KELSON. 271 
 
 pared it with the enemy's, it was with a right 
 English feeling. " The French fleet yesterday," 
 said he, in one of his letters, " was to appearance 
 in high feather, and as fine as paint could make 
 them : but when they may sail, or where they 
 may go, I am very sorry to say is a secret I am not 
 acquainted with. Our weather-beaten ships, I have 
 no fear, will make their sides like a plum-pud- 
 ding." " Yesterday," he says, on another occasion, 
 " a rear-admiral and seven sail of ships put their 
 nose outside the harbour. If they go on playing this 
 game, some day we shall lay salt upon their tails." 
 Hostilities at length commenced between Great 
 Britain and Spain. That country, whose miserable 
 government made her subservient to France, was 
 once more destined to lavish her resources and her 
 blood in furtherance of the designs of a perfidious 
 ally. The immediate occasion of the war was the 
 seizure of four treasure-ships by the English. The 
 act was perfectly justifiable; for those treasures 
 were intended to furnish means for France ; but the 
 circumstances which attended it were as unhappy 
 as they were unforeseen. Four frigates had been 
 despatched to intercept them. They met with an 
 equal force. Resistance, therefore, became a point 
 of honour on the part of the Spaniards, and one of 
 their ships soon blew up, with all on board. Had 
 a stronger squadron been sent, this deplorable catas- 
 trophe might have been spared : a catastrophe which 
 excited not more indignation in Spain, than it did 
 grief in those who were its unwilling instruments, 
 in the English government, and in the English 
 people. On the 5th of October this unhappy affair 
 occurred, and Nelson was not apprized of it till 
 the 12th of the ensuing month. He had, indeed, 
 sufficient mortification at the breaking out of this 
 Spanish war; an event which, it might reasonably 
 have been supposed, would amply enrich the officers 
 of the Mediterranean fleet, and repay them for the
 
 272 LIFE OF NELSON. [1804. 
 
 severe and unremitting duty on which they had 
 been so long employed. But of this harvest they 
 were deprived; for Sir John Orde was sent with a 
 small squadron, and a separate command, to Cadiz. 
 Nelson's feelings were never wounded so deeply as 
 now. "I had thought," said he, writing in the 
 first flow and freshness of indignation ; " I fancied, 
 but, nay ; it must have been a dream, an idle 
 dream ; yet, I confess it, I did fancy that I had 
 done my country service ; and thus they use me ! 
 And under what circumstances, and with what 
 pointed aggravation ! Yet, if 1 know my own 
 thoughts, it is not for myself, or on my own account 
 chiefly, that I feel the sting and the disappointment. 
 No ! it is for my brave officers ; for my noble-minded 
 friends and comrades. Such a gallant set of fellows ! 
 Such a band of brothers ! My heart swells at the 
 thought of them." 
 
 War between Spain and England was now de- 
 clared; and, on the eighteenth of January, the 
 Toulon fleet, having the Spaniards to co-operate 
 with them, put to sea. Nelson was at anchor off 
 the coast of Sardinia, where the Madalena islands 
 form one of the finest harbours in the world, when, 
 at three in the afternoon on the nineteenth, the 
 Active and Seahorse frigates brought this long-hoped- 
 for intelligence. They had been close to the enemy 
 at ten on the preceding night, but lost sight of them 
 in about four hours. The fleet immediately un- 
 moored and weighed, and at six in the evening ran 
 through the strait between Biche and Sardinia : a 
 passage so narrow, that the ships could only pass 
 one at a time, each following the, stern lights of its 
 leader. From the position of the enemy, when they 
 were last seen, it was inferred that they must be 
 bound round the southern end of Sardinia. Signal 
 was made the next morning to prepare for battle. 
 Bad weather came on, baffling the one fleet in its 
 object, and the other in its pursuit. Nelson beat
 
 1805.] LIFK OF NELSON. 273 
 
 about the Sicilian seas for ten days, without obtain- 
 ing any other information of the enemy, than that 
 one of their ships had put into Ajaccio, dismasted; 
 and having seen that Sardinia, Naples, and Sicily 
 were safe, believing Egypt to be their destination, 
 for Egypt he ran. The disappointment and distress 
 which he had experienced in his former pursuits of 
 the French through the same seas were now re- 
 newed: but Nelson, while he endured these anxious 
 and unhappy feelings, was still consoled by the 
 same confidence as on the former occasion that, 
 though his judgment might be erroneous, under all 
 circumstances he was right in having formed it. 
 " I have consulted no man," said he, to the Admi- 
 ralty; "therefore, the whole blame of ignorance 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 a^ of the responsibility. All 
 is mine, right or wrong." Then stating the grounds 
 upon which he had proceeded, he added, "At this 
 moment of sorrow, I still feel that I have acted 
 right." In the same spirit he said to Sir Alexander 
 Ball, "When I call to remembrance all the circum- 
 stances, I approve, if nobody else does, of my own 
 conduct." 
 
 Baffled thus, he bore up for Malta, and met intel- 
 ligence from Naples that the French, having been 
 dispersed in a gale, had put back to Toulon. From 
 the same quarter he learned, that a great number of 
 saddles and muskets had been embarked ; and this 
 confirmed him in his opinion that Egypt was their 
 destination. That they should have put back in 
 consequence of storms, which he had weathered, 
 gave him a consoling sense of British superiority. 
 " These gentlemen," said he, " are not accustomed 
 to a Gulf of Lyons gale: we have buffeted them 
 for one-and-twenty months, and not carried away a 
 spar." He, however, who had so often braved
 
 ^74 LIFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 these gales, was now, though not mastered by them, 
 vexatiously thwarted and impeded: and, on Feb- 
 ruary 27th, he was compelled to anchor in Pulla 
 Bay, in the Gulf of Cagliari. From the 21st of 
 January the fleet had remained ready for battle, 
 without a bulk-head up, night or day. He anchored 
 here, that he might not be driven to leeward. As 
 soon as the weather moderated he put to sea again ; 
 and, after again beating about against contrary 
 winds, another gale drove him to anchor in the 
 Gulf of Palma, on the 8th of March. This he 
 made his rendezvous ; he knew that the French 
 troops still remained embarked, and, wishing to 
 lead them into a belief that he was stationed upon 
 the Spanish coast, he made his appearance off Bar-? 
 celona with that intent. About the end of the 
 month, he began to fear that the plan of the expe- 
 dition was abandoned ; and, sailing once more to- 
 wards his old station off Toulon, on the 4th of 
 April, he met the Phebe, with news that V T illeneuve 
 had put to sea on the last of March with eleven 
 ships of the line, seven frigates, and two brigs. 
 When last seen, they were steering towards the 
 coast of Africa. Nelson first covered the channel 
 between Sardinia and Barbary, so as to satisfy him- 
 self that Villeneuve was not taking the same route 
 for Egypt which Gantheaume had taken before him, 
 when he attempted to carry reinforcements there. 
 Certain of this, he bore up on the 7th for Palermo, 
 lest the French should pass to the north of Corsica, 
 and he despatched cruisers in all directions. On 
 the llth, he felt assured that they were not gone 
 down the Mediterranean ; and sending off frigates 
 to Gibraltar, to Lisbon, and to Admiral Cornwallis, 
 who commanded the squadron off Brest, he endea- 
 voured to get to the westward, beating against 
 westerly winds. After five days, a neutral gave 
 intelligence that the French had been seen off 
 Cape de Gatte on the 7th. It was soon after ascer
 
 1805. J LIFE OF NELSON. 279 
 
 tained, that they had passed the Straits' of Gibral- 
 tar on the day following; and Nelson, knowing 
 that they might already be half way to Ireland, 
 Or to Jamaica, exclaimed, that he was miserable. 
 One gleam of comfort only came across him in the 
 reflection, that his vigilance had rendered it impos- 
 sible for them to undertake any expedition in the 
 -Mediterranean. 
 
 Eight days after this certain intelligence had been 
 obtained, he described his state of mind thus forci- 
 bly, in writing to the governor of Malta: "My good 
 fortune, my dear Ball, seems flown away. I cannot 
 get a fair wind, or even a side wind. Dead foul ! 
 dead foul ! But my mind is fully made up what to 
 do when I leave the Straits, supposing there is no 
 certain account of the enemy's destination. I 
 believe this ill luck will go near to kill me ; but, 
 as these are times for exertion, I must not be cast 
 down, whatever I may feel." In spite of every 
 exertion which could be made by all the zeal and 
 all the skill of British seamen, he did not get in 
 sight of Gibraltar till the 30th of April ; and the 
 wind was then so adverse, that it was impossible to 
 pass the Gut. He anchored in Mazari Bay, on 
 the Barbary shore ; obtained supplies from Tetuan ; 
 and when, on the 5th, a breeze from the eastward 
 sprang up at last, sailed once more, hoping to hear 
 of the enemy from Sir John Orde, who com- 
 manded off Cadiz, or from Lisbon. " If nothing 
 is heard of them," said he, to the Admiralty, " I 
 shall probably think the rumours which have been 
 spread are true, that their object is the West Indies : 
 and, in that case, I think it my duty to follow 
 them, or to the antipodes, should I believe that 
 to be their destination." At the time when this 
 resolution was taken, the physician of the fleet had 
 ordered him to return to England before the hot 
 months. 
 Nelson had formed his judgment of their desti-
 
 276 LIFE OF KELSON. [1805. 
 
 nation, and made up his mind accordingly, when 
 Donald Campbell, at that time an admiral in the 
 Portuguese service, the same person who had given 
 important tidings to Earl St. Vincent of the move- 
 ments of that fleet from which he won his title, a 
 second time gave timely and momentous intelli- 
 gence to the flag of his country. He went on board 
 the Victory, and communicated to Nelson his 
 certain knowledge that the combined Spanish and 
 French fleets were bound for the West Indies. 
 Hitherto all things had favoured the enemy. While 
 the British commander was beating up against 
 strong southerly and westerly gales, they had wind 
 to their wish from the N. E. ; and had done in nine 
 days what he was a whole month in accomplishing. 
 Villeneuve, finding the Spaniards at Carthagena 
 were not in a state of equipment to join him. dared 
 not wait, but hastened on to Cadiz. Sir John Orde 
 necessarily retired at his approach. Admiral Gra- 
 vina, with" six Spanish ships of the line and two 
 French, came out to him, and they sailed without a 
 moment's loss of time. They had about three 
 thousand French troops on board, a.nd fifteen hun- 
 dred Spanish : six hundred were under orders, ex- 
 pecting them at Martinique, and one thousand at 
 Guadaloupe. General Lauriston commanded the 
 troops. The combined fleet now consisted of eigh- 
 teen sail of the line, six forty-four gun frigates, one 
 of twenty-six guns, three corvettes, and a brig. 
 They were joined afterward by two new French 
 line-'of-battle ships, and one forty-four. Nelson 
 pursued them with ten sail of the line and three 
 frigates. " Take you a Frenchman apiece," said he 
 tohis captains, "and leave me the Spaniards: 
 when I haul down my colours, I expect you to do 
 the same, and not till then." 
 
 The enemy had five-and-thirty days' start ; but he 
 calculated that he should gain eight or ten days upon 
 them by his exertions. May 15th he made Madeira,
 
 1805.] LIFE OP NELSON. 277 
 
 and on June 4th reached Barbadoes, whither he had 
 sent despatches before him ; and where he found 
 Admiral Cochrane, with two ships, part of our 
 squadron in those seas being at Jamaica. He found 
 here also accounts that the combined fleets had been 
 seen from St. Lucia on the 28th, standing- to the 
 southward, and that Tobago and Trinidad were 
 their objects. This Nelson doubted ; but he was 
 alone in his opinion, and yielded it with these fore- 
 boding words " If your intelligence proves false, 
 you lose me the French fleet." Sir William Myers 
 offered to embark here with two thousand troops : 
 they were taken on board, and the next morning he 
 sailed for Tobago. Here accident confirmed the 
 false intelligence which had, whether from intention 
 or error, misled him. A merchant at Tobago, in the 
 general alarm, not knowing whether this fleet was 
 friend or foe, sent out a schooner to reconnoitre, and 
 acquaint him by signal. The signal which he had 
 chosen happened to be the very one which had been 
 appointed by Colonel Shiply of the engineers, to 
 signify that the enemy were at Trinidad ; and as this 
 was at the close of day, there was no opportunity of 
 discovering the mistake. An American brig waj. 
 met with about the same time ; the master or 
 which, with that propensity to deceive the English 
 and assist the French in any manner which has 
 been but too common among his countrymen, 
 affirmed, that he had been boarded off Granada, a 
 few days before by the French, who were standing 
 towards the Bocas of Trinidad. This fresh intelli- 
 gence removed all doubts. The ships were cleared 
 for action before daylight, and Nelson entered the 
 Bay^of Paria on the 7th, hoping and expecting to 
 make the mouths of the Orinoco as famous in the 
 annals of the British navy as those of the Nile. 
 Not an enemy was there ; and if was discovered 
 that accident and artifice had combined to lead him 
 so far to leeward, that there could have been little 
 Aa
 
 273 LIFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 hope of fetching to windward of Granada for any 
 other fleet. Nelson, however, with skill and exer- 
 tions never exceeded, and almost unexampled, bore 
 for that island. 
 
 Advices met him on the way, that the combined 
 fleets, having captmed the Diamond Rock, were 
 then at Martinique, on the 4th, and were expected 
 to sail that night for the attack of Granada. On the 
 9th Nelson arrived off that island ; and there learned 
 that they had passed to leeward of Antigua the pre- 
 ceding day, and taken a homeward-bound convoy. 
 Had it not been for false information, upon which 
 Nelson had acted reluctantly, and in opposition to 
 his own judgment, he would have been off Port 
 Royal just as they were leaving it, and the battle 
 would have been fought on the spot where Rodney 
 defeated de Grasse. This he remembered in his 
 vexation : but he had saved the colonies, and above 
 two hundred ships laden for Europe, which would 
 else have fallen into the enemy's hands ; and he had 
 the satisfaction of knowing that the mere terror of 
 his name had effected this, and had put to flight the 
 allied enemies, whose force nearly doubled that 
 before which they fled. . That they were flying back 
 to Europe he believed, and for Europe he steered in 
 pursuit on the 13th, having disembarked the troops 
 at Antigua and taking with him the Spartiate, 
 seventy-four; the only addition to the squadron with 
 which he was pursuing so superior a force. Five 
 days afterward the Amazon brought intelligence, 
 that she had spoke a schooner who had seen them, 
 on the evening of the 15th, steering to N. ; and, by 
 computation, eighty-seven leagues off. Nelson's 
 diary at this time denotes his great anxiety, and his 
 perpetual and all-observing vigilance. " June 21, 
 Midnight, nearly calm, saw three planks, which I 
 think came from the French fleet. Very miserable, 
 which is very foolish." On the 17th of July he 
 came in sight of Cape St. Vincent, and steered for
 
 1805.] LIFE OF NRLSOK. 279 
 
 Gibraltar. "June 18th," his diary says, "Cape 
 Spartel in sight, but no French fleet, nor any inform- 
 ation about them. How sorrowful this makes me ! 
 but I cannot help myself." The next day he an- 
 chored at Gibraltar; and on the 20th, says he, "I 
 went on shore for the first time since June 16, 1803 ;' 
 and from having my foot out of the Victory, two 
 years, wanting ten days." 
 
 Here he communicated with his old friend Col- 
 lingwood ; who, having been detached with a squa- 
 dron, when the disappearance of the combined 
 fleets, and of Nelson in their pursuit, was known in 
 England, had taken his station off Cadiz. He 
 thought that Ireland was the enemy's ultimate 
 object, that they would now liberate the Ferrol 
 squadron, which was blocked up by Sir Robert 
 Calder, call for the Rochefort ships, and then 
 appear off Ushant with three or four-and-thirty sail ; 
 there to be joined by the Brest fleet. With this 
 great force he supposed they would make for Ire- 
 land, the real mark and bent of all their opera- 
 tions : and their flight to the West Indies, he thought, 
 had been merely undertaken to take off Nelson's 
 force, which was the great impediment to their un- 
 dertaking. 
 
 Collingwood was gifted with great political pene- 
 tration. As yet, however, all was conjecture con- 
 cerning the enemy; and Nelson, having victualled 
 and watered at Tetuan, stood for Ceuta on the 24th, 
 still without information of their course. Next day 
 intelligence arrived that the Curieux brig had seen 
 them on the 19th, standing to the northward. He 
 proceeded off Cape St. Vincent, rather cruising for 
 intelligence than knowing whither to betake himself: 
 and here a case occurred, that more than any other 
 event in real history resembles those whimsical 
 proofs of sagacity which Voltaire, in his Zadig, has 
 borrowed from the Orientals. One of our frigates 
 spoke an American, who, a little to the westward of
 
 280 LIFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 the Azores, had fallen in with an armed vessel, ap- 
 pearing to be a dismasted privateer, deserted by her 
 crew, which had been run on board by another ship, 
 and had been set fire to ; but the fire had gone out. 
 A log-book and a few seamen's jackets were found in 
 the cabin ; and these were brought to Nelson. The 
 log-book closed Avith these words ; " Two large 
 vessels in the W. N. W. :" and this led him to con- 
 clude that the vessel had been an English privateer, 
 cruising off the Western Islands. But there was iu 
 this book a scrap of dirty paper, filled with figures. 
 Nelson immediately, upon seeing it, observed, that 
 the figures *vere written by a Frenchman ; and, after 
 studying this for a while, said, " I can explain the 
 whole. The jackets are of French manufacture, 
 and prove that the privateer was in possession of the. 
 enemy. She had been chased and taken by the two 
 ships that were seen in the W. N. W. The prize- 
 master, going on board in a hurry, forgot to take 
 with him his reckoning: there is none in the log- 
 book ; and the dirty paper contains her work for the 
 number of days since the privateer last left Corvo ; 
 with an unaccounted-for run, which I take to have 
 been the chase, in his endeavour to find out her situ- 
 ation by back reckonings. By some mismanage- 
 ment, I conclude, she was run on board of by one of 
 the enemy's ships, and dismasted. Not liking delay 
 (for I am satisfied that those two ships were the ad- 
 vanced ones of the French squadron), and fancying 
 we were close at their heels, they set fire to the 
 vessel, and abandoned her in a hurry. If this expla- 
 nation be correct, I infer from it, that they are gone 
 more to the northward ; and more to the northward 
 I will look for them." This course accordingly he 
 held, but still without success. Still persevering, 
 and still disappointed, he returned near enough to 
 Cadiz to ascertain that they were not there; tra- 
 versed the Bay of Biscay; and then, as a last hope, 
 stood over for the north-west coast of Ireland,
 
 1805.] LIFE OF NELSON. 281 
 
 against adverse winds, till on the evening of the 12th 
 of August, be learned that they had not been heard of 
 there. Frustrated-'thus in all his hopes, after a 
 pursuit, to which, for its extent, rapidity, and perse- 
 verance, no parallel can be produced, he judged it 
 best to reinforce the channel fleet with his squadron, 
 lest the enemy, as Collingwood apprehended, should 
 bear down upon Brest with their whole collected 
 force. On the 15th he joined Admiral Cornwallis 
 off Ushant. No news had yet been obtained of the 
 enemy ; and on the same evening he received orders 
 to proceed, with the Victory and Superb, to Ports- 
 mouth. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Sir Robert Caldcr falls in with the combined Fleets They form a Junc- 
 tion with the Ferrol Squadron, and gel into Cadiz JVelson is reap- 
 pointe.d to the Command Battle of Trafalgar Victory, and Death 
 of Nelson. 
 
 Ax Portsmouth, Nelson, at length, found news of 
 the combined fleet. Sir Robert Calder, who had 
 been sent out to intercept their return, had fallen in 
 with them on the 22d of July, sixty leagues west 
 of Cape Finisterre. Their force consisted of twenty 
 sail of the line, three fifty-gun ships, five frigates, 
 and two brigs: his, of fifteen line-of-oattle ships, 
 two Irigates, a cutter, and a lugger. After an 
 action of four hours he had captured an eighty-four 
 and a seventy-four, and then thought it necessary 
 to bring-to the squadron, for the purpose of securing 
 their prizes. The hostile fleets remained in sight 
 of each other till the 26th, when the enemy bore 
 away. The capture of two ships from so superior 
 a force would have been considered as no incon- 
 siderable victory a few years earlier ; but Nelson 
 Aa2
 
 282 MFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 had introduced a new era in our naval history; and 
 the nation felt, respecting this action, as he had felt 
 on a somewhat similar occasion. They regretted 
 that Nelson, with his eleven ships, had not been in 
 Sir Robert Calder's place ; and their disappointment 
 was generally and loudly expressed. 
 
 Frustrated as his own hopes had been, Nelson 
 had yet the high satisfaction of knowing that his 
 judgment had never been more conspicuously ap- 
 proved, and that he had rendered essential service 
 to his country, by driving the enemy from those 
 islands, where they expected there could be no 
 force capable of opposing them. The West India 
 merchants in London, as men whose interests were 
 more immediately benefited, appointed a deputation 
 to express their thanks for his great and judicious 
 exertions. It was now his intention to rest awhile 
 from his labours, and recruit himself, after all his 
 fatigues and cares, in the society of those whom he 
 loved. All his stores were brought up from the 
 Victory ; and he found in his house at Merton the 
 enjoyment which he had anticipated. Many days 
 had not elapsed before Captain Blackwood, on his 
 way to London with despatches, called on him at 
 five in the morning. Nelson, who was already 
 dressed, exclaimed, the moment he saw him : " I 
 am sure you bring- me news of the French and 
 Spanish fleets ! I think I shall yet have to beat 
 them !" They had refitted at Vigo, after the inde- 
 cisive action with Sir Robert Calder; then pro- 
 ceeded to Ferrol, brought out the squadron from 
 thence, and with it entered Cadiz in safety. " De- 
 pend on it, Blackwood," he repeatedly said, " I shall 
 yet give M. Villeneuve a drubbing." But when 
 Blackwood had left him, he wanted resolution to 
 declare his wishes to Lady Hamilton and his sisters, 
 and endeavoured to drive away the thought. He 
 had done enough he said, " Let the man trudge it 
 who has lost his budget !" His countenance belied
 
 1805.] LIFE OP NELSON. 283 
 
 his lips ; and as he was pacing one of the walks in 
 the garden, which he used to call the quarter-deck, 
 Lady Hamilton came up to him, and told him she 
 saw he was uneasy. He smiled, and said : " No, 
 he was as happy as 'possible ; he was surrounded by 
 his family, his health was better since he had been 
 on shore, and he would not give sixpence to call the 
 king his uncle." She replied, that she did not be- 
 ,lieve him, that she knew he was longing to get at 
 the combined fleets that he considered them as his 
 own property, that he would be miserable if any 
 man but himself did the business ; and that he ought 
 to have them, as the price and reward of his two 
 years' lono- watching, and his hard chase, 
 son," said she, " however we may lament your ab- 
 sence, 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." He looked at her with tears in his 
 ev e s :_ Brave Emma '.Good Emma! If there 
 were more Emmas there would be more Nelsons. 
 
 His services were as willingly accepted as they 
 were offered ; and Lord Barham, giving him the list 
 of the navy, desired him to choose his own officers. 
 Choose yourself, my lord," was his reply : the 
 same spirit actuates the whole profession: you can- 
 not choose wrong." Lord Barham then desired 
 him to say what ships, and how many he would 
 wish, in addition to the fleet which he was going to 
 command, and said they should follow him as soon 
 as each was ready. No appointment was ever 
 more in unison with the feelings and judgment of 
 the whole nation. They, like Lady Hamilton, 
 thought that the destruction of the combined fleets 
 ought properly to be Nelson's work; that he, who 
 had been 
 
 "Half around the sea-girt ball. 
 The hunter of the recreant uaul, * __ 
 
 * Songs of Trafalgar.
 
 284 LIFE OF NELSON*. 
 
 ought to reap the spoils of the chase, which he had 
 watched so long, and so perseveringly pursued. 
 
 Unremitting exertions were made to equip the 
 ships which he had chosen, and especially to refit 
 the Victory, which was once more to bear his flag. 
 Before he left London he called at his upholsterer's, 
 where the coffin, which Capt. Hallowell had given 
 him, was deposited; and desired that its history 
 might be engraven upon the lid, saying, that it was 
 highly probable he might want it on his return. He 
 seemed, indeed, to have been impressed with an 
 expectation that he should fall in the battle. In a 
 letter to his brother, written immediately after his 
 return, he had said, "We must not talk of Sir 
 Robert Calder's battle I might not have done so 
 much with my small force. If I had fallen in with 
 them', you might probably have been a lord before I 
 wished: for I know they meant to make a dead set 
 at the Victory." Nelson had once regarded the 
 prospect of death with gloomy satisfaction: it was 
 when he anticipated the upbraidings of his wife, 
 and the displeasure of his venerable father. The 
 state of his feelings now was expressed, in his pri- 
 vate journal, in these words : " Friday night (Sept. 
 13), at half-past ten, I drove from dear, dear Mer- 
 ton; where 1 left all which I hold dear in this 
 world, to go to serve my king and country. May 
 the great God, whom I adore, enable me to fulfil the 
 expectations of my country ! and, if it is His good 
 pleasure that I should return, my thanks will never 
 cease being offered up to the throne of His mercy. 
 [f 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, 
 whom I may leave behind ! His will be done. 
 Amen ! Amen ! Amen !" 
 
 Early on the following morning he reached Ports- 
 mouth; and, having despatched his business on 
 shore, endeavoured to elude the populace by taking
 
 1805.] IJFK OP NELSON. 285 
 
 a by-way to the beach ; but a crowd collected in 
 his train, pressing forward to obtain sight of his 
 face: many were in tears, and many knelt down 
 before him, and blessed him as he passed. England 
 has had many heroes ; but never one who so entirely 
 possessed the love of his fellow-countrymen as 
 Nelson. All men knew that his heart was as hu- 
 . mane as it was fearless ; that there was not in his 
 nature the slightest alloy of selfishness or cupidity; 
 but that, with perfect and entire devotion, he served 
 his country with all his heart, and with all his soul, 
 and with all his strength; and, therefore, they loved 
 him as truly and as fervently as he loved England. 
 They pressed upon the parapet, to gaze after him 
 when his barge pushed off, and he was returning 
 their cheers by waving his hat. The sentinels, who 
 endeavoured to prevent them from trespassing upon 
 this ground, were wedged among the crowd; and 
 an officer, who, not very prudently upon such an 
 occasion, ordered them to drive the people down 
 with their bayonets, was compelled speedily to re- 
 treat ; for the people would not be debarred from 
 gazing, till the last moment, upon the hero the 
 darling hero of England ! 
 
 He arrived off Cadiz on the 29th of September 
 his birthday. Fearing that, if the enemy knew his 
 force, they might be deterred from venturing to sea, 
 he kept out of sight of land, desired Collingwood 
 to fire no salute, and hoist no colours ; and wrote 
 to Gibraltar, to request that the force of the fleet 
 might not be inserted there in the Gazette. His re- 
 ception in the Mediterranean fleet was as gratifying 
 as the farewell of his countrymen at Portsmouth: 
 the officers, who came on board to welcome him, 
 forgot his rank as commander, in their joy at seeing 
 him again. On the day of his arrival, Villeneuve 
 received orders to put to sea the first opportunity. 
 Villeneuve, however, hesitated, when he heard that 
 Nelson had resumed the command. He called a
 
 286 LIFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 council of war ; and their determination was, that 
 it would not be expedient to leave Cadiz, unless 
 they had reason to believe themselves stronger by 
 one-third than the British force. In the public 
 measures of this country secrecy is seldom prac- 
 ticable, and seldomer attempted: here, however, 
 by the precautions of Nelson, and the wise mea- 
 sures of the Admiralty, the enemy were for once 
 kept in ignorance ; for, as the ships appointed to 
 reinforce the Mediterranean fleet were despatched 
 singly, each as soon as it was ready, their col- 
 lected number was not stated in the newspapers, 
 and their arrival was not known to the enemy. 
 But the enemy knew that Admiral Louis, with six 
 sail, had been detached for stores and water to Gib- 
 raltar. Accident also contributed to make the 
 French admiral doubt whether Nelson himself had 
 actually taken the command. An American, lately 
 arrived from England, maintained that it was im- 
 possible, for lie had seen him only a few days 
 before in London ; and, at that time, there was no 
 rumour of his going again to sea. 
 
 The station which Nelson had chosen was some 
 fifty or sixty miles to the west of Cadiz, near Cape 
 St. Mary's. At this distance he hoped to decoy the 
 enemy out, while he guarded against the danger of 
 being caught with a westerly wind near Cadiz, and 
 driven within the Straits. The blockade of the port 
 was rigorously enforced, in hopes that the combined 
 fleet might be forced to sea by want. The Danish 
 vessels, therefore, which were carrying provisions 
 from the French ports in the Bay, under the name 
 of Danish property, to all the little ports from Aya- 
 monte to Algeziras,from whence they were conveyed 
 in coasting boats to Cadiz, were seized. Without 
 this proper exertion of power, the blockade would 
 have been rendered nugatory, by the advantage thus 
 taken of the neutral flag. The supplies from France 
 were thus effectually cut off. There was now every
 
 1805.] LIFE OF KELSON. 28? 
 
 indication that the enemy would speedily venture 
 out ; officers and men were in the highest spirits at 
 the prospect of giving them a decisive blow : such, 
 indeed, as would put an end to all farther contest 
 upon the seas. Theatricaf amusements were per- 
 formed every evening in most of the ships : and God 
 Save the King was the hymn with which the sports 
 concluded. " I verily believe," said Nelson (writing 
 on the 6th of October), " that the country will soon 
 be put to some expense on my account ; either a 
 monument, or a new pension and honours ; for I 
 have not the smallest doubt but that a very few days, 
 almost hours, will put us in battle. The success no 
 man can ensure ; but for the fighting them, if they 
 can be got at, I pledge myself. The sooner the bet- 
 ter : I do n't like to have these things upon my mind." 
 At this time he was not without some cause of 
 anxiety ; he was in want of frigates, the eyes of 
 the fleet, as he always called them :< to the want of 
 which, the enemy before were indebted for their es- 
 cape, and Buonaparte for his arrival in Egypt. He 
 had only twenty-three ships, others were on the 
 way, but they might come too late ; and, though 
 Nelson never doubted of victory, mere victory was 
 not what he looked to, he wanted to annihilate the 
 enemy's fleet. The Carthagena squadron might 
 effect a junction with this fleet on the one side; and, on 
 the other, it was to be expected that a similar attempt 
 would be made by the French from Brest ; in either 
 case a formidable contingency to be apprehended 
 by the blockading force. The Rochefort squadron 
 did push out, and had nearly caught the Agamem- 
 non and 1'Aimable, in their way to reinforce the 
 British admiral. Yet Nelson at this time weakened 
 his own fleet. He had the unpleasant task to per- 
 form of sending home Sir Robert Calder, whose con- 
 duct was to be made the subject of a court-martial r 
 in consequence of the general dissatisfaction which 
 hac 1 been felt and expressed at his imperfect victory*
 
 288 LIFE OF NELSON. [1809. 
 
 Sir Robert Calder and Sir John Orde, Nelson be- 
 lieved to be the only two enemies whom he had ever 
 had in his profession ; and, from that sensitive de- 
 Kcacy which distinguished him, this made him the 
 more scrupulously anxious to show every possible 
 mark of respect and kindness to Sir Robert. He 
 wished to detain him till after the expected action ; 
 when the services which he might perform, and the 
 triumphant joy which would be excited, would leave 
 nothing to be apprehended from an inquiry into the 
 previous engagement. Sir Robert, however, whose 
 situation was very painful, did not choose to delay 
 a trial, from the result of which he confidently ex- 
 pected a complete justification : and Nelson, instead 
 of sending him home in a frigate, insisted on his re- 
 turning in his own ninety-gun ship; ill as. such a 
 ship could at that time be spared. Nothing could 
 be more honourable than the feeling by which Nelson 
 was influenced ; but, at such a crisis, it ought not to- 
 ll ave been indulged. 
 
 On the 9th, Nelson sent Collingwood what he- 
 called, in his diary, the Nelson-touch. " I send 
 you," said he, " ray plan of attack, as far as a man 
 dare venture to guess at the very uncertain position 
 the enemy may be found in : but it is to place you 
 perfectly at ease respecting my intentions, and to give 
 full scope to your judgment for carrying them into 
 effect. We can, my dear Coll, have no little jea- 
 lousies. We have only one great object in view, that 
 of annihilating our enemies, and getting a glorious 
 peace for our country. No man has more confi- 
 dence in another than I have in you ; and no man 
 will render your services more justice than your very 
 old friend Nelson and Bronte." The order of sail- 
 ing was to be the order of battle : the fleet in two 
 lines, with an advanced squadron of eight of the 
 fastest sailing two-deckers. The second in com- 
 mand, having the entire direction of his line, was to 
 break through the enemy, about the twelfth ship from
 
 1805.] LIFE OF NELSON. 289 
 
 their rear : he would lead through the centre, and the 
 advanced squadron was to cut off three or four ahead 
 of the centre. This plan was to be adapted to the 
 strength of the enemy, so that they should always 
 be one-fourth superior to those whom they cut off. 
 Nelson said, " That his admirals and captains, know- 
 ing- his precise object to be that of a close and de- 
 cisive action, would supply any deficiency of signals, 
 and act accordingly. In case signals cannot be seen 
 or clearly understood, no captain can do wrong if he 
 places his ship alongside that of an enemy." One 
 of the last orders of this admirable man was, that 
 the name and family of every officer, seaman, and 
 marine, who might be killed or wounded in action, 
 should be as soon as possible returned to him, in 
 order to be transmitted to the chairman of the patri- 
 otic fund, that the case might be taken into consider- 
 ation, for the benefit of the sufferer or his family. 
 
 About half past nine in the morning of the 19th, 
 the Mars, being the nearest to the fleet of the ships 
 which formed the line of communication with the 
 frigates in shore, repeated the signal, that the enemy 
 were coming out of port. The wind was at this time 
 very light, with partial breezes, mostly from the 
 S. S. W. Nelson ordered the signal to be made for 
 a chase in the south-east quarter. About two, the 
 repeating ships announced, that the enemy were at 
 sea. All night the British fleet continued under all 
 sail, steering to the south-east. At daybreak they 
 were in the entrance of the Straits, but the enemy 
 were not in sight. About seven, one of the frigates 
 made signal that the enemy were bearing north. 
 Upon this the Victory hove to ; and shortly after- 
 ward Nelson made sail again to the northward. In 
 the afternoon the wind blew fresh from the south- 
 west, and the English began to fear that the foe might 
 be forced to return to port. A little before sunset, 
 however, Blackwood, in the Euryalus, telegraphed, 
 that they appeared determined to go to the west- 
 Bb
 
 200 LIFE OF NELSON. [ 1805. 
 
 ward, " And that," said the admiral, in his diary, 
 " they shall not do, if it is in the pow^r of Nelson 
 and Bronte to prevent them." Nelson had signified 
 to Blackwood, that he depended upon him to keep 
 sight of the enemy. They were observed so well, 
 that all their motions were made known to him ; 
 and, as they wore twice, he inferred that they were 
 aiming to keep the port of Cadiz open, and would 
 ictreat there as soon as they saw the British fleet : 
 for this reason he was very careful not to approach 
 near enough to be seen by them during the night. 
 At daybreak the combined fleets were distinctly seen 
 from the Victory's deck, formed in a close line of 
 battle ahead, on the starboard tack, about twelve 
 miles to leeward, and standing to the south. Our 
 fleet consisted of twenty-seven sail of the line, and 
 four frigates ; theirs of thirty-three, and seven large 
 frigates. Their superiority was greater in size, and 
 weight of metal, than in numbers. They had four 
 thousand troops on board; and the best riflemen who 
 could be procured, many of them Tyrolese, were 
 dispersed through the ships. Little did the Tyrolese, 
 and little did the Spaniards, at that day, imagine what 
 horrors the wicked tyrant whom they served was 
 preparing for their country. 
 
 Soon after daylight, Nelson came upon deck. 
 The 2 1st of October was a festival in his family, 
 because on that day his uncle, Capt. Suckling, in the 
 Dreadnought, with two other line-of-battle ships, 
 had beaten off a French squadron of four sail of the 
 line, and three frigates. Nelson, with that sort of 
 superstition from which few persons are entirely 
 exempt, had more than once expressed his persua- 
 sion that this was to be the day of his 'battle also ; 
 and he was well pleased at seeing his prediction 
 about to be verified. The wind was now from the 
 west, light breezes, with a long heavy swell. Sig- 
 nal was made to bear down upon the enemy in two 
 lines; and the fleets . CoIHn^-.vc^od, in the
 
 1805.] 1IFE OP NELSON. 291 
 
 Royal Sovereign, led the lee line of thirteen ships ; 
 the Victory led the weather line of fourteen. 
 Having seen that all was as it should be. Nelson re- 
 tired to his cabin, and wrote the following prayer : 
 
 " May the great God, whom I worship, grant to 
 my country, and for the benefit of Europe in ge- 
 neral, a great and glorious victory, and may no 
 misconduct in any one tarnish it ; and may human- 
 ity 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 intrusted to me to defend. Amen, 
 Amen, Amen." 
 
 Having thus discharged his devotional duties, he 
 annexed, in the same diary, the following remark- 
 able writing: 
 
 "October 21, 1805. Then in sight of the combined 
 
 fleets of France and Spain, distant about ten miles. 
 
 " Whereas the eminent services of Emma Hamil- 
 ton, widow of the Right Honourable Sir William Ha- 
 milton, have been of the very greatest service to my 
 king and country, to my knowledge, without ever re- 
 ceiving any reward from either our king or country ; 
 
 " First, that she obtained the King of Spain's let- 
 ter, in 1796, to his brother the King of Naples, ac- 
 quainting him of his intention to declare war against 
 England ; from which letter the ministry sent out 
 orders to the then Sir John Jervis, to strike a stroke, 
 if opportunity offered, against either the arsenals of 
 Spain or her fleets. That neither of these was done 
 is not the fault of Lady Hamilton ; the opportunity 
 might have been offered. 
 
 " Secondly, the British fleet under my com- 
 mand could never ha^^returned the second time to
 
 292 LIFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 Egypt, had not Lady Hamilton's influence with the 
 Queen of Naples caused letters to be written to the 
 governor of Syracuse, that he was to encourage the 
 fleet's being supplied with every thing, should they 
 put into any port in Sicily. We put into Syracuse, 
 and received every supply ; went to Egypt, and de- 
 stroyed the French fleet. 
 
 " Could I have rewarded these services, I would 
 not now call upon my country; but as that has not 
 been in my power, I leave Emma Lady Hamilton, 
 therefore, a legacy to my king and country, that 
 they will give her an ample provision to maintain 
 her rank in life. 
 
 " I also leave to the beneficence of my country 
 my adopted daughter, Horatia Nelson Thompson ; 
 and I desire she will use in future the name of Nel- 
 son only. 
 
 " These are the only favours I ask of my king 
 and country, at this moment when I am going to 
 fight their battle. May God bless my king and 
 country, and all those I hold dear ! My relations it 
 is needless to mention; they will, of course, be 
 amply provided for. 
 
 " NELSON AND BRONTE. 
 
 Witnp?<? 5 HENRY BLACKWOOD. 
 ss ' $ T. M. HARDY." 
 
 The child of whom this writing speaks, was be- 
 lieved to be his daughter, and so, indeed, he called 
 her the last time that he pronounced her name. 
 She was then about five years old, living at Merton, 
 under Lady Hamilton's care. The last minutes 
 which Nelson passed at Merton were employed in 
 praying over this child, as she lay sleeping. A 
 portrait of Lady Hamilton hung in his cabin : and 
 no Catholic ever beheld the picture of his patron 
 saint with devouter reverence. The undisguised 
 and romantic passion with^which he regarded it, 
 
 ith \vhi 
 
 amounted almost to superstate ; and when the por
 
 1805.] LIFE OP NELSON. 293 
 
 trait was now taken down, in clearing for action, 
 he desired the men who removed it, to " take care 
 of his guardian angel." In this manner he fre- 
 quently spoke of it, as if he believed there were a 
 virtue in the image. He wore a miniature of her, 
 also, next his heart. 
 
 Black wood went on board the Victory about six. 
 He found him in good spirits, but very calm ; not 
 ' in that exhilaration which he had felt upon entering 
 into battle at Aboukir and Copenhagen : he knew 
 that his own life would be particularly aimed at, 
 and seems to have looked for death with almost as 
 sure an expectation as for victory. His whole 
 attention was fixed upon the enemy. They tacked 
 to the northward, and formed their line on the lar- 
 board tack; thus bringing the shoals of Trafalgar 
 and St. Pedro under the lee of the British, and keep- 
 ino- the port of Cadiz open for themselves. T 
 was judiciously done : and Nelson, aware of all the 
 advantages which it gave them, made signal to pre- 
 pare to anchor. , ,. 
 
 Villeneuve was a skilful seaman ; worthy of 
 serving a better master, and a better cause. His 
 plan of defence was as well conceived, and as ori- 
 ginal, as the plan of attack. He formed the fleet m 
 a double line , every alternate ship being about a 
 cable's length to windward of her second ahead and 
 astern. Nelson, certain of a triumphant issue t 
 the day, asked Blackwood what he should consider 
 as a victory. That officer answered, that, consi- 
 dering the handsome way in which battle was of- 
 fered bv the enemy, their apparent determination 
 for a fafr trial of strength, and the situation of the 
 land, he thought it would be a glorious result if 
 Seen werecaptured. He replied I shall not 
 be satisfied with less than twenty." Soon after- 
 ward he asked him, if he did not think there was a 
 signal wanting. Capt. Blackwood made answer, 
 that he thought the whole fleet seemed very clearly 
 Bb2
 
 294 LIFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 to understand what they were about. These words 
 were scarcely spoken before that signal was made, 
 which will be remembered as long as the language, 
 or even the memory of England shall endure ; 
 Nelson's last signal : ENGLAND EXPECTS EVERY MAN 
 TO DO HIS DUTY !" It was received throughout the 
 fleet with a shout of answering acclamation, made 
 sublime by the spirit which it breathed, and the feel- 
 ing which it expressed. " Now," said Lord Nelson, " I 
 can do no more. We must trust to the great Dispo- 
 ser of all events, and the justice of our cause. I thank 
 God for this great opportunity of doing my duty." 
 He wore that day, as usual, his admiral's frock 
 coat, bearing on the left breast four stars, of the 
 different orders with which he was invested. Or- 
 naments which rendered him so conspicuous a mark 
 for the enemy, were beheld with ominous apprehen- 
 sions by his officers. It was known that there were 
 riflemen on board the French ships ; and it could 
 not be doubted but that his life would be particu- 
 larly aimed at. They communicated their fears to 
 each other ; and the surgeon, Mr. Beatty,* spoke to 
 the chaplain, Dr. Scott, and to Mr. Scott, the public 
 secretary, desiring that some person would entreat 
 him to change hi& dress, or cover the stars : but 
 they knew that such a request would highly dis- 
 please him. " In honour I gained them," he had 
 said, when such a thing had been hinted to him for- 
 merly, " and in honour I will die with them." Mr. 
 Beatty, however, would not have been deterred by 
 any fear of exciting his displeasure, from speaking 
 to him himself upon a subject, in which the weal 
 of England, as well as the life of Nelson, was con- 
 cerned, but he was ordered from the deck before 
 he could find an opportunity. This was a point 
 upon which Nelson's oflicers knew that it was hope- 
 
 * In . th ,J? P art of the worlc r have chiefly been indebted to this een- 
 Uta authentic VC f L rd Nelson ' s DeaU *- a document as interesting
 
 1805.1 LIFE OF KELSON. 295 
 
 less to remonstrate or reason with him ; but both 
 Blackwood, and his own captain, Hardy, represented 
 to him how advantageous to the fleet it would be for 
 him to keep out of action as long as possible ; and 
 he consented at last to let the Leviathan and the 
 Temeraire, which were sailing abreast of the Vic- 
 tory be ordered to pass ahead. Yet even here the 
 last infirmity of this noble mind was indulged, for 
 these ships could not pass ahead if the Victory con- 
 tinued to carry all her sail ; and so far was Nelson 
 from shortening sail, that it was evident he took 
 pleasure in pressing on, and rendering it impossible 
 for them to obey his own orders. A long swell 
 was setting into the bay of Cadiz : our ships, crowd- 
 ing all sail, moved majestically before it, ( with light 
 winds from the south-west. The sun shone on the 
 sails of the enemy ; and their well-formed line, with 
 their numerous three-deckers, made an appearance 
 which any other assailants would have thought for- 
 midable ; but the British sailors only admired the 
 beauty and the splendour of the spectacle ; and, in 
 full confidence of winning what they saw, remarked 
 to each other, what a fine sight yonder ships would 
 make at Spithead ! 
 
 The French admiral, from the Bucentaure, beheld 
 the new manner in which his enemy was advancing 
 Nelson and: Collingwood each leading his line ; 
 and, pointing them out. to his officers, he is said to 
 have exclaimed, that such conduct could not fail to 
 be successful. Yet Villeneuve had made his own 
 dispositions with the utmost skill, and the fleets 
 under his command waited for the attack with per- 
 fect coolness. Ten minutes before twelve they 
 opened their fire. Eight or nine of the ships imme- 
 diately ahead of the Victory, and across her bows, 
 fired single guns at her, to ascertain whether she 
 was yet within their range. As soon as Nelson 
 perceived that their shot passed over him, he de- 
 sired Blackwood, and Capt. Prowse, of the Sinus, 

 
 296 LIFE OP NELSON. [1805. 
 
 to repair to their respective frigates ; and, on their 
 way, to tell all the captains of the line-of-battle 
 ships that he depended on their exertions ; and that, 
 if by the prescribed mode of attack they found it 
 impracticable to get into action immediately, they 
 might adopt whatever they thought best, provided 
 it led them quickly and closely alongside an ene- 
 my. As they were standing on the front of the 
 poop, Blackwood took him by the hand, saying, he 
 hoped soon to return and find him in possession of 
 twenty prizes. He replied, " God bless you, Black- 
 wood : I shall never see you again." 
 
 Nelson's column was steered about two points 
 more to the north than Collingwood's, in order to 
 cut off the enemy's escape into Cadiz: the lee line, 
 therefore, was first engaged. " See," cried Nelson, 
 pointing to the Royal Sovereign, as she steered 
 right for the centre of the enemy's line, cut through 
 it astern of the Santa Anna, three-decker, and en- 
 gaged her at the muzzle of her grns on the starboard 
 side: "see how that noble fellow, Collingwood, 
 carries his ship into action!" Collingwood, de- 
 lighted at being first in the heat of the fire, and 
 knowing the feelings of his commander and old 
 friend, turned to his captain, and exclaimed: 
 " Rotherham, what would Nelson give to be here !" 
 Both these brave officers, perhaps, at this moment 
 thought of Nelson with gratitude, for a circumstance 
 which had occurred on the preceding day. Admiral 
 Collingwood, with some of the captains, having 
 gone on board the Victory, to receive instructions, 
 Nelson inquired of him, where his captain was? 
 and was told, in reply, that they were not upon 
 good terms with each other. " Terms !" said 
 Nelson ; " good terms with each other!" Imme- 
 diately he sent a boat for Captain Rotherham ; led 
 him, as soon as he arrived, to Collingwood, and 
 saying, " Look ; yonder are the enemy !" bade 
 them shake hands like Englishmen. 
 
 '
 
 1805.1 LIFE or NELSON. 297 
 
 The enemy continued to fire a gun at a time at 
 the Victory, till they saw that a shot had passed 
 through her main-top-gallant-sail ; then they opened 
 their broadsides, aiming- chiefly at her rigging, in 
 the hope of disabling her before she could close 
 with them. Nelson, as usual, had hoisted several 
 flags, lest one should be shot away. The enemy 
 showed no colours till late in the action, when they 
 ' began to feel the necessity of having them to strike. 
 For this reason, the Santissima Trinidad, Nelson s 
 old acquaintance, as he used to call her, was dis- 
 tinguishable only by her four decks ; and to the bow 
 of this opponent he ordornd the ^V ictory to be steered. 
 Meantime an incessant raking fire was kept up 
 upon the Victory. The admiral's secretary was 
 one of the first who fell ; he was killed by a cannon- 
 shot while conversing with Hardy. Capt. Adair of 
 the marines, with the help of a sailor, endeavoured 
 to remove the body from Nelson's sight, who had a 
 great regard for Mr. Scott : but he anxiously asked : 
 "Is that poor Scott that's gone!" and being in- 
 formed that it was indeed so, exclaimed, " Poor 
 fellow !" Presently a double-headed shot struck a 
 party of marines, who were drawn up on the poop, 
 and killed eight of them : upon which, Nelson im- 
 mediately desired Capt. Adair to disperse his men 
 round the ship, that they might not suffer so much 
 from beino- together. A few minutes afterward a 
 shot struck the fore brace bits on the quarter deck, 
 and passed between Nelson and Hardy, a splinter 
 from the bit tearing off Hardy's buckle and bruising 
 his foot. Both stopped, and looked anxiously at 
 each other, each supposed the other to be wounded. 
 Nelson then smiled, and said, " This is too warm 
 work, Hardy, to last long." 
 
 The Victory had not yet returned a single gun ; 
 fifty of her men had been by this time killed or 
 wounded, and her main-topmast, with all her stud- 
 ding-sails and her booms, shot away. Nelson de-
 
 29O MPE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 clared, that, in all his battles, he had seen nothing 
 which surpassed the cool courage of his crew on 
 this occasion. At four minutes after twelve, she 
 opened her fire from both sides of her deck. It 
 was not possible to break the enemy's line without 
 running on board one of their ships : Hardy in- 
 formed him of this, and asked him which he would 
 prefer. Nelson replied, " Take your choice, Hardy, 
 it does not signify much." The master was ordered 
 to put the helm to port, and the Victory ran on 
 board the Redoubtable, just as her tiller ropes were 
 shot away. The French ship received her with a 
 broadside ; then instantly let down her lower-deck 
 ports, for fear of being boarded through them, and 
 never afterward fired a great gun during the action. 
 Her tops, like those of all the enemy's ships, were 
 filled with riflemen. Nelson never placed musketry 
 in his tops ; he had a strong dislike to the practice ; 
 not merely because it endangers setting fire to the 
 sails, but also because it is a murderous sort of 
 warfare by which individuals may suffer, and a 
 commander now and then be picked off, but which 
 never can decide the fate of a general engage- 
 ment, 
 
 CapU Harvey, in the Temeraire, fell on board 
 the Redoubtable on the other side. Another enemy 
 was in like manner on board the Temeraire : so 
 that these four ships formed as compact a tier as if 
 they had been moored together, their heads lying 
 all the same way. The lieutenants of the Victory, 
 seeing this, depressed their guns of the middle and 
 lower decks, and fired with a diminished charge, 
 lest the shot should pass through, and injure the 
 Temeraire. And because there was danger that 
 the Redoubtable might take fire from the lower-deck 
 guns, the muzzles of which touched her side when 
 they were run out, the fireman of each gun stood 
 ready with a bucket of water ; which as soon as 
 the gun was discharged, he dashed into the hole
 
 1805.] LIFE OK NELSON. 299 
 
 made by the shot. An incessant fire was kept up 
 from the Victory from both sides; her larboard guns 
 playing upon the Bucentaure and the huge San- 
 tissima Trinidad. 
 
 It had been part of Nelson's prayer, that the 
 British fleet might be distinguished by humanity in 
 the victory which he expected. Setting an example 
 himself, he twice gave orders to cease firing upon 
 the Redoubtable, supposing that she had struck, 
 because her great guns were silent ; for, as she car- 
 ried no flag, there was no means of instantly ascer- 
 taining the fact. From this ship, which he had 
 thus twice spared, he received his death. A ball 
 fired from her mizen-top, which, in the then situation 
 of the two vessels, was not more than fifteen yards 
 from that part of ihe deck where he was standing, 
 struck the epaulette on his left shoulder, about a 
 quarter after one, just in the heat of action. He 
 fell upon his face, on the spot which was covered 
 with his poor secretary's blood. Hardy, who was 
 a few steps from him, turning round, saw three 
 men raising him up. " They have done for me at 
 last, Hardy," said he. " I hope not," cried Hardy. 
 " Yes !" he replied ; " my back-bone is shot 
 through." Yet even now, not for a moment losing 
 liis presence of mind, he observed, as they were 
 carrying him down the ladder, that the tiller ropes, 
 which had been shot away, were not yet replaced, 
 and ordered that new ones should be rove imme- 
 diately: then, that he might not be seen by the 
 crew, he took out his handkerchief, and cov<jred his 
 face and his stars. Had he but concealed these 
 badges of honour from the enemy, England, per- 
 haps, would not have had cause to receive with 
 sorrow the news of the battle of Trafalgar. The 
 cockpit was crowded with wounded and dying men; 
 over whose bodies he was with some difficulty con- 
 veyed, and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen's 
 birth. It was soon perceived, upon examination,
 
 300 MFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 that the wound was mortal. This, however, was 
 concealed from all, except Capt. Hardy, the chap- 
 lain, and the medical attendants. He himself being 
 certain, from the sensation in his back, and the 
 gush of blood he felt momently within his breast, 
 that no human care could avail him, insisted that 
 the surgeon should leave him, and attend to those to 
 whom he might be useful; "for," said he, "you 
 can do nothing for me." All that could be done 
 was to fan him with paper, and frequently to give 
 him lemonade to alleviate his intense thirst. He 
 was in great pain, and expressed much anxiety for 
 the event of the action, which now began to de- 
 clare itself. As often as a ship struck, the crew of 
 the Victory huzzaed ; and at every huzza, a visible 
 expression of joy gleamed in the eyes, and marked 
 the countenance, of the dying hero. But he became 
 impatient to see Capt. Hardy ; and as that officer, 
 though often sent for, could not leave the deck, 
 Nelson feared that some fatal cause prevented him, 
 and repeatedly cried, " Will no oe bring Hardy to 
 me? He must be killed! He is surely dead!" 
 An hour and ten minutes elapsed from the time 
 when Nelson received his wound, before Hardy 
 could come to him. They shook hands in silence; 
 Hardy in vain struggling to suppress the feelings of 
 that most painful and yet sublimest moment. 
 "Well, Hardy," said Nelson, "how goes the day 
 with us ?" "Very well," replied Hardy ; " ten ships 
 have struck, but five of the van have tacked, and 
 show an intention to bear down upon the Victory. 
 I have called two or three of our fresh ships round, 
 and have no doubt of giving them a drubbing." " 1 
 hope," said Nelson, "none of our ships have 
 struck ?" Hardy answered, " There was no fear 
 of that." Then, and not till then, Nelson spoke of 
 himself. " I am a dead man, Hardy," said he : "I 
 am going fast: it will be all over with me soon. 
 Come nearer to me. Let my dear Lady Hamilton
 
 1805.] LIFE OP NELSON. 301 
 
 have my hair, and all other things belonging to 
 me." Hardy observed, that he hoped Mr. Beatty 
 could yet hold out some prospect of life. " Oh, 
 no!" he replied: "it is impossible. My back is 
 shot through. Beatty will tell you so." Capt. 
 Hardy then, once more, shook hands with him ; and 
 with a heart almost bursting, hastened upon deck. 
 By this time all feeling below the breast was 
 gone; and Nelson, having made the surgeon ascer- 
 tain this, said to him, " You know I am gone ; 1 
 know it. I feel something rising in my breast," 
 putting his hand on his left side, " which tells me 
 so." And upon Beatty's inquiring whether his 
 pain was very great ? he replied, " So great, that 
 he wished he was dead. Yet," said he, in a lower 
 voice, " one would like to livaa little longer, too !" 
 And after a few minutes, in^he same under tone, 
 he added, " What would become of poor Lady 
 Hamilton, if she knew my situation !" Next to his 
 country, she occupied his thoughts. Capt. Hardy, 
 some fifty minutes after he had left the cockpit, 
 returned ; and, again taking the hand of his dying 
 friend and commander, congratulated him on having 
 gained a complete victory. How many of the 
 enemy were taken he did not know, as it was im- 
 possible to perceive them distinctly : but fourteen 
 or fifteen at least. "That's well,'" cried Nelson, 
 "but I bargained for twenty." And then, in a 
 stronger voice, he said, " Anchor, Hardy ; anchor." 
 Hardv, upon this, hinted that Admiral Collingwood 
 would take upon himself the direction of affairs. 
 " Not while I live, Hardy," said the dying Nelson, 
 /neffertuallv endeavouring to raise himself from 
 the bed : " do you anchor." His previous order 
 for preparing to anchor had shown how clearly he 
 foresaw the necessity of this. Presently, calling 
 Hardy back, he said to him, in a low voice, " Do n't 
 throw me overboard:" and he desired that he might 
 be buried by his parents, unless it should please 
 C c
 
 302 LIFE, OP NELSON. [1805. 
 
 the king to order otherwise. Then reverting to 
 private feelings, " Take care of my dear Lady 
 Hamilton, Hardy: take care of poor Lady Hamilton. 
 Kiss me, Hardy," said he. Hardy knelt down 
 and kissed his cheek: and Nelson said, "Now I 
 am satisfied. Thank God, I have done my duty." 
 Hardy stood over him in silence for a moment or 
 two, then knelt again, and kissed his forehead. 
 "Who is that?" said Nelson; and being informed, 
 he replied, " God bless you, Hardy." And Hardy 
 then left him for ever. 
 
 Nelson now desired to be turned upon his right 
 side, and said, " I wish I had not left the deck ; for 
 I shall soon be gone." Death was, indeed, rapidly 
 approaching. He said to the chaplain, " Doctor, 
 I have not been a grtsat sinner:" and after a short 
 pause, " Remember that I leave Lady Hamilton 
 and my daughter Horatia as a legacy to my 
 country." His articulation now became difficult ; 
 but he "was distinctly heard to say, " Thank God, I 
 have done my duty." These words he repeatedly 
 pronounced : and they were the last words which 
 he uttered. He expired at thirty minutes after 
 four, three hours and a quarter after he had re- 
 ceived his wound. 
 
 Within a quarter of an hour after Nelson was 
 wounded, above fifty of the Victory's men fell by 
 the enemy's musketry. They, however, on their 
 part, were not idle; and it was not long before there 
 were only two Frenchmen left alive in the mizen- 
 top of the Redoubtable. One of them was the 
 man who had given the fatal wound: he did not 
 live to boast of what he had done. An old quarter- 
 master had seen him fire; and easily recognised 
 h'in. because he wore a glazed cocked hat. and a 
 white frock. This quarter-master and two midship- 
 m- j n, Mr. Collingwood and Mr. Pollard, were the 
 only persons left in the Victory's poop; the two 
 midshipmen kept firing at the top, and he supplied
 
 1805.] UFE p NELSON. 303 
 
 them with cartridges. One of the Frenchmen, at- 
 tempting to make his escape down the rigging, was 
 shot by Mr. Pollard, and fell on the poop. But the 
 old quarter-master, as he cried out, " That 's he 
 that's he," and pointed at the other, who was 
 coming forward to fire again, received a shot in his 
 mouth, and fell dead. Both the midshipmen then 
 fired at the same time, and the follow dropped in 
 the top. When they took possession of the prize, 
 they went into the mizen-top, and found him dead ; 
 with one ball through his head, and another through 
 his breast. 
 
 The Redoubtable struck within twenty minutes 
 after the fatal shot had been fired from her. During 
 that time she had been twice on fire, in her fore- 
 chains and in her forecastle. The French, as they 
 had done in other battles, made use, in this, of fire- 
 balls, and other combustibles ; implements of de- 
 struction, which other nations, from a sense of ho- 
 nour and humanity, have laid aside ; which add to 
 the sufferings of the wounded, without determining 
 the issue of the combat : which none but the cruel 
 would employ, and which never can be successful 
 against the brave. Once they succeeded in setting 
 fire, from the Redoubtable, to some ropes and can- 
 vass on the Victory's booms. The cry ran through 
 the ship and reached the cockpit: but even this 
 dreadful cry produced no confusion : the men dis- 
 played that perfect self-possession in danger by 
 which English seamen are characterized ; they ex- 
 tinguished the flames on board their own ship, and 
 then hastened to extinguish them in the enemy, by 
 throwing buckets of water from thi; gangway. 
 When the Redoubtable had struck, it was not prac- 
 ticable to board her from the Victory ; for, though 
 the two ships touched, the upper works of both fell 
 in so much, that there was a great space between 
 their gangways : and she could not be boarded 
 from the lower or middle decks, becausje .her ports
 
 304 LIFE OP NELSON. [1805. 
 
 were down. Some of our men went to Lieutenant 
 Quilliam, and offered to swim under her bows, and 
 get up there ; but it was thought unfit to hazard brave 
 lives in this manner. 
 
 What our men would have done from gallantry, 
 some of the crew of the Santissima Trinidad did 
 to save themselves. Unable to stand the tremen- 
 dous fire of the Victory, whose larboard guns played 
 against this great four-decker, and not knowing how 
 else to escape them, nor where else to betake them- 
 selves for protection, many of them leaped overboard, 
 and swam to the Victory; and were actually helped up 
 her sides by the English during the action. The Spa- 
 niards began the battle with less vivacity than their 
 unworthy allies, but they continued it with greater 
 firmness. The Argonauta and Bahama were de- 
 fended till they had each lost about four hundred 
 men : the St. Juan Nepomuceno lost three hundred 
 and fifty. Often as the superiority of British cou- 
 rage has been proved against France upon the seas, 
 it was never more conspicuous than in this decisive 
 conflict. Five of our ships were engaged muzzle 
 to muzzle with five of the French. In all five, the 
 Frenchmen lowered their lower-deck ports, and de- 
 serted their guns ; while our men continued delibe- 
 rately to load and fire, till they had made the victory 
 secure. 
 
 Once, amid his sufferings, Nelson had expressed 
 a wish that he were dead ; but immediately the 
 spirit subdued the pains of death, and he wished to 
 live a little longer; doubtless that he might hear 
 the completion of the victory which he had seen so 
 gloriously begun. That consolation that joy that 
 triumph was afforded him. He lived to know that 
 the victory was decisive ; and the last guns which 
 were fired at the flying enemy were heard a minute 
 or two before he expired. The ships which were 
 thus flying were four of the enemy's van, all French, 
 under Rear-Admiral Dumanoir. They had borne no
 
 OF LSON - 
 
 805.] 
 
 iar t in the action ; and now, when they were seek 
 safety in flight, they fired not only into the Vic- 
 to?y andRoyalSo^reign as they passed, but poured 
 S broadsides into the Spanish captured ships; 
 and they were seen to back their topsails, for the 
 roosp of firing with more precision. The mdig- 
 ffiiof the Spaniards at this detestable cruelty 
 from their allies, for whom they had fought so 
 bravely, and so profusely bled, may well be con- 
 ceTved? It was such, that when, two days after the 
 ac ion, seven of the ships which had escaped into 
 ; adiz came out, in hopes of retaking some of the 
 disabled prizes the prisoners, in the Argonauta, in 
 a b()dy, offered their services to the British .prize- 
 master to man the guns against any of the French 
 SioT saying, that if a Spanish ship came along- 
 ridelVey 7 would quietly go below ; but they re- 
 nuested that they might be allowed to fight the 
 French, in reaftinent for the murderous usage 
 which they had suffered at their hands. Such was 
 Sir earnestness, and such the implicit confidence 
 which could be placed in Spanish honour, that the 
 offer was accepted, and they were actually stationed 
 L the lower-deck guns. Dumanoir and his squa- 
 dron we not mofe ^nate than the fleet from 
 whose destruction they fled; they fell in with Sir 
 Richard Strachan, who was cruising for the Roche- 
 fort squadron, and were all taken. In the better 
 davs of France, if such a crime could then have 
 been committed, it would have received an exem- 
 plary punishment from the French government : 
 Snder Buonaparte, it was sure of impunity, and, 
 perhaps, might be thought deserving of reward 
 But if the Spanish court had been independent, it 
 would have become us to have delivered Dumanoir 
 and his captains up to Spain, that they might have 
 been brought to trial, and hanged in sight of the re- 
 
 i thebauleof Trafalgar
 
 306 MFE OF NELSON. [1805. 
 
 amounted to one thousand five hundred and eighty- 
 seven. Twenty of the enemy struck ; but it was 
 not possible* to anchor the fleet, as Nelson had en- 
 joined ; a gale came on from the south-west ; some 
 of the prizes went down, some went on shore ; one 
 effected its escape into Cadiz; others were de- 
 stroyed ; four only were saved and those by the 
 greatest exertions. The wounded Spaniards were 
 sent ashore, an assurance being given that they 
 should not serve till regularly exchanged ; and the 
 Spaniards, with a generous feeling, which would 
 not, perhaps, have been found in any other people, 
 offered the use of their hospitals for our wounded, 
 pledging the honour of Spain that they should be 
 carefully attended there. When the storm, after 
 the action, drove some of the prizes upon the coast, 
 they declared that the English, who were thus 
 thrown into their hands, should not be considered as 
 prisoners of war; and the Spanish soldiers gave 
 up their own beds to their shipwrecked enemies. 
 The Spanish vice-admiral Alava, died of his wounds. 
 Villeneuve was sent to England, and permitted to 
 return to France. The French government say that 
 he destroyed himself on the way to Paris, dreading 
 the consequences of a court-martial : but there is 
 every reason to believe that the tyrant, who never 
 acknowledged the loss of the battle of Trafalgar, 
 added Villeneuve to the numerous victims of his 
 murderous policy. 
 
 It is almost superfluous to add, that all the honours 
 
 * In the former editions it was said, that unhappily the fleet did not 
 anchor: implying an opinion that Nelson's orders ought to have been 
 followed by his successor. From the recently published Memoirs and 
 Correspondence of Lord Collinewood, it appears that this was not 
 practicable, and that if it had, and had been done, the consequences 
 from the slate of the weather (which Nelson could not foresee) would, 
 in all likelihood, have been more disastrous than they were. 
 
 Having thus referred to Lord Collingwood's Life, t may be allowed 
 to say that the publication of that volume is indeed a national good : 
 it ought to be in every officer's cabin, and in every statesman'* ca- 
 binet.
 
 1805.] LITE OF NELSON. 307 
 
 which a grateful country could bestow, were heaped 
 upon the memory of Nelson. His brother was 
 made an earl, with a grant of 6,000 a year; 10,000 
 were voted to each of his sisters : and 100,000 
 for the purchase of an estate. A public funeral was 
 decreed, and a public monument. Statues and mo- 
 numents also were voted by most of our principal 
 cities. The leaden coffin, in which he was brought 
 home, was cut in pieces, which were distributed as 
 relics of Saint. Nelson, so the gunner of the Vic- 
 tory called them ; and when, at his interment, his 
 flag was about to be lowered into the grave, the 
 sailors, who assisted at the ceremony, with one ac- 
 cord rent it in pieces, that each might preserve a 
 fragment while he lived. 
 
 The death of Nelson was felt in England as 
 something more than a public calamity : men started 
 at the intelligence, and turned pale ; as if they had 
 heard of the loss of a dear friend. An object of 
 our admiration and affection, of our pride and of 
 our hopes, was suddenly taken from us ; and it 
 seemed as if we had never, till then, known how 
 deeply we loved and reverenced him. What the 
 country had lost in its great naval hero the greatest 
 of our own, and of all former times, was scarcely 
 taken into the account of grief. S^ perfectly, in- 
 deed, had he performed his part, that the maritime 
 war, after the battle of Trafalgar, was considered 
 at an end : the fleets of the enemy were not merely 
 defeated, but destroyed : new navies must be built, 
 and a new race of seamen reared for them, before 
 the possibility of their invading our shores could 
 again be contemplated. It was not, therefore, from 
 any selfish reflection upon the magnitude of our 
 loss that we mourned for him : the general sorrow 
 was of a higher character. The people of England 
 grieved that funeral ceremonies, and public monu- 
 ments, and posthumous rewards were all whu-h 
 they could now bestow upon him, whom the king,
 
 308 LIFE OF NELSON. f J 805. 
 
 the legislature, and the nation would have alike de- 
 lighted to honour; whom every tongue would have 
 blessed ; whose presence in every village through 
 which he might have passed, would have wakened 
 the church bells, have given schoolboys a holyday, 
 have drawn children from their sports to gaze upon 
 him, and "old men from the chimney corner," to 
 look upon Nelson ere they died. The victory of 
 Trafalgar was celebrated, indeed, with the usual 
 forms of rejoicing, but they were without joy ; for 
 such already was the glory of the British navy, 
 through Nelson's surpassing genius, that it scarcely 
 seemed to receive any addition from the most signal 
 victory that ever was achieved upon the seas : and 
 the destruction of this mighty fleet, by which all 
 the maritime schemes of France were totally frus- 
 trated, hardly appeared to add to our security or 
 strength ; for while Nelson was living, to watch 
 the combined squadrons of the enemy, we felt our- 
 selves as secure as now, when they were no longer 
 in existence. 
 
 There was reason to suppose, from the appear- 
 ances upon opening the body, that, in the course 
 of nature, he might have attained, like his father, 
 to a good old age. Yet he cannot be said to have 
 fallen prematurely whose work was done ; nor 
 ought he to be lamented, who died so full of 
 honours, and at the height of human fame. The 
 most triumphant death is that of the martyr ; the 
 most awful that of the martyred patriot ; the most 
 splendid that of the hero in the hour of victory: 
 and if the chariot and the horses of fire had been 
 vouchsafed for Nelson's translation, he could 
 scarcely have departed in a brighter blaze of glory. 
 He has left us, not indeed his mantle of inspira- 
 tion, but a name and an example, which are at this 
 hour inspiring thousands of the youth of England : 
 a name which is our pride, and an example which 
 will continue to be our shield and our strength.
 
 1805.] LIFE OP NELSON. 309 
 
 Thus it is that the spirits of the great and the wise 
 continue to live and to act after them ; verifying, 
 in this sense, the language of the old mythologist : 
 
 Tut uev Sai/iovcs ctai, Aiof pcynXv Sta /3aXuj 
 Eff$Xo, ttctyftoviat, QvXaKts SvrjTiav avSaianiav.
 
 ENGLISH SYNONYMES; with copious Illustra- 
 tions and Explanations drawn from the best Writers 
 By GEORGE CRABB, M.A. A new Edition, 8vo. 
 
 This valuable work is now used in several Colleges in the United 
 States. 
 
 " The importance of a knowledge of synonymes is very great indeed, 
 indispensable to an accurate scholar ; yet the study is much neglected, as 
 the loose style of many of our best writers but too amply attests. New- 
 York Daily Advertiser. 
 
 "It deserves a place in every library, and on the table of every student 
 who desires a correct knowledge of the English language." New-York 
 Journal of Commerce. 
 
 ' " This has now become a standard work, and ought to find a place in 
 the library of every gentleman who aspires to elegance or precision ol 
 style." New-York Morning Herald. 
 
 THE BOOK OF NATURE; being a popular Illus- 
 tration of the general Laws and Phenomena of 
 Creation, &c. By JOHN MASON GOOD, M.D., F.R.S. 
 8vo. Sixth Edition. To which is prefixed the Life 
 of the Author. 
 
 " Prom a man of Dr. Good's acknowledged talents and learning, it is 
 natural to expect something uncommon. Such expectations will be fully 
 realized in his ' Book of Nature.' We have read the work with much 
 interest and instruction. The author possessed, in an eminent degree, 
 the happy talent of tracing his subjects from their elementary principles 
 to their sublime results, and of interspersing his lectures with pertinent 
 and interesting anecdotes. No person who thirsts far knowledge can read 
 his ' Book of Nature' without having his mind enriched in the principles 
 of natural philosophy far beyond he would have thought possible by a 
 book of its size. It'is a safe book for any person to read. There is no 
 skepticism in it." New-England Christian Herald. 
 
 LETTERS AND JOURNALS OF LORD BYRON; 
 
 with Notices of his Life. By THOMAS MOORE, Esq. 
 In 2 vols. 8vo. With a Portrait. 
 
 1 We do not know where the letters are to be found in any language 
 which better repay a perusal. Perhaps, as mere models of the epistolary 
 style, they are not so exquisite as some that might be cited. Even of this, 
 however, we are far from beinz sure. If they do not equal, for instance, 
 in grace and elegance those of Gray or Lady Mary, if they are not speci- 
 mens of that inimitable, ineffable bavardage which makes those of Madame 
 de S -vigne so entirely unique, they fully rival the best of them in spirit, 
 piquancy, and, we venture to add, wit ; while, like the epistles of Cicero, 
 they not unfrequently rise from the most familiar colloquial ease and free- 
 dom into far loftier regions of thought and eloquence. We were particu- 
 larly struck with this peculiarity. Wesrarcely read oneof them without 
 being surprised into a smile occasionally into a broad laugh by some 
 felicitous waggery, some sudden descent from the sublime to the ridicu- 
 lous, while there is many a passage in which the least critical reader will 
 not fail to recognise the hand that drew Childe Harold." South. Review.
 
 STANDARD WORKS. 
 
 GIBSON'S SURVEYING. Improved and enlarged. 
 By JAMES RYAN. 8vo. With the necessary plates. 
 
 DAVIES'S SURVEYING. Svo. A new workT~ 
 SURVEYORS' TABLES. 12mo. Carefully revised. 
 
 BROWN'S DICTIONARY of the HOLY BIBLE. 
 From the last genuine Edinburgh edition. Svo. 
 
 BROWN'S (J.) CONCORDANCE. 32mo. 
 
 SERMONS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. By 
 Rev. SAMUEL DAVIES, A. M. In 3 vols. Svo. 
 
 THE WORKS OF REV. JOHN WESLEY, M.A. 
 W ith his Life. 10 vols. 8vo. With a portrait. 
 
 LETTERS FROM THE ^GEAN. BY JAMES EMER- 
 SON, Esq. 8vo. With Engravings. 
 
 THE LITERARY REMAINS of the late HENRY 
 N EELE, Author of the " Romance of History." Svo. 
 RELIGIOUS DISCOURSES. By WALTER SCOTT. 
 
 PRESENT STATE OF CHRISTIANITY IN ALL 
 PARTS OF THE WORLD. By FREDERIC SCHO- 
 BERL. 12rno. 
 
 THE CONDITION OF GREECE in 1827 and 1828. 
 By J. P. MILLER. 12mo. 
 
 LIFE AND REMAINS OF DR. EDWARD DAN- 
 IEL CLARKE. Svo. 
 
 VAN HALEN'S NARRATIVE of his Imprisonment 
 in the Dungeons of the Inquisition, his Escape, his 
 Journey to Madrid, &c. &c. Svo. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE 
 IN 1830. 12mo. 
 
 SMART'S HORACE. 2 vols. 18mo.
 
 VALUABLE WORKS 
 
 PUBLISHED BV 
 
 J. & J. HARPER, 82 CLIFF-STREET, NEW-YORK, 
 
 And for Sale by the principal Booksellers in the United States. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE JEWS. By the Rev. H. H. 
 
 Milmaii. In 3 vols. 1 Smo. Illustrated -vvitli original 
 Maps and \Voodcuts. 
 
 " The Editors of the Family Library have been most fortunate in en- 
 gaging on this work the pen of a scholar, both classical and scriptural, 
 and so elegant and powerful a writer as the Poetry Prolessor. Few 
 theological works of this order have apieared either in ours or in any 
 other language. To the Christian reader of every age and sex and we 
 may add of every sect it will be a source of the purest delight, instruc- 
 tion, and comfort ; and of the infidels who open it merely that they may 
 not rr.main in ignorance of a work placed by general consent in the rank 
 of an English classic, is there not every reason to hope that many will 
 lay it dow'n in a far different mood?" BlackwoocTs Magazine. 
 
 Though the suhjeci is trite, the manner of treating it is such as to 
 command our deepest attention. While the work has truth and simplicity 
 enough to fascinate a child, it is written with a masterliness of the sub- 
 ject and an elegance of composition that will please the most refined 
 and fastidious reader.'' E. Saturday s Post. 
 
 " The narrative of the various and highly interesting events in that 
 period flows on in a chaste style ; and a thorough knowledge of his sub- 
 ject is evident in every page. The work is spirited, well arranged, and 
 lull of information, and of a wise and well cultivated spirit" At/if nasum. 
 
 Professor H. H. Milman is one of the most chaste and classical 
 writers of the age. His Bampton Lectures contain some of the most 
 glowing and graphic descriptions which we ever read. The History of 
 the Jews embraced in the volumes before us has already passed through 
 three editions in England, and is highly and justly commanded by many 
 of the most respectable periodicals." N. Y. Journal of Commerce. 
 
 "It is written in a ver; interesiing manner in a more philosophical 
 spirit, and with more depth of reflection, than is generally found in his- 
 tories of this nature. It is not wanting in historical condensation, and the 
 colouring of I he style is lively and picturesque." N. Y. Ereniiig Post. 
 
 "The style in which it is written is remarkably lucid and elegant; 
 attractive by its general smoothness and simplicity, yel animated and 
 forcible. The work must be popular, and we doubt not ranked among 
 the classics of the language." Baltimore Republican. 
 
 " Mr. Milman's work is calculated to interest and instruct a greater 
 number of readers, of all ages, than any book which has been produced 
 for many years." Philadelphia Daily (' hronicle. 
 
 " This History of the Jews is the best we have ever seen. r 
 
 New-E>tgland Palladium.
 
 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. By J. G 
 Lockhart, Esq. With Copperplate Engravings 
 H vols. ISiuo. 
 
 " We never met with more solid information .-ompressed within so 
 f mall a space ; and yet the brevity of the style m ver runs into obscurity. 
 On the contrary, we should be much at a loss j point otn such another 
 specimen of narrative clearness in the whole range of extemporary lite- 
 rature. Two volumes so rich in information and interest, so much to be 
 devoured by youth, and so worthy to be consulted by the rnaturest reader, 
 would i onstitute certainly one of the cheapest of all possible cheap books. 
 Of a work already so widely known it would be ridiculous to multioly 
 specimens in these pages." Blackwood's Magazine. 
 
 " We anticipate a prodigious circulating for this attractive work. It is 
 drawn up with coiTjumrr-aie ability. Indeed, we have seldom perused a 
 work more unifcr.nly interesting in its details." Sun. 
 
 " The first volumes of this work secured for it the attention and patron- 
 age of the public; and the continued ability displayed in these succeeding 
 numbers has gained it an introduction into most of the ' family libraries,' 
 not only in England, but in Europe. Suiting itself to the hardship of the 
 limes, this work is published in a form and at a price which render it 
 accessible to all classes of the reading public." S. Herald. 
 
 "Alter the merited praise that has already been given to this work, it 
 :annot be supposed tbat we have any thing particu.arly original to offer 
 respecting 't.''B. Mirror. 
 
 " It is, unquestionably, in a brief and tangible form, the most popular 
 History of Napoleon that has been yet produced." Atlas. 
 
 " This is a much better book than any otuer in English on the same 
 subject " At/ientEum. 
 
 I-TFH OF NELSON. By Robert Southey,Egq. AVitli 
 a Portrait. 18 mo. 
 
 " This is the best work that ever came from the pen of the laureate, 
 and it is an excellent specimen of biography." New England Pt,l 
 
 "The merits of this work are so well known that it is altogether un- 
 lecessary to recommend it to our -cv'ers ' - .\'ew-York Evening Post. 
 
 " The illustrious subject of this volume, and the reputation of Soulhey 
 as a biographer, will be a sufficient guarantee for the interest of the 
 work." New- York Constellation, 
 
 " Southey's fine and popular biography of Nelson was verv much 
 wanted, and is now to be had verv cheap, in a very neat and convenient 
 form." New-York Commercial Advertiser. 
 
 " We take much pleasure in recommending this Library to the publir. 
 because we really consider it as useful and as deserving of encou:":g"- 
 ineiit as any work that has ever been in the American press." A'u> 
 YorkCo\.rier iV Enquirer. 
 
 ' It is well written ; and consists of many narratives of intense interest, 
 and high!-/ wrought description." New-York Mercantile AdrtrH.icr. 
 
 'It is a faiUir'u 1 narrative of the hero of Trafalgar, and paints his 
 character with much force, and in its true colouring. We corsi.ler this 
 number a valuable gem in the Family Library." Truth Teller. 
 
 ' The publishers intend to incorporate some works of an American 
 rhanicl'ir, which will greatly augment .he value of their edition of Hie 
 Librury. This last improvement is all that is wanting to make this work 
 one of the most valuable miscellaneous publications that ever issued from 
 the preas." New-York American. 
 
 [T]
 
 ,IFK OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT. By Rev. 
 J. Williams. Witn a Map. 18mo. 
 
 "The style is good, and the narrative well conducted. A modern 
 istory 'of this famous warrior cannot fail to be entertaining." Nete- 
 
 r r The' l work1sTn"ructing, and inherits a greater share of interest from 
 he fact, that the history of this ancient Napoleon is disintegrated from 
 he mass of general history, and presented by itself. The style is lucid 
 nil well studied.' 1 New- York Journal of Commeree. 
 " The fourth work included in this collection is a life of Alexander the 
 Jreat, written by the Rev. John Williams, (of Baloil College Oxford ) 
 he well-known founder and head of the New Edinburgh Academy, and 
 written in a manner worthy of his high scholastic reputation. He has 
 isplayed felicitously in this volume both the natural and acquired en- 
 owments of his mind filled a blank in the historical library, furnished 
 he schoolmaster, and also the schoolboy, whether at home or abroad, 
 vith a capital manual-and there will never be, in as far as we can see, 
 he smallest occasion for writing this story over again. Blackwood. 
 "This constitutes the seventh volume of the Family Library. 11 
 ncornparably the best life the most careful and correct estimate of 
 Alexander's achievements we have." Monthly Magazine. 
 
 This is a much better buok than any other in English on the same 
 subject." AtKenreum. 
 
 " It is ably and eloquently written." B. Journal. . 
 
 " We have repeatedly borne testimony to the utility of this Library. V 
 
 one of the best that has ever been issued from the American press, ant 
 
 should be in the library of every family desirous of treasuring up useful 
 
 knowledge." Boston Statesman. 
 
 VATURAIj HISTORY OF INSECTS. Illustrated by 
 numerous Engravings. ISmo. 
 
 Of all studies, perhaps there is none more captivating than that o 
 animated nature. .. .The present volume is peculiarly useful and agree- 
 able." yew- York Mirror. 
 
 " The subject is full of interest and satisfaction, and is adapted to al 
 classes of readers." Albany Evening Journal. 
 
 " Tlie information is minute, well arranged, and clearly imparted, ana 
 cannot but recommend the work to general perusal in families." New 
 York Standard. 
 
 " Tt is the duty of every person having a family to put this excellen 
 Library into the hands of his children." .V. Y. Mercantile Advertiser. 
 
 " It seems to us, that it will prove at once agreeable and instructive t 
 persons of all classes, and occupy an appropriate place m the Famil 
 Library." .V. Y. Daily Advertise. 
 
 " The studv of animated nature, in itself pleasing, is absolutely neces 
 sary as a branch of useful knowledge. In the present work the subjec 
 is tre-ned with peculiar adroitness, and contains only such details a 
 render me study of Natural History amusing, and at the same time highl 
 instructive This volume, we should conceive, would be highly advanta 
 eeous for the use of schools ; and we recommend its being placed in ever 
 one's library, as a work full of useful information." Truth Teller. 
 
 " The History of Insects is a curious one. Many of the details ar 
 wonderful and full of interest." Philadelphia, Inquirer. 
 
 " This work must prove useful and interesting to all classes." 
 
 Albany Daily Advertiser.
 
 LIFE OF LORD BYRON. By John Gait, Esq. 18mo. 
 
 ' This volume has great merit, and is a valuable acquisition to litera- 
 ture. 'New- York S/iectator. 
 
 "Tlie sprightly pen of the author has communicated uncommon inter- 
 est to this work, and he appears to have done perfect justice to lU inspired 
 subject." Albany Daily Advertiser. 
 
 " The subject is one of vtry great interest, which is of course enhanced 
 by the reputation oi the wriier. 1 ' HaUimure Republican. 
 
 " Mr. Gait is one of the most fascinating writers of the age." Journal 
 >f Commerce. 
 
 "The work is well written, and gives many particulars in the career 
 of the gifted hard which we never before met with in print." Pennsyl- 
 vania Inquirer. 
 
 " It is the work of one of the most sprightly and popular writers of the 
 day, and has the advantage of being comprised in the moderate compass 
 of a single volume." Evejiing Post. 
 
 " Mr. Gall is in the-habii of eliciting the truth from whatever he under- 
 takes to consider or develop. So much of the exact truth, in respect to 
 Byron, was never before discovered, collected, and set down, as we find 
 in this very interesting volume." C. Journal. 
 
 " Gait is a powerful writer. His critical abilities and the rare oppor- 
 tunity which he enjoyed of reading the heart-secrets of the mysterious 
 poet give an undoubted value to this history." New-York Cabinet. 
 
 " This volume contains, in a concise but interesting ibrin, a Memoir of 
 the Life and Literary Labours of Lord Byron, by Mr. Gall ; whosa classic 
 pen imparts interest and value to every thing it touches." Albany Eve- 
 ning Journal. 
 
 ' " Mr. Gait is well and favourably known as a writer." Mercantile 
 Advertiser. 
 
 LIFE OF MOHAMMED, Founder of the Religion of 
 Islam and of the Empire of the Saracens* By the 
 Rev. George Bush, M. A. Wit li a plate. 1 Smo. 
 
 " It seems to us to be a good narrative of the life of the great Arabian 
 impostor, written in a fine style. . . . We are not aware that any other 
 work of the same size contains the same quantity of information relative 
 to the matters treated of, in as agreeable a form." Cam. Advertiser. 
 
 " We have so often recommended this enterprising and useful publica- 
 tion (the Family Lii>rary), that we can here only add, that each succes- 
 sive number appears to confirm its merited popularity." N. Y. American. 
 
 " This volume embraces a portion of history extremely interesting to 
 the reader ; and tho work well deserves a place among the others com- 
 posing the valuable series of the Family Library." Evening Journal. 
 
 " The Family Library should be in the hands of every person. Thus 
 far it has treated of subjects interesting to all, condensed in a perspicu- 
 ous and agreeable style." Courier $ Enquirer. 
 
 " Mr. Bush is a scholar of extensive acquirements, and well fitted for 
 the task which he has undertaken in this volume." N. Y. Observer. 
 
 "In the collection of materials, the author appears to have neglected 
 no source from which valuable aid was to be expected." Philadelphia 
 Daily Chronicle. 
 
 " The history of the eminent impostor cannot but be a work of interest 
 to every enlightened mind." Penn. Inquirer. 
 
 " We have found much to admire and commend in every preceding 
 number of the Family Library ; but we believe the present will be allowed 
 the place of honour." U. S. Gazette. 
 
 rn
 
 DEMONOLOGY AND AVITCHCRAFT. By Walter 
 Scott, Bart. ISmo. AVitH a plate. 
 
 * The work is curious, interesting, and instructive." Inquirer. 
 
 " I'an volume is most imeresting, and will be read with great pleasure 
 by almost every class of readers." IT. S. Gazette. 
 
 " It would be difficult to select a rnoie interesting subject for the pen 
 of a man of genius than that of popular superstitions. To say that Scott 
 has made more of it than any oiher man could have done, is only to add 
 another tribute to his acknowledged pre-eminence." Boiton Statetman. 
 
 Tin: subject is most alluring, arid the manner in which it is handled 
 N m.igical." AthetKBum. 
 
 " One of the most useful, and certainly one of the most amusing, in the 
 Family Library." Courier. 
 
 " Tfle subject is one in which Sir Walter is perfectly at home, and is 
 handled with that tact and ability so peculiarly his own." Globe. 
 
 We must leave this delightful volume to the delightful admiration 
 which it will obtain, and to that consequent ' parlour window' immor- 
 tality which it will command more surely and deservedly than any other 
 of the writer's works." C. Journal. 
 
 "All the volumes of this interesting and useful Library should be in 
 the hands of our youth, as they will gain much knowledge and instruc 
 lion from their perusal. They peculiarly Hi the mind for a more exten- 
 sive entry on the subjects of wmch they treat, at a more mature period 
 of life." JV. Y. Evening Journal. 
 
 ' This work will be sought for with avidity." .V. Y. Standard. 
 
 " It is a delightful publication." Truth Teller. 
 
 "H hazards little to predict that this volume will prove the most popu- 
 lar that has yet been put forth for the public amusement and instruction." 
 
 Spectator. 
 
 HISTORY OF THB BIBLE. By Rev. G. R. Gileig. 
 In 3 vols. IS mo. With a Map. 
 
 "The style of it is surpassed by no work with which we are ac- 
 quainted : it is highly finished, perspicuous and comprehensive. His- 
 torical and biographical facts are well stated ; the prominent difficulties 
 that present themselves to the mind of an intelligent or skeptical reader 
 of the Bible, are boldly exhibited and 1 ably explained ; the most plausible 
 objections advanced by modern infidels are answered in a very philo- 
 sophical, learned, and conclusive manner. The author has imbodied in 
 it a vast deal of learning and research; has discovered superior ingenuity 
 and force of intellect, and furnished, withal, a specimen of fine writing, 
 which must secure a most favourable reception, aa well among persons 
 of taste, as those who are fond of Biblical studies. A valuable introduc- 
 lion is prefixed to the work, showing the divine authority and authen- 
 ticity of the Sacred Volume." Albany Telegraph A- Register. 
 
 Mr. Gleig's plan is very comprehensive, and, judging from the speci- 
 men before us, we are persuaded that it will prove fully satisfactory 
 to a Christian people. In his inquiries and criticisms, as well as in 
 his suggestions and speculations, Mr. Gleig is free and independent. 
 But he never forgets that it is the Bible, the Book of Heaven, he has 
 undertaken to elucidate." New Monthly Magazine. 
 
 " The Rev. author is one of the very best writers of the day. He has 
 expended a great deal of labour and research upon his subject, aad has 
 succeeded in giving a connected, faithful, and succinct outline of the 
 contents of the Sacred Volume, and in vindicating its statements from 
 the objections of skepticism and false philosophy." American Traveller.
 
 POLAR SEAS AND REGIONS. By Professors Leslie 
 and Jameson ami Hugh Murray^ Esq. 1 81110. "VVitli 
 Maps and Engravings* 
 
 'The style is familiar, concise, and comprehensive. The authors are 
 excellent models for modern historians." Albany Evening Journal. 
 
 "A work from such hands on such a subject cannot fail to be both 
 interesting and valuable." A*. Y. Evening Post. 
 
 "The three eminent men who have produced this compilation have 
 rendered a great service to the cause of philosophy and knowledge." 
 New- York Commercial Advertiser. 
 
 " The writers are gentlemen of first-rate standing in the scientific world. 
 and the subject is one to which every curious mind is attached by a sort 
 of involuntary impulse. 1 ' V. Y. Journal of Commerce. 
 
 " It is well calculated for seamen and landsmen, the learned and unin- 
 formed, and for both sexes of every age.' 1 American Traveller. 
 
 " This volume is replete wilh interest ; it exhibits a succinct, yet com 
 plete and connected view of the successive voyages made to the Arctic 
 Regions." Monthly Repository. 
 
 ' This volume presents an exceedingly entertaining and instructive view 
 of all that is known of the Polar Seas and Regions." Phtht/itl. Chronicle. 
 
 "The volume now before us not only enters into an account of the 
 climate, the animal and vegetable productions, the geology of the Polar 
 Regions, and the details of the whale fishery ; but presents the public 
 with highly interesting accounts of the ancient voyages to the North, 
 the early as well as the more recent voyages in search of the North-East 
 and North- West Passages, together with the late voyages directly towards 
 the North Pole." Nnv Monthly Magazine. 
 
 "We recommend this entertaining volume." Truth Teller. 
 
 " We are of opinion that this will prove one of the most popular num- 
 bers of this justly popular work." Courier A- Enquirer. 
 
 LIFE AND TIMES OF GEORGE IV. With Anec 
 dotes of Distinguished Persons. By the Rev. George 
 Croly. With a Portrait. ISnio. 
 
 " Mr. Croly has acquitted himself very handsomely. His subject is 
 one of much interest, and he has treated it with unusual impartiality. 
 The author's style is chaste, classical, and beautiful, and it may be taken 
 as a model of fine writing. It is wonhy of his genius and his educa- 
 tion." Mercantile Advertiser. 
 
 This number is from the eloquent and powerful pen of the Rev. George 
 Croly. It promises much entertainment and instruction. The name of 
 the writer is a sufficient passport to the public attention." Com. Adv. 
 
 ' This is an interesting volume, blending most beautifully instruction 
 with amusement." Ltn% Island Patriot. 
 
 " Mr. Croly is a man of talent , and can write well. There is proof of 
 this in the volume before us. The reflections that naturally arise out 
 of the subject are philosophical and just; and the sketches of character 
 nf the leading men and ministers are drawn with a bold and vigorous 
 hand." TAe Atkenceitm. 
 
 ; 'The portraits of the Prince's friends are in the best style, and 
 sketched with impartial freedom. Fox, Burke, Sheridan. Erskine, Cur- 
 raji were of the splendid galaxy, and the characteristics of each are well 
 preserved in Mr. Croly's pages." Gentleman's Magazine. 
 
 " Mr. Croly is not merely a fine writer, but a very powerful one. His 
 outline is as bold and broad as his colours are glowing. He writes like 
 a man well acquainted with his subject." Eclectic Review. 
 
 [6]
 
 DISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE IN AFRICA. By 
 
 Professor Jameson, James Wilson, Esq., and Hugh. 
 Murray, Esq. With a map and engravings. IMiio. 
 
 "The names of the distinguished individuals by whom the volume has 
 been prepared, offer a sufficient pledge for the faithful and accomplished 
 execution of the work; and the field of their labours is one of almost un- 
 rivalled attraction for whatever is new, strange, or mysterious in histo- 
 rical narrative, or bold and perilous in adventurous exploit." The Alias. 
 
 " From what we have read, we think it will add another very interest- 
 ing and useful volume to the Family Library. This work we believe 
 will be interesting to every class of readers, especially to the philanthro- 
 pist and Christian." .V. Y". Erant>elist. 
 
 " It embraces the whole field of modern travels in Africa, and, like 
 ' Polar Seas and Regions,' is deserving the attention of every one who 
 pretends to keep pace with the progress of science and discovery." Jour, 
 of Commerce. 
 
 " In this volume is comprised much useful and entertaining Knowledge 
 concerning a country which has long been the subject of vague report 
 and conjecture; the theatre of visionary monsters, and the scene of the 
 most extravagant romance." A" Y. Standard. 
 
 " The names of the authors will satisfy the public that this is a work 
 which will command iheir admiration and credence. It is a sterling 
 addition (o that most excellent series, the Family Library.' Albany 
 Daily Advertiser. 
 
 " In the present work we have a perfect history of the discoveries 
 which have been attempted, from the time of Herodotus until the final 
 attempt of Rene Caill ; it is replete with interest." N. Y. Courier ,$ 
 Enquirer. 
 
 LIVES OF EMINENT PAINTERS AND SCULP- 
 TORS. By Allan Cunningham, Esq. In 3 vols. 
 18mo. "With Portraits. 
 
 " We advise all those of our readers who have any respect for our re- 
 commendation, to read these three volumes from beginning to ^j*** 
 are confident of the thanks of such as shall be induced by our aayice to 
 procure for themselves so great an enjoyment." N. Y. Mirror 
 P " We would recommend these volumes as being replete wuh interest- 
 ing incident and valuable historical matter. They are worthy of a promi- 
 nent place in the library of the scholar, and are of that descriptor, of 
 works which may be placed in the hands of the younger branches of 
 y, with , the assurance that they will impart both moral and intel- 
 
 nial imnrovement." Boston Masonic Mirror. 
 
 TheTves 'of distinguished artists, written by so popular an author, 
 can hardly fail of being duly appreciated by the reading commumty. - 
 
 * ThfsTonfoTihe best written and most instructive books of the 
 "S? l:,^?^aVe^nuH kind flowing in U. 
 
 "W^JESSSMSS a ^?of 3U*f '!- 
 terisUc anecdote , ofWh the author has known how to avail Imnself 
 
 W ""-au,horan admirable field of exertion,
 
 HISTORY OF CHIVALRY AND THE CRUSADES. 
 By G. P. It. James, Esq. With aix Engraving. 
 18mo. 
 
 " The present volume may safely be pronounced an ornament to the 
 literature of the day, and Mr. James be esteemed a writer of great clear- 
 ness and strength." JV. Y. Standard. 
 
 " The author of this work has done the public a service, which we think 
 will be duly appreciated." Christian. Herald. 
 
 " The period of the world to which this history relates is one most 
 interesting to readers generally." -V. Y. Mercantile. Advertiser. 
 
 "A more interesting, instructive, and amusing volume has not been 
 laid upon our taWe for many a day." Boston Statesman. 
 
 " Mr. James is well known as an agreeable writer ; and the subjects 
 of this volume are such as can scarcely fail to prove both amusing and 
 interesting." .V. V*. Daily Advertiser. 
 
 " The execution of this work is, like the rest of the Family Library, 
 elegant. The subject is of no little interest : and those who have read 
 ' Richelieu' and ' Darnley' will oe prepared to think favourably of any 
 production from the same pen." Constellation. 
 
 " The admirers of Mr. James's peculiar style of composition as exhibited 
 in his powerful productions of 'Darnley.' 'Richelieu,' ' De 1,'Orme,' &c 
 have now an opportunity to witness his equally successful efforts in 
 another department, where all classes of readers may unite in commend- 
 ing the subject, the treatise, and the author." American Traveller. 
 
 " The historical details embraced in this volume are extremely curious 
 and amusing ; and the accounts of ancient customs pertaining to the vari- 
 ous orders of knighthood engaged in the holy wars, furnish much pleasant 
 reading, as well as food for contemplation on the obsolete follies of man 
 kind." 2f. Y. Evening Journal. 
 
 LIFE OF MARY, Q,UEE1V OF SCOTS. By H. G. 
 Bell, Esq. In a vols. 18 mo. With a Portrait. 
 
 " It is decidedly the most interesting account we have ever seen of that 
 iovely and unfortunate being. We have always felt that Mary was inno- 
 cent of the great crimes charged against her by her furious and deadly 
 enemies : but our understanding was never before convinced. It was 
 with a feeling of eager joy, that we, for the first time in our lives, admit- 
 ted the full conviction of her innocence. The book is written with much 
 candour '' Massachusetts Journal. 
 
 " We find it imbued with all the interest of a romance, without de- 
 stroying the authenticity of the history. Mary was indeed an attractive 
 subject for the pen of a lively and gallant writer. In such hands, her 
 youth, her beauty, her station, and her misfortunes must have furnished 
 admirable themes on which to descant and wake up the sympathies of the 
 reader." Pennsylvania Inquirer. 
 
 "The life of the unfortunate queen is a subject of strong interest." 
 Constellation. 
 
 "The style of the author is succinct and clear, and is a good specimen 
 of historic composition." Standard. 
 
 " The reader will be pleased to learn that the life of Mary has been 
 written anew, by one who appears, both in temper and talent, extremely 
 well qualified for the task." N. Y. Atlas. 
 
 " We have heretofore made extracts from this work, whirh must have 
 given our readers a favourable opinion of the merits of the whole. We 
 have no difficulty in recommending a subject so interesting to the public." 
 Albion.
 
 ANCIENT AND MODERN EGYPT. By tlie Rev. 
 M. Russell, I<Li.D. \Vitii a Map and Engravings. 
 18mo. 
 
 " It is hardly possible to imagine a volume of more various Interest than 
 his." Baltimore American. 
 
 "A work that cannot be too warmly commended to the reading pub- 
 ic." Providence American. 
 
 " All that is known of Egypt is condensed into this history; and the 
 readers of" it will find themselves well repaid for their labour and money." 
 New-Haven Advertiser. 
 
 " This volume is the most interesting, as well as the most valuable, ot 
 he numbers yet published." Long Island Star. 
 
 " This is orie of the most valuable of the series of the Family Library. 
 Badger's Weekly Messenger. 
 
 " The information respecting the present state of this interesting coun- 
 ry will be found peculiarly valuable." Ifew- York Mirror. 
 
 " The work is written in a very happy style, and presents a mass o 
 knowledge of the most useful and instructive character, collected together 
 >y great industry and research." Baltimore Republican. 
 
 " We think the writer has performed his task with a singular degree i 
 ability and clearness." Tribune. 
 
 This is a volume of great interest." yew- York Standard. 
 
 -An account of this ancient kingdom, connected as it is with events < 
 the greatest importance both in sacred and profane history, cannot lai 
 be interesting t every person who has a taste for this species of know- 
 ledge." New-York Daily Advertiser. 
 
 " This work is fully equal to any that have appeared in the family Li- 
 brary, and that is one of the best of comoliments which can be paid it. 
 Albany Evening Journal. 
 
 HISTORY OP POLAND, from tlie earliest Period to 
 tlie present Time. By James Fletcher, Ea With 
 a Portrait of Kosciusko. ISmo. 
 
 This work recommends itself to public notice by its clear, concise, and 
 impartial history of a country and a people for whom the feelings ol e^ 
 lover of freedom are now deeply interested." -V. Y. Atlas. 
 
 "Of the writer's fairness and research we have a very good opinion , 
 and his book is just the thing that is wanted at the present moment. 
 
 *A more acce'pta'ble volume than this could not be presented to the 
 public." Courier & Enquirer. 
 
 A work of great interest." Albion. 
 
 \n work has for a long period been published here so deserving of 
 isp and so replete with interest." American Traveller. 
 
 Th h torv is well written, and is presented in a convenient and suc- 
 ci form "New-York Standard. 
 1 The present volume will prove, we think, highly acceptable 1 
 
 PU It C w"iil requir?no recomrnendations to induce the reading community 
 ,o pos^s!. themselves at one* of this valuable and authentic work."- 
 
 to^ 
 
 " It Treat" of a country and a people that attract at this moment the 
 Attention oAhe whole world ; and here there is not an individual who is 
 *,ot mterested!n the stru 2g !e'which the brave Poles are now engaged m 
 
 ^ 
 
 the 
 
 s not an individual wh 
 
 , Poles are now engage 
 
 t',r liberty and home." Mercantile Advertiser. 
 
 TT
 
 WORKS OP TIOTIOHT. 
 
 BULWER'S NOVELS. Printed and 
 bound uniformly in sets of 8 vol- 
 umes embracing " Pel ham," "the 
 Disowned," " Devereux," and 
 " Paul Clifford." 
 
 DARNLEY. A Novel. ByG.P. R. 
 JAMES, Author of "Richelieu." In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 DE L'ORME. A Novel. By the 
 Author of " Richelieu" and " Dam- 
 ley." 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 HAVERHILL. A Novel. By J. A. 
 JONKS, Esq. In2vols. 12ino. 
 
 TRAITS OF TRAVEL. A Novel. 
 In 2 vols. I2mo. By T. C. GRAT- 
 TAN, Author of "Highways and 
 Byways." 
 
 THE HEIRESS OF BRUGES. A 
 Tale. By the Author of " High- 
 ways and Byways," "Traits of 
 Travel," Ac. 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 MAXWELL. A Novel. By the 
 Author of " Sayings and Doings." 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 I.AWRIE TODD; OR, THE SET- 
 TLERS IN THE WOODS. By 
 JOHN GALT, Esq. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 SOUTHENNAN. A Novel. In 2 
 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 
 " Lawrie Todd," &c. &c. 
 
 WALTER COLYTON. A Tale. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. By HORACE 
 SMITH, Author of " Brambletye- 
 House," " Zillah," &c. &c. 
 
 THE NEW FOREST. A Novel. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. By the Author 
 of " Brambletye-House," " Zil- 
 lah," &c. &c. 
 
 THE COLLEGIANS. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. ]2mo. 
 
 THE RIVALS A Novel. By the 
 Author of "the Collegians," &c. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 HUNGARIAN TALES. In 2 vols. 
 12mo. By Mrs. GORE, Author of 
 " the Lettre de Cachet" and " Ro- 
 mances of Real Life." 
 
 ROMANCES OF REAL LIFE. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 FRANCE, IN 192930. By Lady 
 MORGAN. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 COMING OUT; and THE FIELD 
 OF THE FORTY FOOTSTEPS. 
 Novels. By Misses JANE and AN- 
 NA .MARIA PoRTML In 3 vols. 
 
 THE BARONY. A Novel. In 2 
 vols. 12nio. By Miss ANNA MA 
 RtA PORTER. 
 
 CLOUDESLEY. A Novel. In 2 
 vols. 12mo. By the Author of" Ca- 
 leb Williams," &c. 
 
 SKETCHES OF IRISH CHARAC-* 
 TER. By Mrs. SARAH C. HALL. 
 
 THE RIVALS OF ESTE ; and 
 other Poems. By JAMES G. and 
 M*KY E. Bi'.noK*. 12ino. 
 
 BEATRICE. A Tale, founded on 
 Facts. By Mrs. HOFLAND. In 2 
 Tols. 12ino. 
 
 CONTRAST. A Novel. ByRnoiNi 
 MARIA Uoi HE, Author of " the 
 Children of the Abbey," &c. &e. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE DENOUNCED. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. By the Authors of 
 " Tales by the O'Hara Family." 
 
 THE OXONIANS. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. By the Author of 
 "the Roue." 
 
 THE COUNTRY CURATE. By 
 the Author of "the Subaltern." In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 ROMANCE of HISTORY. FRANCE. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. By LEITCH 
 RiTCHiK, Esq. 
 
 ROMANCE of mSTORY. SPAIN. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. By Don T. DE 
 
 'J'RrEBA. 
 
 THE INCOGNITO; or, SINS AND 
 PECCADILLOES. A Novel. By 
 the Author of " Romance of His- 
 tory," " the Castilian," &c. 
 
 THE TALBA. A Novel. By Mrs. 
 BRAV, Author of " the White 
 Hoods," " the Protestant," <fcc. 
 
 STORIES OF WATERLOO, AND 
 OTHER TALES. In 2 vols. 
 
 WAVERLEY; OR, TIS SIXTY 
 YEARS SINCE. A Novel. In 2 
 vols. 12mo. Revised, corrected, 
 and enlarged by the Author. 
 
 DE LISLE. A Novel. 2 vols. 12mo.
 
 Jpi'ctittotts 
 
 ST. \ AI.ENTINE'S DAY; or, THE 
 FAIR MAID OF PERTH. By 
 the Author of " Waverley." In 2 
 vols. 12ino. 
 
 THE DOOM OF DEVORGOIL ; 
 ami AUCHINDRANE. By the 
 Author of Waverley." 12mo. 
 
 ALMACK'S REVISITED ; or, HER- 
 BERT MILTON. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 YESTERDAY IN IRELAND. A 
 
 Novel, lu 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 WALDEGRAVE. A Novel. In 2 
 vols 12mo. 
 
 THE ADVENTURES of a KING'S 
 PAGE, A Novel. 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 TALES AND SKETCHES. By a 
 Country Schoolmaster. 12mo. 
 
 SEPARATION. A Novel. By La- 
 dy CHARLOTTE BTKY, Author of 
 " Flirtation." In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE EXCLUSIVES. A Novel. In 
 2 vols. 12nio. 
 
 LIFE OF MANSIE WAIICH, TAI- 
 LOR IN DALKEITH. 12mo. 
 
 THE LOST HEIR; and THE PRE- 
 DICTION. A Novel. In 2 vols. 
 
 THE SUBALTERN'S LOG-BOOK. 
 A Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 FOSCARINI. A Novel. In 2 vols. 
 
 HAJ.II BABA. A Novel. In2vols- 
 
 POSTHUMOUS PAPERS, FACE- 
 TIOUS .VXD FANCIFUL, 12mo. 
 
 APICIAN MORLELS. A Comical 
 Work. With Cuts. 12mo. 
 
 STORIES OF A BRIDE. In 2 
 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE SCHOOL OF FASHION. A 
 Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 RYBRENT DE CRUCE. A Novel. 
 In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE ENGLISH AT HOME. A 
 Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 THE LAST OF THE PLANTA- 
 GENETS. An Historical Ro- 
 mance. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 
 TALES OF MILITARY LIFE. In 
 2 vols. 12mo. By ihe Author of 
 " the Military Sketch-Book." 
 
 STRATTON HI LL. A Tale of the 
 
 Civil Wars. In 2 vols. lmo. 
 PEACE CAMPAIGNS OF A COH 
 
 NET. A Novel. In 2 vols. 12mo. 
 PRIVATE LIFE. A Novel In 2 
 
 vols. 12mo. 
 TALES OF THE WEST. 2 vols 
 
 12mo. By the Author of " Letters 
 
 from the East." 
 THE TUILERIES. A Novel. In 
 
 2 vols. 12mo. 
 ROMANCE AND REALITY. A 
 
 Novel. By L. E. L. In 2 vois. 12mo. 
 THE KING'S SECRET. A Novel. 
 
 In 2 vols. 12mo 
 
 JACQUELINE OF HOLLAND. B> 
 
 T. C. GRATTAN, Esq. In 2 vols. 
 ROXOBEL- By Mrs. SHERWOOD. 
 In 3 vols. 18mo. 
 
 In Press, 
 HARPER'S FAMILY LIBRARY - 
 
 Of this work, which is intended ic 
 combine the two objects of insinc- 
 tion and amusement, romprisi ig 
 as much entertaining matter as 
 can be given along with useful 
 knowledge, and as mucn know- 
 ledge as can be conveyed in an 
 amusing form, several volumes 
 are already published. 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF SELECT 
 NOVELS which will embrace no 
 works but such as have received 
 the impress of general appro- 
 bation, or have been written by 
 authors of established character. 
 Several volumes are now pul;- 
 lished. See Catalogue. 
 
 DRAMATIC LIBRARY Beirg se- 
 lections from popular standard 
 Dramatic writers ; illustrated with 
 Explanatory Notes, and adapted 
 to Family reading, by the omis- 
 sion of all exceptionable passages 
 Several volumes are already pub- 
 lished. See Catalogue. 
 
 FAMILY CLASSICAL LIBRARY; 
 or English translations of the 
 most valuable Greek and Latin 
 Classics. Several volumes are 
 now published. See Catalogue.
 
 NEW WORKS, 
 
 Recently published by J. & J. HARPER, New- York 
 
 
 
 History of Modern Europe, 3 v. 8vo. 
 Life of Byron, by Moore. -2v. 8vo. 
 Cooper's Surg. Dictionary, 2 v.Svo. 
 Hooper's Metl. Dictionary, 2 v. 8vo. 
 Wesley's Works 10 T. 8vo. 
 Wesley's Miscel. Works- .3 v. 8vo. 
 
 Lives of Signers of Dec. Ind. 12mo 
 Brooks's Poems 12mo. 
 
 Schoberl's Christianity 12mo. 
 Art of Invigorai.ng Life Irtjiio 
 Smart's Horace 2 vols. I8uio. 
 The Northern Traveller 18n:. 
 Milman'sHist.oflheJew8,3v.l8inf> 
 Locktiart's Napoleon . . .2 v. 18rnn 
 Southey's Life of Nelson . . 18mo 
 Williams's Alex, the Great, Ifti.o. 
 
 
 Good's Study of Medicine, 5 T. 8vo. 
 Good's Book of Nature 8vo. 
 
 Crahb's English Synonymes. .8vo. 
 Brown's Bible Dictionary 8vo. 
 
 Bush's Life of Mohammed . 18mo 
 
 Da vies's Surveying 8vo. 
 Gibson's Surveying 8vo. 
 
 Scott on Deinonology l^rmj 
 Gleig's Bible History. . -2*v. ismo 
 Polar Seas and Regions iNno 
 Croly's Life of George IV. . . ibiao. 
 Adventure, Jec. in Africa- .lt?mo 
 Lives of Painters, &c.. .3 v. lomo 
 James's History of Chivalry ISmo 
 Mary QU'-i-n of Scots . . 2 v. I8mo 
 
 Dibdin's Reminiscences 8vo. 
 
 Life of Dr. Clarke 8vo. 
 Neele's Life and Remains 8vo. 
 French Revolution, 1830. ..12mo. 
 France, by Laily Morgan. 2 v. 12mo. 
 Housekeeper's Manual 12mo. 
 
 Massinger's Plays 3 v. 18m.> 
 
 
 Rom. of History, Spnm.2v. lamx 
 Rom. of History, Franct 2v i2inu. 
 Hungxhan Tales 2v. ;2m<. 
 Contrast 2v. l-2mo 
 
 
 Devereux 2 v. 12mo. 
 Paul Clifford 2v. 12mo. 
 
 
 
 Dutchman's Fireside... 2 T. 12mo. 
 Cyril Thornton 2 v. 12mo. 
 The Young Duke 2 v. 12mo. 
 Anastasius 2 v. T2mo. 
 Caleb Williams ST. 12mo. 
 
 Darnley 2 v. l/:rio 
 Lawrie Todd 2v. |2o 
 Beatrice 2 v. 12m> 
 Yesterday in Ireland. ... 2 v. 12mo 
 Tales of the West 2 v. I2mo 
 St. Valentine's Day,<kc. 2 v. 12mo. 
 Waldegrave 2 v. 12mo 
 Adventures of a Page . 2 v. :2mo 
 Rybrent De Cruce 2 v 12mo 
 The School of Fashion, 2 v. 12, no 
 
 Incognito 2 T. 12mo. 
 
 The Talba 2 v. 12mo. 
 
 
 Walter Colyton 2 v. 12nio. 
 
 Almack's Revisited 2 v. 1 2mo 
 Campaigns of a Cornel, 2 v. 12mo 
 Tales of Military Life . -2 v. 12rno 
 
 The Lost Heir 2 v. 1 2mo. 
 
 The English at Home . .2 v. 12mo. 
 Coming Out &c 2v 12nio 
 
 Stories of Waterloo 2 v. I2mo 
 The Coumry Curate 2 v 12mo 
 Maxwell 2 v. J2mo 
 The Oxonians 2 v. 12mo 
 The Denounced 2 v. 12mo 
 Doom of Devorgoil ' . 12mo 
 Apii-i.-m Morsels' l'2nM> 
 Sketches of Irish Character- .12mo 
 Leggett's Tales. &c. !?na 
 
 Southcnnan 2 v. ]2mo. 
 Hajji Baha 2 v. ISino. 
 De Lisle 2v. 12mo. 
 Traits of Travel 2v. J2mo. 
 ThP New Forest 2 v. 12mo. 
 Heiress of Bruges 2 v. 12mo. 
 The Collegians.... .....2*. 12mo. 
 
 Hbhikn&ea of R! lift. 2 V 12ma. 
 
 Dian- of a PtoNisician ISnio

 
 voi 
 HARPER'S FAVfLY LIBRAJRY 
 
 
 vola.