. l'>tUr,u,st,-r Rr^ , BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, i^:c, &;c, (^c. WITH OBSERVATIONS, CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY. SPARTA COEGI. By JOHN CHARNOCK, Esq. F. S. A. AUTHOR OF THE BIOCRAPHIA NAVAI.TS, AND THE IIISTORY PF MARINE ARCniTECTURiP, HontJon : TRINTED FOR 11. D. SYMONDS, PATER\OST£R-ROW ; J. I^AT- CHARD, PICCADILLY ; AND BLACK AND PARRY, i.EADENH ALL-STREET, 180(i liNRY MORSE STCFHEH8 JOTCE GOID, PH INTER, SHOE t.ASI. • • -• -•" PREFACE. A PREFACE is generally unnecessary, and often impertinent; that is to say, it is unnecessary to the reader ; far otherwise to the author of a book. It is a vehicle, like the armed chariots of old, in which he proudly sits, displaying his own importance and superiority, while the wheels of invective on which it rolls, pass without mercy over those unfortunate wights Avho have attempted to possess themseh^es even of the smallest corner of that peculiar province, of which he himself perhaps is an impudent usurper. Some- times too, to use an humbler simile, he conde- scends to play in it the part of a pufiing pre- cursor to a shoAV, who, with much noise of drum and trumpet, proclaims the mighty tilings whick a2 rr •> .1 Q '^ iv l^REFACE. you shall see and hear ; and iiaving pocketed your money, ushers you behind the curtain, and leaves you in the lurch, to grumble at his wretched tragi- comedy, or to laugh at the awkwardness of his company of performers. These observations, however ludicrous the manner in which they are here offered may seem, are gravely intended, and well meant. The Author of this volume, in making them, enjoys a certain degree of self- congratulation, when he reflects, that the nature of his subject must ex- empt from such censure, and save from such ri- dicule, the few prefatory lines which he hopes his readers will agree with him are not wholly un- necessary. A subject on which, as his humble endeavours, with exceptions scarcely worth naming, have the honour to be first exerted, he has no competitors to envy or to blame. . A sub- ject so splendid in its story, so notorious in the infinite ubiquity of its fame, that he needs only refer his readers to his title page, to bespeak their attention. It) however, he be thus fortunately exempted PREFACE. V from painful tricks and expedients of recommcu- dation, he feels, and painfully too, the weight of the task which he here essays to perform. — The briUiancy and publicity of his theme, of which but now he boasted, overwhelm him with the sense of his own inadequacy to such an at- tempt. He will offer an apology on the only ground where, apologies ought ever to be rested, on the ground of truth and sincerity, in a can- did avowal of the motives which have induced him, from time to time, to collect, and now to present to the public, a sketch of the memoirs of Lord Nelson'. An enthusiastic attachment to the naval ser- vice, and all that relates to it, has been, from his childhood, his ruling passion. It has led him, in more instances than one, to devote his pen to the illustration of its mechanical ceco- nomy, and to the biography of many of its numberless heroes. With a disposition so in- clined, and habits so fixed, it became his fortune to gain some personal knowledge of the great man whose memory he now seeks to consecrate ; and that occasional intercourse took place in the VI PREFACE. house of the late Captain William Locker, Lieutenant-Governor of Greenwich Hospital, with whom the Author may presume to boast of many years' strict intimacy and friendship, and whose high character in pubhc service, and in private hfe, are above his powers of praise. That excellent officer, as we shall see, was, in a manner, Lord Nelson's professional father. By him, a thousand traits and anecdotes were communi- cated, in that exquisite manner of simplicity and feeling which belonged almost peculiarly to him- self.— By him the present work was suggested, even during the life of his Lordship, almost in the form of a request; certain materials,' whose value will speak for them in the course of the ensuing pages, have been since supplied by his estimable family. Thus, w^ith an original bias to the subject, some aid of private intel- ligence relative to it, and, perhaps above all, pushed on to the undertaking by the late pro- digious conclusion of the Hero's triumph, have promoted the Author's presumption in elevoting his feeble powers to their celebration. Of the mode in which he 'has executed his PREFACE. VIl task, the reader must judge for liiniself, recollect- ing always, that the work affects only the cha- racter of memoirs. A hfe of Lord Nelson, properly given, would perhaps involve some years of the general history of Europe. A detail even of naval exploits, which have ek tended from the Nile to the Baltic, nay, which have shone in almost every sea that bears a distinct denomination, could not possibly be confined to a single volume. The Author claims little merit beyond that, ■which, of right, belongs to a faithful collector and reporter of much authentic intelligence, that had been before widely scattered under the public eye. He hopes, by this faithful miniature representation of Lord Nelson, to correct the defects and mistakes of such mi- serable sketches as have already appeared, and to furnish an outline to those who may, in fu- ture, be inclined to amplify on a subject which affords such boundless space. Should a work of that kind be undertaken by no one else, he may, at some future time, produce his best endeavours to that effect, lie means to dc- Xm PREFACE. vote to them all tlie favourable intervals which an uncertain state of health, and many pain- ful private concerns may allow him. He craves, in the mean time, to the defects of the present performance, that candour of criticism which is seldom denied to unavoidable imper^ fee tions. CONTENIS. Preliminary Introduction to the Memoirs of Lord Nelson, page 1 — Hb desccnt,4. — Time of his birth, ibid. — Sent to the public school at Norwich, ibid. — Removed to North Walsham, ibid. — Enters on board the Raisonable, of 64 guns, under his maternal uncle, Capt. Maurice Suckling, 5.— Bio- graphical Memoirs of that Officer, ibid. — 'Raisonable put out of commission, 7. — Mr. Nelson makes a voyage to the West I dies, under the care of Mr. Rathbone^ 8. — Returns from thence, and is appointed a Midshipman on board the Triumph, ibid. — Received on board the Carcass, as Coxswain, 9. — Pro- ceeds on a voyage for the discovery of the North West pas- sage, under the orders of the Hon. Constantine Phipps, af- terwards Lord Mulgrave, 10. — Memoirs of that Nobleman, ibid. — Instance of the confidence and trust reposed in him, 15 -—Anecdote of his pursuing a Bear, ibid. — Returns to Eng- land, and proceeds to the East Indies, on board the Seahorse, of 20 guns, under the orders of Captain Farmer, 16. — Me- moirs of that Officer, ibid. — Compelled, on account of his ill health, to return to England, by order of Commodore Hughes, 21 — Memoirs of that Officer, ibid.— Embarks on board the Dolphin, 22 — Appointed, immediately after his ar- rival, to be acting Lieutenant of the Worcester, commanded by Captain Robinson, 24— Memoirs of that Officer, 25— The high opinion entertained by him of Mr. Nelson, 26 -; b X CONTENTS. Promoted to be Second Lieutenant of the Lowestoffe, com- manded by Captain Locker, 27 — Memoirs of that Officer, ibid. — Proceeds to Jamaica, 29 — Appointed Commander of a Tender, 31 — Anecdote concerning his conduct in boarding an American prize, 32— Mr. Nelson appointed Third Lieuten- ant of the Bristol, under Rear-Admiral Sir Peter Parker, 33 —Memoirs of that Officer, ibid. — Mr. Nelson promoted to the command of the Badger sloop of war, 35 — Ordered to the Musquito shore, ibid — Preserves Captain Lloyd, and the crew of the Glasgow, from being burnt, ibid— Advanced to be Captain of the Hinchinbroke, of 20 guns, 36— Appointed to command the batteries which defended the entrance to Port Royal, ibid. — Ordered on an expedition into the Gulf of Mexico, ibid. — His gallantry and very conspicuous conduct, 37 — Taken ill, and returns to Jamaica, passenger on board the Victor sloop, 38 — Promoted to be Captain of the Janus, of 44 guns, ibid — Obliged to relinquish that appointment on account of the continued ill state of his health, ibid.— -Re- turns to England, as a passenger on board the Lion, com- manded by the Hon. Captain Cornwallis, ibid.— Memoirs of that Officer, ibid. — Captain Nelson, on his arrival, repairs to Bath, 39— His speedy recovery, 40 — Appointed to the Al- bemarle, of 28 guns, 42 — Ordered to Newfoundland, 43 — His distinguished conduct on a cruise off Boston, ibid. — Pro- ceeds to Quebec, and from thence to Nc\v York, 44 — Pro- ceeds to the West Indies to join Lorj^ ** of getting a skin for my father." The farther prosecution of the voyage l^eing given up soon after the anecdote just mentioned had taken place, the ships returned to England, and were paid off in the month of October fol- lowing. A fresh opportunity, however, of in- dulging his thirst for rendering himself com- pletely master of his profession occurred very soon afterwards. A small squadron was order- ed to be fitted out for the East Indies ; and our youthful adventurer entered on board the Sea- horse, of twenty guns, w^hich vessel was then commanded by the gallant Captain Farmer,* * George Farmer was advanced to the rank of lieutenant ia tlie navy, on the 23d of May, 1759, and to that of commander • tlie 26th of JV^y, 176S. We know not to what particular ship he was first appointed ; but in 1769 he was conanissioned to the Swift sloop of war, and ordered out to Falkland islands. I^jb arrived there in safety early in the ensuing year, but unfortu- nately suffered shipwreck on the 13th of March following at Port Desire, on the coast of Patagonia. The sloop had un- happily grounded on a sand-bank, just at high-water, but remained during the ebb ia perfect safety, though Captain Farmer and his crew were, during the whole time, in a state of most anxious uncertainty. The tide had began to flow, when the hope of then: deliverance, which had progressively strength- LORD VlseOUNT NELSON. fj who, some years afterwards, lost his life on board the Quebec, in an engagement with the- #• ened, was at once almost annihilated, by the Swift having slipped off the rock, overset, and sunk to the bottom in nine fatjiotn water. Tliis melancholy accident being totally unexpected, the crew, who, in the midst of tlieir distress, were fortunate enough to save their lives, were reduced to the utmost extremity, most of them who had been labouring incessantly during the whole preceding tide, in the hope of preserving the ship from further mischief than she had by the first accident sustained, being left almost destitute of covering. This circumstance was rendered additionally alarming in that inhospitable climate, by the rapid approach of winter. The countiy was barren to a degree scarcely credible, considering it a continent. It was destitute even of water, except what was produced from two old wells; destitute of every article that could contribute to the support of life, except the sea weed, which was thrown up above high water mark, while, at the same time, the internal resources amounted to no more than a single biscuit for each man per day : nevertheless in this wretched state were Captain Farmer and his crew compelled to remain during twenty-nine days. • Immediately on the Swift being cast away, Mr. William White, then a master's mate, and who aftenvards in 1783 most deservedly obtained the rank of post-captain in the navy, was • dispatched with six volunteers to Falkland islands, as the only certain means of obtaining relief. The attempt was ha- zardous, particularly in those tempestuous seas, the distance being upwards of one hundred and thirty leagues; but Pro- vidence favoured their bold undertaking, and success crowned it. The Favourite sloop, commanded by Captain Maltby, instantly sailed to the relief of the sufferers,' and took them all safely on board on the 12th of April. The dispute with the Spaniards having risen to no inconsiderable height in th-itquar, C li MEMOIRS OF Surveillante, a French frigate of very superior force. The climate of India ill suitiqo Mr. Nel- ter, the British force, completely inadequate to the purpose of maintaining that right it was sent to defend against the for- midable armaments, comparatively speaking, which his anta- gonists brought against it, was compelled with great re- ' luctance to give them up quietly that, possession, which otherwise would have been extorted by force, and would have occasioned the most Serious consequences, and mmecessary bloodshed. Captain Farmer returned to England with his people in the month of September, as passengers on board the same vessel, which delivered tliem from their distress in the former instance, the Favourite sloop of war. On the 10th of January, 1771> having been previously most honourably acquitted of all blame by a court-martial held for the purpose of enquiring into the loss of the'Swift, he was promoted to the rank of post-cap- tain, and commissioned to the Launceston ; but this appoint- ment having, as is very customary in time of peace, been made out merely as a matter of form, he quitted that ship immediately afterwards, and does not appear to have held any subsequent command till the year 1773, or the succeeding, when he was appointed to the Seahorse of twenty guns, and ordered to the East Indies. He continued there we believe to the year 1778^ and having then returned to England, was very soon after his arrival, appointed to the Quebec frigate of thirty- two guns. Being ordered out on a cruize off Ushant, in the month of Sep- tember, he fell in, on the 4th of the ensuing month, with the Surveillante, a French frigate of the largest construction then in service, carrying twenty-eight eighteen pounders on her main- deck, and twelve or fourteen twelve and six-pounders on her quarter-deck and forecastle, manned with a chosen crew of three hundred and sixty men ; while the force of the Quebec amounted to no more than two hundred and twenty men, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. Ip son^s constitution, which, strange to say, was then, and ever afterwards continued to be, ex- twenty-six twelve-pounders on her main-deck, with six six- pounders on her quarter-deck and forecastle. The encounter commenced at nine o'clock in the morning, the enemy having then opened their iire on the Quebec, but at too great a di- stance to effect any considerable execution. Captain Farmer, however, did not return their salute till an hour afterwards, during the whole of which interval, the two ships continued gradually to approach each other. Being then, as he judged, sufficiently near to do execution, he hoisted his colours and be- gan to engage, still continuing to close with the Surveillante, till he got within pistol shot. The French frigate was totally dismasted, after a very severe action of three hours and a half's continuance, and appeared on the point of surrendering, when unfortunately the main and fore-masts of the Quebec, which had been very severely wounded in the former part of the en- gagement, in which also the mizen-raast had been already car- ried away, fell almost at the same instant. The yards and tattered remnants of the sails falling down on the deck, im- mediately took fire from the tiash of the Quebec's own guns, for the spirits of the crew were raised to tliat degree of eager- ness, that the utmost efibrts of their officers could not for some few minutes induce them to desist from the encounter. In that short interval tlie dreadful mischief had taken place, and fatally spread beyond the power of extinction. Owing to the disabled state of the Quebec, the people were rendered almost totally incapable of making any exertions for the preservation of the ship ; so that her destruction was almost inevitable, from the first moment the accident took place. Some of the officers, and several of the seamen, were picked up by the boats of the Rambler cutter who was in company, and had sustained a very sharp action with a vessel of her own description, in which her gaft was shot a^ay, many C 2 ^O MEMOIRS OF tremely delicate, Commodore Hughes^ wlia persons were also taken up by the Surveillante. Several of the crew swam on board that ship, among whom was the first lieutenant, one of wjiose arms was broken, and who was also othenvise wounded. Having for a long time endeavoured to persuade Captain Farmer to accompany him, but in vain, he at length stripped himself, and fortunately got oh board the Sur- veillante, which ship was found to be herself in the greatest distress: she was on fire, and had been so much damaged in the action, that, without the assistance of their English visitors, little doubt is entertained, that she either would have been burnt, or have foundered. So great was the apprehension en- tertained by the French sailors of their antagonists, that they re- fused for some time to admit them on board, fearing they might take tlie ship from them, till their officers, who, in justice to them we must observe, behaved in every respect like humane and benevolent men of honour, compelled them to afford their former foes every assistance in their power. Mr. George erro- neously stated that the Surveillante fired at his boats, which were sent to take up those of the sufferers whom he might find in the water. This misrepresentation is supposed to have arisen, either from some of the Quebec's own guns gohig off when the flames reached them, or the casual discharge of some few shot from the Surveillante at the Quebec, under the idea that resist- ance had not totally ceased. In the great confusion which must then ha e prevailed, such a mistake might easily have been made. Captain Farmer, who had been very severely, and, as it was believed, mortally wounded in the action, is said by some of the survivors who attended him, to liave pulled oft" his coat and committed himself to the sea, after remaining on board nearly tilUhe last man; but, bs might have naturally been foreseen* was drowned in his attempt to get on boaid either tlie enemy's .frigate, or the Rambler cutter. Mr. George, wlio commanded LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 21 commanded in chief on that station,* thought proper to send him to England on board the the Rambler, concludes his account of the action with the fol- lowing well-deserved encomium on the memory and gallantry of Captain Farmer. "I want words (says l.e) suthcient to describe the noble and gallant flianner of Captain Farmer's engaging the enemy, for upwards of three hours and a half that he lay alongside the frigate, which carried twenty-eight eighteen pounders on her main-deck, and twelve guns on her quarter-deck and forecastle. The Quebec continued burning very fiercely, with her colours flying, till six o'clock, when slie blew up." Immediately on the news of the above melancholy event having arrived in England, the son of Captain Farrtier was, as a pubhc testimony given of the high sense entertained of his father's conduct, advanced to the dignity of a baronet of Cireat Britain. * Mr. afterwards Sir Edward, Hughes, was the descendant of a respectable family in the county of Hertford, and having a predilection forthesea, entered into the service when verjyoung* The first particular mention we find made of him is, that aftCj. the taking of Porto Bello he was promoted by Mr. Vernon, the commander in chief, to a lieutenancy, for his conduct during the siege of that place, his commission being dated on the 25th of August, 1740. In the year 1747 he sailed as a passenger in the Warwick (being then only a lieutenant) to Louisbourg, carrying a special recommendation to Commodore Knowles, and was by him appointed to the command of the Lark, pro tempore f as successor to Captain Crookshanks, her commander, who was suspended. After the conclusion of the trial which took place on Captain Crookshanks, he being totally dismissed from all command, Mr. Hughes was regularly appointed to the Lark, by commission bearing date the 6tli of February, 1747»-8i which being afterwards confirmed by the admiralty-board, he accordingly took rank as post-captain from that vei-y hour,. jF?onj this time, till that of his rec^ving the rank of cQm-y i'Z MEMOIRS OF Dolphin, a frigate, then under orders to sail for Europe ; and gratitude, as well as justice, re- Modore, about the year 1774, though frequently engaged in active service, nothing very remarkable occurred to merit par- ticular notice, except his intermediate appointments. In 1756 he was commissioned to the Deal-castle, of twenty-four guns; and in 1757 was removed to the Somerset, a third rate, then on the American station, in which ship he served with the highest credit in the memorable expedition against Louisbourg, under the command of Mr. Boscawen, as he- afterwards did in that luidertaken against Quebec, by Sir Ciiarles Saunders and General Wolfe. Towards the latter part of the war he was removed by Sir Charles Saunders into the Neptune, of ninety guns, on board- which ship Sir Charles had hoisted his flag, and in which he accompanied him to the Mediterranean, in the spring of the year 176O. From the conclusion of hostilities till the year 1770, he was unemployed. He was then ap- pointed to the Somerset, and after retaining the command of that ship thiee years, was, at the beginning of the year 1774, raised to the rank of commodore, and appointed to the East- India station, whither he repaired in the Isis, of fifty guns, and without meeting with any occurrence worth notice during the time he held the command there, returned to Europe in 1777> being succeeded by Sir Edward Vernon. Soon after his arrival in Europe, he was honoured by his sovereign with the order of the Bath, and being raised to the rank of rear-admiral of the blue on the 23d of January, 1778, was in the beginning of the ensuing year again appointed to the chief command in the East Indies; for which station, having hoisted his flag on board the Superb, of seventy-four guns, he immediately sailed, taking with him, besides his own ship, two otliers of seventy-four, and three of sixty-four guns. On his passage thither, he reduced the French settlement at Gt)ree, and on his arrival in India, finding his own squadron fully capable of encountering whatever force the French could LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^3 quires us to state, that the very humane atten- tion he received when in his infirm state of collect, he dispatched Comiiiodore Vernon with the ships he found on that station under his command, to Europe. Every thing remained in j)erfoct tranquillity till the latter end of the year 17hi ; when Monsieur de SufFrein, who had been detached by the French court to India with a squadron of five sail of the line, and several others, armed en flute, arrived there. Hosti- lities immediately commenced, and Sir Edward, having pre- viously been joined by three ships of the line, and one of fifty guns, W3S not backward in seeking the enemy. On the 17th of February a partial engagement took place, which lasted three hours, five ships only of Sir Edward's squadron being engaged, owing to the wind, with eight of the enemy. Both armaments suffered considerably, and the British proceeded to Trincomal^, where it arrived on the S^th, to refit, which was done with such expedition, as to enable it to put to sea again on the 4th of March. On the 30th Sir Edward was joined by two more ships of the line from England ; and on the twelfth of the fol- lowing month, was again enabled to bring the French to ac- tion. In this engagement, though no ship was taken, the ad- vantage was evidently in favour of the English ; and indeed Monsieur Sutfrein's own ship was so severely handled, that he was obliged to shift his flag to another ; and at length the whole of the French squadron was obliged to retire in the greatest disorder. This contest decided tlie superiority of Britain in those seas ; for though the French commander made a shew on the 19th of again attacking the English squadron, ia hopes of cutting off the Monmouth, which lay completely dis- masted, yet Sir Edward made so judicious a disposition of his force, that the former thought proper to haul his wind, and soon after to quit, for a time, these seas, where he had hoped to have reigned triumphant. Sir Edward again sailed in search of the French squadron on ^4 MEMOIRS OF health from Captain J. Pigot, who then com«» manded the Dolphin, contributed in a great de-. gree to the preservation of his life, which was for a considerable time in the most imminent danger. The air of his native country operated like a magical charm on the constitution of this enter- prising young man. He recovered so speedily, that, though the Dolphin was not paid off till the 24th of December, 1776, on the 26th of the same month he was appointed, by order from Sir James Douglas, then commander in chief at Portsmouth, to be acting lieutenant of the Wor- cester, a third rate, commanded by Capto Mark Ihe 20th of June, but no encounter took place during the re- jnainder of the year, and be was afterwards joined by Sir Richard Bickerton, with a'reinforcementof six sail of the line, and the Bristol of fifty guns. Hostilities had ceased in Europe early in the year 1783, but the intelligence had not reached India in the month of June, at which time, the admiral bemg off Cuddalore, the enemy "again appeared in sight ; a heavy cannonade took place, which continued three hours, when the French again thought proper to haul off. On the 2 2d they were again descried off Pondicherry, but no encounter took place. Sir Edward in;mediately proceeded to Madras, where certain intelligence being received that peace was concluded^ hostiUties ceased, and Sir Edward returned to England; after which he never took upon him any otiier command. He was advanced to be vice-admiral of the red on the 24th of Sept. ^787> apd afterwards, on the 1st of February, 1793, to be ad- jnrui al of the blue. He died, universally beloved and respected, on tlie 1 7th of February, 1794. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ' ij Robinson,* which ship was then under sailing orders for Gibraltar, with a convoy. Mr. Nel- * The services of this gentleman, previous to his attaining the rank of post-captain, are but little known, except tiiat he served a3 a lieutenant on board the Ramillies, about the year 1757, that ship then bearing the flag of Sir Edward Hawke. He was on the loth of Au:>ust, 176O, advanced to tlie rank first mentioned, by being appointed captain of the Vanguard, a third rate ; though some accounts state him to have com- iraiided the Lis of fifty guns, in the very early part of that year. In IjG^ he received a commission for the Rainbow of forty-four guns, which ship he is believed to have quitted at tli^ end of the war, nor is he known to have been again em- ployed till 1767, when he received the command of tlie Fowey, of twenty-four guns ; and the settlement of the Falk_ land Islands being then in contemplation , is reported to have been ordered into the southern Atlantic. He returned how- ever to England in 1769 ; nor did he again fill any active sta- tion till some time in the year 1775, when he was commis- sioned to the Worcester, one ot the guardships at Portsmouth, luountinji sixty-four guns. This command he held till the beginning of the year 1779, when the Worcester being under orders for the East Indies, he quitted her, and was promoted, in the month of March, to the Shrewsbury, of seventy-four guns. Daring the time, however, that he retained the com- mand of the Worcester, that ship constituted a part of the Channel fleet, and he was materially engaged in the action that took place off Ushant with the French fleet under Count d'Or- viiliers, on the 27th of July, 1778, being appointed to lead the rear division, commanded by Sir Hugh Palliser. He was after^ wards ordered to reinforce Sir George Rodney in the West Indies, but did not reach his destination till after the encoun- ters with the Count de Guichen had taken place. Nothing of any material consequence happened to this gentleman until iffter his return to the West Indies from North America, whi- 26 MEMOIRS OF \ son retained this station till the month of April following, and displayed during the whole of a very long disagreeable winter's cruize in the Bay of Biscay, the same attention to his duty which had so deservedly acquired him the love and the esteem of every officer he had before sailed with. Captain Robinson is, in particular, said to have declared to his friends, that notwiihstanding Mr. Nelson's youth, he being then little more than eighteen years old, he felt himself quite as easy therhe accompanied Sir George Rodney. In 1781 he mate- rially distinguished himself in the action which took place be- tween the greater part of the British fleet detached under the orders of Sir Samuel Hood, and the French armament com- manded by the Count de Grasse. In that encounter he led the division of Rear-admiral Drake; and though he displayed, as indeed he did on all occasions, the greatest gallantry, he had the good fortune to sustain but little loss, having only six men killed and fourteen wounded. He however experienced a more severe injury on the 5th of September following, at the battle off the Chesapeak: for Sir Samuel Hood having proceeded, in the month of August, with part of the West-India squadron to America, immediately sailed with Mr. Graves and his squadron in quest of the enemy. Jji the engagement which took place, the Shrewsbury, from the disposition of the fleet, led into ac- tion, and received more damage than any other of the British squadron, having had fourteen men killed, and fifty-two wounded. Unfortunately for himself and his country. Captain Robinson was among the latter, having lost a leg by a cannon shot. He recovered this misfortune, but ceased acting as a naval oflicer. He was however gratified with a pension of three hun- dred pounds a year; and when by seniority he became entitled to a flag, was placed on the list of superann^atcd admirals. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 27 in the most boisterous night, when it was his turn to command the watch, as when it was that of the oldest officer in the ship. The necessary period of service in the subor- dinate station of midshipman or mate being ex- pired, Mr. Nelson passed his examination on the 8th of April, 1777, and acquitted himself on the occasion with such high credit, that on the fol- lowing day he received a commission as second lieutenant of the LowestofFe, of thirty-two guns» a frigate, commanded by Captain William Locker,* afterwards lieutenant-governor of * This brave man was the son of Mr. John Locker, a gen- tleman highly esteemed in the literary world for his knowledge in polite literature, and remarkable for his skill in the modern Greek language. His mother was the daughter of Stillingfleet, Bishop of Worcester, by his lordship's first wife, and was con- sequently sister to the celebrated Benjamin Stillingfleet. Being destined by his parents for the sea service, he began his career in that line under the protection of Captain Wyndhara, a distauj. relative, at the early age of fourteen, in the year 1746', and ac- companied Iihn on board the Kent of seventy guns, of which ship that gentleman then held the command. On the decease of his patron, which happened very soon after his appointment to the Kent, Mr. Locker was removed to the Vainqueur sloop, Captain Kirk, under whom he continued to serve in that and other vessels on the Jamaica station, till removed into the flag- ship of Admiral Knowles, the Cornwall. This situation he soon quitted, and was again put under the command of Captain Kirk, with \\ horn he returned to Europe in the Elizabeth, in the year 1748. Hostilities having ceased, and Mr. Locker wishing to perfect himself in maritime afiiiirs, he entered into the East-India ser- 28 MEMOIRS OF Greenwich hospital, who was appointed to that ship, on a three years station at the island of vice, and made two or three voyages to their most distant set- tlements, by which means he became a great proficient in the knowledge of his duty as a seaman. War against France recommencing in the year 1756, he re- turned to the king's service, and served under Sir Edward Hawke as a mate and acting lieutenant, in which stations he attracted his notice so much, that when he was sent out to the Mediterranean for the purpose of superceding Mr. Byng, he selected Mr. Locker as one of the officers to be appointed in the place of those whom it might be necessary to send home, in order to give evidence on the meditated enquiry into the un- fortunate admiral's conduct. He was, soon after his arrival there, appointed lieutenant of the Experiment, commanded by Sir John Strachan. This vessel, while on a cruize in the Me- diterranean, had so distressed the French commerce, that a large ship, which had been formerly an East-Indiaman, was fit- ted out by the French merchants, and manned with a picked crew of four hundred and sixty men, in order to attack her. The crew of the Experiment consisted of no more than one hundred and forty-two men, and mounted only twenty guns, of which fourteen were nine-pounders, two sixes, and four four-pounders, while the Teleraaque, her opponent, besides the disproportion of lier crew, carried twejity-six, most of which were twelve-pounders, and the remainder nine. The ships fell in with each other on the 10th of June, 1757; and both parties being equally anxious for the contest, zwi en- gagement immediately took place with the greatest fury, which was finally put an end to by the gallantry ^of Mr. Loclver. The French, confiding in the superiority of their r umbers, at- tempted to board the Experiment in the heat of the action : they were in the first instance foiled, but, returning a second time to the charge, effected their purpose, but so imperfectly, that they were instantly driven back, with very coniiderabfe LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 29 Jamaica. His new commander very soon found, experimentally, that bis behaviour in every re- loss. Mr. Locker immediately requested his captain, Sir John Strdchan, to suffer him to return the compHment, which being permitted, he conducted the attack in so gallant a manner, that thou«^h the enemy made an obstinate defence, tliey were obhged to surrender, though with the greatest rehictance; for Mr. Locker was obliged to bring their own captain, wounded, on deck, to command those who were quartered in the tops to cease their fire. In this encounter he received a wound from a splinter in his leg, which, though slight, affected him at times during the remainder of his life. For some reason, not to be accounted for, no notice was taken of this action by the com- mander in chief, Mr. Osborn, which very much displeased Sir John Strachan, not, as he declared, on his own account, but on that of Lieutenant Locker, to w hose gallantry and good conduct the success was principally owing. Sir John being taken ill, Mr. Jervis, now Earl of St. Vincent, was appointed to the Evperiment, from which period Mr. Locker, whose abilities as an oflicer became every day more conspicuous, became possessed of that great man's most per- fect esteem, which continued to tire time of his decease. After the recovery of Sir Jol>n Strachan, he was promoted to the Sapphire, of thhty-two guns, and took liis former officers, among w hom w as Mr. Locker, w ith him to that ship ; which being attached to the fleet under Sir Edward Hawke, he was pre- sent at the defeat of Conflans, in November 1759, ofFQuiberon ; but from his station took no part in the encounter. In the following year he was appointed lieutenant of the Ramillies, commanded by Captain Taylor, and narrowly escaped ship- wreck in that vessel, from the accidental circumstance of the officer who was to have succeeded him in the Sapphire not having joined the ^millies when she went to sea. Thus pre- vented from going on board the last-mentioned ship, he was appoiuted fourth lieutenant of the Royal George, under Sir 3© MEMOIRS OF spect justified that character, which he before knew only from report. Immediately after his Edward Hawke, with whom he remained till 17^2, when, through his recommendation, he was raised to the rank of commander, and promoted to the Roman Emperor fireship. When peace was concluded, he received a commission for the Nautilus sloop of war, in which he sailed to Goree on the coast of xAfrica, from whence, after having delivered up that fortress to the French, he proceeded to the West Indies, where he remained three years, performing what duty was requisite with the utmost diligence. Soon after his return to England, he was, on the 26th of May, 1768, advanced to the rank of post-captain, and for the sake of form, was commissioned t& the Mercury, which ship he never however joined, being im- mediately afterwards appointed to the Queen of ninety guns, a new ship, for the purpose of navigating her to Plymouth from Woolwich. In October, 1770, he received the command of the Thames frigate, which he held during the customaiy time, when he re- tired, and was not again employed till the commencement of the dispute with America. On this occasion he ^vas commis- sioned to the Lowest ofFe, of thirty-two guns, and proceeded in her to the West Indies, under the orders of Admiral Clarke Gayton. On that station he remained till the year 1779> when ill health obliging him to resign the command, he returned to England. It was in the above vessel that Lord Nelson served under him, and to his instruction and advice the noble lord has most honourably and publicly attributed the chief know- ledge he gained of maritime service. His infirm state of health did not .permit him to accept of any other command till the year 1790, if we except his being selected as one of the officer* to superintend the impress service at Exeter, which, by his ju- dicious management of, he rescued in a great measure from the obloquy generally attached to it. In 1790 he took the com- mand of the Cambridge, au eighty gun ship, as captain to Mr. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. J I arrival, he was accordingly appointed to com- mand a schooner, which was fitted out as a ten- der to the Lowestoffe. In this station he dis- tinguished himself on a variety of occasions, which, in the memoirs of so active and great a character as his lordship's, it becomes needless to repeat. The narrative would afford nothing but a constant uniform repetition of valorous and noble acts, each vying with the other so closely, that it might be difficult to assign any since Lord Graves, then port-admiral at Plymouth, which was equipped on account of an expected rupture witli Spain, rela- tive toNootka Sound; but this being compromised. Mr. Graves struck his flag, and Mr. Locker agam retired to his domestic enjoyments. In the year 179^ he was raised to the rank of commodore, and hoisted his broad pendant on board the Sandwich of ninety guns, as commander in chief at the Nore. This situa- tion he held but a short time, as in the ensuing spring he was advanced to be lieutenant-governor of Greenwich hospital, a situation he enjoyed till his death, which, after several paralytic attacks, happened on the 26th of December, 1800, being in the 70th year of his age. He married Lucy, daughter of William Parry, Esq. admiral of the blue, on the 20th of October,! 770, and left issue by her, five children, three sons and two daugh- ters. His general character may be justly summed up in a few words : he was mild and benevolent as a man ; steady, active, eager, and diligent, as an officer ; possessed of a courage cool and determined, yet when circumstances required him to be so, sufficiently impetuous, at the same time without rashness or imprudence. In his life he was truly respected, and at hfs death most sincerely regretted by ail who had the happiness of his acquaintance. 3^ MEMOIRS OF particular one to which pre-eminenee is due. We cannot however resist the temptation, even though we may incur the charge of literary pi- i^acy, by inserting an extract from his memoirs, published in the third volume of the Naval Chronicle, page 163, which, in just and honest tribute to the merits of that publication, we aver to contain the only genuine account of his lordship's life, so far as it goes, that has ever yet appeared. " During Mr. Nelson's continuance in the Lovvestoffe, as second lieutenant, a circumstance occurred, which, as it strongly presaged his cha- racter, and conveys no invidious reflection on the officer to whom it alludes, deserves to be here recorded. *' In a strong gale of wind, and a heavy sea, the LowestofFe captured an Amerfcan letter of marque. The captain ordered the first lieute- nant to board her, which he accordingly at- tempted, but was not able to effect, owing to the tremendous sea running. On his return to the ship, Captain Locker exclaimed, * Have I then no officer who can board the prize?* On hearing this, the master immediately ran to the gang-way, in order to jump into the boat, when Lieutenant Nelson suddenly stopped him, say- ing, * It is my turn now — if I come back, it will be yours.* Hence we perceive the indications of that intrepid spirit which no danger could LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 33 evef dismay or appal ; and also an early propen- sity for deeds of hardy enterprizei In the sub- sequent events of his glorious life, the reader will observe with pleasure, that whatever perils or difficulties Horatio Nelson had to encounter, they only called forth a greater energy of mind to surmount therrt/* Captain Locker being, in 1779, compelled to return to England for the benefit of his health, Mr, Nelson w^as appointed by Sir Peter Parker,* * This gentleman was the son of Rear-admiral Christopher Parker. Of the early part of his initiation into the servicCj there are no particulars ; but we find him in the year 1743 serving on board the Russel, of which ship he was appointed a lieutenant by Admiral Mattliews, then commander in chief of the fleet employed on the Mediterranean station. How long he continued in this situation is not known, nei- ther are his subsequent appointments, till he was promoted to be captain of the IVIargate, supposed to have been a frigate, from which, at the begmning of the year I7^9i ^^ was ad- vanced to the Lancaster, a thud rate. A second chasm in our knowledge of his commands then takes place, and continues till after the commencement of the war with France in 1756, when in the following year he was appointed to the Woolwich, a fourth rate, of fifty guns, employed in the West Indies. On his return from thence, he was removed to tlie Montague, and em- ployed during the winter of 1758 in cruizing in the Channel, where he was successful in capturing several prizes. In the year 1761 he commanded the Buckingham, in which ship tie served under Commodore Keppel in covering the siege of Belleisle, and blocking up the French ports ; but that ship becoming in need of repair soon afterwards, he removed into the Terrible, of 74 guns, just newly launched. The latter vessel being put out D $4f MEMOIRS OF ,f then commander in chief on that station, to be third lieutenant of the Bristol, which was his of commission not long afterwards, no further mention is made of Mr. Parker till the year 1772, when he received the honour of knighthood, and in 1774 was commissioned to the Barfleur, of ninety guns. About the end of the year 1775, he was pro- moted to the rank of commodore on the American station, tv'hither he sailed, from Portsmouth, on the 2d of December^ having hoisted his broad pendant on board the Bristol, of fifty guns. 0\¥ing to tlie tempestuous weather he met with, he did not arrive before Charlestown, in South Carolina, which was the destined object of his attack, till the beginning of June the following year. The assault took place on the 28th ; and though the commodore acted with the greatest personal intre- pidity and professional ability, tlie difficulties which prevented liis entering the harbour were too great to be overcome. Aftei this failure Sir Peter put himself under the command of Lord Howe, and soon afterwards was detached with ai small squa- dron against Rhode Island. In this expedition he was com- pletely successful, and continued in command at that port, till having been raised, in the month of April, to the rank of rear- admiral of the blue, he was ordered to Jamaica, where he remained during the remainder of the war, and so judiciously stationed his cruizers, as to injure the trade of the enemy very materially. lie quitted Jamaica in 1782, a«d returned to England on board the Sandwich. He had been advanced, iuthe year 1778, to be rear-admiral of the white; on the 19th of March, 1779> to be vice-admiral of the blue; and on the 26th of September, 1780, to be vice of the white. Since the period of his return to England, Sir Peter's appoint- ments have been confined to those of a port-admiral. In the year 1787, he was chosen representative for the borough o£ Maiden^ but was not re-elected into the new parliament. On the 24.th of September, 1787, he was promoted to be julmiral of the blue; and lastly, on tlie 12th of April, 1795, LORD VlSCOtTNT NELSON. J5 flag-ship. He rose from thence in regular rota- tion to be first in that rank, and was afterwards, as he had a very just claim to be, promoted to the command of the Badger sloop of war. Being ordered out to the Musquiro shore for the better protection of the Baymen from the depredations of the American privateers, he there shewed himself no less attentive t6 the moral duties of private life, than, he had before approved, he was to those of his profession. By his care, his gen- tleness of manners, atid conciliating conduct, he gained the entire love of all the settlers, who^ tvhen his time of service on that station escpired, voted him their unanimous thanks for his con- duct, and expressed their regret at his departure in the most affectionate terms. Soon after his arrival at Jamaica, his presence of mind and uncommon exertions proved the cause of preserving from destruction Captain Lloyd, and all the crew of the Glasgow, atwen- ty-gun ship, commanded by that gentleqian, which had unfortunately taken fire, owing to ari accident by rio means uncommon, occasioned by carelessness in drawing off a cask of rum. Gap- to the same rank iii the white squadron. He has since tliat titue risen through seniority, in consequence of the death of the late, Earl Howe, to the highest rank in the navy, that of admiral of the fleet ; but, owing to his advanced age, has not taken on himself any command since the commencement of die present war. D % 36 MEMOIRS OP tain Lloyd, to our certain knowledge, never mentioned the transaction alluded to, without uttering the warmest and most grateful acknow- ledgments of the coolness and the intrepidity displayed on so dreadful an occasion, by this youthful hero. On the nth of June 1779, he was advanced to the rank of post-captain, and appointed to the Hinchinbrooke, of twenty guns. An attack upon the island of Jamaica being then daily appre- hended, in consequence of the French fleet hav- ing arrived at Hispaniola from Martinico, under the command of that well-known character the Count d*Estaing5 Captain Nelson was appointed, both by the general and admiral, to command the important batteries w^hich defended Port Royal, a post, than which a more honourable and impor- tant one, could not have been entrusted to him. At the commencement of the ensuing year, all apprehension of a visit from the enemy having passed away, an expedition was planned, and sent out against the Spanish settlements, situ- ated on the river St. John, in the Gulf of Mex- ico. The chief command by sea was given to Captain Nejson, who, not content with coldly fulfilling what the strict letter of his duty re- quired, quitted his ship^, and volunteering his services up the river, through a navigation then totally unknown to all Europeans, Spaniards ex- cepted, contributed most essentially, by his ex- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 37 ertions and gallantry, to the capture of Fort St. Juan. Captain Poison, the commanding officei; by land, in his public dispatches, pays • the fol- lowing tribute to his conduct. '' Captain Nelson, then of the Hinchinbrooke, came up with thirty-four seamen, one serjeant, and twelve marines. I wpnt words to express the obligations I owe that gentleman ; he was the first on every service, whether by day, or by night. There was scarcely a gun fired, but was pointed by him, or Lieutenant Despard, chief engineer, who has exerted himself on every oc- casion. I am persuaded, if our shot had held out, we should have had the fort a week sooner. As Captain Nelson goes to Jamaica, he can in- form you of every delay, and point of service, as well as I could, for he knows my very thoughts. " The bearer, Lieutenant Mounsey, can in- form your excellency of many things that may escape my memory : he is a very good officer, and commanded the party I sent to reconnoitre the look-out, and began the attack of it, in con- cert with Captain Despard and Captain Nelson, who with his seamen volunteered that duty.'* Li the fort were found one brass mortar, of five inches and an half, twenty pieces of brass ord- nance, mounted, besides swivels, ten or twelve iron ditto, dismounted, together with a propor- tionate quantity of military stores. jS MEMOIRS OF The fatigue occasioned by such extraordinary exertions, added to the natural unwholesomeness of the climate on the Spanish main, and the deli- cacy of his own constitution, reduced him to the necessity of returning back to Jamaica as a pas- senger, on board the Victor sloop. On his ar- rival, he found himself to have been promoted during his absence, to the command of the Janus of forty-four guns, as successor to Captain Bon- novier Glover, who had died on the 21st of March pr ceding. So much, however, was he debilitated, as to be incapable of profiting from this honourable testimony paid by the com- mander In chief to his conduct. It appears very doubtful, whether he ever proceeded to sea as captain of the Janus; having, during the greatest part of his time, been under the necessity of re- maining, for the better preservation of his health, at the residence of Sir Peter Parker, the com^ mander in chief on that station; who paid him the kindest and most affectionate attention, These marks of friendship were unfortunately unproductive of the end to which they were ap- plied ; for Captain Nelson's health still continu- ing much impaired, he was under the necessity of returning to England, at the close of the same year^ with the honourable Captain Cornwallis,* as a passenger on board the Lion. *. The honourable William Cornwallis, now living, is the fourth son of Charles, fifth lord, and first ^arl Cornwallis, by LORD VISCOL'NT KELSO>J. 39 After enduring a long and excruciating indis- position at Bath, whither he repaired imme- his lady Elizabeth, daughter of Charles^ Lord Viscount Townshend, by his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Lord Pelhain, and sister to Thomas, Duke of Newcastle. At a very early period of his life, he entered into the naval service of his country, and attained the rank of lieutenant at the latter end of tlie year 1761. He was promoted to be master and com-r raander on the 12th of July in the following year, and to the rank of post-captain on the 20th of April 176'5, being then appointed to the Prince Edward of forty guns. In the year 1767, he is supposed to have received the command of the Guadaloupe of thirty-two guns, in which frigate he was stationed in the Me-» diterranean for the space of three years ; after his return to England at the expiration of that time, he does not appear to have held any other commission till 1 774, when the command of the Pallas, of 36 guns, on the African station, was conferred on him : in that frigate he continued till 177^? when having re- turned to his native country, he took upon him the command of the Isis of 50 guns, in which ship he was immediately ordered to North America, where he rendered himself very conspicuous on many occasions, not only by his personal valour, but by the order and discipline of his ship. He returned to England at the end of the year 1778, and was appointed to the Lion of gixty-four guns. In this ship he was sent to the West Indies at the commencement of the year; and very particularly distin- guished himself, while on that station, in three several engage- ments. .The first was in the encounter olf Grenada, under \nice-Admiral Byron, in which the Lion was so shattered tliat she was obliged to bear away for Jamaica to refit. In the en- suing year, being on a cruize with his own ship of sixty-four, the Bristol of fifty, and the Janns of forty-four guns, he fell in with a squadron, consisting of four sail of the line, commanded \)y Mou. De la Motte Piquet, esteemed one of the ablest officers in the French service. The event proved highly honourable 40 MEMOIRS OF diately on his arrival in England, he happily re* ceived so much benefit, as to declare himself, on to him, for after a severe engagement, the French hauled- their wind, notwithstanding the Janus was disabled, and although Captain Cornwailis chased them for five hours, they constantly declining any further combat. The third engagement was, if possible, more honourable than the preceding: having attended the homeward-bound convoy through the gulph of Florida, and parted company from it on the f)th of June, he pro- ceeded, according to the instructions he had received, on a cruiae to the northward ; and on the 20th, fell in with a French force under Mon. de Ternay, bound to America, consisting of ten or eleven ships of two decks, two of them carrying eighty- four guns each, three or four frigates, a cutter, and an armed brig; while the squadron under the orders of Mr. Cornwailis consisted of only two ships of seventy-four, two of sixty-four, one of fifty guns, and the Niger frigate. But so good a coun- tenance did this gentleman put on, and manoeuvred his little armament with such judgment jind skill, that after a distant firing in which only two men were killed and five wounded, Mon. Ternay took advantage of the approaching night, and oq the succeeding morning not one of the enemy was to be seen. At the close of the year, Captain Cornwailis returned to Eng- land in the Lion, and served on the home station under Ad- miral Darby, with whom he proceeded to the relief of Gib- raltar. After his return to England, he was promoted to the Canada of sevepty-four guns, and being ordered to the West Indies with Sir G. B. Rodney, again mo^t consj)icuously (Ji'^play- pd the most gallant conduct in two encounters with the Count de Guichen, on the ()th aud i 2th of Apftl, 1 782. In the montljj of August he was ordered to England with ^ convoy; but his ship experienced so much damage in ^ gale of wind, that he wa^ obliged to make the best of his way, and arrived safe on the 1st of October, when being immediately paid off, he did not again take any command till the year 1788, except that of th^ king's LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 4I t!ie approach of the ensuing summer, capable of undertaking a command. He was accordingly yacht. In the year last-mentioned, he was appointed com- raander of a small squadron sent to the East Indies ; but, owing to many intervening accidents, he did not sail till the t/th of February in the following year. Durhig his continuance on that station, nothing very particular occurred, and he returned to England early in the year 179^, when he was appointed to com- mand a small cruising squadron. On the 12th of April, he was raised to the rank of rear-admiral of the red, and on the 4th of July ensuing, to that of vice-admiral of the blue, as he was, moreover, on the 1st of June 1795, to the same station in the red squadron. He lioisted his flag within a very short period on board several different ships, the last of which was the Royal Sovereign, a first-rate, in which he uninterruptedly con- tinued, without meeting with any particular occurrence till the month of June 1795, when he fell in with, on the 7th, a French squadron, which were unfortunately enabled to make their escape before he could close in with them, as did also two frigates the same day. Nothing fiirther happened, except the capture of a few merchant vessels, till the l6th of the same month ; when being off the Penmarks, having under his orders the same force, which consisted of five sail of the line, two frigates and one sloop, he fell in with a French armament amounting to thirteen ships of the line, fourteen frigates, and a cutter. Not- withstanding this inequalitj' offorce,andthe utmost endeavours of the French fleet to bring him to action, Admiral Corawallis manoeuvred his ships with such consummate ability, as again to have the singular honour of defenduig himself with success against an enemy nearly triple his force, and of bringing oft' his ships uninjured, in the face of so powerful an oppouerit. For this conduct he received the thanks of both houses of par- liament. During the remainder of the year he continued to be employed m the same quarter; but on the 10th of February 4Z MEMOIRS O? appointed in the month of August 1781, to the Albemarle of twenty-eight guns, a merchant, following was appointed to command tlie squadron and convoy ordered to the West Indies. He accordingly put to sea on the 28th of the same month, having his flag on board the Royal Sovereign; but unfortunately having run foul, on the 1st of March, of the Belisarius, a large transport belonging to the fleet, his ship received so much da- mage that it was compelled to pqt back, and the admiral di- rected Captaki Louis in the^ Minotaur, of seventy -four guns, to proceed with the fleet and convoy to the place of their destina- tion. He immediately announced his arrival at Spithead on the 14th, and received orders to proceed on his voXage in the Astrea frigate. During this month he was advanced to the rank of rear-admiral of Great Britain, as successor to Lord Bridport. Being, however, in a very ill state of health, he hesitated to obey the order • but at the same time offered to proceed in his own ship, the Royal Sovereign, as soon as she could be re- fitted. This was deemed such a breach of discipline as to subject him to a court martial, which was accordingly held on him. The result was as honourable as any thing short of an unequivocal acquittal could be. For though he might be in a very slight degree censurable for returning without leave, and not shifting his flag to some other ship of 1ms squadron, he was, in consequence of other circumstances, acquitted of disobe^ dience ; and as to that part of the charge, which regarded bis not having proceeded in the Astrea frigate, he was unanimously and honourably acquitted of all blame, on account of the cir- cumstances under which he acted. The above circumstance, however, occasioned him to strike his flag, and he retired into private life, except that he attended his occasional duty in the house of commons, in which he first sat as member in the year 1768; being then chosen for the borough of Eye in Suflfoik. After the dii>soUition of that par- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 4J ship captured from the French at the close of tha year 1779, and purchased into the king's ser- vice. After a long and fatiguing station, during the whole of the ensuing winter, in the North Seas, he was sent to Newfoundland, in com- pany with Captain Pringle, who commanded the convoy, sent thither wnh the outward-bound fleet, in the month of April 1782. Being ordered on a cruise off Boston, he distinguished himself very remarkably by his conduct, when chased by three French ships of the line, and a frigate. Finding, according to the seaman's phrase, that lament in 1774-, he remained unnoticed till 1784, when he was returned for Portsmouth ; and in 1790 was again chosen for Jlye, which he still continues to represent. On the 14th of February 1799, he was advanced to be ad- miral of the blue squadron ; as he moreover was on the 23d of April 1804, to be admiral of the white; and, lastly, on the ^th of November 1805, to be admiral of the red; a revived rank which had lain dormant during a century. In respect to active service, the liionourable admiral was appointed to the command of the channel fleet in 1801, and accordingly hoisted his flag on board the Ville de Paris. But tlie enemy was pru» dent enough, during the continuance of tlie war, to trust to tlie protection of their batteries, in preference to their own naval prowess. He was, moreover, immediately on tlie recom- mencement of hostilities, invested with the command of the main or channel fleet ; and has been uninterruptedly employed in the very tedious service of watching the motions of the French naval force at Brest. Unfortunately for his country, and unpropitiously to his own wishes, tlie enemy have aflforded him no opportunity of trymg his strength with tliem. 44 MEMOIRS OF his pursuers had the heels of him, he resolved, as the case was desperate, to adopt a desperate, or at best a very dangerous remedy, and without hesitation pushed for the St. George's Bank ; among the shoals of w^hich he entertained hopes of entangling his enemies, or of inducing them to discontinue the chase, from the apparent ha- zard of pursuing it any farther. He was not disappointed in the latter part of his expectation, the larger ships having immediately shortened sail. The frigate, however, drawing less water, was not to be baffled so easily; she continued the chase till nearly the close of the day, when, being almost up with the Albemarle, Captain Nelson very resolutely ordered his ship to be hove tOi for the purpose of bringing the contest to a speedy decision. This instance of firmness, unexpectedly displayed by an inferior opponent, struck the pursuer with immediate dismay : he instantly put about, and made sail from the Albemarle, which, though it might possibly, by the bravery of its commander and crew, have been preserved from again reverting into the hands of the foe, was, from her force and equip- ment totally unfit to seek, or court an engage- ment, with so superior an antagonist. Having proceeded afterwards to Quebec, he was ordered from thence to New York with a convoy in the month of Odober ; and being instructed to put himself, on his arrival there, under the order* LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 45 of the commander in chief on that station, he ac- cordingly proceeded from thence to the West In- dies in the following month with Lord Hood,* * This nobleman, who is now living, was appointed to a lieutenancy in the navy, on the 17th of May 1746, and some time after the conclusion of the war was promoted to be commander of a sloop : in the year 1756 he was captain of the Jamaica, a sloop employed by Commodore Holmes in watching the port of Louisbourg. In this service he was in- defatigable, and particularly distinguished himself in an en- counter with a small French squadron on the 27th of July. He is stated to have taken rank as a post-captain on board the Lively frigate, by a commission bearing date the '22d of that month, sent out to him from England, and that he remained in the Jamaica sloop till it reached him. The following year he commanded the Biddeford, in the Bay of Biscay j and in 1/58 removed to the Vestal of tliirty-two guns, then stationed in the Channel, in which ship he had the good fortune to fall in.with the Bellona, a French frigate of superior size to his own, which, after a most gallant and desperate engagement of four hours, he captiired, but the Vestal was so materially damaged, that Captain Hood was obliged to bear away for port, where he safely- arrived with his prize on tlie 2d of March. As soon as the frigate was refitted, he proceeded in her to the Mediterranean, from whence he again returned to England at the expiration of the war, without having met with any further opportunity of distinguishing himself. Captain Hood is not again mentioned in the service till the year 1771> v^hen he was appointed to the Royal William, of eighty- four guns, on the expectation of a rupture with the Spaniards, concerning Falkland Islands^ but that dispute being settled, and the Royal William put out of commission, Mr. Hood, in the year 17/4^ was appointed to the Marlborough, of seventy- four guns, one of the guard-ships at Portsmouth. This command he retained during the customary period of thre^ 4^ Memoirs Of aiid the squadron under his command. His lor4» ship had just returned from a cruise off Boston, ift years j ahd in 1 /77 quitted for a short time the line of active service, hating been nominated the tissident commissioner at the port just f«eiitioned ; and on the visit of his Majesty to that place, in the month of May 1/78, was advanced to tlie rank of a baronet by patent, bearing date the ICjth of that month. Oft the 26th of September, being raised to the rank of rear-admi- ral of the blue, he quitted his civil appointment, and imme- diately took upon him the command of a squadron destined to reinforce Sir George Rodney in the West Indies. He accord- ingly hoisted his flag oti board the Barfleur, of ainety guns, and, with a fleet of merchant-vessels under his protection, sailed Jibout the lattet* end of November for that station, accompanied by seven sail of the line, exclusive of his flag-ship, two frigates, and three smaller vessels. He arrived safe at the placfe of his destination, after encotifttering several severe storms, in one of which the Moiiarca, of seventy guns, received so much da- mage in a gale of vv'ind as to be obliged to put back. Immediately oil his arrival ift the West Indies, he became' engaged under Sir G. B. Rodney, in very active service ; for intelligence having been received about the end of April that the Count de GrSsse was daily expected with a reinforcement. Sir Samuel was detached with the greatest part of the fleet to in- tercept him. The British squadron discovered tlieir antagonists on the 28th ©f April off Martinico, consisting of nineteen sa'il of the line, two others armed en fliite, and a number of larg6' frigates. The English force amounted to oftly sfevetiteen sail of the line ; but, notwithstanding tliis inferiority. Sir Samuel determined if possible to attack them. An action accordingly took place J but the French kept at such a distance as to ren- der it very indecisive, and httle damage ensued. Havings however, repaired what little he had received^ he fofmed a junction with the commander in chief of the British fleet be-' tweea the islands of Montserrat and Antigua. On the approaclf LORD ViSCOUNT NELSON. 47 search of Captain Nelson's quondam pursuers, and was left to follow Admiral Pigot, who had quit- of the hurricane months. Sir Samuel having followed the Count ^^Grasse to America, joined the fleet then under the command of Admiral Graves 3 but in the engagement that took place in that quarter had no opportunity of distinguishing himself, not being in the smallest degree concerned in the action, owing to the local circumstances of his station. On the return of the Count de Grasse to the West Indies, Sir Samuel Hood agaitt followed him J he had, however, scarcely reached his station, when the island of St, Christopher's was attacked by the Count Bouille, at the head of a land force, protected by upwards of thirty ships of the line. Sir Samuel, though much inferior, having only twenty- two, determined if possible to save the island. In this, however, though his manoeuvres were con- ducted with the most consummate skill and abilities, he could not succeed | yet so good a disposition did he make of his fleet, as to receive very little damage in several partial en- counters that took place on that occasion. After the capitula- tion of the island, on the 13th of February, nothing remained for Sir Samuel but to retire in as good a condition as possible: which he effected so completely, that tlie measures he then pursued did not a little contribute to the glorious victory which followed on the 12th of April. Sir Samuel and his division bore the principal part of die action in a short skir- mish which took place previous to the great event above mentioned 5 and on the latter occasion his conduct was so conspicuous as to- procure him the tlianks of his com- mander in chief, and of his country. He was rewarded by his sovereign with an Irisfi peerage, by the title of Baroil Hood, of Catherington, The freedom of the city of London was voted him, and he received from several other parts 0/ ♦.he kingdom similar instances of the general approbation hitf conduct merited. His lordship was det^chod on the 18th with twelve sshI oi 43 MEMOIRS OF ted Amerlcr! with the main body of the fleet. The exertions made by the French in the West the line, in quest of any French ships that might have en- deavoured to pass through the Mona passage, after their defeat of the rith instant. On the following day five sail was disco- vered, of which four were captured. The French making no further efforts, and peace taking place, his lordship returned to England in the spring of 1783. During the peace, his lordship commanded at Portsmouth as port-admiral, having his flag on board the Barfleur, the same ship in which he had acquired so much glory in the West Indies. At the ge- deral election in 17^4, he was chosen representative for West- minster; and onthe 24th of September 1787, was promoted to be vice-admiral of the blue. On the l6th of July 1788, he was appointed one of the lords commissioners of the admiraltyj and in the year 1 79O, he again hoisted his flag on board the Vic- tory, on an apprehended rupture with Spain, which however soon subsiding, was consequently again struck. On the 11th of February 1793, war having re-commenced with France, he was advanced to be vice-admiral of the red squadron, and ajf- pointed to \he command of the fleet ordered into the Mediter- ranean, to which station he proceeded in the month of May fol- lowing, on board the Victory. His achievements on this sta- tion were of the m.ost brilliant kind : Toulon surrendered to his arms ; and the conquest of the French ports in the island of Corsica added fresh laurels to his brow : the latter, though since evacuated, became annexed to the crown of Great Bri- tain by the surrender ot Calvi on the 1st of August 1794, His lordship was, on the 12th of April preceding, advanced to the rank of admiral of the blue, and returned at the conclusion of the year to England on board the Victory. On the 24th of March 179^> l»s lordship succeeded Sir Hugh Palliser as master and governor of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, which honourable situation he still holds. He was also, on the 28th of May foUowiug, advanced to the dignity of a vis- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 49 Indies, ceased with the defeat they experienced, on the ever-memorable i ath of April preceding ; so that the flame of war was sunk into a smothering ember, and served only to point out, by a mere harmless smoke, the devastation it had formerly caused. It therefore becomes a matter of no woiv- der, that though constantly employed on the most active service till the news arrived of peace being concluded, Captain Nelson was not fortunate enough to meet with any opportunity of particularly distin- guishing himself. Having been ordered to attend his royal highness Prince William Henry, now Duke of Clarence, on a visit paid by him to the governor of the Havannah, he returned from thence to Eng- land, and was paid off at Portsmouth about the end of July. He immediately went over to France, as well for the purpose of relaxation, as for the more perfect re-establishment of his health. After continuing there till the ensuing spring, he returned to England, where, soon after his arrival, he was commissioned to the Boreas frigate, of twenty-eight guns, a ship then under orders of equipment for the Leeward Islands, as a cruiser on the peace establishment. I'his service was by no means so easy, as the public situation of affairs count of Great Britain, by the title of Viscount Hood of Whitby, in the county of Warwick. On the 14th of Fe- braary, 1799, he was advanced to be admiral of the white, and on the 9th of November, 1805, was raised to the same raj^ in the red squadron. 50 MEMOIRS OF appeared to promise. The Americans, after hav- ing erected themselves into free and independant states, were extravagant enpugh to expect, not- withstanding their disseverment from the mother- country, they should continue to enjoy the same privileges which they possessed when considered as colonies to it. The governors and inhabitants of the West-India islands supported this absurd claim; and Captain Nelson having, in consequence of his adopting a firm opinion of its impropriety, declared that he would seize all American vessels, which he found trading contrary to the rules established for that purpose with foreigners, was treated with much asperity. In a short time afterwards he demonstrated that his declaration was not an empty threat, intend- ed merely to intimidate, and never to be fol- lowed up by the act itself. Having accordingly seized several American vessels which he chanced to meet with, the outcry against him rose to so great an height throughout all the British islands and colonies in that quarter, that he was constrain- ed, for a considerable time, to continue on board his ship, without going even on shore, fearing he might meet with some unpleasant conduct, which his spirit could neither brook, nor the station he held would permit him to endure. Much how- ever as his behaviour might be reprobated by the parties interested. Captain Nelson had the satis- faction to find it approved, in the most unqualified LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 5! manner, by his sovereign, and his native country. He continued-on the same station, till the month of June, 17 87 5 and was then ordered to England; the term usually allotted to ships employed on such ser- vice, during the time of peace, being expired. In the month of March preceding, he married Mrs. Fran- ces Herbert Nesbit, widow of Dr. Nesbit, daughter to William Herbert, Esquire, senior judge, and niece to Mr. Herbert, president of the same island; his royal highness Prince William, who served on the same station as Captain of the Pegasus, gracing the nuptials with his presence, and acting as father to the truly amiable lady. Captain Nel- son was put out of commission, soon after his ar- rival in England, the Boreas being paid off at Sheerness on the ;30th of November. From this time he experienced the longest relaxation from the fatigues of public service, which he had ever allowed himself, since his first entrance into it : it was a period of five years ; and never perhaps did any of equal length, since his mere childhood, appear half so long, or half so irksome. " Captain Nelson," observes the author of his life, inserted in the Naval Chronicle, already ho- nestly referred to, as being the best source of any printed information hitherto extant, " retired to enjov the consolation of domestic happiness, at the parsonage house at Burnham Thorpe, which his father gave him as a place of residence ; where imitating Xenophon, in the arrangement of his little E 2 52' MEMOIRS OF farm at Scyllus, Captain Nelson passed the interval of jpeace in rural occupation, and solitude. From the age of twelve years to the time occupied at this retreat, no period occurs in the life of Horatio Nel- son for the mind to pause; all previous to this, and since that period, has been a continued succession of events, arising from professional duties, amid a complication of peril, and unprecedented emergen- cies. He now enjoyed the opportunity of strength- ening, by frequent reflection, the experience he had obtained ; combining the various ideas which a quick, yet sound observation had collected ; and improving that knowledge of himself, and of hu- man nature, so essential to those who are called oh by their country to command with firmness, to obey without a murmur. Like the celebrated Roman who retired into the country to enjoy the calm of repose. Captain Nelson might declare, that *he had been many years on earthy hut had lived n)ery ftiofor h'wiself. On the prospect of a rupture with Spain, rela- tive to Nootka Sound, Captain Nelson, who with the utmost impatience regretted passing so inactive a life, repaired immediately to London, and so- licited an appointment in the strongest terms. His application was, however, ineffectual, owing to the multitude of officers, who being his seniors on the list, appeared to have a priority of claim to com- missions, and the speedy manner in which the dispute terminated. Fortunately for his country. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. J^^ the sudden war in which Britain found itself in^ volved with French anarchists w^as more favour- able to his wishes. At the very commencement of it, he was appointed to the Agamemnon of sixty-four guns, by commission bearing date Ja- nuary 30thy 1793. This ship was then under or- ders of equipment for the Mediterranean, and hav- ing taken in its powder and stores, at Blackstakes, sailed in company wdth the Robust of seventy-four guns, commanded by the Hon. Captain Elphin- stone, and proceeded to its station in the month of May. In this service Captain Nelson continued for three years : foremost in the hour of danger and difficulty, while at the same time his bravery was happily mingled with the most consummate prudence, and profoundest judgment, it became ra- ther a matter of public wonder, if any official re- port of an encounter passed him over in silence. He was entrusted ■ as a negotiator, employed as a naval partizan, as a superintendant of trans- ports, and as a general officer on shore ; in all which multifarious offices he acquitted himself with such credit, that it were a difficult matter to decide on what occasion his services shone most conspicuously ; whether at Genoa, or in his long communications with General De Vins ; on the coast of Italy, where he was so frequently em- ployed in expeditions against the French flotillas, which sought their safety by running into creeks, whither they thought it impossible gallantry could 54 MEMOIRS OF pursue them ; on the coast of Corsica, where the embarkation and landing of troops was so happily confided to him ; or at the sieges of Bastia and Calvij* where he displayed the knowledge of an able engineer, joined to the experience of a con- summate general. It was on the latter occasion he had the misfortune to lose the sight of his right * Lord Hood in his official letter, containing the account of the siege and surrender of Calvi, pays the following justly merited compliment to Captain Nelson : " The journal I herewith transmit from Captain Nelson, who had the com- mand of the seamen, will shew the daily occurrences of the siege 3 and whose unremitting zeal and exertion I cannot suf- ficiently applaud, or that of Captain Hallowell, who took it by turns to command in the advanced batteries twenty-four hours at a time j and I flatter myself they, as well as the other officers and seamen, will have full justice done them by the general. It is therefore unnecessary for me to say any thing more upon the subject." In a subsequent letter, written by the noble admiral during the siege of Calvi, which con- veyed to him the thanks of both houses of the British par- liament, the former compliment received the following justly- merited addition : " Sir, Victor}', off Calvi, Aug. 8, 1794. '•' Having received his Majesty's commands to communi- cate to the respective officers, seamen, marines, and soldiers, who have been employed in the different operations carried on against the enemy in Corsica, a resolution of the two houses of parliament, which I have the honour herewith to enclose, I desire you will make known to all in the Agamem- non, and such other officers and seamen as are with you, and were employed at Bastia, the sense that is entertained of theii: spirited and meritorious conduct." LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^^ eye ; a shot from one of the enemy's batteries having struck the ground near the spot where he stood, and driven up the small gravel with such violence, that a minute particle of it struck hinx on that tender part, and produced the irreme- diable mischief, which even his enemies must have in some sort lamented. In the encounters which took place in the months of March and July, 1795, between the French and the Bri- tish fleets, which latter was at that time com- manded by Lord Hotham,* he no less eminently * The first account that appears of this nobleman, who is now living, is his appointment to be captain of the Gibraltar, on the 17th of August, 17 57. He was early in the following year promoted to the Melampe of thirty-six guns, and on the? 28th of March gained great reputation in an action he fouglit with the Danae, a French frigate of forty guns, which he captured. Mr. Hotham quitted the Melampe in 170I, and removed into the ^olus. He was stationed in the Channel in this vessel during the remainder of the war, in which period he very much distressed the enemy, by taking several of their privateers, besides a number of very valuable merchant ves- sels. He returned firom his station to England a short time before the restoration of peace. On that event taking place, the iEolus was put out of commission, and Mr. Hotham con- tinued unemployed till towards the end of the year 17^3, when he was appointed to the Superb, of seventy-four guns, one of the guardships stationed at Plymouth. This command he is supposed to have held but a short time -, and the next mention made of him in the naval line is not till the year 177«'5, after the commencement of the dispute with America ; on which station he was appointed to serve as commodore in the ensuing year^ and sailed from Spithead on the 6th of May, having hi? 56 MEMOIRS OF distinguished himself, and in the first of those naval skirmishes had the happiness of contributing to the broad pendant on board the Preston^ with a numerous fleet of transports, having troops on board, under his convoy. Imme- diately on his arrival he was employed in directing the disem- barkation of the army under General Howe, at Long Island* having shifted his pendant to the Phoenix j and his services on this occasion were so conspicuous, that Lord Howe, in his official letter, compliments him by saying, *' the activity of Commodore Hotham, most of the officers of the fleet, and the naval officers in general, were infinitely conducive 'to tlie King's service in this difficult movement.'' In the month of December ho was detached by Sir Peter Parker to cover the expedition against Rhode Island, a service -which he conducted with his usual ability. Soon after this he was sent on a cruize to the southward of the Chesapeak, where he made several valuable captures, and remained there ^ till recalled by Lord Howe, to conduct the business at the port of New York, during his Lordshi.'s absence. Nothing very ' material took place subsequent to this period, thoug: he con- tinued actively employed, till after the arrival of the Count D'Estaing, with the French squadron off New York. He had at that time returned back into his former ship the Pres- ton 3 and in the partial engagement, which took place between Lord Howe and the French fleet, he eminently dis- tinguished himself by an. attack on the Tonant of eighty- four guns, which in all probability he would have captured had not several French ships of the line made their appearance : this spirited encounter took place during the night of the 13th of August. Mr. Hotham at the end of the year was detached io the West Indies, where he joined Rear- Admiral Barring- ton, and conducted himself with the greatest credit while under his command, particularly in the attack of the island of St. Lucia. From this time till 178O he was not particularly en- gaged in any employment that called for exertion : at the laet-mentioned period he removed his broad pendant into the LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 57 partial success then obtained, by the spirited attack he made^on the l^th, in conjunction with the In- constant frigate, on the Ca Ira, of eighty guns. Vengeance of seventy-four guns, on the arrival of Sir G. Rod- ney, and was present at the different engagements witli the Count deGuicheoj and though he was distinguished for his gal- lantry in the iirst action, being stationed to lead the v~an of Hear- Admiral Rowley's division, he was much more so on a subsequent occabion which took place on the 19th of May, l/cO,- when serving in the same situation as before, he be- haved in so gallant a manner, as to occasion the commander in chief, in his official dispatches, to bestow on Mr. Hotham the greatest praise. Mr. Hotham was in the ensuing spring ordered to Englandj and having with him a fleet of vessels, chiefly Dutch, cap- tured at St. Eustatia, he was so unfortunate as to fall in with a French squadron of very superior force 3 and though the com- modore manoeuvred in such a manner as to save himself and the other ships of war that were with him, a great part of the merchant vessels fell into the enemy's hands. From this period till 1782, he held no subsequent command; but being then appointed to act with the Channel fleet, he hoisted his broad pendant on board the Edgar, and was partially engaged in the action under Lord Howe, at the rehef of Gibraltar. Peace taking place soon after, he quitted active service, which he did not again resume, till the year l/.^O, having been in the intermediate time, on the 24th of September 1787, advanced to the rank of rear-admiral of the red. In the year 1790, on an apprehension of a rupture with Spain, he was again em-* ployed in the Channel fleet, under Admiral Harrington j but that storm soon subsiding, he struck his flag. On the 21st of September in the same year he was promoted to be vice- admiral of the blue, as he was on the 1st of February, 17Q3, to the same rank in the white squadron. In the month of Aprii following he was appointed second in command of the fleet 5^ MEMOIRS OF On the 4th of July Captain Nelson was, as had frequently been the case on former occasions, de- ordered into the Mediterranean under Lord Hood, and was left by that noble Lord in June, i 7g4, with a detached squadron to block up the remains cf the French fleet, which had escaped the disasters at Toulon, and which having put to sea on the 5tb, had been driven within the shoals of the bay of Gourgearr, ■where they lay protected by their batteries. Previous to this, be had been raised to the rank of vice-admiral of the red, on the 12th of April preceding. Nothing material took place till the month of March, 1 fgs, when the Frencli squadron, consisting of seventeen sail of the line and five frigates, or smaller vessels, again ventured to sea. Being pursued by the vice-admiral, one of their ships was on the 13th brought to action by the Inconstant frigate, supported by the Agamemnon, Captain Nelson, and had not the near ap- proach of the enemy's ships prevented it, she woukl have fallen a prize to their gallantry. She was however so much disabled, that she was obliged to be taken in tow, and both vessels wer$ discovered in the morning so far to leeward, that the French fleet were obliged to come to an engagement, in order to prevent their falling into the hands of the vice-admiral, who threaten- ed to cut them off. In this action were captured the Ca Im of eighty guns, and the Censeur of seventy- four. The result of it, though in the beginning it promised to be more suc- cessful, completely frustrated whatever designs the enemy had meditated. On the l6th of April following, Mr. Hotham was advanced to be admiral of the blue : nothing further of any consequence happened in the Mediterranean till the month of July, when the French fleet, having again put to sea, chased into St. Fiorenzo on the 7th a small squadron which had been detached under Commodore Nelson. Admiral Ho- tham immediately put to ^ea on the first information, but did not get sight of them till the 13th, when a partial and unde- cisive encounter took place, the particulars of which are best ex- plained by the following extract from the admiral's own account: LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 59 tached from the fleet as senior officer of a squa- dron of observation, consisting of the Agamemnon, " Yesterday at day-break we discovered them to leeward of us, on the larboard tack, consisting of twenty- three sail, seven- teen of which proved to be of the line ; the wind at this time blew very hard from the W. N. W. attended with a heavy swell, and six of our ships had to bend their maio-top-sails, in the room of those that were split by the gale in the course of the night. I caused the fleet however to form with all pos- sible expedition on the larboard line of bearing, carrying nil sail possible to preserve that order, and to keep the v/ind of the enemy, in the hope of cutting them off from the land, from which we were only five leagues distant. At eight o'clock, finding they had no other view but that of endeavour- ing to get from us, I made the signal for a general chase, and for the ships to take suitable stations for their mutual support, and to engage the enemy as arriving up with them in succes- sion j but the baffling winds and vexatious calms, which ren- der every naval operation in this country doubtful, soon after- wards took place, and allowed a few only of our van ships to get up with the enemy's rear about noon, which they attacked so severely, that in the course of an hour after we had the satisfaction to find one of their sternmost ships, the LAlcide, of seventy-four guns, had struck -, the rest of the fleet, fa- voured by a shift of wind to the eastward (that placed them now to the windward of us) had got so far into Fregus Bay, whilst the major part of ours was becalmed in the offing, that it became impossible for any thing further to be effected, and those of our ships which were engaged had approached so near to the shore, that I judged it proper to call them off by signal. If the result of the day was not so completely satis- factory as the commencement promised, it is my duty to state, that no exertions could be more unanimous than those of the fleet under my command -, and it would be injustice to the general merit of all; to select individual instances of conmicn- 6o MEMOIllS OF Meleager, Ariadne, Moselle, Mutine cutter ; and being on the 7th of the ensuing month chased into St. Fiorenzo by the French fleet, which had put to sea from Toulon, that circumstance led to a second partial encounter, which ended without any further loss to the enemy than that of the Alcide of 74 guns, which took fire and blew up, after she had struck her colours, ere she could be properly taken possession of by the Eng-f lish. In the ensuing month he was detached by the commander in chief as senior officer of a light dation, had no superiority of sailing placed some of the ships in an advanced situation, of which they availed themselves in the most distinguished and honourable manner. Among the number was the Victory, having Rear-Admiral Mann on board, who had shifted his flag to that ship on this occasion.' I am sorry to say the Alcide, about half an hour after she had struck, by some accident caught fire in her fore-top, before slie was taken possession of, and the flames spread with such jrapidity, that the whole ship was soon in a blaze : several boats were dispatched from tlie ships as quickly as possible, to rescue as many of her people as they could save from the destruction that awaited them 5 three hundred of them were in consequence preserved, when the ship blew up witli the most awful and tremendous explosion, and between three and four hundred people are supposed to have perished." At the close of this year. Admiral Hothani resigned his command, and returned to England, and was in the year 1797 advanced to the dignity "of a peer of Ireland, by the title of Baron Hotham, as a reward for his long and meritorious ser- vices. On the 14th of February, 1799> his Lordship was pro- . raoted to be adniiral of the white ; as he was moreover on the Qth of November, 1805, to the same rank in the red squadron. LORD VISCOUNT ^fELSON'. 6l squadron, with which he was ordered to proceed to the Bays of Alassio and Languilia, both in the neighbourhood of Vado, and at that time not only in possession of the French army, but serving as the principal rendezvous for the transports and store-ships employed in the conveyance of stores and other necessaries applicable to the maintenance of war in that quarter of the world ; in this ser- vice he displayedvhis customary diligence, and his activity experienced the reward it merited.* 1^ Letter from Captain Nelson to Admiral Hotham, dated Agamemnon, Vado Bay, Aug. 27> 1795. Sir, Having received information from General De Vins, that a convoy of provisions and ammunition was arrived at Alassio, a place in the possession of tlie French army, I yesterday pro- ceeded, with the ships named in the margin (Inconstant, Meleager, Southampton, Tartar, Ariadne, Speedy) to that place, where, within an hour, we took the vessels named in the enclosed list : there was a very feeble opposition from some of the enemy's cavalry, who fired on our boats when boarding the vessels near the shore ; but 1 have the pleasure to say, no man was killed or wounded. The enemy had two thousand horse and foot soldiers in tlie town, which prevented my landing, and destroying their magazines of provisions and ammunition. I sent Captain Freemantle, of the Inconstant, with the Tartar, to Languilia, a town on the west side of tlie Bay of Alassio, where he executed my orders in a most officer-like manner ; and I am indebted to every captain and officer in the sqi^iadron for that activity, but most' particularly so to Lieutenant George Andrews^ first lieutenant of the Aga- 6l MEMOIRS OF It were difficult perhaps to decide which point of character was most conspicuous, the spirit and gallantry which he displayed in conducting the en- terprise, or the modesty with which he described the events of it. His commander in chief, Mr. Hotham, bore the amplest testimony to the former, and every individual under his command endea- voured to exceed each other in their honest suf- memnon^ who, by his spirited and officer-like conduct, saved the French cor\^ette from going on shore. I have the honour to be. Sir, With the greatest respect. Your most obedient. Admiral Hotham. Horatio Nelson. List of vessels taken by his Majesty's squadron under the com- mand of Horatio Nelson, Esq. in the Bay of Alassio and Languilia, the 26"th of August, 1795. La Revolue (corvette) pollaco ship, ten guns, four swivels, eighty-seven men, six guns thrown overboard, belonging to the French : La Republique gun- boat, six guns, forty-nine men, belonging to the French : La Constitution galley, one brass gun, four swivels, thirty men, belonging to the French : La Vigilante galley, one brass gun, four swivels, twenty-nine men, belonging to the French : a brig In ballast, name un- known, burden one hundred tons, belonging to the French : a bark, name unknown, burden seventy tons, laden with pow- der and shells, belonging to the French : La Guiletta brig, burden one hundred tons, laden with wine, belonging to the French : a galley, name unknown, burden fifty tons, in bal- last : a tartane, name unknown, burden thirty-five tons, laden with wine : a bark, name unknown, laden with powder, drove on shore : a bark, name unknown^ laden with pro- visions, burnt. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 63 ftages as to the truth of the latter. Towards the close of the current year Mr. Hotham was super- seded in his commmand by Sir John Jervis,* * This nobleman is the descendant of a respectable and ancient family in the county of Stafford ; being the second son of Swinfen Jervis, Esq. barrister at law, sometime counsel to the board of admiralty, and auditor of Greenwich Hospital, He entered early in life into the sea-service, and served about the year 1749 on board the Gloucester, a fourth rate then on the Jamaica station. On the 19th of February, 1755, he was promoted to a lieutenancy, and acted in that capacity on board the flag-ship of Sir Charles Saunders, on the expedition aoainst Quebec. Being in l7:9 advanced to the rank of com- mander, he was early in the ensuing year appointed to the Albany sloop of war, stationed in the Mediterranean, where on account of the illness of Sir John Strachan he took upon him the temporary command of the Experiment of twenty guns 5 in which ship he distinguished himself in an engage- ment with a large xebec, under Moorish colours, carrying twenty-six guns, but chiefly manned with French sailors, which after a severe contest was obliged to take advantage of the wind and make her escape. He was promoted to the rank of a post-captain, and appointed to the Gosport of forty- four guns on the 13th of October following : in that ship he continued during the whole war, being employed for some time on tlie home service ; and during the latter part of his command on the Mediterranean station. On his return to England in 176S, the Gosport was put out of commission, and Mr. Jervis received no other commission till he was ap- pointed in 1769 to the Alarm, of thirty-two guns, in which frigate he proceeded almost immediately to the Mediterranean, and had the honour of entertaining on board his ship the Due de Chablais, brotlier to the king of Sardinia, who mjlde him some valuable presents. He cor.tinued on that station in the same ship till \T:-'> and being a short time before his return 64 MEMOIRS OF afterwards created Earl of St. Vincent, who in the month of April, 1796, promoted Captain Nelson to England in 1775 promoted to the Foudroyant of eighty guns, remained captain of her till the year 1/83. During this whole period of time, only two opportunities sufficiently interesting occurred in which Mr. Jervis could distinguish him- self, which was in the encounter with the Count D'Orvilliers, on the 27th of July, 17/8, when he was stationed as one of the seconds to the commander in chief, and most gallantly sup- ported the honour of his country. He continued employed tinder various commanders without any thing material oc- curring, except the common routine of service, till the year 1782, when in the month of April, being under the orders of Vice- Admiral Barrington, who was sent in pursuit of a French squadron destined for the East Indies, he came up with and attacked the Pegase, a French ship of seventy- four guns, which struck to the J^oudroyant, after a gallant action. The admiral in his dispatches took such particular notice of tliis engagement, that on his return into port he was honoured with the order of the Bath. During the encounter he received a wound by a splinter, which struck him on the right temple, and affected his eye so much, that the consequences have never since been completely removed. Early in 1783 Sir John quitted the Foudroyant, and hoisted his broad pendant on board the Salisbury of fifty guns, as cohimodore of a squadron intended for a secret expedition j but peace taking place, this was con- sequently laid aside. He now experienced some relaxation from his naval duty, as he took on himself no subsequent command till the year 1790- During the intermediate pe- riod, he was in 17S4 elected representative in parliament for Yarmouth in Norfolk, and on the 24th of September 1787 was raised to the rank of rear-admiral of the blue ; as he was also on the 21st of September 1790 to the same rank in the white. On the apprehension of a rupture with Spain, rela- LORD VISCOUNT NEtSON. 6^ to the rank of temporary commodore, with a distinguishing pendant, which he accordingly live to Nootka Sound, in that year, Sir John was appointed to be captain of the fleet equipped on the occasion. The dispute being, however, accommodated, it never proceeded to sea, lie had been chosen member for Chipping Wycombf at the general election which took place in the above year. On the 1st of February, 1793, he was advanced to be vice-admiral of the blue ; and having hoisted his flag on board the Barfleur, sailed in the ensuing year with a squadron, of which he had accepted the command, to the West Indies; on which occasion he vacated his seat in parhament. His conduct, while on this service, became the subject of parliamentary inquiry, and is too recent in the minds of all to need any comment, par- ticularly as there may still exist persons, who, not witli standing the highly honourable and favourable decision of the house of parliament, entertain diflerent sentiments of the transactions which took place during that period. After the return of Sir John to England, he was in the month of June, 1795, advanced from the rank of vice-admiral of the white, to which he had been raised on the 12th of April, in the preceding year, to be admiral of tlie blue, and was appointed to be commander in chief on the Mediterranean station ; he accordingly proceeded thither in a frigate. Nothing, however, of consequence occurred in those seas, and Sir John, having quitted the Mediterranean, repaired to Lis- bon. On the 14th of February, 1797, being tlien oft' Cape St. Vincent, he fell in with the Spanish fleet. Its force consisted of twenty-seven sail of the Ime, seven of them first-rates, car- rying from one hundred to one hundred aiid twenty-six guns, while the ships under the orders of Sir John amounted to only fifteen. He, however, determined to engage them. The result was glorious to himself, and to his countiy. His own dispatch will best explain the event, T 6S MEMOIRS Ot hoisted, in the first instance, on board his old ship the Agamemnon, but in the ensuing month " Victory, off Lagos Bay, Februar\' l6. •*Sir, " Tlie hopes of falling in tvith the Spani^ fleet, expressed In my letter to you of the 13th instant, were coiliirmed that night by our distinctly hearing the report of their signal-gun^, and by inteUigence received from Captain Foote, of his ma* jesty's ship Niger, who had, witJi equal Judgment and persever- ance, kept company with them for several days on ray pre- scribed rendezvous, which, from the strong soutli-east winds, I had never been able to reach ; and that they were notmore than three or four leagues from us. I anxiously waited the dawn of day, when being on the starboard tack, Cape St. Vincent bearing^ east by north eight leagues, I had the satisfaction of seeing a number of ships extending from south-west to south, the wind then at west by south. At forty minutes past ten, the weather being ex^tremely hazy, La Bonne CitOyenne made the signal that the ships were of the line, twenty-fivo in number : his majesty's squadron consisting of the fifteen ships of tlie line named in the margin, were happily formed in tlie most com- iplete order of saihng in two lines. By canning a press of sail, I was fortunate in getting in with the enemy's fleet at half past eleven o'clock, before it had time to connect and form a regular, order of battle. Such a moment was not to be lost ; and, con* fi^ent in the skill, valour, and discipline of the officers and men I had the happiness to command, and judging that the honour of his majesty's arms, and the circumstancesof the war in these seas, required a considerable degree of euterprize, 1 felt myself justified in departing from the regular system, and passing through their fleet in a line formed with the utmost celerity, tacked, and thereby separated one-third from the main body. After a partial cannonade, which prevented their rejunction till the evening, and by the very great exertions of the ships which had the good fortuiie to arrive up with tli« tORO VlSCOUNt NEtSON. SJf removed into the Captain of seventy-fouf guns, and in the month of August following was esta- -enemy on the larboard tack, the ships iiamed in the margin Here captured^ and tlie action ceased about live o'clock in tlie evening, I enclose the most correct list I have been able to obtain of the Spanish fleet Opposed to me, aniOunting to twenty-seven sail of the line, and an account of the killed and wounded in his majesty's ships, as well as in those taken from the enemy. The moment the latter,- almost totally dismasted, a^ad his maj*»sty's ships the Captain and Culloden, are in a state to put to sea, i shall avail myself of the first favourable winds to proceed off Cape St. Vincent, in my way to Lisbon. Captain Calder, whose able assistance has greatly contributed to the |)ublic service during my command, is the bearer of this, and will more particularly describe to the lords commissioners of the admiralty, the movements of the sc|uadron on the four- teenth, and the present state of it. I am, &c. "* J. Jervis. " *' Evan Nepean, esq. &c. &c. The ships capturfed in this action were the Salvador del Mundo, of one hundred and twelve guns, the San Josef, of one hundred and twelve, the San Nicholas, of eighty-four, and the San Isidro, of seventy-four. On the occasion of this great vic- tory, exclusive of inferior lionours^ Sir John was raised t6 the dignity of a baron and earl of Great Britain, by the titles of Baron Jervis of Melfordj in the county of Stafford, the place of his birth j and Earl of St. Vincent ; a pension of three thou-' sand a year was also bestowed on him by parliament. His lordship continued for the space of two years either occupied in the blockade of Cadiz, or i?i sending off detachments of his fleet where he thought it necessary. The most important of tiiese was that put under the orders of the late Lord Nelson/ which paved the way fot tlie glorious victory of Aboukir. Oa the 14th of February, 1799i Jie was advanced to the rank of admiral of the white squadton, and finding his health impaired, t6tum«d to England in tl^e^onth of July. In October follow-' $$ UtMOtKS Of blished in permanent rank, having a captain ap* pointed to command under him in the ship just mentioned.* The services on w^hich he was em- ployed till nearly the close of the yekr, were ex- tremely important, although they afforded him no opportunity of displaying that brilliancy of character which have so uninterruptedly marked ing,he received a challenge from Sir John Orde, who thought himself aggrieved by his having employed Sir Horatio Nelsoa on the above occasion^ in preference to himself, who was a senior officer^ The circumstance, however, becoming known \o the friends of both parties, they were prevented from pro- ceeding to extremities, and bound, over to keep the peace. His lordship recovered his health sufficiently to take upon him the command of the British force in the channel in the month of April, 1800. He immediately proceeded to watch the mo- tions of the enemy off Brest On the 26th of August, 1800, he was appointed lieutenant-general of his majesty's marine forces, and on the 21st of April, 1801, was created a viscount of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, by the title of Viscount St. Vincent, of Melford, with remainder in succession t© his nephews, and their heirs. Having been appointed, on the 21st of February preceding, first commissioner for executmg the office of lord high admiral, he contiimed to hold that station till the month of May, 1804, since which time he has not taken upon himself any e;uployment, either in the line of active service, or in the civil department ; but on the 9th of Novem- ber, 1805, his lordship was raised to the rank of admiral of the red squadron. * It is said to have been observed in the Mediterranean, that before Captain Nelson quitted tlie Agamemnon, he had fairly worn her out. When that ship came into dock to be refitted, in the month of October, 179^^ she had not a mast, yard, or sail i5t for service. The hull also had been for a long time securtid and kept togetlier by cables properly served round her. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 69 the greater part of the enterprizes in which he was engaged. The blockade of Leghorn, the capture of Porto Ferrajio, together with the island of Caprea, and the evacuation of Bastia, Were each of them employments that required the most consummate abilities, the most spirited ae-tivity, and the soundest judgment ; and where ail were equally conspicuous, it would be de- rogating from one species of merit, to bestow any particular commendation on another. After having convoyed the British troops, which had been employed in garrisoning the island of Corsica, to Porto Ferrajio, Commodore Nelson proceeded to St. Fiorenzo bay, where he rejoined the commander in chief, and imme- diately afterwards accompanied him to Gib- raltar. In the month of December he received instructions to remove his broad pendant on board La Minerve, a frigate of thirty-two guns, commanded by Captain George Cockburn j and the Blanche frigate, of the same force, com- manded by Captain Preston, being put upder his orders, he was directed to proceed to Porto Ferrajio, for the purpose of conveying from thence the depot of naval stores which had been formed there, during the time the British fleet was stationed in the Mediterranean, to Gibraltar, where they were much wanted, in consequence of the change of station necesr sarily occasioned by the commencement of 7P MEMOIRS OP the war with- Spain. While on his passage thither, the commodore had the fortune to fall in with two large Spanish frigates, during the night of the 1 9th of December. The command- ing ship carried a poop light, and was imme- diately attacked by Mr. Nelson, who at the 3ame time directed the Blanche to engage her consort. The encounter between the com- modore and his antagonist commenced about forty minutes past ten at night ; and after an un- remitted as well as most spirited contest, which continued nearly three hours, the- enemy*s ship was compelled to surrender, having had one l^undred and sixty-four men killed and wounded, Her mizen mast had fallen in the action ^ her main and fore masts were also so severely w^ounded that both of them went away on her first attempt to carry sail after her surrender. The prize was named LaSabina, a frigate of the first class, niounting forty guns ; those on her main deck, being twenty-eight in number, were (sighteen-pounders. While th^ Minerve was thus engaged, Cap- tain Preston, in the Blanche, most gallantly bore his share in the encounter, and effectually silenced his antagonist, but was prevented from taking possession of his defeated enemy, by th^ appe-arapce of three other Spanish ships, which bore down on the conquerors. The commodore was on his part scarcely less unsi|ccessful s for LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 7l * ■ although possession Was taken of his prize, the same cause ' which rescued that of Captain Preston from his hands, operated kittle less forcibly with respect to himself. The Sabina and the Minerve steered different courses, and the masts of the former not being able, as al^ ready related, to support a pressure of sail, they both fell by the board, and, as a natural conse- quence, the Sabina again reverted into the pos- session of her former masters. Owing however to the exertions ofthecommodore,together with the rest of the officers of the Minerve and Blanche, those ships were most gallantly and happily re- scued from experiencing a fate equally grievous.* * La Sabina was scarcely taken possession of, when a secoaid frigate belonging to the enemy made her appearance, and be- gan to engage the Minerve : but, after a fruitless contest of half an hour's continuance, thought proper to haul her wind, or, as the commodore himself expressed his opinion, he was confident she would have shared the fate of her companion. At the dawn of day, two of the vessels insight were discovered to be SpanijJi ships of the line, when, owing to the diversion of pursuit, afforded by Lieutenant Culverhouse, who was ap- pointed to command La Sabina, ^rq tempore^ and who, while the crippled state of his masts permitted him to make sail, steered an opposite couise to that of the commodore, added, as above related, to the exertions of the latter, and those he commanded, tlie further progress of the misfortune Vtas arrested. With that modesty peculiar to himself, and which so nobly characterised his conduct on all occasions, Captain Nelson as- sunjed not to himself the slightest merit ou the Ipregoing o^- 7* MEMOIllS OF Commodore Nelson having executed the ob- ject f his mission, sailed from Porto Ferrajio in the Minerve, on the 29th of January, for the purpose of rejoining the commander in chief. Sir Gilbert EIHott, afterwards Lord Minto, the late viceroy of Corsica, together with Lieutenant- Colonel Drinkwater, and divers other persons belonging to his suite, had taken their passage on board the Minerve ; and the commo- dore after having studiously endeavoured to obtain every possible information in his power relative to the enemy's force and future inten- tions, by reconnoitring all the principal ports in the Mediterranean, proceeded for Gibraltar, where he arrived a few days after the Spanish fleet from Garthagena had passed through the casion. A repetition of his own words will in themselves afford tlie prajse best adapted to such heroic conduct. ''You are, sir/' said he, " so thoroughly acquainted with the merits of Captain Cockburn, that it is needless for me to ex- press them ; but the discipline of La Minerve does the highest credit to her captain and lieutenant, and I wish fully to express the sense I have of their judgment and gallantry. Lieutenant Culverhouse, the first lieutenant, is as old officer of very dis- tinguished merit. Lieutenants Hardy, Gage, and Noble, de- serve every praise which gallantry and zeal justly entitled them to ; as does every other officer and man in the ship. *^ You will observe, sir, I am sure, with regret, among the wounded. Lieutenant James Noble, who quitted the Captain to serve with me, and whose merits and repeated wounds received in fighting the enemies of our country, entitle him to every re- ward a grateful nation can bestowc" LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 73 Streights. Burning ^^'Ith impatience to assume a more active and useful station than the com- mand of a frigate could possibly afford him^ when a serious contest with the enemy appeared more than probable, he remained at Gibraltar only one day, and in the course of his passage to the westward, towards the*appointed place of ren- dezvous, was on the i ith of February not only chased by tw^oSpanish line of battle ships,butw^as also in sioht of their whole fleet^'offthe entrance of the Streights. He was fortunate enough, however, to effect not only his escape, but hi$ junction with the admiral, and the fleet, on the 13th of February. The important intelligence he brought, was the prelude to the future suc- cess ; and as he had been the happy means of first conveying to the admiral information of the Dear approach of the enemy, so did he in the glorious contest which presently succeeded, prove the principal cause of effecting their dis- comfiture and defeat. Immediately on his arrival, he shifted his broad pendant on board his former ship the Captain ; and, as it is reported, had not effected his removal many minutes, ere the signal was made that the British fleet should prepare for ac- tion; the ships which composed it being directed to keep in close and compact order during the night. As to the event of the action, few English- men can l?e ignorant ; of the circumstances 7^ MEMOIRS OF which led to that event, the greater part of them may be but partially informed, perhaps, notwith- standing a variety of documents have already been printed and re-printed in a multitude of forms, each of them attempting to illustrate a period sa Ijisteresting to the feelings of Britons, but unhap- pily,through an infinity of causes, all failingto pro- duce the wisbed-for intention and the desired ef-^ feet. Of these, according to the ordinary course of precedence, theofficial, or gazetteaccount, claims the first mention,* No particular observation is made on the conduct of Commodore Nelson; and that circumstance, perhaps, paradoxical as it may appear, is in itself a matter of the highest praise; for it is the natural infirmity of the hu- man mind to be silent as to the promulgation of that worth, which it feels itself shrink as it were from the task of paying suf^cient tribute to. The next account we shall beg leave to no- tice, as well as to insert, is a short memorandum made by the commodore himself, presently after the encounter, in which, with bis customary deli- cacy with respect to himself, he attributes the highest possible praise to those employed under his orders, who aided in effecting the glorious achievement, but is totally silent as to those energies produced and raised to maturity in his own mind, which gave birth to so glorious ancj brilliant a conclu.sion. *■ See jvage 66, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 75 " At one, P. M." observes the commodore, *' the Captain having passed the sternmost of the enemy's ships, which formed their van, and part of their centre, consisting of seventeen sail of the line, they on the larboard, we on the starboard tack, the admiral made the signal to tack in succession ; but perceiving all the Spa- nish ships to bear up before the wind, evidently with an intention of forming their line, going large, and joining their separated divisions, at that time engaged with some of our centre ships, or flying from us — to prevent either of their schemes from taking place, I ordered the ship to be wore, and passing between the Diadem and Excellent, at a quart&r past one o'clock, was engaged with the headmost, and, of course, leewardmost of the Spanish division. The ships which I knew were the Santissima Trinidada, of one hundred and thirty-six guns, San Josef, of one hundred and twelve, Salvador del Mun- do, of one hundred and twelve, San Nicholas, eighty ; another first-rate, and a seventy-four, names unknown. ** I was immediately joined, and most nobly supported, by the Culloden, Captain Trou- bridge. The Spanish fleet, not wishing, I sup- pose, to have a decisive battle, hauled to the wind on the larboard tack, which brought the ships above mentioned to be the leewardmost and sternmost ^hips In their fleet. For near an 7o MEMOIRS Of hour 1 believe (but I do not pretend to be coi~ rect as to time), did the CuIJoden and Captain support this not only apparently but really un- equal contest ; when the Blenheim passing be- tween us and the enemy, gave us a respite, and sickened the Dons. At this time the Sal- vador del Mundo, and San Isidro, dropped astern, and were fired into in a masterly style hy the Excellent, Captain Collingwood, who compelled the San Isidro to hoist English co- lours j and 1 thought the large ship, Salvador del Mundo had also struck: but Captain Colling- wood, disdaining the parade of taking posses- sion of a vanquished enemy, most gallantly pushed up with every sail set, to save his old friend and messmate, who was to appearance in a critical state. The Blenheim being ahead, the CuModen crippled and astern, the Excellent rang.ed up within two feet of the San Nicholas, giving a most tremendous fire. The San Nicho- las luffing up, the San Josef fell on board her, and the Excellent passing on for the Santissima Trinrdada, the Captain resumed her station abreast of them, and close alongside. At this lime the Captain having lost her fore-top-mast, not a sail, shroud, nor rope left, her wheel away, and incapable of further service in the line or in chase, I directed Captain Miller to put the helm a-starboard, and calling for the boarders, ordered them to board. The soldiers LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 77 of the sixty-ninth, with an alacrity which will ever do them credit, and Lieutenant Pearson of the same regiment, were almost the foremost on this service. The first man who jumped into the enemy's m^zzen-chains was Captain Berry, late my first lieutenant (Captain Miller •was in the a6t of going also, but I directed him to remain) ; he was supported by our spritsail yard, which hooked in the mizzen rigging. A soldier of the sixty-ninth regiment having broken the upper quarter gallery window, I jumped in myself, and was followed by others as fast as possible. I found the cabin doors fastened, and some Spanish officers fired their pistols ; but having broke open the doors, the soldiers fiired, and the Spanish brigadier (commodore, with a distinguishing pendant) fell, as retreating to the quarter-deck. I pushed immediately on- wards for the quarter-deck, where I found Cap- tain Berry in possession of the poop, and the Spanish ensign hauling down. I passed with my people, and Lieutenant Pearson, on the lar- board gang-way to the forecastle, where 1 met two or three Spanish officers, prisoners to my seamen : they delivered me their swords. A fire of pistols or musquets opening from the admiral's stern-gallery of the San Joseph, I di- rected the soldiers to fire into her stern, and calling to Captain Miller, ordered him to send more men into the San Nicholas, and directed 7^ ' MEMoms OF my people to board the first rate, which was done in an instant; Captain Berry assisting me ir>4:o the main chains. At this moment a Spa- nish officer looked over the quarter-deck rail, and said they surrendered. From this most welcome intelligence, it was not long before I tvas on the quarter-deck, whefe the Spanish captain, with a bow, presented me his sword^ and said the admiral was dying of his wound?. I asked him on his honour, if the ship surren- dered. He declared she was ; on which I gave him my hand, and desired him to call on his officers and ship*s company and tell them of it ; and, on the quarter-deck of a Spanish Jirst-rate^ ex- traifagant as the story may seeni^ did I receive the sivords of vanquished Spaniards ^ which as I received J gave to Williain Featney^ one of my bargemen y who put them with the greatest scing froid under his arnu I was surrounded by Captain Berry, Lieutenant Pearson of the sixty-ninth regiment, John %kes, John Thompson, Francis Cooke (all oM Agamemnonsjj and seyeral other brave men, seamen and soldiers. Thus fell these ships. *' N. B. In boarding the San Nicholas, I be- lieve we lost about seven killed and ten wound- ed; and about twenty Spaniards lost their live^ by a foolish resistance. None were lost I be- lieve in boarding the San Josef.'* To the foregoing we shall add the folio wiog LORD VtSCOUNT KfiLSO^vT. 79 ijtefragably legal document, which, In the plairl^ , est and most unadorned, though not, on that ac* ^ count, less interesting style, sets forth not only the leading events of the action itself, but those also which immediately preceded it. Copy of the log-book of his majesty's ship the Captain^ Commodore Nelson, the 14th and 15th of February, at the victory of the Earl of St. Vincent over the Spanish fleet. " Tuesday, February 14th, wind variable, mo- derate breezes, and hazy ; out cuttet* and barge, and sept them on board the Victory; joined company his majesty's ship Bonne Citoyenne. At two the cutter returned with Lieutenant Noble. Hoisted Commodore Nelson's pendant. At half past four mustered at quarters ; one dlvi^ sion exercised great guns. At half past six Commodore Nelson came on board from the MinerVe. Hoisted in the barge, filled, aad made sail. At nine set the main sail ; at twelve tacked per signal, A. M. ditto weather, be^ tvveen two and three o'clock, heard the report of several guns to the southward, which we supposed to be the Spanish fleet, who we knew Were near us. At four the Victory, south one mile, at day-light, made the signal for a strange ' ' sail to the northward. At half past five heard the report of two gunS, S. W. At half past eight set the mainsaiL At ten, up mainsail > So MEMOIRS OP moderate and foggy. At half past ten saw the Spanish fleet, bearing S. S. E. four or five miles. The signal to fdrm the line and chase the ene- my. At twenty minutes before twelve the headmost ships of our line began to engage the enemy as they passed us on the other tack ^ Cape St. Vincent bearing north ten leagues. A few minutes before noon, we opened our fire on their leading ship, and passed nineteen sail of the line, giving and receiving as we passed ; our leading ships having eight of their rear ships to tack, by breaking their line. "Wednesday, 15 th, w^nd variable 5 at eighteen minutes before one, the Captain having passed, on the starboard tack, the last of the enemy's line of nineteen sail, which were on thti lar- board tack, the Spanish admiral, in the Santis- ima Trinidada, bore up, evidently with a de- sign to join a division of his fleet, of eight sail of the line, which were on the Captain*s lee- bow, on which the commodore ordered the ships to be wore; when passing between the Diadem and Excellent, she was immediately engaged by the Santissima Trinidada, a four-decked ship^ -1^ and two other three-deckers, and several tw^o- deckers j so that at one time we were engaged by nine line of battle ships, in which we were most nobly supported by Captain Troubridge, of the Culloden. The Spanish admiral desist- ed from his attempt of joining his other divi- LORD VISCOUNT NILSON. 8l ion, and hauled to the wind on the larboard tack. About two P. M. the Culloden having got between us and the enemy, we ceased firing about ten minutes, till we got ahead of her, and became engaged as before. Employed the in- terval in replenishing our shot, and repairing our rigging. About half past two, our sails and rigging being almost cut to pieces, the Blenheim passed between us and the enemy. Employed as before, while our fire ceased. At three we came to engage several of the enemy's line, particularly the San Josef and San Nicho- las. Saw a Spanish two-decker strike to the Excellent. Soon after we shot away the mizzen- mast of the San Josef, which caused her to fall on board the San Nicholas to windward. At half past three the Excellent .passed us to wind- ward, engaging the San Josef within pistol shot as she passed by ; on which she and the San Nicholas fell on boardof each other. The San Josef havirig lost her mizzen-mast, the Cap- tain, who^e fore-top-mast was at this time shot away, immediately luiFed along-side, prepared for boarding, and, having engaged very sharply for a few minutes, in which we had fifteen men killed and wounded, the commodore ordered the ship to be laid on board ; when himself. Lieu- tenants Berry, Noble, and Pearson, and Messrs. Samwell, Withers, and Wilhams, midshipmen, at the head of the boarders and troops, entered %t MEMOIRS OF on iDoard the San Nicholas, on the larboard quarter, and from her boarded the San Josef, and hauled down the colours at five minutes be- fore four o'clock. The latter mounting one hun- dred and twelve guns, Rear-admiral Winthuy- sen, and the former of eighty-four guns, Com- modore Gerraldelino. They were both mortally wounded, and died soon after the action ceased. Commodore Nelson put Lieutenant Berry in charge of the San Josef, and Lieutenant Spicer of the San Nicholas, with one hundred and fifty men in each ship. Found the latter on fire, but extinguished it. At five, all firing ceased. While we were entangled with both ships, found the San Nicholas to be on fire again, in the fore hold 3 but it was happily extinguished by our firemen. The commodore went on board the Irresistible. At six, got clear of th o e prizes. Wore to join the fleet, having been be- tween them and the enemy, who stood towards us with a fresh breeze, but hauled their wind again. Employed cutting away the remnant of the fore-sail, and clearing the wreck of the fore- top-mast. At seven /the Minerve took us in tow ; our standing and running rigging, with all the bending sails, being cut to pieces; our wheel, fore-top-mast, and fore-top, shot away; and Gur masts severely wounded ^ the main-mast having three shot through the heart. Employed fiilmg powder and replenishing shot, knotting LORD VISCOUNT KELSON. S3 and splicing, and to get ready for battle again as soon as possible. Found that another ship of one hundred and twelve guns, the San Salva- dor del Mundo, and the San Isidore, of seventy- four guns, had struck to our fleet. Our frigates took them in tow. " The Spanish fleet consisted of twenty-seren sail of the line, nine of which were three-deck- ers, and eight frigates : our fleet, of fifteen sail of the line, and three frigates (six three-deckers, eight seventy-fours, and one sixty-four). Found we had twenty-four men killed, and fifty-six wounded. In the Spaniards we took, the slaughter must have been very greatj as there were people employed all night throwing the dead overboard. A. M. moderate and hazy^ the Spanish fleet in sight to windward. Em- ployed repairing the damaged rigging, securing the masts, &c.; bent a new fore-sail, and mizzen- top-sail. The four prizes in tow." The document just given is more peculiarly valuable, inasmuch as it is a plain relation of facts given in the most summary way, on the in- stant of their taking place ; and serves to esta- blish beyond controversy many points, which those who are sceptically inclined, might other- wise demur to. The fourth, and more florid description of the great event alluded to, is given by Lieutenant- colonel Drinkwater, who, as it has been already 02 c4- MEMOIRS or related, had taken bis passage from Porto Fer-. rajio on board the Minerve, in company vvitli Sir Gilbert Elliot, and having removed into the Lively, that ship was, at the expVesS solicitation of the viceroy, permitted to continue with the fleet, that the impatience of the latter might be gratified as expeditiously as possible with regard to the result of the encounter. " When Sir John Jervis,'* says the lieutenant- colonel in his narrative, " on the 14th of Febru- ary, had accomplished his bold intention of breaking the enemy's line, the Spanish admiral, vrho had been separated to windvv^ard with his main body, consisting of eighteen ships of the line, from nine ships that* were cut off to lee- ward, appeared to make a movement as if with a view to join the latter. This design was com- pletely frustrated by the timely opposition of Cominodore Nelson, whose station in the rear of the British line afforded him an opportunity of observing this manoeuvre. His ship, the Captr^in, had no sooner passed the rear of the enemy's ships that were to windward, than he ordered her to w^ear, and stood on the other tack towards the enemy. ^* In executing this bold and decisive manoe- vre, the conunodore reached the sixth ship from the enemy's rear, which bore the Spanish admi- iixYs flag, the Santissima Trinidada, of one hun- dred and thirly-six guns, a ship of fout decks. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. S$ reported to be the largest in the world, Not- withstanding the inequality of the force, the commodore instantly engaged this colossal op- ponent, and for a considerable time had to con- tend not onJy with her, but with her seconds a-hcad and a-stern, each of three decks. While he maintained this unequal combat, which was viewed with admiration, mixed with anxiety, his friends were flying to his support. The enemy's attention was soon directed to the CuUoden, Captain Troubridge ; and in a short time after to the Blenheim, of ninety gunsj, Cap^ tain Frederick, who opportunely came ta his assistance. '•' The intrepid conduct of the commodore staggered the Spanish admiral, who already ap- peared to waver in pursuing his intention of joining the ships cut off by the British fleet ^ when the Cuiloden's timely arrival, and Captain Troubridge's spirited support of the commo- dore, together with the approach of the Blen- heim, followed by Rear-admiral Parker, with the Prince George, Orion, Irresistible, and Dia- dem, not far distant, determined the Spanish admiral to change his design altogether, and to throw out the signal for the ships' main body to haul their wind, and to make sail on the lar- board tack. " Not a moment was lost in improving the advantage now apparent in favour of the British ^6 MEMOIRS OF squndron. As the ships of Rear-admiral Par- ker's division approached the enemy's ships, in support of the Captain, Commodore Nelson's ship, and her gallant seconds, the Blenheim and CuJioden, the cannonade became more animated and impressive. In this manner did Commo- dore Nelson engage a Spanish three-decker, until he had nearly expended all the ammuni- tion in his ship, which had suffered the loss of her fore-top-mast, and received such conside- rable damage in her sails and rigging, that she was almost rendered hors du combat. At this critical period, thfe Spanish three-decker having lost her mizen-mast, fell on board a Spanish two- decker, of eighty-four guns, that was her se- cond: this latter ship consequently now became the commodore's opponent, and a most vigorous fire was kept up for some time by both ships, within pistol shot. ** It was now that the commodore's ship lost many men, and that the damages already sus- tained, through the long and arduous conflict which she had sustained, appeared to render a continuance of the contest in the usual way precarious or perhaps impossible. At this cri- tical moment the commodore, from a sudden impulse, instantly resolved on a bold and deci- sive measure; and determined, whatever might be the event, to attempt his opponent sword in hand. The boarders were summoned, and I JLO?.D VISCOUNT NELSON-. 87 orders given to lay his ship on board the enemv. " Fortune favours the brave! nor on this oc- casion was she unmindful of her favourite. Ralph Willet Miller, the commodore's captain, soju- diciously diiected the course of the ship, that he laid her aboard the starboard quarter of the Spanish eighty-four: her spritsail-yard passing over the enemy's poop, and hooking in her niizzen-shrouds; when the word to board being given, the officers and seamen destined for this perilous duty, headed by Lieutenant Berry, to- gether with the detachment of the sixty-ninth regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Pearson, then doing duty as marines on board the Captain, passed with rapidity on board the enemy's ship; and in a short time the San Nicholas was in posses- sion of her intrepid assailants. The commodore's ardour would not permit him to remain an in^ active spectator of this scene. He w^as aware the attemipt was hazardous ; and he thought his presence might animate his brave companions, and contribute to the success of this bold enter- prise: he therefore, as if by magic impulse, ac- companied the party in this attack; passing from the fore-chains of his own ship into the enemy's quarter-gallery, and tUence through the cabin to the quarter-deck, where he arrived in time to receive the sword of the dying com- mander, wlio had been mortally wounded by the boarders . ^O MEMOIRS OF " He had not long been employed in taking the necessary measures to secure this hard-earned conquest, when he found himself engaged in a more arduous task. The stern of the three- decker, his former opponent, was placed direct- ly amid ships of the weather beam of the prize, San Nicholas ; and from her poop and galleries the enemy sorely annoyed with musquetry the British who had boarded the Saa Nicholas. The commodore was not long in resolving on the conduct to be adopted, on this momentous occa- sion. The two alternatives that pres nted them- selves to his unshaken mind, were, to quit the prize, or instantly board the three-decker. Con- fident of the bravery of his seamen, he deter- mined on the latter. Directing, therefore, an additional number of men to be sent fi'om the Captain on board the San NicKolas, the un- daunted commodore, whom i o Hanger ever ap- palled, headed himself th. assailants in this new attack, exclaiming, Westminster Abbey ! or GLORIOUS VICTORY ! '^ Success in a few minutes, and with little loss, crowned the enterprize. Such indeed was the panic occasioned by his preceding conduct, that the British no sooner appeared on the quarter- deck of their new opponent, than the comman- dant advanced, and asking for the British com- manding officer, dropped on one knee, and pre- sented his sword, apologizing at the same time LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 89 for the Spanish admiral's not appearing, as he was dangerously wounded. For a moment Com- modore Nelson could scarcely persuade himself of tliis second instance of good fortune: he there- fore ordered the Spani&li commandant, who had the rajik of a brigadier, to assemble the officers on the quarter-deck, and direct means to be taken instantly for communicating to the crew the surrender of the ship. All the officers im- mediately appeared; and the commodore had the surrender of ihe San Josef duly conferred by each of them delivering his sword. '* The coxswain of the commodore's barge, John Sykes, since dead, had attended close by his side throughout this perilous attempt : to him the commodore gave in charge the swords of the Spanish officers as he received them : and the undaunted tar, as they were delivered to him, tucked these honourable trophies under his arm, with all the coolness imaginable. It was at this moment also that a British sailor, who had fought under the commodore, came up in the fullness of his heart, and excusing the liber- ty he was taking, asked to shake him by the hand, to congratulate him upon seeing him safe on the quarter-deck of a Spanish three-decker. *^ This new conquest had scarcely submitted, and the commodore returned on board the San Nicholas, when the latter ship was discovered to be on fire in two places. At the first mor 9© ' xMEMOTRS OF ment appearances were alarming ; but the pre- sence of mind and resources of the commodore and his officers, in this emergency, soon got the fire under. ** A signal was made by the Captain for boats to assist in disentangling her from the two prizes ; and as she was incapable of further ser- vice until refitted, the commodore again hoisted his broad pendant, for the moment, on board La Minerve frigate; and in the evening shifted it to the Irresistible, Captain Martin: but as soon as the Captain was refitted, he re-hoisted his pendant on board the latter ship. " As a reward for such distinguished gallantry on the 14th of February, he received the insignia of the Bath and the gold medal from his sove- reign ; and was also presented with the freedom of the city of London in a gold box.*'* * In the council-cliamber of the hall in the market-place at Nonvich, is erected tlie following device, a memorial of th«> glorious action of the 14th of February, 1797- An anchor, if which are suspended a yard and sail, supposed to have beea shot away in action; on the latter is inscribed: "The sword of the Spanish admiral Don Xavier Winthuysen, who died of the wounds he received in an engagement with the British fleet un^der the command of Admiral Earl of St. Vm- cent, 14th February, 1797, which ended in the most brilliant victory ever obtained by this country over the enemy at sea, wherein the heroic valour and cool determined couragp of Rear-admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K. B. had ample scope for their display. He being a native of Norfolk, honoured the city by presenting this sword surrendered to him ia that acr LOKD VISCOUNT NKLSON. ^t In the preceding account, the colonel, it must in justice be owned, pays the most grateful tribute to the personal bravfery and gallantry of the commodore, but does not enter sufficiently into a description, and that, certainly, necessary eul )gium on the splendid display of his abilities, without which, on so trying an occasion, the most consummate gallantry in the universe, even though it had been possible for it to have ex- ceeded that of the commodore himself, would have proved but of little avail. With all that promptitude which is the certain characteristic of a great and active mind, he found the bold manoeuvre, executed by order of the com- mander in chief, would" fail in its effect, unless the most decisive measures were adopted to prevent the reunion of the main body of the fleet with those ships from which the Spanish admiral had been separated. The moment was awful ; for, glorious as the opportunity might be, any failure in the measure taken by the com- modore might have been productive of mischief to his friends, and the most serious injury to his country. He felt, however, the magnitude of tion/' From the flukes of the anchor the sword is suspended ; underneath is the coat of arms of Sir Horatio Nelson, which was given to him by the king. The crest is the stern of a man of war, and the supporters a sailor beating a British lion, tram- pling on the Spanish colours. The motto, *' Faith and works." The whole is neatly executed by Mr. Windham of that city. ^Z MEMOIRS OF • his own powers; and in the full consciou.sness of that magnitude, he seized the crown of vie- -toiy, which Providence herself a])pears to have destined he should wear. It is not a little re- niarkable that each of the triumphs obtained by this noble person over the foes to his country, has rested entirely on the exertions of his own abilities, and strength of mind, without being indebted in the slightest degree, to any of those fortuitous circumstances, which have at different periods decided the fate of battles, and of na- tions. By the rapidity of his conception, and the celerity with which he carried it into execu- tion on the present occasion, the world was taught a lesson, which, before that day, would have been considered romantic and ridiculous, that the presence of one man may supply the deficiency of thousands, and render the event of battle at least doubtful, against the most fearful odds. In contests between armies, such occurrences are neither, perhaps, new, nor uncommon. The march of battalions, regulated with more cer- tainty, and easily applicable, with the most cor- rect exactness, to the execution of any measure which the abilities of a great and consummate general may have contrived, have rendered the operations and success of an army in a great pleasure reducible to certain principles, so that science may, without its becoming a matter of LORD VISCOUNT NELSON'. 95 wonder, be the arbiter of contest. In naval encounters the case was ever considered as widely different. To contend against an enemy so manifestly superior, would have been con- sidered, in the general acceptation of the worlds an act of the most unpardonable rashness, if not of madness itself. It was the lot of Lord Nelson to prove to that world, that such an opinion was erroneous; that the duties of a naval commander consisted not merely in rang- ing his fleet in a regular line, or even in placing his ship on the bow or quarter of his antagonist; that the cold system of regular tactics, till then almost in invariable use, and from which it was considered a crime of the highest magnitude, even for a moment, to depart, was an insult to the understanding t>f naval commanders, by im* puting to them a want of ability to contrive, or ' a power to execute measures similar to those, which, when applied to military operations, had frequently conferred victory on the weak. It will not, however, be improper to remark in this place, what infinitely superior energies are indispensably required in the mind of a naval commander beyond those of the man who may be placed at the head of the most extensive armies. The general, surrounded by the ablest men he can select, aided by the com- pletest informatioti as to every particular, that can stren|;then his mind or^assist his judgment. 94 MEMOIRS OF forms those plans, coolly and deliberately, he arranges all his different combinations of attack, which he may, without trusting much to the doctrine of chances, depend on being successful. Attended by his aid-de-camps, he takes his station on the spot most convenient to his pur-^ pose, and the operations of his army are con- ducted as it were by deck work, according to the will of him, who becomes the moving power. Suppose him at the worst foiled in any, or even the major part of his projects, the scientific resources of his mind will allow him to repair misfortune, remedy disaster, and prevent de- feat. His mind, in great measure abstracted from the bustle of the neighbouring scene, is left at full liberty to display the natural scope of his abilities. With an admiral, or naval commander, the case is widely different 3 all his measures may be disconcerted in an instant. It was considered, till Lord Nelson first proved the opinion erroneous, impossiblevto lay down any established form of battle, inasmuch as it must depend on events and circumstances, which were not within the controul of man. A change of the vtind, even in a trivial degree, or a few chance shot, fortunately destructive in their< effect, might, it was found, render inef- fectual the best concerted plans. Every single ship was to be considered as a battalion which might be disabled or annihilated in an instant. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 95 and at the very moment toovvhen her co-operation was most necessary. On that accoutit, perhaps, it was considered nugatory to propose the adop- tion of any system, deviating in the smallest de- gree from the simplest practice, because it never might be in the power of the most able com- mander to carry such system into proper effect. To overcome this prejudice required an exertion, which none but the greatest minds were capa- ble of carrying into actual practice. It had, on some occasions, been partially attempted to have been removed; but it remained for the genius of Commodore Nelson to dispel, like the meridian sun, the cloud which had so long ob- scured the be^t energies of nautical know- ledge*. What praise, what admiration, can be con- sidered too romantic to be bestowed on the man, who, surrounded by that terrific confusion * The personal exertions of Commodore Nelson on this oc- casion, must raise him, on account of the peculiar circumstances that attended them, higlier than perhaps any man, either nautical, or military, who ever preceded him in the line of tlie most active ser\'ice. To act, and to think, are two very dif- ferent qualities of the human mind, and, generally speaking, destroy each other ; but in tiiis noble person we find them most happily blended, and exhiUted in the most brilliant colours, so that we scarcely know which most to admire, the activity of his mind, which caused him to make the attempt, or the very great personal gallantry which he displayed in the prosecution of it. gS MEMOIRS OF invariably attendant on naval contests, can in one instant contrive, and on the next moment execute a measure that the host of his anta- gonists, a circumstance which future ages might almost deem fabulous, v^ere unable to baffle, or extricate themselves from the effects of. In fine, the conception w^as great, the execution noble, and the event glorious. In the volume of the Naval Chronicle, which we have before quoted, are inserted several ex- tracts from letters written by his lordship ; they convey too forcible a trait of his character, to warrant their omission. *' Irresistible, off Lagos Bay, " My dear Sir, March l6, 1797. " Your letter of November 30th, by the Aurora, I only re- ceived the beginning of this month, before I left Lisbon. "I am here looking out for the Viceroy of Mexico, witli three sail of the line, and hope to meet him. Two first- rates and a seventy-four are with him; but the larger the ships the better the mark. " The Spanish fleet is in Cadiz ; the officers hooted and pelted by the mobility. Their first report was, the action hap- pening in a foggy day, when the fog cleared up they only- saw fifteen sail of the line, therefore concluded at least five of ours were sunk in the action. My usual good fortune attended me, which I know will give you, amongst my other friends, satisfaction. Believe me, '• Your most faithful humble servant, *' Horatio Nelson." '' Captain, off Cadiz, April 10, 1797. *' My dear Sir, *' Many thanks for your mo.'^t kind congratulations on our LORD VISCaUNT iJKLSON. 97 late success; but I hope soon the good people of England will have sometlung else to talk about, more recent victories j for if our ships are but carried close enougli by the officers, I will answer for a British fleet being always successful. " The Spaniards threaten us they will come out and take their revenge ; the sooner the better: but 1 will not beheve it till I see it; and if they do, what will the mines of Mexico and Peru signify, compared with the honour I doubt not we slrall gain by fighting any angry Don. Thty -will have thirty sail of the line ; we twenty ^ or ttventy-two ; but I fear we shall have a peace before they are ready to come out. "Believe me, dear sir, *' Your much obliged " Horatio Nelson." *' My dear Sir, *' Theseus, June 1st, 1797. " We are off Cadiz, with a greater inferiority than before. I am barely out of shot of a Spanish rear-admiral. Wc have every day flags of truce. The Dons hope for peace, but must soon fight us if the war goes on. I wish it all Over, for I can- not fag much longer. *' Beheve me, my dear sir, *' Your obliged and faithful friend, *' Horatio Nelson, " P. S. Samuel Hood is gone I hope to get riches^ — sure to get honour." It has been frequently remarked, that epis- tolary correspondence, particularly that which is of a private nature, is the best criterion by which we can judge of the undisguised sen- timents of a man, and the most certain index of the natural bent of his mind. To the preceding letters, a myriad equally interesting, might be added, provided any additional proof of the spirit and genuine habits of thinking possessed by the noble writer were wanting. They are inserted without the slightest alteration \ those $S MSMOIRS OF parts only being omitted which, for different reasons, principally because they relate to pri- vate concerns, would be consequently unin- teresting to the public. Sir Horatio having been promoted, very soon after the brilliant transactions last mentioned, to' the rank of rear-admiralof theblue,was dispatch- ed in the month of April, 1797, to bring off the garrison of Porto Ferrajio, and on his return to the fleet, from that service, having shifted his ffag from the Captain to the Theseus, on the iyth of May, he was appointed by the Earl of S.t. Vincent to command a detachment of the fleet which was employed in the immediate blockade of Cadiz harbour. This was a service which required the most consummate ability, added to the highest personal intrepidity -, nor is it possible, perhaps, without meaning to detract in the smallest instance from the character of other men, to have found any- person more strongly enaowed with both these qualities. . For the purpose of confining the enemy te their port as closely as possible, it was a prac- tice to send every night, from each ship, one or two boats manned and armed, into the very.raauth of the harbour; these w^ere sup- px)rted by some gun-boats purposely fitted for the: occasion, which, on their part, depending for protection, in case of attack, from the in- terior line of ships which were posted under the orders of Sir Horatio, the system of blockade be- came complete, and the impediment raised against \ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 99 the clandestine escape of any vessel, might be pro- nounced inipenetrable. lii order to cause a strict attention throughout all the inferior branches of the service, the rear- admiral was accustomed to rov/ through the boats, after they had been posted for the night. Thus were both officers, as well as the men, kept constantly alert, and in immediate readiness to repel any sud- den attack that might be made on them, fronl the port itself. The Spaniards had, on their part, as a necessary defensive precaution, equipped a num- ber of gun-boats and large launches, in which they also paraded and rowed guard, for the pur- jpose of preventhig the blockaders from making so near an approach, as they otherwise perhaps might have attempted, even to such an extent, as might have endangered the safety of the Spanish fleet itself. The consequence of these mutual jpreparations was, that a variety of immaterial skir- mishes took place betvveen the two flotillas, all which might most probablyj even at this time, have been little rememl}ei:ed, had it not been for an encoun- ter, in which both the Spanish commander of the gun-boats, Don Miguel Tyrason, and Sir Horatio, were personally engaged. The former being in a galley, which rowed with twenty-six oars, and manned with a chosen crew piroportionably numerous, for it consisted of thirty men, in- cluding officers, had the fortune to encounter the latter, who was in his own barge, with i\o more than its usual complement of ten men, and the coxswain j Captain Freemantle accompa- lOO MEMOIRS OF nying Sir Horatio as a volunteer. His own Inhe- rent courage appeared to have even exceeded his former display of greatness ; and the event of which we are treating, rises as* another proof how absolutely necessary it is for a naval commander, to possess the most exalted personal prowess, as well as the most consummate abilities of the mind. The Spaniard, confiding in his superior num* bers, shrunk not from the contest ; and the crews of both vessels, headed, by their respective com- manders, fought for a considerable time hand to hand. John Sykes, his coxswain, whom the rear- admiral so gratefully and affectionately distinguish- ed in his short account of the action of the 14th of February, was wounded in the act of defend- ing his person ; and is reported to have actually preserved his truly valuable life in two different in- stances, by parrying several furious strokes that were aimed at him, and mortally wounding the assailants. Thus was the person of Sir Horatio, 'j though repeatedly in the most imminent danger, preserved under Providence by his own gallantry, aided by that of the brave, and generous fellows whom he" commanded : the conquest of the enemy ^ was at length effected, and the proud superiority of Englishmen, was never perhaps displayed in more glowing colours. The Spaniards fought with a fury bordering almost on- desperation ; nor did resistance cease, until eighteen of them werq killed, and all that remained, including the Spanish commander himself, severely wounded. The eulo* <,aum bestowed on his conduct on this occasion by LORD VISCOUNT NELSOJT. lOI the Earl St. Vincent, his commander In chief, was simple and appropriate. " The rear-admiral,'* says his lordship, " who is always present in the most arduous enterprizes, with the assistance of some other barges, boarded and carried two of the enemy's gun-boats, and a large launch be- longing to one of their ships of war, with the commandant of the flotilla. Rear-Admiral Nel- sons actions speak for themselves ; any pymse of mine would fall very short of his meriL'' The encounter last mentioned took place on the 3d of July, and in two nights afterwards, a repe- tition of the attack was made in a more tremen- dous form, under the direction of Sir Horatio, on the city of Cadiz itself, and the shipping in the harbour. The bomb-vessels ranged under his di- rection took their proper stations, and began their truly terrific warfare. The town itself, together with the shipping, received considerable damage ; and, as is customary in all attacks of that desultory, though dreadful nature, the vessels having expended tlieir allotted portion of shells, retired with the conso- lation of having materially annoyed the warlike pre- parations of the enemy, without having themselves sustained either injury, or inconvenience. In a few days after these skirmishes, which derived the most deserved celebrity, from the circumstances which attended them, Sir Horatio was detached with three ships of the line, the Theseus, the Culloden, and the Zealous ; the Leander of fifty guns, with the Terpsichore, the Emerald, the Sea-horse fri- gates, and the Fox cutter^ having on board what i02 'MEMOiRS OF was considered as a sufficient body of troops fo^ the purpose, to make an attack on the town of Szntz Cruz, the capital of the isle of TenerifFe. The most prudent, and at the same time the most spirited measures, were immediately adopted with regard to the attack ; the boats of the squadron were manned, and the troops put on shore. Not- withstanding the darkness of the night, and the considerable swell . even on the shore, the landing was effected in good order j so that if ability joined to gallantry could have commanded success, it would certainly have attended, in its fullest extent^ this enterprise. It proved, however, to have been undertaken in consequence of a very erroneous representation of the force, in which the enemy were ; and was rendered abortive merely by the great disparity in point of numbers, which existed between the assailants, and the defenders. Thus circi|mstanced, the British troops, after having been for the space of seven hours in possession of the town of Santa Cruz, finding it impossible tq make themselves masters of the citadel, began to retreat. The Spaniards, rejoiced at being freed from invaders, whose courage, inferior as they were in numbers, to themselves, appeared still dreadful, and were glad to consent they should retire unmolest- ed, rather than drive them to despair*. Thi43 ended an expedition, which might be deemed ■* In that excellent publication, the Naval Chronicle, to \yhich we have before alluded, and to which we find our- selves infinitely indebted for n^any interesting particulars, th« annexe4 are ^iyen, tn the account of this attack;, and its c jji- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. lOj a fatal one to Britain, having cost her the lives of nearly two hundred brave officers and seamen, killed sequences. The rear-admiral, on his arrival before the town, lost no time in directing a thousand men, including marines, to be prepared for landing from the ships, under the direction of the brave Captain Troubridge, since created, for his dis- tinguished services, a baronet, of his Majesty's ship the Cul* loden, and Captains Hood, Thompson, Freemantle, Bowen, Miller, and Waller, who very handsomely volunteered their siervices. The boats of the squadron were accordingly manned, and the landing was effected in the course of a dark night. The party were in full possession of the town o( Santa Cruz for about seven hours. Finding it impracticable to storm the citadel, they prepared for their retreat 3 which the Spaniards allowed them to do unmolested, agreeable to the stipulations made with Captain Troubridge. Although this enterprise did not succeed, his majesty's arms acquired by the attempt a great degree of lustre 3 and, as the rear- admiral himself handsomely expresses it in his letter to Earl St. Vincent, *' more daring intrepidity never was shewn than by the captains, officers, and men he had the honour to com- mand." Sir Horatio Nelson in this attack lost his right arm by a cannon shot -, the same night it was rmputated on board the Theseus, when he immediately began liis official letter, and finished it by eleven. No less than two hundred and forty- six gallant officers, marines, and seamen, were killed, wounded, and drowned. The life of Sir Horatio Nelson was providentially saved by Lieutenant Nesbit, his son-in-law, on this disastrous night. I'he admiral received his wound soon after the detachment had landed 3 and while they were pressing on with the usual ar- dour of British seamen, the shock caused him to fall to the. ground, where for some minutes he was left to himself, until Mr. Nesbit, missing him, had the presence of mind to return; ■\^-hen, after some search in the dark, he at length found his brave father-in-law weltering in his blood on the ground, with his arm shattered, and himself apparently lifeless. J^ieu^ Iie greatest propriety, inserted here, as giving a brief account of the different services in which he had been engaged, pre- vious to tliat time. To the King's Most Excellent Majesty. The Memorial of Sir Horatio Nelson, K. B. and a Rear-Ad- miral in your Majesty's Fleet. That, during the present war, your memorialist has been in four actions with the fleets of the enemy, viz. on the 13th and 14th of March, 17P5; on the 13th of July, 1795, and on the 14th of February, 1797 ; in three actions in boats, employ- ed in cutting out of harbours, in destroying vessels, Hnd in taking three towns. Your luemoricilist has also sei-ved on shore, with the army, four months, and commanded the bat- teries at the sieges of Bastia and Calvi: That during the war he has assisted at the capture of seven sail of the line, , six frigates, four corvettes, and eleven privateers of different sizes, ami taken and destroyed near fifty sail of merchant vessels ; and your memorialist has actually been engaged against the enemy upwards of one hundred and txventy times, in which ser- vice your memorialist has lost his right eye and arm, and been |o6 MEMOIRS OF to render him capable of undertaking a command, he was ordered to re-hoist his flag, and proceed again to the Mediterranean. This he did on the ic)th of December, on board the Vanguard. Some weeks necessarily elapsed before that ship was properly equipped for the voyage; and the sub- sequent delays, occasioned by contrary v/inds, and the convoy which he had under his charge, caused it to be the 29th of April before he was able to join the Earl St. Vincent, the commander in chief off Cadiz. On the very day ensuing, he wai detached with three ships of the line, two frigates, and a sloop of war, to watch the motions of a very formidable French armament, in the equip- ment of vv^hich the greatest exertions had been made, as the last, and mere gasping hopes of a desperate cause. It has been frequently urged, that the British nation owes the highest obligation to the noble Earl, on the mere account of appointing his lordship to this command. The fact no one will venture to dispute; but the generality of people do not seem perfectly aware of the extsiit of that honour, v/hich they owe him on the occa- sion in question. Grieving for the depravity of human nature, we cannot but lament that gratitude is among the least prevalent of human affections. severely wounded and bruised in his body ; all of nljicli ser- vices and wounds your memorialist most humbly subniits to your majesty's most gracious consideration. Oct. 17.9?. (Signed) NKLst):^. LOUD VISCOUNT KELSON. ICJ His lordship cpnvinced the world the lofty §en- fiments of his mmd were superior to 7:s baseness and degeneracy. His duty, as cominander in chief^ peremptorily required him to make choice, on every exigency of service, of those men, whom he thought most fit to execute it. The rigid rules of the service opposed, however, such a choice, and to no other cause can we impute his deviation from those rules, save that of gratitude : gratitude for having been the humble means of gaining a victory, on ac- count of which his lordship wore the laurels. The annals of history furnish no example equally grand in its detail^ and its conclusion. If we should not incur in these enlightened days the charge of superstition on the occasion, we should say, on reviewing the detail of his voyage, thai the noble admiral appeared commissioned by some superior agency, to effect the destruction of an ar- mament which had threatened the most ruinous consequences to his country. The cause of our admiration we must confess is not new ; we know not which most to admire, the ability of his mind, or the gallantry of his personal behaviour. Facts speak for themselves, and the subjoined narrative of the leading transactions of the voyage, carefully drawn up by a very eminent literary character, from the minutes of an officer, who held a very high and pre-eminent station in the squadron, may, notwithstanding its having been already pre- sented to public view, very properly supply the place of any garbled detail that could be formed on the occasion* I©8 MEMOIRS OF The disappointments and difficulties his lordship had to encounter previous to his obtaining authen- tic information that the fleet of the enemy had shaped its course towards Egypt, are thus related. Sir Horafio Nelson had been detached by Earl St. Vmcent, into the Mediterranean, with the Vanguard of seventy-four guns, the rear-admiral's flag-ship, the Orion and Alexander, of seventy-four guns each, the Emerald and Terpsichore fri- gates, and La Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war. The squadron sailed from Gibraltar on the 9th of May, but experienced nothing material till the 22d ; when, being in the Gulf of Lyons, at two A. M. a most violent squall of wind took the Vanguard, which carried away her top-masts, and at last her fore-mast. The other ships experienced the fury of the gale, but not in the same degrep astlie Vanguard, a greater propor- tion of the storm having fpilen on that ship. The three line of battle ships lost sight of the frigates on the same day, and at the moment of the misfortune which befel the Vanguard, the British squadron was not many leagues distant from the French fleet, under Buonaparte, which had on that very day set sail from Toulon. The squadron bore up for Sardinia, the Alexander takhig thf Vanguard in tow, and the Orion looking out a-liead to en- deavour to get a pilot, for the purpose of gaining St. Pierre's road. On the 24th they reached that anchorage, where they were in hopes of meeting with a friendly reception, which their distresses seemed to demand from a neutral power: the go- vernor of St. Pierre, however, had orders from the French not to admit any British ship; but their utmost hostility could not prevent the admiral from anchoring in the road. The re- sources which British seamfen' always have among themselves, availed them much upon this occasion. Captain Berry, with the very able assistance he received from Sir .lanu^s Saumarcx and Captain Bail, was enabled to equip t;ie \'c!!i!;juar;{ with a jury foremast, jury main and mizzen topmasts, and to fish the bowsj>rit, which was sprung in many places, and on the fourth day from then* anchoring in St. Pierre's road, they again put to I „,..„...„ ... ^Hvpa, with top-gallant yards across. It is, however, proper to ^Bobserve, that although tlie governor of St. Pierre, in conse- ^B^iieucc of peremptory orders from tlie French, denied the ^* squadron a public reception, yet he privately acted in a friendly manner, giving it in an underhand way every assistance in Iiis power. The admiral, eager to execute the orders which he had re- ceived, did not think of sailing to Naples or any other port, wiiere he could have received the most open and friendly as- sistance in getthig the ship properly refitted, which her con- dition evidently required, but immediately steered for his ap- pointed rendezvous, nor did he ever express the smallest in- tention of shifting his flag to either of the other ships, which to many oflicers the peculiar circumstance of his own might have seemed to have rendered desirable. The admiral, and officers of the Vanguard, indeed, had the happiness to find, tliat the ship sailed and w orked as w ell as the other ships, notwithstanding her apparently crippled condition. The squa- dron reac^ied the rendezvous on the ^th of June, and on the following day was joined by La Mutine, Captain Hardy, who '.vas charged with orders to the admiral, and who brought the idghly acceptable intelligence, that Captain Troubridge had been detached with ten sail of the line, and a fifty-gun ship, to reinforce him. The knowledge of this, diffused universal joy throughout the little squadron, and the admiral observed to Captain Berry, that he should then be a match for any ho- stile fleet in the Mediterranean, and his only desire would be to encounter one. On the 6th of June the squadron w^as spread, anxiously look- ing out for the expected reinforcement. By a vessel spoke with that day, they were informed, that several sail then in sight were Spanish ships, richly laden : but prize-money was not the object of the admiral; all selfish consideration was absorbed in his great mind, by that of the honour and interests of his country, and his attention and anxiety were solely en- grossed by his desire to meet his promised reinforcement, that he might pursue the enemy, of the sailing of whom from Tou- lon he had certain iatelligence. The Alexander, being on the 1 tp ?.!EM01R5 CF lf)nk-out, sto\->|U'd ^le of tliese sliips; bn^ findm(^ slie had art board cicbtv or ninety priesls, driven by tlie French persecu- tions and cruelties from Rome, he thought it would be an act of humanity to pcmit the ship to pursue her voyasre; and !te accordin.irly rt^leased her, and rejoined tlie admiral, brins^- !ng with Iiiin a few vtrlunteers from tlie Spanisli vessel, chiefly Genoese, who were desirous of the Honour of serving in the Briti-jh fieet; ^'xprcssing at the saine time their detestation and resentment at tlie ill usage which they had experienced from the French. On the 8th at noon they had tL*e happiness to discover from t?ie mast-head ten sail, and it was not long before they weie recognized to be British siiips of war standing upon a wind in elose line of battle, \^ ith all sviils S4^t. Private signals were ex- changed ; and before sun-set the so much widied-for junctioii was formed — an event that was much facilitated by the great professional ability, judgment, and zeal of Captain Troubridge. The admiral had received no instructions what course he wa* now to steer, nor any certain infonnation respecting the disti^ nation of the enemy's fleet : lie was left therefore entirely to his own judgment. He had the liappiness however to fmd that to the captaius of his squadron, he had no necessity to' give directions for being in constant readioess for batlle. On this point their zeal anticipated his utmost wislies ; for the decks of all the shij>s were perfectly clear night and day, and every man was ready to start to' his post at a moment's notice. it was a gcat satisfactiOii to him likewise, to perceive that thc^ men of all tl\Q ships were daily exercised at the great gons andf small arms, and that every tiring v^as in the best state of pre- paration for actiral service. The admiral knew that the ene- my l)ad sailed with a N. W. wind, which nattually led him td, conclude that their course was up the Mediterranean. He sent the La Mutine to Civita Vecchia, and aiojig the Jloman coast, to gain intelligenct^, and steered with the ileet for Corsica, which he reached on the I'Jtii of June. Several ves- sels had been spoken v^ith on their j.assnge thirher ; but no in- telligence whatever had been obtained from them. He, con- tinued his course on the iOth between Corsica und Ftba, and LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. Ili between Planosa and Elba, through the latter of which pas- sages large shipSj or fleets had not been accustomed to pass. They made the Roman coast, and were rejoined by La Ivlu- tine, without gaining any intelligence, notwitlistanding the ac- tive exertions of Captain Hardy. The admiral now deter- mined to steer towards Naples, in the hope of some satisfac- tory information. It had been reported that the plundeiini; of Algiers was the object of the French armament ; but tljis account w^as too vague to warrant the admiral in implicitly adopting it. They saw Mount Vesuvius on the l6tli, and de- tached Captain Troubridge in the La Mutine to obtahi what information he could from Sir William Hamilton. He return- witli a report only, that the enemy were gone towards Malta. The admiral now lamented that even a day had been lost by visiting the Bay of Naples, and determined by the shortest cut to make the Faro idi Messina, which the fleet passed through on the 20th, with a fair wind. The joy with which the Sici- lians hailed our squadron, when it was discovered by them to be British, gave the most sincere satisfaction to every one on board of it. A vast number of boats came off, and rowed round it with the loudest congratulations, and the sincerest exultation, as they had been apprehensive that the French fleet was destined to act against them after the capture of Malta. Here intelligence was gained from the British consul, that Malta had actually surrendered. The admiral had now hopes of being able to attack the enemy's fleet at Goza, where it was reported they were anchored, and he immediately form- ed a plan for that purpose. The fleet now steered w ith a press of sail for Malta, with a fresh breeze at N. W. On the 22d of June, La Mutine, at day-break in the morning, spoke a Genoese brig from Malta, which gave intelligence that the French had sailed from thence on the 18th, with a fresh gale at N.W. The admiral was not long in determining what course he should take, and made the signal to bear up, and steer to the S. E. with all possible sail. At this time they had no certain means of ascertaining^ that the enemy were not bound up the Adriatic. From the day they bore up, till the 29th of June, only three vessels were spoken il2 MEMOIRS O? t^ith, hvo of which had come from Alexandria, and had not seen any thing of the enemy's fleet ; the other had come from the Archipelago, and had hkewise seen nothing of them. This day the Pharos tower of Alexandria was seen, and the fleet continued wearing the land with a press of sail, till the whole of it had a distinct view of both harbours, and to the general surprise and disappointment of ail, not a French ship was to be seen in either. The La Mutine communicated with the go- vernor of Alexandria who was as much siu'prised at seeing a British squadron there, as he w^as at the intelligence that the French fleet was probably on its passage thither. It now became the subject of deep and anxious deliberation with the admiral, what could possibly have been the course of the enemy, and what their ultimate destination. His anxious and active mind, however, would not permit him to rest a moment in the same place; he therefore shaped his course to the northward for the coast of Caramania, in order to reach as quickly as possible some quarter where mformation could most probably be obtained, as well as to supply his ships with water, of which they began to run short* On the 4th of July he made that coast, steeruig along the south side of Candia, and carrying a press of sail both night and day with a con- trary wdnd, he came on the 18th in sight of the island of Si- cily, and determined to enter the port of Syracuse. With this harbour no person in the fleet was acquainted ; but by the skill and judgment of the ofticers, every ship got safely in, and immediately proceeded to get in water and other neces- saries, witli all possible expedition. This was the first oppor- tunity that the Vanguard had of receiving water . on board from the 9th of May; so that not only the stock of that ship, but of sevjjral others of the squadron, was very nearly exhaust- ed. Although there was no proper or regular water-place, yet the great exertions of the officers and men enabled them to complete this necessary service in five days; and on the i?5th, the whole squadron were in a condition to put to sea, which they accordingly did with the greatest promptitude. While at Syracuse, they received several LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 113 vague accounts that the enemy's fleet had not been seen in the Archipelago, nor the Adriatic, neither had they gone down the Mediterranean. The conclusion then seemed to be, that the coast of Egypt was still the object of their destination ; therefore, neither the former disappointments, nor the many hardships they had endured from the heat of the climate, though still about to follow an uncertain pursuit, could deter the admiral from steering to that point where there was the smallest prospect of finding the enemy. Now that it is as- certained by events, that Alexandria was the object of the enemy, it may appear strange that they should have been missed by the English squadron, both in its passage thither, and on its return to Syracuse j but it appears that the French steered a direct course for Candia, by which they made an angular passage towards Alexandria, whilst the British Admiral steered a direct course for the lat- ter place, without making the former at all, by which the distance was of course very consider- ably shortened. The smallness of his squadron made it necessary to sail in close order, and there- fore the space which it covered was very limited ; and as the admiral had no frigates that he could have detached upon the look out, added to the haze of the atmosphere in that climate, the chance of descrying the enemy was very much circum- scribed. The distance likewise between Candia and the Barbary coast, about thirty-^five leagues, I 114 MEMOIRS OP leaves very sufficient space for more than two of the largest fleets to pass without mutual observa- tion, particularly under the circumstances just de-^ scribed. On the return of the squadron to Syra- cuse, the circumstance of its having steered up to the northward, while the enemy kept a southern coast for Alexandria, makes it obvious that the chance of the admiral's falling in with them, was still less than before. It has been already observed that on the 25th of July the English squadron left Syracuse, still without any positive information respecting the enemy ; but it occurred to the ad- miral, that some authentic intelligence might be obtained in the Morea. He steered therefore for that coast, and made the gulph of Coron on the '28th. Captain Troubridge was again employed on the important service of obtaining intelligence, and was dispatched in the Culloden into Coron, off which place, by the great exertions of that able officer, the fleet was not detained above three hours. He returned with the information from the Turkish governor, that the enemy had been seen steering to the south east, from Candia about four weeks before. Captain Troubridge had also the satisfaction of observing, during his very hurried visit at Coron, that the inhabitants there entertained the most serious apprehensions froni the French armament, and the most perfect detes- tation against that people. ' *' Upon the information obtained by Captain LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^ 113 Troubridgc, the admiral determined again to visit Alexandria, and carried ail sail, steering for that place, which he had the pleasure to descry on " the 1st of August, at noon ; but not as before, it now appearing full of vessels of various kinds, and he had soon the satisfaction of perceiving the French flag flying on board some of the ships. The utmost joy seemed to animate every breast on board the squadron, at sight of the enemy ; and the pleasure which the admiral himself felt, was, perhaps, more heightened than that of any other man, as he had now a certainty by which he could regulate his future operations. " The admiral had, and it appeared most justly, the highest opinion of, and placed the firmest reli- ance on the valour and conduct of every captain in his squadron. It w^as his practice during the whole of his cruise, whenever the weather and cir- cumstances would permit, to have his captains on board the Vanguard, where he would fully dev^- lope to them his own ideas of the different, and best modes of attack, and such plans as he pro- ' posed to execute upon falling in with the enemy, whatever their position, or situation might be, by night, or by day. There was no possible position in which they could be found, that he did not take into his calculation, and for the most advan- tageous attack of which ^ he had not digested and arranged the best possible disposition of the force which he commanded ; with the masterly ideas of I 2 llO MEMOIRS OF their admiral, therefore, on the subject of naval tactics, every one of the captains of his squadron was most thoroughly acquainted ; and upon sur- veying the situation of the enemy, they could as- certain with precision, what were the ideas and intention of their commander, without the aid of any further instructions : by which means signals became almost unnecessary, much time was saved, and the attention of every captain, could almost undistractedly be paid to the conduct of his own particular ship, a circumstance from which, upon this occasion, the advantages to the general ser- vice were almost incalculable. It cannot here be thought irrelevant, to give some idea of what were the plans which Admiral Nelson bad formed, and which he explained to his captains with such per- spicuity, as to render bis ideas completely their own. To the naval service, at least, they must prove not only interesting, but useful. '* Had be fallen in with the French fleet at sea, that he might make the best impression upon any part of it that should appear' the most vulnerable, or the most eligible for the attack, he divided his force into three sub-squadrons, namely. Vanguard Orion Cullodcn Minotaur Goliah Theseus Leander Majestic Alexander Aiidacious Bellerophon. Swiftsure, Defence Zealous. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 117 Two of these sub- squadrons were to attack the ships of war, while the third was to pursue the transports, and to sink and destroy as many as it could. " The destination of the French armament was involved in doubt and uncertainty ; but it forcibly struck the admiral, that, as it was cominandcd by the man whom the French had dignified with the title ot Conqueror of Italy, and as he had with him a very large body of troops, an expedition had been planned, which the land force might execute without the aid of their fleet, should the trans- ports be permitted to make their escape, and reach in safety their place of rendezvous ; it therefore became a material consideration with the admiral, so to arrange his force, as at once to engage the whole attention of their ships of war, and at the same time to annoy and injure their convoy. It will be fully admitted from the subsequent infor- mation which has been received upon the subject, that the ideas of the admiral, upon this occasion, were perfectly just, and that the plan which he had arranged was the most likely to frustrate the de- signs of the enemy. It is almost unnecessary to explain his projected mode of attack at anchor, as that w^as minutely and precisely executed in the action which we now come to describe. These plans, however, were formed two months before an opportunity presented itself of executing any of them, andjthe advantage now was, that they were 118 MEMOIRS OF familiar to the understanding of every captain In the fleet. " It has been already mentioned that the Pharos of Alexandria was seen at noon, on the first of August. The Alexander and Swiftsure had been detached a-head, on the preceding evening, to re- connoitre the ports of Alexandria, while the main body of the squadron kept in the offing. The enemy's fleet was first discovered by the Zealous, Captain Hood^ who immediately communicated, by signal, tlie number of ships, sixteen, lying at anchor in a line of battle, in a bay, upon the lar- board-bow, which was afterwards found to be Aboukir bay. The admiral hauled his wind that instant, a movement which was immediately ob- served and followed by the whole squadron ; and at the same time he recalled the Alexander and Swiftsure. The wind was at this time N. N. W. and blew what seamen call a topgallant-breeze ; it was necessary to take in the royals to haul up on a wind. The admiral made the signal to prepare for battle, and that it was his intention to attack the enemy's van and centre as they lay at anchor. His idea, in this disposition of his force, w^as, first to secure the victory, and then to make the most of it as circumstances might permit. A lower cable of each ship was- immediately got out abaft, and bent forward. He continued carrying sail, and standing in for the enemy's fleet in a close line of battle. As all the officers of the squadron were LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. IIQ totally unacquainted with Aboukir bay, each ship kept sounding as she stood in. The enemy ap- peared to be moored in a strong and compact line of battle, close in with the shore, their line describing an obtuse angle in its form, flanked by numerous gun-boats, four frigates, and a bat- tery of guns and mortars on an island in their van. The situation of the enemy seemed to secure to them the most decided advantages, as they had nothing to attend to but their artillery, in their superior skill in the use of which the French so much pride themselves, and to which indeed their splendid series of land victories is in general chiefly to be imputed. " The position of the enemy presented the most formidable obstacles ; but the admiral viewed these with the eye of a seaman determined on attack, and it instantly struck his eager and penetrating mind, that where there was roorafor an ^nemy^s ship to swing y there was room for one of ours to anchor I^o further signals were necessary than those which bad already been made. The admiral's designs were as fully known to his whole squadron, as w^as his determination to conquer, or perish in the attempt. The Goliah and Zealous had the honour to lead inside, and to receive the first fire from the van ships of the enemy, as well as from the batte- ries and gun-boats with which their van was strengthened; these two ships, with the Orion, Audacious, and Theseus, took their stations inside 120 MEMOIRS OP the enemy's line, and were immediately in dose action ; the Vanguard anchored the first On the outer side of the enemy, and was opposed wnthin half pistol-shot to Le Spartiatc, the third in the enemy's line. In standing in, the leading ships were unavoidably obliged to receive into their bows the whole fire of the broadsides of the French line, until they could take their respective stations : and it is but justice to observe, that the enemy re- ceived them mih great firmness and deliberation, no colours having been hoisted on either side, nor a gun fired, till the van ships were ,wathin half gun- shot. At this time the necessary number of our men were employed aloft, unfurling sails, and on deck, in hauling the braces, and other necessary- duties preparatory to our casting anchor. As soon as thus placed, a most animated fire was opened from the Vanguard, which ship covered the approach of those in the rear, which wTre following in a close line. The Minotaur, Defence, Bellerophon, Majestic, Swiftsure, and Alexander came in succession, and passing within hail of the Vanguard, took their respective stations opposed to the enemy's line. All our ships anchored by the stern, by which means the British line became inverted from van to rear. Captain Thompson, of the Leander of fifty guns, with a degree of judg- iTient highly honourable to his professional charac- ter, advanced towards the enemy's line on the outside, and most judiciously dropped his anchor LORD VISCOUNT NELSOJT. 121 ivvart the hause of Le Franklin, raking her 'ith great success — the shot from the Leander's ►roadside, which passed that ship, all strikinp^ the I/Orient, the flag-ship of the commander in chief. " The action commenced at sun-set, which was at thirty-one minutes past six P. M. with an ardour and vigour scarcely possible to describe ; at about seven o'clock total darkness had come on, but the whole hemisphere was, at intervals, illu- minated by the fire of the hostile fleets. The Englih ships, when darkness came on, had all hoisted their distinguishing lights, by a signal from the admiral. The van ship of the enemy, Le Giierrier, was dismasted in less than twelve minutes; and in ten after, the second ship, Le Conquerant, and the third Le Spartiate, very nearly at the same moment shared the same fate; the L'Aquilon, and Le Souverain Peuple, the fourth and fifth ships of the enemy's line, were taken possession of by the British at half past eight in the evening. Captain Berry, at that hour, sent Lieutenant Galvvay of the Vanguard, with a party of marines to take possession of the Spar- tiate, and that officer returned by the boat, the French captain's sword, which Captain Berry immediately delivered to the admiral, wlio was then below in consequence of the severe wound which he had received in the head during the heat of the attack." 122 MEMOIRS OP The very great effusion of blood which in- stantly flowed from the wound^ rendered the sup- position that it might prove mortal more than pro* bable ; and had it not been for his Captain, now Sir Edward Berry, who stood near, he must, owing to the violence of the shock occasioned by the blow, have fallen on the deck ; but Captain Berry was fortunate enough to save him from that additional disaster, which might possibly have been extremely injurious to him, by catching him in his arms. He immediately caused him to be conveyed to the cock-pit. Nothing could exceed the distress and anxiety that appeared depicted on every coun- tenance, to whom the fatal intelligence was made known. Though the battle raged with the utmost fury, and the shot flew thick all around, the tempest of destruction seemed disregarded, and solicitude, not for their own lives, but for that of their gallant leader, seemed alone to occupy the minds of the crew. The accident, however, instead of repressing, seemed rather to excite their courage and influence their minds with redoubled fury against the foe: as if animated by one spirit, all seemed determined to revenge the fall of their much-loved hero. Can the human mind be sen.- sible of a greater pleasure than must be experienced by an ofiicer, whose invariable conduct has been such, as to iqspire those whom he has under his command with such sentiments, that can rouse them to exertions, for his protection, which seem LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 123 almost above the capability of human nature to display? To obtain the love of those whom they command, is a no less essential duty of officers than to enforce obedience, and those who are happy enough to effect this grand point, will always, par- ticularly in the hour of common danger, experi- ence the most beneficial effects from it. Kindness and discipline are by no means incompatible. Such were the sentiments of the gallant Hero of the Nile, and such his invariable'conduct. But to return to the subject more immediately under our consider- ation. No sooner had Sir Horatio been conveyed below, than the surgeon, who at the time was em- ployed in his profession with some of the wounded seamen, immediately hastened to attend him. The firmness of the admiral, who himself believed his end approaching, was here most conspicuous; and could any thing be requisite to throw an additional lustre pn his character, his benevolent answer to the surgeon would alone be sufficient ; " No," said he, with the greatest composure, " I will take my turn with my brave fellows." Supposing him- self to be at the last extremity, hfe employed him- self in delivering some confidential messages to his various friends, and more particularly one which he wished to be conveyed to Lady Nelson, by the chaplain. Nor did he forget what he esteemed his duty; but as the last beneficial office be should be able to perform, he appointed Captain Hardy, of the Mutine, to be captain of the Vanguard. 124 MEMOIRS OF He afterwards took a most afFectionate leave of Captain Louis, who commanded the Mino- taur, and who he bad expresslyj sent for on board the Vanguard, that he might have the satisfaction of personally thanking him, for the assistance he had been the instrument of rendering the Vanguard, in the height of danger. " My dear Louis," said the admiral, " farewell! I shall never, if I survive, forget the obligation I am under to you. Whatever may become of me, my mind is at peace." Such were the sentiments that pos- sessed the soul of this great man, when he thought himself hovering on the borders of eternity. To perform his duty to the last, and thank those from whom he thought he had received any services, afforded him the greatest of consolations. The surgeon having, according to the express wish of Sir Horatio, paid every necessary attention to the wounded objects who had received their wounds prior to himself, now came forward to ex- amine that of the admiral. A solemn silence per- vaded the whole place, and every eye was fixed, with scrutinizing anxiety, to catch the first ■ looks of the surgeon, after he had examined it. But what were the sensations that actuated every mind, when he declared that it was merely super- ficial, and of no dangerous consequence! Solemn grief was changed into a paroxysm of joy, and the glad tidings flew with rapidity through every part the ship. Nor is it, perhaps, too bold in us to LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. J 25 affirm, that the certainty of recovery did not give Sir Horatio greater pleasure than that which the unequivocal expressions of enthusiastic joy ex- pressed by his companions afforded him. To resume the narrative. " At this time it ap- peared that victory had already declared in favour of the British ; for although the L'Orient, L'Heu- rcux, and Tonnant, were not taken possession of, they were considered as completely in our power, which pleasing intelligence Captain Berry had like- wise the satisfaction of communicating in person to the admiral. At ten minutes after nine> a fire was observed on board the L'Orient, the French admiral's ship, which seemed to proceed from the after part of the cabin, and which increased with great rapidity, presently involving the whole of the after part of the ship in flames. This circumstance Captain Berry immediately communicated to the admiral, who, though suffering severely from his wound, came upon deck, where the first consider- ation that struck his mind, was concern for the danger of so many lives ; to save as many as pos- sible of whom, he ordered Captain Berry to make every possible exertion. A boat, the only one that could swim, was instantly dispatched from the Vanguard, and other ships that were in a condition to do so immediately followed the example, by which means, from the best possible information, the lives of about seventy Frenchmen were saved^ The light thrown by the fire of the L'Orient upon I 126 MEMOIRS OF the surrounding objects, enabled the admiral to perceive with more certainty the situation of the two fleets, the colours of both being clearly dis- tinguishable. The cannonading was partially kept up to leeward of the centre, till about ten o'clock, when the L'Orient blevv up with a most tremedous explosion. An awful pause, and death-like silence for about three minutes ensued, when the wreck of the masts, yards, and other materials which had been carried to a vast height, fell down into the water, and on board the surrounding ships. A port lire from the L'Orient fell into the main royal of the Alexander ; the fire occasioned by which was, however, extinguished in about two minutes, by the active exertions of Captain Ball. After this awful scene, the firing re-commenced with the ships to the leeward of the centre, till twenty minutes past ten, when there was a total cessation of firing for about ten minutes, after which it was revived till about three in the morning, when it again ceased. After the victory had been secured in the van, such British ships as w-ere in a condition to move, had gone down upon the fresh ships of the enemy. At five minutes past five in the morn-, ing, the two rear ships of the enemy, Le Guillaume Tell and Le Genereux, were the only ships of the line that had their colours flying. At fifty-four minutes past five, a French frigate, L'Artemise, fired a broadside, and struck her colours; but such was the unwarrantable and infamous conduct of LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. [27 the French captain, that after having thus sur- rendered, he set fire to his ship, and with part of his crew made his escape on shore. iVnother of the French frigates. La Serieuse, had been sunk by the fire from some of our ships ; but as her poop remained above water, her men were saved upon it, and were taken off by our boats in the morning. TheBclIerophon, whose masts and cables^ had been entirely shot away, couid not retain her situation abreast of the UOrient, but had drifted out of the line to the lee side of the bay, a little before that ship blew up: the Audacious was in the morning detached to her assistance. At eleven o'clock, Le Genereux and Guillaume Tell, with the two frigates, Le Justice and Le Diane, cut their cables and stood out to sea, pursued by the Zealous, Captain Hood, who handsomely endeavoured to prevent their escape; but as there was no other ship in a' condition to support the Zealous, she was recalled. The whole day of the second was em- ployed in securing the French ships that had struck, and which were now all completely in possession of the British squadron, the Le Tonnant and Timoleon excepted. As these were dismasted, and consequently could not escape, they were na- turally the last to be taken possession of. On the morning of the third, the Timoleon was set fire to, and the Le Tonnant had cut her cable and drifted on shore; but that active officer, Captain Miller, of the Theseus, soon got her off again, and secured 128 MEMOIRS OF her in the British line. The English force engaged consisted of twelve ships of seventy-four guns, and the Leander of fifty guns, " From the over anxiety and zeal of Captain Troubridge to get into action, his ship, the Cul- loden, in standing in for the van of the enemy's line, unfortunately grounded upon the tail of a shoal running off from the island, on which were •the mortar and gun-batteries of the enemy ; and, notwithstanding all the exertions of that able officer and ship's company, she could not be got off. This unfortunate circumstance was severely felt at the moment by the admiral and all the officers of the squadron, but their feelings were nothing compared to the anxiety and even anguish of mind which the captain of the Culloden himself experienced for so many eventful hours. There was but one consolation that could offer itself to him in the midst of the distresses of his situation ; a feeble one it is truc-^ — that his ship served as a beacon for three other ships^ namely, the Alex- ander, Theseus, and Leander, which were advan- cing with all possible sail set, close in his rear, and , which otherwise might have experienced a similar misfortune, and thus in a greater proportio n have weakened our force. It was not till the morning of the second, that the Culloden could be got off ; and it was found she had suffered very considerable damage in her bottom ; that her rudder was beat off, and the crew could hardly keep her afloat with LORD VISCOUNT NELSON* 129 all her pumps going. The resources of Captain Troubridgc^'s mind availed him much, and were admirably exerted upon this trying occasion. In four days he had a new rudder made upon his own [ deck, which was immediately shipped, and the Culloden was again in a state for actual service, though still very leaky. The admiral, knowing that the wounded of his own ships had been well taken care of, bent his first attention to those of the enemy. He established a truce with the com- mandant of Aboukir, and through him made a communication to the commandant of Alexandria, that it was his intention to allow all the wounded Frenchmen to be taken ashore to proper hospitals, with their own surgeons to attend them: a pro- posal which was assented to by the French, and which was . carried into effect the following day. The activity and generous consideration of Cptain Troubridgc were again exerted at this time for the general good. He communicated with the shore, and had the address to procure a sup'^^y of fresh provisions, onions, and other necessaries, which were served out to the sick and wounded, and which proved of essential utility. '' On the 2d the Arabs and Mamelukes, who during the battle had lined the shores of the bay, saw v/ith transport that the victory was decisively on the part of the British, an event, in which they participated with an exultation almost equal to the victors; and on that, and the two following nights. 130 MEMOIRS OF the whole coast and country were Illuminated, as far as we could see, in celebration of the glorious event. This bad a great effect upon the minds of the prisoners, as they conceived that this Illunnina- tion was the consequence, not entirely of the suc- cess of the English fleet, but of some signal ad- vantage obtained by the Arabs and Mamelukes over Buonaparte. Although it is natural to sup- pose, that the time and attention of the admiral, and all the officers of his squadron, were very fully employed in repairing the damages sustained by their own ships, and in securing those of the enemy, which their valour had subdued, yet the mind of that great and good man, felt the strongest emo- tions of the most pious gratitude to the Supreme Being for the signal success, which, by the Divine favour, had crowned his endeavours in the cause of his country, and in consequence, on the morn- ing of the second, he issued the following memo- randum to the different captains of his squadron. . MEMORANDUM. " Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, 2(3 day of August, 1798. "Almighty God having blessed his Majesty *s arms with vic- tory, the admiral intends returning [mblic thanksgiving for the same at two o'clock this day, and he lecommends every ship doing the same as soon as convenient. *' To the respective captains of the squadron. " At two o'clock, accordingly on the day, public service was performed ofi the quarter-deck of the LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 13i Vanguard, by the Rev. Mr. Comyn, the other ships following the example of the admiral, though perhaps not all at the same time. This solemn act of gratitude to heaven seemed to make a very deep impression upon several of the prisoners, both officers and men, some of the former of whom remarked, '* That it was no wonder such order and discipline was preserved in the British navy, when the minds of the men were imprevSsed with such sentiments after a victory so great, and at a moment of such seeming confusion." On th^ same day the following memorandum was issued to all the ships, expressive of the admiral's senti- ments of the noble exertions of the different offi- cers and men of his squadron. ** Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, addayof August, 1798. ** The admiral most heartily congratulates the captains, offi- cers, seamen, and marines of the squadron he has the honour to command, on the event of the late action, and he desires they will accept his most sincere and cordial thanks for their very gallant behaviour in this glorious battle. Jt must strike forcibly every British seaman, how superior their conduct is, when in discipline and good order, to the riotous behaviour of lawless Frenchmen. The squadron may be assured, that the admiral will not fail in his dispatches to ""represent their truly meritorious conduct, in the strongest terms to the commander in chief. •' To the captains of the ships of the squadron. •' The praise expressed in this memorandum could not fail to be highlyacceptable,and gratifying to every individual in the squadron; and theobser- 132 MEMOIRS OF vation which it endeavoured to impress on the minds of all, by the striking advantages derived from discipline and good order, was so much the effect of recent experience, that every heart im* mediately assented to its justice. ** The benefit of this important truth will not, we trust, be confined to any particular branch of the English navy ; the sentiment of the hero of the Nile must infuse itself into the heart of every British seaman, in whatever quarter of the globe he may be extending the glory and interests of his country, and will there produce the conviction, that courage alone will not lead him to conquest, without the aid and direction of exact discipline and order. Let those who desire to emulate (as every British seaman must), the glory acquired upon this signal occasion, pursue the same means, which principally led to its acquisition. Let them repose the most perfect reliance- in the courage, judgment, and skill of their superior officers; and let them aid the designs of these by uniformly- submissive obedience, and willing subordination ; so shall the British navy continue to be the admi- ration of the world, till time shall be no more. " Immediately after the action some Maltese, Genoese, and Spaniards, who had been serving on board the French fleet, offered their services to the English admiral, which were accepted j and they expressed the greatest happiness at thus be- ing freed, as they themselves said, from the ty- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 133 ranny and cruelty of the French. On the fourth day after the action, Captain Berry, of the Van-r guard, sailed in the Leander of fifty guns, with the admiraFs dispatches to the commander in chief. Earl St. Vincent, off Cadiz, containing intelligence of the glorious victory which he had obtained.*'* Such is the plain and modest narrative of the greatest event, and the most brilliant triumph that had at that time ever occurred in the naval world; and ere we proceed farther, in placing before the public eye, even the official account of so interest- ing an epoch, it is incumbent on us to offer a few remarks on that stupendous prodigy of human in- tellect, which first suggested the means of achiev- ing a victory, which might have been construed * "Sir Horatio Nelson, as rear-admiral of the blue, carried the blue flag at the mizen; but from a standing order of Sir John Jervis, the commander in chief, the squadron wore the white, or St. George's ensign, in the action ; and it is remarkable, that this occasioned the display of the cross upon the renowned and ancient coast of Egypt. ** A most animated fire was opened from the Vanguard, which ship covered the approach of those in the rear ; in a few minutes, every man stationed at the first six guns in the fore part of the Vanguard's deck were all down, killed, or wounded ; and one gun in particular was repeatedly cleared. Sir Horatio Nelson was so entirely resolved to conquer, or to perish in the attempt, that he led into action, with six ensigns, or flags, viz. : red. white, and blue, flying in diflerent parts of the rigging; he could not even bear to reflect on the possibility of his colours being carried away by a random shot from tliQ enemy."-— «Nav. Chron. Vol. 3. 134 MEMOIRS OF by the envious of the present day as accidental, or owing to the unfortunate chance of war, and by the superstition of a former age, as the effect of an interference miraculous and preternatural ; had not the principles, on which he intended the ac- tion should be fought, and wb^<;h were strictly car- tied into execution, been pieviously explained, with the minutest exactness and precision, to all the officers under his command, by the noble ad- miral himself, who contrived and arranged them, Independant of the advantage derived by the nation from the defeat of the PVench at Aboukir, the pride of the country felt itself flattered, and its utmost energies raised in a way that could not fail •of being exceedingly gratifymg and advantageous to it. France had, through a series of years, and a succession of wars, boasted her pre-emi- nence in that peculiar mode of defence, which she was then called upon to make ; she had plumed herself on the skill of her naval artillerists, and bad the presumption to boast her own superiority, on all occasions, where such skill was particularly required. Here then was an event where it became strictly necessary ; seamanship, maritime know- ledge, and nautical skill, were all out of the ques- tion ; and British sailors boasting no other gratifi- cation, in the science of gunnery, than the honest enthusiastic exertion of their own natural spirit and manual labour, were called upon to engage the pedantically scientific subjects of France, who affected to despise all practice that was not LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 135 founded on scholastic theory, and the most perfect knowledge of the doctrine of projectiles. Each ship was to be considered as a battery ; and the princi- ples of military attack seemed, as it were, transferred to a new element on this extraordinary occasion. Every precaution, the strictest prudence, and the most deliberate judgment could suggest, had been taken to secure the fleet of France from the as- saults of an enemy, in force inferior to itself; an inferiority considerably increased at the very 113- starjt of impending contest, by the misfortune which befel one of the finest ships in the British gquadron;"*^ a circumstance which, had the minds of the spirited assailants been capable of being affect- ed by dismay, would in no small degree have de- pressed their ardour, and damped their hopes of success. The effect, however, which it produced, was only that of mutual regret ; on one side, that so many of their brave companions should be de»- prived of participating in the pleasure of effectually humbling the enemies to their country; and on the other, of disappointment at being denied the satis- faction of lending their aid in so glorious a contest. In vain was the position of the enemy rendered in idea additionally secure, by the erection of bat- teries, intended to protect the flank, and prevent any assailant froiii forcing a passage between the * The Culloden, Captain Troubridge, the leading ship^ l^hich took the ground in going In, 136 MEMOIRS OP head, of the fleet and the Island of Bequieres, as if, possessed of prophecy, they had foreseen the inten- tion of their gallant antagonists. Their best con- certed measures were rendered in an instant vain and ineffectual ; and the thunder of the British cannon, in a few minutes only, obtained a com- plete victory over the pedantic principles of pre- tended service ; for although the extent of the ruin which was to befall the enemy could not be at that time strictly ascertained, fifteen minutes had .scarcely elapsed from the firing of the first British cannon, ere success was certain, and it was esta- blished as a fact, not to be controverted, that no^ thing but the most instantaneous flight, could even at that early period of the encounter, have preserv- ed a moiety of the French fleet, from falling into the hands of the British. We trust it will not be considered arrogant and vain-glorious in this place to make a short digres- sion from the present subject; a digression which we also hope may be the better pardoned, as it will enable us to examine with what success France her« self managed an attack of the same nature, against a force scarcely equalling by one-third that which assailed it. The event we now allude to, is the at-, tack made by the French fleet under the orders of the Count d'Estaing, on the small squadron com- manded by Rear-admiral Barrington, in the Grand Cul de Sac, of the Island of St. Lucia, in th^ inonth of Decenaber, 1779. LOKD VISCOUNT NELSON. 137 ^^ It became necessary." says Mr. Bnrrington, " on the approach of the Count d'Estaing, to secure the transports as well as we could in the bay; and the whole night was accordingly employed in warp- ing them within the ships of war, and disposing the latter in a line across the entrance in the following order: the Isis, St. Alban's, Boyne, Nonsuch, Cen- turion, Preston, Prince of V\'alcs ; the Isis to wind- ward, rather inclining into the bay, and the Prince of Wales, being the most powerful ship, the out* wardmost to leeward, with the Venus, Aurora, and Ariadne, flunking the space between the Isis and the shore, to prevent the enemy's forcing a passage that way, '^ Almost all the transports had fortunately got within the line before half past eleven in the morning of the 15th, when the count thought proper to bear down, and attack us with ten sail of the line, happily without doing us any material injury; and at four in the afternoon he made a se- cond attack upon us, with twelve sail of the line, with no other success however than killing two men, and wounding seven, on board the Prince of Wales, and wounding one also on board the Ari- adne, who is since dead ; but I have reason to be- lieve the enemy received considerable damage, as the manoeuvres betrayed great confusion, and one of their ships in particular, which fell to leeward, seemed disabled from carrying the necessary sail to get to windward again. 138 MEMO IKS OP *^ The next day, the lOth, the count shewed a disposition to attack us a third time, but on the appearance of a frigate standing for his fieet with 8everal signals fljing, he plied to windward ; and in the evening anchored off Gros Islet, about two leagues from us, wherc he still continues, with ten frigates, besides his twelve sail of the line." The disadvantage in point of numbers was not the only one against which Mr. Barrington had to contend ; his measures excellently adapted, as they indeed proved, to his defence, had been necessarily taken in haste; for the speedy arrival of the enemy prevented his augmenting those means of protec- tion, in addition to his own strength, which his pru- dence, and the advice of those he commanded, suggested, as it were, on the moment of impending attack. No time was allowed for cool and con- templative deliberation ; no opportunity afforded of repairing negligence, remedying defect, or im- proving a position seized with avidity, because it was thought the best that could be taken on the spur of the occasion. The fl^et of the enemy was com- manded by an officer inferior in reputed gallantry and ability to none in France. The object before him was grcat^ the consequences which success might have opTened to him, appeared little less than as threatening the conquest and subjugation, of the greater part of the British colonies in that quarter of the world. The capture of Mr. Barrington and his ships, would have added proudly to his fame as LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 13^ an admiral; thp surrender of General Grant and his army, the inevitable result of a naval victory, together with the conquest of the most valuable among the possessions of her enemy, would have proved a blow thajt might have placed France in the situation of imperiously and haughtily dictating the terms of peace, and almost reduced Britain to the humiliating condition of accepting it» even under stipulations that might have been degrading to her national dignity. With so great an object in view, what success might not have been hoped for by the presump- tuous assailants, headed as they were by an officer possessing their entire confidence ? The event proved completely inauspicious ; and it would be ignobly trampling on the vanquished, to add any comment on a factj so completely glorious to the naval character of Britain. Now let us contemplate the companion to this picture ; let us not on one hand be subject to the charge of flattery to the memory of the honourable admiral, who so gallantly extricated himself from a most perilous situation ; nor on the other, let us be supposed to have depreciated, or degraded, by the comparison, the character of a noble officer, so de- servedly the idol of his country, and the wonder of the world. We cannot form facts for ourselves ; we are under the necessity of taking them exactly as they offer ; and if one victory surpasses another which preceded it, in brilliancy, it were ungrateful 140 MEMOIRS OP to despise the former, which we have alluded to> for the sake of the parallel and the comparison, be- cause with the change of situation and country, it approaches nearer in the circumstances which at- tended it, than any other naval contest we at present recollect,or that history perhaps will furnish us with. In the second picture, we find our noble and intrepid countryman, invested with the character so ill sustained by the arrogant and assuming Frenchman. We see him armed with inferior powers, disdaining even the slightest apprehension of discomfiture, advancing to the attack, not only with intrepidity, but with a cool confidence of suc- cess, against every obstacle that art, ingenuity, and skill could contrive and which had been most stu- diously exerted by the expecting enemy, in the hope of preventing it. Far different, as is known to all, was the result; Victory herself wove for him the crown of triumph, and the united suffrage of the universe declared that it had never been more worthily obtained. We cannot conclud-e this comment without briefly observing, that even the excuse made by France, in the frivolous hope of palliating the dis- grace of her disaster, materially augments the grandeur of the British name, and depresses that of herself " It could not have been foreseen," say her apologists, ^' that the English admiral would have adopted the desperate resolution of forcing a passage between the shore and the line, in which LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 141 the French fleet was moored, and enabled hiniself in consequence of that manoeuvre, to attack the van of his foe with the whole of his force, while the rear of the former was incapable of moving to its suc- cour or protection ; so that each division became in succession the victim of superior strength.'* To this, a plain, unargumentative answer will be com- pletely sufficient. Had Kear-admiral Nelson, pur- suing only that confined principle of naval tactics, which, in attacks of the same nature, had till then been in use; had he edged down, each of his ships singling out its proper opponent, in a line stretch- ing from van to rear, even in that case success might have crowned his gallantry, though his loss might have been rendered infinitely greater. That he might however, if the phrase be allowed us, take Victory herself prisoner, and render her ab- solutely subservient to his desires; he contrived the plan which the greatness of his own mind fur- nished him with, and reduced success almost to an absolute certainty, even before the battle com- menced. Gallantry is only one qualification in the composition of a great officer, it is common to the generality of mankind; ^nd it becomes rather an insult to the human race, to deny the possession of it by the majority. With grand and extensive abilities the case is otherwise ; and we regard the display of those abilities, v/hen so splendidly ex- hibited, as an attribute, something more than hu- man. Sirch France felt ; she sunk under the pressure of them, and the only consolation which 142 MEMOIRS OP she could experience in her defeat, was that of knowing her conqueror was Sir Horatio Nel- son.'* * France herself appears on this occasion to have deviated ill some measure from her customary practice of attempting to palliate misfortune by the propagation of falsehood; nor did she even boast^ as was usual with her, of imaginary and partial advantages, in the hope of assuaging the feelings of her own mind and those of her people. The following account, said, on the best authority, to be authentic, and to have been written by a French officer of high rank, is more candid th;m we recol- lect to have ever seen any, composed by a Frenchman ; it be- comes therefore more interesting, more singular, more satisfac- tory^ and more pleasing. "The 1st of August, 1798, windW.N.W. light breezes, and fair weather, the second division of the fleet sent a party of men on shore to dig wells; every ship in the fleet sent twenty-five men io protect the workmen from the continual attacks of the Bc- dopins and vagabonds of the country. At two P. M. the Heureux made .the signal for twelve sail W. S. W. which we could easily distinguish from the mastheads to be ships of war. The signal was then made for all the boats, workmen, and guards, to repair on board their ships, which was only obeyed by a small number. At three o'clock, the admiral, not having any doubt that the »hips in sight were the enemy, ordered the hammocks to be stowed for action, and directed L'Alert and Ruiller brigs of war to reconnoitre the enemy, which we soon perceived were steering for Bequier Bay, under a crowd of canvass, without observing any order of sailing. At four o'clock, we saw over the fort of Aboukir two ships, appa-- Tently waiting to join the squadron ; without doubt they had been sent to look into the port of Alexandria. We likewise saw a brig with the twelve ships, so that they were now four- teen sail of the line, and a brig. L*Alert then began to put the admiral's orders into execution, viz. to stand toward the ene- rgy uAtil Ae^rly within ^un-shot, and then to inunQeuvfe^ and LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 14 S To return to simple narrative — where will our admiration of this great man cease? — the thunder of endeavour to draw them towards the outer shoal lying off the. island ; but ihe English admiral, without doubt, had experi- enced pilots on board, as he did not pay any attention to the brig*s tract, but allowed her to go away, hauling welT round all the dangers. At this time, a small boat dispatched from Alex- andria to Roselta, voluntarily bore down to the English brig, which took possession of her, notwithstanding the repeated efforts of L' Alert to prevent It, by firing a great many shot at the boat. At five o'clock, the enemy came to the wind in suc- cession. This manoeuvre convinced us, that they Intended at- tacking us that evening. The admiral got the top-gallant yard* across, but soon after made the signal that he intended en- gaging the enemy at anchor. After this signal, each ship ought to have sent a stream-cable to the ship astern of her, and to have mads a hawser fast to the cable about twenty fathoms in the water, and passed the opposite side to that intended as a spring ; t/u's %i'cts not gcneraVy exccutea. Orders were then given to let go another bower anchor, and the broadsides of the ships were brought to bear upon the enemy, having the ships' heads* S. E. from the Island of Bequier, forming a line about thirteen hundred fathoms N. W. and S. E. distant frona each other eighty fathoms, and with an anchor out S. S. E* At a quarter past five, one of the enemy's ships that was steering to get to windward of the headmost of the line, ran on the reef E. N. F« of the island. She had immediate assistance from the brig, and got afloat in the morning. The battery on the island opened a fire on the enem^, and their shells fell ahead of the second ship in the line. At half-past five the headmpst ships of our line being within gun«hot of the Enghsb, the admiral made the signal to engage, which was not obeyed till the enemy was •within pistol-shot, and just doubling us. The action then be- came very warm. The Conquerant began to fire, then Le Gucrrier, Le Spartiate, L'Aquiion, Lc Peuple Souverain, and 144 MEMOIRS OF the cannon, as already observed in the narrative, bad scarcely ceased an instant, when, with that JLc Franklin. At six o'clock, the Serieuse frigate and the Her-* cule bomb, cut their cables, and got under weigh, to avoid the enemy's fire. They got on shore ; the Serieuse caught fire and had part of her masts burnt; the Artemise was obliged to get under weigh, and likewise got on shore. The two frigates sent their ships' companies aboard the different line of battle ships. The sloops of war, two bombs, and several transports that were with the fleet, were more successful, as they got under weigh, and reach- ed the anchorage under the protection of the fort of Abouklr. All the van were attacked on both sides by the enemy, who ranged close along our line. They had each an anchor out astern, which facilitated their motions, and enabled them to place themselves in the most advantageous position. At a quarter past six, the Franklin opened her fire upon the enemy from the starboard side ; at three quarters past six she was en- gaged on both sides. The L'Orient at this time began firing from her starboard guns ; and at seven the Tounant opened her fire. All the ships from the Guerrier to the Tonnant were now engaged against a superior force : this only redoubled the ardour of the French, who kept up a very heavy fire. At eight o'clock at night, the ship which was engaging the L'Orient on the star- board quarter, notwithstanding her advantageous position, was dismasted, and so roughly treated, that she cut her cables, and drove farther from the line. This event gave the Franklia hopes that L'Orient would now be able to assist her, by attack-^ insj one of the ships opposed to her, but at this very moment the two ships that had been observed astern of the fleet, and were quite fresh, steered right for the centre. One of them an- chored on L'Orient's starboard bow, and the other cut the line astern of L'Oiient, and anchored off her larboanl quarter. The action in this place then became extremely warm. Admiral de Brueys, who had at this time been slightly wounded in the head and arm, very soon received a shot in the belly, which almost cut him in two. Ke desired not to be carried below. LOR t) VISCOUNT NELSON. I45 grateful and truly devout attention to the dis- pensations of an almighty Power and Provi- but to be lert to die upon deck : he lived but a quaitej^ of an hour. Rear-adiuiial Blanquet, as well as his aid-du- camp, were unacquainted witli thii melancholy event until the action \yas nearly over. Admiral Blanquet received a severe wound in the face, which knocked him down ; he was carried off tlie deck senseless. At a quarter past eight o'clock the Peuple Souverain drove to leeward of the line, and anchored a cable's length abreast of the I'Orient: it was not known what unfortunate event occasioned this. The vacant place she made placed the Franklin in a more unfortunate position, and it became very critical from the manoeuvre of one of the ene- my's fresh ships, which had been sent to the assistance of the ship on shore. She anchored athwart the Franklin's bows, and commenced a vei^ heavy raking fire. Notwithstanding the dreadful situation of the ships in the centre,, they continually kept up a very heavy fire. At half past eight o'clock the action was general from the Guerrier to the Mercure. The Admiral De Brueys's death, and the severe wounds of Admiral Blanquet, must have deeply affected the people who fought under tilem ; but it added to their ardour for revenge, and tlie action continued on both sides v/ith great obstinacy. At nine o'clock the ships in the van slackened their fire, and soon after totally ceased ; and with infinite sorrow we supposed they had surrendered. They were dismasted very soon after the action began, and so much damaged, that it is to be presumed that tliey could not hold out any longer against an enemy so su- perior by an advantageous position, in placing several ships against one. At a quarter past jiine o'clock the I'Orient caught fire in the cabin ; it soon aftenvards broke out upon the poop: every effort was made to extinguish it, but without effect; and very soon it was so considerable, that there was no hopes of saving the ship. At half past nine, Citoyen Gillct, ca}:>itain de pavilion of the Franklin, was very severely wound- L 14^ MEMOIRS OP dence, which is one among the genuine charac- teristics of all great minds, he issued circular cd, and was carried off deck. At three quarters past nine the arm chest filled with musquet-cartridges blew up, ^nd set fire to several places in the poOp and quarter-deck, but was fortu- nately extinguished. Her situation, however, was still very desperate ; surrounded by enemies, and only eighty fathoms ^o windward of TOrient entirely on fire, there could not be any other expectation than falling a prey either to the enemy, or the flames. At ten o'clock the main and mizzen-masts fell, and all the guns on the main-deck were dismounted. At half past ten the Tonant cut her cables, to avoid the fire of the TOrient, The English ship that was on I'Orient's larboard quarter, so soon as she had done firing at her, brought her broadside upon the Tonant's bow, and kept up a veiy heavy raking fire. The Heureux and Mercure conceived that they ought likewise to cut their cables. The manoeuvre created so much confu- sion amongst the rear ships, that they fired into each other, and did considerable damage. The Tonant anchored a-head of the Guilliaume Tell ; the Genereux and Timoleon, the other two ships, got on shore. The ship that engaged the Tonant on her bow cut her cables ; all her rigging ' and sails were cut to pieces, and she drove dov.n, and anchored astern of t;he English ship, that had been engaging the Heureux and Mcrcure before they changed their position. Those of the etat-major and ship's company of the TOrient who had escaped death, convinced of the impossibility of extinguishing the fire, which had got down on the middle gun-deck, endeavoured to save themselves. Rear-admiral Ganteaume saved himself in a boat, and went on board of the Salamine, and from thence to Aboukir and Alexandria. The Adjutant-general Motard, al- though badly wounded, swam to the ship nearest I'Orient, which proved to be English. Commodore Casabianca, and bis son only ten years old, who, during the action gave proofs of bravery and intelligence far above his age, were i LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. I47 orders throughout the whole fleet, recommend- ing each individual to join with him in render- not so fortunate. They were in the water, upon the wreck of rOrient's niasts, not being able to swim, seeking each other until three quarters past ten, when the ship blew up, and put an end to their hopes and fears. The explosion was dreadful, and spread the fire all around to a considerable distance. The Franklin's decks were covered with red-hot seams, pieces of timber, and rope on fire. She was on fire, but luckily got it under. Immediately after the tremendous explosion, the ac- tion ceased every where, and was succeeded by the most pro- found silence. The sky was darkened by clouds of black smoke, which seemed to threaten the destruction of the two fleets. It was a quarter of an hour before the ships' crews re- covered from the kind of stupor they were thrown into. To- wards eleven o'clock, the Franklin, anxious to preserve the trust confided to her, re-commenced the action with a few of iier l<.)wer-deck guns; all the rest were dismounted : two thirds of the ship's company were killed and wounded, and those who remained most fatigued. She was surrounded by enemy's ships, who mowed down the men every broadside. At half past eleven o'clock, having only three lower-rieck guns that could defend the honour of the flag, it became necessary to put an end to so disproportioned a struggle, and Citoyen Mar- tinet, captain of a frigate, ordered the colours to be struck. " The action in the rear of the fleet was very trifling until three quarters past eleven o'clock, when it became very warm. Three of the enemy's ships were engaging them, and two were very near. The Tonant, already badly treated, who was nearest the ships engaged, returned a vei^jr- brisk fire. About three o'clock in the morning she was dismasted, and obliged to cut her cables a second time ; and not having any more anchors left, she drove on shore. The Guilliaume Tell, Le Genereux, and the Timoleon, shifted their births, and an- chored further down, out of gun-shot: these vessels were not L 2 148 MEMOIRS OF ing their humblest thanks to that Supreme Power for the assistance and protection it had afforded them in the hour of battle. much damaged. At half past three o'clock the action ceased throughout the line. Early in the morning the frigate La Justice got under weigh, and made several small tacks to keep near the Guilliaume Tell, and at nine o'clock anchored ; an English ship having got under vreigh,'and makhig small tacks to prevent her getting away. At six o'clock two English ships joined those who had been engaging the rear, and began firing on the Heureux and Mercure, which were aground. The former soon struck, and the latter followed the example, as they could not bring their broadsides to bear upon the enemy. At half past seven the ship's crew of I'Artemise frigate quilted her, and set her on fire : at eight o'clock she blew up. The enemy without doubt had received great damage in their masts and yards, as they did not get under weigh to attack the re- mains of the French fleet. The French flag was flying or board four sliips of the fine and two frigates. This division made the most of their time; and at three quarters past eleven Le Guilliaame Tell, Le Genereux, La Diane, and La Justice, got under weigh, and formed in line of battle. The English ship that was under sail stood towards her fleet, fearing that she might be cut ofl"; but two other enemy's ships were im- mediately under weigh to assist her. At noon the Timoleon, which probably was not in a state to put to sea, steered right for the shore under her fores il ; and as soon as she struck the grountl Tier foremast fell. The French division joined the enemy's ships, which raflged along their fine on opposite tacks, within pistol €hot, and received their broadsides, which it re- turned : they then each continued their route. The division was in sight at sun-set. Nothing remarkable passed during the night of the 2d. The 3d of August, in the morning, the French colours were flying in the Touaut and Timoleon. Tlie LORD VISCOUNT^NELSON. I49 That duty performed, and the arrangements relative to his own ships and their prizes, which English adaiiral sent a flag of truce to tJie former, to imow if she had struck; ami ypon being answered in the negative, he directed two sliips to go against her. When they got within gmi-shot of her, she struck, it being impossible to defend lier any longer. The Timoleon was aground too near in tor any ship to approach her. In tlie night of the 2d theysent the greatest part of their ship's company on shore ; and at noon the next day they quitted her and setlier on fire. " Thus ends the journal of the 1st, 2d, and 3d days of Au- gust, which will ever be remembered with the deepest sorrow by those Frenchmen who possess good hearts, und by all those true republicans who have survived this melancholy disaster." To tlie foregoing may not inaptly be added the account given by Denon of the same transaction : a detail given by one «f the Savans, and intended to perj^etuate the event to po- jsterity, may, in the opinions of some, be more interesting than even that of the .admiral in chief would have been, had he survived. " When we had reached the tower which commands the monastery, we descried a fleet of twenty sail. To come up, to range themselves in a line, and to attack, were the opera- tions of a minute. The first shot was fired at five o'clock ; and shortly after, our view of the two fleets was intercepted by the smoke. When night came on, we could distinguish somewhat better, without however being able to give an ac- €ount of what passed. The danger to which we were exposed, of falling into the hands of the smallest troop of Bedouins which might come that way, did not draw our attention from an event, by which we were so strongly interested. Rolls of fife incessantly gushing from the mouths of the cannon evinced clearly that the combat was dreadful, and supported with an e:iual obstinacy oi\ both sides. On our return to Ro- s^tta, we climb e:l on the roofs of the houses, whence, at tea 150 MEMOIRS OF absolute necessity demanded, should not be de- ferred, being made, the rear-admiral proceeded o'clock, we perceived a strong light, which indicated a fire. A few minutes afterwards, we heard a terrible explosion, which was followed by a profound silence. As we had seen a firing kept up from the left to the right, on the object in flames, we drew a conclusion that it was one of the enemy's ships, which had been set fire to by our people ; and we imputed the si- lence which ensued to the retreat of the English, who, as our ships were moored, were exclusively in possession of the range of the bay, and who, consequently, could persevere in, or dis- continue the combat at pleasure. At eleven o'clock a slow fire was kept up; and at midnight tlie action again became general: it continued until two in the moraing. At day- break I was at the advanced posts; and ten minutes after, the fleets were once more engaged. At nine o'clock another ship blew up. At ten, four ships, the only ones which were not disabled, and which I could distinguish to be French, crowded their sails, and quitted the field of battle, in the possession of which, they appeared to be, as they were neither attacked, nor followed. Such was the phantom produced by the enthusiasm of hope. " I took my station at the tower of Abumandur, whence I counted twenty -five vessels, half of which were shattered wrecks, and the others incapable of manceuvring to afford them assistance. For three days we remained in this state of cruel uncertainty. By tlie help of my spying-glass I had made a drawing of this disastrous scene, to be enabled tJie better to ascertain, whether the morrow would be productive of any change. In this way we cherished illusion, and spurned at all evidence; until at length the passage across the bar being cut off, and the communication with Alexandria inter- cepted, we found that our situation was altered, and that, ' separated from the mother-country, we were become the in- liabitapts of a distant colony, where we should be obliged to LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. I^I to inform his country of the glorious tidings of his success: his own modest narrative reflects depend on our own resources for subsistence until the peace. We learned that it was I'Orient which blew up at ten o'clock at night, and tlie Hercule the following morning ; and that the captains of the ships of the line the Guilliaume Tell and Genereux, and of the frigates La Diane and Lft Justice, perceiving that the rest of the fleet had ftilien into the enemy's bands, had taken advantage of a moment of lassitude and in- action on the part of the English, to effect their escape. We learned, lastly, that the first of August had broken the unity of our forces; and that the destruction of our fleet, by which the lustre of our glory was tarnished, had restored to the enemy the empire of the Mediterranean — an empire which had been wrested from them, by the matchless exploits of our armies, and which could only have been secured to us, by the existence of our ships of war." Denon's Travels, vol. i. N. B. The translator shrewdly remarks, that throughout the whole of this narrative of the defeat of the French fleet in Aboukir Bay, it should be recollected, that it is the produc- tion of a Frenchman, who either would not, or could not see things precisely as they were. N. B. The British force con- sisted of fifteen sail only, including the Mutine brig. In spite of the prejudices of a Frenchman, he adds, in a subsequent page, " The shore, to the extent of four leagues, was covered by wrecks, which enabled us to form an estimate of the loss that we had sustained af the battle of Aboukir, To procure a few nails, or a few iron hoops, the wandering Arabs were employed in burning on the beach the masts, gun-carriages, boats, &c. &c. which had been constructed at 50 vast an expence in our ports." From the foregoing testimonies, some judgment perhaps may be formed of the opinion entertained by Frenchmen, ia respe!Ct to the extent and impo);][aiice; of the disaster. 1^2 MEMOIRS OF on him an higher praise than could the most ,^ laboured and splendid eulogium : — • '' Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nilej "Sir, August 7th, 3798. ** Enclosed is a copy of my letter to the Earl of St. Vin-^ cent, together with a line of battle of the English and French squadrons, also a list of the killed and wounded. I have the pleasure to inform you that eight of our ships have already top-gallant-yards across, and ready for any service ; the others, with the prizes, will soon be ready for sea. In an event of this importance, 1 have thought it right to send Captain Capel with a copy of my letter (to the commander in chief) over- land, which I hope their lordships will approve ; and beg leave to refer them to Captain Capel, who is a most excellent of- ficer, and fully able to give every information; and I beg leave to recommend him to their lordships' notice. " I have the honour to be, &c. " Horatio Nelson." *' ]^. B. The island I have taken possession of, and brought off two tliirteen-inch mortars, all the brass guns, and destroyed ' the iron ones, "Evan Nepean, Esq." " My Lord, " ALMIGHTY God has blessed his majesty's arms in the late battle, by a great victory over the fleet of the enemy, whom I attacked at sun-set on the 1st of August, off the Mouth of the Nile. The eneniy were moored in a strong line oi battle for defending the entrance of the bay (of Shoals), flanked by numerous gun-boats, four frigates, and a battery of guns and mortars, on an island in their van ; but nothing ^ould withstand the squadron your lordsliip did me the ho- nour to place under my command. Their high state of dis- cipline is well known to you; and, with the judgment of the captains, together with their valour, and that of the officers and men of every description, it was absolutely iiresistible. GoulU "^ ^'^^ ^^^^ ct:::^ .^^^ -t^' ^ ^ c-^' a " ? ^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, I5J y tiling from my pen add to the characters of the captains would write it witlipieasurc ; but that is impossible. " I have to regret tlie loss of Captain Westcott, of the Ma- jestic, who was killed early in the action ; but the >hip was con- iuued to be so well fought by her first lieutenant, ^Ir. Cuthr bert, that I have given him an order to command her, till your lordship's pleasure is ki\own. " The ships of the eneniy, all but their two rear ships, are nearly dismasted, and those two, with two frigates, I im son-y to say, luade their escape ; nor was it, I assure you, in liiy power to prevent them. Captain Hood most handsomely en- deavoured to do it ; but I had no ship in a condition to sup- port the Zealous, and I was obliged to call Jicr in. **The support and assistance I have received fromCaptaia Berry cannot be sufficiently expressed. J was wounded in the head, and obliged to be carried off deck; but the service suffered no loss by that event. Captain Ben-y was fully equal to the im- portant service then going on, and to him I must beg leave to refer you for every information relative to this victory. He will present you with the fiag of the second in command, that lof the commander in chief being burnt in L'Orient. ' " Herewith I transmit you lists of the killed and wounded, ^d the lines of battle of ourselves and the French. *' I have the honour to be, &c. '* To Admiral the Earl of St. " Horatio Nelsciv .'* Vincent, the commander in chief, ace. &c. off Cadiz.'' ENGLISH LINE OF BATTLE. Ships' Names. Captains. Guns. Men. Culloden, T. Troubridge, - - 74 5pjO rheseus, R. W. Miller, - - 74 59O Alexander, A. J. Ball, - - 74 590 rRear-AdmiralSir H.^ Vanguard, j Nelson, K. B. C - 74 5^5 C Edward Berry, 3 jMiuotaur, Thos. Louis, - - 74 64,0 154 MEMOIRS OF Ships* Names. Leander, Swiftsnre, Audacious, Defence, Zealous, Orion, Goliah, Majestic, Bellerophon, La Mutine Brig. Captains. T. B. Thompson B. Hallowell, D. Gould, John Peyton, Samuel Hood, - Sir J. Saumarez, Thos. Foley, G. B. Westcott, H. D. E. Darby, Guns. Men. 50 343 - 74 - 74 - 74 - 74 - 74 - 74 - 74 - 74 590 590 590 590 590 590 590 590 Hqratio Nelson, FRENCH LINE OF BATTLE. Ships* Names. Le Guerrier, Le Conquerant, Le Spartiate, L'Aquilon, Le Souverain Peuple, Le Franklin Guns. 74 74 74 74 74 Men. 600 Taken. Taken: Taken. Taken. Taken. I L'Orient, (Blanquet, first contrej „ \ admiral j tBrueys, admiral, and commander in chief 700 700 700 700 800 Taken. } 120 1010 Burnt. Le Tonant, L'Heureux, Le Timoleon* Le Mercure, Le Guilliaume f Villeneuve Tell, I Le Genereux, - 80 - 74 - 74 - 74 second) ^ 800 700 700 700 800 700 Taken. Taken. Burnt. Taken. Escaped. Escaped, Ships* Names. La Diane, La Justice, contre admiral y - 74 Horatio Nelson FRIGATES. Guns. Men. - 48 300 Escaped. - 44 300 Escaped, LORD VISCOUNT NELSOM. I55 Ships* Names. Guns. Men. L'Artemise, - - 36 250 Burnt. La Serieube, - -36 250 Dismasted and sunk. Horatio Nelson. Vanguard, off the mouth of the Nile, August 3d, 179s. Such was the fate of the fleet of France em- ployed on the expedition against Egypt, com- manded by Admiral Brueys, an officer esteemed as gallant, and as able in his profession, as any, that country has ever boasted. The force under his orders, at the commencement of the action, as will be seen on reference to the foreo:oin2: list, consisted of thirteen ships of the line, to- gether with four frigates ; carrying twelve hun- dred guns/ and from ten to eleven thousand men. Nine sail of the line were taken, two were burned, and two escaped. Of the frigates, one was sunk, another burned, and two escaped. The loss of men was calculated at nearly eight thousand ; but the prisoners and wounded were all restored, on condition of not serving against England until exchanged. The British squa- dron consisted, as already stated, of thirteen sail of the line, twelve only of which were engaged, and a fifty-gun ship ; carrying little more than a thousand guns, and eight thousand men. Of the English, the slain and wounded were nine hun- dred. It has been most animatedly observed, this victory was the most signal that had graced the British navy, since the days when the Spanish ar- 1^6 MEMOIRS OF mada was defeated. Its effects were surprrzlng and instantaneously -felt, over all Europe. The enemies of France every where recovered from the despondency they had fallen into, previous to this great event, and an evident reanimation took place in all their councils, which were now occupied with the means of improving a success, of so much importance. During the action, the roaring of the cannon, the flashes of the lightning, interrupted only by short in- tervals of suspense, shook the Egyptian shore for many leagues around, and filled the alarmed and trembling inhabitants, both strangers and natives, with unspeakable agitation. The French transports in the harbour, and within the garrison of Alexandria, waited in suspense for their personal doom, as well %s the fate of the French navy. Even so far as Rosetta^ distant about thirty miles from Aboukir, the battle, by the aid of glasses, was seen by French officers, from its minarets and towers, though confusedly; and the explosion of L'Orient wasi accompanied by a shaking of the earth, per- ceptible at that distance. Bodies of Arabs, drawn to the shore by the awful sight and sound, learning the fate of their invaders, felt their re- sentment and indignation awakened, by the hope of revenge on their enemies. They lighted up fires on the shore, in testimony of their joy and exultation, at the successful bravery of the Eng- lish, They gave no shelter^ but, on the con-^ I LORD VISCOUNT NELS61T. 10 trary, committed every outrage on parties of the vanquished, who made their way to the villages for safety from their wrecked and burning ships. They interrupted the communication of the French for some time, between the bay and neighbouring towns, until Buonaparte made arrangements for their security, by superior force. The instant the most pressing necessities of the victorious fleet were provided for, the active mind of the British admiral became im- mediately turned towards every object, that he thought could in the smallest degree affect, or promote the interests of his country. Fearing, as unfortunately proved the case, some accident might prevent the dispatches sent by the Lean- der,from reaching the British government so soon as he might wish, Captain Capel was, as has al- ready been seen, ordered toNaples,andto proceed from thence overland to England ; and after an in terval of two days. Lieutenant Duval,of the Zea- lous, was sent overland to Bombay, to apprize the governor of the extent of the French armament, which had proceeded to Egypt, with an account of the principal events which had taken place subsequent to its arrival.^ Thus having endea- * '' Vanguard, Mouth of the Nile, " Sir, August 9th, 1798. " Although I hope the consuls, who are, or ought to be, re- sident in Egypt, have sent you an express of the situation of 15^ MEMOIRS OF voured, far, perhaps, as human sagacity could foresee, to profit by his success, the refitment affairs here ; yet as I know Mr. Baldwin has some months left Alexandria, it is possible you may not be regularly informed. I shall, therefore, relate to you briefly that a French army of forty thousand men, in three hundred transports, with tljirteen sail of the line, eleven frigates, bomb-vessels, gun-boats, &c. kc. arrived at Alexandria on the 1st of July. On the 7th, they left it for Cairo, where tliey arrived on tlie 22d. During tlieir march they had some actions with the Mamalukes, which tlie French call great victories. As I have Buonaparte's dis- patches now before me, which I took yesteiday, I speak positively. He says, " I am now going to send off to take Suez and Damietta." He does not speak favourably either of coimtry or people ; but there is such bombast in his letters, that it is difficult to get at the truth ; but you may be sure he is only master of what his army covers. From ail the inquiries which I have been able to make, I cannot learn that any French vessels are at Suez, to carry any part of his army to India. Bom- bay, if they can get there, I know is the first object; but I trust the Almighty God, in Egypt, will overthrow these pests of the human race. It has been in my power to prevent twelve thousand men from leaving Genoa, and also to talie eleven sail of the line and two frigates. Two sail of the line and two frigates have escaped me. This glorioles battle was fought at the mouth of the Nile, at anchor. It began at sun- set, and was not finished at three the next morning. It has been severe ; but God favoured our endeavours with a great victory. I am now at anchor between Alexandria and Rosetta, to prevent their communication by water; and nothing under a regiment can pass by land. But I should have in- formed you that the French have four thousand men posted at Rosetta, to keep open the mouth of the Nile. Alexaudria, both town and shipping, are so distressed for provisions that they can only get them from the Nile by water : tlierefore I LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, I59 both of his own ships and the prizes was con- tinued with so much earnestness, that on the 1 8th of August, he was enabled to quit the Bay of Aboukir with his fleet : leaving Captain Hood with a small detachment, consisting of four ships of the line and two frigates, to block up the port of Alexandria, and prevent the introduction of any further supplies into that place for the use of the French army. Towards the end of the month, he quitted, for a time, the shores of Egypt, and proceeded to Naples, where he ar- rived on the 2 2d of September. The reception he met with at that city, could not be exceeded, except by what it is certain he would have cannot guess the good which may attend ray holding our present position ; for Buonaparte writes his distresses for stores, artillery, and things for the hospital, &c. All useful rommunication is at an end between Alexandria and Cairo, You may be sure I shall remain here as long as possible. Buonaparte had never yet to contend with an English officer, and I shall endeavour to make him respect us. " This is all that I have to communicate.. I am confident every precaution will be taken to prevent in future any vessels gjoing to Suez, which may be able to carry troops to India. If my letter is not so correct as might be expected, I trust your excuse, when I tell you my brain is so shook with the wound in my head, that I am sensible I am not always as clear as could be wished; but, whilst a ray of reason remains, my heart and ' hand shall ever be exerted for the benefit of my king and country . <'I have the honour to be, &:c. &c. " Horatio Nelson." i6o Memoirs of found from his own countrymen, "had he re« turned to England immediately after the ,^reat event j'St mentioned. The British riation rang in an extacy ofjoy with his praises, and even children who scarcely knew how to articulate, were taught to lisp out the name of Nelson^ as in gratitude to the heroism of a deliverer, who had preserved them from the worst of evils* The sovereign, and never sure was honour more de^ervt:dly ac- quired, raised him to a peerage ; and the parlia- ment, in addition to their ihanks,* granted him for his own hfe, together with those of his two next heirs, an annuity of two thousand pounds per annum. f Nor was this all : the government * To which his lordship returned the following answer : " Vanguard, Palermo, Jan. 31st, 1799. " Sir, *' Believe me I feel as I ought the noble reward which our tountry has bestowed on me by its thanks, and I beg, sir, you ft'ill have the goodness to express to the honourable house my gratitude. I can answer for that of my brave brethren who fought with me in the battle of the Nile. To you, sir, who have not only so handsomely, but so elegantly, conveyed to me the resolutions of the house, words are inadequate to ex- press what 1 feel ; but, believe me, sir, I am, -with every sen- timent of respect and esteem, " Your most obliged and faithful servant, " Nelson. "^ ^' To the Right Honourable Henry Addington, speaker of the house of commons/' t The unexampled scries of our naval triumplis has received fresh splendour from the memorable and decisive action in LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. l6 i of Ireland contributed its mite, by an addition of one thousand pounds annually, during the which a detachment of my fleet, under the command of Rear- Admiral Lord Nelson, attacked and almost totally destroyed a superior force of the enemy, strengthened by every advantage of situation. By this great and brilliant victory, an enterj)rize, ofwhiclithe injustice, perfidy, and extravagance, had fixed tlie attention of the world, and which was pecuHarly directed against some of the most valuable interests of the British em- pire, has, in the first instance, been turned to the confusion of its authors, and the blow thus given to the power and influence of France has afforded an opening, which, if improved by suitable exertions on the part of other powers, may lead to the general deliverance of Europe. Extract from his Majesty's Speech on the meeting of Parliament, November 20th, 1798. In two days afterwards, the following message from his ma- jesty was communicated to the house of commons, by Mr. Pitt, as chancellor of the exchequer : " His majesty having taken into his consideration the signal and meritorious services performed by Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson, in the memorable and decisive victory obtained over -a superior French fleet, off" the Mouth of the Nile, not only highly honourable to liimself, but eminently beneficial to these kingdoms; and his majesty being desirous to confer upon hini some considerable and lasting mark of his royal favour, in tes- timony of his approbation of his great services, and therefore to "ive and «rrant to the said Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson, and o o the two next heirs male to whom the title of Baron Nelson of the Nile, and Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk, shall descend, for their lives, the net sum of two thou- sand pounds per annum ; but his majesty not having it in his power to grunt any annuity to that amount, or for a period beyond his own life, his majesty recommends it to liis faithful commons to consider of the means of enabling his majesty t© extend and secure an annuity of two thousand pounds per an- M iSl MEMOIRS OF sarne term; and the East India Company- Voted him a gift of ten thousand pounds, while that of the merchants trading to Turkey> in proportion to the magnitude of their concerns, were not less liberal, having presented him with plate of considerable value. The tribute of the city of London w^as a sword ; and although it is most probable that so appropriate a proof of its respect and esteem would have been shown to the noble admiral, even if the subjoined intercourse had not taken place, yetj as it preceded the gift, it will not be improperly or uninterestingly introduced. A court of common council being held in Lon- don, the 3d of October, 1798, it was attended by two hundred members. The business was opened by the Lord Mayor, who read the following let- ter, which he had received from Admiral Nelson : " Vanguard, Mouth of the Nile, *' My Lord, August 8th, 1798- *' Having the honour of being a freeman of the city of Lon- don, I take the Uberty of sending to your lordship the sword of the commanding Frencli admiral. Monsieur Blanquet, who sur- vived after the battle of the 1st, off the Nile, and request that the city of London will honour me by the acceptance of it, as num, to Rear- Admiral Lord Nelson, and the two next male heirs, to whom the title of Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of Bumham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk, shall descend, m such manner as shall be most advantageous to their interests." It is needless to say the only debate on the occasion arose from the dissatisfaction expressed by some gentlemen that the honours and pecuniary rewards proposed to be bestowed upon Lim were not infinitely greater. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 163 a remembrance that Britamiia stil! rules the waves, which, that slic may for ever do, is the fervent prayer of your lordsh4p's most obedient servant, " Horatio Nelson." "■ Riglit Hon. Lord Mayor of London.'' An enthusiastic tumult of applause followed the reading of this letter; and on the motion of Mr. Deputy Leekey, the sword was ordered to be placed among the city regalia ; after which the thanks of the court were unanimously voted to Admiral Lord Nelson, and to the officers and seamen under his command. The court having met again the following day, it was numerously attended as before; and Mr. Deputy Leekey presented a report respecting the French ad- mifaFs sword, which, after a short debate, was ordered to be placed in an elegant glass-case, in the most conspicuous part of the council-room, with the following inscription upon a tablet of marble : "The sword of Monsieur Blanquet, the commanding French admiral, in the glorious victory off the Nile, on the 1st of Au- gust, 1798, presented to this court by the Right Honourable Admiral Lord Nelson." It was then resolved, ** that a sword, valued I at two hundred guineas, should be presented to Rear- Admiral Lord Nelson, as a testimony of [ the high esteem they entertain of his public ser- vices to this city, and to the whole empire, and that the Lord Mayor be requested to provide and present the same to him ; also, that the free- dom of the city of London be presented to Cap- M 2 164 MEMOIltSOl* tain Berry,* in a gold box of one hundird gui- neas value, 2$ a testimony of the high esteem en- * Sir Edward Berry is the eldest son of a reputable trades- man, who, through the misfortunes naturally incident to a mer- cantile life, and having a large family, died, without being en- abled to provide for it agreeable to his wishes. Sir Edward was bom in the year 1766, and had the good fortune to be in- troduced into the naval sen'ice, which he had at an early period of life shewn a predilection for, through the interest of Lord Mulgrave, who had received part of his education at Norwich, mider the tuition of the Rev. Mr. Titus Berry, uncle of the pre- sent Sir Edward. Under this nobleman's patronage and pro- tection, Mr. Berry began his nautical career, and his first voyage was about the year ] 779? when he was scarcely fourteen years old, to the East Indies, in the Burford of seventy guns. It is said, that he received his commission as lieutenant from Earl Spencer, on account of his very gallant conduct in board- ing an enemy's vessel. He was present at the engagement under Ear! Howe, on the 1st of June, 1794, in which action he is reported to have conspicuously signalized himself. Having, owing solely to his merit, formed an acquaintance with the Earl of St. Vincent and Commodore Nelson, he was most par- ticularly distinguished by the latter, and served under him in the ever- memorable engagement off St. Vincent, on the 14th of February, and was particularly active in boarding the San Nicholas and San Josef, both of which ships fell victims to the exertions of his gallant commander. The assistance afforded by Captain Berry, and the spirit he displayed throughout the whole of the important encounter, most strongly endeared hun to liis superiors in naval rank, particularly to Mr. Nelson, inso- much that they formed the unshakable basis of a friendship which ceased not but with the life of that noble person, Mr. Berry afterwards attended his former commander into the Mediterranean, being appointed captain of the Vanguard, ou J)oard which ship Lord Nelson, then Sir Horatio, had hoisted his flag, and in which he was, consequently, present at tlie en- f agement oft' Aboukir. Here he had a full opportunity of dis- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 165 tertained of his gallant behaviour on the ist of August/* These motions were carried unani- mously, amidst repeated bursts of applause. playing his abilities and gallantry ; nor ^id he omit to avail himself of it. The particular share which he took in that me- morable engagement, has been related in the accomit of it, al- ready inserted in these M'emoirs. After the conclusion of the acdon, Captain Berry was sent to England with the official dis- patches, in the Leander of fifty guns, Captain Thompson. On his voyage, it was their misfortune to fall in with a French ship of very superior force ; but disdaining to yield without a con- test, they resolutely maintained an engagement with her for se- veral hours, till the Leander was so completely shattered, that farther resistance became futile. Captain Thompson was tliere- fore, though with the utmost reluctance, obli^^ed to surrender. In tliis engagement Captain Berry was wounded in the arm. On his exchange, he was received by his countrymen with great applause : the honour of knighthood was conferred on him ; and the city of London not only voted him their thanks, but on his paying a visit to Guildhall, on the 8th of August, 1799, he was presented with the freedom of the city in a gold box, pursuant to the vote passed in the preceding year. Sir Edward returned soon after this period to the Mediter- ranean, and being captain of the Foydroyaut of eighty guns. Lord Nelson's flag ship, accompanied his lordship to Sicily, where he landed him, being very much indisposed. Soon after tliis event, the Foudroyant came up with the Guilliaume Tell, a French ship of eighty-four guns, one of tiiose which escaped from the destruction of Aboukir. The following minute par- ticulars of the engagement that took place, and which relate to Sir Edward Berry peculiarly, are given in a letter, dated Syracuse, Foudroyant, April 2d, 1800. «' March 30th, I8OO3 **■ Sir Edward Berry, commanding his majesty's ship the Fou- droyant of eighty guns, after having landed Lortl Nelson ill in Sicily, came up witU the Guilliaume Tell, a Freoch ship 0/ l66 MEMOIRS OF In consequence of the above resolutions, the Lord Mayor wrote on the i6th to the noble lord eiglrty-four guns ; and laying the Foudroyant alongside so close ih'dt her spare anchor was but just clear of theGuilliaumeTeirs mixzeu chains, hailed her commander, Admiral Decres, and or- dered him to strike. The French admiral answered by bran- dishing a sword over his head, and then discharged a musquct at Sir Edward Berry. This was followed bv a broadside, which nearly unrigged the Foudroyant, whose guns, however, being prepared with three round shots in each, she poured a most tre- mendous and eft'ectual discharge, crashing through and through the enemy, described as a perfect chord of harmony in the ears qf our tars, who were in their turn a little exposed ; but she fired another broadside, when down came the GuiUiaumeTeirs main and mizzen-masts, and at the same time the Foudroyant's fore top-mast, jib-boom, sprit-,sail, main top-sail-y aid, stay-sails, fore-sail, and main-sail, all in tatters. It was difficult in this situation to get the ship to fall off, so as to manitain her posi- tion. The combatants tlierefore separated for a few minutes, when Sir Edward Berry called his men from the main-deck, and cutting away part of the wreck, got the ship once more under command, that is, obedient to her helm, and manageable, and again close a-pngside her determined opponent, who nailed his colours to tlie stump of tlie mast, and displayed his flag on a pole over them. Sir Edward then commenced a most heavy and well-directed fire, his men having now got into a syjitbii of firing e> ery gun two, or three times in a minute, re- gularly going through tiie exercise. Musquetry was occasion- ally used, when tijc ship wasvery near on board the Guilliaume Tell ; but latterly tlie mizzen-mast being almost in two, Sir Ed- ward called the marines from the poop, and put them to the great guns, by which means many lives were certainly saved. At a few minutes past eight, the Guilliaume TcU's fore-mast was shot away, and becoming a mere log, she struck her co- loms. The Foudroyant, in this engagement, expended one hundred and sixty-two barrels of powder, Iwelvc hundred thir- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 167 cquainting him with their proceedings, and re- questing bis lordship would be pleased to give di- ^-rections concerning the devices, with which he should wish the intended present might be orna- mented ; to which his lordship returned the fol- lowing answer : " Vanguard, Palermo, Jan. 31, 1799^ "Sir, " I have only this day received your letter, when lord mayor, ef the ]6th of October, and beg that you will convey to the court of common council my smcere gratitude for all their goodness to me, and assure them it shall be the business of my life to act in the manner most conducive to the prosperity of the city of London, on which depends that of our country. I am truly sensible of your politeness in desiring me to say what particular devices I should wish on the sword which is to be presented to me by the city of London, but I beg to leave that to the better judgment of my fellow-citizens. Beheve me^ when I assure you 1 feel myself, " Your most faitliful and obliged servant, '•' Sir J. W. Anderson." " Nelson." The inferior tributes of private individuals must not be forgotten. A gentleman of the name of Davison, with a liberality and spirit equalling the character of a prince rather than that of a ty-two pound shot, twelve hundred and forty twenty-four^ pound ditto, one hundred eighteen-pound ditto, and two hun- dred twelve-pound ditto : although much damaged, she was. in a very short period ready for sea.'' Tliis was the last engagement in which Sir Edward had the power of particularly shewing his gallantry- during that war; and since the commencement of the present, he has held no. command, till he was appointed to the Agamemnon of sixty-, four guns, in which ship he was present at the late gloriQ^s action off Cape Trafalgar, 168 MEMOIRS OF private gentleman, not only preseated his lord- ship, and all the captains under his command, with a gold medal, but extended his liberality to every individual serving on board the fleet, by bestowing on each a medal of silver, gilt metal, or copper, according to their different ranks. ^ * A variety of medals were struck on the occasion ; that presented by his majesty displayed a happy union of elegance, grace, and simphcity — a representation of Victory, in the act. of crowning Britannia with a laurel wreath. The reverse incloses, by two branches, one of oak and tlie other of laurel, each respective name, which is afterwards en- graved in the centre, with this motto — " In memory of THE DEFEAT OF THE FRENCH FLEET ON THE COAST OF EGYPT.'' The medal was executed by Louis Pingo, Esq. principal engraver of his majesty's royal mhit, in the Tower of London, who was the first artist of this description in Europe, and consequently in the world. The beauty of its execution is, indeed, in the fullest sense, inimitable — worthy at once of the royal donor, tlie exquisite artist, and the glorious occasion. On the medals struck by order of Mr. Davison, the allego- rical figure of Hope was represented on the obverse, with the emblem proper, standing on a nigged rock, with an olive-branch in her right hand, and supporting by her left arm the profile of Lord Nelson, on a medallion, to which she is pointing with her fore-finger. Hope is crowned with oak and laurel, and the motto to ihe medalhon is — "Europe's hope, and Britain's glory." — ^Thcse words express the real feelings of the surround- ing nations, and the boast of this happy island. The legend, " Rear-admiral Lord Viscount Nelson of tlie Nile.'' Tlie reverse represents the French fleet at anchor in the bay of Aboukir, and the British fleet advancing to the attack. The fortified islands in the enemy's van, the four frigates that were moored within the line, to cover their flank, and the gun-boats near the island — the setting-sun — the coast of l-gyfrt — the flsouth of the Nile — and the castle of Aboukir. The legend-* LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 169 The captains also who commanded the different ships under his orders presented him with a magnificent sword, made purposely on the occa- sion, the hilt of which, as an appropriate and emblematical device, represented a crocodile. But amidst the multitude of affectionate and valuable gifts offered to his lordship upon the preceding occasion, we must not omit to men- tion a very singular one made him by Captain Hallowell, who commanded the Swiftsure, at the " Almighty God lias blessed jiis majesty's arms." Beneath tlie view — *' Victory of the Nile, August 1, 17.9S." This noble and disinterested instance of private munificence needs no panegyric: we scarcely know which most to applaud, tlie heart, which, overflowing with tlie warmest sensations of private friendship, hath paid this public and noble tribute to it, or that truly patriotic spirit, which, warmed by the glory and tame of liis countrymen, has used such classical and accu- rate means of handing down to posterity the peculiar circum- stances and particulars of an event, the outlines, at least, of which must be remembered till time shall be no more. Segnius irritant animos demissa per aiires, Quam quae sunt oculis subraissa fidelibus. A third displayed on the obverse — Religion supj)orting the bust of Admiral Nelson, with her right hand resting upon a cross and skull : near her is the British lion, defending the Irish harp : in the back ground a pyramid and palm-tree, to mark the country where the victoiy was obtained — Legend, " Nothing can oppose virtue and courage." On the reverse was represented an anchor, on which were the royal arms of England, surrounded with a laurel, and a scroll, bearing this motto — " Praise be to Go^ — November 29, 1798." Above, the eye of Providence, denoting its influ- ence and favour,— Legend, " Under this sign you shall con- fjucr/' 170 MEMOIRS OF battle of the Nile. A variety o( trivial articles., valuable only as symbols of the affection and at- tention they displayed, and not on account of their intrinsic worth, formed out of the v/reck of rOrient, had been sent to his lordship by diiFerent officers under his orders. Captain Hal- loweH'iS present was a coffin, made out of the main-mast, and accompanied by the following ftote: '' Sir, ' " Swiftsarc, August, 17 9S, *' I have taken the liberty of presenting you a coffin, made f^f the main-mast of rOrient, that when you have finished your military career in this world, you may be buried in one of your trophies ; but tliat that period may be far distant, is the earnest wisli of your sincere friend, " Sir Horatio Nelson, " B. Hali^oweli./' "Rear-admiral of the Blue, &c." This very extraordinary present was received by his lordship with the utmost cordiality and afTection; in so great a degree is he said to have been pleased w*ith the singularity which suggest- ed the gift, that he is reported to have kept it constantly \Tith him in the great cabin, for a con- siderable space of time ; nor was it without much apparent reluctance, that he at length consented to have it removed from its station. Foreign countries were equally munificent. The Grand Seignior,*^ forgetting that disinclina- * Innncdiately on receiving the news of tiie victory off thfr Mouth of the Nile, the Grand Seignior directed a superb dia- mond aigrette (called a chclcngk, or plume of triumph) taken from one of the imperial turbans, to be seat to Admiral Sie LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. I?! tion to reward any person professing a different religion, a disinclination which had, through lorg Horatio Nelson, together with a piece of sable fur, of the first quality. He also directed a purse of two thousand sequins to be distributed among the British seamen wounded at the battle of the Nile. The presents were conveyed to Sir Horatio in a Turkish frigate ; and a note was delivered to Mr. Smitli, his majesty's minister plenipotentiary at the Porte, upon this oc- casion, of which the following is a translation : " It is but lately that, by a written eonnnunication, it has been made known how much the Sublime Porte rejoiced at the first advice received of the Englisli squadron having de- feated the French squadron, ofl' Alexandria, in Egypt. By recent accounts, comprehending a specific detail of the action, it appears now more positive that his Britannic Ivlajesty's fleet has actually destroyed, by that action, the best ships the French had in their possession. This joyful event, therefore, laying this euipire under an obligation, and the service rendered by our much-esteemed friend, Admiral Nelson, on this occasioQ being of a nature to call for public acknowledgment, his im- perial majesty, the powerful, formidable, and most magnifi- ficent Grand Seignior, has destined as a present, in his impe- rial name, to the said admiral, a diamoml aigrette (chelengk) and a sable fur with broad sleeves; besides two thousand se- quins, to be distributed among the wounded of his crew. And as the English minister is constantly zealous to contribute, by his endeavours, to the increase of friendship between the two courts, it is hoped he will not fail to miike known this circum- stance to his court, and to solicit the permission of the most powerful and august king of England, for the said admiral to put on, and wear the said aigrette and pclice." [Chron. Ann. Reg. 179S. p. SS. Dated September 8, 1798] The presents made by the Grand Seignior to Lord Nelson were brought to Naples by an effendi, or secretary, in the Alcmene frigate, which sailed last trom Alexandria. His lord- 17^ MKMOIRS OF habit, grown nearly into a fixed principle, ser hlnn a magnificent diamond aigrette, and a robe sliip says, thzt the dfendi and his suit, thh teen in niimbcrj per- forrtied their part m ilh great gravity and dignity ; they put on their noble robes in his anti-chamber, and presented tlie aigrette on cushions, after the oriental custom. The robe is scarlet cioth, lined with the finest sable imaginable, and of inestimable v^iue. The aigrette is a kind of feather : it represents a hand with thirteen fnigers, which are of diamonds, and ai.usive t^ the tii-irteen ships taken and destroyed at Alexandria ; the size, that of a chikKs hand about six years old, when open*^d. The centre diamond, and tlie four round it, may be worth about 1000/. each, and there are about three hundred others well set. — With these two presents were several others of less value, and a letter full of assiu^nces of friendship from the Grand Seignior. In respect to the description just given, it is in some mea- sure correct, but in many points inadequate to the purpose of conveying a proper idea of the ornament. The translation of the Grapd Seignior's letter, which accom|>anied the present, i»s as extraordiJiaiy as it is singular. " Constantinople, 3d Oct. 1798. ** A saperb aigrette, of whidi the marginal sketch gives but an imperfect idea, called a chelcngk, or plnme of triumph, such as has been, upon every famous and memorable success of the Ottoman arms, conferred upon victorious Mussulme», Seraskiers, I believe never before upon a disbeliever, as the ae plus a?/ m of personal honour, separate from official dignity. Tlie one m question is entitled rich in its ki»d, being a blaze of brilHants, crowned with a vibrating plumage, and a radiant star in the middle, turning on its centre by means of watch- work, which wifKis up behind. This badge Mas absolutely taken from one of the imperial turbans, mid can hardly, ac- conling to the ideas of such insignia here, be considered as k\^s than equivalent to the first order of chivalry in christendom- such at least was my view in the indication v*' LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 17J of honour, which had never before been bestow- ed, except on Mussulmen who, by their exploits. As comi€cled with tlie honour just mentionec!, we must an- nex the following augmentation made to the arms and sup- porters which he already bore, and which latter he had b^Hin authoriijed to use, on his being created a knight of the Bath. ** The king has been graciously pleased to gi\e and erant to the Right Hon. Horatio Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of Bum- ham Thorpe in the county of Norfolk, rear-admiral of the blue squadron of his majesty's fleet, and K. B. in consideration of the gieat zeal, courage, and perseverance manifested by him upon divers occasions, and particularly of his able and gallant conduct in the glorious and decisive victory obtained over the French fleet at the mouth of the Nile, oa the 1st of August last, his royal licence and authority that he and his issue may bear the following honourable augmentations to his armorial ens^, viz. a chief widulaied urgent, thereon watcs of the sea, from whick a palm-free issvarif between a disahkd ship on the dexter and a ruin- ous baiter y on thednister, all proper;, and for his crest, on a naval crcTcn, or, the chetengk or plume of triumph^ presented to him by: the Gi*and Seignior, as a mark of his liigh esteem, and of his sense of the gallant conduct of the said Horatio Baron Nelson, in the said glorious and decisive victory, with tlie motto — Po/- main qui meruit ferat; and to his supporters, being a sailor on the dexter, and a liou on the sinister, the honourable augmen- tations following, viz. — f'n the hand of the sailor a palm-branch, and another in the pan- of the lion, both proper, Ziith the addition of a tri- coloured fag and staff in the fnovth of the latter — which augmentatioiis to the supporters to be borne by the said Hora- tio Baron Nelson, and by those to whom the said dignity shall descend in virtue of his majesty's letters patent of creation ; and that the same may be first duly exemplified, according to the laws of arms, and recorded in the heriilds' otnce ; and also to tuder that his majesty's said concession, and especial mark of hii royal favour, be registered in his college at arms.'' London Gazette, Nov. 1798, 174 MEMOIRS OF had acquired the highest renown. The gift of the dowager Sultana, which accompanied the former, was a valuable diamond ornament, re- presenting a rose : and the emperor of Russi'a, not to be outdone by his quondam enemy, sent him a gold box, set with jewels, and of the esti- mated value of two thousand five hundred pounds. The kings of Naples and Sardinia, the island of Zante, and the city of Palermo, were each, pxcording to their several abilities, equally liberal in their testimonies of gratitude. The lat- ter presented him with the freedom of their city, by which honour he became a grandee of Spain, The king of Naples in particular, in considera- tion not only of the obligations under which, in common with the rest of the powers at war with France, the preceding victory had laid him, and which were afterwards most highly increased by the peculiar situation to which that monarch was reduced, but of the exertions afterwards made by his lordship to serve, and support him in his distress, presented him, among many other valuable gifts of inferior note, with a su- perb diamond-hilted sword, valued at five thou- sand pounds/'' The present was the more flat- tering and appropriate, on account of its having been the original sword given to the king of * He received from tlie king of Sardinia a box set with dia- monds, acccorupanied with a most aftectionate letter; aud froiii the inhabitants of the island of Zante, a gold-headed sword and cane, as an acknowledgment, that had it not been for the battle of the Nile they could not have bcQo liberated from FroDch cruelt\. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. I75 Naples by Charles the Third, on his departure to Spain, accompanied by the following remark: *' With this sword I conquered the kingdom, which I now resign to thee. It ought in future to be possessed by the first defender of the same, or by him who restoreth it to thee, in case it should ever be lost." Nor was this the only part of his royal favour, for in the ensuing year, after the happy expulsion of the French anar- chists from his capital, he settled on his lord- ship, and his heirs for ever, an estate in the island of Sicily, valued at three thousand pounds annually, the possession of which conferred on him, as an annexed honour, the title of Duke ©f Bronte.* * The editor of a new edition of the British Peerage, hav- ing, on the suggestion of a learned friend, taken the liberty of writing to tis lordship, then cruizing in the Mediterranean, transmitted him the following remark on the origin of his title. " When the king of the Two Sicilies conferred the additional title of Bronte upon that gallant lord, as a reward for the pro- tection which his fleet attbrded to his dominions, he, perhaps, was not aware of its appropriate meaning. It is tJie Greek z^ord for thunder. Tlie name of the individual Cyclops, who is represented in poetic fable as forging the thunder of Jupiter, was Bronte. His residence was of course at iEtna, in the island of Sicily." To this intimation his lordship, with his usual aftability and attention, immediately returned the following polite ariSVvcr: " Sir, Victory, at Sea, Oct. 13, 1804. " I am favoured with your letter of August 22d. Your ob- servation with regard to the dukedom of Bronte in Sicily, I take to be perfectly just; and I cannot, therefore, have any objection to your making what use of it you think proper. 176 Memoirs of Such were the affectionate, and, in mosf in- stances, munificent testimonies which the poten- tates, the princes, the corporate bodies, and the private individuals of different countries, from the frigid, to the torrid zone, from the Caspian, to the Atlantic, gratefully offered to the worth of the noble admiral. Notwithstanding the naval power of the enemy had received so fatal a blow, the presence of his lordship still continued indispensably ne- cessary in those seas. The objects of his atten- tion were multifarious, but he ix^und such suffi- cient resources in his own abilities that he was not under the necessity ot neglecting any " I will not fiiil sending the gazette to Rome by the first opportunity, and desiring you will believe me thankful for your kind wishes, I remain, '' Your most obedient hunible servant, " Nelson and Bronte." «« Mr. J. Debrett/' The paper alluded to in the gallant nobleman's letter Vk-as the Calcutta Gazette Extraordinary, of February 27, 1803, containmg the speech of the Marquis Wellesley in the college of Fort William in Bengal, on distributing the prize- medals and honorary rewards to those young gentlemen Mho had excelled in oricitul learning. It was addressed to the very learned society of the De Fropaganda Fide, at Rome, wlio have enriched the world ^vith many valuable oriental works. The preceding correspondence would perliaps be uninterest- itig in the life of any otiier person ; but the case is materially difierent with respect to so great a chtirncler as that of Lord Nelson. Indeed, in no instance whatever was affability ever shewn more strongly conjoined with other qualities to com- plete the character of a great niau. IDRi) VISCOUNT N3ELS0N. 177 of them. The blockade of Malta, the protection of the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and the pre- vention of any desultory mischief that could be efFcted by the remnant of the French force which had escaped from Aboukir, all in their turn de- manded his diligence, as well as his activity , so that w^ere we to content ourselves with rapidly passing over events great in themselves, though more quiescent than the tremendous scenes in which his lordship had before been engaged, we ' might in three lines briefly state, that no emer- gency was left unprovided for, no service neglect- ed, and that no single event, in which either Lord Nelson himself, or those under his orders, were concerned, proved unsuccessful. We cannot, how- ever, persuade ourselves that such apparent haste could be tolerated. The blockade of Malta, and its dependencies, was confided to Captain, now Sir Alexander Ball, and on the aSth of October, the island of Goza having surrendered, w^as taken pos- session of for his Sicilian majesty.* The foregoing vt-as, however, only the forerunner of more serious and important success. The armies of France had overran nearly the whole of Italy, and the King of Naples was in the month of December reduced to * " Vanguard, at S'la, November ist. " My Lord, *' I have the honour to transrrit to you a letter received from P Cap tain Ball, dated October 30th, togetherwith the capitulation " of ihe castle of Goza, and a list of ordnance, &c. found in it. N 178 MEMOIRS OF the dire necessity of quitting his capital, and re- pairing on board the Vanguard as a place of re- The prisoners are embarked in the Vanguard and Minotaur, till I can get a vessel to send them to France. Captain Ball, with three sail of the line, a frigate, and lireship, is entrusted with the blockade of Malta, in which are two sail of the line and three frigates, ready for sea ; and from the experience I have had of Captain Ball's zeal, activity, and ability, I have no doubt but that in due time I shall have the honour of send- ing you a good account of the French in the town of Valetta, I am, with the greatest respect, *' Your lordship's " Most obedient servant, " Admiral Earl St. Vincent." " Horatio Nelson.*' *« Alexander, off Malta, October 20th, «* SIR, •* I have the honour to acquaint you, that the commandant of the French troops in the castle of Goza, signed the capitu- lation on the 28th instant, which you had approved. I ordered Captain Cresswell, of the Marines, to take possession of it in the name of his Britannic majesty, and his Majesty's colours were hoisted. 'The next day the place was delivered up in form to the deputies of the island, his Sicilian majesty's colours hoist- ed, and ^e acknowledged their lawful sovereign. '* I embarked yesterday all the French officers arid men, who were on the island of Goza, amounting to two hundred and seventeen. I enclose the articles of capitulation, and an inven- tory of the arms and ammunition found in the castle ; part of •which I directed to be sent to the assistance of the Maltese, who are in arms against the French. There were three thousand two hundred sacks of corn in the castle, which will be a great relief to the inhabitants, who are much in want of that article. ** I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) «' Alex. John Ball.'* '• Rcar-Admiral Sir H. Nelson." LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. I7g fuge from his enemies. No time was however lost in forming the best arrangements possible for Articles of Capitulation between Alexander John Ball, *sq. Captain of his Majesty's Slip the Alexinder, appoin ed to conduct the Blockade of Malta, under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K. B. on the part of Great Britai«, and Lieutenant-Colonel Lockey, Aju. de B.itt. Com- mander of the French troops in the Castle of G022. ist. The French troops shall march out of the castle of Goza \vith the honours of war, and shall lay down their arms as they get out of the gate. 2d. The castle of Goza, with all the military implements and stores, shall be delivered up to the British officer appointed to take charge of them. 3d, The French officers and troops shall be protected in their persons and effecis, and the officers allowed to retain their side-arms. They shall be embarked immeuiately on board his Britannic majesty's ships, and sent to France, in trarsports, at the expense of the French government. Tliey are not to serve against his Britannic majesty, or his allies, during the war, until regularly exchanged. Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K, B. has entered into articles with the inhabitants of Goza, that if the French sur- render to the British, they shall be considered as under their protection, and they will not offer them the smallest insult or molestation. Signed 28th ofOct. 1798. Alex. John Ball, Captain of his Britannic majesty's ship Alexander. Lockey, Aju. de Battailon, Approved, Horatio Nelson. Extract of Articles found in the Castle of Goza, the 28th of October. Fifty barrels of powder, nine thousand ball-cartridges, one thousand musket cartridges without ball, one thousand flints, K 2 180 MEMOIRS OF making head against the rebels, and reinstating the monarch on his throne. A project of such magnitude and importance, necessarily required a considerable space of time, ere the proper dis- positions could be made for bringing it to perfec- tion ; and the summer approached before his lord- ship was in a condition to undertake offensive mea- sures. In the midst of his preparations, he was un- der the necessity of being continually on his guard against the introduction of any succours, either into Italy, or Malta, by means of the few ships of war which still remained to France in the Mediterra- nean. As the seas and coasts requiring his care were extensive, and the ships he commanded far from numerous, the greater circumspection was necessary, but his diligence amply supplied the want of numbers. In the month of May, having been advanced to the rank of rear-admiral of the red, he shifted his flag on board the Foudroyant ; and during the thirty-eight eighteen^pound cartridges, filled, one hundred and forty, twelve-pound ditto, four hundred and fifty, six-pound ditto, two hundred and .'ixty. eight, four-pound ditto, twenty- five, three-pound ditto, eighty-eight two-pound ditto, eighteen, eightecn-pounder guns, good, and .two hundred shot, two, twelve- pounder guns, good, ind nine hundred shot, four, six- pounders, good, and two thousand nine hundred and eighty-five shot; four hundred hand grenades, filled, ninety- nine pikes, and ninety halberrs; three thousand two hundred sacks of corn. N. B. No small arms, except those laid down by the French troops. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 181 ftwo succeeding months, was unremittingly em' ployed in the re-conquest of the Neapolitan terri- tories, and the expulsion of the French hordes, not only from the southern parts of Italy, but the papal states also.* On his arrival at Naples, the * The various leading events in which his lordship was con- cerned, and which he so happily brought to a glorious termina- tion, during this period of his service, cannot be more concise- ly or interestingly given, than by the insertion of the following official correspondence. Extract of a letter from Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson, K. B. to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated Bay of Naples, 27th of June. ** I am happy in being able to congratulate their lordships on the possession of the city of Naples. St. Elmo is^ yet in the hands of the French; bat the castles of Ovo and Nuovo I took possession of last evening, and his Sicilian majesty's co- lours are now flying on them," Extract of another letter from Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson, dated Bay of Naples, 14th of July. ** Herewith I have the honour of sending you copies of my letters to the commander in chief, and the capitulation granted to the French in St. Elmo. All the chief rebels are now on board his majesty's fleet. Capua and Gaieta will very soon be in our possession, when the kingdom will be liberated from anarchy and misery. «< My Lor d, «< Foudroyant, Bay of Naples, 1 3th of July. ** I have the pleasure to inform you of the surrender of Fort St. Elmo, (on theterms of the enclosed capitulation), after opea batteries of eight days, during which time our heavy batteries were advanced within one hundred and eighty yards of the ditch. The very great strength of St. Elmo, and its more formidable position, will mark with what fortitude, perseverance, and ac- tivity, the combined forces must have acied; Capain Trou- 182 MEMOIRS OF prospect of public affairs was as disastrous as It possibly could be ; the troops of France were in bridge was the ofRcer selected for the command of all the forces landed from the squadron ; Captain BrJl assisted him for seven days, till his services were wanted at Malta, when his place was ably supplied by Captain Hallowell, an officer of the most dis- tinguished merit, and to whom Captain Troubridge expresses the highest obligation. Captain Hood, with 4 garrison for the castle of Nuovo, and to keep good order in the capital, an ar- duous task at that time, was also landed from the squadron; and I have the pleasure to teU you, that no capital is more quiet than Naples. I transmit you Captain TrouSridge's letter to me, with returns of kiiled and wounded ; 1 have a;S0 to state to your lordship, thatalrhough the abilities and resources of my brave friend Troubridge are \yell known to all the world, yet even he had difficulties to struggle with in every way, which the state of the capital will easily bring to your idea, that has raise4 his great character even higher than it was before. " I am, &c. <* Right Hon. Lord Keith, ** Nelson." commander in chief, &c." « My Lord, <* Foudroyant, Naples Bay, July 17th. .** His Sicilian majesty arrived in this Bay on the loth, and Immediately hoisted his standard on board the Foudroyant, where his majesty still remains with all his ministers. ^' I have the honour to be, (' Nelson." Admiralty-office, Sept. 2, 1799. Dispatche5, of which the following are copies, were this morning received by Mr. Nepean, from Rear-admiral Lord Nelson, commanding his majesty's ships and vessels in the Mediterranean. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. \tS [uiet possession of the castle of St. Elmo, and all khe other different fortresses which defended the « Sir, ** Foudroyant, Bay of Naples, August ist. « I have the honour to transmit you copies of my letter to the commander in chief, with its several enclosures, and most sincerely congratulate their lordships on the entire liberation of the kingdom of Naples from French robbers, for by no other name can they be called, for their conduct in this kingdom. This happy event will not, I am sure, be the less acceptable, from being principally brought about by part of the crews of his majesty's ships under my orders, under the command of Captain Troubridge. His merits speak for themselves; his own modesty makes it my duty to state, that to him alone is the chief merit due. The commendation bestowed on the brave and excellent -Captain Hallowell, v/ill not escape their lordships* notice, any more than the exceeding good conduct of Captain Oswald, Colonel Strickland, Captain Cresswell, to whom I or- dered the temporary rank of major, and all the officers and men of the marine corps ; also the party of the artillery, and the of- * Right Hon Lord Keith, com- *' Nelion." mander in chief, &c/* I, „..„„...,„„... ,. ^fcondition of laying down their arms, embarking ^■br France, and submitting to be prisoners of war ^■on their parole, until they were regularly exchan- ed. Foreseeing the event, his Sicilian majesty, in compliance with his lordship's wishes, quitted Pa- lermo, and arrived off Naples tv/o days before the surrender took place. On the 13 th, having hoist- ed his standard on board the Foudroyant, in the bay of Naples, he had again the satisfaction of be- holding his metropolis reverted back to the domi- nion of its lawful sovereign. On this occasion he justly and affectionately complimented Lord Nel- son, by saying, ** that he had re-conquered his kingdom for him, and placed him once more on the throne of his ancestors." Although much had already been done, the af- fairs of the Neapolitan kingdom required a conti- nuance of exertions to place them in a state of per- manent tranquillity ; Capua and Gaera, which still remained in the possession of France, were as yet to be reduced ; they were attacked ; attack and conquest became almost synonimous terms. The garrison of Capua surrendered as prisoners of war, but to that of Gaeta the more favourable terms were allowed, in consequence of the fortress being only blockaded, and not besieged, that its defen- ders should be at perfect liberty from the hour they were landed in France. In both these capituia^ -tions, the true spirit of French friendship, and the extreme danger of accepting it, were displayed m 186 MEMOIRS OF the strongest colours. The rebellious Neapolitans, who had most traitorously and unwisely joined the ■enemies of their country, and constituted the head of what was called the revolutionary party, were ■abandoned to their fate ; .andsomely restored to Britain by the Emperor of Russia, into o 19^ MEMOIRS OF the GuiJlIaume Tell, of eighty guns,* taken on the 29th of March following, by the Foudroyant, his whose possession she fell by the surrender of Corfu, where she had been left by her captor. The particulars of the action will be found in the biographical sketch given of the life of Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson. * This ship was the last remaining of the Toulon armament, and at the battle of Aboukir bore the flag of Vice-admival Villeneuve, the third in command. Although his lordship was not personally concerned in the action, the circumstances at- tending it will be found sufficiently interesting to warrant the insertion of Captain Dixon's account. Lion, at Sea, off Cape Passaro, Sir, 3 1 St March, 1 800. I have the honour to inform you, that yesterday morning, at nine o'clock. Cape Passaro bearing N. half E. distant sevtn leagues, the French ship of war Le Guilliaume Tell, of eighty- six guns, and one thousand men, bearing the flag of Contre- Amiral Decres, surrendered, after a most gallant and obsti- nate defence of three hours and a half, to his majesty's ships Foudroyant, Lion, and Penelope. To declare the particulars of this very important capture, I have to inform you, that the signal rockets and cannonading from our batteries at Malta, the midnight preceding, with the favourable strong southerly gale, together with the darkness which succeeded the setting of the moon, convinced me the enemy's ships of war were attempting to effect an escape, and which was immediately ascertained by that judicious and truly valuable officer. Captain Blackwood, of the Penelope, who had been stationed a few hours before between the Lioa and Valette, for the purpose of observing closely the motions of the enemy. Nearly at midnight, an enemy's ship was descried by him, H when the Minorca was sent to inform me of it, giving chase himtelfi apprising me by signal that the strange ships seen were hauled to the wind on the starboard tack. I lost notour LORD DISCOUNT NfiLSON. iQS lordship's flag-ship, having at the same time the Lion and Penelope in company. His lordship, moment for making the signal for the squadron to cut, or slip, and directed Captain Miller of the Minorca, to run down to the Foudroyant and Alexander with the intelligence, and to repeat the signal, liifnder a press of canvass, I chased until five A. M. solely guided by the cannonading of the Penelope; and, as a direction to the squadron, a rocket and blue light were shewn every half hour from the Lion, As the day broke, I found myself in gun-shot of the chase, and the Penelope within musket shot raking her ; the effects of whose well di- rectedfire during the night, had shot away the main and mizen topmasts and main-yard. The enemy appeared in great confu- sion, being reduced to his head sails, going with .the wind on the quarter. The Lion was run close along side, the yard- arms of both ships being just clear, when a destructive broad- side of three round shot in each gun was poured in, luffing up across the bow, when the enemy's jib-boom passed between the main and mizen shrouds. After a short interval, I had tte pleasure to see the boom carried away, and the ships disen- tangled, maintaining a position across the bow, firing to great advantage. I was not the least solicitous cither to board, or to be boarded, as the enemy appeared of immense bulk, and full of men, keeping up a prodigious fire of musketry, which, with the bow chasers, she could for a long time only use, I found it ab.so)utely necessary, if possible, to keep from the broadside of this ship. After being engaged about forty minutes, the Fou- droyant was seen under a press of canvass, and soon passed, hailing the enemy to strike, which being declined, a very heary fire from both ships, broadside to broadside, was most gallantly maintained ; the Lion and Penelope frequently in situations to do great execution. In short. Sir, after an action, the hottest that probably was ever maintained by an enemy's ship, opposed to those of his majesty, and being totally dismasted, the French admiral's flag and colours were struck, I have not language oa 19^ MEMOIRS OF however, being at the time of the capture out of health, was not on board. The same cause which to express the high sense of obligation I feel myself under to Captain Blackwrood for his prompt and able conduct in leadings the line of battle ships to the enemy ; for the gallantry and spirit so highly conspicuous in him, and for his admirable ma- nagement of the frig ite. To your discriminating j udgment it is unnecessary to remark of what real value and importance, such an officer must ever be considered to his majesty's service. The termination of the battle mu&t be attributed to the spirited jireof the Foudroyant, whose captain. Sir Edward Berry, has justly added another laurel, to the many he has gained during the war. Captain Blackw cod speaks in very high terms of the active and gallant conduct of Captain Long, of the Vincejo, during the night. And I beg to mention the services of Cap- tains Broughton and Miller. The crippled condition of the Lion and Foudroyant made it necessary for me, to direct Cap- tain Blackwood to take possession of the enemy, take him in tow, and proceed to Syracuse. I received the greatest possible assistance from Lieutenant Joseph Paty, senior officer of the Lion, and from Mr. Spence, the master, who, together with the other officers and ship's company, shewed the most determined gallantry. Captains Sir Edward Berry and Blackwood, have reported to me the same gallant and animated behaviour, in the officers and crews of their respective ships, I am sorry to say, that the three ships have suffered mnch in killed and wounded; and that the loss ©f the enemy is prodigious, being upwards of two hundred. I refer you to the enclosed reports for further particulars, as to the state of his majesty's ships, and have the honour to remain. Sir, Sec. &c. Manley Dixow. P. S. The Guilliaume Tell is of the largest dimensions, and carries thirty-six pounders oivthe lower gun deck, twenty-four pounders on the main deck, twelve pounders on the quarter deck, and thirty-two carronades on the poop. I LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 19/ had prevented his being personally concerned in the encounter just mentioned, still continuing to operate against his assuming the active function of a naval commander, he was under the necessity of striking his flag, and proceeding to Trieste, from whence he passed to Hamburgh. The attentions, the respect, and the honours, he received in all the principal cities he passed through while on his jour- ney, were unprecedented,, perhaps, but certainly not unexpected, or unmerited: they proved only that the inhabitants of other countries than Britain, appreciated his merit equally with those of his own, and that partiality was totally unconcerned in the adoration, paid him by the latter. Notwithstanding his lordship had landed at Trieste in the month of June, so weak was the con- dition of his health, that, added to the delays he unavoidably met with in his route, the month of October arrived ere he reached Hamburgh. The QueenofNaplesherself accompanied him so far as Vienna, as though unwilling to quit, till the last moment^ the society of the man, to whom she pro^ bably owed her existence, and to a certainty, the rank of sovereign, which she then held. On the eve of their quitting Palermo, her majesty pre- sented his lordship with a picture of the kin^, hav- ing on the reverse the initials of her own name, the whole richly set with diamonds. The attention paid to his lordship on his arrival at Vienna, by the niost exalted personages at i\\^ igS MEMOIRS OF imperial court, had rarely been exceeded by that shewn to any visitor whatsoever. Tne emperor received him as a prince ; at Prcgue, that ever to be revered character^ the Arch-duke Charles, treated him as his equal -, and the senate of Ham- bljrgh, seemed to consider him as a person of superior order to themselves. In short, greater honours could not have been paid to him, though to have paid him less, would have been ingrati- tude. As to his reception in England, we shall content ourselves with repeating the unadorned account given of it, in the different journals and periodical publications of the day, remarking, that whatever a narrative so quoted may be deficient m what is called literary elegance, that defect is, almost invariably, fully compensated for, by its truth and precision. " His lordship landed at Yarmouth on the 6th of November, after an absence of three years. The i instant he stepped on shore, the populace assembled in crowds to greet the gallant hero of the Nile, and taking the horses from his carriage, drew him, to the Wrestlers Inn. The mayor and corporation immediately waited on his lordship, and presented him with the freedom of the town, which had been already voted to him for his eminent services. The • infantry in the town paraded before the inn where fl he lodged, with their regimental band, paying every military honour, and firing feux de joye of rnusquetry and ordnance till midnight, The LORD VISCOUKT NELSON, IQQ corporation in procession, with a number of re- spectabje officers of the navy, attended his lordship to church, to join in thanksgiving vi^ith him. All the ships in the harbour hoisted their colours, and every honour was paid him by the admiral of the fleet, Dickson, who endeavoured to evince, by every means in his power, his respect for him. " On leaving the town, the corps of cavalry un- expectedly drew up, saluted, and followed the car- riage not only to the town's-end, but to the boun- dary of the county. On the 8th his lordship arrived 'in London, and alighted at Nerot's Hotel, King-street, St. James's. The noble peer, who was dressed in full uniform, with three stars on his breast, and two gold medals, was welcomed by re- peated huzzas from the crowd, which the illustrious personage returned with a low bow. In his way to town, he stopped at the house of his father, who however had left it on the Friday for London, and the first interview between them, together with Lady Nelson, was in the hall of Nerot's Hotel. '' On the 9th, being Lord Mayor's day, his lord- ship was invited to the civic feast, and joined the cavalcade in its way to Guildhall. When the pro- cession reached the top of Ludgate-hill, the mob took the horses from his carriage, and drew him to Guildhall, amidst repeated huzzas. Ail the way he passed along Cheapside, be was greeted by the ladies from the windows with their handkerchiefs, and the loudest acclamations. At six o'clock the SOD MEMOIRS OF company sat down to a very sumptuous dinner^ After the usual toasts had gone round, a very elegant sword, richly ornamented, the handle gold, with blue enamel, studded with diamonds, the guard supported with anchors, and the figure of a crocodile, as emblematical of the grand event,which had been voted to his lordship by the corporation, after the battle of Aboukir, was presented tohim^, with the following appropriate address, made by Mr. Clarke, the chamberlain of the city. " Lord Nelson, *' In cheerful obedience to an unanimous reso^ lution of the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common council assembled, I present your lord- ship with the thanks of the court, for the very im- portant victory obtained by a squadron of his ma- jesty's ships under your command, over a superior French fleet, off the mouth of the Nile, on the ist of August, 1798 : a victory splendid and decisive; unexampled in naval history, and reflecting the highest honour on the courage and abilities of your lordship, and your officers, and the discipline and irresistible bravery of British seamen ; and which must be productive of the greatest advantages to this country, and to every part of thp civilized world, by tending to frustrate the designs of our implacable enemy, and by rousing other nations to, unite and resist their unprincipled ambition. " As a farther testimony of the high esteem ^hjch the court entertains of your lordship's publip LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 201 ices, and of the eminent advantages which you lave rendered your country, I have the honour to present your lordship this sword. The consequences of the action I am thus called upon to applaud, are perhaps unequalled in the history of mankind. A numerous army, which had triumphed in Europe over brave and veteran troops, commanded by officers of the most esta- blished reputation, landed in Egypt, under the command ofhim,whonow sways the Gallic sceptre, with designs of the most ambitious and extensive nature. One of their objects, as acknowledged by themselves, was to annihilate by degrees the Eng- lish East India trade, and finalh to get into their possession the whoje conimerce of Africa and Asia. Such were the gigantic views of our im- placable foe ; and such confidence had they in the fleet which conveyed them, and in the station it took on the coast of the devoted country, that it bade defiance to the whole navy of Britain ; but at this momentous period, the Almighty directed your lordship as his chosen instrument, to check their pride, and crush their force as a maritlm<^ power, during the present contest. The circum- stances attending this grand display of providential interposition and British prowess, must interest the feelings of every Englishman. Had a space been chosen to exhibit to the world a struggle for supe- riority in hautical skill and personal valour, be- |:yv'een the two greatest naval powers of the glob^^ -02 ' MEMOIRS OF none could have been more happily selected. Thf three grand divisions of the antient world were witnesses ; and the shores which had beheld the destruction of the Persian navy by the Greeks, and the heroic acts of Sesostris, now resounded with the echo of British thunder. To your lordship belongs the praise of having added glory to such a scene : the heroes we applaud, would themselves have applauded usj and he, who ages since led his three hundred against an almost countless host, might on that proud day have wished him-* self a Briton^ " The thanks of your country, my lord, attend you ; its honours await you ; but a higher praise than even these imply, is yours, in the moment ©f unexampled victory, you saved your country — in the next moment you did still more — you ex-. emplifjed that virtue, which the heathen world could not emulate ; and in the pious nm nobis Damine / of your modest dispatches, you have en- forced a most important truth — that the most in- dependent conqueror felt, in the most intoxicating^ point of time, the influence and protection of him> whom our enemies, to their shame and ruin, had foolishly and impiously defied. May that same power, my Lord, ever protect and reward you; may it long, very long, spare to this empire so illus- trious a fea<:her, and so potent a champion/* , •' To this speech the noble lord made the fol- lowing short, but impressive reply : lord viscount nelson. 203 " Sir, " It is with the greatest pride and satisfaction I receive from the honourable court this testimony oi their approbation of my conduct ; and with this very sword (holding it up in his left and remaining hand) 1 hope soon to aid in reducing our impla- cable and inveterate enemy to proper and due limits, without which this country can neither hope for, nor expe£l a sohd, honourable, and per- manent peace." Nav. Chron, Vol. 4. p. 429. Although these instances just recited, as being the honours paid him by a public body, claim pre- cedence, yet they were at least equalled by those which he experienced from individuals of all ranks. Popularity certainly was never more justly, or more honestly acquired. It might now have been expe6led by his coun- trymen, and all the rest of the world, that his lord- ship should have retired from the fatigues of public duty, for a short time at least. The services in which he had been engaged, had enervated his body indeed, but produced no effect on his mind. The necessities of his country appeared to require his presence and assistance, and his pulse beat too high with the true energetic feelings of a firm and honest patriot to allow his passing into retired or private life, while the flags of the enemies to his country flouted as it were in defiance of her. He was raised to the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Blue on the ist of Januxiry, iSoi, it being 504 MEMOIRS OF at first intended he should have commanded a divisionin of the main, or channel fleet, and the San Josef, of one hundred and twelve guns, one of the prizes taken by himself in the action off Cape St. Vincent, was purposely fitted to receive his flag. This arrangement had however scarcely been made, ere the political situation of public af- fairs rendered it necessary that it should be alter- ed. The furious insanity of the emperor of all the Russias, captious without offence, and violent almost beyond precedent, in his attempt to revenge an imaginary insult, contrived to prevail on the northern powders of Sweden and Denmark to en- ter into his views, and to oppose as it were, a me-^ nacing front to Great Britain. It must, however, have been apparent to the most shallow sighted politician, that even though such conduct had been successful to the summit of their.wishes, in pro- ducing any effect on the British councils, and their measures 5 such an interference would at least have been unwise, to apply no harsher term to it. The Emperor of the Russias might indeed be almost said to stand single in the dispute, for hi§ allies possessed hearts, by no means mimical to the interests of Britain and their ovvn: but pajoled by j the promises, or terrified by the threats, of the 1 former, whose fury, from his proximity to them, they were compelled to dread, they entered intq the war with a sangfroid suited to the occasion, I f hey appeared as wishing only to preserve O-Ax tORD VISCOUMT NELSON. 205 national character from the imputation of pusillani- mity, should they attend to the remonstrances of the British court, rather than any real hope they entertained, of being able to resist its resolves with effect. The principles of the confederacy, had Britain quietly permitted them to be acted upon, would not only have distressed, but humiliated her, in the opinion of the world : though assailed at the same time by the maritime force of all the rest of Eu- rope, she felt her. dignity required the utmost ex- ertion, and that the confederacy, the professed object of which was to check and prescribe bounds to her naval power, must be broken, or that she must inevitably h\\ from the pre-eminent height she had then reached, into the ordinary rank held by other nations and countries. It v;as not a case of desperation but of necessity; and the worst of national evils might have resulted from the want of success. A powerful fleet was accordingly as- sembled, and placed under the orders of Sir Hyde Parker; Lord Nelson was -appointed second in command, and hoisted his flag on boai-d the St. George, a second rate, of ninety-eight guns. The force of the armament consisted of eighteen ships of the line, four frigates, a number of bomb ketches, and gun vessels, amounting in the whole to fifty-two sail. The fleet however received an un- fortunate reduction from the loss from the Invinci- ble, of seventy- fourguns, which struck on a shoalolT 205 MEMOIRS OF* Winterton. The remaining ships and vessels which sailed from Yarmouth on the 12th of March arrived in safety at the place of their destination. While these vigorous measures were pursued on the part of Britain, Denmark, as the country al- most certain of being the first to experience ag- gression and attack, had taken every precaution prudence and firmness could suggest, to parry it. The most active preparations pervaded her ports ; the King of Sweden, on his part, was on the alert, and had not only inspected all his fortresses bor- dering on the coast in person, but held an actual conference with the crown Prince of Denmark, for the sole purpose of concerting the means of mutual defence. Distressing in the extreme must it have been to both these potentates, when they found themselves involuntarily engaged in a dispute, from which they could not with honour recede. The object which obviously presented itself to the first notice of the confederated courts, was the defence of the passage through the Sound; it was protected on theSwedish side by the fort of HeLingbefg, and on that of Den- mark by the castle of Cronenberg, each of them Were garrisoned sufficiently to withftand an attack; ^nd in addition to that formidable opposition wnich they threatened, numerous^ strong batteries were erected on the Danish shore, through the fire of which, it was considered impossible an hostile fleet coulcl pass with impunity. For the security of Co- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 207 penhagen, the fortresses in existence were consi- dered competent; the different batteries which had already been erected for its defence, were in the most perfect state ; the troops appointed to man them were numerous and well disciplined. Added to which, every precaution and terrific aid, that modern science and invention could suggest, had been used, to render resistance completely suc- cessful. Although Britain felt herself, in defiance of every opposition that could be made against her, totally at ease, as to the event of the contest, yet honourable and philanthropic motives, imperiously demanded that all the regular means of political negotiation and explanation, should be employed, ere the sword of war was actually drawn. The Danish nation had been regarded for centuries with a species of brotherly love ; the friendship be-^ tween the countries was mutual, and nothing but the hard necessity of political intrigue, appeared capable of breaking the long established amicy. There are instances however, where no expkna- tion can possibly settle a dispute,- whether it be national, or even of a private nature between two individuals, without recourse to that most dreadful €>f all settlements, violence and actual warfare. Such was the political situation of public affairs between the two countries in the present instance: Great Britain prepared to attack Denmark, the latter country was firm in her defence. It will be necessary in this place to take a short view of the strength opposed to Great Britain b/ the northern confederacy, though perhaps: thd ostentatious pride of an Englishman may be dis- covered in the act. Opposed as the navy of Bri- tain was, by all the southern maritime powers of Europe, it certainly displayed her magnanimous spirit, to give her character the most quiet of all names, that she should, environed as she was with foes, provoke as it were the encounter w^ith new enemies. The navy of Denmark consisted of tW'Cnty-three ships of the line, not perhaps in the best condition for remote service, bat certainly capable of action for home defence, with the tri- vial exception of one, or two only. Exclusive of these, she possessed upwards of thirty frigates and smaller vessels, independent of guard-ships* The navy of Sweden was not inferior in numbers, but far superior in point of equipment. Her navy consisted of eighteen ships of the line, fourteert frigates, sloops, and other vessels of war, together* with seventy-four gallies, and smaller vessels, ex-* elusive of gun-boats. The marine of Russiadoubled the amount of both ; it comprized eighty-tw^o sail of the line, together with forty frigates, and a con^ siderable number of smaller vessels ; several ships of the line, however, were unfit for service. Of the force now stated, there were at Cronstadt, Revel, Petersburgh, and Archangel, forty-seven sail of the line, but the whole of the Russian fleet Was badly manned and officered. Notwithstanding Russia produces every species of naval stores, the LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^09 greatest part of the ships were in a very indiffer- ent state of equipment. Notwithstanding this important advantage, it was evident to every political observer, that the aggregate force of the northern confederacy would attain an height extremely formidable, if not injurious to Britain, provided the armaments belonging to the different countries could be once brought to act in unison, and concert with each other; but the difiiculty of effecting that mea- sure, the experience of all preceding ages, and the example of all former confederacies, very few of w^hich succeeded in their projects^ have fully proved. Although the British nation appears to have roused her strongest energies, for the purpose of breaking by force of arms that league, which threatened to become so extremely dangerous to her, she still remained unwilling to draw the sword of war, while the smallest likelihood ap- peared to exist, that it could be permitted to re- inain peaceably and tranquilly within its scabbard, Mr. Vansittart, properly invested with a di- plomatic character, preceded the arrival of the British fleet, and having reached Elsineur on board a frigate, bearing a flag of truce, on the 20th of March, a conference was immediately held by that gentleman, in conjunction with Mr. Drum- mond, the British minister at Copenhagen, with the Danish court. The demands on the part of p ^10 MEMOIRS OF Britain, were the secession of Denmark from the northern alliance ; the allowance of a free passage through the Sound to the British fleet, and an abandonment of the system of sending, in future, convoys for the protection of Danish merchant vessels. These proposals being rejected without hesitation, the British plenipotentiaries received passports for their return. Such, however, was the existing force of that so long continued national connexion, which sub- sisted between the. people of England and of Denmark, that although the government of both countries appeared at variance with each other, the people themselves seemed unwilling to be- come parties in the quarrel. Notwithstanding a positive order was officially issued in Copen- hagen, for all persons in that city, and through- out the Danish dominions, who owed allegiance to the British government, to withdraw, very few felt themselves so far interested in the or- der, as to obey its and in justice be it said, in no instance whatever was it known, that either the freedom of the person, or the safety of the property, was in the smallest degree violated. It now appeared fixed beyond revocation, that the dernier resort, the appeal to arms, was re- solved on ; so the event proved ; and the British fleet, during the night between the 2 2d and 23d of March, sailed from Anholt to Gilleleve, on the northern coast of Zealand, where it came to LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 211 anchor : even in this critical posture of affairs, Britain appeared willing, to the latest moment, to avoid encountering the miseries of war. On the 27th of March, Sir Hyde Parker, acting un- der the instructions he had received, and watching . most correctly to ascertain the intention of Den- mark, as to her future hostile or pacific con- duct, dispatched a flag of truce to the governor of Cronenberg castle, with the following note : '^ From the hostile transactions of the court of . Denmark, and sending away^ his Britannic ma- jesty's charge d'affaires, the commander in chief of his majesty's fleet is anxious to know, what the determination of the Danish court is, and whether the commanding officer of Cronenberg castle has received orders to Are on the British fleet as they pass into the Sound, as he must deem the firing of the first gun a declaration of w^ar, on the part of Denmark. (Signed) Hyde Parker." To this the subjoined answer was returned : " I have the honour to inform your excellency, that his majesty the king of Denmark did not send away the charge d'affaires, but that on his own demand he obtained a passport. As a soldier I cannot meddle with politics ; but I am not at liberty to suffer a fleet, whose intention is not yet known, to approach the guns of the ' castle, which I have the honour to commando In case your excellency should think proper to p 2 212 MEMOIRS OF make any proposals to the king of Denmark, I wish to be informed thereof, before the fleet ap- proaches nearer to the castle. (Signed) '' Heer Stricker." On the receipt of this note the British com- mander in chief immediately again addressed the governor. " Finding the intentions of the court of Den- mark to be hostile against his Britannic majesty, he regarded his excellency's answer as a declara- tion of war, and, therefore, agreeable to his in- structions, could no longer refrain from hostilities, however reluctant it might be to his feelings. But, at the same time, the, admiral would be ready to attend to any proposals of the court of Denmark, for restoring the former amity and friendship, which had for so many years subsisted between the two courts. (Signed) '' Htde Parker.'' On the 30th of March, the wind having be- come favourable, the British fleet passed the Sound, the key of the Baltic ; and notwithstand- ing the difficulty that had been previously appre- hended by persons, who were fond of anticipat- ing disasters, it was effected without the smallest injury to the British fleet *. * The annexed account of the several transactions imme* diately preceding, and during the passage of the Sound, as it is certainly a most correct, so will it most probably prove, the most interesting transaction that could be given. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 21.3 The scene of future contest was now open, and the prospect is described as wonderfully fitted Early on the morning of the 1 8th- of May, the admiral made the signal for seeing land ; and on the 19th, about noon, we made the Scavv, which was the first general rendezvous of the fleet. The Scaw, or Scagen, is a low point of land, the most northerly of the peninsula of North Jutland. Apparently sandy and barren, distant from Marstrand island, on the Swedish shore, 11 or 12 leagues. On both these points the Danes and Swedes jiave erected light-houses; towards the support of which all vessels that pass the Sound, or enter the Swedish ports, are obliged to contribute. The passage between the Scaw lights and the Cattegat, is considered the entrance of the Cattegat. At a period, when every delay, however trifling, must have been favourable to the northern coalition, and when it was well known that the Danes were making every possible , effort to obstruct the passage of the Sound, and render Co- penhagen inaccessible to the approach of our gun vessels, it excited a general surprise that our fleet did not pass the Cat- tegat with a strong N.W, wind, which was favourable, and that by lying to, and standing so many hours off the Scaw, the ad- vantage should be lost resulting from expedition, and par- ticularly so when the mildest winter known for many years in these climates, had left the passage of the Sound, and the navigation of the Baltic, completely open. From the zistto the 24 h, we had, in general, foul winds, heavy falls of sleet, snow, and rain, which, added to a chilling cold, caused the officers and crews to suffer considerable fa- tigue. The Russell had parted from the admiral, in conse- quence of having been ordered to take the Tickler gun-brjg in tow, on the 13th, and this circumstance had nearly caused her destruction : she having, in her endeavours to preserve this vessel during a dark and hazy night, been drifted on a lee-shore, where she would inevitably have perished, but fqr the unexampled exertions of the officers and crew. 214 MEMOIRS OF to excite a variety of emotions, mixing, or suc- ceeding each other, of the liveliest and most During the negotiations that were carried on, previous to our passing the Sound, an incident occurred, which, though trivial in itself, may tend to point out the mode of thinking then prevalent at the court of Denmark, and the perfect state of security in which the Danes considered themselves at the time. An officer of distinction, high in favour with the prince, came on board the admiral, with a verbal arsvver to one of our proposals ; and finding som.e difficulty in expressing, with sufficient accuracy, the sentiments of his court, was re» quested to communicate them in writing. The pen whicJ^ had been brought for this purpose happening to be ill-pointed| he held it up, and observed with a sarcastic smile to those about him, ** If your guns are not better pointed than your pens, you will make little impression on Copenhagen." Scarce had the admiral declared his intention of forcing the passage of the Sound, when he was induced to relinquish it, by the suggestions of some ignorant and designing pilots, who, from motives of fear or interest, had considerably exaggerated the difficulties and dangers of the enterprize, and had repre- sented, as much more practicable and less hazardous, the circui- tous passage of the Great Belt. The vague and inaccurate ac- counts that had been communicated respecting the preparations of the Swedes, and the strength of Helsinberg castle, where, as it has since appeared, there were mounted only eight effective guns of small calibre ; the difficulties in an hostile country of repairing the calamities that might be expected in passing the enemy's forts; the disadvantage of a southerly wind, with some other important considerations ; and perhaps some secret prudential motives, appeared to fix the determination of the English admiral. The 26th, at day break, the fleet got un- der weigh, and stood to the westward, for the purpose, as it was generally believed, of passing the Great Belt. Captain Murray of the Edgar, an active and intelligent officer, who, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 215 affecting nature ; a splendid theatre appeared for war and victory ; but the face of nature, and the the preceding summer had surveyed this entrance to the Baltic, with a degree of accuracy hitherto unknown, proffered his services to lead the fleet. It was now concluded, from the high opinion of this officer's professional abilities, and the facility with which the passage might be effected, in a place where the Danes had but one guard-ship, his offers would be accepted; but they were not. On the 26th and 27th, several vessels from the Baltic, under Prussian colours, passed the Sound ; and were permitted to proceed, although it was known that Prussia was acting hostilely against Great Britain at that time. The order given on the 28th to prepare for battle, an order always received by British tars with acclamations of joy, at length relieved us from a state of despondency ; and, together with some previous manoeuvres of the admiral, con- vinced us that the passage of the Sound was decided upon. Nothing but the appointment of a popular leader was now wanting, to maintain and direct to the accomplishment of an enterprize, that spirit of heroic enthusiasm which served to pervade every bosom ; and fortunately for the English nation this service was allotted to the Hero of the Nile, who had so often led the British tars to glory. The afternoon of the 29th was principally employed in clear- ing the ships for action, which was done with an alacrity and expedition unexampled in the history of naval events ; and it now remained to overthrow, by the force of cannon, a popular error, which all the power of reasoning could never have re- moved. It had long been a received opinion in Europe, that the possession of Cronenberg castle gave to the Danes an uncon- trouled command of the passage of the Sound ; and the Danes seem to have so far adopted this opinion, and to have profited by the imaginary advantage of their situation, that for more than a century they have exercised the undisputed right of levy- ing contributions on all vessels, in proportion to the value of the 216 MEMOIRS OF recollection of a common interest, a common religion, and a common origin, or character, with cargo, trading to and from the Baltic. The tacit assent given by the European powers to this flagrant imposition, ap- parently justified by the sanction of time, so far confirmed the Danes in the validity of this opinion, that they considered any augmentation to the works as superfluous ; and relying on the co-operation of the Swedes, had neglected, by floating batteries, to render the approach of the English more difficult than otherwise it might have been. The v;ind being as fa- vourable as the most sanguine expectation could desire, the admiral, to the inexpressible joy of the whole fleet, made, on the morning of the 30th, the signal to weigh and form the order of battle. The nomination of the concjueror of Abou- kir to lead the van division, seemed already an happy presage of victory, and diffused a spirit of confidence and emu'ation, which the name of Nelson never fails to excite among British seamen. Sir Hyde Parker acted with his division in the rear, as a corps de resernje. Such was the promptitude displayed in executing the orders to form a line, and to engage, that at half past six the Monarch, appointed to lead the fleet, was so far advanced, that the enemy commenced a heavy and well- supported fire, from the whole line of their positions, which was instantaneously returned from the leading ships, and from some of those of the centre and rear divisions. No one circumstance during the operations of this memora- ble day contributed so efficaciously towards their ultimate suc- cess as the silence of the Swedish batteries. What might have been the motives that determined the conduct of Sweden on this occasion, whether a secret misunderstanding between the courts of Stockholm and Copenhagen, or apprehensions that the town of Helsinberg would meet a fate similar to that of Elsineur, it is impossible to determine ; but certain it is, that not a single shot was fired on the part of the Swedes; and at half past ten, every ship had passed the Sound w ithout having LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^17 ihe nations on the shores of the Bahic, could not but impress every intelligent and feeling mind with sentiments of regret; these in the midst of all the apparatus, and almost in the very throat of war, tend, in some sort and degree, to har- monize the mind to peace and concord. No- thing in the northern parts of Europe, or of Asia, presents a prospect equal to the channel of the Sound, the territory of Denmark on the right, the islands of Saltholm and Amak, with part of Zealand, and the capital of the kingdom, Co- penhagen, nearly in front On the coast of Denmark appears a continued succession of rich plains, woods, meadows, su- perb mansions, neat villas, pleasant gardens, adorned with all the embellishments of art ; while the Swedish shore exhibits excellent pas- tures, a mountainous and picturesque coast. The island of Nuen, celebrated for the observatory of Tycho Brahe, arrests the attention of the pas- sing voyager. To the eye, looking back from thence, the fortresses of Elsineur, Cronenberg, and Helsingburg, seem to unite, and to bound on sustained the slightest casualty, ex'cept six or seven men killed or wounded on board the Isis, by the bursting of one of her lower deck guns. Thus vanished," like the baseless fabric of a vision, that chimaera, on which the Danes had founded a most lucrative impositrori, and obliged the captains of English merchantmen to submit to insults, and rude injustice, that ought never again to be tolerated. 218 MEMOIRS OF the north, a vast Jake ; but as soon as it ad- vances, it discovers the sea, and the whole ex- tent of the plain of Copenhagen ; its port filled with vessels, and its cultivated environs. On the side next the sea this city presents itself in all its magnificence. It is visible at the dis- tance of several miles. The gothic towers with which it abounds, and which, from a distance, form a majestic appearance, engage and fix the attention of the spectator, by the height of their S spires, as well as by the variety of the ornaments : with which they are decorated. The number of inhabitants exceeds eighty thousand. It contains the principal fortress of the country, the fleet, the marine arsenals, the only university in Denmark, several academies, a superb library, a veterinary school, a school for cadets in the sea and land service, a museum containing a great variety of rare and curious objects, a number of fine edi-. fices, statues, and monuments of every kind. The streets are for the most part broad, and well paved. There are excellent footways, as in London, and every where the signs of comfort, wealth, and magnificence. The garrison, in time of peace, consists of six regiments of infantry, the foot guard, the horse guard, a corps of artillery, a corps of marines, amounting in the whole to about ten thousand men; to which may be added the city militia, the chief officers of which are appointed by the King, and rank among the offi- \ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 219 cers in the army. The fortress of Frederickstadt, supported on one side by the batteries of one of the arsenals, defends the entrance of the harbour> where there is besides another battery, and where, in case of necessity, a number of flat-bottomed boats and floating batteries may be stationed, a? in fact they were in the present juncture. Such was the city, the capital of a congenial and long friendly nation, that was now pointed out as an object of attack to the British navy. The first apparent difficulty being overcome, the second, certainly the most important, in- stantly presented itself j it was no less than the attack of the capital of Denmark, as has been already observed, the city of Copenhagen. As on the success of this enterprize the event of the campaign solely depended, so were the most industrious and active means used to ensure it. Lord Nelson, with that ardour which ever charac- terized his conduct, voluntarily stood forth to en- counter with his best exertions of mind and body, the apprehended danger. The offer of his services was accepted, and the command of the squadron selected for the ^attack, conferred on him. The necessary position to be taken upon the occasion, together with the passage to it, were very little known, and extremely intricate; but it is the part of great men to overcome such impedi- pients. His lordship personally attended to every 220 MEMOIRS OF preparatory measure, he saw the soundhigs accu- rately made under bis own eye and obbcrvation, and the several buoys laid, which were to direct the passage of his fleet : the fatigue was exces- sive, and had nearly proved too grievous for his lordship's delicate constitution, and infirm state of health , his ardour and zeal, however, enabled him to overcome every obstacle ; and having ar- ranged all these necessary preparatory measures, he is said, with that truly christian spirit of devo- tion, which marked every action of his life, to have exclaimed, "Thank God, for having ena- bled me to get through this difficult and fatiguing part of my duty, which has really worn me down, and is infinitely more grievous to me, than any resistance I can experience from an enemy.'* According to the plan of operations arranged between his lordship and the commander in chiefj the former was to proceed with twelve ships of the line, all the frigates, bomb ketches, fire-ships, and other vessels, to Draco Point, a short dis- tance from Copenhagen, for the purpose of mak- ing his last dispositions for the attack, and waiting for a favourable wind to the southward, to effect that purpose. The commander in chief, it was agreed, was to weigh anchor with his division, at the same time his lordship proceeded to the at- tack, and menace, by his advance, the crown batteries, together with four shipS;, or hulk^ thcic I c c k ^' ? ^ ol i a: -:) 1 c Is ^ c ^ G C ."^ s t I ^ 3 •^ 1 §^ 4= LORD VISCOUNT NgLSON. 221 lay near It, for the protection of the arsenal, as well as to cover any vessels that might have the misfortune to be disabled^ in his lordship's attack. On the second of April the signal for that en- counter, which was to decide the destruction of the northern confederacy, or the humiliation of England, was displayed by his lordship.'^ The * The following orders were given for the attack : As Vice-Admirai Lord Nelson cannot with precioion mark the situation of the difFere«t descriptions of the enemy's floating batteries and smaller vessels, lying between* their two- deck ships and hulks, the ships which are to be opposed to the floating batteries, &c. will find their stations by observing the stations of the ships to be opposed to the two-decked .ship^ and hulks. LINE OF BATTLE. pEdgar, -| These ships are to | Ardent, 'i ^ , , . . ; ^, J Arc to lead m suc- nrc m passing on< Lrlatton; > ^ ^ . f cession, to their stations. | Isis, I LAgamemnon,* J The Edgar to anchor abreast of No. 5 (a sixty-four gun ship hulk). The Ardent to pass the Edgar and anchor abreast of No. 6 and No. 7. The Glatton to pass the Ardent and anchor abreast of No, 9 (a sixty-four gun ship hulk). The Isis to anchor abreast of No. 2 (a sixty-four gun ship hulk). The Agamemnon to anchor abreast of No. i. Bellona,* Elephant, Ganges, Monarch, Defiance, Russell,* Polyphemus, J To take their station and anchor as is pre- scribed by the following arrangements. ^Qi UtMOlUS OF particulars, and the events which took place, and to which it gave birth, are most accurately and ^ Memorandum. No. i begins with the enemy's first ship to ^ southward. Supposed number Ko» Rate. of guns mounted oh one side. !Agamemnon,* Desiree is to follow Agamem- non, and take No. 2. Sit is hoped the Desiree's fire will not only rake No. i, but also rake these 2 floating batte- .,j^.,iui«.. i«., 1..1V,. j.w. ries. Capt.Rose is to place the 6 ^guia-brigs so as to rake them also 5 64 27 Edgar. 6cPontoon .... io7 \r^ . , ,, y Ardent. 7(r'ngate hulk ... 123 ^ 8 CSmall, no euns visible 7 i . VGlatton. 9t 04 203 10 Ship gun-boat of22 guns 1 1 1 ^„ [Bellona,* to give her attention 1 1 CPontoons, or . . . 12^ , ^, •{„,.,. I to support the Glatton. 1 2 cFIoatmg batteries . 12 J \^ 13 74 36 Elephant. i4CPontoons, or. . . 1^7^ i5tFloating batteries . 123 ^"g^^* 16 64 30 Monarch. 17 64 ^ .... 30 Defiance. 18 64 30 Russel.* J f<^ 64 30 Polyphemus. ^ CA small ship, suppos-7 ^ ed a bomb . • J Ships marked thus ( * ) were not in action, being ^n shore, though, from their situation, they were exposed to the ene- my's fire. The six gun-boats, Captain Rose is to place with the Jamaica, to make a raking fire upon No. i . The gun-boats, it if presumed, may get far enough a-stern of No. i to take LORD VISCOtTNT NELSON. 2^3 concisely given, in the official report made by his lordship to the commander in chief. It is neces- sary only to observe, that as the situation of the enemy was formidable in the extreme, so was the Nos. 3 and 4J and Captain Rose is to advance with the ships and vessels under his orders, to the northward, as he ma)'- perceive the British fire to cease where he is first stationed* Nos. I, 2y 3, and 4 being subdued, which is expected to happen at an early period, the Isis and Agamemnon are to cue their cables, and immediately make sail and take their sta* tions a-head of the Polyphemus, in order to support that pari of the line. One flat boat, nianiied and armed, is to remain on the off side of each line of battle ship. The remaining fiat boats, with the boats for boarding, which will be sent by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, under the command of a first lieu- tenant of the London, are to keep as near to the Elephant as possible, but out of the line of fire, and to be ready to receive the direction of Lord Nelson. The four launches, with anchors and cables, which will be sent by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, under the command of a lieutenant of the London, to be as near the Elephant as possi- ble, cut of the line of fire, ready to receive orders from Vicc- Admiral Lord Nelson. The Alcmene, Blanche, Arrow, Dart, Zephyr, and Otter fire-ships, are to proceed under the orders of Captain Riou, of the Amazon, to perform such service as he is directed by Lord Nelson. The Agamemnon could not weather the shoal, and was not in action. The Polyphemus could not get further than No. I, so that Nos. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. 19, and 20, were op- posed to the Elephant, Ganges Monarch, Amazon, Blanche, Alcmene, and Arrow ; added to which, there were two bat- teries on shore, one mounting thirty-six brass twenty-four pounders, and four mortars ; the other fifty-two brass twenty- four pounders. 224 MEMOIRS OF resistance most gallant and determined. Lord Nelson himself bore the most decided testimony, of the high opinion with which the bravery of the defenders had impressed him ; he has been known to declare repeatedly, that the attack of Copen- hagen was, of all the encounters in which he had ever been engaged, the most tremendous. During that pause of action, which, as we shall presently see, took place in the afternoon of the day of attack, he declared to Colonel Lindhohn, aid-du-camp to the Crown Prince,,' w^ho waited on him v/ith a message respecting ai flag of truce which he had sent, that '' the French fought bravely, but that they could not have stood an hour, the fight which the Danes maintained ; for four : I have been, saia his lordship, in one hundred and five engagements, in the course of my life, but that of to-day was the most terrible of all." * * The Bridsh official dispatches relative to the attack on Copenha en. ** Sir, '* Copenhagen Roads, April 6, 1801. «* You will be pleased to acquaint the Lords Commis- sioners of the Admiralty, that since my letter of the 23d of March, no opportunity of wind offered for going up the Sound until the 25th, when the wind shifted in a most violent squall from the S. W. to N. W. and north, and blew with such vio- lence, and with so great a sea, as to render it impossible for any ship to have weighed her anchor. The wind and sea were even so violent as to oblige many ships to let go a se- cond anchor to prevent them from driving, notwithstanding they LORD VISCOUKT NELSON. 225 Nothing indeed, without the slightest suspicion flattery be it said, could exceed the firmness rcre riding with two cables an end ; and, by the morning, the wind V. ered again to the southward of the west On the 30th of hist month, the wind having come to the northward, we passed into the Sound with the fleet, but not before I had as- sured mysef of the hostile intentions of the Danes to opprse cur passage, Afer anchoring about five or six miles from the island of Huin, I reconnoitred with Vice- Admiral Lord Nelsor, and Rear-Admiral Graves, the formidable line of ships, radeaus, ' pontoons, galleys, fire ships, and gu'-boats, flanked and supported by extensive batteries on the two islands enlled The Crowns ; the largest of whiti^h was mounted with from 50 to 70 pieces of cannon ; these were again commanded by two shipsof yoguns, and a Ia,ge fri.ate in the inner road of Copenhagen and two 64 gun ships (without masts), were moored on the flat, on the starboard side of the entrance into the arsenal. The day after, the wind being southerly, we again examined their position, and came to the resolution of attacking them from the southward. Vice-Ad- miral Lord Nelson, having offered his services for conducting the attack, had, seme days before we entered the Sound, shifted his flag to :he Elephant; and after having examined and buoyed the outer channel of the middle ground, his lordship proceeded with t-he twelve ships of the line named in the mar- gin,* all the frigates, bombs, fire-r.hips, and all the small vessels, and that evening Liii.horedoff Draco Point, to make his dispo- sition-for the attacky-and wait for the wind to the southward, Jt was agreed between us, that the remaining ships with me sh uld weigh at the same moment his Lordship did, and me- nace the Crown batteries, and the four ships of the lin^ that * Elephant, Defiance, Monarch, Eellona, Evigar, Ru5S^I, Ganges, Glation, Isis, Agamemnon, Polyphemus, Ardent. 2^6^ MEMOIRS OF and intrepidity displayed by the Danes, and ne- ver was there perhaps any situation whatever, lay at the entrance of the arsenal; as also to cover our disabled ships as they came out of action, J have now the honour to enclose a copy of Vice- Admiral Lord Nelson's report tome of the action on the 2d instant. His lordship has stated' so fully the whole of his proceedings on that day, as only to leave me the opportunity to testify my entire acquiescence and testimony of the bravery and intrepi- dity with which the action was a-upported throughout the line. Was it jpossible for me to add any thing to the well earned renown of Lord Nelson, it would be by asserting, that his exertions, great as they have heretofore been, never were car- ried to a higher pitch of zeal for his country's service. I have only to lament that the sort of attack, confined within an in- tricate and narrow passage, excluded the ships particularly un- der my command from the opportunity of exhibiting their valour ; but I can with great truth assert, that the same spirit and zeal animated the whole of the fleet; and I trust that the contest in which we are engaged, will, on some future day, afford them an occasion of showing that the whole were in- spired with the same spirit, had the field been sufficiently ex- tensive to have brought it into action. It is with the deepest concern I mention the loss of Cap- tains Moss and Riou, two very brave and gallant officers, and whose loss, as I am well informed, will be sensibly felt by the families they have left behind them ; the former a wife and children, the latter an aged mother. From the known gal- lantry of Sir Thomas Thompson on former occasions, the naval service will have to regret the loss of the future exer- tions of that brave officer, whose leg was shot off* For all other particulars, I beg leave to refer their Lordships to Captain Otway, who was with Lord Nelson in the latter part of the action, and able to answer any questions that may be LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 227 that called it forth more imperiously. The en- counter took place in the presence ^of a Prince thought necessary to put to him, A return of the k;Ued and wou.ided you will receive herevvitbi I have the honour to be, Sec. H. Parker. " Sir, " Elephant, off Copenhagen, 3d April, 180 1. •* In obedience to your directions to report the proceedings of the squadron named in the margin,* which you did n.e te ho- nour to place under my command, I beg leave to inform you, that having, by the assistance of that able officer, Captain Riou, and the unremitting exertions of Captain Brisbane, and the masters of the Amazon and Cruiser, in particular, buoyed the channel of the Outer Deep, and the position of the mid- dle Ground, the Squadron passed in safety, and anchored oS Draco the evening of the first ; and that yesterday morning I made the signal for the squadron to weigh, and to engage the Danish line, consisting of six sail of the line^ eleven floating batteries^ mounting from twenty- six twenty-four pounders, ,ta eighteen eighteen pounders^ and one bomb ship, besides schooner gun-vessels. These were supported by the Crown Islands, mounting eighty-eight cannon, and four aail of the line moored in the harbour's mouth, and some batteries on the island of Amak. The boir.b-ship and schooner gun- ves- sels made their escape, the other seventeen sail are sunk, burnt, or taken, being the whole of the Danish line to the louthward of the Crown Islands, after a battle of four hours. * Elephant, Defiance, Monarch, Bellona, Edgar, Riissel, Ganges, Glatton, Isis, Agamemnon, Polyphemus, Arc'ent, Amazon, Desirce, Blanche, Alcmene; sloops. Dart, Arrow, Cruiser, and Harpy ; fire-ships, Zephyr and Otter ; bombs. Discover}"-, Sulphur, Hccla, Explosionj Zebra, Terror, and Volcano. 228 MEMOIRS OF beloved and adored ; in the very front and* view of the metropolis, where the parents*, From the very intricate navigation, the Bellona and Rus- scl unfortunately grounded ; but although not in the situation assigned them, yet so placed as to be of great service. The Agamemnon could not weather the shoal of the middle, and was obliged to anchor ; but not the smallest blame can be at- tached to Captain Fancourt ; it was an event to which all the ships were liable. These accidents prevented the extension of our line by the three ships before mentioned, who would, I am confident, have silenced the Crown Islands, the two outer ships in the harbour's mouth, and prevented the heavy loss in the Defiance and Monarch, and which unhappily threw the gallant and good Captain Riou (to whom I had given the com- mand of the frigates and slopps named in the margin,* to assist the attack of the ships at the harbour's- mouth,) under a very heavy fire ; the consequence has been the death of Captain Riou, and many brave officers and men in the frigates and sloops. The bombs were directed and took their stations abreast of the Elephant, and threw some shells into the arse- nal. Captain Rose, who volunteered his services to direct the gun-brigs, did every thing that was possible to get them forward, but the current was too strong for them to be of service during the action ; but not the less merit is due to Cap- tain Rose, and, I believe, all the officers and crews of the gun-brigs, for their exertions. The boats of those ships of the £eet, who v/ere not ordered on the attack, afforded us every assistance ; and the officers and men who were in them, merit my warmest approbation. The Desiree took her station in raking the southernmost Danish ship of the line, and performed the greatest service. The action began at five minutes past ten. The van, led by Captain George Murray of the Edgar, who set a noble ex- * Blanche, Alcmene, Dart, Arrow, Zephyr, and Otter. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON* QQQ the children, the relatives, and friends of the de- fenders, were not only spectators of their gallant ample of intrepidity, which was as well followed up by every Captain, officer, and man in the squadron. It is my duty to state to you the high and distinguished merit and gallantry of Rear- Admiral, Graves, To Captain Foley, who permitted me the honour of hoisting my flag in the Elephant, I feel under the greatest obligations, his advice was necessary oa many important occasions during the battle. I beg leave to express how much I feel indebted to every Captain, officer, and man, for their zeal and distinguished bravery on this occasion. The Honourable Colonel Stewart did rae the favour to be on board the Elephant ; and himself, with every other officer and soldier under his orders, shared with pleasure the toik and dangers of the day. The loss in such a battle has naturally been very heavy. Amongst many other br&ve officers and men who were killed, I have, with sorrow, to place the name of Cap- tain Mosse, of the Monarch, who has left a wife and six chil- dren to lament his loss; and, among the wounded, that of Captain Sir Thomas B. Thompson, of the Bellona. i have the honour to be, &c. Nelson and Bronte. Officers, • ... 20 Seamen, Marines, and Soldiers, 234 — 254 W04/NDED. Officers, .... 48 Seamen, Marines, and Soldiers, 651—689 Total killed and wounded, 943 Sir Hyde Parker, knight, who is now living, was the second son of Vice-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, baronet ; he entered into the naval service of his country when very young, under the auspices and protection of his father; and after having served 230 MEMOIRS OF conduct;, but actually depended on it as their sole hope, refuge, and protection, from the fury of their as a petty officer on board the Squirrel, was removed into the Brilliant ; in which ship he was promoted to the rank of Lieu- tenant, on the 25th of January, 1758. From this ship he accompanied his faiher, in the same capacity, on board the Norfolk, then under orders for the East Indies, and having arrived there, was very rapidly promoted to the rank of Post-Captain, by commission bearing date July 18th, 1763. The ship he took the command of on this occasion is said, by 'Mr. Hardy, to have been the Bellaine, though no such ship ap- pears on the list of the royal navy. From this period tiil the year 1775 the naval annals are silent concerning this gentle- man ; in the latter year, however, we find him appointed to the Phcenix, in which ship he altuost immediately proceeded to North America, where he distinguished himself in various petty encounters in a most eminent degree, and most particu- larly, when having, on the 9th of Oct. 1 7 76, been detached with the Roebuck and Tartar under his orders, to force a pas- sage, if possible, above the Atnerican works at Jeffry*s Hook, on York Island, he, notwithstanding the very great obstacles which the enemy had prepared to counteract his endeavours, 80 gallantly conducted the force under his command, in which he was bravely s.^conded by the officers and men under his orders, that he completely overcame all difficulties. For his conductor! this occasion, his Majesty was pleased to confer on him the honour of knighthood. Though Sir Hyde continued in active service in the same seas for the two succeeding years, nothing particularly inieresiing occurred to raise his character higher than it already was, and the Phcenix being in want of a complete repair, he returned in her to England about the begin* Jiing of the year 1779. Sir Hyde scill retained the command of the same ship, and it having been put in a state of complete repair, he was ordered at the close of the year to Jamaica, for which LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 231 assailants. The feelings of all ranks were, as may easily be conceived, wound up to the high- place he sailed in the month of December, in company witlj Sir George, afterwards Lord Rodney, who was destined for Gibraltar. Sir Hyde having parted company, proceeded with the convoy, which had been consigned to his charge, to the place of his destination, and having seen it safe into port, cortiiiued to cruise in those eeas till the month of October, with considerable success against the enemy. - A tremendous hurricane, which in the month last mentioned almost Liid waste the whole of the islands in that quarter of the world; proved fatal to the Phcenix. She was wrecked on the island of Cuba, after having received the greatest injury during the tempest; of the crew, twenty were unfortunately ^^^ashed overboard with the main mast; all .the remainder, to- gether with Sir Hyd«, amounting to two hundred and forty persons, reached the shore in safety* In this disastrous and trying situation, the abilities of the commander shone con- spicuous ; by his exhortations the survivors were animated to use every exertion for their preservation, not only from their immediate evils, but from those they might naturally apprehend. They were cast on a shore in the possession of their enemies, and a fate not much superior to that which they had so narrowly escaped, was the probable consequence of their being disco- vered. To remedy, however, and prevent as far as possible, any such disaster from happening to them, Sir Hyde Parker, with indefatigable industry, caused a temporary fortification to be erected, and haying procured some cannon, together with ammunition, from the wreck, caused them to be mounted in the best manner he could, so as to command the approach of the enemy. He had also the precaution to send off immedi- ;itely after the accident happened, his first lieutenant, Mr. Archer, in one of the ship's boats, to Jamaica, for assistance, and had the good fortune, in seven days after the loss of the ship, 10 have his ajixiety for his brave cbmpanions in distress £32 MEMOIRS OF est pitch of sensibility ; but the fears, the hopes, and the presages of the individual, were lost in alleviated, by the arrival of vessels from the latter island, which conveyed them in safety^ to Montego Bay, which they reached on the 1 5th of the same month. Soon after the alcove unfortunate event. Sir Hyde arrived in England, and was appointed to the Goliath, of seventy- four guns, a ship then nder equipment for the Channel ser- vice. In this command he accompanied Lord Howe in the month of September, 1782, on the expedition for the relief of Gibraltar, and in the partial encounter which took place on that occasion between the British fleet and the combined armament of France an>d Spain, led the van, and had four men killed, with one of his lieutenants, and the master, together with fourteen seamen or marines, wounded. Peace taking place soon after this period, Sir Hyde returned to England in the Goliath, and again sailed to Gibraltar on the i4tli of October, 1783 : on his second return from thence, the Goliath being stationed as a guard-ship at Portsmouth, he retained the command of her during the customarily allotted period. On the apprehended rupture with France in the year 1787, Sir Hyde was appointed. to the Orion, of seventy four guns; but the point in dispute being soon adjusted, the Orion was put out of commission, and Sir Hyde became unemployed. He continued in retirement from tHe service till the month of May, 1790, when he received the command of the Bruns- wick, of seventy-four guns, on the prospect of a rupture with Spain ; but this storm soon subsiding like the preceding, Sif Hyde again resigned his command. Hostilities having commenced against France in the year 1793, Sir Hyde was, on the ist of February, promoted to the rank of rear-admiral of the white, and accepted the station of first captain to vice-admiral Lord Hood, who was appoint- tfd chief in command in the Mediterranean ; he accordingly pro. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. d|§ ve general concern; and the magnitude of the kake directed die minds of all to one point only. ccedcd with him thither in the Victory, from which ship he some time afterwards removed into the St. George, and hoisted his flag as commandtT of a squadron. On the 12th of April, 1794, he was advanced to be rear-admiral of the red, and on the 4.th of June following, to be vice-admiral of the blue, Not long after he had been raised to the latter rank, he was pre- sent at the partial encounter with the French fleet, in which cngagemen: the Ca Ira, of eighty guns, and the Censeur of seventy- four, became prizes to Admiral (since Lord) Hotham, who had succeeded to the command in the Mediterranean. On the 1st of June subsequent to the above engagement. Sir Hyde was further advanced to be vice-admiral of the red. No other very remarkable occurrence happened during this gentleman's service in those seas, except a second trivial skir- mish with the French squadron, on the 13th of July, suc- ceeding his last promotion, in which I'Alcide, of seventy- four guns, surrendered, but was afterwards unfortunately blown up. Sir Hyde returned to England in the year 1796, and was very soon afterwards appointed to the Jamaica station, where, bv the judicious arrangement of his cruisem, he most materially annoyed the trade of the enemy. Having remained on this sta- tion for the space of three years, he returned to England, and was almost immediately appointed to a command in the Channel fleet. Nothing interesting occurred in this species of service, neither are there any further particulars worth noticing till his appointment to the chief command of the fleet destined for the Baltic, on which occasion he hoisted his flag on board the London. His cond ict on this ser- vice was deserving of the highest enComiun:s. After the conclusion of the treaty, which the memorable engage- ment at Copenhagen produced, Sir Hyde struck his flag, since which time he has not occupied any active situarion in the #64 MEMOIRS 0^ From the crown prince, say the most candid observers and writers, whose cool intrepidity and naval service of his country. On the 14th day of February! 1799, ^^ ^"^'^^ raised to the rank of admiral of the blue squads ron ; he was further promoted to be admiral of the white 01 the Z3d cf April, 1804 ; and, lastly, on the 9th of November, 1805, to the same rank in the red squadron. Sir T'homas Graves, K. B., is the second son of a respectabid clergyman, who some time since settled in the north of IrelandJ ilaving, at an early period of life, been placed under the pro- tection of his uncle. Admiral Samuel Graves, he was, by that' excellent officer, initiated into the naval service, and served under him in the war prior to that with America, as a mid- shipman on board several vessels. On the restoration of peace, in the year 1763, Captain Graves, who was afterwards most deservedly raised to a peerage of the kingdom of Ireland, by the title of Lord Graves, took the young midshipman on board the Antelope, in which capacity he afterwards, in the year 1765, accompanied his relation to Africa, where he re- ceived a commission as lieutenant on board the Shannon, ia which ship he continued in the same situation when she re- turned to Portsmouth. During his voyage to Africa, he is said, although then very young, to have discovered those signs ^ of emulation and intrepid courage, which became soconspicun^ oiisin h m at a riper age. After he quitted the Shannon, no par- ticular mention is made of him, till he became a lieutenant oft board the Arethusa, at the time of the armament concerning the Falkland Islands. He had at this time so far established his character far courage and abilities, as to induce I^ord Mulgrave, who was proceeding on a most hazardous expedi- tion towards the North Pole, to select him as one of bis ofEcers. Nor was his lordship disappointed in his choice, as Mr. Graves gave several specimens of his nautical knowledge, amidst the various dangers that surrounded them, combating * ^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^59 idgment were gloriously displayed in the sight if his people, and of Europe, to the humblest rery difficulty that occurred, with the greatest intrepidity and irmness of mind. Oil his return from this expedition, he sailed for America* where his uncle. Admiral Samuel Graves, held the chief com- mand. On this station he, on a great variety of petty en- counters, fully established that fame, the germe of which had disclosed itself at his first outset in the service of his country. One particular instance, as it relates personally to himself, is here selected, as, perhaps, it affords the best criterion of his natural courage. "While Mr, Graves was scarcely recovered from some wounds which he had received in burning of a vessel, and was employed in a gun-boat at Noddle*s Island, opposite Boston, an American boldly left his companions and came forward, as if in direct challenge to the English; Mr. Graves, whose natural courage was roused by the daring in- sult, as he deemed it, instantly procured a musquet and bayonet, and stepped forward to meet him. When he had ap- proached his antagonist within about fifty yards, the American seemed to decline the contest, which Mr. Graves perceiving, invited him to approach, stimulating him with the observa- tion, that the eyes of the two parties were upon them, and anxiously watched the result, and that as he gave the chal- lenge, so it was his place to advance and choose his distance. This exhortation proving, however, of no avail, Mr. Graves pressed on towards the American, who appeared motionless, but in his eagerness fell into a swamp. An advantage im- mediately was taken of this accident, and his intended op- ponent fired his musquet, the ball of which narrowly missed Mr. Graves, who, after firing his own without effect, was obliged to retire, many of the enemy having by this time joined their companion. It was not without considerable danger, our intrepid countryman effected his retreat, and he ■vyas annoyed by the lire of the whole party. 25^ MEMOIRS OF citizen, one heroic mind and purpose seemed to animate and unite the whole : never had the Mr. Graves returned to England with his uncle the admiral, as lieutenant on board the Preston, but very soon accompanied • Commodore Hotham back to the same country in the same ship, and on various occasions was eminently serviceable, by his knowledge of the coast, being constantly employed in every scene of difficulty and danger. He soon, however, quitted America, and again sought for employment in England, where actual hostilities having commenced with France, he procured himself, through the recommeniation of his rela- tion. Rear-admiral Thomas Graves, an active situation, being appointed to the Savage sloop of war, then stationed in the West Indies. While on this service no opportunity oiFered to increase his reputation ; but it being necessary to send dis- patches to Admiral Arbuthnot, the commander in chief on the American station, Mr. Graves was the bearer of them, and so ingratiated himself with that braye and worthy admiral, especially by a daring and intrepid oiFer he made of pilot- ing the leading ship of the English fleet under his command, through the intricate navigation of Rhode Island, that from that moment he promiised to become his friend and patron. This offer of service was not a mere empty word, for Mr. Arbuthnot very soon after proved his attachment to him, by appoinnng him post captain in the Bedford of 74. guns, on the 5th of March, 1781, onboard which ship he served as captain to the admiral, during the continuance of the latter in America. After the departure of Admiral Arbuthnot for England, Mr, Graves still retained the command of the Bedford, and served in that ship in the engagement between the British fleet, com- manded by his relaiion,Rear-admiral Thomas(afterwards Lord) Graves, and the Frencharmament under the Count de Grasse, off the Chc^sapeak. On the return of the English squadron to Kcw York, Captain Graves was appointed to the Magiciennc LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 237 Danish valour, in the brightest periods of their history, shone out with more distinguished lustre. frigate, then fitting out at Halifax ; but preferring a more ac- tive line of service, declined accepting the command of her, and proceeded in the Bedford to the West Indies, on board which ship Commodore Affleck hoisted his broad pendant, which bore a most distinguished share injne encounter between Sir Samuel (now Lord) Hood, and the Count de Grasse, on the 35th of January, 1782, in Basse Terre road; indeed in so great a degree was the Bedford conspicuous on this occasion, as to be particularly noticed by the commander in chief. The 1 2th of April following added fresh honours to the brow of Captain Graves, and raised his reputation, for intrepidl courage and ability as an officer, still higher, if possible, thaa before. After the arrival of admiral Pigor, who succeeded Lord Rodney as commander in chief, when the fleet had pro- ceeded to America in the autumn of 1782, Captain Graves quitted the Bedford and took the command of the Magicienne, of 32 guns, the same he had before been appointed to ; and ia this frigate he was employed in protecting different con- voys to and from the West Indies. While on this service, tedious to an active mind, it was his fortune to have an op- portunity of distinguishing himself by an encounter, as dcs. perate as any that had happened during the whole war. Oh the 2d of January, 1783, he fell in with the Syb'ile French frigate, of 40 guns, having on board, besides her''own com- plement, 350 seamen belonging to le Scipion, which had been siranded in Samana bay ; and another small ship of 24 guns : the latter vessel soon struck, but took advantage of the disabled state of the Magicienne to get off. Captain Graves had sustained so severe an action with the large frigate, that he had not a mast standing ; and though the enemy's fire was almost silenced, and an immediate conquest was expected, the Sybiile being to windward, made her escape, although! 238 MEMOIRS oP The daring pirates of the ninth and tenth cen- turies did not exhibit greater intrepidity and with the utmost difficulty. The loss of killed and wounded, on board the Magicienne, was very great, for, though her original complement was 220 men, she had, at the time of her engagement, only 189 ; of these 53 were killed and wounded ; among the former were three officers and 16 sea- men ; in the latter were hve officers, including those of the marines. An eye witness of the action speaks in the highest strains of panegyric on the intrepidity of Captain Graves, whose zealous ardour was such as to induce him to run so close to the smaller frigate, which he first enccuntei'ed, that he carried away her studding sail booms from her yard-arms 5 and when she hp.d struck, disdainiug to take possession of so insignifi- cant a prize, when a more noble one was in view, he stood after the Sybille, run her also on board, and gave her at the same time a most tremendous and destructive fire. This was the last enterprize in which Mr. Graves was en- gaged during the war, at the termination of v/hich he retired from active service; and though he repeatedly made the neces- sary applications for employment, continued without holding any command till the year i Soo, when he was appointed to the Cumberland, of 74 guns, and joined the western squadron, under the orders of the Earl of St. Vincent. On the ist of Jan. 1801, Captain Graves was raised to the rank of rear-ad- miral of the white, and in March following having hoisted his flag on board the Polyphemus, of 64. guns, proceeded to the Baltic with the fleet, under the command of Sir Hyde Parker, who was sent thither in order to crush the recent confederacy entered into by the northern powers against the irterests and welfare of Great Britain. He soon shifted liis flag into the Defiance of 74 guns, and was appointed second in command under Lord Nelson, in the men;oiable attack of Copenhagen, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. Q39 ^owess in invading, than their descendants of the nineteenth century did, in resisting an invasion on which occasion his innate gailantry amply displayed itself. His conduct called forth, and most justly, the praises of tli€ noble lord himself, and his grateful country joined their appro- bation by an unanimous vote of the thanks of both houses of par- liament; nor was the sovereign unmindful, or neglectful in re- munerating his deserts; the most honourable order of the Bath, an order peculiarly destined for the reward of gallant.exploits, both in the seaand land service, was bestowed on him, and it wa^, perhaps, rendered more highly valuable to him, from his being invested with it, by the particular command of his majesty, by his heroic commander, who, on this occp.don, represented the sovereign. Sir Thomas was promoted to be rear-admiral of the red on the 23d of April, 1804. He has, since the commencement of the war, commanded in the home or chan- nel fleet, having his flag latterly on board the Foudroy^nt, but owing to an inflammation in his eyes, was obliged to strike it for a temporary retirement on the 19th of Deceniber, i8o<, which it is to be hoped, for the interests of his country, will pot be long. He had been previouslv promoted, on the 9th of Nov. preceding, to be vice-admiral of the blue squadron. Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, whose original name way Boulden,is a native of Kent. The confined circumstances of his father preventing his giving his son a necessary education, his uncle, the late Captain Edward Thompson, whose name he now bears, took him under his protection ; and observing a predilection in his nephew for the sea service, bestowed on him the instructions requisite to that science, for which Cap- tain Thompson was himself most eminently qualified as a pre- ceptor. Having perfected himself in the theoretical part of nautical knowledge, young Mr. Thompson accompanied his uncle, in the month of June, 1778, on board the Hyaena frigate, which he then commanded, and in which ship he had £40 MEMOIRS OF from England. If the recollection of a common origin, a similarity of manners, and long habi't^ l>een previously rated as a midshipman ; he served in her in that capacity till the year 1780, beine chiefly employed in the channel service. That frigate having been, on the i6th of January, ordered to Gibraltar, as part of the fleet commanded by the late Lord Rodney, the young midshipman had the op- portunity of being present at the victory obtained over Don J. Langara* Capt. Thompson being sent home with the duplic^.te of the dispatches, his nephew consequently accompanied him, and returned again with him soon afterwards to Gibraltar, vi^here, in the following year, he became engaged in very active service, and conducted himself with so moch resolu- tion and gallantry, that he obtained the rank of ii^utenant, which was confirti^ed to him the admiralty. He had not long received his latter commission, before he had an engage- ment with a French privateer of very superior force, which he captured, having the command only of a small schooner. From this period till the year 1790, , he was employed in various services ; in which, though they were of no very im- portant consequence, he distinguished himself by his mari- time knowledge and assiduity. Having been raised to the rank of post captain in the last mentioned year, he was, soon after the commencement of the war, appointed to the Lcan- der, of 50 guns, then stationed in the North Seas : his ser- vices on this station were beneficial to his country, and honourable to himself. In the year 1796, the Leander was ordered into port to refit, and in the following year was sent to Gibraltar. Very soon after Captain Thompson's arrival at this port, the expedition against TeneriiFe was under- taken, and he had the honour of being one of the captains chcsen by Lord Nelson hinsjlf, to accompany him on that service ; and who, with the Captains Troubridge, Hood, Frcemantle, Bowen, Miller, and Waller, voluntarily offered LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 241 ^commercial and social intercourse, tends to im^ press on both nations a conviction, that thev to effect the landing the troops. His gallantry, on this oc- casion, fully justified the choice of the commandef in chief. In, the attack upon Santa Cruz, Captain Thompson received a wound, though of a trivial nature, and on the failure of the ehterpri2e returned to Gibraltar, where he remained till June 1798. The time was now approaching, destined to open a scene of glory and.emulation for the naval officers of Britain. The arma- ment sent to rescue the shores of Egypt from the despotism of France, under the command of Sir Horatio Nelson> afford* ed the opportunity for those employed in it, to gain the highest honours; amongst this band of heroes, no one shone more conspicuous than Captain Thompson, who,' in the Leander, which mounted only $0 guns, took his station in the line, and with a degree of skill and ability mo'st honourable to him,' gallantly dropped his anchor athwart the hawse of le Frank* hn, of 80 guns, and raked her with great success. After the engagement was over, the Leander was sent by' the Rear-Admiial with his dispatches to the commander in chief. During the passage it was Captain Thompson's fortune to fall in with le Genereux, a French ship of 74.' guns, and finding himself unable to avoid an action, gallantly prepared' for an engagement; which, notwithstanding his great inferiority, he maintained for six hours and a half; nor did hestHke until-he had consulted Captain Berry, the bearer of the dispatches, who joined, in opinion, that every thing had been done that was poBsible, to preserve his majesty's ship from falling into the possession of the enemy. The slaughter was very great; it amounted to thirty-five killed, including three officers; fifty- seven were wounded, among whom were seven officers. The shipy being almost a wreck, was carried into Corfu, vhere Captain Thompson and his crew were treated with th« F tit MEMOIRS OF are fitted and destined to act friendly towards each other. The ever memorable battle of Copenha- greatest inhumanity; the surgeon was even robbed of his in- struments when preparing to attend the captain, who was very near fallins a victim to their inhuman conduct. On the 17th of December, 1798, Captain Thompson, having been exchanged, underwent the necessary ceremony of a trial, for the loss of the Leander, on board the America, at Sheerness, when having been most honourably acquitted, the president, after the judgment of the Court had been read, addressed to him the following speech : " Captain Thompson,— I feel the most lively pleasure in returning to you the sword with which you have so bravely maintained the honour of your king and country ; the more so, as I am convinced, that when you are again called upon to draw it in their defence, you will add fresh laurels to the wreath which you have already so nobly won." The honour of knighthood was soon after this time conferred on him, together with a pension of three hundred pounds a year. In the year 1799, he was appointed to the Bellona, of 74 guns, and served first under Lord Bridport in the fleet stationed off Brest, and afterwards under the Earl of St. Vin- cent in the Mediterranean ; Sir Thomas had, however, the pleasure of hearing, during the course of this year, that the Leander, he had so bravely defended, was restored to the British service, by the magnanimity of the Emperor of Russia, No particular occurrence happened to him till the expedition to the Baltic took place in the month of March, 1801, where the Bellona, of which he still retained the command, was one of the fleet sent thither under the orders pf Sir Hyde Par- ker. In this expedition Sir Thomas was one of the officers •mployed in the detachment under Lord Nelson, but unfor^ tunately, on account of the intricacy of the navigation, ran on LOKD VISCOUNT NELSON. 243 gen, not more glorious to one party than the other, ought also to be a long memento, that they ground, before he could get into action. In this situation ^r Thoma»was exposed tp the fire of the enemy's batteries, and had the misfortune toj-eceive a shot, which deprived him of his leg, and, from that time, his country of his services. For his con- duct on this occasion. Sir Thomas received the thanks of both houses of parliament, in common with the rest of the officers, and received an increase of his pension, from three to five hundred pounds a year. He has since been ap- pointed to the command of the Mary yacht, which command he still enjoys; and in the society of an amiable family, devotes his time, to their comfort, and happiness. Captain Edward Riou entered into the public service at a very early age. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the year 1780, and having particularly distinguished him- self, not only by his attention to the service^ but by his skill and knowledge as a navigator, was, after having held a varie- ty of intermediate appointments, invested with the command ©f the Guardian, a fifth rate, of 44 guns, but at that time armed en Jlute : a vessel at that time employed as one of the storeships, occasionally sent to the- infant colony of Botany Bay on the coast of Nesv South Wales. Mr. Riou, though invested with all the authority of a cap- tain or commander, remained still a lieutenant, the rules of the service not requiring an officer of higher rank td fill the sta- tion he then held. The Guardian had a most favourable pas^ sage to the day on which she met with the accident, having been only three months from Portsmouth j to the time of her leaving the Cape, including the five days which she remained at the Cape de Verd Islands^ and three weeks at the Cape, to take in provisions. She had proceeded thence towards Botany Bay, as far as latitude 44 south, longitude 41! east; ^Vhen, on the night of the 13th day of her departure from thi^Gape, she K 2 244 MffMOiRS OF are not less fitted to be mutually dreadful and destructive enenlies. drove on an island of ice, the base of whridi projected under wa^er, considerably beyond the limits of the visible part, and caught the bow of the ship ; she instantly swung round, and her head cleared ; but her stern coming on the shoal, struck repeatedly, and the sea being vtiy heavy, the rudder was torn away, and all her works abaft were shivered. The ship in this situation became in a degree embayed, unaer the terrific bulk cf ice; the height was twice that of the main-mast of a third rate ; the prominent head of the ice was every moment expected to break away, and overwhelm her. At length, after every practicable exertion, she was got 0fF ,the shoal, but wirh six feet and a half of water in her hold. The island of ice was discovered only one minute and an half before the ship struck on it. By the exertions made by the crew, in stopping the leak with oakum and canvas, the water was reduced to two feet in the course of the next day ; and great hopes were entertained of saving the ship; but the gale of wind increasing, the fothering gave way, and the water poured in again rapidly, so that it increased to near tea feet. The ship being discovered to be strained in all her works, and the sea running very high, every endeavour to check the progress of a particular leak proved ineffectual. An imme-, diate project was fixed on to lighten the ship ; and the cows, horses, sheep, and all the other live stock for the colony, were, with their fodder, committed to the deep. The only chance of safety for the crew now appeared in the possi- bility of their saving themselves by taking to the boats, On the morning of the 25th, therefore, they were hoisted out, and being previously rigged and provisioned, a part of the crew left the ship. The cool intrepidity displayed by Mr. Riou, on this dread- ful cccasion, may vie wiUi the most heroic act that Jias ever LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. £45 The disaster which had befallen three of the British ships, the Agamemnon, the Bellona, and graced thf nage of history ^nce the foundation of the world ; he sat down with the utmost coolness, and wrote the follow- ing affecting letter to the lords of the admiralty, which he confided to the care of Mr. Clements the master, who was the chief among those officers, who considering the case as despe- rate beyond remedy, thought proper to quit the Guardian, and ab mdon that ship, with her commander; and the rest of the crew, to their fate : <* His Majesty's Ship Guardian, Dec- 25, 1789. " If any part of the officers or crew of the Guardian should ever survive to get home, I have only to say, their, con- duct, after the fatal stroke against an island of ice, was ad- mir ble and wonderful in every thing that relates to their duties, considered either as private men, or in his majesty's service. ** As there seems to be no possibility of my remaining many hours in this world, I beg leave to recommend' to the consideration of the admiralty agister, who, if my conduct or services should be found deserving any memory, their favour mi^ht be shewn to, together with a widowed n other. I am. Sir, remaining, with great respect, your ever obedient ser- vant, " E. Riou." '** Philip Stephens, Esq.*' As, however, when circumst?.nces appear most despernte, and destruction almost absoliJtely inevitable. Providence fiequently thinks proper to manif -st her power, and display 10 t'le world th^ most irrefragable proofs of her ail-protecting interfer- ence, so did she in the present cast* ; for after every human exertion that could be r ade, bad failed, natural cause , which, till they were experienced, had never been thought of, contributed to tlie preservation of this urfortuna'e ship. On the zjvh of April, 1790, advi e \vas received at the admiraltv, that " the Guardian man ot w:ir, of 4^ g'-jns. ?46 MEMOIRS OF the RusselJ, would have been sufficient to have damped the ardour of less determined adver- armed enfiutCy that is, as a storeship, had struck on an island of ice, on the 24th of December, 1789, in her voyage to Botany Bay, and that Mr. Clements the roaster had left her in the launch, and arrived safe at the Cape of Good Hope, in a French ship which picked him up; that part of the crew also left the ship in four other boats, all of which it was feared were lost ; and that Lieutenant Riou had resolutely deter- mined to remain on board, with the remainder of the crew, and to perish with the ship." Late in the evening of the 28th, however, the happy in- telligence arrived, that the Guardian had reached the Cape of Good Hope, after one of the most miraculous escapes which has ever been remembered. The news was brought to the admiralty by the master of a iishing vessel, who had been hailed off Dungeness by the captain of a Dutch packet from the Cape, in eight weeks, and by him entrusted with a letter from Lieutenant Riou at the Cape, to be forwarded to the Admiralty. *' Sir, •' Table Bay, February 22, 1790, " I hope this letter will reach you before any account can be given of the loss of his majesty's ship the Guardian ; if it should, I am to make known to their lordships, that on the 23d of December the ship struck on an island of ice, and that on the 25th all hope of her safety being banished, I con- sented to a5 rrany of the officers and people to take to the boats as thought proper; but it pleased Almighty God to. assist my endeavours, with the remaining part of the crew, to arrive with his majesty's ship in this bay yesterday. A Putch packet is now under saii for Europe, which prevents me from giving any further particijlars, especially as at this instant I find it more necessary than ever to exert myself to preserve the ship from sinking at her anciiors. I am. Sir, most rcsptctfully, ever your obedient servant, ** E. Riou,'* I LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 247 aries than the British. But although the mis- brtune failed to produce that species of effect, it In the hopeless state, already mentioned, the ship continued for several days without a rudder, and wholly unmanageable, but the attention to the reduction of the water in her hold was resumed whenever the remainder of her weary crew felt the return of strength and power. In brief, the Guardian was kept afloat until a Dutch packet boat from Batavia providen- tially steering in a high southerly latitude fell in with her, and by affording her the aid of men, and other succours, en- abled her to make good her way back to the Cape of Good Hope, having kept company with her during the passage. The Guardian was at least four hundred leagues from the Cape when she fell in with the island of ice. The crew consisted of one hundred and twenty-three per- sons, of whom twenty-five were convicts: It was with Cap- tain Riou*s express permission that the boats left the ship ; he was by no means averse to the measure, for he wished to pre- serve as. many lives as he could, since he considered all at- tempts that could be made to save the ship fruitless, though he had himself, from the first moment, resolved to perish in her. Ninety of the crew continued with him, and arrived safe at the Cape. The Guardian was eight weeks to a day in making a course something less than four hundred leagues. During the whole of that time the crew were never for a single hour protected fi-om the weather. An awning of sail- cloth was extended over part ©f the quarter-deck, to afford the best shelter circumstances would admit, to the men, in the short intervals and respites from duty. The fate of this unfortunate ship was. truly remarkable : after having survived, if the term be allowed, the dreadful disaster just mentioned, and arrived in safety at the Cape of Good Hope, she was very soon afterwards driven on shore in a violent gale of wind, and completely lost. To return, Jiowever, to Mr. B>iou. In a very short time after his arrival in England, 248^, ' MEMOIRS OF became severely felt, from its Immediate and active operation. In consequence of so great a defalcation of force, the fire intended in many in- stances to h-ave been divided, became concen- trated, not unfrequently on^ objects little capable of sustaining so mighty a pressure 5 but, under all these disadvantages, the steadinc^^s of the British attack prevailed. Towards the afterjioon the re- sistance of^he Danes evidently became less forci- ble; some of their ships were in flames, and the he was promoted to the rank of commander, and in 1791, to that of post captain. In a few month;? after the com- mencement of hostilities with France, in lyg^t he was ap- pointed to the Rose, of 28 guns, but retained the command of that ship for a short time only. He was afterward ap- pointed to the Beaulieu, a frigate of the first class, in which he proceeded to the West indies, where he distinguished him- self extremely in a variety of occasions, as well on shore, as in actions with the enemy's cruisers. The ill condition of his health, and the climate, which was by no means conge- nial to it, compelled him, however, to return to England; and the same course of ill. health still continuing, afier his arrival, to operate against his acceptance of an active com- mand, he was appointed captain of the Princess Augusta yacht. C^ietude, however, added to the change of climate, having - re-established his health, and the command he then held be- ing by no means consonant to his wishes, he solicited a re- moval into a more distinguished line of service, and was accordingly appointed to the Amazon in 1799. in this ship Jie was extremely active, and captured many armed ve^sel^ of no mean consequence, in diiFcrent cruises which he had made previous to his joining the fleet, on the expedition against Copenhagen. He fell, as stated Tn the official di^* patch, op the 2d of April, 1801. Virtus non moritur. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. *il49 greater part of those which remained, had re- ceived SO .much damage as to be rendered almost totally incapable of maintaining any longer con- test; added to this circumstance, the carnag^e had been immense, and the situation of the wounded rendered the condition of those who still survived, truly afflicting. Owing either to the supposed ease with which the wounded might be conveyed on shore, but w^hich measure was found, when too .late, totally impracticable, or to some unaccountable neg- lect, caused, perhaps, ,by an idea, which the Danes are said to 'have entertained, that the navigation was so intricate the British assailants would not be able to take the proper station for attack, no surgeons had been previously provided ; so that when the captured vessels were boarded by the British seamen, after their surrender, the numbers of mutilated personsj then actually bleeding to death, in consequenbe of the omis- sion, and from the want of proper assistance, formed a scene truly shocking to humanity. The moment, however, when all further resistance ap- peared rather as an act of rashness, than of braveiy, had no sooner arrived, than Lord Nelson, selling the happy opportunity, which the despera,te state of the Danish line of defence appeared -tgf^ afford him, dispatched Sir Frederick Thcsiger * * Sir Frederick Thesiger originally embraced a maritime Jife, in ihc service of the East India Compai>yj bat after 250 . MEMOIRS or with a flag of truce, proposing an armistice, and urging, as an inducement, that however drcad- Baving made two or three voyages, finding that mode of life far too inactive for his aspiring genius, he determined on qoitting it, and on entering into the royal navy. Having- gained the favour and protection of Sir Samuel Marshall, he served under that gallant officer as a midshipman, at the pe- Tio«i, when France taking a part in the American contest, be- came the enemy of Great Britain : while in this subordinate situation, he was particularly noticed by his commanding offi« cer f&r his zeal and assiduity, as well as for his bravery, and gallant conduct on various occasions. On the appointment of Lord Rodney to the chief command in the West Indies, Mr. Thesiger was promoted to be a lieutenant on board his lordship's ship, and having acquired great correctness in the art of repeating of signals, was parti- cokrly recommended for that empfoyment, in consequence of which lie was constantly near the person of his lordship dur- ing the action of the 1 2th of April, having acted as his aid- dui-camp, and is reported to have been the first person who boarded the Ville de Paris, after that ship had struck, Mr. Thesiger's reputation became so well established during, the remainder of the war. that after peace was concluded, he was induced to enter into the Russian service, that power Kaving endeavoured to obtain the assistance of British officers, irr thrir disputes with Sweden. Mr. Thesiger was accord- Tiifgly recommended by his friend. Lord Rodney, to the Rus- sian ambassador in such high terms as immediately procured him the corrmand of a 74, gun ship, in the service of her im- perial majesty. In the engagement that afterwards took placQ between the Swedes and Russians, C:-iptain Thesiger fully proved his title to the confidence which had been placed ii^i him I and was, it may with jusiice be said, most conspicuously instrumental in the triumph of that day. The Swedish admi- ral, onboard the Gustavus, struck his flag to him; and the I LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 251 fully such a measure might operate on the feel- ings of his humanity, he should, if resistance were command of the prize was afterwards bestowed on him, qn account of his bravery, as was the order of merit likewise. In a subsequent engagement between the same powers, he added very considerably to his former fame, and so despe- rate was the encounter, that out of five English captains who commanded in that engagement, Caprain Thesiger alone sur- vived. The empress Catherine, who fully appreciated his ser- vices on this, and former occasions, sent him a most gracious letter, written with her own hand; in which, after paying the tribute due to his gallant conduct, she bestowed on him tbs fourth class of the military order of St. George, and having sent him, at the same time, the ensigns of the order, she autho- rized him to put them on, and wear them in the accustomed and lawful manner. On the death of the Empress Catherine, Sir Frederick, wishing to retire from the Russian service, sent in his re- signation to her successor, Paul, soliciting a passport for his return to England. The emperor, however, being desirous of detaining him, used every means of delay ; he made him the most brilliant promises, even those of raising him to the rank of admiral, but without effect, which irritated that monarch to so great a degree, that he kept him in Russia twelve months without either employment or pay ; and Sir Frederick, when at last he obtained the desired permission, was glad to leave that country, with no other remuneration, for his great ser- vices, not even the prize money due to him, than the honour* he had received from his august patroness, the Empress Cathe- rine. Soon after his arrival in England, the expedition to the Baltic was undertaken, and Sir Frederick was particularly re- commended by Lord Spencer, as a proper person to be em- ployed in it. He accordingly attended Lord Nelson in the capacity in which he had en a former occasion been service- !252 MEMOIRS OF longer continued, be under the necessity of de- stroying those vessels which were now incapable of further defence, and with them the numbers of brave men on board, who had till then sur- vived the encounter, for that it could not be expected he should risk his own people within the line of the Danish fire, for the purpose of saving the Danish subjects*. The measure was too philanthropic not to be adopted by the crown prince in its fullest extent. When two persi-ns, having the highest confidence in the honour of able to Lord Rodney, as his aid-du-camp, and was thepersqn ^ chosen by his Irrdship to convey a message lo the crown prince. This service he executed with the greatest address, ihough not without infinite hazard to himself and the boat's crew, for daring his passage to rJie shore, he wns hred at from every quarter, but fortunately without receiving any injury; nor was he in less danger on his- return from tiie negotiation, since being ignorant, on account of their distance,* that a truce had taken place, the batteries of the enen-.y still conti- nued their fire. Indeed, on every occasion, both by his con- ■ duct and his knowled^^e of the coast, he was cminGntly »£rviceable, and, soon after his return to England, was raised to the rank of post captain in the British navy. On the commencement of the present war Sir Frederick was appointed agent for the prisoneis at I?ortsinouih : this situation, he filled with 'the greatest credit till the time of his death, which happened on the 26th of August, 1805. * The annexed correspondence took place on the occasion. No. I. ■ '* Lord Nelson has directions to spare Denmark, when no longer resisting ; but if the firing is continued on the part of Denmark, Lord Nelson must be obliged to set on fire all the LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 2^3 each other, are employed in a political delibera- tlon and discussion, a single instant will almost suffice to arrange the preliminaries, and com* pletely pave the way to future tranquillity; so did the event prove in the present instance. On the very same afternoon, his lordship, now no longer an enemy to Denmark, landed at floating batteries he has taken, without having the power cf savins the brave Danes who have defended them. *' Nelson and Bronte, ** Vi<:e-adnural under command of admiral ** Sir Hyde Parker.'* *< Dated on board his majesty's ship Elephant, Copenhagen Roads, April 2d, J 801." " To the brothers of Englishmen, the Danes." No. II. ' '** His royal highness the prince royal of Denmark has sent .fine. General Adjutant Lindholm, on board to his Briiannic majesty's vice-admiral, the Right Honourable Lord Ne'.sou ,to ask the particular object of sending the Sag of truce ?"' No. III. Lord Nelson's Answer. ** Lord Nelson's object in sending the flag of truce \vr.s humanity; 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 and carry off his prizes as he shall think fit. ** Lord Nelson, with humble duty to his royal highncss- the prince of Denmark, will consider this the greatest victory he ever gained, if it may be the cause of a happy reconcilia- tion and union between his own most gracio!is sovereign, and his majesty the king of Denmark. ** Nelson an^i Bronte." «* On board, his majesty's ship Elephant, Copenhagen Roads, April 2d, 180 i.** ^04 MEMOIRS OF Copenhagen, for the purpose of adjusting mor6 folly the terms for the renewal of that amity so long subsisting between the courts of London and Denmark, which had been so recently and unfortunately broken. His reception is different- ly, and, indeed> oppositely described ; some per- sons having insisted, that on the instant of his reaching the shore, he was greeted with the loud- est acclamations, and, in short, that his landing rather resembled that of a conqueror, returning to his native shore amidst the reiterated acclama- tions of his countrymen, than that of an enemy^ who, only two hours before, Vas spreading de- struction and desolation over the city. On the other hand, it has been asserted that the treatment he experienced, though far different, wassch as might naturally have been expected^ allowinsr for the circumstances'under which it took place ; that the populace at first hardly conducted themselves with sufficient temper, but almost for- getting the laws of hospitality, and the high charac- ter his lordship then bore, in a public point of view, received him with i sullen silence, which was not prevented, without the greatest diffi- culty, from bursting into a flame, by the spirited exertions of the noblesse. Betw^cen these two opposite statements the truth may, as is generally the fact in all similar cases, most probably be found. To have expected a conduct like that first stated, would be to at^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^55-- tribute to the Danes a levity and impropriety of character they certainly do not possess. It would have been unnatural to have supposed a people could enthusiastically greet as a friend the mmi who had just directed a contest, in which the greater part of them had probably experienced the loss of some amongst their dearest con- nexions. It is most probable, the behaviour of the peo- ple toward the victor was silent and reserved ; it is natural to conclude that it was so; they be- held v^th admiration, and even astonishment, the man who in the space of a few hours had over- come every difficulty and obstacle, which the best officers in their service had exerted chcit utmost skill in presenting to an enemy, and which their own bravery had contributed its best efforts to render sufficient and effectual. The Danish accounts candidly admit their dis- comfiture ; and as this truth was strongly impressed on the minds of the people, it could not fail perhaps to sour the temper of the worsted, when they beheld the man whom they were obliged to consider as a conqueror, passing through them, not as the herald and promoter of peace, but, for any thing they knew to the contrary, in the im- perious character of an haughty ambassador, com- missioned to prescribe such terms as he thought fit, to the vanquished. In this, however, they were mistaken, and though his lordship's entrance ^oO MEiMOIRS OF .iij into the metropolis of his recent enemy, resem- bled not the triumph of an emperor, for the con- quest of a country, it bore a strict analogy to the cvationof a Roman general, who had put a sudden and unexpected period to the ravages of war *. * The annexed series, of private accounts^, given by indi- viduals, both of Britain and Denmark, together with the oficial documents published under the authority of the govern- ment of the latter country, will shew, that no material exag- geration can have been used on either side ; it is a just tribute to a candid and generous enemy, to proclaim and prove this fact. '* On the morning of March the 30th, about seven o'clock, the thundering peals of Cronburg put an end to suspense. Very shortly after, we could discern the fleet, which approach- ed rapidly. The tremendous cannonading from the fort gave 133 an idea of what it might effect, if it could reach its object. His Majesty of Sweden who observed the passage of the fleet from Helbingborg, appeared sensible of this ; and after the cannonading had ceased, dispatched an officer to con.pliment the governor of Cronburg. *' As the gale'was blowing fresh, the British soon advanced within seven or eight miles of the city, where they came to an anchor. A frigate, a lugger, ^nd a brig, got rather nearer ; but the battery of the three crowns, and the fire from the block ships, compelled them to retire. The magnificence of this spectacle naturally left various impressions on our minds ; but whether favourble or unfavourable, they were soon forgotten in the" enthusiasm, and unanimity which prevailed among all clashes. The question was not, IVho is ihe ene?n\ F h\ii Where ij the enemy? It was a moment of impending -danger; the duty vve owed our country, therefore, inspired us with only one sen'timen% The noblp spirit displayed by the students at the siege in 1658-60, was equally conspicuous in their suc- ctssors; who, with one handv and one heart, associated them- selves into a corps of twelve hundred; Avhilte those sons of the :scouNr nelson. ^57 carriage having been provided for the convey- ance of his lordship to the palace, it met him at the tiuscs, wkom age and infirmity prevented from rallying round le standard of patriotism, did all in their power to encourage id confirm so laudable an effort. Chamberlain Lindenkr^ne mt ji thousand dollars to the aid of those students whose rivatc means were unequal to the cjcpense of their public uties. The first andisecond days passed quietly over ; but on the morning of April isf, we could perceive an unusual bustle among the English shipping. Some frigates and lighter ves- sels got under weigh, and were employed in sounding. To- ,wards evening., twelve sail of the line, all the frigates, and most of the smaller vessels, weighed ; and with a northern .breeze passed through the Hollander Deep. Admiral Parker, with eight sail of the line, and two small vessels, preserved Jhis station; while Admiral Nelson anchored, with his divi- sion, beyond the fire of our otitermost ships. Conjecture was now at an end. A change of wind to the .-southward would enable Lord Nelson to bear down with hi^ division ; and we anxiously awaited the awful moment. Our ships were moored with four anchors, and manned, indiscri. sninately, by people of all descriptions, hastily collected for the present en;ergency : they had been constantly on the alert during the former two nights, a third was now added to their fatigue ; and when it is considered, that these people were unacquainted with the exercise of great guns ; that they were all day employed in practising, and all night in watt hing ; the compliment paid them by Mr. Bardenfleth, first lieutenant on board the Charlotte Amelia, in his professional account of the battle, will not be deemed superfluous. He says, ** the spirit which animated all hands on board, and not their real strengthi enabled th >m to perform wh^ ^ydid," S ,258 MEMOIRS OF shore for that purpose. It was owing merely to the suddenness of his visit, that one of the royal cqui- The morning of April ad dawned, and the wind blowing southerly, our commodore made a signal for the whole line to lay their broadside to the enemy. Between nine and ten, both divisions of the British weighed; and our commodore hoisted the flag of defiance from the Danne- brog. Admiral Parker, with the zeal that is characteristic of a British seaman, beat up against wind and current, to- wards the battery of the Three Crowns, proposing to awe our ships in the inner roads, while the hero of the Nile bore right down upon our line. The Edgar led the British van, advancing in a most gal- lant style against the Provesteen, 58 guns, which opened her fire on the former, five minutes after ten. The Vagrien> 50 guns, then poured in a broadside, just as the Edgar waS upon the tack to take her station ; a second broadside was discharged from the Provesteen, when the whole of the British line gained rapidly on ours : in a few minutes two- third parts of our ships were in action. As our line was not broken, only one half of the force on either side was conse- quently engaged. Our foremost ship, the Provesteen, was exposed, during the whole of the action, to the fir^ of the Polyphemus, of 64 guns, the Russel, and the Bellona, which two latter ships run r ground at the commencement of the battle; but this misfortune, (as Lord Nelson observed,) did not impede their service. The Provesteen was, at the same time, raked by la Desiree, of 40 guns, and a gun-brig. Great as was the distinction which Commodore Fischer, in his report, conferred on the Provesteen and her gallant Captain Lassen, ** notwithstanding my high sense of Danish bravery, it was heightened by the conduct of the Proves- teen, which continued to fight till all her guns were dis- LORD ^ISCOrr NT' NELSON. 259 pages was not sent for his accbminodation. Hi^ ■lordship, however, had too great a soul to wait, on K ^fcaounted,** the compliment of Lord Nekon is in my opinion ^Kl-eater*. ^■* ** Captain Rusbrigh stood, on this occasion, as undaunted upon the quarter-deck, of thfe Vagrien, as when a lieutenant •on board the Formidable, under the gallint Rodney, on the f2th April, 1782. For England he assisted to acquire glory and success; for Denmark he obtained onl; the former.'* Soon after eleven o'clock the Dannebrog, 64 guns. Captain Braun, took iire, which compelled Commodore Fischer to shift his broad pendant to the Holstein ; but Eraun continued to fight her till he lost his right hand. Captain Lemning suc- ceeded in the command ; and although the flames blazed around them, threatening immediate destruction, the Danne- hrog maintained her fire, till the dose of tiie engagement, against her powerful adversary the Glatton; which latter mounted 68 pound carronades on her lower deck. When Commodore Fischer, famed for the coolness and perspicuity of his judgment in the hour of trial, left the Danne- brog, the battle raged with the utmost fury. The British finding that our foremost ships were far from slackening their fire, now extended their line, and at noon all our ships, as well as the battery, were strenuously engaged in the awfiil contest. Captain Thura, of the Infoedsretten, 64. guns, fell at the beginning of the action; and all the subaltern officers were either killed or wounded, except a lieutenant and a marine • Nos. I, 2, 3, and 4, being subdued, which is expected to happen at an early period, the Isis and Agamemnon are to cut their cables, and immediately make sail, and take their station ahead .of the Polyphemus, in order to support that part of the line. S a £60 MEMOIRS OF SO pressing an occasion, for the empty pageantry and form of a regular conveyance, but proceed^' officer. In this state of confusion, the colour? were, by ac- cident, struck. The British, however, made no attempt to, board the Infoedsretten, she being rather dangerously moored athwart our battery, a boat was dispatched from the ship tQ carry the tidings of her commander's death to the prince royal, who had from the dawn of day taken his station upon a bat- tery. Here, amidst showers of shells and cannon balls, Fre- derick, the wise, the good, and the brave, superintended calmly and actively, for the assistance of the ships engaged. By shewing how a prince ought to meet danger, he taught Others to despise it. When the Prince received the message from the Infoed- sretten, he turned round, and with an air that gave confi- dence to all about him, said, ** Gentlemen, Thura is killed ; who of you will take the command?"" — ** I will," replied Mr. Schroedersee, in a feeble voice, and hastened eagerly ©n board. This gentleman had been a captain in the navy ; but on account of ill health had lately resigned. The hour of necessity seemed to invigorate his wasted form, and in hopes to serve his country, he forgot his want of strength. The crew seeing a new commander coming alongside, lioisted their colours and fired a broadside. When he came on deck he found great numbers killed and wounded ; and therefore instantly called to those that had rowed him to get quickly on board. It was his last effort ; a ball struck him, and Schroedersee was no more ! Mr. Nissen, a lieu- tenant in the navy, who attended this gallant Tar to his noble fate, next took the command, and continued to fight the ship for the remainder of the day. The engagement had now lasted upwards of three hours, without any glimpse of victory on either side. A determined perseverance appeared to inflame both parties. Our line LORD VISCOUNT NELSOlT. gfil Hirough the streets with his best haste, whild Kie people, thronged around him, eager to catch eadfastly preserved its original position, and every ship aintained its station except the Rendsbrog Prame, which drove ashore, her cables having been shot away at the com- mencement of the attack ; and the Elven, a repeating sloop of war, which had sheered ofF a little after twelve, her mastd being very materially damaged. When the British fleet first bore down upon us, the eleven gun-boats retired. About two o'clock |he fire from the respective fleets abated considerably, Jind our ships appeared very much disabled. The damage si^stained by the British was apparently trivial, from our ships having constantly directed their fire at the enemy's hulls. This was undoubtedly the slowest method ot disabling an adversary ; yet it was the surest ; and certainly is, at all events, preferable to chance. Considering the exposed situation of oiir men on board, it was a matter of real surprize, that so few, comparatively^ suffered from the immense quantity of shot which had been poured in upon them. Had every ball that Struck our masts wounded our hulls, there would, in all probabilityi have been no prisoners o? war. At two o'clock the Nyeborg Frame having her main^ mizen-masts, bowsprit, and foretop mast shot away, and the captain perceiving her almost ready to sink, ordered the cables to be cut, and the foresail to be set, that they might steer for the inner roads. As he passed the line he descried the Aggershuus, a vessel of the same description as his own> in the most miserable plight ; her mas:s having all gone by the board, and the hull on the eve of sinking. Captain Roth^ shewed himself a true Seaman, who not only meets his own danger, but also cheerfully shares in that of others. Having made, faet a cable from his stern to the steraof the Agg^r- 20x2 MEMOIRS OF a single glimpse of the extraordinary person who was come among them. shuus, he towed her ofF; and thus obtained as glorious a triumph as. if he had come in wich an enemy's ship. Soon afcer two o'clock. Commodore Fischer removed his broad pendant from the Holsrein to the battery of the Three Crowns, whence he commanded during the latter part of the engagement* At this moment Lieutenant Lillienskiold finding his ship, the Hielperen, surrounded by a superior force, cut his cables, and brought her safe into the inner roadis, Mr. Lillienskiold was no stranger to the business of the day ; he had, in the year 1799, fought in the West Indies with a privateer; and both contended so obstinately, that they were obliged to se- parate for want of powder. Last, though not least, is Mr. Villemoes, a second lieu- tenant, who commanded the floaiing battery. No. i. Much has been said abcut his skill in manoeuvering his raft, which consisted merely of a number of beams nailed together ; on them a flooring was laid to support the guns. It was square with breast work, full of port holes, and without masts. I shall not take upon myself to argue how far it were possible to manage' such a log; but merely say, the manner in which Villemoes manceuvered his guns, and ultimately saved his raft, attracted the notice of Lord Nelson, whose ship lay for some time opposite the floating battery. That admiral is said, in the handsomest manner, to have noticed to the prince royal, how much the country, on future 'occasions, might fairly expect from the abilities, of young Villemoes. This trait of his lordship I. consider as a never- failing flower in the wreath wtutli military talents and success have twined around his ^rpws. At h.ilf past two our fire had nearly subsided ; but the Rut- LORD VISCOUNT NELSONT. 263 * is necessary to make a short digression in thi& >lace, for the purpose of offerings a few observa- land, the last ship that retutned the enemy's shot, was still engaged, as was the Provesteen. However, the Three Crowns had just opened its batteries with a dreadful effect, when the white flag was unfurled from Lord Nelson's main- top^ An English boat, with a flag of truce, came alongside the Elephant ; the Captain of which sent an officer in his boat to accompany it on shore. The battery, in the mean time, kept up a heavy cannonade, as did the Elephant. As the wind had be«n south south-west, south, and south-east, the whole day, with a strong current. Admiral Parker's division advanced but very little ; insomuch, that a broadside from the Ra- millies, a 74, (his foremost ship), fell very short of the battery. The flag of truce having delivered a dispatch to the Prince Royal, returned ; and soon afterwards orders were sent to the commander of the battery to cease firing ; their guns had, in the interval, been pointed with the utmost effect on the Mo- narch and Ganges, which ships were awkwardly situated on the shoal of the battery. Two flags were then dispatched from shore, to Admirals Parker and Nelson ; while the British took possession of ele- ven of our ships. In the course of the forenoon Admiral Nelson ca,me in his barge into the inner roads, and went on board of the Denmark, where he partook of some refreshment, and then proceeded ashore. On his landing he was received by the people neither with acclamations nor with murmurs ; they did not degrade themselves with the former, nor disgrace themselves with the latter. The Admiral was received as one brave enemy ever ought to receive another — he was received with respect* A carriage was provided for his lordship, which he however dc* ^2,64 MEMOIRS of tions on the conduct of his lordship ; which, im-? .^ material as it may seem, has given birth to somd clined, and walked amidst an immense crowd of persons anr- iDus to catch a glimpse of the British hero, to the palace of the Prince Royal. After dinner, the Admiral was introduced to the Prince, and the negociations commenced. The next day his lordship came again on shore, and dined with th« Prince Royal, as he did frequently till the ninth of Aprily when the armistice was finally concluded. On one of his visits to Copenhagen, Lord Nelson inspected 6ur Navaf Academy; to v^hich he, m a manner higWy honour* able to himself and to us, presented some gold medals of va- lue, to be distributed among the most skilful of tlie midship- Letter from" the Royal College of Commerce at Copen- hagen, dated the 4th of April, rSor, to M. M. Muldrup and Salveson, his Danish Majesty's Cbnsuls for Scotland, residing at Leith. ^'Gentlemen, ** We judge it necessary to make you ac<^iiainted with the actual situation of our affairs, as well for your government, as for the information of those of our nation, who may be at pre- sent in your Consulage district*' «« You must have heard that a British fleet, of fifty-four sail, under the command of Admirals Sir Hyde Parker and Lord Nelson, had proceeded to the straits of the Sound, with an intention to enter the Baltic. The fleet actually appeared', and having advanced towards Cronenberg, Admiral Parker declared to the commandant that hostilities would commence, upon which the fleet begat to pass the fortress onr the 30th ©f LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. t65 controversy and literary dispute. The most, gene- rally, established opinion, even among the Danes March, exposed to an obstinate fire from our batteries, which tiras returned with equal spirit, but without material damage to either party, as the fleet kept so close to the Swedish side, that k was with difficulty our balls could reach them. After hav- ing cleared the straits, the British formed themselves in a line, in sight of our fioating batteries, and the ships placed for our defence at the entrance of oiir port. There they remained tranquil until the evening of the ist instant, when they as- sumed a more threatening position. On the following day^ 2d of April, at half past ten o'clock in the morning, the most bloody and obstinate engagement took place in our roads that has ever beeh remembered. Our sailors have gained them- selves honour and glory, and if the force of defence had beeni equal to that of attack, the success would have been doabtful ; but, after five hours fighting, the most of our crews were either killed or wounded, the ships much shattered, and the floating batteries dismounted, so that it became at last necessary ta yield to superior force, at least triple to that which we could employ at the point of defence. The rig.ht wing of our de- fence was broken through by Nelson's squadron ; some of our floating batteries, and ships of inferior size, have fallen into tht hands of the enemy. Before the engagement had seriously commenced with the fleet under Admiral Parker's orders^ Nelson sent a flag of truce to propose a suspension of hostili- ties, in order to transport the wounded on shore, which was agreed to, and the suspension of arms has been prolonged, and hostilities have not yet recommenced. Nelson was on shore yesterday, and a negotiation is at present going forward, and every thing for the moment tranquil. We do not know precisely how much the enemy have suffered, nor the number ©f their slain ; but, according to information from some of ^66 MEMOIRS or therruselves, is, that at the time the flag of truce was dispatched, any further attempt to protract their ofEcers, their ships have been considerably damaged, and ibeir loss of men very numerous. ** This, Gentlemen, is the result of a day ever memorable to Denmark, and honourable for the intrepidity and bravery of our warriors, whose conduct even the enemy has allowed to have been most glorious. Make these facts known to their countrymen, ane inform- ihem at the same time, that we shall not fail to acquaint them of the ultimate result, of these events. (Signed) *«Schimmelman, schested, .Schmidt, Phisseldeck, &c.'** Correct particulars of the actioiv oiF Copenhagen, from a private hand. '* In my last, of the 50th of March, I informed you of the intention of our fleet to pass Elsineur Castle the first fair wind : it came on that very day. We weighed anchar, formed the line, and stood past it with all sails set ; during the time we were passing, a very heavy fire was kept up by the enemy, but none of our ships received a shot. The Swedes, very for- tunately, did not engage us at all : we were not above a mile from their guns, as we kept their shore on board, to be out of the Danes* gun shot; in the mean time we had several bomb- ships firing on their town ; the shells which they fired killed 160 people a-shoreatElsinetir. *• The whole fleet soon came to anchor off Copenhagen, and immediately after Sir Hyde Parker, Lord Nelson, Captain Freemantle, Colonel Stewart, and the Captain of the Fleet, all went in a lugger to reconnoitre the enemy's force here ; they soon opened a heavy fire on them, but they persevered LORD VISCOUNT NBLSON. 2^7 resistaace would have been an act of folly, if not phrenzy. The line of naval defence was com- in sounding, &c. till they were satisfied, and then came away. ** On the 3 1st of March we weighed, and stood close ia. On the 1st of April, Lord Nelson having found out a new channel, by which he could come at the enemy with more ad- vantage, the ships that were ordered to put themselves imme- diately under his command, weighed and stood through the new found channel, and a very intricate one it is : in the af- ternoon we anchored within reach of the shells of the enemy, which, you may be assured, we were not long looking for. They fired on us some part of the night without doing any da- mage — several fell very near us« **"! have now to recount to you the particulars of the action fought so gloriously on the 2d of April, under the command of Sir Hyde Parker, though more directly under the valiant Nelson, whose fi.g was flying on board the Elephant, of 74. guns, in the centre of the iiae engaged. I believe for the want of water nearly one half of the line of battle ships were not able to go the way we did to get upon the enemy, but were, however, to come up the common channel, by whicli they would have joined us. The channel forms nearly a cres- cent ; and, consequently, the wind that was fair for us under Xord Nelson, who were at one end of this channel, must be contrary for the ships under Sir Hyde Parker at the other, JEvery thing possible was apparently done by that squadron to make a junction ; but the engagement, which lasted three hours and a half, with the victory atchieved, was finished just at the time I supposed them one gun-shot and a half from the enemy. ** As I apprehend you would wish for the particulars, I shall give them, with the occurrences, as nearly as possible. I S()8 MExMOIRS OF jpletely broken, and destroyed, many of the ves- sels were totally disabled, and the remainder* Kad a watch about me all the time, and was stationed on the |)Oop. A. M. i®h. and 20m. answered the signal to weigh, and at loh. 50m. the Edgar, being the leading ship of the line, received from, and immediately opened a brisk fire upon the enemy. At 1 1 h. the Elephant, Vice- Admiral Lord Nelson, passed us in the line of battle, weighed anchor, and stood after her, being stationed next ship to the Admiral. At I ih. 15m, opened ouf fire on the enemy ; observed the Bel- lona and Isis agrdund. At iihi 25:m. passed the Admiral, who hailed and desired us to bring to close a-head of him j let go the stern anchor ; wind right aft during the time the line was inverting, by which the headmost became the stern* most ship to anchor ; a very heavy fire was carried on both by the enemy and us ; but when every ship had anchored in her station, it became astonishingly sd. *' Aboiit five minutes before we anchored, our master was killed^ and the pilot almost so, by one shot. At ih, 20m; P. M. Admiral Nelson sent an officer on boai-d, to say the Da- hish Admiral had struck: ^t this timfe, as at several others> three cheers were given. The Danish Admiral was supposed to be nearly abreast of the Elephant, at the distance of half a mile ; we a-head of the Elephant, and the Monarch next a- head of us: ih. 50m. observed four d£ the enemy's vessels with their colours struck. *♦ At three o'clock the Admiral weighed or cut, and passed us ; cut away our stern anchor, and made sail after the Admi- ral. The fleet in general at this time mdved off to another anchorage. The very formidable fort of the Crown, and se- veral others along shore, were firing at the fleet all the latter part of the engagement. The Bellona and Isis were ashore within gun-shot of the enemy, the whole time » the Russel ^ LORD VISCOUNT KiLSON, 269 were then burning, or in the hands, at least they were in the absolute power, of the British ; the and Agamemnon, two of our squadron, ashore clear of the fcnemy-s shot. In coming out, the Elephant, the Defiance, and Ardent, got nshore, the marks having all been taken up by the enemy, in a very difRcult channel. They are all now off, and joined Sir Hyde Parker again. *' Soon after the action, flags of truce passed between u4. Lord Nelson yesterday went ashore to Copenhagen, (as we \vere all under a truce), and had an audience with the Danish monarch, «* The enemy's ships were moored in a line of great ex- tent along the Channel, and it was thought by the Danes to be impossible to take, or pass them. The loss on board our squa- dron is very considerable, but nothing to be compared with jhat of the enemy. I hear that some of their ships were manned two or three times. «* They do not know how many people they had, as they were fairly forced out of the streets of Copenhagen, and put on board. We have had no proper returns yet, but I have sent you a list of the prizes. We were the luckiest line of battle ship in the action, in our loss of men, but are most shockingly cut up in masts and rigging. Lord Nel- son never knew, he says, such a ship in his life, her sides in a constant blaze with firing, and the men at the same time always a cheering. I have only to say, our prizes being chiefly hulks, and their hulls most marvellously shot to pieces, we shall be obliged to destroy the most of them ; but there are eleven fine new seventy-four's in the harbour, which we must soon have. We likewise expect to meet the Rus* sian fleet very soon, and have no doubt of serving them, as we have done the Danes. There were twenty-three sail en- gaged, eighteen • of which we completely conquered in the ihort space of time mentioned. 270 MEMOIRS OF Crown batteries had received considerable in- jury, insomuch that they could not have with- LIST OF DANISH SHIPS TAKEN. Ships. Wagner Albesteen • Rcnsberg . Jutland • Cronenberg Sperseris • One sunk, one burnt ; since also, one sunk, one burnt, three destroyed, aground, names unknown. ms. Ships. Guns. SO Shark . 28 64 Charlotte-Amelia . 9^ 34 Holstcin . 64 50 Seahorse 20 26 Provesteen • H 18 Danish Account of the Engagement. The following is the official account of the same naval en- gagement, transmitted to his Royal Highness the Crown Prince, by the commander in chief, Olfert Fischer :-r- « On the first of April, at half past three in the afternoon, twodivisiors of the English fleet, under the command of Vice- Admiral Lord Nelson, and a Rear- Admiral, weighed anchor, and stood eastwa'-d, and by the south of the middle passage of the road, where they anchored. This force consisted of twelve ships of the line, and several large frigates, gun- boats, and other smaller vessels ; in all, thirty-one sail. " On the 2d of April, at three quarters past nine intHe morning, the wind S. E., both the vessels to the south, and the vessels to the north of the middle road, weighed anchor. The ships of the line and heavy frigates under Lord Nelson, steered for the Konigsdefe, to take their stations in ordeur along the line of defence, confided to me. The gun-boats and small vessels took their stations near the tcwn, and the division of Admiral Parker, consisting of eight ships \^f LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 271 stood any serious attack. Many ships in the Bri- tish line, it cannot be disputed, had sustained the line and some small vessels, steered with a press of sail southwards to the right wing of defence. " At half past ten, the foremost ship of Admiral Nelson's division passed the southernmost ship of the line of defence. I gave those ships that were within shot, the signal for battle. The block ships, Provesteen and Wagner, and immediately after thcfc the Jutland, between which and the block ship Dannebrog, the leading English ship (of 74 guns) fixed her station by throwing out one of her rear anchors, obeyed the signal by a well directed and well supported fire. By degrees the rest of the ships came up, and as they sailed past on both sides of the sljips already at anchor, they formed a thick line, which, as it stretched northward to the ship cf the line, the Zeland, engaged not more than two-thirds of the, line of de- fence committed to me, while the Three Crowns Battery, and the block ships. Elephant and Mars, with the frigate Hiclpe- ren, did not come at all into the action, <' In half an hour the battle was general. Ten ships of the line, among which was one of So guns, the rest chiefly seventy- four's, and from six to eight frigates on the one side. On the other, seven block ships, of which only one of seventy- lour, the rest of sixty-four and under, two frigates, and six small vessels. This was the respective strength of the two parties. The enemy had, on the whole, two ships to one; and the block ship, Provesteen, had, besides a ship of the line, and the Rear-Admiral, two frigates against her, by which she was raked the whole time, without being able to re- turn a shot. <* If I only recapitulate historically what your highness, and along with you a great portion of the citizens of Denmark and Europe have seen, I may venture to call that an unequal combat, which was maintained and supported for four hours ^nd a half with unexampled courage and effect, in wiiich the i^y2 MEMOIRS 0? very material damage j but, tliere were stiil remaining, a sufficient number of them to present ^re of the superior force was so much weakened for an hoijr before the end cf the battle, that several English ships, and particularly Lord Nelson's, were obliged to fire only single shots ; that this hero himself, in the middle and very heat of the battle, sent a flag of truce on shore to propose a cessation of hostilities ; if I also add, that it was announced to me that two English ships of the line had struck, but being supported by fresh ships, again hoisted their flajgs ; I may, in such cir- c^imstances, be permitted to say, and I believe I may appeal tpthe enemy's own confession, that in this engagement Den- mark's antient naval reputation blazed forth with such incredi- ble splendour, that, I thank Heaven, all Europe are the wit- nesses of it. ' ^< Yet the scale, if not equal, did not decline far to the dis7 advantage of Denmark. The ships that were first and mcs; ' obstinately attacked, even surrounded by the enemy, the in- comparable Provesteen fought till almost all her gnns were dismounted ; but these vessels were obliged to give way to superior force, and the Danish fire ceased along the whole line from North to South, *« At half- past eleven, the Dannrbrog ship of the line, which lay along side Admiral Nelson, was set on fire, I re. paired, with my flag, on board the Holstein, of the lincji belonging to the north wing ; but the Dannebrog long kept her flag flying in spite of this disaster. At the end of the battle she had two hundred and seventy men killed and wounded. *« At half past two, the Holstein was so shattered, and had so many killed and wounded, and so many guns dis- mounted, that I then carried the pennant to be hoisted instead of my flag, and went on shore to the battery of the Three Crowns, from which I commanded the north wing, which tORD VISCOUNT NEL30N. 27^ ii hew clnd formidable line of attack, much nearer to the town, than that which had been occupied was slightly engaged with the division of Admiral Parker, till about four o'clock, when I teceived oi-ders from your Royal Highness to put an end to the engagement. " Thus the quarter of the line of defence, from The Three Crowns to the frigate Hielperen, was in the power of the enemy ; and the Hielperen finding herself alone, slipped her cables and steered to Stirbfeir. The ship iilwin, after she had received many shots in the hull, and had her masts and , rigging shot away, and a great number killed and wounded, retreated within The Crowns. The gun-boats, Nyebrog tain Thura, and first Lieutenant Hauch, with several other brave officersi Among the wounded the commander of the Dannebrog, who besides other wounds has lost his right Jiand. ** I • want expression to do justice to the unexample4 courage of the officers and crews. The battle itself can only enable you to fom) an idea of it. ** Olfert Fischer.** T 274 MEMOIRS OF in the first instance : added to this circumstance, the division still remaining under the orders of Sir Hyde The annexed list of the Danish naval force, as opposed to the Bri- tish fleet, under the command of Vice-admiral Lord Nelson, in the memorable engagement off Copenhagen, being copies of a pamphlet published in that city, in the English language, soon after the aciionr will very appropriately close the account. No. ^ Commanders. No. Guns. Men. Remarks. ( Taken and burnt; ^,-» T .-,- . ,« -.^ J forsaken when Capt. Lassen. i 56 S^j the guns were C useless. ^^Rlt^hTM * ^« 36. Diuo. C Driven on the Capt. Lt. Egcde, 3 20 216^ shoals,and burnt (J by the enemy. Cap,.L..RoAc, 4 ^ "9^=3lUk"- Cap.. Brand.. J 48 396 ^ ^/.hf e"n"mr' ^ Lieut. ^Sommtr-^ * " ■■? Tak«, diuo. Kames of Ships. Frovestcen, Vagrien, Rcnsborg, ♦Nyebrog> lylland, *Suerfisken, Shronborg, ♦Hagen, Dannebrog Description. Block-ship, Ditto, Praam, Ditto, Block-ship, Radeau, Block-ship, Radeau, Block-ship* Lieut. Hauch, Lieut. M oiler, 7 22 196 Taken, ditto. 8 20 155 Taken, ditto. <" Caught fire and Capt. F.Brown, 9 62 336 < blew up after the C action. Elven, ^^i!ii^ki2te!"?^''"*-"°^'^''"» '° ^ ^° Esc^vti. *GrcBier*sRadcau, No. I. Lieut. Villemoes, ii 24 120 Ditto. Aggershuus, Praam, Lieut. Fasting, iz 20 213 S f Driven by the .' waves under ihc Syaelland, Shipof the line, Capt. Harboe, 13 74 529 <( Trekroncr bat- 1 after the amiis- (_ tice,s!ncc burnt. Charlotte Amelia, Block-ship, Capt. Koford, 14 26 225 5 '^^^^'j Jurnf '^'* $ Ditto, afterwards sunk. Sohescen, Holstcin, Radeau, Lt. Middlebo, 15 18 126 Ditto. f Taken, and put in .' sailing condi- Ship of the line, Capt. Arenfeldt, 16 6o 40c J tion by the ene- my, and carried \ away as a tro- L phy. Indfoedstratten, Block-ship, Capt. Thura, 17 64 39o^ '^burnt.'^"^'^'^'^^'' Hielpercn. Frigate, ^ ^Ifcns^kiold,^'^'^ '^ ^° ^^>' ^''^^^^ T«tal 62% 4849 KO. Guns. ^9. 70 20 64 Zl 74 2» 74 as 40 -, iS «- 1% LORD VISCOUNI* NELSON. 275 Parkeri had never been in action j the ships which composed it were entirely fresh, while the The force remaining ih the road to defend the harbour, un- der the orders of Chamberlain Stein Bille : Nmies of SI ips. Description. Commanders. Elcphantcn, Block-ship, Capt. Von Thura, Mars, Ditto, Capt. Gyldenfcldt, Dannemark, Shipof the line, Chamber. Stein Bille, ai Trekroner, Ditto, Capt. Riegelstcn, Ihs, Frigate, Capt. W, Browo, Sarpen, Brig, — — < , Nodelven, Brig, « Twelve chebecks, each of two 24 pounders ; two of ditto, of 1 2 pounders ; the great Trekroner battery, of thirty 24 pounders ; ditto, thirty-eight $6 pounders, and one 96 pounder carronade, provided with three furnaces to heat balls. The ships and vessels marked * were placed a littk behind the others, on account of their weakness ; but in the evening of the 1st of April, commodore Fischer seeing the great Bumber of the enemy, ordered them to come into the line. It can easily be perceived, that this defension was to an- swer no other end, than to keep a wise enemy at too great a JELSON. £/7 hulk?, moored in such manner as to protect the entrance to the arsenal. The city and its SoHEsTEN. — A battery like the Suerfisken ; the guns of 24 pounders. HoLSTEi>j. — A two decker newly repaired, and able t« serve for twelve years ; the guns, twenty-four of 24 pounders, twenty-four of 12 pounders, and 12 of 8 pounders. Info£ds TRATTEN. — x^n old Condemned two decker, cut down and dismantled ; twenty-six guns of 24 pounders, twenty-six of 12 pounders, and t\\'elveof 8 pounders. HiELPEREN. — A good Completely rigged frigate; the guns of 36 pounders. North Wing of Defension. Tlie Battery or Island of Trekroner. Mars — of 64 gunSj an old two decker, condemned, with- out masts. Elephanten — of 70 guns, ditto. This wing, which properly defended the entry of the har- bour, was likewise supported by the advanced battery of the citadel, and by a movable squadron, situated behind, which consisted of the Dannemark, of 74 guns ; Trekroner, of 74 ; the Isis, of 40 ; and the Sarpen and Nidelven brigs, of 1 8 guns each ; under the orders of Chamberlain Bille. No. 3. Remarks. The frigates that raked the Provesteen fore and aft, were at anchor opposite the battery on Amak island, at about 3400 Danish feet distance. The guns of the outermost fortificat'ons, at the S.E. of Co- penhagen, being 4000 Danish feet distant from the nearest ships of defension, were of no service while the action lasted; they began to fire when the enemy t<^ok possession or the abandoned ships, but it was at the same time that the p .rley appeared, 278 MEMOIRS OF inhabitants would, in a very few hours, have been completely exposed to the dreadful thunder of the British bomb vessels. Parker's division was engaging at a great distance. Thp block-ships of the north wing and the Trekroner battery kept him in awe, as well as Nelson-s van, so that Parker's motions could have no other tendency than to hinder this part of the defension from assisting the others, and to keep Steen Bille's squadron from coming out to take possession of those Eng- lish ships which had struck,' or to succour the neayest part of the fighting wing. This citadel, too far behind to use its great guns, threiy several shells, but soon left off pn account of its great distance. The foe had not only the advantage of the wind,' which sent the smoke on our ships, but likewise of the current, which permitted them to stop where they thought proper, by means of a stern anchors and thereby were enabled judiciously, as Commodore Fischer mentions in his report, to assist, cover, or draw back their ships, in order to distribute the damage so equally on all, that none should be totally lost, but tha^ they might all, at least in appearance, safely come out of sq warm a fight. The Danes had the misfortune, half an hour after the ac- tion began, to have the R«ndesborg praam's cable shot oiF, which caused him to drive on a bank behind the Cone, with hex bows towards the enemy, so that she became useless. The second misfortune, which happened almost immediate- ly, was the Dannebrog's catching fire. The third, that the Syselland's cables were shot away. The fourth was, that the chief of the Infoedstratten was killed by the same fire from the enemy. The fight was, nevertheless, continuing, and the fire of, the southernly fortification of the town became efl^ectivc, at LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 279 Tlie candour of Denmark itself admits the vic- tory to have been complete, and that future re- sistance would have been vain, and futile. Ad- mitting, however,^ for a moment, and merely for the sake of argument, this not to have been strictly the case, our admiration, our wonder, and our applause, in viewing the conduct of his lord- ship, would, paradoxical as it may appear, rise at least to the same height it would have done, had he been in the actual situation of giving laws to the vanquished. We know not how suffici- ently to admire that greatness of mind, which, when surrounded by the most imminent perils, can form the most glorious and extensive plans, nor can we appreciate sufficiently high the value of that wonderful intellect, that, in the precise and critical moment, can seize the happy oppor- tunity of deciding the fate of battles and of king- doms. He came, he saw, and he overcame, might long have been considered his lordship's motto, and the tale of his conduct ; but his northern opponents had the felicity of experi- encing, in their antagonist, the conduct of a truly brave, generous, and benevolent man. well as that of the block-ships, the Mars and Elephanten, and the Trekroner battery, by the approach of the enemy, when Lord Nelson sent a parley on shore ; he thereby gained time to succour those of his ships that had struck; to help others off that were aground, and to take a quiet possessioa of those wrecks that were either surrendered or forsaken, 280 MEMOIRS OF It has been already observed, that negotiations between persons of honour, having a firm reliance on the conduct of each other, are, generally speak- ing, quickly concluded, and never unduly pro- crastinated for the purpose of furthering the pri- vate views of either party. Such was the case in the present instance ; for after a negotiation^ which continued only seven days, all the prelimi- nary terms w^ere completely arranged of a treaty which promised fair to restore tranquillity to noFthern Europe.^ * The Danish government on the one hand, and Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, knight, commander in chief of his Britan- nic Majesty's forces in the road of Copenhagen, on the other, being, from toptives of humanity, equally anxious to put a stop to the further efFusior; of blood, and to save the city of Copenha- gen from the disastrous consequences which may attend a fur- ther prosecution of hostilities against that city, have mutu* ally agreed upon a military armistice, or suspension of arms. His Danish Majesty having for that purpose appointed Ma- jor-General Ernest Frederick Walters toriT, Chamberlain to his Danish Majesty, and Colonel to a regiment, and Adju- tant-General Hans Lindholm, Captain in his Danish Majesty's navy, his Commissioners for agreeing about the terms of the said armistice ; and Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, Knight, hav- ing, with the same view, duly authorized the Right Honour- able Horatio Lord Nelson of the Nile, Knight of the most honourable Order of the Bath, Duke of Bronte in Sicily Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit, and of the Imperial Order of the Crescent, Vice-Admiral in the fleet of his Britannic Majesty, and the Honourable William Stewart, Lieutenant-Colonel in his Bri- tannic Majesty's service, and commanding a detachment of his ^ritannic Majesty's forces embarked 5 the said Commissioners LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 281 However writers and assertions may vary in re- spect to the reception his lordship experienced have met this day, and having exchanged their respective powers, have agreed upon the following terms ; Article I, From the moment of the signature of this ar- misncL', all hostilides shall immediately cease between the fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, and the Citv of Copenhagen, and all the armed ships and vessels of his Danish Majesty in the road, or harbour of that City, as likewise between the different isknds and provinces of Den- mark, Jutland included. Article II. The armed ships and vessels belonging to his Danish Majesty shall remain in their present actual situation, as 10 armament, equipment, and hostile position ; and the treaty, commonly understood as the treaty of armed neutra- lity, shall, as far as relates to the co-operation of Denmark, be suspended while the armistice remains in force. On the other side, the armed ships and vessels under the pommand of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, shall in no manner whatsoever molest the City of Copenhagen, or his Danish Majesty's armed ships and vessels on the coasts of the differ- ent islands and provinces of Denmark, Jutland included; and in order to avoid every thing which might otherwise create uneasiness or jealousy. Sir Hyde Parker shall not suffer any of the ships, or vessels under his command, to approach within gun-shot of the armed ships, or fort of his Danish Majesty in the road of Copenhagen. This restriction shall not, however* extend to vessels necessarily passing and repassing through the Casper', or King's channel. Article 1X1. This armistice is to protect the City of Co- penhagen, as also the coasts of Denmark, of Jutland, and is- lands included, against the attack of any other naval force which his Britannic Majesty may now, or hereafter, during its remaining in force, have in those seas. 282 MEMOIRS OF when he first landed at Copenhagen, all accounts seem to agree in one pointy that the reserve, or Article IV. The fleet of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker shall be permitted to provide itself at Copenhagen, and along the coasts of the different islands and provinces-of Denmark, and Jutland included, with every thing which it may require for the health and comfort of its crews. Article V. Admiral Sir Hyde Parker shall send on shore all such subjects of his Danish Majesty as are now on board the British fleet, under his command, the Danish government engaging to give an acknowledgment for them, as also for all such wounded as were permitted to be landed after the action cf the 2d instant, in order that they may be accounted for in favour of Great Britain, in the unfortunate event of the re- newal of hostilities. Article VI. The coasting trade carried on by Denmark along all such parts of her coast as are included in the opera- tion of this armistice, shall be unmolested by any British ships or vessels whatever, and instructions given accordingly by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker. Article VII, This armistice Is to continue uninterrupted by the contracting parties for the space of fourteen weeks, from the signature hereof, at the expiration of which time it shall be in the power of either of the said parties to declare a cessa- tion of the same, and to recommence hostilities upon giving fourteen days previous notice. The conditions of this armistice are upon all occasions to be explained in the most liberal and loyal manner, so as tore- move all ground for further dispute, and facilitate the means of bringing about the restoration of harmony and goodunder^ standing between the two kingdoms. LORD VI5C0FNT NELSON. 283 sullenness, (if so coarse a word be allowed,) dis- played by the Danes when they first beheld him, quij^kly disappeared. His presence ever seemed / to produce hilarity; and the joy of the populace in a very few hours could hardly have been exceeded by that, which his appearance would have excited in any country where he was mest popular, or even in his own. H<2 passed through them, not elated by the pride of victory, but with all the humility and affability of a courteous stranger, whose chief, and only wish appeared to be that of desiring to be pleased himself, and contribut- ing at the same time to the pleasure of others. The various instances of conspicuous conduct which had taken place among the Danes during In faith whereof, we, the undersigned commissioners, ia virtue of our full powers, have signed the present armistice, ^nd have affixed lO it the seal of our arms. Done on board his Britannic Majesty's ship the London, in Copenhagen Roads, April 9, 3 801. (Signed) {L S) Nelson and Bronte, {L S) William Stewart. {L S) Ernest Frederick Walterstoff, [L S) Hans LiNDHOLM. In pursuance of my above-mentioned authority, I ratify this document with my hand, (L S) Frederick. Ratified by me, (Z. S) Hyde Parker, Admiral and commander in chief of hii Britannic Majesty's fleet. 284 MEMOIRS OF the late encounter, his ever active and penetrating mind revolved v^ith care ; and the assiduity he used in informing himself who those person^ were, who had distinguished themselves, together with the warmth he is said to have recommended them to the Prince of Denmark, could not have been exceeded, had he himself been the Admiral who commanded them. Of this a singular in^ stance is given in an account written by a modern traveller, Mr. Carr, not only of the action itself^ but of his lordship's reception by the Crow4 Prince. '' The citizens of Copenhagen in a moment flew to their posts, all distinctions were lost in the Jove of their country j nobles and mechanics, gentlemen and shopmen, rushed together in crowds to the quays, the sick crawled out of their beds, and the very lame w^ere led to the sea side, imploring to be taken in the boats which wer6 perpetually going off with crowds to the block-ships : a carnage at once tremendous and novel only served to increase their enthusiasm. What an awful moment 1 The invoked vengeance of the British nation, with the fury and velocity of lightning, was falling with terrible havock upon a race of gallant people in their very capita], whose kings were once seated on the throne of England, and in the veins of whose magnanimous Prince, flowed the blood of her august family. Nature must have shuddered as she contemplated LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 2S5 such a war with brethren : the conflict was short, but sanguinary beyond example. In the midst of the slaughter the heroic Nelson dispatched a flag of truce on shore, with a note to the Crown Prince, ia which h^ wished that a stop should be put to the . effusion of human blood, and to avert the destruc- tion of the Danish arsenal, and of the capital, which, he observed, that the Danes miist then see, were at his mercy. He once more proposed their withdraw- ing from the triple league, and acknowledging the supremacy of the British flag. As soon as the Prince's answer was received, a cessation of hosti- lities took place, and Lord Nelson left his ship to go on shore : upon his arrival at the quay, he found a carriage that had been sent for him by Mr. D., a merchant of great respectability, the confusion be- ing too great fo enable the Prince to send one of the royal carriages. In the former the gallant Admiral proceeded to the Palace, in the Octagon, through crowds of people, whose fury was rising to frenzy, and among whom his person was in more imminent danger than even from the cannon of the block-ships^ but nothing could shake the soul of such a man. Arrived at the Palace in the Octa- gon, he calmly descended the carriage, amidst the murmurs and groans of the enraged concourse,^ which not even the presence of the Danish officers who accompanied him could restrain. The Crown Prince received h^im in the hall, con- ducted him up stairs, and presented him to the 286 Memoirs of King, whose long shattered state of mind, had left liim but very little sensibility to display upon the trying occasion. The objects of this impressive interview were soon adjusted, to the perfect satis- faction of Lord Nelson, and his applauding coun- try ; that done, he assumed the gaiety and good . humour of a visitor, and partook of some refresh-' ment with the Crown Prince. " During the repast. Lord Nelson spoke in rap- , tures of the bravery of the Danes, and particularly requested the Prince to introduce him to a very young officer, whom he described as having per- formed wonders during the battle, by attacking his own ship immediately under her lower guns. It proved to be the gallant young Villemoes, a stripling of seventeen : the British hero embraced him with the enthusiasm of a brother, and deli- cately hinted to the Prince, that he ought to make him an Admiral ; to which the Prince very hap- pily replied, " If, my Lord, I were to make all my brave officers Admirals, I should have no ' Captains, or Lieutenants in my service. This he- roic youth had volunteered the command of a praam, which is a sort of raft, carrying six small cannon and twenty-four men, who pushed off from shore, and in the fuiy of battle placed them- selves under the stern of Lord Nelson*s ship, which they most successfully attacked in such a manner, that although they were below the reach X)f the stern chasers, the British marines made LORD VISCOUNT NILSON. £87 terrible slaughter among them ; twenty of these gallant men fell by their bullets, but their young commander continued, knee deep in dead, at his post, until the truce was announced. He has been honoured, as he most eminently deserved to be, with the grateful remembrance of his country, and of his Prince, who, as a mark of his regard, presented him with a medallion commemorative; of his gallantry, and has appointed him to the command of the yacht, in which he makes his an- nual visit to Holstcin. The issue of this contest was glorious and decisive ; could it be otherwise when its destinies were committed to a Nelson ?" His affability prompted him to examine, and to applaud without flattery, the diligence and abilities of those, who had not as yet reached a sufficient age to contribute towards the defence of their country. Viewing them with the eye of bro- fherly love, and wishing to fan the early rising flame of genius, he accompanied the praises he bestowed, with presents, certainly rendered incal- culably valuable, when the character of the donor was considered. In short, the page of Danish history will in all probability candidly record to future ages, that, Copenhagen, considering him as a foe, she had never felt one whom she had more occasion to> dread; and viewing him as a friend, had never found a man who more impres- sively demanded her veneration and love. Although the British nation had been acciiis- 288 MEMOIRS OF tomed to contemplate with pleasure on the heroid'l deeds of his lordship, yet there was a variety irt' the present exploit which, if it could not raise his greatness beyond that height it had already at- tained, at least placed his abilities and intrepidity in a new light. Scientific skill, professional know- ledge, and manual expertness, were all out of the question. The assault on Copenhagen ap- proached as near to a military attack, and the act of storming a fortified town, as it was possible it could do, even had human invention exerted it- self to the utmost, to render the cases as closely parallel as possible. In defiance of the floating batteries used on this occasion, as the succeda- neum for trenches, he bore down like a torrent every obstacle that presumed to oppose him ; and his countrymen felicitated themselves, that it would be only necessary to place him in new and varied points of danger, to call forth the latent energies of his mind, which were equal to every exertion the service of his country might in fu» ture demand of him* The British Parliament, on the first news of the victory, were warm and affectionate in their tri- bute of gratitude, and of praise. Individuals of the most distinguished rank paid him the highest compliments on his conduct. In the House of Peers, after a motion made on the i6th of April, by the Earl St. Vincent, that the thanks of the House should be given to Sir Hyde Parker, the ^K^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 289 Gommander in chief, Lord Nelson, Rear-Admiral Graves, and tKe rest of the officers and seamen, for their very exemplary bravery displayed on the memorable occasion alluded to. The Duke of Clarence, among other observations and compliments, when speaking of Lord Nelson, said, '^ That fortune seemed to back his courage and intrepidity in every enterprize he engaged ; and acknowledged his own personal obligations, as a Prince of the Blood, to the gallant comman* ders, and to the whole fleet, for the accomplish- ment of a victory, which, probably in its effects, would restore the possessions on the Continent to his family, together with the peace and secu- rity of the British empire and of Europe.*' In the House of Commons, Mr. Addington, at 'that time Chancellor of the Exchequer, who made a motion of the same tenor and effect with that of Earl St. Vincent, declared, '^ that no action had taken place in the course of the present war, which contributed more to sustain the character, and ti) add to the lustre of the British arms. For its execution. Sir Hyde Parker, Lord Nelson, and Rear-Admiral Graves, three most distin- guished officers, had been selected ; and thus pre- pared, the armament proceeded to the north. To enter into all ^ the particulars of the service w^as unnecessary: it was sufficient therefore. to say, that the fleet, after passing the Sound, advanced to Copenhagen. Such was the situation of the ■ •' u 290 MEMOIRS OF enemy's force, that all our ships could not possf-' bly be engaged. In these circumstances, Sir Hyde Parker had, with ^^liegree of judgment which reflected the highest credit on his choice^ appointed Lord Nelson, whose name has already been covered with splendour and renown, to the execution of the important enterprize. Great, however, as was the courage, the skill, and the success which had been formerly displayed by this illustrious commander at Aboukir, it was not greater than that which had been exhibited in the attack upon the fleet moored for the defence of Copenhagen ; but this was not all : after the line of defence was destroyed, and whilst a tremen- dous fire was still condnued. Lord Nelson retired 'to his cabin, and addressed a letter to the Prince Royal of Denmark ; he then asked that a flag of truce might be permitted to land, adding, at the same time, that if this was denied, he must be obliged to demolish the floating batteries which were in his power, and that in such case he could not answer for the lives of the brave men by whom they had been defended. To the an- swer, which required to know the motive of such a message, his reply was — that his only mo- tive was humanity ; that his wish was to prevent the further eflfusion of blood, and that no victory he could possibly gain, would aflbrd him so much pleasure as would result from being the instru- ment of restoring the amicable intercourse which LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 29l laTso long existed between his Sovereign and the government of Denmark. Lord Nelson, in con- sequence, went on shore, and was received by a brave and generous people — for brave they had shewn themselves in their defence, and generous in the oblivion of their loss : with the loudest and most general acclamations, the Prince Royal of Denmark had also received his lordship in a manner conformable to his high character: the negotiation which ensued between them it would be highly improper for him now to state; but this he must observe, that Lord Nelson had shown himself as wise as he was brave, and proved, that there may be united in the same person, the ta- lents of the w^arrior and the statesman." The rewards he received, however, were not merely confined to the applause bestowed on him by the legislative body, and which he so honestly merited i for on the 19th of the ensuing tnonth his elevation to the rank of Viscount of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, by the name, stile, and title of Viscount Nelson of the Nile, and of Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk, w^as announced in the London Gazette ; an addition of worldly honour which, contrary to the effect too frequently produced by such marks of royal favom*, excited envy in no one ; the only symptom of disapprobation which was beards being a species of sorrowful repining, that the reward had been no greater. ^92 MEMOIRS OF Notwithstanding ^t was known to all, that, in- dependent of that event, which would certainly have annihilated the northern confederacy, even if no action had taken place with the Da- nish fleet, the cause of the allied powers had re- ceived a most fatal, and perhaps decisive, blow by the encounter ; yet it was also evident there still remained much to be done. The season of naval warfare in the Baltic is confined by Nature herself to a very short space ; the utmost alacrity and promptitude were therefore necessary ; Rus- sia, the most formidable power in the whole league, hitherto remained, as well as Sweden, to- ^ tally unattacked. The commander in chief, there- ' fore, proceeded to the eastward in a very short time after the convention already noticed was sign- ed, with such ships of the fleet as were in a proper condidon for service. Lord Nelson remained ac Copenhagen under orders to follow him with such ships of the fleet as he should judge fit fgr further operations ; when those whose damages were trivial had been repaired in the best man- ner circumstances would permit, and the ne- cessary' arrangements had been made for the re- turn of their companions to England, with such of the captured ships as should be fit to under- take that voyage. The list of the latter was ex- tremely confined; for with the single exception of the Holstein of 64 guns, which was commissioned as an hospital-ship, they were all ordered to be de- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. QQS stroyed, as being completely unfit for service. The progress of the fleet was continued with ac- tivity and diligence, although accompanied with danger. In its passage through- the narrow chan- nel that divides the islands of Amak and Saltholm, the greater part of the ships touched the ground, and two or three of them actually stuck fast for a short time : no very serious inconvenience or dis- aster, however, took place^ and the arrival of the British armament in the Baltic struck the still un- assailed confederates, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, with dismay -, and Denmark, who had so lately felt its effects, with astonishment. The attack of the Russian fleet, the most formidable member of the league, and which then lay at anchor at Re- vel, was intended to be the first operation ; but the commander in chief having received intelligence, while on his voyage thither, that the Swedish fleet -^had put to sea, in the hope of effecting a junction with that of Russia, Sir Hyde Parker immediately steered for the island of Bornholm, in the hope of intercepting it. He was in some measure not disappointed; the Swedish fleet were actually discovered, bpt its commander fear- ing it might experience a repetition of that dis- aster which he hadjustlearnt had befallen his allies, retired on the first instant the approach of the Eng- lish was perceived, and sheltered himself under the protection of the numberless forts and batteries 294 MEMOIRS OF erected on the island at the entrance of Carl- scrona, for the defence of that port. During this interval. Lord Nelson was most actively and unremittingly employed at Copen- hagen ; and on the i8th of April, having pro- vided for the most pressing emergencies of the service, he caused the guns of the St. George, into which ship he had again removed after the action of the 6th, to be taken out, and put on board an American ship, the passage over the grounds not being practicable for so large a ves- sel a^ that which then bore his flag, unless she were previously lightened. An adverse wind pre- vented his lordship, however, from moving; but, on the same evening, having received information of the relative situation between the Swedish and British fleets, as well as that an engagement, or iattack might be expected, and burning with that anxious energy which so strongly characterized his actions on every similar occasion, he ordered his boat to be manned, for the purpose of follow- ing the fleet, although it was then nearly ten leagues distant from him, and the united opposi- tion of the wind and current, threatened most pow^erfully to impede his passage. Two or three anecdotes are related concerning him on this occasion, strongly indicative, as well of the state and strength of his mind, ^s of that w^onderful enthusiasm which he at all LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 295 times displayed in the service of his country. In his haste he had quitted the St. George without being provided with that necessary, and customary defence against the inclemency of the v^^eather, a boat cloak. This circumstance was discovered soon after they left the ship, to which he refused to return ; notwithstanding it was then night, the weather extremely cold, and it was foreseen that some hours must unavoidably pass ere he could reach the commander in chief : the master of one of the ships belonging to the squadron, who had been ordered to attend him, happened to be fur- nished with a great coat, which he in vain attempt- ed pressing his lordship to make use of; even his refusal did him honour, when the terms, and tenor of it are considered. His answer was neither that of a contemptuous arrogance, nor that of an assumed pride, urging a man to acts, and words contrived for the purpose of acquiring celebrity : men possessing less nimds have sometimes acted in this manner. The reply of Lord Nelson to his companion's affectionate offer was in perfect unison with every other action of his life : *^ I thank you, said he, very much ; but to tell you the truth, my anxiety keeps me sufficiently warm for the present !'* " Think you,*' said his lordship presently af- terwards, " the British fleet have quitted Born- holm ? If it has," added he, without waiting to have his question answered, " we must follow it 9g6 MEMOIRS OF to Carlscrona :" as though be had known instinc- tively the thoughts of his commander in chief and the measures he would pursue. Thus we see, that in every varied situation of danger, difficulty, inconvenience, and distress, he was equally great. That no pressure in either of the forego- ing instances, let the magnitude be what it might, could abate the ardour of his mind, or di- vert ir, even for a single moment, from that tract which the public service appeared, to demand. His lordship happily reached his former flag- ship, the Elephant, about midnight ; and, as if his arrival had been waited for, being the ab- solutely required preliminary to the attack, the pursuit was continued with such success during the ensuing morning, that in a few hours the Swe- dish armament, amounting to nine sail of the line, moored, as already described, under their bat- teries, were clearly discovered from the deck of the Elephant, and her companions. Sir Hyde Parker, the commander in chief, anxiously wish- ing to prevent all unnecessary effusion of blood, dispatched the Dart sloop of war, under a flag of truce, to the Swedish admiral, with informa- tion of the different events which had so recently taken place ; the destruction of the Danish line of defence, the apparently pacific disposition of Denmark, and the armistice which had been agreed on with that court; requesting, at the same time, to be informed whether the British fleet was u.^^^ h-^-^->^ .,^"^ <>: '^'^■' ^-1^ \x^A ^^^ NVf /v-^f-^^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. C97 to consider that of Sweden in the light of friends or of foes ? The answer was appropriate ; it pre- vented for the time the commencement of war- fare, and the arrival of the King of Sweden himself at Carlscrona, served to prolong the pub- lic tranquillity *. * Carlscrona, April 23. On the igih the English appeared off the entrance of this harbour, and sent a frigate with a flag of truce, and a letter in the English language, to the Governor, of which the follow- ing are the contents : «' On board the London, April 18, 1801. ** The Danish court having been induced to conclude an armistice, by which the unfortunate disputes between the Courts of Denmark and St. James's have been accommodated; and as~ I am directed to require an explicit declaration from the Court of Sweden, relative to its intention to adhere to, or to abandon the hostile measures which it has taken against the rights and interest of Great Britain, I have the honour to transmit to your Excellency this letter, that I may receive in answer a declaration of the resolution of the Court of Swe- den with respect to this important object, and shall conduct my future operations according to this answer, which I expect to receive within forty-eight hours. «* I have the honour to be, &c. " Hyde Parker, *' Comm.ander in chief of tlie British fleet in the Baltic." Vice- Admiral Cronstadt, who has now the command here, by order of his Swedish Majesty, who was then at Malmo, immediately returned a provisionary answer to the following effect : ** That being only a military officer, he could not under- take to answer a question which did not come within the par- 598 MEMOIRS OF The behaviour of his Swedish Majesty was magnanimous, though mild ; spirited, though ticular circle of his duty, but that his Swedish Majesty had declared he should soon be at Carlscrona, and that he would then notify to the Admiral hi* resolution.** Yesterday afternoon his Majesty arrived here, and caused the following official answer to be transmitted to Admiral Parker, hy Vice- Admiral Cronstadt: «* Admiral, •« The King, my master, has commanded me to communis cate to you the following official answer to the letter which I had the honour to receive from you on the i8th instant. *' Convinced that your Excellency is perfectly sensible of the importance and sacred nature of promises when once made, his Majesty conceives that the following explicit de- claration cannot be unexpected by your Excellency ; viz. That his Swedish Majesty will not for a moment fail to fulfil with fidelity and sincerity the engagements he has entered into with his allies ; and that, without any reference to the particular intervention of another power, under whatever name it may be, and the effects of which" can never be extended to the ^ common interests of the hitherto neutral powers. This is the firm and unalterable resolution of his Majesty ; equally induc- ed by inclination and duty to consider the affairs of his faith - ful allies as his own. His Swedish Majesty, however, will not refuse to listen to equitable proposals for accommodating the present disputes, made by deputies furnished with proper authority by the King of Great Britain to the united northern powers. <• C. O, Cronstadt, '• Adjutant-General to his Swedish Majesty for the fleet, and Commander in Chief at Carlscrona." «* Carlscrona, April 23.'* LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 2,99 inclined to peace ; and the general complexion of his conduct convinced the British admiral of the sincerity of his assurances, and die rectitude of his intentions. Satisfied of these, the continu- ance of the fleet off the coast of Sweden was no longer necessary. It was almost in the act of proceeding to the gulf of Finland, when a dis- patch-boat arrived express from the Russian ambassador at Copenhagen, bringing the fol- lowing declaration from the empc^ror of all the Russias.to the commander in chief of the British fleet :— *' By the decease of his majesty the emperor, Paul the first of glorious memory, the sceptre of the Russian empire has descended, by right of birth, into the hands of, his imperial majesty Alexander the first. One of the first events under this monarch has been, that he has accepted the offer which the British court had made to his illustrious predecessor, to terminate the disputes which threatened the speedy breaking out of a war in the north of Europe, by an amicable con- vention. Faithful to the ens^a^^ements which he has entered into with the courts of Stockholm, Berlin, and Copenhagen, his imperial majesty has signified to them his resolution not to act, but in conjunction with his allies, in whatever may concern the intepests of the neutral powers. Mis imperial majesty could not have expected, that the British court would have undertaken an hos- 500 , MEMOIRS OF tile attack upon Denmark, at the very time when its envoy at Berlin was authorized anew to enter into conferences with the Russian minister re- siding there. " The measures taken by his imperial majesty, were only in consequence of his wish for peace, and the welfare of mankind; and to avoid a destructive misunderstanding between the con- tending powers. The hostilities commenced against Denmark, and the arrival of an hostile fleet, w^ould have frustrated the w^ishof his impe- rial majesty to maintain peace, had not this at- tack upon his allies been made before his pro- posals were known to the court of London ; but, as, the British fleet had sailed for the Sound, before his Majesty had ascended the throne, he will wait the measures of the British court, when it shall be informed of that event. " The undersigned general of cavalry, and minister of state for foreign affairs, desires there- fore in the name of his illustrious sovereign, that the admiral in chief of the fleet of his Britannic majesty shall desist from all further hostilities against the flags of the three united powers, till his excellency shall have received further direc- tions from his sovereign ; otherwise the admiral must be personally responsible for the conse- quences that may ensue, from the prosecution of the war. " Though prepared to repel force with force. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 301 his Imperial majesty persists in his pacific sentu ments ; but the justice and moderation of the cabinet of London must enable them to reconcile the demands of humanity with the duties which he owes to the honour of his crown and the interests of his allies. <' Von Der Pahlen." Such was the state of affairs, when Sir Hyde Parker, after having proceeded with the fleet to Kioge Bay, a short distance to the eastward of Copenhagen^ resigned his command to Lord Nelson. He could not have confided it in abler hands ; for although the flames of war had ceased to rage, the science of preserving peace, after so recent an interruption of amity, with all the different powers concerned, became a task of no small difficulty. The placid temper of his lord- ship was extremely well suited to the occasion, as the following correspondence, between him- self and the Swedish admiral, will fully testify : — '' Sir, " May 9th, 1801. " The former commander in chief of the Bri- tish fleet in the Baltic, having, at the request of the emperor of Russia, consented not to interrupt the Swedish navigation, it would be extremely unpleasant to me, should any thing happen, which might for a moment disturb the returning harmony and friendship between Sw^eden and Great Britain. Your excellency must therefore 502 MEMOIRS OF permit me to Inform you, that I am not directed to abstain from hostilities, should I meet with the Swedish fleet at sea. As it is therefore in your power to prevent this, I am convinced that you will consider this intimation as a friendly measure on my part, and communicate the same to his Swedish majesty. I entreat your excellency to believe that I am, with the utmost respect, " Your most obedient servant, " Nelson and Bronte," " On board the Prince George, in the Baltic." (Answ^er by Vice-Admlral Cronstadt.) *^ Admiral, " I have had the honour to receive the letter of your excellency of the 8th instant, and have transmitted it to the king my master, who is gone from hence to Stockholm. When I shall receive his answ^er, I will do myself the honour of forwarding it to you immediately. ^^ C. O. Cronstadt, •< Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Fleet at Carlscrona." " Carlscrona, May loth, 1801/* Letter from Lord Nelson to Admiral Cron- stadt, Commander in Chibf of the Swedish Fleet:, r^cdv^d at Carlscrona the a4thof May, iSqi : LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 303 " St. George, at Sea, " Sir, " May 23d, 1801. " In the correspondence v-hich your excel- lency had with the late commander in chief of the British fleet in the Baltic, who notified to you that the Swedish trade in the Cattegat and the Baltic should not be molested by British cruisers, I find no counter declaration on the part of Sweden ; I must therefore request of your excellency an explicit declaration, that the trade of Great Britain In the Cattegat and the Baltic shall in no manner be molested by Sweden. Your excellency will perceive the necessity of such a reciprocal declaration. " I am, with the utmost respect, " Your Excellency's most obedient servant, " Nelson and Bronte." To this the following answer was returned; *^ Admiral, '^ I have to-day had the honour to receive the letter of your excellency of the 23d instant. As my instructions do not permit .me to issue my orders relative to the conduct to be pursued with respect to the trade of Great Britain, I shall transmit the letter of your excellency to the king, ||v . my master ; and when I receive the commands ■fcof his majesty on the subject, shall immediately I S04 MEMOIRS OF have the' honour to communicate to you an official answer. I remain, with the utmost respect, " Cronstadt.'* On the following day his lordship had the sa- tisfaction of receiving the subjoined note ; *' Carlscrona, May 24. " Admiral Lord Nelson, " I have this moment received the orders of the king, my master, for taking oiF the embargo of the trade and navigation to England, a copy of which I herewith transmit to your excellency, as your excellency, in your excellency's letter of yesterday, requested it of me, and as I am now enabled, according to my promise, to return you an official answer. I am, &c. " Cronstadt." A subsequent letter, dated on the 17th of June, but which did not reach the fleet till after his lordship had quitted the command of it, con- cluded the epistolary correspondence in the hap- piest manner. " Admiral, " With the gracious approbation of the king, my master, I have the honour to signify to your excellency, that, according to the latest accounts from St. Petersburgh, his excellency, Lord St. Helens, has arrived there, and that the present LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 305' differences will soon be adjusted in an equitable and pacific manner. I am hereby afforded a new- opportunity of assuring your excellency of my sincere and high esteem. " CRONSTADTi " His majesty's adjutant on board the fleet, and commander at Carlscrona." The fatigue his lordship had undergone, had considerably impaired his health, a circumstance which, added to the tranquillized state of public affairs in the Baltic, caused him, not long after the departure of Sir Hyde Parker, to solicit his recall also; but, previous to his quitting the com- mand, he put forth the following public orders ; orders as generally, as they are deservedly ap- plauded. " Lord Nelson has been obliged, from the Very bad state of his health, to apply to the lords commissioners of the admiralty, for leave to re- turn to England, which their lordships have been pleased to comply with; but Lord Nelson cannot allow himself to leave the fleet without expressing to the admirals, captains, officers, and men, how sensibly he has felt, and does feel, all their kind- nesses to him, and also how nobly and honour- ably they have supported him in the hour of battle, and the readiness they have shewn to maintain the honour of their king and country, X 505 MEMOIRS OF on many occasions which have offered ; and had more opportunities presented themselves. Lord Nelson is perfectly persuaded they would have added more glory to their country. Lord Nelson cannot but observe, with the highest satisfaction which can fill the breast of a British admiral, that (with the exception of the glaring misconduct of the officers of the Tigress and Backer gun- brigs, and the charges alledged against the lieu- tenant of the Terror bomb,) out of 18,000, of which the fleet is composed, not a complaint has been made of any officer or man in it ; and he cannot but remark, that the extraordinary health of this fleet, under the blessings of Almighty God, is to be attributed to the great regularity, the exact discipline, and cheerful obedience of every individual in the fleet. The vice-admiral assures them, that he will not fail to represent to the lords commissioners of the admiralty their highly praise- worthy conduct ; and if it please God, that the vice-admiral recovers his health, he will feel proud, on some future day, to go with them in pursuit of further glory, and to assist in making the name of our king beloved and respected by all the world '' Nelson. and Bronte/' "To the respective admirals^ captains, &:c.'* '' St. George, Kioge Bay, June i8tlj." LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 30? On the following day * his lordship resigned the command of the squadron to Sir Charles ♦ Four days previous to his quitting the fleet, his lordship having received a commission from his majesty to invest Rear- admiral Graves with the military order of the Bath, perform- ed that ceremony on board the St. George. His Majesty's ship St. George, Kioge Bay, June 14. A chair was placed on the gratings of the sky-light, on the quarter-deck, with the royal standard suspended over it, shew- ing the king's arms. The chair was covered with the union flag ; a guard was ranged on each side the quarter-deck, con- sisting of the marines and a detachment of the rifle corps ; and the captains of the fleet attended in their full dress uniforms. The royal standard was hoisted the moment of the procession beginning, which took place in the following order : Lord Nelson came up the ladder in the forepart of the quarter-deck, and made three reverences to the throne; he then placed himself on the right hand side of it. Captain Parker, bearing the sword of state, being that which was presented to Lord Nelson by the captains of his majesty's fleet, who fought under his command at the battle of the Nile, followed Lord Nelson, and placed himself on his right side, a little in advance, making three reverences to the throne, and one to Lord Nelson. His lordship's secretary, Mr. Wallis, then followed, bearing in his hand, on a satin cushion, the ensigns of the order, making similar reverences to the throne ana to Lord Nelson. Captain Parker then read the Duke of Portland's order to Lord Nelson; which ended, Rear- admiral Graves was introduced between Captains Hardy and Retalick, making three reverences to the throne, and one to Lord Nelson. The rear-admiral then kneeled down, and Lord Nelson, in the name of his majesty, laid the sword on the shoulders of the rear-admiral; the knight elect then tosc, and bending his body a little forward, Lord Nelson, with the X 2 503 MEMOIRS OF Morice Pole, who had been sent out to relieve him, and immediately returned to England. He arrived at Yarmouth on the ist of July; and it assistance of Captains Hardy and Retail- k> put the riband overjthe new knight's right shoulder, and placed the star on his left breast : Lord Nelson then made a suitable speech on the occasion, which being finished, the procession retir&d in the same n:anner it came, except the new knight, who went first, making one reverence to Lord Nelsoa and three' to the throne. The moment the riband was put over Sir Thomas Graves's shouIder> the signal being made preparative, the whole fleet fired a salute of twenty-one guns ; when the ceremony was finished, the standard was hauled down. The troops and marines, on hoisting the standard, presented their arms, and the drums beat a march, the troops kept their arms presented during the ceremony, and on the standard being hauled down a march was likewise beat. The following was the speech made by Lord Nelson on the occasion : « Sir Thomas Graves — Having fulfilled the commands of his majesty, in investing you with the ensigns of the most honourable and military Order of the Bath, I cannot but ex- press how much I feel gratified that it should have fallen to my lot, to be directed to confer this justly merited honour an4 special mark of royal favour upon you ; for I cannot but reflect, that I was an eye-witness of your high merit and. distinguished gallantry on the memorable 2d of Apiil, and or which you are now so honourably rewarded. ' *' I hope that these honours conferred upon you, will prove to the officers in the service, that a strict persev«rance in the pursuit of glorious actions, and the imitation of your brave and laudable conduct, will ever ensure them the favours and rewards of our most gracious sovereign, and the thanks and gratitude of our country.'* LORD VISCOUNT KELSON. 309 might naturally have been supposed, that the same cause \vhich compelled him to solicit his recall from the Baltic, would have operated in preventing his lordship from entering into active •service again, at least till he had enjoyed some relaxation from fatigue, and had acquired a most perfect rc-establishment of his health. This, iiowever, proved by no means the case ; France •finding the ingenious project of the northern con- federacy, to which her intrigues originally gave birth, and which had been artfully fomented by her emissaries, had completely failed, and that all those sanguine hopes, which had been formed c f the advantages that would result from it, were now no more, now resorted to a second project, for the purpose of amusing, if the term be al- lowed, the indignation of England, and prevent- ing its falling on some devoted spot, where, in just retribution for the horrors which Buona* parte and his predecessors had spread over the face of Europe, it might pour its most terrific vengeance. It has been reiteratedly remarked with the greatest justice, both by historical, and political writers, that the phantom of invasion has in all I instances of this sort, proved the best adapted to answer the views of France. In repetition, there- : fore, of the same measure, which experience had proved so often successful, a considerable number of French troops were drawn down to the* 310 MEMOIRS OF different parts of the opposite coasts nearest to England; and a flotilla extensive in point of numbers, and in report, as to its equipment, highly . formidable, began to be collected in divers of the minor ports, during ihe early part of the summer. The accumulated reinforcement of soldiers, and the additions made to this new fangled marine, beo:an at lencrth to excite the attention of the British ministry -, a considerable military force marched towards the coast, the counties of Kent and Sussex were warned to be constantly on the alert, and extensive additions were made to the armament of light vessels, which, during the whole of the war, had been stationed in the Downs, and its environs. A system of mere defence was by no means suited to the ideas of the British government, or the Welshes of the people; and although it might have been considered an act of madness, or folly j to have threatened a retaliation of warfare equally * extensive with that vainly menaced by France, it was nevertheless thought political, and judicious to make desultory attacks on such of these marine depots as appeared most vulnerable, and attempt the destruction, not only of the vessels them- selves, but of the batteries which protected them. The project was wise, and appeared to promise success; it was supposed, and properly so, that no enterprize could be more degrading to France, or could elevate the situation of Britain to a greater LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 311 height in the eyes of all Europe and of the world, than an happy seizure of the critical mo- ment of commencing the attack, when their preparations were brought nearest to the summit of supposed perfection. The eyes of ministers were impulsively turn- ed with , unanimous concurrence on Lord Nel- son : the command was offered to him ; and he disdained, notwithstanding the delicate state of his health, and his recent return from a most fatiguing service, to hesitate a single moment in accepting of it. Some persons have asserted that his lordship not only made a voluntary tender of his services on this occasion, but was the ac- tual proposer of the project. The matter is im- material, which ever way the fact stands ; but although the propriety of the choice must have forcibly struck all ranks of persons, there were not wanting some individuals, who affected rather to disapprove of his lordship's appointment on this occasion. It was very extraordinary, however, that few, or none of them agreed together in the reasons they gave for this dissent. All, how- ever, reflected the highest honour on his lord- ship. It was urged in one place, that the general character of the service was hurt by the appoint- ment ; in as much as it appeared to shew the world, from his lordship's being again so sud- denly called into service, that England could produce no other person capable of conducting 312 MEMOIRS OF SO arduous an attack. In the opinion of others, the appointment was considered an hardship, owing to the services his lordship had already performed, the dangers he had encountered, the fatigues he had undergone, and the injury his health, his constitution naturally weak, must have sustained from anxiety and extraordinary exertion. The third opinion was, if possible, more flattering to his lordship's character, than either of the foregoing; the expedition was thought of too humble a nature, to demand the services of this great man ; many persons Ireld, that it was a degradation to the conqueror at Aboukir, to be employed on an enterprize against a paltry flotilla. Expeditions, added they, of the first class only, should be confided to heroes, whose character was so indelibly stamped as his own; and by a very apposite quotation declared, " Nee Deus intcrsit, ni dignus yindice nodus *' Intererit.'* Notwithstanding these different grounds of dis^ agreement, all united in one point of opinion ; that a fitter instrument to such an occasion could not have been chosen, than Lord Nelson ; that his very name was a tower of mighty strength ; and that every thing which the power of man could effect, was not only to be naturally ex- pected from the skill as well as gallantry of his conduct, but success was considered as the al- • LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 513 most inevitable consequence resulting from his jappointment. To return, however, for the present, to simple narrative : his lordship, as has been al- ready related, landed on the ist of July, at Yar- mouth, where he was received, if not with all the honours due to his great name and renown, with such as the magistracy, the inhabitants, and the military, were capable of displaying, to evince their high respect and esteem. On this occasion too did his lordship, never relaxing for a single moment from those firm and genuine principles of benevolence and humanity, which so indelibly marked his character, again exhibit to the world a fresh proof of both. His first occupation, after he had reached the shore, was to visit the hospitals, which contained those unfortunate persons who had been wounded under his command at the attack of Copenhagen. He inquired with the attention of a parent, and a friend into the state of their health, their wants, and their situation ; ^nd in all cases, where his advice, his inter- ference, or his assistance became necessary, his aid was afforded with the affection of a true phi- Janthropist, and with the tenderness of a foster parent. Previous to his quitting the town, the volunteer cavalry assembled, and insisted, as an. humble token of their esteem, on escort- ing his lordship on his journey as far as Lou^e- stoffe. 314 MEMOIRS OF In a very few days after his arrival in London, he received his new commission, which appointed him commandef in chief of a squadron, em- ployed uetween Orfordness and Beachyhead ; together with the whole flotilla of gun-brigs, fire- ships, bomb-ketches, and vessels of every other description, together with the sea-fencibles, em^ bodied within the same district, and all the boats, or floating defence vessels, on board which they were appointed to act. He, accordingly, pro- ceeded almost immediately to Sheerness, and hoisted his flag on board the Unite frigate of 32 guns. He sailed from thence in a very few days afterwards, and, as if it was determined by Ibrtune, that every action of this great man's life should be accompanied with celebrity, in his passage from the Nore, instead of pursuing the usual course,, and proceeding through the King's channel le chose to attempt, using the proper precautions for the safety of the ship, a passage which had always been considered impracticable for ships of war, but which proving otherwise, has ever since been appropriately termed Nel- son's Channel. As a proper preliminary to the intended enter- prize, a general and strict embargo was imposed for the prevention of all intercourse whatever, be- tween the ports of England and those of the oppo- site coasts ; the most positive orders were also given, that no person of any description, or rank what-. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 515 ever, should be permitted to land from France, the ports of Flanders, or of Holland. Notwithstand- ing, however, this strictly enforced precaution, either that jealousy, naturally attendant on timidi- ty, had excited apprehensions in the mind of France, or she had been, with more truthj per- haps, might it be asserted, correctly informed by her trusty, and treacherous emissaries, of the blow with which she was menaced. Every precaution was immediately taken on her pari, to secure herself, far as her powers permitted her, from the violence of it. From Brest to the Texel the shores were lined whh troops ; immense bodies had been purposely marched from the interior on the occasion, with astonishing rapidity ; batteries were erected, and furnaces prepared for the pur- pose of heating red hot shot ; in short, nothing was left undone, or untried that the- knowledge of the soldier, or the skill of the engineer, could suggest, for the purpose of presenting the most formidable obstacles to the success of their as- sailants. It was remarked with correctness, on this oc- casion, that the war between France and Great Britain assumed a new but highly interesting ap- pearance to the individuals of both countries. That in former wars, and indeed in the preced- ing part of th^t which then existed, the distant colonies of both had most severely felt its terrors, while their vitals had, remained nearly untouched o\6 MEMOIRS OF 'and unmolested i now, hov/evcr, the encamp- ments of France on the coast of Picardy, and those of England on the shores of Kent, revived in idea the days of the Henrys and the Edwards, when a single battle frequently determined the event of the war, and prescribed the terms of. future peace. On the 30th of July, his lordship, who had then reached Deal, hoisted his flag on board the Leyden, of 63 guns, from whence he very soon afterwards removed it to the Medusa. His force, independent of the Leyden, consisted of the Ruyter and York, of 64 guns eachs the Isis, of 50; the Hind, Brilliant, Medusa, and seve- ral other frigates, with gun-brigs, fire-ships, and different vessels, raising the amount of the whole armament to forty sail of various descriptions. As the limits of the command were in consonance with the abilities gf his lordship, extensive; so were the powers also, on which he was on this occasion invested, unusual. To remedy, as far as human aid could render its assistance, the dif- ficulty under which his lordship laboured, in consequence of the loss of his right arm, he had the extraordinary allowance of three marine aides^ du-camp, and, in short, experienced every other possible respect that could be shewn him by the board of admiralty, in regard to his suite, and appointments. Though public opinion had for some days LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. fl7 prognosticated the general destination of the ex* pedition, yet the spot destined first to feel its force, remained unknown; so that expectation was raised on tip-toe, when, on the ist of Au- gust, his lordship quitted the Downs, and stood over to the coast of France. Boulogne-sur-mer, it appeared, was fixed on^as the debut of the en« terprize; it had long been the principal point of rendezvous on that coast, for the gun-boats and other small craft, destined, according to report, for the invasion of Britain. It had been, more- over, a receptacle for the nest of small privateers, which had at different periods very severely injur- ed the coasting trade of Britain, carried on, gene- rally speaking, in vessels totally defenceless. On both these grounds, therefore, the destruction of this port, with its contents, was judicious in re-^ spect to the attempt, and would have been ex- tremely grateful in the success of it. The flotilla which had actually been prepared within itself, had lately received a very considerable reinforce- ment from Calais ^ aivd it appeared, that owing to its very shallow draught of water, as well as the proximity which it v. as constantly enabled to keep in respect to the shore, that it was a mat- ter almost amounting to impossibility for the Bri- tish cruisers, with all their alertness, to prevent such a junction, or any subsequent measure of the same kind, in respect to vessels of the same de- acription, that might be attempted by the enemy. 318 MEMOIRS OF The coast in the neighbourhood of Boulogne runs in a direction nearly east, and west. To the eastward a point of land juts out, which forms a bay, in the centre of which is the mouth of the harbour opening to the north. The floating force of the enemy, consisting of six large brigs, two schooners, and twenty gun- boats, were anchored in a line along the shore, at little more than a quarter of a mile's distance from-it. The vessels were formed in two sepa- rate divisions; the largest of these was stationed to the westward of the entrance into the port, the remainder to the eastward. The most power- ful vessel belonging to the enemy was moored off the mouth of the harbour, which was still farther protected by a strong battery on the beach, and a second on the eastern pier-head. A considerable encampment was discovered on the heights, extending on each side of the town. Such w^as the formidable position of defence, which presented itself to his lordship's view% when he arrived off Boulogne on the 3d of August. The whole of the day was unremittingly em- ployed in reconnoitering, and in making the necessary arrangements for immediate attack; and in the evening a trial was made by the bomb- vessels; as to the extent of the ranges the shells they thre.v, would make. The trial proving completely satisfactory, the signal was made to LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 319 call them off, and the whole armament came to an anchor, at a distance of four miles from the town. At break of day, on the ensuing morning, the preparations for commencing the attack began. The vice-admiral himself at fouf o*clock stationed the bomb-vessels, which were five in number, extending in an oblique line from the western point of the enemy's position. They all reached their several stations, and the bombard- ment actually commenced a little before five o'clock. Behind, and in support of these terrific assailants, a line, composed of ships of war, was stationed under w^eigh, ready to protect them on the instant, should any unforeseen molestation take place. His lordship himself; having his flag on board the Medusa, took his post directly in the front of the harbour ; a line of small ships of war extending from his right; behind, and in support of these, the Leyden, of 64 guns, was stationed. It had at first been his lordship's intention, to have made the attack with the bomb-ketches only ; and the motive for this determination was judi- cious in the extreme, llie range of shells being infinitely greater than that of shot, the vessels from whence they w^ere thrown, were capa- ble of being placed at such a distance, that they could carry on their operations and attacks completely undisturbed by the enemy. At six o'clock, however, it being then nearly high w^ater. 320 MEMOIRS OF and It becoming expedient to acquire every p6s« sible information with respect to the enemy's force. Lord Nelson, in the hope of provoking them to unmask their different batteries, whichy on account of the cliffs and. their colour, were ex- tremely difficult to be discovered v^ith any degree of accuracy, as v^ell in respect to their numbers as their force, ordered all the lighter ships to stand as near into the shore as possible^ and open their fire along the whole extent of the bay, keeping constantly under sail, and patting about when necessary, for the purpose of re- commencing the attack. A heavy fire con- sequently took place on both sides, but attended with very little injury to either; and the ebbing tide prevented its being of any long duration. The bomb-ketches, not only on account of their distance, but their position, lay completely secure from the fire of the French batteries : but the enemy, soon aware of their own impotence, sent a considerable number of men and troops to erect batteries on a hill to the eastward side of the bay, from whence they w^ould have it in their power to flank the whole line of coast 5 but, notwithstanding this auxiliary aid, the bombs re-' mained in tolerable security, owing to their being placed at too great a distance from their new assailants to the v^estward. The principal object which his lordship had in view, in the dispositions he made, was to drive the whole of LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 3^\ the enemy's flotilla from the position they had taken, and compel them to seek in haste for shel- ter at the mouth of the harbour. If it were possible, argued his lordship, to carry this mea- sure completely into effect, the vessels of the enemy becoming closely crowded together, would naturally present a fairer object to the assailants ; whose shells might fi'om thence be expected, without much fear of disappointment, to become much more destructive. It was intended to have sent, under cover of the night, three of the bomb- vessels, close in with the shore : all .of them were to have been towed in by boats ; tem being appropriated for that service to each, as well as to aid in bringing them off, should any- unforeseen disaster take place. A shift of the wind, however, unfortunately taking place, the attack became unadvisable, or perhaps imprac- ticable, without incurring a risk, which his lord- ship did not think himself justified in hazarding* As a further continuance in the same station was thus become unnecessary, at least for the present, the whole armament was ordered to haul ofF to the station it had occupied, before it proceeded to the attack. Thus ended the first attempt ; which, though attended with but trivial disadvantage to the cnemvj was, it must be remembered, effected v^ithout loss on the side of\the assailants. Bri- tain, on her part, had at least proved her naval Y 322 MEMOIRS OF superiority to the world, by making the attempt; and France had confessed her impotence, and her fears, by the exertions she had felt herself compelled to make, in order to parry the attack*. In the official account given by his lordship of the transaction, we again trace all those benign sentiments of benevolence and philanthropy which on every preceding occasion had marked his conduct. He warred only with those who * *'JSi!i, ** Medusa, ofF Boulogne. ** The enemy's vessels, brigs, and fiats (lugger rigged), and a schooner, twenty-four in number, were this morning at daylight anchored in a line in the front of Boulogne. The winds being favourable for the bombs to act, I made the signal for them to weigh, and to throw shells at the vessels ; but as little as possible to annoy the town. The captains placed their ships in the best possible position, and in a few hours three of the flats and a brig were sunk ; and in the course of the morning six were on shore, evidently much da- maged. At six in the evening, being high water, five of the vessels which had been aground, hauled with difficulty into the mole; the others remained under water. I believe the whole of the vessels would have gone inside the pier, but for want of water. What damage the enemy has sustained, beyond what we see, it is impossible to tell. The whole of tliis affair is of no further consequence, than to show the enemy they can- not, with impunity, come outside the ports. The officers of the artillery threw the shells with great skill ; and I am sorry that Captain Fyers, of the royal artillery, is slightly wounded by the bursting of an enemy's shell ; and two seamen are also wounded. A gun-vessel is this moment sunk, ** I am, &c. &c. •' Nelson and Bronte." LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 323 opposed him -, the unoffending inhabitants he assailed not : on the contrary, he issued the most positive orders, that every possible precaution should be used by those under his orders, to pre- vent their sustaining an injury. It is a matter of sufficient triumph to British humanity, that the conduct of her commanders, when contrasted with those of France, should cause the rest of the universe to shudder at the comparison. But however unequal to the wishes, and perhaps expectations of his lordship, the event had proved, he most magnanimously desisted from showing the smallest mortification, or disappointment -, on the contrary, he bestowed the highest encomiums on the conduct of those who acted under his orders *. • " Medusa, oiF Boulogne, Aug, 5th. *' Lord Nelson has reason to be very much satisfied with the captains of the bombs, for the placing of their vessels yesterday. It wa^ impossible they could have been better situated ; and the artillery officers have shown great skill in entirely disabling ten of the armed vessels, out of twenty* four opposed to them ; and many others. Lord Nelson believes, arc much damaged. The commander in chief cannot avoid noticing the great zeal and desire to attack the enemy in a closer and different c.mbar, which manifested itself in all ranks of per- sons ; and which Lord Nelson would gladly have given full scope to, had the attempt at this moment been proper : but the officers and others may rely, ;hat an early opportunity shall be given them, for showing their judgment, zeal, and bravery. The hired and revenue cutters kept under sail, and performed the duty entrusted to them with a great deal of skill. (Signed,) " Nhlson and Brontb.** Y 2 324 MEMOIRS OF On the 6th of August, his lordship quitted his station ofF Boulogne, and repaired with the greater part of his fleet to Margate roads, leaving a sufficient force to watch the motions of the ene- my : the gun-boats and smaller vessels pro- ceeded however no farther than the Downs; and the return itself was, in reality, one of those ingenious feints, so frequently practised in war, for the purpose of deceiving, or perplexing the attention of the enemy. In the hope of carrying this ingenious stratagem to its fullest extent, his lordship, after continuing two days in Margate roads, during which he never once came on shore, again put to sea ; but, as if Flushing, or some other port on the Dutch coast, had been marked out as the intended object of his attack, he steered an easterly course, though the real object he had in view still remained the same. The force under his orders became considerably- augmented, by the arrival of a number of small vessels, which had been fitted out with the ut- most expedition, for the purpose of joining in the second attack ; so that it now amounted, including all rates and descriptions, to seventy sail. The enemy, on their part, had been no less diligent and active. The former attack had been of essential use to therji : it enabled them to con- template all the weak, as well as the stronger and more advantageous parts of their position, and erect batteries wherever they were considered LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 325 likely to be serviceable. In addition to these measures, warned by the fears which had agitated them on a former occasion, their army in the neighbourhood had been again considerably rein- forced ; so that the heights, to the extent of three miles in length, were completely covered by encampments. Although the object, for the destruction and defence of which such mighty preparations were made, was so extremely insignificant, that the expenses incurred on both sides more than tri- pled that, which the flotilla itself had cost in the equipment ; yet it appeared one of those nugatory points which frequently occur in the course of war, for the maintenance, or ruin of which, con- tending nations, without any plausible, or per- haps ostensible reasons, frequently make the strongest exertions, France had long boasted throughout Europe, and indeed every other quar- ter of the world, of the meditated mischief which was about to fall on Britain, under the fostering protection of this contemptible armament. Bri- tain, on her part, felt herself rather teased into acting the part of a fro ward child, tormented with the threat of an imaginary bugbear, than as called upon to make exertions for the actual preservation of her subjects, from the ravages of a banditti. It was not sufficient for her to be convinced in her own mind, that the threat itself was probably nothing more than the mere 3^6 MEMOIRS OF effusion of French arrogance and vanity, without any real intention of prosecuting the attempt beyond alarm ; but she thought herself in some measure called upon to manifest her own dignity and consequence, to prove the arrogance, and the emptiness of the threat. Such conduct, on the part of an adversary, frequently excites those feelings. In respect to the views and the wishes of his country, whatever might have been the first mov- ing cause that gave them birth, no person could pos- sibly have entered into them with more zeal, and animation than his lordship. He appeared as if roused almost above his customary ardour. To an active and daring mind, it has been justly re- marked, a mind habituated to overcome all obstacles offered to impede the pursuit of victory and glory, the late success, in disabling only a por- tion of the flotilla, appeared as a defeat, or at best a disappointment, rather than in the light of a triumph. In brief, the destruction, or the capture of the flotilla moored off Boulogne, was an object as dear to his lordship's mind, notwith- standing its insignificance, as the successful atchievement of the most arduous enterprise in which he ever had been engaged. ^ His lordship arrived off Boulogne on the 15th, and immediately formed the necessary arrangements for the mtended ;ittack. The ob», stacks to success, it is certain, appeared formi- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. "i^H dable, but by no means insuperable ; and the cause which ultimately prevented that success, in its fullest extent, as it was one of those minutiae which a brave mind would almost invariably overlook, so did the adoption of the precaution reflect on the enemy as much disgrace, as their defeat w^ould have done. On the evening of the 1 5th, the vessels composing the fleet were ordered to form themselves, so soon as it became dark, in four divisions *. The French line of vessels were * Copy of Lord Nelson's dispatches. '* Sir, *' Medusa off Boulogne, Aug. 16, " Having judged it proper to attempt bringing off the ene- my's flotilla, moored in front of Boulogne, I directed the at- tack to be made by four divisions of boats, for boarding, under the command of Captains Somerville, Gotgrave, Jones, ancj Parker, and a division of howitzer-boats, under Captain Conn. The boats put off from the Medusa at half past eleven last night, in the best possible order, and before one o'clock this morning the firing began ; and I had, from the judgment of the officers, and the zeal and gallantry of every man, the most perfect confidence of complete success ; but the darkness of the night, with the tide and half tide, separated the divisions, and to all not arriving at the same moment with Captain Parker, is to be attributed the failure of success. But I beg to be perfectly understood, that not the smallest blame at- taches itself to any person ; for although the divisions did not arriv^e together, yet each (except the fourth division, which could not be got up before day) made a successful attack on that part of the enemy they fell in with, and actually took possession of many brigs and flats, and cut their cables. But many of thenf being aground at the moment of the battle's ceasing on board them, the vessels were ^lled witi) VQliieg 328 MEMOIRS OF defended by long poles, headed with spikes of iron projecting from their sides; they were guarded also upon voUies of musketry, the enemy being perfectly regard- less of their own men, who must have suffered equally with us ; it was therefore impossible to remain on board even to burn them ; but allow me to say, who have seen much service this war, that more determined persevering courage I never witnessed ; and that nothing but the innpossibility of being successful, froni the causes I have mentioned, could have prcr vcnfed me from having congratulated their lordships. Bi^t although in point of value the loss of such gallantry and good men is incalculable ; yet, in point of number, it has fallen short of my expectations I must also beg leave to state, that greater zeal, and ardent desire, to distinguish themselves by an attack on the enemy, were never shown than by all the captains, officers, and crews of all the different descriptions of vessels under my command. The commanders of the Hunter and Greyhound revenue-cutters went in their boats in the most handsome and gallant manner to the attack. Among the many brave men wounded, I have, with the deepest regret, to place the name of my gallant good friend, and able assistant. Captain Edward T. Parker ; also my flag- lieutenant, Frederick Langford, who has served with me many years. They were both wounded in attempting to board the French commodore. To Captain Gore of the Me- dusa, I feel the highest obligations ; and when their lordships look at the Iqss of the Medusa on this occasion, they will agree with me, that the honour of my flag, and the cause. of their king and country, could never have been placed in more gal- lant hands. Captain Bedford of the Leyden, with Captain Gore, very handsomely offered their services to serve under a master and commander ; but I did not think it fair to the latter, and I only menrion it to mark the zeal of those ofli- cers. From the nature of the attack only a few prisoners were |nade ; a lieutenant, eight seamen, and eight soldiers, s^re all LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ^329 from the attempts of boarders; a species of attack which they feared more than any other, they brought off. Herewith I send the reports of the several commanders of divisions, and a return of the killed and wounded, *« I have the honour to be, &c. ** Nelson and Bronte," " P. S, Captain Somerville was the senior master and com- mander employed." ** My Lord, ** Eugenie, ofr Boulogne, Aug. 16, 1801. •* In obedience to your lordship's directions to state the proceedings of the first division of boats, which you did me the honour to place under my command, for the purpose of attacking the enemy's flotilla in the Bay of Boulogne, I beg leave to acquaint you, that after leaving the Medusa last night, I found myself, on getting ashore, carried considerably, by the rapidity of the tide, to the eastward of the above-men- tioned place ; and finding that I was not likely to reach it in the order prescribed, 1 gave directions to the boats to cast each other off: by so doing I was enabled to get to the ene- my's flotilla a little before the dawn of day, and, in the best order possible, attacked, close to the pier-head, a brig, which, after a sharp contest, I carried. Previous to so doing her cables were cut, but I was prevented from towing her out, by her being secured with a chain ; and in consequence of a very heavy fire of musketry and grape-shot, that was directed at us from the shore, three luggers, and another brig, within half- pistol shot, and not seeing the least prospect of being able to get her ofi^, I was obliged to abandon her, and push out of the bay, as it was then completely day-light. The undaunted and resolute behaviour of the officers, seamen, and marines, was unparalleled ; and I have to lament the loss of several of those brave men, a list of whom I enclose herewith. *• I have the honour to be, &c. ** P. Somerville." «' Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B." 330 MEMOIRS OF by strong nettings braced up on the upper side to their lower yards. The smallest vessel contained '* My Lor», " Medusa, off Boulogne, Aug. i6. •* After the complete arrangement which was made» the perfect good understanding and regularity with which the boats you did me the honour to put under my command left the Medusa, I have an anxious feeling to explain to your lordship the failure of our enterprise, that, on its outset, pro- mised every success. Agreeable to your lordship's instruc- tions, I proceeded with the second division of the boats 'jnder my direction, the half of which was under the direction of Lieutenant Williams, senior of the Medusa, to attack the part of the enemy's flotilla appointed for me, and at half past twelve had the good fortune to find myself close to tiem, when I ordered Lieutenant Williams, with his subdivision, to push on to attack the vessels to the northward of me, while I, with the others, run alongside a large brig off the Mole Head, wearing the commodore*s pendant. It is at this mo- ment that I feel myself at a loss for words to do justice to the officers and crew of the Medusa, who were in the boat with me, and to Lieutenant Langford, the officers and crew of the same ship, who nobly seconded us in the barge, ui til all her crew were killed or wounded ; and to the Honourable William Cathcart, who commanded the Medusa's cutter, and sustained the attack with the greatest intrepidity, until the desperate situation I was left in obliged me to call him to the assistance of the sufferers in my boat. The boats were no sooner along- side, than we attempted to board; but a very strong netting traced up to her lower yards baffled all our endeavours, and an instantaneous discharge of her guns and small arms, from about two hundred soldiers on her gunwale, knocked myself, Mr. Kirby, the master of the Medusa, and Mr. Gore, a mid- shipman, with two-thirds of the crew, upon our backs into the boat, all either killed, or desperately wounded ; the barge and cutter being on the ouuide^ sheered o^ with the tide ; but LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 531 one hundred and fifty, and some of them two hun- dred soldiers ; added to which, the line they were the flat boat, in which I was, hung alongside, and as there was not an officer or man left to govern her, must have fallen into the hands of rhe enemy, had' not Mr. Cathcart taken her in tow, and carried her off. Mr. Williams led his subdivision up to the enemy with the most intrepid gallantry, took one lugger, and attacked a brig; while his crews, I am concerned to say, suffered equally with ourselves ; nearly the whole of his boat's crew were killed or wounded : Lieutenant Pelley, who commanded the Medusa'* launch, and the Honourable Mr; Maitland, midshipman, were severely wounded j and Mr. William Bristow, master's mate, in the Medusa's cutter, under Lieutenant Steward, was killed. '< I now feel it my duty to assure your lordsliip, that no- thing could surpass the zeal, courage, and readiness of every description of officer and man under my command ; and I am sorry that my words fall short of their merit, though we could not accomplish the object we were ordered to. <* I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) *« Ed^waud T. Parker." *' Lord Viscount Nelson, &c.*' *' My Lord, " Gannct, Aug. i6, 1801. *' On the night of the 15th instant, the third division of boats, whi<:h I had the honour to command, assembled on board his majesty's ship York, agreeable to your lordship's directions, and at eleven p. m., by signal from the Medusa, proceeded, witliout loss of time, to attack the enemy's flotilla off Boulogne, as directed by your lordship ; and as I thought it most advisable to endeavour to reduce the largest vessel first, I lest no time in making the attack ; but in conse- quence of my leading the division, and the enemy opening a heavy fire from|8everal of the batteries, thwight it advis- able to give the enemy as little time as possible, cut the tow- 532 ~ MEMOIRS OF moored in, was so close to the shore, that they were protected not only by the land batteries, jopc, and did not wait for the other boats, so tiiat it was some litdc time before the heavy boats could get up ; received so many shots through the boats's bottom, that I soon found her in a sinking state ; and as it was not possible to stop so many shot holes, was obliged, with the men, to take to another boat ; and have the pleasure to acquaint your lordship, that I received :^articular support from the boats of his majesty's ship York, which soon came up with the rest of the division I had the honour to command ; but finding no prospect of success, and the number of men killed and wounded in the dif- ferent boats, and the constant fire from the shore of grape and small arms, thought it for the gooci of his majesty's service, to withdraw the boats between two and thr^e iu the morning, as we could not board her, although every effort was made. ** I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) *' Isaac Cotqjiave." •* Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B.** ** His Majesty's Ship Isis, "My Lord, August i6, i8oi. ** In consequence of directions received from your lordship, I last night, on the signal being made on board the Medusa, left this ship, with the boats of the fourth division, formed with two close lines, and immediately joined tlie other divi- sions under the stern of the Medusa, and from thence pro- ceeded to put your lordship's orders into execution, attack- ing the westernmost part of the enemy's flotilla ; but notwith- standing every exertion made, owing to the rapidity of the tide, we could not, until near day-light, get to the westward of any part of the enemy's line : on approaching the eastern part of which, in order to assist the first division then en- gaged, we met them returning. Under these circumstances, and the day breaking apace, I judged it prudent to direct the LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 333 but also by the musketry of troops iUationed in, or near them. The assailants were provided ofRcers commanding the different boats to return tofheir re- spective ships. ** I have the honour to be, &c. ** Robert Jones.*' ** Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B." " P. S. None kiJIed or wounded on board any of the fourth; division:" *' Discovery, off Boulogne, '* My Lord, August i6, 1801. *' I beg leave to make the report to your lordship of the four howitzer boats, that I had the honour to command in the attack of the enemy last night. Having led in to support Captain Parker's divisioni keeping between his lines until the enemy opened their fire on him, we keeping on tovVards the pier, until I was aground in the headmost boat, then opened our fire, and threw about eight shells into it ; biit, from the strength of the tide coming out of the harbour, was not able to keep off the pier-head, but conthmed our fire on the camp, until the enemy's fire had totally slackened, and Captain Parker's division had passed without me. I beg leave to mention to your lordship, that I was ably supported by the other boats. Captain Broome and Lieutenant Beem, of the royal artillery, did every thing in their power to an- noy the enemy. 1 he other oiScers of artillery were detached in the other four howitzer boats. '* I have the honour to be. Sec. " John Coxn.**' " Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B.'* Total amount of officers, seamen, and marines, kille-d and wounded in the boats of his majesty*s ships and vessek on the attack of the French flotilla, moored before Boulognei on thei uigntofthe 15th of August. 334 MEMOIRS OF V7]th boaj;ding pikes, tomahawks, and cutlasses oi>]y,the use of muskets having been most peremp- 4 office rs, 33 seamen,7 marines, killed; — 14 officers, eighty- four sea'men, thirty marines, wounded ; — ^total, ija. To The preceding accounts as well of the last» as of the for- mer action, the annexed derails, furnished by the enemy, will fornj. a very proper supplemental contrast ; but though we may rid'xule the vanity, and despise the arrogance as well as the f;?!lse]ioods which pervade them, it is incumbent on us to 'oestow every tribute of applause on the conduct of a gener- ous enemy: such was one of the individuals against whom the British assailants had to contend ; for it is reported on the most indisputable authority, that when the first of the British boats approached the French commodore, or commander of a division, that officer hailed, and said in tolerable good Eng- lish, * Let me advise you, my brave Englishmen, to keep your distance, you can do nothing here, and it is only uselessly shcddipg the blood of brave men to make the attempt." In- deed it x^Oald have been singularly cruel to have supposed that every person employed as an officer in the service of France should equally disgrace themselves. It would be il- liberal also to imagine, there are not several individuals, who still possess virtue enough, to rescue the once so much boasted honour of the French military character, from infamy and contempt. x^rench Account of the Attack at Boulogne on the ^.th of August, 1 80 1. *' • The day before yesterday, Auguft the 4th, at day break, Adm iral Nelson, with thirty vessels of war of all sizes, ap- peared i before Boulogne. A division of our light flotilla was anchor, ed, at the distance of 500 fathoms, before the entrance of the p ort. The three sections of the division were placed close to e ach other, without any interval. The English bomb vessels bi -gan the fire, which was returned ; but the enemy . LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 335 torily forbidden, lest a fire, casually began, in spite of every precaution, might have alarmed kept at a distance, which wc estimated at 1 900 fathom from the line of our division. " The English fleet attempted several times to advance ; our soldiers requested leave to board ; and three battalion! embarked in the three sections of the division ; the other di- visions of the light flotilla were in port ready to proceed to the assistance of the van. «• Our flotilla kept up a well supported fire, and at noon the enemy was obliged to resume his first position without reach of our cannon ; he however continued to throw bombs ; the number of those thrown in the course of the day amounted to more than nine hundred. No person was either killed, or wounded by them. Two gun-boa.ts, which they had da- maged, were immediately put in a state of service. <* Yesterday, the 5th, in the morning, the English fleet dis- appeared ; Rear Admiral Latouche could have done more hurt to the enemy, had the weather been calm. ** The intention of the English Admiral was to compel our van to return into port; he did not accomplish that object: this combat took place in sight of both countries. It is the first of the kind : the historian will have cause to make tliis remark.** French Official AccounU from Rear-jidmiral Latouche ^ to the Minister of Marine, " Citizen Minister, ** Boulogne, Aug. 16. ** I had the honour to inform you, by my dispatch of the 17th Thermidor, of the battle of the 16th (August 4), in which the leading division of the fleet of small vessels under my command, of itself frustrated all the efforts of the English fleet, and kept the enemy at a sufficient distance from Bou- logne, to prevent the bombardment of the port, and to ward oflfall danger from the other divisions of the fleet. Admiral Nelson, seeing that all his efforts were ineffectual, disappeared 336 MEMOIRS <5F the enemy too soon. The mode of attack, an^ the different events which took place during its on the 17th, no doubt to procure reinforcements, and to lay in ammunition. He again made his appearance yesterday with several ships of the line, and a great number of frigates, brigs, pixanaces, gun boats, &c. He anchored at the distance of 300c loises from the landing division, which still kept its original position, about 500 toises from the mouth of the har- bour, I had augmented it by one section, and had strength- ^ ened it by the addition of several bomb shipsd I could easily perceive in the evening, that the enemy meditated an attack, their ships being surrounded with boats, and small craft of all sizes; I had therefore ordered several boats to keep watch, that I migbt have timely notice of the approach of the enemy. About three quarters of an hour after twelve, one of the boats discovered the enemy, and was immediately attack- ed. The fire opened with uncommon briskness on both sides ; the bombs, the cannon, and the musketry, presented, amid the waves, a spectacle truly grand ; the land batteries could be of no assistance to us, for fear of firing or^ our own boats. The enemy had embarked from two to three thousand men, in pinnaces and boats. Six of these attacked the Etna gun- boat, carrying Captain Peireux, who commanded the division, and killed two English sailors with his own hand. Almost all the gun -boats of the leading division were at the same time boarded by the English pinnaces ; but these every where found the same resistance ; every where they were repulsed. The bravest of the English who attempted to board, were cither thrown into the sea, ox made prisoners ; the farthest off gun-brig on our right, the Vulcan, was attacked again and again, but always repulsed the enemy. The gun-boat, the Surprize, commanded by Lieutenant Carran, run down four of the enemy's pinnaces, and took a considerable number. While these things were going on in front, a division of the enemy attempted to get between us and the shore : here, a& LORD VISCOUNt NELSON. 5Sf centinuance, cannot be better related than in the official detail annexed : it will prove the com- pletest refutation of any malicious attempt, to blame his lordship's want of a more extended success, or his merit in having deserved it, if such, owing to the strange depravity of the human mind, should ever start up. Perhaps the true principles of greatness were never so manifestly conspicuous in his conduct, as in the present instance. Mortified and chagrined as he must have been, that a victory, the most decisive in its nature, had not crowned his at- tempt, yet he sought not to shelter himself, evea from his own reflection, by resorting in the smallest degree to the customary, though truly scandalous / mode of inventing blame, and attaching it to points and to persons, with which it ought by no at Algesiras, the English were the dupes of this manoeuvre* Our boats accompanied the retreat of the enemy with a heavy cannonade, which did not cease till four in the morning, when the English had got beyond gun shot. Of the enemy's boats, eight were run down, and four were taken : I must be within bounds, when I state their loss in killed, wounded, and pri- soners, at four or five hundred men. Every moment the dead bodies of the English are cast upon the beach; the battalions of the 46th, 57th,' and io8th, embarked in the leading divi* $ion, covered themselves with glory. I shall not fail to send you the names of those brave fellows, who deserve to be par- ticularly distinguished by the Chief Consul. On OBr side w# had ten men killed, and thirty wounded," 3SS &IEMOIRS OF means to be connected. His lordship paid the sin- cerest tribute to all engaged under his orders ; he stated the most satisfactory reasons, in full ex- culpation of those, whom fortune and natural impediments prevented from joining in the attack ; and he candidly recounted the causes which opposed his triumph: one of them was extremely singular, and to a generous, a spi- rited foe, must have proved as fully mortifying, as the most perfect defeat could have done. On the 1 8th, his lordship seizing the earliest oppor- tunity in his power, to quiet the harrassed feelings of those he so ardently expected to have led to unqualified victory, issued the following general orders, than which, it was impossible, perhaps, to contrive any, that would have more effectually contributed to the desired purpose. " Medusa, Downs, August i8. '* Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson has the greatest satisfaction in sending to the captains, officers, J and men under his command, that were employed ^ in the late attempt on the enemy's flotilla off Bou- logne, an extract of a letter which he has received from the first' lord of the admiralty ; not only approving of their zeal and persevering courage, but bestowing the highest praise on them. The vice-admiral begs to assure them, that the enemy will not have long reason to boast of their secu- rity ; for he trusts, ere long, to assist them in LORD Viscount nelson. ^39 person, in a way which will completely annihilate tlie whole of them. Lord Nelson is convinced, that if it had been possible for men to have brought the enemy's flotilla out, the men that were employed to do so, would have accom- plished it. The moment the enemy hav6 the audacity to cast off the chains which fix their vessels to the ground, that moment. Lord Nelson is well persuaded, they will be conducted by his brave followers to a British port, or sent to the bottom. (Signed) *' Nelson and Bronte." While his lordship, on his part, was using every possible means in his power, to sooth the feelings of others ; to the high praise of the admiralty board, be it added, that it was no less solicitous to afford the same species of conso- lation to him ; and the first lord, forgetting th^ natural severity of his situation, and the customary coolness, too often, very injuriously shown to the most gallant men, where the success has sunk below the expectation which attended the enter- prise, is said to have written his lordship the annexed letter ; a letter, which we consider as bearing sufficient testimonies within itself of its being authentic, to authorize our saying we believe it to be so. Extract of a Letter from the Earl of St. Vincent to Lord Viscount Nelson, K. B., dated the 17th instant. z 2 340 • MEMOIRS OP " It is not given us to command success.— Your lordship, and the gallant officers and men under your orders, certainly deserve it ; and I cannot sufficiently express my admiration of the zeal and persevering courage with which this gallant enterprize was followed up, lamenting most sincerely the loss sustained in it. The manner in which the enemy^s flotilla was fastened to the ground, could not have been foreseen. The highest praise is due to your lordship, and all under your command, who were actors in this gallant attempt." The toil and dangers attendant on the encoun- ter itself being concluded, his Lordship's atten- tion became, as it were, naturally, directed to the care of those, who had received wounds while fighting under his orders. Almost immediately on his arrival at Deal, nay, the very first occupa- tion in which he was engaged, was that of visiting the hospital ^ and it is needJess to add, that this kind and cordial proof of affection, not only afforded the brave sufferers the most sensible con- solation and pleasure, but that his all-penetrating eye, scrutinizing every inconvenience under which they laboured, enabled him, where circumstances would permit, to apply the best palliatives, and remedies towards them. Severa'l anecdotes are rc- related of his conduct on this occasion ; one of them in particular merits attention. On inquiring of one man whom he recollected, what his ailment was. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 341 he learnt that he had lost an arm ; Lord Nelson told him never to mind that, for that he himself had lost one also, and perhaps should shortly lose a leg j but that they could never be lost in a better cause, than in the defence of their country. This had a wonderful effect on the seamen ; several of them exclaimed, that they only regretted their wounds, as they prevented them accompanying him in another attack on their enemies. In fine, he treated each individual with all the affable attention he could have done, had he been his intimate friend, or his relative. After inquiring into their several cases, left them, with the most cordial expressions of his wishes and confidence, that he should soon bring them good news, and find their health perfectly re-established. The preceding instances, and display of a truly noble arid generous mind, were by no means new in his lordship ; as will appear by the annexed anecdotes relative to him, which are reported to have taken place in the preceding year. During his lordship's visit at Salisbury, in the month of December 1 800, he discovered a sailor among the crowd, before the council house in that city, who proved to have been one of the persons who had fought under the orders of his Lordship, at the battle off Aboukir : the recollection of a man, who had hazarded his life in company with himself, and had contributed thereby to the service and the glory of his country, connected with the idea of 342 MEMOIRS OF his having been one among the humble iht struments of his own exaltation, a.Tected him extremely ; he called to him, and -after mo^t warmly expressing the satisfaction he should always feel, on meeting any person who had borne an active part in the transactions of that proud day, made him an handsome present, to which he added the most hearty wish, for his future welfare and prosperity. Another man afterwards pre- sented himself, w^ho^had experienced at the Hel- der Point, a similar misfortune of the loss of an arm, to that which had befallen his Lordship off Tenerlffe: no thought attached to the distinction of rank, appeared ever to have taken possession of this brave man's mind ; he found himself as to bodily injury, in a similar predicament with the poor individual he then beheld ; his sympathy was awakened ; and the only difference in their con- dition his beneyolence allowed him to recollect, was that, of his own better fortune ; a proof of which his fellow sufferer immediately experienced, by the liberal token he gave him of his generous compassion for his misfortunes. The third anec- dote is, if possible, much more interesting than cither of the preceding: it is a fact, though cer- tainly a very singular one, that he should next discover, amidst the huzzaing multitude, a person who had attended him at the time he lost his arm, and had assisted at the amputation : the poble Admiral beckoned him up the stairs of the LORD VISCOUNT NELSOK. S43 council house, and meeting him as he approached the room, took him by the hand with a present in his own, with looks expressive of the remem- brance for the tended services he had experienced from him, on that melancholy occasion: as the man withdrew, he took from his bosom a piece V of lace which he had torn from the sleeve of the amputated arm, declaring he would preserve it to his last breath, in memory of his late gallant com- mander, whom he should always deem it the honour of his life to have served. Lord Nelson bade him farewell, with an emotion which no effort could stifle. In consequence of the preliminaries of peace, which w^ere* signed presently afterwards, the important services of his Lordship during. the current w^ar, were closed by the attack on Bou- logne. While he was. engaged in it, the following notification, as to the extension of his Barony, appeared in the London Gazette, dated August the ist: *' Right Honourable Horatio Lord Vis- count Nelson, K.B., Vice-Admiral of the Blue, Duke of Bronte, in Sicily, Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit and of the Imperial Order of the Crescent, created a Baron of the united Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, by the name, style, and title, of Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of Hilborough in the county of Norfolk, with remainder to the heirs male of his body lawfuilly begotten s and In 544 MEMOIRS OP default of such issue, to Edmund Nelson, Clerk> Rector of Burnham Thorpe, in the said county of Norfolk, Father of the said Horatio Viscount Nelson, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, and to the heirs male lawfully begotten, and to be begotten, severally and successively, of Susannah, the wife of Thomas Bolton, Esq., and sister of the said Horatio Viscount Nelson ; and in default of such issue, to the heirs male of Catherine, the wife of George Matcham, Esq., another sister of the said Viscount Nelson." The preceding was followed by a second notifi- cation on the i^th of the ensuing month, which stated, that J^ord Viscount Nelson had been per- jnitted, by his Majesty's warrant dated January yth, 1801, to adopt for himself and heirs, the title of Duke of Bronte, with the fief of the Dutchy annexed thereto ; and also to receive the Great Cross of the Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit, all conferred on him by Ferdinand the 4th, King of the two Sicilies." Such is the interesting catalogue of the impor- tant services rendered by his Lordship to his country, during one of the most bloody wars in V^hich England had been engaged, for the space of centuries. In respect to the length of its dura- tion, it had rarely been exceeded ; in the impor- tance of its object, never ; the principles on which it had began, became changed indeed, during the ^ntinuance of it, but were in no degree less LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 345 horrible than they had been in its commence- ment. The preservation of the internal tran- quillity of France, the restoration of the Bourbon family to their just rights and functions, and the arrangement of an established form of govern- ment, framed according to the wishes of the people, provided that arrangement did not inter- fere with the peace and domestic safety of every other state and government in Europe, were the motives which first induced Britain to draw the sword of war. These motives however were soon put an end to, by the fury of the savage banditti who had usurped the French government Not content with the annihilation of order throughout the extensive dominions of that country, once called France, they boldly avowed, they menaced their intention and determination, of carrying the same infernal purpose into effect, through every coun- try that presumed to oppose them. The war ceased to be conducted according to those regu- lations, which had ever been considered as invio- lable laws, in all contests between christian and civilized nations 3 and Britain found, with the sincerest sorrow, that if she wished to place her- self on an exact and equal footing with her opponent, she must totally divest herself of her humanity, and call forth her druids from their graves^ to attend her armies, as they were wont to do in the days of barbarism, that they might 346 MEMOIRS OF commence their dreadful and sanguinary sacri- fices to the god of battle, by the immolation of all those unfortunate persons whom the chance of war threw into their hands. The ravages of the horde spread like a pes- tilence, no country where they were once able to obtain a footing, could withstand them j where force failed, corruption succeeded ; so that in a few years Britain had the dreadful mortifica- tion of beholding the whole of those states, which were strongly allied to her at the commencement of the dispute, either leagued in arms against her, or compelled to submit toan ignominious quietude. She herself stood alone, great, and unappalled ; nor will either the present, or any future age ven- ture to deny, that among the first causes that created her greatness, arid removed her fears, was die conduct of Horatio Nelson. When Spain, cajoled by the promises, or ter- rified by the threats of that self-constituted body of tyrants, called the French Directory, deserted the honest cause in which she had been engaged, her energies were paralyzed on the instant of their first exertion ; she fell, as if awed by the interven- tion of some preternatural power, and shrinking within herself, made no efforts whatever to remedy the disaster, or palliate the disgrace, which she ha,d sustained in the encounter off Cape St. Vincent's. To whom could she attribute this disaster, this humiliation, and this disgrace r LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 34? It was Imputable to only one cause ; and It would be ap insult to the understanding of the world to prescribe the answer : " i^t eighteen minutes before one/* says the journal of the Captain, ^' that ship having passed on the starboard tack the last of the enemy's line of nineteen sail, which were on the larboard tack, the Spanish admiral, in the Santissima Trinidada, bore up, evidently with a design to join a division of his fleet of eight sail of the line, which were on the Cap- tain's bow ; on which the commodore ordered the ship to be wore: when passing between the Diadem and the Excellent, she was immediately engaged by the Santissima Trinidada, a four- decked ship, and two other three deckers, and several two deckers ; so that, at one time, w^e were engaged by nine line of battle ships, in which we were most nobly supported by Captain Troubridge, of the Culloden : the Spanish admi- ral desisted from his attempt of joining his other divlsioq, and hauled to the wind on the larboard tack.'* Although the journal has been already given at full length, yet the repetition of the pre- ceding extract will not perhaps be considered as a redundancy, as it tends so effectually to explain the circumstance, on which the event of the battle turned. It will be seen also, on referring to the short minute, written by Lord Nelson himself, of the same transaction, with what peculiar modesty 34B MEMOIRS OF be passes over an occurrence so highly honourable to himself, and displaying the utmost splendour of his character, attributes his success as almost entirely proceeding from the conduct of othe'rs ; in justice to whom it must be owned, that as the example of their leader seemed calculated to inspire them with every proper confidence in their own strehgth, so did they manifest to their antagonists, and to the world, that their magnani- mity appeared to rise to an unusual and unpre- cedented height, as a counterbalance to those fearful odds, to which they were opposed. His Lordship's conduct in tbe action just referred to, inControvertibly evinces the strongest and most active comprehension of mind, together with a quickness of ability in nautical manoeu- vres, which certainly had never been exceeded on any preceding occasion whatever. The delay, the hesitation of a moment, would have placed vic- tory beyond his reach ; and although by th^ act Itself, he incurred a most heavy and serious responsibility, a responsibility which, had his measures failed of success, might have materially affected himself; he nevertheless seized with avidity, what he considered the glorious oppor- tunity, and led his brave companions to conquest, without coldly conforming to the antient code of discipline, and waiting for orders, when fortune offered him an opportunity of confounding the plans invented by the enemies to his country. LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. ' 349 The battle of Aboukir placed his Lordship's nautical conduct and abilities, in a new point of view. He there became the cool and deliberate commander in chief; weighing his future plans with the utmost care and circumspection ; pro- viding for every difficulty that his sagacity and^ penetrating mind could foresee, fie arranged dif- ferent modes of attack, for every different situation in which the enemy might be met with ; so that it would be no empty vaunt to say, that however the mortified pride, of France, may attempt to cover her disgrace by imputing it to the misfor- tune of their fleet having been surprised at anchor: flimsy as the pretended apology is, it avails them nothing. It appears on the most undeniable testimony, that whether they had been discovered at sea, or in port, at anchor, or under sail, en- cumbered with a convoy of transports, or freed from any impediment w^hatever to their best exertions, still was his lordship equally well pro- vided, against every case, which could possibly occur; and arguing from what wc know% it would almost be a libel on his character, to doubt, that in every case he would have been equally sue- ccssful. IF, on the former occasion, victory produced the effect of rendering the Spanish navy an inac- tive spectator of the war, its influence on the pre- sent, was equally advantageous and serviceable to OjO SIEMOIRS OF Britain. The motley horde, denominated the army of France, had subdued Italy, overran a considerable part of the continent of Eurooe, and had either conquered, or neutralized, ahnost evcryj state^ aid government which it contained. Th< Voracious appetite of conquest was not even yet sufficiently glutted; India, and in particular thi possessions of Britain in that quarter, appeared U hold forth a mine of wealth, equal in its actuaj and accruing value, to the aggregate plundel which France had till that time carried off fron afll the other, countries she had attacked, and sub-1 jugated, or had extorted as the price of a meanly ' purchased, temporary quietude. Those who hacf assumed the government of France had the audacity to declare, that the fate of India was^ irrevocably fixed ; that the possession of its trea- sures was decreed to France ; with a myriad of other expressions, bearing the same tendency, too weak, too ridiculous for repetition. Such indeed were the hopes and expectations perhaps of that country, and its governors, and the effect of those hopes and expectations being realized, would have been so dreadful, that the contemplative politician shudders almost at the recollection of art event, so important ; anevent which, in all human probability, depended on the termination of the battle off Aboakir. The modern Kouli Khan felt his progress LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. SH arrested ; he found hirtiself deceived in the romantic idea he attempted to promulge, that he bore in his hand the destinies of the world ; when his army ceased to be stationary, it was defeated, and his own ridiculous and frantic folly increased its disasters. Europe considered the spell as bro- ken ; nations now no longer deemed the power of France invincible ; many of them flew to arms, for the recovery of their rights, and, aided by Britain, freed themselves from the yoke of ty- ranny and oppression. The next action, the attack on Copenhagen, again varied, in the circumstances that attended it, from either of the preceding, and required a distinct line of abihties, to render it in any degree successful ; for though various naval attacks on preceding occasions, and in former wars, had been made on towns and fortresses, and had proved fortunate in their conclusion, yet none of them were attended with the same disadvantages as the present : the Danes themselves were so vvell satisfied of the impregnability of their posi- tion^, that they considered the arrival of the British fleet, rather as a vain attempt to intimidate them, than as one seriously intended for their chastise- ment. The success frequently obtained by ships when opposed to fortresses, has been attributed, with the strictest truth, to the great superiority of fire, which the former are always capable of S52 MEMOIRS OF maintaining against the defences of a fortification. To be explicit, thiity-seven guns,being the num- ber contained in the broadside of a battering ship of a medium class, are probably opposed to four, or at most six which the fortress itself is capable of bringing to bear on her :• in the attack of Copen- hagen, however, no such superiority existed ; her ships had all the force of batteries, for they were purposely prepared for the occasion, and rendered superior to their assailants, by every artificial aid scientific ingenuity could contrive 3 the number of guns mounted on board them, equalled as near as possible those in the British fleet ; added to which, they derived the most important support from the Trekroner, or crown batteries, on which were mounted eighty-eight pieces of heavy qan- non. These obstacles all gave way before the assiduity, and spirit of Lord Nelson ^ and it were difficult perhaps to decide, in which particular his transcendant merit appeared most conspicuous > •whether in his care and attention to the discovery of the proper track, or course w^hich it was ne- cessary his squadron should take previous to the commencement of the contest, his firmness as an hero during the continuance of it, or his abilities as a statesman, after its conclusion. Taken to- gether, they certainly effected a service to the nation, which perhaps has never been equalled } beyond all possibility of dispute, or cavil, never LOUD VISCOUNT NELSON. 55$ ekceeded. The effects of the former victories have been already stated ; those produced by the present, were not less important. The visionary conqueror of India, foreseeing the ultimate, and perhaps not far distant termination , to his Egyptian expedition, returned once more to renew the scene of blood, of corruption, and every base act of political chicane, on the political theatre of Europe. What effect, or rather what was the extent of the effect, which the secret machinations of his diabolical emissaries, and himself, produced, in giving birth to the northern confederacy> and fostering it, till it arrived at mischievous matu- rity, it is impossible to say, with any thing like precision ; unless the perfect history of those intrigues were fairly to be developed, and made known to the world. Britain felt the influence, andknew the source from whence it sprang, though the eye was unable to trace the channel through which it passed. It is sufficient to say, that however warily this plan of humiliation and destruction might be laid, the genius of Nel- son appeared as selected by Providence, not to circumvent and oppose, but to overwhelm ft. Thus, for the third time, did the Supreme Dis- poser of all human events, place the preservation of England within his reach; and thus, for the third time, did he nobly perform the trust reposed in him. A A 354 MEMOIRS OF Fortunate as the exertions of his lordship proved on all occasions to his country, there are few persons who have been less subject to dis- aster than himself. To recapitulate the number, and the nature of the wounds which he received, would be truly afflicting to humanity itself. Were not the facts incontrovertible, future ages would scarcely credit the fatigues he underwent, the frequent indispositions induced by a constitution, naturally of a most dehcate texture, which he bore widi patience, and the bodily injuries re- ceived in the exercise of his profession, which he had survived. He appeared, if the expression be allowed, to be all soul ; and that soul, to be un- shakeably devoted to the service of his God, and of his country. The honours that were conferred on him, were, it must be confessed, numerous ; they exceeded far perhaps his own wishes, and expectations, but not his merits : they were such, however, as the Msage of his country warranted; and had they been . less, his lordship would have accepted them with grateful content. That they were not in- finitely superior, was his misfortune, and not the crime of those, who directed toward him the favour of his sovereign. To have exceed- ed those limits, which the long established usage in bestowing honours 'had erected into a law, would -have constituted a precedent highly **"^ LORD .VISCOUNT NELSON. 355 ^i^Hyrablo, and from which, the honour of the noble peson hunself, feeling itself insulted ^and disgraced, would have turned with indig- nation. ' The fact was, that at an age, when many men, .and of excellent characters too, had risen to no public and pre-eminent command. Commodore Nelson had, by a continued series of the most brilliant actions, raised himself as a child of the highest expectation, and was most deservedly in- vested with the command of a squadron. In this capacity, he surpassed the highest expectations that had been formed of him, and the power of ^Spain shrunk beneath his grasp. Great as the service' was, and superior as would have beeri his reward, had his rank in the naval service, and the station he then held, permitted it, the inten- tions of those, who would willingly have confer- red on him the highest honours, reluctantly felt those intentions thwarted and cramped, by what is quaintly termed the etiquette of the service. He became a flag officer j he w^as selected to. command an expedition, on the success of which the fate of Europe depended i he overtook the armament of the enemy, and he atchieved a vic- tory, which, in respect to extent, had never been equalled. He was honoured with a peerage : on this occasion, for the second time, was the muni- ficence and liberality of his prince cramped by A A 2 S5S MEMOIRS or custom. Notwithstanding he was a flag officer, he was one of the youngest class, he commanded a detachment only, and, consequently, acted inii su- bordinate capacity. Under those circumstances, there was no precedent for bestowing on him a su- perior rank. At Copenhagen, the same cause, for a third time, produced the same effect ; and he was raised from the rank of baron to that of viscount only. Thus it was, that with the most perfectly acknowledged claim to the highest honours, for the excellent service which he had rendered, in the first, and every other of the instances just related, he did not, owing to the peculiarity of his situation, live to attain that honour, which had been bestowed, we will not say undeservedly, on the man, who, at the head of ninety-nine ship's of the line, was represented as the saviour of England, because he had defeated that of France, which consisted of forty-four only* The cessation of hostilities, the only event, perhaps, that could have caused his lordship's quitting the line of active service, afforded him the means of renovating a constitution shattered and enervated by the long, and very laborious • The combined fleet of England and Holland, under the command of Admiral Russel, at the battle off la Hogue, con- sisted of ninety-nine ships, all of them of two, or three decks, and considered of the line* LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 357 occupations in which he had been engaged. In peace, however, he by no means sunk into ob- scurity. In civil life he constantly displayed all those virtues and qualifications, which render the • private man honourable, and the honourable man great. To the courtesy natural to an equal, he added an affability, conjoined with the dignified demeanour of a p/nce. Thus did he render himself beloved, admired, respected, and adored by all parties, and by all ranks and conditions of men. In his retirement at Merton, he displayed the genuine character of an old English baron ; for benevolence and hospitality marked every action of his life ; and without possessing the revenue of a prince, he exhibited, so far as his means per- mitted, the munificence of one. Here it was, as has been justly remarked, that his unaffected philanthropy first found an opportunity of render- ing him intimately known to those, who before knew of his .virtues, only by report As a senator, he constantly manifested the integrity, and the firmness of an honest upright legislator. When he spoke^ he delivered himself in the most dig- nified terms ; and if he thought he discovered any thing injurious, or reprehensible in a measure, he made it his constant rule to state decidedly his objections, without suffering his mind to receive - ;he smallest bias from the opinion even of men ^ who, on every other occasion, he thought most highly of. He afforded the world a strong and 558 MEMOIRS OF singular proof of his strict candour in this respect^, during the debate which took place in the house of lords on the 2ist of December, 1802, on the bill for the appointment of a commission to inquire into abuses, committed by certain boards em- ployed in the naval department of public service, and by prize agents. It would have been an act of injustice to the character of his lordship, had not the speech m.ade by him on that memorable occasion never been recorded s and it would now be one, were it omitted *. The subject of debate his * ** My Lords, In the absence of my noble friend, who is at th^ head of the admiralty, I think it my duty to say a few words to your lord$bips, in regard to ^ bill, of which the ob- jects have an express reference to the interefts of my profes- sion, as a seaman. It undoubtedly originates in the feeling of the admiralty, that they have not the power to remedy certain abases, which they perceive to be most injurious to the public service. Every man knows that there are such abuses; and I hope there is none among us, who 'would not glad- ly do all that could be constitutionally effected to correct them. Yet, if I had heard of any objection of weight urged against the measure in the present bill, I should certainly have hesi- tated to do aught to promote its progress through the forms of this house. But I can recollect but one thing with which € have been struck, as possibly exceptionable in its tenet. It authorizes the commissioners to call for, and inspect the books of merchants, who may have had transactions of business with any of the boards, or prize agents, into whose conduct they are to inquire. But the credit of the British merchant is the support of the commerce of the world; his books are not Jightly, nor for any ordinary purpose, to be take.|i out of hi^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 359 jordshiprWas extremely conversant with ^he knew, perhaps, from his own personal experience, the own hands. The secrets of his business are not to be too cu. riously pryed into. The books of a single merchant may betray the secrets, not only of his own affairs, but of those with whom he is principally connected in business ; and the reciprocal confidence of the whole commercial world may, by the authoritative inquiry of these commissioners, be shaken ; all this, at least, I should have feared as liable to happen, if the persons who are named in the bill had not been men whose characters are above all suspicion of indiscretion, or ma- lice. I may presume it to be the common conviction of the merchants, that in such hands they will be safe ; since they have made no opposition to the bill in its progress ; and since they have offered no appearance against it by counsel, at your lordships* bar. And truly, my lords, if the bill be thus superior to all objection, I can affirm, that the neceffities, the wrongs, of those who are employed in the naval service of their country, most loudly call for the redress which it pro- poses. From the highest admiral in the service, to the poor- est cabin boy that walks the street, there is not a man but may be in distress, with large sums of wages due to him, of which he shall, by no diligence of request, be able to obtain payment; not a man, whose entreaties will be readily answered with aught but insults, at the proper places for his applica- tion, if he come not with particular recommendations to a preference. From the highest admiral to the meanest sea- man, whatever the sums of prize money due to him, no man can tell when he may securely call any part of it his own. A man may have 40,0001. due to him in prize-money, and yet may be dismissed without a shilling, if he ask for it at the proper office, without particular recommendation. Are these things ro be tolerated ? Is it for the interest, is it for the ho- nour of the country, that they should not as speedily as pos- 4il)le be redressed f I should be as unwilling as any man tQ 360 MEMOIRS OP enormities that the agents for prizes had on some occasions been guilty of, and he felt all proper warmth for the interest of his profession. But \t }s to be observedjthat he confined himself entirely to that single principle of the bill^v/ithout interfer- ing in the smallest degree with any of the remain- ing points, which it was its object to embrace. Like a cautious and prudent swimmer, be ventured not beyond his depth, nor did he presume to ha- zard his opinion on matters he did not thoroughly comprehend, and understand. On such points and parts of the bill his lordship displayed dignity, for he preserved silence. Even the constitutional objections started in opposition to it by no mean§ tended to depreciate his character, or his disceruT ment in haVing supported it : unversed in legal de- finitions and distinctions, he sought only to rectify an abuse, which he was certain had existed ; and give an overweaning preference to the interests of my owr\ profession. But I cannot help thinking, that under all the circumstances of the aifair, your lordships will be strongly disposed to advance this bill into a lave, as speedily as may be consistent with the order of your proceedings, and with due prudence of deliberation.'* On the third reading of the bill, which took place on the fol- lowing day. Lord Nelson expressed also his desire, that the necessary inquiries into the flagrant abuses by prize agents, might be made the subject of a separate act. His lordship at the same time owned, that there might be instances ii; which the delays of the payn^-ent of prize money resulted, not from the villainy of the agents, but from accidents not easily avoidable in the common course of human affairs, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. S6l considering, though no lawyer, and spurning the incomprehensible jargon of legal debate, that he had an undoubted right, even though redress had been perfectly unconstitutional, to shelter his opinion from disgrace, or contumely, under the universally admitted maxim, that In a free coun- try there can .be no wrong, without a remedy. Thus far, the merit and the praise of his lord- ship may be considered negative; but in the course of his speech, we shall find his opinioti expressed in the most manly stile, entitling him to the highest veneration and respect. His ob- jections to the powers intended to be -given by the bill, authorizing inquiries, at which his mind revolted, as improper, were such, as must, to the latest moment of parliamentary discussion, en- title him to veneration as a senator, and to the love of every man, who feels himself warm in the welfare of his country, and in his wishes for the prosperity of its commerce. The relaxation from the fatigues of service proved, unfortunately for his lordship, but of short duration. The turbulent and insatiably ambitious character of the French government, again dragged his lordship from his domestic re- pose, after it had continued for a period of eigh- teen months. The instant it was foreseen that hos- tilities were likely to recommence, the eyes and attention of his majesty's ministers were strongly S62 MEMOIRS OF impelled toward his lordship, as a person to whom the most interesting and important services could be confided. The former theatre of war, where he had acquired so much glory, the tranquillity of the Mediterranean, was the station on which he was destined to act, and the object he was sent to attain. To ensure the latter, it was necessary for him to keep a constant watchful eye over Toulon ; the port from whence, in a former war, that fleet had issued, which he had so gloriously annihilated. The renewal of hostilities was announced in the house of Commons on the 1 6th of May, 1 803, and in four days afterwards, having previously hoisted his flag on board the Victory, of lOp guns, his lordship proceeded to Gibraltar. Ren- dered wary by experience, and intimidated by that terror which his very name carried with it, the French armament was content to owe its safety to its continuance in port ; so that, notwith- standing every stratagem, every allurement his lordship could contrive, in the hope of drawing them from their ignoble security into fair and manly contest was had recourse to, the enemy constantly shrunk from the challenge, as though honestly sensible of their own inferiority in skill and actual strength, however nunrterically superior their force might appear. In this uninteresting state of tranquillity did the naval operations in the Mediterranean continue, during the space of \ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 363 rwelve months; and the only occurrence which then took place, that could aiFord any variety to the scene, was a skirmish of the most trivial na- ture, for it was not thought sufficiently important to render the publication of an official account of it necessary*. * This will, however, be supplied by the following de- tails, transmitted to England by private hands. Extract of a letter From an officer on board the Canopus, off Toulon, dated May 24th. ** Yesterday, in company with the Doniiegaland Amazon^ we were nearly brought to action by a very superior squa- dron of the enemy, whom Admiral Campbell had been sent out by Lord Nelson to reconnoitre. The main body of the fleet remained far out of sight of the land ; but the weather was 10 very fair, that the rear-admiral was tempted to stand in close, to get a good view of them. To the eastward of the harbour'i mouth, in which direction the road is open, on our near ap- proach it fell nearly calm, and the gun-boats immediately pulled towards us, and commenced firing, when we tacked, but at such a distance that their shot fell short. The admiral fired in return. A moderate breeze by this time sprung up, and the squadron in the harbour were soon under sail afier us, and in less than an hour consisted of five sail of the line, and three heavy frigates. • They appeared determined to make a grand push out after us. The frigates, and one of the line of battle ships, appeared to gain considerably ; and the head- most of the former, which was the same fellow that the Ama- zon chased into Hieres Bay during the winter, opened a distant teasing fire on the Donnegal, which was our sternmost ship. This was not to be borne long patiently by Sir Ri- chard Strachan, whq, watching his opportunity, luffed up, and gave a liroadsidc, which made the headmost gentry heave their sails aback, quicker than ever I saw them execute any S64 MIMOIRS OF The vigilance of his lordship did not, however, relax in consequence of the inertness of the iranceuvre. The Canopus also threw some shot at the same time, in a good direction. Although this fire was at such a distance, that I have great doubts whether any. shot took effect, yet it evidently served to check the progress of the headmost seventy-four, supposed to be the Swiftsure ; for notwithstanding she was coming up fast, and with four of her own class at her heels, instead of closing with the Donnegal, the moment she came within random shot, she rounded to, to fire her broadside, by which she lost a great deal of way, though perhaps this was her object. The sq"uadron that was now in pursuit of us, and coming up fast, was so superior as to preclude all chance of doing any thing with them. Ad- miral Campbell therefore made sail, and they continued to follow us some time, under a crowd of canvas, still keeping the advantage of sailing : but fearful of being drawn off too far, and decoyed into the jaws of the Viscount, by the time they were about five leagues from Toulon, they were recalled by their signal post from the hill, and all stood in again. This was about three quarters of an hour past three o'clock P. M. At six we saw our fleet to leeward, and joined them about half past nine. They heard the fire indistinctly, and the Leviathan was detached towards Toulon, but had not proceeded far on her way before we were perceived return- ing." An extract of a letter from on board the Canopus, Admiral Campbell's flag-ship, dated off Toulon, May 24th, says, •* As it is possible you will see in the papers an account of a slight acti6n with the French, magnified no doubt by them into a retreat of the whole JBritish fleet, I will give it you as it really was. The Canopus, the Donnegal, and a frigate, were detached from the fleet to look into Toulon, which we did yesterday morning ; and after being some hours as near the mouth of the harbour as their batteries -would allow us^ y/e were rejoiced to see them in motion, and, ere long, three IK ^^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 565 y, and their apparent fixed determination of avoiding all encounter. Their commerce was istressed, their privateers captured, and, in fine, he British flao^ waved over all parts of the Medi- terranean, and along the coasts of France itself triumphant, and unoppos^Bd* The most distm- guished enterprize, undertaken during the re- mainder of the year, was the destruction of a number of merchant vessels at la Vandour, in Hieres Bay; of udiich transaction Lord Nelson, fully impressed with his invariable practice of rendering justice to every officer he commanded, makes the following concise and handsome re- mark : — '* The importance of the service may be but little, but the determined bravery of Lieu- tenants Thompson, Parker, Lumley, and Moore, and the petty, officers, seamen, and marines, cm- ployed under them, could not be exceeded," So mortified was his lordship at his compul- sive state of inactivity, that in consequence of the line of battle ships and three frigates came out : we imme- diately tacked, in order to draw- them from the land, but went under an ensy sail j and they soon came within range of our ihot : when tliey began to fire, we were just sat down td dinner, which we took quietly, and then returned their fire, meaning to bring them to close action, though so far superior. We were however disappointed, for at this moment we per- ceived two more ships of the line and one frigate coming to their aisistance. This was too great odds, under their Owa batterks, we theieibrc were obliged to sheer off. $6f> MEMOIRS OF corporation of London having voted him thanks for the service he had rendered his country, by blockading the port of Toulon, and thereby preventing the enemy's fleet in that quarter from putting to sea, he returned the subjoined very characteristie.|P|^:er *, which embraced ** My Lord, . * ** Victory, August f, 1804. *' This day [ am honoured with your lordship's letter of April 9th, transmitting me the resolutions of the corporatioft of the city of London, thanking me, a^- commanding the Sept blockading Toulon. I do assure your lordship, that there is not that man breathing wlio 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. *• 1 beg to inform your lordship, that the port of Toulon has never been blockaded by me ; quite the reverse ; every oppor- tunity has been offered the enemy to put to sea, for it is there that we hope to realize the hopes and expectations of our coun- try ; and 1 trust that they will not be disappointed. *' Your lordship will judge of my feelings, upon seeing that all the junior flag officers of other fleets, and even some of the captains, have received the thanks of the corporation of Lon-: don, wliilst the junior flag ofiicers of the Mediterranean flset are entirely omitted. 1 own it has struck me very forcibly; for, where the information of the junior officers and captains of other fleets was obtained, the same information could have been given of the flag officers of this fleet, and the captains ; and it was my duty to state, that more able and zealous officers and captains do not grace the British navy, thai) those I have the honour and happiness to comman4. It likewise appears^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 36/ many points extremely interesting, and honour- able to his character, and at once explained the real state of the case, together wi^h his opinion of the situation and temper of the enemy. His spirited, though modest species df remonstrance to the city, in consequenC^ of their supposed neglect in not bestowing their jthanks on the officers joined with himself in command, would cause a repetition of eulogium, which British gra- titude might not, perhaps, conceive a redundancy, my lord, a most extraordinary circumstance, that Rear-admi- ral Sir Richard Bickerton should have been, as second in command in tlic Mediterranean fleet, twice passed over by the corporation of London : once after the Egyptian expedition, when the first and third in command were thanked, and now again: consciousnessofhighdesert, instead of neglect, made the rear-admiral resolve to let the matter rest until he could have an opportunity personally to call upon the lord mayor to ac- count for such an extraordinary omission ; but from this second omission, I owe It to that excellent officer, not to pass it by ; and I do assure your lordship, that the constant, zealous, and cordial support I have had in my command from both Rear- admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, and Rear-admiral Campbell, has been such as calls forth all my thanks and admiration. We have shared together the constant attention of being more than fourteen months at sea, and are ready to share the dangers and glory of a day of battle. Therefore it is impossible that I can ever allow myself to be separated in thanks from such fup- porters. I have the honour to remain, with the very highest respect, your lordship's most faithful and obedient servant, ** Nelson and Bronte." " To the Right Hon, the Lord Mayor." 36s MEMOIRS Of but which becomes unnecessary, because the act itself was so truly great, as to render it unnecessary that the merit of it should be pointed out. During the remainder of the year* every thing continued in the same passive state. The month of January, howev^^r, appeared to promise a renewal of mofe active scenes. Spain had entered herself as an ally in the dispute, and the ports of that coun- try claim.ed equal attention on the part of his lordship with those of France. The fleet which had so long been in a state of cornplete equip- ment at Toulon, anxiously watching for the first apparently safe opportunity of putting to sea, pushed out of the harbour on the 15th of January, it^ force consisting of eleven ships of the line * In the Naval Chronicle, vol. xii. p. 494. the following anecdote is given of his lordship, which reflects far too much credit on him to be omitted. •* On the nth of September, a seaman of the Victory, of 110 guns. Lord Nelson's flag-ship, fell from the forecastle into the sea : on hearing the cry of a man overboard, Mr. Edward Flin, a volunteer, jumped from the quarter-deck after him, and had the good fortune to save the man, notwith- standing the extreme darkness of the night, and the ship at the time being under sail. The next morning Lord Nelson sent for Mr. Flin, and presented him with a lieutenant's commission, appointing hini to the Bittern sloop of war j and at the sam.e time said, he would strongly recommend him to the lords of the admiralty ; in consequence of which, their lordships have confirmed him in that appoinfment." LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 369 and two frigates. Current report had assigned Eg) pr as the most probable place of its destina- tion ; and Lord Nelson, who, according to his wonted custom, though out of sight of Toulon, in continuance of the system of decoy, which he had so long pursued without success, was, never- theless, at no great distance from it; he was there- fore quickly informed, that the temerity of Ville- neuve, or positive orders sent to him for that pur- pose, had at length induced him to quit port ; and the British squadron, whose force was not superior to that of the enemy, instantly shaped its cqurse to the much wished for scene of future encounter. Villeneuve, however, and those under whose orders he acted, had far different views, than the renewal of an expedition to Egypt. His lordship pursued him in vain. He traversed the Mediterranean with- out effect, and the force under his orders being unfortunately mistaken in various places, parti- cularly on the coast of Sicily and Egypt, for that of France, the inhabitants of those countries felt their fears alarmed to the utmost, dreading a renewal of the same ravages from their new visi- tors, which their conduct, on preceding occa- sions, taught them so much to apprehend. The armament of France having encountered a storm, not long after it quitted port, returned back to Toulon; while his lordship, deceived by the reports and f^lse intelligence that had B B 570 MEMOIRS OF been 'conveyed to him, pursued his fruitless search. On the 3.0th of March Villeneuve again put to sea ; and finding, on his arrival off Cartha- gena, that the Spanish ships in that port were not in a state of equipment sufficiently forward to join him immediately. Tie pursued his voyage fo Cadiz, off which port he an-jved on the 9th of April *; and being reinforced by the Aigle, of 74 guns, a French ship of war, with six others be- longing to Spain, under the orders of Admiral Gravina, he proceeded, without a m6mcnt's loss of time, to the West Indies. The escape of so considerable a force as that of the combined squadrons had now become, ex- cited the highest emotion and anxiety in England ^ an anxiety not a little increased by the in- formation received, that the enemy's ships had a land force embarked on board them, amount- ing to upwards of ten thousand men. Doubt and surmise served but to increase apprehension, and in the beginning of the month of May, the latter was considerably heightened in England, on its being discovered that they had proceeded to the West Indies. His lordship, in the interim, was waiting with the utmost impatience for the ar- rival of the enemy in the Sicilian seas : his usual * Sij- John Orde, who was stationed off that port, with a squadron of five ships of the line, retiring on his approach, unitiolested, and unpursued* LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 371 good fortune appeared at length to have forsaken him ; for though he had been a long time baffled in his former pursuit to the same shores, yet suc- ces had ultimately crowned his wishes; but in the pesent instance, .Providence appeared to have placed it beyond his reach. The middle of April arrived ere he received any information that he could depend on, either of the enemy's return into port, or of their subsequent movements ; not an instant was lost, in the endeavour to trace the track of their flight ; and having found they no longer existed in the Mediterranean sea, he pur- sued his course to the Straits of Gibraltar, and ar- rived at Tetuan early in the month of May. The additional intelligence he received at that place, and on his passage thither, confirmed his opinion, that the combined squadrons of the enemy were proceeding to the West Indies; and notwithstand- ing the inferiority of his force, and various other plausible objections that might have been started by an Officer less warm in the cause of his coun- trv than himself, he hesitated not a moment in determining to pursue them, not only thither, but to any other, even the most distant quarter of the world, whither they might direct their flight, or where they might attempt to carry on their mer- ciless depredations. The- genius of the British colonies appears on this occasion to have been peculiarly active, in aflfording that limited pro- B B 2 572 MEMOIS.S OF tection which Providence permitted her to extend to the countries over which she watched. No other line of conduct could possibly have pre- served them from ruin ; and the adoption of such a measure was such, that few, very few, even of the bravest men, would have considered it proper for them to pursue. To attack, even at the most unequal odds, an enemy supposed to have a great and particular object in view, is an act of gallantry most highly praise- worthy s and had his lordship, with his squadron of ten sail of the line only, fallen in with the combined force of France and Spain, amounting, as it did, to eighteen, either in the Mediterranean sea, the Straits of Gibraltar, or any where in the vicinity to the westward of them. ; had he engaged them, and without cap- turing a single ship, crippled so great a part as to have arrested their further progress, the act might have vied with any that occurs in the naval his- tory of Britain ; but on the present occasion, and on his present conduct, the mind feels itself com- pelled merely to contemplate the tribute of ap- plause it wishes to pay, owing to the want of terms sufficiently expressive of its truly grateful feelings. No man, perhaps, who ever bore the charac- ter of an officer, ever took on himself so heavy a responsibility ; had he been deceived in his infor- uiation, had he been impeded in his voyage by LORD VISCOUNT NtLSON. 373 any of those accidents to which navigation is subject ; had he experienced any of those disasters, which no prudence could foresee, nor any atten- tion could prevent ; what would have been the outcry, the clamour that would have b^n raised against him ? He would have been stigmatized in the most opprobrious terms, for his folly, his frenzy, and his disobedience, in not centinuing in a station where he was placed by the orders of those, whom it was his duty implicitly to obey ; all his former laurels would have been blasted by the envenomed tongue of malice, and he himself would have passed through the shat- tered remains of a painful life, with a constitu- tion w^orn out in the service of his country, neg- lected and forgotten, even by those, who owed him the highest tribute. This would have been the slightest punishment he would have felt. It is unnecessary to enlarge further on so hateful a subject. JUet us view, with this prospect before his eyes, what his conduct was: conscious of his own integrity, he des^sed to entertain appre- hensions of incurring censure in the event ot the most calamitous circumstance that could occur ; and thus did he,with all the fervent zeal of pursuit^ nobly trample on the cold system of prudential caution. Ingratitude, however, is a national crime too frec^uently committed s i^nd the man 574' MEMOIRS OF who is firm enough to despise it, displays a cha- racter endued with a pecuhar and undescribafcle quality, superior to heroism itself. His lordship having determined on the mea- sure, lost no time in carrying it into execution ; and his activity rendered it incalculably valuable. He remained in Tetuan Bay no longer than wa§ merely sufficient to enable his ships to recruit their water, and take on board such articles as were of the first necessity, that they might be en- abled to pursue their voyage without endanger- ing the lives, or the healths of their crews. He pro- ceeded immediately to Lagos Bay, where, as if fortune specially favoured him, he found several transports and store-ships, which had been in company with Sir John Orde, when that officer retired with his squadron from before Cadiz, oq the approach of Villeneuve and his fleet. Here the most pressing wants of the different ships in respect to stores and provisions were still further relieved ; and his lordship having received ad- ditional confirmation of the reports already trans- mitted to him, in respect of the course steered by the combined squadrons, finally put to sea in pursuit of them on the n th of May. His passage was by no means unpropitious, and on the 4th of June he came to an anchor in Car- lisle Bay, off Barbadoes, without having experi- enced any sinister accident during his voyagCo LOKD VISCOUNT NELSON. 375 lo a people dispirited and alarmed, as the in- iblt;ants of that island were, on receiving infor* tation of the very formidable force belonging to ffbfi enemy v^hich had arrived at Martinique on the 14th of the preceding month, the sight of the British squadron operated as a gift bestowed on them by Heaven, for their deliverance from cer- tain ruins for though the timid might express their fears, that an attack made by ten ships of the line on a squadron consisting of eighteen, re- cently equipped, and fresh out of port, would be an act exposing • them, not only to imminent peril, but to absolute destruction ; yet those who had weighed well the character of his lord&hip, together with that of the officers and men serving under his orders, and knew how to appreciate their value fairly, felt no such terrors. Although the fleet of France had reached Martinique near- ly three weeks before the arrival of his lordship, it had never yet attempted any further act of hostility, than the attack of the Diamond Rock : it was known, however, that the Spanish division, un3er admiral Gravina, had separated from Vil- leneuve, and was supposed to Bave proceeded on a secret expedition ; report had selected the island of Trinidad as the devoted place of attack. His lordship, whose fleet, after his arrival at Barba- dpes, had been reinforced by a junction with Rea£-admiral Cochrane and two ships of the line. S76 MEMOIRS OF lost not a moment in making the best arrange- ments in his power for dispossessing the invad- ing enemy. Twenty-four hours only were con- sumed in watering the fleet, and in taking on board a body of land troops under the orders of Sir Wm. Myers, amounting to two thousand men. On the 5th of June his lordship quitted Barba- does, and shaped his course to the southward y on the 7th he arrived oft Trinidad, where he found a repetition of his former disappointments still pur- suing him, and that the report of the attack was equally unfounded with those which had so per- plexed, and harassed him previous to his quitting the Mediterranean. The terror of the inhabitants was violent in the extreme j they considered their visitors as the enemies whom they so much dreaded; and so strong was the delusion in which they were held, that every exertion made by his lordship, to convince them, by signals, of his identity, was unable to effect that purpose, and prevent the troops, posted in an advanced fort, from blowing up the works, and retreating to the capital. As it wa? now evident that nothing had been at- tempted to tl^e southward, his lordship quitted Trinidad on the 8th, and having arrived off Grenada on the following day, received informa- tion that the combined squadrons, consisting of seventeen sail of the line, had quitted Martinique LORD VISCOUNT N^LSOK. 377 that very morning, and pursued a northerly course. It immediately occurred to his lordship, that tl^ fury of this formidable fleet was destined to fall upon" Antigua, for he was as yet unacquaint- ed with the French admlrars being aware of his arrival ; nor, had he been informed of that cir- cumstance, would his modesty perhaps have allowed him to suppose, that the fleet of an enemy, purposely fitted out for a particular ex- pedition, and nearly doubling his own force, could be induced from the knowledge of what his active mind had effected, and the apprehen- sion of what it might in future contrive, to quit its object, and absolutely seek its safety by flight, and return to Europe. On his reaching Antigua, he found his expec- tations of encountering the enemy there, still dis- appointed ; but though his patience was tired, his hopes were not extinguished : it was now reduced to a certainty, that fearing to contest the domi- nion of those seas, they were absolutely on their return homeward : his lordship, with the utn^ost expedition, landed those troops he had taken on board for the purpose of supporting any islands which might have been attacked, and prepared, with all his accustomed alacrity, to pursue them, consoling himself with the pleasing idea of being even yet enabled to over.fake them, when on their passage. 378 . MEMOIRS OF In the midst, however, of the hurry and confu- sion, which might have been naturally expected to prevail, while such rapid movements were adopting, the coolness and circumspection of his lordship never failed liim for an instant. On the 13th of June he dispatched Captain Bettes- worth^ in the Curieux sloop of war, to England, with information of the movements made by the enemy, together with his own operations, and the measures adopted to overtake them. That no means whatever might be left untried to apprize the squa- drons employed in watching the different ports of France and Spain, that the enemy approached, his lordship dispatched Captain Rutherford in the Decade frigate, on the 15th, to Lisbon, with in- structions to order any light vessels be might find there, to sail immediately for the purpose of effectually spreading the alarm, and to proceed afterwards in the same line of service herself; the Martin sloop was almost on the same moment with the Decade, sent off, on a similar errand, to Gibraltar. The expectation of Britain had, perhaps, never been raised to an higher pitch ; but the genius of disappointment appeared to have not even yet sated her malice, in counteracting the operations of the pursuers. His lordship reached Gibraltar on the 19th of July, after having traversed the space of ocean stretched between Europe and Americi; LORD VISCOUNT NJELSONT, 379 vHthin a pefiod almost incredibly short; for it will be found, that from th^ day he quitted Te- tuan Bay, to proceed through the Straits, to that of his return to Gibraltar, after having made a regu- lar tour of the Leeward West Indian Islands, in- cluding all the time unavoidably consumed in tak- ing on board stores and provisions, embarking and re-embarking troops, together with that ne- cessarily wasted in the pursuit of false intelli- gence, or in waiting for such as might be deemed authentic, includes a period of seventy-eight days only. This display of activity was certainly un- paralleled. The necessities of the fleet imperi- ously requiring a recruit both of water and pro- visions, his lordship once more repaired to his original place of departure, Tetuan Bay, where fie anchored on the 22d. Having used every possi- ble expeditiori to supply those wants which press- ed on him most grievously -, he again put to sea on the 26th, and repassed the Straits, in the }iope of meeting the long expected fugitives off Cape St. Vincent ; or, failing in that, by pursuing a northerly course, falling in with them in some higher latitude.* Here again were the expecta- * The force under his lordship at this time amounted to eleven ships of the line, and two frigates ; the Victory, of ' |00 guns ; the Canopus, Donnega!, and Tigre, of 80 ; the Supcrbe, Spencer, Spartiate, Belleisle, Conqueror, Leviathan^ sind Swiftaure, of 74 5 Amazon and Amphion frigates: all 380 MEMOIRS OF tions of this indefatigable man still frustrated; he approached the port of Cadiz on the 27th, near enough to ascertain they had not as yet sought refuge there. He immediately steered for Cape St, Vincent; he traversed the Bay of Bis- cay ; but the enemy still remained invisible to him. As the last source of disappointed hope, he pursued his northerly course to the North-West of Ireland ; still they appeared not ; and his lord- ship considering it useless to attempt following them farther, w^hile such an uncertainty prevailed as to the destination or present station of the ene- my, adopted, to the last moment, every measure that prudence could suggest to him, as likely to become serviceable to his country. He detached nine ships of his squadron to reinforce Admiral Cornwallis, who commanded off Brest, under the idea of its being possible that the; enemy, shaping their course .to the northward, and keeping close along shore, might approach Brest, and, aided by a diversion made on the part of the French fleet, which had so long been blockaded in that port, attempt, by placing Admiral Cornwallis between two fires, to facilitate either the escape of the latter, or, at least, their own junction with it, as a reinforcement. the ships of the line had been round with him to the West In^ dies, the Spa-.tiate excepted, which latter he had brought from thence as a small reinforcement to his original strength, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 381 His Lordship himself, in the Victory, accom- panied by the Superbe, of 74 guns, came into t*ortsmouth, where he arrived on the i8th of Au- gust ; and notwithstanding the great length of his voyage, the sudden change of climates, so de- structive to the health of mankind, which his people had experienced, and the additional cir- cumstance of his fleet having visited the identical spots in the universe from whence the importation of a malignant distemper was most to be ex- pected; such was the healthy condition of the crews of both ships, that they were immediate- ly released, without a demur, on the receipt of his lordship's report respecting the existence of this fact. Among the various requisites necessary to form a perfect naval officer, particularly one invested ; with a chief command, no one perhaps can be found more valuable than that which has been just mentioned. History furnishes a variety of in- stances, in which the most formidable enterprizes have been overthrown, merely by a neglect of this so necessary duty ; but it was not in the day of battle only, that the talents and abilities of his lordship were particularly distinguishable -, they shone forth unclouded and undiminished in every action of his life; but the world was ac-- quainted only with the more splendid class of his deeds, and the generality of mankind knew S82 MEMOIRS OF not half his worth, or half his value- Nothing id short escaped him ; even those minutiae of the service^ which some persons, who have lived to acquire elevated characters, have affected, very strangely, to treat below their attention, w^ere re- garded by him with aa active as penetrating a mind and eye, as those which are considered among the most serious, and important duties. An anecdote is related of him, which places his character, in this respect, in so strong a point of view, as to render it unnecessary to apologize for the digression. When a private captain, his ship, which had been detached from the fleet on some particular service, rejoined the fleet, need- ing: no inconsiderable refitment and recruit of stores, as well as provisions, ere it could be again pronounced in a fit condition to put to sea. The commander in chief, after having received the report, is said to have taken his barge, and pro- ceeding to the ship in question, hailed her, and inquiring for Captain Nelson, told him he should expect his ship to be ready by day-light the ensuing morning. In the ordinary routine of service, many days, at least, would have been necessary for the purpose of re-equipment. Captain Nel- son was struck with the magnitude of the task imposed on him, and answered, without giving himself time to recollect, '' that it was impossi- ble." His superior oflicer, with rather unwar- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 383 ranted peevishness, replied, " I dont care for that, I'll have it done." Captain Nelson put an end to the conversation, by answering with the greatest spirit, and still more laconically, ^^ then it shall be done," and quitted the stern gallery without adding another word.. To return, however, to the transactions of his lordship'slife. On the 20th of August he reached London, and had the satisfaction of experiencing that kind of reception from all ranks of people, which very rarely attends the want of success. Such is the frailty, the intemperance, or perhaps the natural depravity of human nature, that the disappointed man, instead of meeting with thai consolation and comfort which would tend to alleviate his misfortune, seldom fails to be treated at least with neglect, if not with insult. His lord- ship, however, stood as a singular exception to this general rule ; his recent exertions appeared to raise him in the minds even of those who were not benefitted by them, to an higher pinna- cle of fame and renow^n than he had before reached j and the general congratulation shewed that the public mind not only sympathized with him in his disappointment, but that the energies which he had displayed in the hope of acquiring victory, entitled him to an equal share of fame with any he could have derived from the most perfect and unalloyed success. Almost instantaneously on his arrival, and while 384 MEIV^OIRS OF the situation, as well as tlie intention of the enemy^ appeared uncertain, the command of an arma- mentj intended to oppose them, in tvhatever quar- ter of the world rhey should appear, was offered to bis lordship: a few days dispelled the mist which enveloped the conduct of the enemy, and decided the point of his future destination. After the encounter off Cape Finisterre, the worsted squad- rons of the enemy took shelter in, Ferrol, not only for the purpose of procuring the refitment they wanted, but also of forming a junction with a considerable reinforcement of ships which lay ready for sea in that port. On the 13th of Au- gust, the enemy having accomphshed their neces- sary objects, were discovered by a British frigate stationed to watch that port, in the act of putting to sea, and amounting, notwithstanding their dis- comfiture, and the number of their ships disabled in the late encounter, to at least twenty-seven ships of the line, with eight attendant frigates, or smaller vessels. No doubt was now entertained as to the future scene of probable contest. The squadron already employed on the station was commanded by Vice-Admiral Collingwood ; but its force was, comparatively speaking, so extreme- ly trivial, that the utmost fears would most proba- bly have been entertained for its safety, had not Britain rested satisfied that the diligence and gene- ral abilities of the commander were fully adequate to supply the place of numbers. Not only the LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 3S5 government itself, but the people, as if with one accord, turned their eyes on Lord Nelson, as the person selected, as if byProvidcnce herself, to anni- hilate, for the fourth time, the gigantic efforts of a desperate and enraged foe. The public suf- frage elected him to the fatal honour, and his lordship, enfeebled as he was by fatigue, had too much patriotism to decline complying with its wishes.* Reinforcements from various quarters were ra« pidlyjdispatched to join Admiral Collingwood,and prevent, if possible, the entrance of the enemy into their much desired port ; they reached him not, however, in sufficient time to effect that pur- pose, and the strongest exertions were unremit- tingly made in the ports of Britain to fit out different ships, in particular, to refit the Vic- tory, which was again destined to bear, unhap- pily for the last time, the victorious flag of Lord Nelson. Pending this preparation every tribute * It IS reported of him, we know not with what truth, but it is extremely probable that it is a fact, that he said to hit friend. Admiral Stirling, just before he went upon the ser- vice which has terminated so hononrably for himself, but so lamentably for his country, *' My health is so bad, that I ought to retire, but as my generous countrymen seem to think I could do something if I were to meet the enemy, I feel it to be a duty to do what I can : I shall therefore go, and hope I shall be able to meet and conquer them, and X shall think my life gloriously sacrificed in such a cause," C C 385 MEMOIRS Or of applause his grateful countrymen could render to his conduct, was liberally offered ; nor was that tribute confined to the wild effusions of the po- pulace, but persons of the highest rank bore their part also, in augmenting, if possible, the value, as they certainly did the extent, of the honour. On the aSth of August, a deputation from the West-India merchants, planters, and other per- sons connected with those islands, which his lord* ship had so lately preserved from the fangs of a rapacious enemy, waited on him with an address of thanks, for the perseverance and vigour which he had displayed in the protection of those valu- able possessions. The answer returned by his lordship was dignified and appropriate ; perfectly- consonant to the greatness of his character, and the patriotism of his mind. After thanking them, in the most polite and modest terms, for the honour they had done him ; he added, '* that disappoint- ed as he was, by the late escape which the enemy had effected from him, he was perfectly ready to take upon him any duty his sovereign might think proper to command, or the interests of his coun- try appear to require." He concluded by saying, ^ "I beg leave to express to you, and the commit- | tee of West-India merchants, the great satisfac- f tion I fcel in their approbation of my conduct. It was, I conceived, perfectly clear, that the com- bined squadrons were gone to the West Indies, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 387 therefore it became my duty to follow thein* But I assure you, from the state of defence in which our large Islands are placed, with the num- ber of regular troops, a numerous, well-disci- plined, and zealous militia, I was confident not any troops which their combined squadrons could carry, would make an impression upon any of our large islands before a very superior force would arrive for their relief/' Early in the month of September, positive In- formation having been received in England, that the combined fleet, with the reinforcement it had experienced, had effected their entrance into Ca- diz on the 2 1 St of August; the exertions of Britain were, if possible, redoubled, to augment the force already stationed off that port ; the inferiority of which was such, that it might be said to have been employed rather in watching the motions of the enemy, than in preventing their putting to sea. Early in the month of September the Victory was completely refitted, and on the 13th dropped down to St. Helens, that she might be ready to sail the instant his lordship might arrive. The confer- ences with the admiralty board, as to the future plan of operations, and other necessary arrange- ments, occupied the whole of his lordship's time previous to his quieting London: on the 14th be reached Portsmouth ; and although five ships of the line and a frigate, then in that port, were un- der orders to join him, yet as they were not coni- c c 3, 388 MEMOIRS OF pletely ready, he resolved not to lose a moment's time in waiting for them, bQt put to sea on the following day, accompanied by the pAiryalus fri- gate only. When off Plymouth, on the 17th, he was joined by the Ajax and the Thunderer of 74 guns each, and from thence finally proceeded with all expedition towards the dreadful scene of his future glory. As the nature of the service, on which his lord- ship was employed, was, perhaps, more import- ant, considering all its circumstances, than any that had ever before occurred in the naval history of Britain; so were the powers, and the extent of command entrusted to him, greater, perhaps, than had ever before been confided to any naval commander whatever. Of the prudence and the activity which pervaded his lordship's conduct, tbe proofs had been innumerable; and the know- ledge of his possessing those valuable qualifica- tions, procured the most unlimited confidence to be reposed in him. He was fully empowered to use his own discretion on all occasions, and follow the enemy even to the most distant quarter of the world, v.ithout being, on that account, subject to the slightest blame, or reprehension. On his arrival off Cadiz, he found his antago*^ nists, though still in port, most actively employed in the refitment of their sliips; which bore every appearauce,as far as could be collected from obser- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 38^ vation, or intelligence, of being very nearly ready for sea; the idea of a blockade he totally dis- approved of; he was confident, that it was the intention of the enemy to push for the Medi- terranean, for the purpose of collecting together in one body all the naval force possessed by France and Spain in that quarter, and forming an immense armament, in the hope of overpowering any opposition that could be made to it by Bri^ tain. This project, however it might ultimately fail, would, if carried into effect, have proved ex- tremely injurious he interests of Britain ; and the system of blockade would, on account of the extensive farce necessary to be employed, have proved little less riiinous, if required to be ex- tended to any great length of time. His lordship, therefore, again had recourse to stratagem, in the hope of drawing the enemy once more from their lurking place of security. A frigate was constant- ly stationed off the harbour of Cadiz, for the pur- pose of communicating, at a moment's warning, any motion she might perceive among the ships of the enemy : at a more remote distance, but jBtill within sight of the port, a detachment of several ships of the line was placed in con- ,«tant readiness to act, against any single ships, or small squadrons, that might attempt to push to sea, in the hope of eluding the vigilance and observation, of their naval besiegers. Between the detachment just . mentioned, and the main I 3gO MEMOIRS OF body of the fleet, with which his lordship re- mained off Cape St, Mary's, a hne of frigates was posted, sufficiently close to each other, so that they could communicate by signal ; and by these, ineans, his lordship become acquainted with any movement, or change of position made by thfe enemy, in a few minutes after it had__ taken place. On the other hand, the British fleet, as well in regard to its numbers, as its movements, was completely concealed from the view of their antagonists. Lord Nelson, about the middle of October, received advice, that by the unremitting assiduity of the admiralty board, a squadron, con- sisting of seven ships of the line, was on its way from England, as an additional reinforcement; and woijld, to a certainty, join him in one, or two days. Under these circumstances, he hesitated not to detach Rear-admiral "Louis with a fourth part of the force then actually under his com- mand, and executed the measure so publickly and openly, that his allied foes became perfect- ly well acquainted with it; hoping, that the defal- cation of his strength might inspire the enemy with confidence in their own superiority. The -event completely answered his expectation : Yil- lencuve put to sea from Cadiz on the 19th ; a circumstance that gave birth to the greatest eyent, that ever ye.t graced the annals of Britain. The most laboured narrative would but de- grade its importance ; it rests, like the diamond^ I LORD VISCOUNT KELSON. 391 lely on its native brilliancy, and needs not the echanical aid of literary labour to enhance, or mbellish it. Let then that narrative speak for itself. '' Euryalus, off Cape Trafalgar, " SIR, October, 22, 1805. '' The ever to be lamented death of Vice- Admi- ral Lord Viscount Nelson, v^^ho, in the late con- flict with the enemy, fell in the hour of victory, leaves to me the duty of informing my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on the 1 9th instant it w^as communicated to the Commander in Chief from the ships w^atching the motions of the enemy in Cadiz, that the combined fleets had put to seaj as they sailed with light winds Vv-est- crly, his Lordship concluded their destination was the Mediterranean, and immediately made all sail for the Straits* entrance, with the British squadron, consisting of twenty-seven ships, three of them sixty-fours ; where his Lordship was in- formed by Captain Blackwood, (whose vigilance in watching and giving notice of the enemy's movements, has been highly meritorious,) that they had not yet passed the Straits. On Monday the 21st instant, at day-light, when Cape Trafalgar bore E. by S. about seven leagues, the enemy was discovered six or seven miles to the eastward, the wind about west, and very light. The Commander in Chief immediately made the signal for the fleet to bear up in two 39^ MEMOIRS OF columns, as they formed in the order of sailing ; a mode of attack his lordship had previously directed^, to avoid the inconvenience and delay * The same grand energy of miad, so strongly discernible in every act of his lordship's life, never shone forth with greater brilliancy than in the arrangements he made, and the orders he issued, preparatory to the great impending contest. The tenor of those orders, incontrovertibly strengthens the opinion we have already promulged, that his lordship was the first man, 'whose abilities soaring far above the common trammels of prejudice, rendered the system of naval encounter an absolute science. This, we believe, was never before at- tempted by any of the greatest naval characters that have preceded him. It remained for Lord Nelson to form an indissoluble union between gallantry and ability j an union, which Britain may hail as the source of future victories ; and lo which she may resort, on all sabsequeiit occasions,' to pre- serve her from the assaults of any congregated foe that may- attempt to oppress her. Memorandum. " Victory, off Cadiz, Oct, lo, 1805. *' Thinking it almost impossible to bring a fleet of forty sail of |he line into battle, in variable winds, thick weather, and other circumstances which must occur, without such a loss of time, that the opportunity would probably be lost, of "bringing the enemy to battle, in such a manner as to make the business decisive, I have therefore made up my mind, to keep the fleet in that position of sailing, with the exception of the Bfst and second in command, that the oi:der of sailing is to he the order of the battle ; placing the fleet in two lines, of sixteen ihips each, with an advanced squadron of eight of the fastest sailing two-decked ships, which will always make, if wanted, a line of twenty-four sail, on which ever line the commander in chief may direct. The second in command will, aftet my LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 5i}3, in forming a line of battle in the usual manned. The enemy's line consisted of thirty-three ships, intentions are made known to him, have the entire direcdon of his line, to make the attack upon the enemy, and to follow up the blow, until they are captured or destroyed. If the enemy's fleet are seen to windward in line of battle, and that the two lines and advanced squadron could fetch them, they will probably be so extended, that their van could not succour their rear. I should therefore, probably, make the second in command's signal to lead through about the twelfth ship fron» their rear, or wherever he could fetch, if not able to get so far advanced ; my line would lead through about their centre, and the advanced squadron two, three, or four ships a-head of their centre, so as to ensure getting at their commander in chief, whom every effort must be made to capture. The whole impression of the British fleet must be to overpower from two or three ships a-head of their commander in chief, supposed to be their centre, to the rear of their fleet. I will suppose twenty sail of the line to be untouched, it must be some time before they could perform a manoeuvre to bring their force compact to attack any part of the British fleet, ox succour their own ships, which indeed would be impossible, without mixing with the ships engaged. The enemy's fleet is supposed to consist of forty- six sail of the line, British forty ; if either .is less, only a proportion of the enemy to be cut off; British to be one fourth superior to the enemy cut off; something must be left to chance. Nothing is sure in a sea-fight beyond ?.ll others ; shots will carry away masts and yards of friends as well as foes ; but I look with confi- dence to a victory before the van of the enemy could succour their rear ; and then, that the British fleet would be ready to receive the twenty sail of the line, or to pursue them, should thty endeavour to make ofl^ If the van of the enemy tacks, the captured ships must run to leeward of the British fleet. If the enemy wear, the British fleet must place themselves between the enemy and the captured^ and disabled British 59^ MEMOIRS O? (of which eighteen were French and fifteen Spanish), commanded in chief bv Admiral Ville- shlps; and should the enemy close, I have no fear as to the result. Th^ second in command will, in all passible things, direct the movenuius of his line, by keeping them as com- pact as the nature of th« circumstances will admit. Captains are to look to their particular line as their rallying point ; but in ease signals cannot be seen, or clearly understood, KO CAPTAIN CAN DO WRONG IF HE PLACES HIS SHIP AL0KG5JDE THAT OF AU EWEMY. p.., r^^dvanced squadron - 8 British I ,TT 1 r - r j^. . . -{VV cat her line - - j6 IJiVisions f r r /: tLee line - - - ib Enemy - - 46 ^ ** The Divisions of the British Sect will be brouo»ht nearly •wrlthin gun-shot of the enemy's centre; the signal will most probably th6n be made for the lee line to bear up together, to set all their sails, even their steering sails, in order to get as quickly as possible to the enemy's line, and to cut through, beginning at the twelfrh ship from the enemy's tear. Some ships may not get through their expected place, but they will always be at hand to assist their . friends. If any are thrown iri the rear cf the enemy, they will complete the business of twelve sail cfthe enemy. Should the enemy wear together, or bear up and sail large, still the twelve ships, composing in' the first position the enemy's rear, are to be the object of atiack of the lee line, unless otherwise directed by the com- mander in chief, which is scarcely to be expected, as the entire management of tlie lee line, after the intentions of ti e commander in chief are signified, is intended to be left to the adiiiiral commanding that line. The icmainder of the enemy's fleet, ihirty-five sail of the line, are to be left to the management of the commander in chief, who will endeavoui' to take care, that the movements of the second in command' arc as liLiIe intejirupted as possible. *' Nelson and Bronte." ^^^ll/ •«^^ ^^ '^t^ ^ ^'5 ^ .f .^^ i tf ^ K i-^ >\s^*^^ if I- 4 4^ :«r ^=?f- 1 4r^ * 85 •H P3 jS O 'I s ^ s .'^^ s^f 1^ ^. I .^ . ^44 ^ * ^ ^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 395 ncuve. The Spaniards, under the direction of Gravina, wore, whh their heads to the northward, and formed their line of battle with great close- ness and correctness ; but as the mode of attack was unusual, so the structure of their line was new ; it formed a crescent; convexing to leeward ; so that, in leading down to their centre, I had both the van and rear abaft the beam. Before the fire opened, every alternate ship was about a cable's length to windward of her second a- head and a-stern, forming a kind of double line, and appeared, when on their beam, to leave a very little interval between them j and this with- out crowding their ships. Admiral Viileneuve was in the Bucentaure, in the centre, and the Prince of Asturias, bore Gravina's flag in the rear; but the French and Spanish ships were mixed, without any apparent regard to order of national squadron. As the mode of our attack had been previously determined on, and com- municated to the fiag-officers and captains, few signals were necessary, and none were made ex- cept to direct close order as the lines bore down. The Commander in Chief in the Victory led the weather column, and the Royal Sovereign, which "bore my flag, the lee. The action began at twelve o'clock, by the leading ships of the columns breaking throup^h the enemy's line, the Commander in Chief about the tenth ship from the van, the second in com- sgG MEMOIRS or mand about the twelfth from the rear, leaving the van of the enemy unoccupied ; the succeeding ships breaking through in all parts a-stern of their leaders, and engaging the enemy at the muzzles of their guns. The conflict was severe ; the enemy's ships were fought with a gallantry highly honourable to their officers : but the at- tack on them was irresistible ; and it pleased the Almighty Disposer of all events to grant his Majesty's arms a complete and glorious victory. About three P. IM. , many of the enemy's ships having struck their colours, their line gave way. Admiral Gravina, with ten ships, joining their iriy the professional knowledge of Admiral Macbride, and, during the war with America, experienced frequent opportuni- ties of reducing to practice what he had before studied theoreti- cally, having been engaged in several brilliant actions. After having served under various commanders, he was appointed signal midshipman on board the Royal Charlotte, the flag- ship of Lord Howe, at the time of the Spanish armament, and was by him promoted to the rank of lieutenant.. In the action of the 2d of June, 1794, he was first lieutenant of the Invin- cible of 74 guns, and on the return of the fleet to Portsmouth was made master and commander, and appointed to the Msegepa fire-ship, from which ' he was after-wards advanced to be acting captain of the Brilliant, of 28 guns. In this ship he distinguished himself by his gallant conduct in an en- counter with two French frigates of superior f^rce, each of them mounting 44 guns, which he engaged with so much success as to compel his enemies to desist from their attack. As a reward for his conduct on the preceding occasion, he was raised to the rank of post captain, in the year 1795:, and commissioned to the Penelope, a frigate on service in the Mediterranean, in which he continued for some time. Being srationed by Lord Nelson off Malta, his zeal and assiduity were displayed in the highest degree. By his" exertion and gallant perseverance, le Guillaume Tell, which had escaped fiom the battle of Aboukir, and taken shelter in Malta, from ^hich post she attempted to elude the watchful vigilance of LORD VlSCOtTNT i^ILSON. 4dl tion. After the action I shifted my flag to her> that I might more easily communicate my orders to, and collect the ships, and towed the Royal tlie British commanders, was arrested in her course, and not- withstanding her manifest superiority, was attacked by the Penelope so advantageously, that it may not be too much to say, he was at least the primary instrument of her capture. He afterwards served with equal credit to himself and benefit to his country under Lord Keith, on the coast of Egypt. In the year 1 799, he sailed with d. Convoy to the West Indies, and in February iSoo, took a Spanish zebec, mounting 18 guns, off Malaga. In the year 1803 he was appointed to the com- mand of the Euryalus, in which frigate he accompanied Lord Nelson from Portsmouth to the late scene of glory off Cape Trafalgar. In this action he had his full share of duty, so far as his station in a frigate permitted, and he acq^uitted himself with a gallantry that called forth the highest approbation of his deceased commander in chief, Lord Nelson, and his succes- sor. Lord Collingwood. On the Royal Sovereign being dis- xnastedythe latter hoisted his flag on board the Euryalus, which took her in tow, and assisted her to heave her head round, by which means she gave the Santa Anna, her opponent, a broadside, that drove her side almost in. During the heat of the action Captain Blackwood rowed down in his own boat between the two contending fleets in order to learn the situ- ation of Lord Nelson, and is said to have got on board the Victory through one of the ports, at the time she was engaged with the Santissima Trinidada : nor were his services discon- tinued with the engagement, he being appointed to carry on the communication which took place between the British Ad- miral, and the Governor of Cadiz,relative to the distribution of the prisoners and wounded men. In that employment he fully justified the trust confided to him, and gained not only the approbation of hb country, but the esteem of the enemy* P D 402 MEMOIRS OF Sovereign out to seaward. The whole fleet were now in a very perilous situation ; many dismast- ed 'y all shattered -, in thirteen fathom water, off the shoals of Trafalgar ; and when I made the signal to prepare to anchor, few of the ships had an anchor to let go, their cables being shot ; but the same good Providence which aided us through such a day, preserved us in the night, by the wind shifting a few points, and drifting the ships off the land, except four of the cap- tured dismasted ships, which are now at anchor off Trafalgar, and I hope will ride safe until those gales are over. " Having thus detailed the proceedings of the fleet on this occasion, I beg to congratulate their lordships on a victory which, I hope, will add a ray to the glory of his Majesty's crown, and be attended with public benefit to our country. " I am, &c. (Signed,)' '' C. Collingwood." « William Marsden, Esq." ." The order in which the British Squadron at- tacked the Copibined Fleets on the aist of October, 1805. VAN. REAR. Victory Royal Sovereign Temeraire Mars Neptune Belleisle Conqueror Tonnant .Leviathau Bellerophon LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 40S VAN. Ajax Orion Agamemnon Minotaur REAR. Colossus Achille Polyphemus Revenge Spartiate Britannia Swiftsure Oefence Africa Thunderer FRIGATES. Defiance Euryalus Sirius Prince Dreadnought Phoebe Naiad Pickle Schooner Entreprenante Cutter (Signed) " C. CoLLING) " GENERAL ORDER. " Euryalus, October 22, i8oj. " The ever to be lamented death of Lord Vis* count Nelson, Duke of Bronte, the commander in chief, who fell in the action of the 21st, in the arms of victory, covered with glory, w^hose memory will be ever dear to the British Navy, and the British Nation ; whose zeal for the honour of his king, and for the interests of hi$ country, will be ever held up as a shining exam- ple for a British seaman — leaves to me a duty to return my thanks to the Right Hon. Rear- Admiral, the Captains, Officers, Seamen, 5^n^. 407, that keeping possession of the ships was a matter of little consequence compared with the chance of their falling again into the hands of the enemy : but even, this was an arduous task in the high sea which was running. I hope, however, it has been ac- complished to a considerable extent ; I entrusted it to skilful officers, who would spare no pains to execute what was possible. The Captains of the Prince and Neptune cleared the Trinidad, and sunk her. Captains Hope, Baynton, and Malcolm, who joined the fleet this moment from Gibraltar, had the charge of destroying four others. The Redoubtable sunk a-stern of the Swiftsure, while in tow. The Santa Anna I have no doubt is sunk, as her side was almost entirely beat in ; and such is the shattered con- dition of the whole of them, that unless the wea- ther moderates, I doubt whethersi shall be able to carry a ship of them into port *. I hope their * Notwithstanding the mcxdesty and apprehensions of his lord- ship, the activity and perseverance of the British officers and seamen enabled them to preserve one French and three Spa- nish ships, of seventy-four guns each ; the Rayo, a Spanish first-rate, one of the squadron, which came a second time out of Cadiz under Admiral Gravina, in the hopes of rescuing some of the prizes from the possession of their captors, was on that occasion dismasted, and fell into the hands of the Bri- tish, but was afterwards unhappily lost ; so that although the Santa Anna, and some other ships, contrived to effect their retreat into Cadiz, notwithstanding their actualsurrender, yet the loss of the enemy in the battle itself, and on the two fol- lowing days, amounted to nineteen ships, none of them mount- 408 MIMOIRS OF lordships will approVe of what I (having only in consideration the destruction of the enemy's fleet) have thought a measure of absolute necessity. '^ 1 have taken Admiral Villeneuve into this ship ; Vice-Admiral Don Aliva is dead. Whenever the temper of the weather will permit, and I can spare a frigate, (for there were only four in the action with the fleet, Euryalus, Siriu§, Phoebe, and Naiad j the Melpomene joined the iidy and the Eurydice and Scout the 23d), I shall collect the other flag officers, and send them to Eng- land with their flags, (if they do not all go to the bottom), to be laid at his Majesty's feet. " There were four thousand troops embarked, under the command of General Contamin, who was taken with Admiral Villeneuve in the Bu- centaure. « I am. Sir, Sic. (Signed) '^ C. Collingwood *.'■ ing less than 74 guns. To these may be added, as a conse- quence resulting from the same brilliant source, the squadron consisting of one of 80, and three of 74 guns each, taken ><^ith Rear-Admiral Dumanoir, by the squadron under Sir R, Strachan. • VICI-APMlRAL tORD COLLINGWOOD Was the relative of Commodore Thomas Collingwood, who, after having served with the most distinguished re- futation on the West India station, under the late Vice- Admiral Byron, and Sir George Brydges Rodney, after- wards Lord Rodney, was compelled to return to Englan4 for the recovery of his health, but unhappily died at sea^ LORD VISCOUNT NELSON, 409 Of an event so recent, so great, so unparal- leled, a myriad of anecdotes and circumstances when on his passage home, on the 2d of June 1780. The noble Lord, of whom we are speaking, appears to have been, from his earliest years, connected not only in service, but in the closest tics of intimacy, and affection, with the late Lord Viscount Nelson, Numerous, and indeed innumerable are the testimonies rendered by the deceased hero to the abilities, the goodness, the intrinsic worth of the survivor; he constantly named him with the affection, not merely of a friend, but of a l>rother. The intimacy commenced in their earliest youth ; and continued unabated, unalloyed, till the death of one friend left nothing to the survivor, but to mourn unceasingly the loss he had sustained ; aggravated, if possible, by his private feelings, beyond that which the rest of his country were compelled to feel in sorrow, and in silence. After the requisite probation and service in the subordinate capacity of lieutenant, he was appointed to be pommander of the Badger sloop of war ; and singular as it may (je thought, when compar.^d to the subsequent events of |iis life, was the successor of the late Lord Viscount Nelson In the command of that vessel. In the following year, 1780, he was advanced to the rank of post captain, but met with no opportunity of displaying that gallantry, good conduct, and zeal for the service of his country, which has ever been con- spicuous, in every action of his life, where the smallest op- portunity appeared to present itself, of his displaying either, pr all of them. In the encounter of the first of June, 1794. between the British fleet commanded by the late Earl Howe, and that of France, he served as Captain on board the Bar- ^eur, which ship had the honour of bearing the flag of Rear* Admiral Bowyer. Though no ship in the fleet was more ably, pr more bravely conducted, yet the noble commander in chief, p'lther through inattention, or for some reason which has ne- yer yet been publicly explained, omitted to include Captain 410 MEMOIRS OF are related, in which truth and fiction, simple fact, and exaggeration, are so intimately inter- CaIlin?rwood in the number of those ofScers to whom he re- torned his thank^:, for their conduct en that occasion. AU- though it may be considered by some persons, a nautical trea- »n, to utter a breath of censure on the conduct of Earl Howe, vc cannot withstand the honest^.impulse of our own feelings, which coaipell us to declare, that if such omission was the con- jcquenee Of neglect, it was censurable in the highest degree ; if o-f intention, unpardonable. Earl Howe is no more, may hia failings and his faults perish with him, and those virtues which may still remain in public recollection, survive to all eternity. Jt were needless to enter into any detail" of the gallant and heroic conduct by Captain Collingwood in the encounter viih the Spanish fleet off St. Vincent in the month of February i';97, at which time he commanded the Excellent. Lord Nelson rendered the mo&t noble, and at the same time the most honest tribute of praise, in the private memorandum afforded by him of the observations he made during that en- gagement ; see page 75, et seq. To add any further eulo- gium would be ridiculous and impertinent. On the fourteenth of February 1799, he was promoted to the rank of Rear* Admiral of the v/hite, and not long afterwards hoisted his flag ©n board the Triumph, being appointed to command in the channel fleet, at that time under the orders of Lord Bridport. It may be remembered, that during the latter part of the war, the fleets of France never met those of England on the At^ lantic, consequently no opportunity was afforded, either to the flag officers, or captains employed in that quarter, of par^ ticularly distinguishing them^selves. He continued on board the Triumph till the month of June. 1800, when he removed into the Barfieur, a second rate, and retained his former line of commahd till the conclusion of the war j daring which pe««. riod he was, on tjie first of January 1801, advanced to be Rear-Admiral of the Red. Afcer the recoramcaeemeut of LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. woven with each other, that it would require almost an age of investigation to separate one from the other. In point of fact, to adopt the emphatic words used by Mr. (now Lord) Col- lingwood, on whom the command devolved, we know, '* that it pleased the Almighty Disposer of all events, to grant his majesty's arms a complete and glorious victory." Let us now bestow a few mo- ments in observing on its extent and its conse- quences. In respect to the former, it stands Unequalled. The memorable victory off Cape la Hogue, by which the asph'ing gigantic power of Levi^is the XlVth was nearly crushed into obscurity, sinks, before the battle of Trafalgar, al- most into a petty skirmish. The fleets of Britain and of Holland more than doubled that of their an- tagonists : the number of the ships destroyed can- not be raised with any degree of truth, or authen- ticity, beyond seventeen sail; several of which were under sixty guns. Such is the real state of the loss sustained by France ; for however it may be hostilities with France, he was, on the twenty-third of April, 1804., advanced to be Vice-Admiral of the Blue. In 1805, he was invested with the command of the fquadron stationed off Cadiz. His noble conduct in the encounter with the French and Spanish fleets ofF Trafalgar, has already been recompensed by his advancement to a peerage by the title of Baron Colling- wood, and his promotion in the service to Vice- Admiral of the Red «quadron. France and Spain must long lament the effects of his gallantry, and we trust as well as hope, that his coun« jrymen v>^iii ever have sufficient gratitude not to forgQt them. 412 MEMOIRS OF extended in some of the manuscript journals *, which have been preserved to the present day, it appears from the strongest concurrent testimonies, those accounts cannot, in the smallest degree, be depended upon. In the battle of Trafalgar, the fleet of Britain had to contend, not only with ships in the most perfect state of equipment, on the very instant of their issuing from their own ports, but also against a superiority of no less than six ships of the line ; yet against these mighty odds, the transcendant abilities of his lordship, and the bravery of those whom he com-? manded, acquired a victory, which would pro* bably have extended much farther than it really did, had not the elements themselves risen, as it were in opposition to the mighty conquerors. It is related, and certainly is ^ circumstance highly interesting, that the instant the French admiral observed the manner in which the British fleet was formed, together with its manner of ad- vancing, he hesitated not to express his appre- hensions of the approaching discomfiture : he foresaw that a stroke, which he was unprepared for, was meditated against him -, and he knew him- self unable to parry its effects. When Vice-ad- miral Colhngwood, at the head of the division under his orders, began the attack, and broke through the French line, Lord Nelson, turning ♦ See Biographia Navalis, Vol. I, page j|6i« LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 413 round with the highest exultation and joy, said, *' Look at that noble fellow ! observe the style in which he carries his ship into action !" Such an eulogiuiii, and from such a man, surpasses in value the most laboured panegyric. In respect to the consequences of the victory, it may perhaps be difficult to appreciate them to iheir full, or proper value. Had the ruined armament effected its passage into the Mediter- ranean in safety, it is impossible to calculate the extent of the advantage that might have accrued to the enemy. The increased distance of its station would not ofily materially have aug- mented the difficulties under which his lordship, or any other commander who had been employed in watching its motions, viould have lain, but the accumulation of force it would have acquired, by the junction of such ships as had long been pre- paring and were ready for sea, at Carthagena, to- gether with those belonging to France left behind at Toulon, would have required a considerable reinforcement of ships, the necessity of which, even the gallantry and ability of his lordship could not have obviated. But, amidst all these cheering events, the death of his lordship intercepted the rays of conquest, and threw a cloud over the w^hole transaction, which prevented the eyes of his countrymen from contemplating otherwise than with sorrow and regret, honours and triumphs which had 414 MEMOIRS OF been purchased at so inestimable a price. It has been a remark, too obvious indeed was it for to be neglected, that his lordship fell, like the im- mortal Wolfe, in the arms of victory herself. There was indeed the closest similarity, not only between their fates, but in their habits and their tempers. It would be improper to relate the se- veral circumstances which are reported to-have been connected with it, on account of the diffi- culty that must, as already observed, attend ascer- taining the authenticity of them. Those which ap- pear best entitled to public notice and attention, are given in the Gibraltar Chronicle of the 2d and 9th of November last, and reprinted in the Naval Chronicle, Vol, XIV, pages 455, 484. Extract from the Gihr altar Chronicle of November the 9th, '^ It appears, from every account which has been receired from the Spanish officers, who have been taken prisoners, that Admiral Villencuve certainly sailed from Cadiz with a determination of giving battle to the English fleet. There is, howcTer, the strongest reason to- believe, that this mea- sure was contrary both to the views and instructions of Buonaparte, whose intentions were, that the combined fleet should proceed from Cadiz to Toulon, forming a junction with the Carthagena squadron in their way, that he might, by these means, hare the greatest part ol" the'Spanish navy in a French port, and immediately in his power, m case any reverse of fortune might tempt the Spanish government to seize a favourable opportunity to throw off the galling yoke he has imposed upon it. But VlUeneuve seems io have LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 415 been impelled by motives of personal resentment, and wound- ed honour, to act in opposition to the wishes of his master. He had becir deeply stung by a severe remark in the Moni- teur, upon what the conduct of the French fleet would be, if commanded by a man of abilittes ; the Spaniards had also openly upbraided him with not supporting them in the action ©ff Cape Finisterre ; Buonaparte^ he likcv. ise knew, had |)ublicly spoken of him in the most sarcastic manner ; and to complete his misfortunes, he had received private int^li- gence, that Admiral Rosily was ordered from Paris to super- sede him in the command of the combined iieets at Cadiz. Under such circumstances, he naturally felt, that even a defeat could add but little to his disgrace ; whilst, on the contrary, a victory over a British fleet, commanded by the •first Hero of the age,'wonld wipe ofl" every supposed stain on his character, and cover him with immortal honour. Thuf situated, he resolved to put to sea before Admiral Rosily could arrive, 'in spite of every remonstrance of Admiral Gravina and other Spaiiisli officers of rank, who vainly- attempted to dissuade him from his design of giving battle to the British fleet, which they foresaw would be attended with the most disastrous consequences. Yilleneuve, how- ever, was immovable ; and the intelligence he had received of Admiral Louis, and six sail of the line, being then absent from the fleet, induced him to believe that I^rd Nelson had only twenty-one sail of the line along with him, as he wag ignorant of the reinforcement which had arrived from Eng- land, owing to the great distance at which the British fleet kept from Cadiz. On this supposition, Vitleneuve's original disposition of his fleet is generally allowed to have bean extrcinely judicious — Twenty-one of his ships were to be drawn up in the usual line of battle, to receive the first attack of the British fleet, whilst twelve of his select ships, forming z body of reserve to windward^ were to bear down, and to 416 Memoirs of double upon the British line, after the action had coraihencedj and thus to place it between two fires. Every other precau- tion was also taken that was thought most likely to ensure success. Ten thousand of their choicest troops were distri- buted throughout the fleet ; the French ships were furnished with every species of fire-balls and combustibles to throw on board the English ships, in hopes of being able either to burn them, or to produce such confusion as might greatly facilitate their design of boarding, where an opportunity oflered ; and several of the ships were repeatedly set on fire, and many ©four seamen were dreadfully scorched, from this unusual mode of warfare. British skill and intrepidity were, how- ever, completely triumphant over every obstacle that was opposed to them : and notwitlisto.ndiug the enemy in gene- ral, and particularly the Spaniards, fought with great obsti- nacy, it is the opinion of the ablest officers in the fleet, that had there been a little more Avind during the action, to have enabled the rear of our fleet to have come up in proper time^ hardly a ship of the enemy would have escaped. *' The French Admiral, on seeing our fleet so much •tronger that he expected, abandoned his original plan, and formed the whole of his ships into one line, firmly waiting the attack of the British, which was conducted in a manner so bold and unexpected, as to throw them into the greatest confusion. The Royal Sovereign, Yice-xidmiral Colling- wood, in particular, which first broke through the enemy's line, excited the general admiration of both fleets. '^ The bravery of our seamen has neyer been doubted ; but the uncommon success and marked superiority which they displayed over the enemy on this glorious day, are chiefly to be attributed to that cool intrepidity and discipline which prevailed throughout the fleet in a high degree : a very remarkable prpof of which is, that we hate not heard of any one accident having happened on board any of our ships, I LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 4l7 ffom hurry or carelessness, during the whole of the engage* ment. '* We do not recollect a^y general action, where so many of our ships ran on board those of the enemy ; no less than five of the French captured ships were engaged so closely^ that the muzzles of our lower-deck guns touched tho^e of the enemy ; and it is worthy of remark, that in every instance where tliis occnrVed, the Frenchmen immediately lowered their ports and deserted their guns on that deck, whilst our seamen, on the contrary, were deliberately loading and firing their guns with two, and often with three round shot, which soon reduced the enemy's ships to a perfect wreck. " The dreadful slaughter on board, and the shattered con- dition of all the captured ships, whilst it shows with what ob- stinacy the enemy in general fought, is a convincing proof of the decided superiority our seamen possess over the enemy in close action. *' It seems to be generally allowed, that the French fired with more vivacity at the commencement of the action than' the Spaniards ; but that the Spaniards showed more firmhess and courage to the end than the French. Amongst the Spa- nish ships, the Argonauta and Bahama were defended to the last extremity, each of them having about 400 men killed or wounded. The San Juan Nupomucena was also fought with the utmost gallantry, till her Captain and 360 of her crew were killed or wounded. " The Prince d'Asturias and Santa Anna both likewise showed great bravery in the action. " However disastrous this victory may have proved to the Spanish navy, the national character of that country has risen greatly in our estimation even by their defeat. As enemies, though vanquished, their gallantry commands the highest respect ; and thfe humanity with which every English sailor^ that fell into their hands, was treated, exceed* all E E 418 MEMOIRS OF praise. They refused to consider as prisoners of war such of our officers and men as were driven on their coast in the captured ships by the violence of the storm ; erery exertion was made from the shore to save their lives, and the Spanish soldiers were turned out of their beds to accommodate our shipwrecked seamen, who experienced every mark of kind,i ness and attention that a generous enemy could bestow. '^ The behaviour of the French, on the contrary, in several instances, both during and after the engagement, forms so melancholy a contrast to the bravery and humanitj of the Spaniards, that, as we have felt it our duty to render Tne latter that applause, which their conduct so truly entitles them to, we think it equally an act of justice to record, with impartiality, the baseness of the French, both to their allies and foes, ** It has been stated as an extraordinary, and almost incre- dible, fact, that three French ships, under a rear-admiral, who had no share in the action, did, in their flight, fire for some time upon the Santissima Trinidada, and others of the Spanish prizes, after they had struck their cplours to the English. We now find, from the concurring testimony of seTcraJ Spanish officers of rank, who were on board the ships to which we have alluded, that Rear-Admiral Duma- noir was the person who led on his division to the perpetra- tion of this bloody deed, so worthy the days of Robespierre, by which several hundreds of the Spaniards were killed and wounded. *' We believe that Bumanoir, (whose fate is as yet, how- ever, uncertain,) is the only French Admiral that can have escaped to tell the tidings of that fatal day ; and we have no doubt but that, in his relation of the battle, of which he pru- dently chose to be a distant spectator, he will enlarge with peculiar satisfaction on the uncoramon exertions, which ho undoubtedly made, to sink or destroy the Spanish ships after tlc} had bum^idcrtd to the Fnglibh. LOkD VISCOUNT melson. 419 ^^ We have already stated, that all the English sailors, on board of the Spanish prizes, which fell into the hands of (he Spaniards, were treated with the utmost humanity, and not considered as prisoners. How widely different the conduct of the French was, the following will show :^— *' On the surrender of the Bucentaure, an officer and a hundred men were sent to take possession of her, who con- ducted themselves with that moderation and forbearance to a vanquished enemy which is characteristic of Britons. The violent storm, which so soon followed the engagement, pre- vented the removal of the prisoners, and drove the Bucentaure towards Cadiz, when the Frenchmen, from their superior numbers, were easily enabled to take possession of the ship and carry her into the harbour, Where, however, she was stranded, and completely wrecked. The drew, and the party of Englishmen, were taken off the wreck by the boats of one of the French frigates in the harbour, and carried on bolrd of the vessel, where, will it be believed ? the infamous and cowardly crew of the frigate^ when they saw some of iht gallant conquerors of their admiral and his fleet completely in their power, unarmed, and exhausted with fatigue and shipwreck, and incapable of resistance^ in this situation, did these dastardly Frenchmen, in revenge for the defeat they had sustained, assault and treat with the utmost cruelty, and with every species of insult and inhumanity, manj^ of the un- fortunate and defenceless English prisoners, whom the fury of the elements, and not the fate of battle, had thus sub* jected to their power. " We sincerely hope that the officers and ci*eW of the fri- gate, who allowed or committed this detestable act, will not escape with impunity ; in the mean time it gives us real satis- faction to find, that orders are given, that no more of the French prisoners, now in our possession, shall be permitted to return to Spain upon their parole^ but they art to be wnt to England by the first opportunity. £ £ 2 4^0 MEMOIRS OF '' All the^panish prisoners, on the contrary, who hare ■been brought to this place, to the amount of upwards of three thousand, have been sent back to Spain, except one wounded officer, now in the Naval Hospital, who earnestly requested, to be allowed to remain under tlie care of the English sur- geon,s, till his wounds were cured *. . " We have also the pleasure to learn, that the Spaniards, since their return to Spain, have universally expressed the liveliest sense of gratitude for the generosity and humanity they invariably experienced whilst they were prisoners on board of the difterent English men of war, where it seemed to be the study of their conquerors to make them forget their misfortunes. "■ Indeed, our navy will deserve this tribute of applause from their enemies ; upwards of a hundred of our gallant seamen have perished, du,ring the gale of w ind after the action, in their generous efforts to save the prisoners out of the different prizes. To record the numerous and singular exertions that were made on this occasion, by all the ships of the fleet, v/ould for exceed the limits prescribed to us ; we cannot, however, pass over in silence the heroic conduct of Captain ]^Ialcolm, and his ship's company, in the Donnegal, «ho, at the imminent hazard of being totally lost, rescued hundreds of the enemy from a watery grate. . *' Two instances of the noble humanity, shown by this ship, we shall mention : — During the violence of the gale> .when she was riding at anchor near tl>e Berwick, then in possession of the English, some of the French prisoners, on board of the prize, in a fit of madness, or desperation, cut the cables of the Berwick, by which means she immediately * It is proper to acknowledge here, that General Cas- tanos, commander in chief of the camp before the garrison, and M. Abadia, Spanish agent for the exchange of prisoners, have omitt(5(l no exertion of theirs to facilitate the generoua intentions of the Englisl^ admiral. LORD VISCOUNT KELSON. 421 drove towards the dangerous shoals of St. Lutar, then toiee. Tfard, where there was hardly a chance of a man being saved' In this situation, Captain Malcolm, Mithout hesitation, ordered the cables of the Donnegal to be iqstaiitly cut, arfd stood after the Berwick, to which he dispatched his boats with orders first to save all the wounded Frenchmen, before they brought off any of the English, which order was most punctually complied with ; the English were next remove^, but, before th^ boats could return, theBerwick struck upon the shoals, and every soul on board perished, to the number of three hundred. ^' The wounded Frenchmen, who were thus saved, were supplied with th'e cots and bedding which had been prepared for our own sick and w ounded ; and, after being treated with every kindness and mark of attention, they wer« sent into Cadiz by a flag of truce, with all the cots and bedding in which they had been placed, that they might suffer as little pain or inconvenience as possible in their removal. '^ The other instance we shall notice was as follows :-^ On the 26th of October, whilst the Donnegal was at anchor off Cadiz, in a violent gale of wind, with upwards of 600 prisoners then on deck, an unfortunate Spanish prisoner fell overheard. Notwithstanding the sea was then running so high that they had not ventured to hoist out a boat for twelve hours before, two seamen belonging to the Donnegal imme* diately jumped overboard after him, in hopes of saving his life, to the admiration of the Spaniards, who were lost in astonishment at so daring an act. The poor man, how- ever, sunk, and was drowned, just as one of the English teamen had nearly hold of him; a boat was immediately lowered, and fortunately the two gallant fellows were got on board safe. ^' The English officers who have returned from Cadiz, state, that the account of Lord Nelson's death was received 422 MEMOIRS OF there with extreme sorrow and regret by the Spaniards, and that some of them were even observed to shed tears on the occasion. They said, <^ that though he had been the ruin of their navy, yet they could not help lamenting his fall, as being the most generous enemj/, and the greatest Commander of the age !" Extracts from the Supplement to the Gibraltar Chronicle for Nov. 2, X805. ^' We have endeavoured, since the arrival of the Victory, the ship on board of which Lord Nelson's flag was flying during the whole of the late action, to obtain every information in Our power on the subject. It was his lordship's intention to have broken through the enemy's line, between the tenth and eleventh of the enemy's ships in the van ; at the same time that Admiral Collingwood penetrated their line about the twelfth ship from the rear : but finding the enemy's line in that part so close, that there was not room to pass, he ordered the Victory to be run on board of the ship that op- posed him ; and the Temerairc, by which the Victory was seconded, also ran on board of the next ship in the enemy's line, so that these four ships were for a considerable time en., gaged together in one mass as it were, and so close, that the flash of almost every gun fired from the Victory set fire to the Redoubtable, to which ship she was at thz^t time op- posed ; whilst our seamen, with the greatest coolness, were at intervals employed, in the midst of the hottest fire, in throwing buckets of water to extinguish the flames on board of the enemy's ship, lest, by their spreading, they might involve both ships in destruction. We question if ancient or modern history can prpduce a more striking instance of cool and deliberate valour ; and it certainly reflects thp highest honopr upon the disciplijic anil intrepidity of that ship's crew. LORD VISCOUNT ,NELSON. 423. ^' Lord Nelson, on recciying his wound, was immediately sensible it was mortal; and said with a smile to Captain Hardy, with whom he had been talking at that moment, *' they have dune for me at last.''^ He was soon obliged to be carried off the deck; and as they were conducting him be- low, he remarked the tiller-rope being too slack, which he desired them to acquaint Captain Hardy with, and have it tightened. His anxiety for the eycnt of the day was such, as totally to surmount the pains of death, and erery other consideration; he repeatedly sent to incjuire how the battle went, and expressed the most lirely satisfaction to find it fa- vourable. Whilst bearing down on the enemy's line, he had repeatedly said, '' that it zcas the happiest daj/ of his life, and that from the plan of attack he had laid dozcn^ he ex- pected that he should have possession of iicenty of their Ships before 7iight,'* His lower extremities soon became cold and insensible, and the effusion of blood from his lungs often threatened suffocation: but^till his eyes seemed to brighten, and his spirits to revive, at hearing the cheers given by the crew of the Victory, as the different ships of the enemy surrendered. About four o'clock he became ex- ceedingly anxious jto see his friend Captain Hardy ; and lui sent for him several times, before that gallant Olficcr thought it prudent to quit the deck at so interesting a moment. About five o'clock, however, when he saw that the victory was completely decided, and the battle nearly ended, he was enabled to attend to the last wishes of the dying hero, who eagerly inquired how many ships were captured? On being told by Captain Hardy, that he was certain of twelve ha\ ing struck, which he could see, but that probably more had surrendered, his Lordship said, " What, only twelve! there should at least have been fifteen, or sixteen, by my calcula- tion: however, (after a short pause, he adde 1), twelve are pretty well!" He now said, " that he f It death fast ap- 4^ MiMOIRS OF proaching, and that he had but a few minutes to live : lie could have wished to survive a little longer, to have seen the fleet in safety ; but, as that was impossible, he thanked God that he had outlived the action, and had been enabled to do his duty to his country." About this time he was roused by another cheer from the crew of the Victory, at their seeing some more of the enemy's ships strike their colours ; at which he expressed the highest satisfaction on learning the cause, and shortly after expired without a groan. The Frenchman by whose hand this matchless hero fell, was soon afterwards shot by Mr. Pollard, Midshipman of the Victory, and was seen to fall out of the mizen-top. '' It was his lordship's intention to have engaged the Bu- Centaure, the French commander in chiefs ship, at first, if "he could have distinguished her: but singular as it may ap» pear, no person on board could discover the French ad- miral's flag to be flying during the whole of the day ; though the Victory was for a considerable time within pistol-shot of her, and handled her so severely, as to render her inca- pable of taking any share in the engagement afterwards. '' Three of the French ships in the van, who had no part in the action, and one of which carried a Rear-admiral's fiag, had the inhumanity, and cowardice, as they were making their escape, to fire for a considerable time upon the Santissima Trinidada, and several others of the crippled Spanish prizes, after they had surrendered to us, which, from their situation, were incapable either of opposition or flight, and an immense number of the Spanish were killed and wounded, from this unprecedented and bloody deed of their good 2iTidfailhful allies. We solemnly pledge our credit for the truth of this extraordinary fact, to which every officer on board of our victorious squadron now in the bay can bear witness. Indeed such was the indignation felt and expressed by the Spaniards, at the conduct of the French ; that when, LORD VISCOUNT KELSON. 425 two days after the action, seven of the enemy's ships came out of Cadiz, in hopes of retaking some of the disabled prizes, the Spanish crew of the Argonauta, in a body offered their services to the British officer who had charge of tho prize, to man the guns against any of the French ships ; and they were actually stationed at the lower-deck gniis for that purpose, whilst the English seamen manned those of the up- per deck. The Englisli officer on boajrd returned all tlic Spanish officers their arms, and placed the most implicit cori- iidence in the honour of the Spaniards ; which he had no rea- son to repent : for though their numbers were so superior, as easily to have enabled them to retake the ship, yet they on every occasion showed the utmost submission and good conduct, and declared, that if a Spanish ship came alongside of them, they would quietly go* below and leave th» English to act for themselves.— His Majesty's ship Prince, of Vb guns, Captain Grindall, is come in. here, having on boarrf Rear- Admiral Don Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros, with the Captain and 500 men belonging to the Santissima Trinidada. Also the Revenge, of 74 guns, Captain Moorson; Aga- memnon, 64, Captain Sir E. Berry ; Thunderer, 74, Lieu- tenant Stockam; Bellerophon, 74, Lieutenant Cun^by ; Colossus, 74, Captain Morrice ; and Victory, 100, Captain Hardy, on board of which is the body of Lord Nelson. Abo just arrived his Majesty's ships Conqueror, 74, Temeraii'€, 98, Royal Sovereign, 100, Defence, 74, Orion, 74, and Phcebe frigate, with two pf the prizes, the French Swiftsurf j 74, and Rdefonso, 74. " Though it is highly honourable to the bravery of tht^ ^anish nation, we most sincerely regret to find, that the loss both in sMps aud men on this occasion has chiefly fallen upon them; they were unwillingly dragged into the contest by their good and faithful allies the French ; who were, as usual, the first to fly, and desert them in tlie middle of tht' At6 MEMOIRS OF action; it appearing from every account that four of the French ships were seen running away, about two hours and an half after the battle had began." In respect to what immediately preceded the horrid event, which the trembling pen of his- tory almost feels itself unequal to the melancholy task of recording, it appears, that immediately previous to the dreadful shot being fired, which deprived his country of its brightest ornament, his lordship was standing on the quarter deck of the Victory, moving, as was his custom, whenever he was much pleased, the shoulder, or rather sleeve of his right arm, up and down with the greatest ra- pidity, but having unfortunately remained too long in the same posture and situation, he afforded sufficient time to a marksman on the poop of the Bucentaure, which then lay on the Victo- ry's quarter, to take a deliberate, and unhappily too correct an aim at him. Captain Hardy, who was standing near his lordship, observed him in the very act, and had hardly time to exclaim, " Change your position, my Lord ! 1 see a rascal taking aim at you,'* the fatal shot unhappily took place at the same instant. I COME TO BURY CJESAIl, KOT TO PRAISE HI M, For he possessed all the nobleness conspicuous in Caesar's character, those lineaments only wh ch destroyed the perfection of its symraetry, being LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 42/ wanting. It m'ght be truly said of him, this Was A mAn. He sought not to raise himself on the stilts of popularity, by assuming a temporary patriotism, foreign to the feelings of his heart ; or pretending to qualifications, which, when in reality possessed, serve only to degrade the mind, in other respects great, and noble. That he was ambitious, no person acquainted with his cha- racter will venture to deny ; but his ambition was of the mildest quality, and nourished only by the reflection, of its becoming serviceable to his country. Venerated with a degree of en- thusiasm, nearly equal to idolatry, he disdained to render that advantage, so much envied by many, but which he had so honestly acquired, subservient to the cause of faction, or the clamour of party. His ambition, let the term be repeated, would have induced him to undertal^e the most dangerous, and desperate service, if he thought his abilities could be useful. Had he considered the interests of his country demanded it, he would, even at the latest moment of his life, have acted with pleasure in the most subordinate capa- city, or exulted in taking upon himself the danger, and the responsibility, of commanding half the naval force of the universe. As a naval officer, in whatever rank, or com- mand he appeared, he was greeted by the acclamations, and foUpw^ed by the reiterated ap- 428 MEMOIRS OT plauses of those he was sent to protect. The shores of the Mediterranean hailed him as the^r friend ; and the most valuable colonies of Britain, as their deliverer. Benevolent, humane, and gentle, even in the hour of conquest, the terrors of his arms ceased on the same moment with resistance; the foe became instantly converted into the guardian, and instead of being followed by the curses, he was blessed in the prayers of the vanquished. It could scarcely be denominated his good fortune, that although a conqueror, he uniformly escaped the charge of having encouraged ex- tortion, or connived at plunder, and thereby alienated the affections of the newly-acquired subjects of the British government. Such ideas were foreign to his soul ; and his captives, freed from their imaginary chains, constantly beheld their victor converted into their parent, and friend. Of the commerce, and true interests of his country, he formed the most correct ideas ; he was aw^re, that independent of all speculative opinions, and abstracted from the wild, the ro- mantic effusions of a distempered, and splenetic party, the commerce of Britain had become so intimately connected with its welfare^ that the interruption of one, must inevitably cause ^the destruction of the other. Impressed with this truth, his exertions were so actively, and unre- LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. 4^9 mittlngly made, that he may be said, at the same time, to have increased the commercial wealth, while he advanced the naval glory of his country. But come — no time's for lamentation now; ' Samson hath quit himself. Like Samson, and, heroically, hath fmish'd A life heroic ; to his enemies Hath left years of mourning And lamentation : to Israel Honour hath left, and freedom : To himself, and father*^ house, eternal fame. Samson's Aoonistes^ FIKIS, rt>l'CE GOi.J>, PRIN'jf.R. *HOr.-L„N- APPENDIX. LETTERS WRITTEN BY LORD riSCOUNT NELSON, ILLUSTRATIYB OF VARIOUS EVENTS RELATED IN T^fLZ MEMOIRS OF HIS LIFE. I Of all evidence whatever, there is none perhaps more interefting, or fatisfadory, than that which is colIe£led from letters, written immediately fubfequent to the event they record ; they become particularly fo, when pro- ceeding from the pen of a man, who never fuppofed, or expeded they would meet the public eye; fuch is the hurry and carelelTnefs, which the generality of the world accuftom themfelves to, in epiftolary correfpondence, that there are perhaps but few inftances, where the publication of fuch documents, would refle6l material honour on the writer. This, however, is by no means the cafe, in refpe£l to Lord Vifcount Nelfon ; fo general, and fo unafFedcd a fpirit of piety, benevolence, philanthropy, perfever- ance, loyalty to his fovereign, and love for the true in- terefts of his country, pervades every line, that to with- hold them from the infpedion of the world, would be an a(Sl not of ingratitude, but of injuftice. Let mankind read the letters, and judge for themfelves : whether, in the detail of the virtues attributed to the noble vrriter, the fmallefl trace is difcernible, either of flattery, or exaggeration. N. B. Thefe letters, without exception, were addrefled by Lord Nelfon, toWilliam Locker, Efq. late Lieutenant- governor of Greenwich Hofpital. S, GosNBLi., Prjatcr, Little Queen Street. ORIGINAL LETTERS. No. I. Page 27. — On the follGWing day he received a commiffion as fecond lieutenant of the Lowejioffe. ' Lowejicffey at Sea, MY MOST WORTHY FRIEND, Jug» 12, 1777. I AM exceedingly obliged to you for the good opinion you entertain of me, and will do my utmoft that you may have no occafion to change it. I hope God Almighty will be pleafed to fpare your life, for your own fake, and that of your family ; but fhould any thing happen to you (which I fincerely pray to God may not), you may be aflTured that nothing fhall be wanting on my part, for the taking care of your efFe£is, and de- livering (afe to Mrs. Locker fuch of them, as may be thought proper not to be difpofed of. You mentioned the word " confolation" in your letter — I fhall have a very great one, when I think I liave ferved faithfully the bed of friends, and the moft amiable of women. All the fervices I can render to your family, you may be afiurcd fhall be done, and Ihall never end but with my life ; and may God Almighty of his great goodnefs keep, blefs, and preferve you and your family, is the moft fervent prayer of your faithful fervant, Horatio Nelson P. S» Though this letter is not couched in the befl manner, be afTured it comes from one entirely devoted to' your fervice. H. N. [It is necdlefs to add, that this letter v^^as written in confe- quence of Captain Locker's extreme ill health, a circumltance 4: AFPEKDIX. which at length compelled him to leave the Jamaica ftation, atnd return to England for his recovery two years afterwards : the fore- going letter fpeaks for itfelf; it needs neither comment, nor praife.J No. II. Page 35. — He was aftervuardi pr ornate d to the Badger fioop cf war. DEAR SIR, Badger f May 13, 1 779. I AM very forry I made you fo uneafy about the men that were preiTed from the Amity Hall ; but I will relate the ftory in particular for Mr. Taylor's fa- tisfa£lion, whom I ihould be very forry to difoblige, not only becaufe he has been fo exceedingly civil to me, but alfo upon your account. When I firft faw the (hips in Port Antonio, I took them for part of the Cork fleet, and fent the boat for men, with orders not to prefs from homeward-bound Ihips ; they went on board two, and did not meddle with their people ; but as there were thirty-five men on board the Amity Hall, they were tempted to bring away five ; I was not pleafed when they came on board, and I returned into port on purpofe to releafe them, for I en- tertained not a thought of detaining any one of them ; the mafter came on board, and aded in a moft imperti- nent manner. In very abuflve language he told me he Ihould take the law. See. I cannot fay but I was rather warm at being talked to in fuch a manner ; however, I immediately returned two men and a neutral, but told him I ihould keep the other two, on account of his im- pertinent behaviour. (This is the whole of the matter.) APPENDIX, 5 If- you tell the ftory, I beg you will mention, that the mafter forgot to advertife he had on board two deferters from the Badger. The mafter is juft coming on board^ fo I muft flop a little. He is juft gone, and I never was more furprifed than at his denying the advertifement, and faying that feveral circumfiances were not fuch as he had written about, either in regard to the number, or, that it pre- vented his proceeding with the convoy ; he fays he wrote to a gentleman in Kingfton his account of the affair, and begged he would get his men rcleafed, or take fuch methods as might preferve him from blame, if he did not fail; he tells me he never defired the bufmefs to be advTsrtifed, he has begged my pardon for his behaviour on that day, and we are parted very good friends (though I believe all he told me is falfe) ; however, it will convince people what fort of man he is. I have now com- pleted our water, and (hall fail in the morning. 1 intend going cfF the eaftern end, to fee if the report of the four- teen-gnn brig be true. Since I wrote laft I have loft a very fine brig, which we chafed twenty leagues to leeward of the ifland, and loft I am fure, for want of a night-glafs. I intend to come in again on Tuefday to fave poft if pollible, but for fear I Ihould not, I leave this here. I fee you are quite deter- mined about going home, and in all probability may fail before you can hear from me again ; but 1 fhall always write to you in England. I hope you will have a good voyage, and find Mrs. Locker, together with all your family, in good health : I hope you will foon re- cover when you get home. The friendlhip you have fhewn me I fhall never forget ; and though I lofe my beft friend by your going, I would not have you ftav a ^3 O APPENDIX. day longer in this country. I am^ very forry indeed Captain Deane is ill ; I beg you \7ill give him my bed wifhes for his fpeedy recovery. May health and happinefs attend you is the fincere wi(h of your Much obliged and faithful fervant, Horatio Nelson. I am afraid the admiral has got the wrong end of the flory about the men; if you think proper, mention it ; I beg you will return Mr. Taylor my fincere thanks, for the kind part he has taken in this affair. No. III. Page 35. — His prefence of mind prejerved from deflru^ion Captain Lloyd, and all the crew of the Glafgow, a twenty- gun jhip^ commanded by that gentlefnan, which had un-t fortunately taken fire, PEAR SIR, Badger, off St, Ann's, June 7, 1779. I SUPPOSE before this you have heard of the fate of the poor Glafgow ; indeed it was a moft fhocking iight ; and had it happened half an hour later, in all probability a great many people would have been loft : flie anchored at half paft three, and at fix fhe was in flames, owing to the fteward attempting to fteal rum out of the after-hold. Captain Lloyd is very melancholy indeed on the occafion, and I fincerely wi{h I was at Port Royal for his fake, and that of the fhip's company, for the men are falling fick very faft, owing to the con- , flant rains we have experienced fince we left Montego Bay ; for we have no place on board the Badger to fhelter fuch a number of men. I fuppofe 1 have letters at Port Antonio from you, but I have not been there thefe three APPENDIX. ^ polls ; and am much afraid I fliall be obliged to go round the weft end, and attempt the fouth fide, the current having fet us nine leagues to leeward thefe laft twenty- four hours, although we have had favourable winds : for I have heard of no packets arriving, and hope to fee you at Port Royal. I beg you will remember me very kindly to Mr. Rofs, and Captain Deane, who I hope is recovered. May health and happinefs attend you_, is the real fincere wifli of Your moft humble fervant, Horatio Nelson. The lieutenant of the Glafgow will take care of this ; he is a very good young man I believe, and has not faved a rag but what was on his back. No. IV. Page 36. — An attacl upon the tjland of Jamaica being ihetK daily apprehended, Sec, DEAR SIR, Port Royal, Augujl 12, 1779. Jamaica is turned upfide down fince you left it ; the Count d'Eftaing is at the Cape with twenty fail of the line, and a flag-fliip, with eight or nine more at Port au Prince ; the latter fleet fell in with the Charon and Pomona in the night, but they got off by good failing. They fay there are 20,000 men at the Cape ready to embark, and 5000 at Port au Prince. He arrived at the Cape laft Saturday fortnight with 125 fail, men of war and tranfports. He pafTed Captain Lambert'g fquadron, which arrived here yefterday, in a very thick day ; fo that all our fhips are in port, except ^4 J5 APPENDIX. the Hinchinbroke, Hound, and Porcupine, which wc have reafbn to believe are taken; as reports are very flrong from the Bahama iflands. Now I have told you what we expert, I will tell you the meafures taken to defend the ifland : 5000 men are encamped between the ferry and Kingfton, 1000 in Fort Augufta, 300 at the Apoftles' Battery, and we expe£i to have 500 in Fort Charles, where I am to command. The Lion, Salifbury, Charon, and Janus, are moored in a line from the Point to the outer fhoal, the Ruby and Briftol in the narrows going to Kingfton, to rake any fhips that may attack Fort Augufta ; the Pomona and Speke Indiaman above Rock Fort, and the Loweftoffe at the end of the dock- wall. Exprefles go to-morrow morning to all quarters. TheRe- fource and Penelope are to cruife off the eaft end : four fire- fhips are down here, two of them commiflioned. I have fairly ftated our fituation^ and leave you in England to judge what ftand we fhall make ; I think you muil not be furprifed to hear of my learning to fpeak French. J hope you have had a good paftage, and are now in peace and plenty with your family. Rofs has behaved in a very public-fpiriled manner, has fent the Gayton and his vefTels to the admiral, to be employed as he may think proper, and has even fent a confiderable part of his negroes to the different batteries ; as the packet fails to-morrow, and that circumftance has been kept a fecret, I have not time to fay any more \ I know we fhall have you^ wifhes for fuccefs. May health, peace, and happi- Tiefs, always^ furround your good family, to whom I beg \o be kindly remembered, is the conflant wifh of, &c. Horatio Nelsoji^ APPENDIX, 9 No. V. Page ^o*-^On hh arrival in England y he happily received fo niuch benfjity &c. PEAR SIR, Bathy Feb* 15, 1781, It is really fo long fince I wrote to you, that I am almoft afhamed to write at all ; but I know your goodnefs will forgive me, although I hardly dcferve it. My health, thank God, is very near perfedly redored, and I have the complete ufe of all my limbs, except rny left arm, which I can hardly tell the ailment of; from the (houlder to my fingers' ends it feels as if half dead ; but the furgeon and do£lors give me hopes it will all go off. I mod fmcerely wifh to be employed, ;ind hope it will not be long. I have thought feveral times you were appointed to a fhip, elfe you would have written, if only to fcold me for my neglect : if I am not employed, I intend coming to town the begin- ning of March. I hope when I come to town to fee a fine trio in your room. If Mr. Rigaud has fintfhed the picture fend word in the next letter you write to me, and I will fend you an order upon Mr. Paynter. When you get the pi6lures I muft be in the middle, for God knows, without good fuppori^rs *, I (hall fall 10 the ground. Yours, &c. Horatio Nelson. * The portrait alluded to was placed by Captain Locker, to whom it was prefented, between thofe of the prefcnt Admiral p^orge Montague and Sir Charles Pole, 10 AfPENDIX. No. vr. Page 43. — After a k::g and fatiguing ^ 6cc. MY DEAR SIR, Tarmouth Roads ^ Dec, 22, i 781. I WOULD have written a line before this, but 1 cxpe£led every moment would have brought a wind, that would have fent me to the Downs, whither I am bound with a large convoy of flore-fliips for Portfmouth and Plymouth. I affure you I have almoft been froze on the other fide of the water, here we find it quite fummer -, we have not met with any fuccefs, indeed there is nothing you can meet, but what is in force ; the Dutch have not a fingle merchantman at fea ;- one privateer was in our fleet, but it was not poflible to lay hold of him ; I chafed him an hour, and came faft^ up with him, but was obliged to return to the fleet. I find fince it was the noted Fally the Pirate. Macbride failed from hence yefterday with his two Dutch prizes ; they are privateers fchooner rigged, but very different from what you would fuppofe by his letter; whoever gets them as fine lloops of war, will be very much difappointed when they fee them. Dickfon in the Sampfon was our commander. What fools the Dutch muft have been not to have taken us into the Texel ! the convoy confifted of 260 fail; they behaved as all convoys that ever I faw did ; lliamefully parting* company every day : no fail* are now in the Roads. I hope to hear you have a ihip, at leaft that your health will permit you to take «nc. The Albemarle, although you abufed her at Woolwich, has fome good failing in her ; the Argo, a new forty-four, we can fpare a great deal of fail, and I think we go full APPENDIX. II as well as the Enterprife. If you write a line to the Downs, I fhall get it there, &c. Horatio Nelson, No. VII. — Extract. Page 43.— i7 loft all her mafts, and is now a moft complete wreck. The admiral, as you may believe, is much out of hu- mour, thinking we have not a feventy-four to fpare, the French fleet in the outer road of Toulon being as fol- lows: Sans Culotte 12O, Tonnant 80, Ca Ira 80, Lan- gucdoc 80, Genereux 74, Cenfeur 74, Duquefne 74^ Certeaux 74, Commerce de Bordeaux 74, Mercure 74^ Conqucrant 74, Gucrricr 74,. Souverain 74, Heureux 74, APt»ENDlX, 51 Batras 74; i^ the Inner, Hardi 64, Alcide 74; eight of thcfe very good, fix bad but will go to Tea, three very bad, with twelve frigates in the harbour, and five cor- vettes. Fifty fail of Marfeilles ihips are fitting for tranfports ; they have fome expedition on foot moft cer- tainly, I think Port Eftecia ; many others Corfica. Re- member me moft kindly to all your family, and believe me ever Your moft obliged H. N. No. XXX VI I. Page 55. — In the encounters which took place. Agamemnon^ Porto EJiecla^ MY DEAR FRFEND, March 21, 1795' You will have heard of our brufii with the French fket, a battle it cannot be called, as the enemy would not give us an opportunity of clofing with them ; if they had, I have no doubt, from the zeal and gal- lantry endeavoured to be fhewn by each individual cap- tain, but we fhould have obtained a moft glorious con- queft. Admiral Hotham has had much to contend with, a fleet half manned, and in every refpe£l inferior to the enemy; Italy calling him to her defence, our newly- acquired kingdom calling might and main, our rein- forcenrients and convoy hourly expe6ted ; and all to be done without a for<:e, by any means adequate to it. The French were fent out as for certain conqueft, their or- ders Were pofitive to fearch out our fleet, and to deftroy us, of which they had no doubt, if we prefomed to come to adion with them ; then, their troops were to have been knded, and Corfica retaken: however, thank God, all D % $2 APPENDIX. is reverfed ; I firmly believe they never would have fought us, had not the Ca Ira loft her top-mafts, which enabled the Agamemnon and Inconftant to clofe in with her, and fo cut her up, that (he could not get a top-maft up during the night, which caufed our little brufh the next day. Providence, in a moft miraculous manner, preferving my poor brave fellows, who worked the (hip in manoeuvring about her flern and quarters, with as much exadnefs as if fhe had been working into Spit- head. The adion never ceaftd for upwards of two hours ; no of the enemy were killed and wounded on that day, and only feven of ours wounded. Agamemnon had only 344 at quarters, myfelf included. I am flat- tered by receiving the approbation of my own fleet, as well as the handfomeft teftimony from our enemies. The Sans Culotte at laft bore down, when the admiral called me off. A gale of wind came on two days after the adlion, which forced us in here, and moft unluckily put the Illuftrious on fliore, where flie lies in great danger; our fleet, except Courageux and. Illuftrious, is perfe6lly refitted, and ready for fea ; we fail to-morrow for Leg- horn to join Blenheim and Bombay Caftle, when the admiral will immediately put to fea, to fee if we can find any of thefe crippled fellows ; for fome went off towed by frigates, and fome without bowfpxits. The Sans Culotte is in Genoa, others are in Vado Bay. I think we are quite up again in thefe feas, and if we could only have had a breeze, I have no doubt but we fhould have given a deftru£live blow to the enemy's fleet : but however, it is very well. I beg my beft and kindeft remembrances to all your family ; Jofiah is a fine young man, and a brave fellow. Believe me ever Your moft faithful friend Horatio Nblson. APPENDIX. 53 All the enemy's fhips are fitted with forges, and fired confiantly, from fiDme of their guns, hot (hot and (hells ; but they appear afliamed of their orders, which are po- fitive from the Convention, and find nothing is fuperior to the old mode of fighting ; I only wifh fome of their own fhips may fufFer by having a furnace in their cock- pits ; that will end fuch a diabolical practice. If yon fee Admiral Lutwidge, or ever write to Kingfmill, re- member me to him. No. XXXVIII. Page 60. — That c'lrcumjiance led to a Jecond partial encounter* Agamemnony Leghorn^ MY DEAR FRIEND, May ^^ ^195' We have been here a whole week, expecting every hour to hear fomething from England, but nothing comes to us, neither mefienger, nor pods ; fure the people at home have forgotten us. The admiral has not received the fcratch of a pen for a mouth paft ; no reinforcements arrived, nor have we heard of their having failed, and yet the fix fhips of the enemy left Breft laft December with the grand fleet, and have been arrived fix weeks in Toulon harbour; and had we not fortunately crippled the mails of the enemy fo much in the action, we fhouKl have been left here in a very inferior Uate. The King of Naples has fent us one more feventy-four, and the Courageux will be finiflied to-morrow. We fhoufd otherwife have had only fourteen fail of the line to twenty, now we fhall have fixteen — fourteen EnglilTi, two Neapolitans. But if, as reported by ;he French minifter at Genoa, ihc preliainarijes of ^3 54 APPENDIX. peace are a£lually figned with Spain, we (hall of courfe lofe our Naples friends ; which will, in our prefent flate, be a very heavy ftroke upon us, for our ininider at Naples tells vs, as do Spain, fo do Naples. Reports of the day fay, that the French fleet failed on the I ft of May from Toulon eighteen, or twenty fail of the line ; we fliall hear more, if it is true, in twenty- four hours ; if only the former, I have no doubt but we fhall obtain a complete victory ; if the latter, we cannot exped it ; and what is worfe, a battle without a complete vidlory is deftrudion to us, for we cannot get another maft this fide Gibraltar : but Providence will, I truft, order all for the befl. We are likely to get an exchange of prifoners ; the vefTels are ready to fail from Toulon with Englifh, who are to be exchanged at this place ; we fail certainly from hence on Friday the 8th ; we believe the French fleet to be ft ill in port, and we are to proceed to the weft ward for Lord Hood, or fome re- inforcements. You mention your fonjohn having writ^ ten me a letter; I am forry never to have received it. Re- member me kindly to him, and the reft of the family. When I am to fee England, God knows, and have in the prefenl fituation of affairs determined on ftaying here till the autumn, or till another a£lion takes place, when all a6live fervice will probably be over, in thefe feas. Re- member me to our naval friends, or fuch others as in- quire after me. I flatter myfelf^ if the promotion of flags comes very foon, I fliall ftand a fair chance for the marines ; if fcrviccs this war may be allowed a claim, I may ftand to a certainty. One hundred and ten days 1 have been aduaily engaged at fea,and on fhore againftthc enemy ; in three a61ions againft (hips, two againft Baftia, m my fhip, four boat adions, and two villages taken, together with (welve fail of veffels burned. I don't kpow APPENDIX. 55 any one has done more, and I have had the comfort to he ever applauded by my commander in chief, but never rewarded ; and what is more mortifying, for fervices ia which I have been ilightly wounded, others have been praifed, who at the time were actually in bed, far from the fcene of acElion, But we ihall, I hope, talk of the whole matter over the fire, next winter, at Greenwich. Believe me ever Your obliged and affedionate HoKATio Nelson. No. XXXIX. MY DEAR FRIEND, Off Minorca, June i8, 1795. I RECEIVED your kind letter, dated April 15, on the 14th of June, when Admiral Man joined, and my friend William yelterday, with a book by Mr. Sum- mers, whom I (hall be glad to be attentive to. Great changes have taken place in this fleet, and more are on the eve of taking place, as the admiral experts a mef- fenger every day, with the j^count of the promotion of feveral captains here : perhaps the Admiralty may com- miflion me for fome (hip here ; if fo, provided they give me the marines, I fhall feel myfelf bound to take her, much as I obje(5l to ferving another winter campaign without a little reft. We are now waiting for a convoy's arrival from Gibraltar, but as the winds hang eafterly, they may be fome time before they arrive. The French fay they will fight us again, provided we are not more than two or three (hips fuperior; I can hardly believe they are fuch fools, pray God they may. The people are all fquabbling at Toulon, one party in polTeflion of the heights and fort Le Malgue, the Jacobins of the ar- Z>4 56 APPENDIX. fenal and town. The fleet put to Tea for two days, but are gone back, and found the Jacobins, the Auftrians, and Piedmontefe, are only waiting for our getting to the coaft of Italy and entering Vado Bay, which will be a fine anchorage for us. We have our wants and our wiOies in the fleet ; but, upon the whole, I believe we are much more comfortable than the home fleet, and our people very healthy, the fcurvy not known ; we eat very little fait meat. I fliall keep this letter open till I hear of a veflel going to Leghorn ; but our admiral gives us but very little notice. — June 19. Mr. Summers is recommended by Lord Hood to Admiral Hotham, and Holloway has put your good wifhes for the young man againfl: his name ; and he will certainly be very foon made a lieutenant. — June 20. A vefTel going to Leghorn, no convoy in fight, with kindeft remembrance to your family, and Mr. Bradley, believe me ever your Mofl: obliged, afFedionate Horatio Nelson. Hotham defires his compliments. [N. B. Captain Nelson was appointed, in confequence of a promotion of flag officers which then took place, to be one of ih^ colonels of marines, on the 6th of June 1795-3 No. XL. Page 60. — That circumjiance led to a Jecond partial encounter, Jgamemnon, off Cape Corfoj MY DEAR FRIEND, J^b^i ^19S* Mk. Summers is now fourth lieutenant of the Agamemnon ; but as the vacancy is not by death, and only in'the room of an officer invalided, it may be necelfary to APPENDIX. 57 have a friend to fay a word at the Admiralty for his im- mediate confirmation : not that it is likely they will fend out lieutenants to fuch vacancies. I told Admiral Ho- tham of your good wifhes for the young man. We arc now at fea, looking for the French fleet, which chafed myfelf and two frigates into Fiorenzo, yefterday after- noon. The admiral had fent me, with fome frigates, to co-operate with the Auftrian general in the recovery of Genoa, when I fell in with the enemy, who, expeding to get hold of us, were induced to chafe us over, not knowing, I am certain from their movements, that our fleet was returned into port. The chafe lafted twenty- four hours, and, owing to the frefhnefs of the winds, in thefe feas, at times I was hard prefled : but they being neither feamen, or officers, gave us many advantages. Our fleet had the mortification to fee me feven hours almoft in their pofleflion ; the fliore w^as our great friend, but a calm and fwell prevented our fhips from getting out till this morning. The enemy went off yefterday even- ipg, and I fear we fhall not overtake them ; but in this country no perfon can fay any thing about winds. If wg have that good fortune, I have no doubt but we fhall give a very good account of them, feventeen fail of the line, fix frigates ; we twenty-three of the line, and as fine a fleet as ever graced the feas. — July 14. Yefterday we got fight of the French fleet ; our flyers were able to near them, but not nearer than half gun-(hot : had the wind lafted twenty minutes longer^ the fix fliips would have each been alongfide fix of the enemy. Man com- manded us, and a good man he is in every {cni'e of the word. I had every expedtation of getting Agamemnon clofe alongfide an eighty-gun fhip, with a flag, or broad pendant j but the weft wind firfl: died away, then came 5? APPENDIX. cad, which gave tlicm the wind, and enabled theoi to reach their own coafl, from which they were not more than eight, or nine miles diftant. Rowley and myfelf were juft again getting intoclofe adion, when the admiral made the fignals to call us ofF; the Alcide* 74, ftiiick, but foon afterwards took fi|:e, owing to a box of combuftibles in her fore-top, and fhe blew up ; about 200 French were faved by our fleet. In the morning I was certain of taking their whole fleet, latterly of fix. fail. I will fay no (hip could behave better than ours ^ few men are killed, but cur fails and rigging are a good deal cut up. Agamemnon, with her ufual good luck, has none killed, and only one badly wounded ; by chance, . for I am fure they only fired high : they put feveral lliot under water, which has kept us fince at the pumps. The enemy anchored in Frejus Bay, and we are fleering for FiorcnzQ. Believe me ever yours, Horatio Nelson. The CuUoden lofl his topmaft as he was getting along- fide a feventy-four, Vi(Slory, Admiral Man, Captain Reeve; Agamemnon, Nelfon ; Defence, Wells ; Culloden, Troubridge ; Cum- berland, Rowley i Blenheim, Bazeley; I think thefe were the names of every lliip that was engaged: if I have omitted any, I beg their pardons. No. XLI. Page 6q. — Jn the etjjuin^ months i3c, M V D E A R F R IE N D, Vado Bay^ Aug* 1 9, 1 795. I HA VE leceivcd your letter of July 8th, with g very l»tc newfpaper. I hope Lord Bridporl's fuccefs, APPENDIX. 59 if^Y\d, the appearances of the emigres landed in Britany, will bring the war to a happy conclufion. The peace of Spain is unfortunate, infomuch as it lets loofe an addi- tional force againft the Auffcrian army here ; otherwife, owing to the ina6tivity of the Spaniards, no benefit whatever arofe to the common caufe. As the conditions of the peace are not to be made public till September 23, we may fuppofe there arc fome of the articles by no rneans pleafant to the allied powers : I think myfelf, be« fides money, the Spaniards have confented to give fhips, I know the French long fince offered Spain peace for fourteen fail of the line fully ftored, I take for granted not manned, as that would be the readied way to lofc them again. My command here of thirteen fail of fri- gates and floops is not altogether unpleafant ; with the fleet we do nothing, not a frigate is allowed to chafe out of fight. As I have been fo much in the habit of fol- diering, the moment it was known the Auftrian army was coming, it was fixed the Brigadier muft go. How- ever, I have fucceeded in all my attempts, and I truft I ihall not fail in our prefent undertaking; nothing fhall, as far as my force goes, be wanting on oui^ parts; but Hotham hates this co-operation. We expert Sir John Jervis to take the command, who, I underftand, is a man of bufinefs. It is with real forrow that I fhould appear to you fo negligent in not fending you wine, which I fully intended, by Cap- tain Burgefs of the Argo ; but my (hort hi (lory, I hope, will plead my excufe. On the 4th of July the Argo came into Fiorenzo from Leghorn, and I failed for Genoa the fame night : I was chafed back on the 7th by the French fleet, but did not go into Fiorenzo. After ouir very little bufinefs, we anchored at St. Fiorenzo at one P. M. andl I failed at dark 5 the Argp was then at Leg, 6o APPENDIX. horn waiting for a convoy ; this is the truth, and it mud plead my excufe for apparent neglect. Do you ever hear from Kingfmill ? If you write to, or fee him, temem- ber me to him. I thank you for your remembrance of mo to Simon Taylor. Weft India affairs feem to look but black, but I hope they are at the worft, and that no more blood will be fhed there. Admiral Ford, I am told, has made 180,000/.— what a fortune ! Remember me moft kindly to your fons, and all the family ; and believe me, with the fincereft afFedlion, Sir, Yours moft truly, Aug. 23. Horatio Nelson. No. XLII. Page 6^*-^Promoted Captain ISJelfon to the temporary rank of Commodore. Agamemnon, Genoa Mole, MY DEAR FRIEND, March 4., I'jgS, I RECEIVED, the day before 1 left Leghorn, your letter of December 30, for which I thank you. As to my failing for England, it is impofTible to fay when it is to happen, for fo many fhips are in a bad ftate, that I know not who is to have the preference. The convoy muft, I fuppofe, fail next month ; but the Fiench are fo nearly equal to us, that the admiral will not part with many fnips. I am juft come from looking into Tou- lon, where thirteen fail of the line and five frigates are ready for fea, and fome others fitting in the arfenal : I think by the end of this montl^ the enemy's fleet will be at fea, and as they have a great number of tranfports ready at Marfeilles, I firmly believe the fleet from Cadiz, joined by fome from L'Orient or Bxp^^ will join them \ APPENDIX. 6l when having a very fuperior fleet for one week, they wrll efFe6l a landing between Port Eftecia and Leghorn, I mean on that part of the coaft of Italy, when they will of courfe poffefs themfelves of Leghorn, and there is nothing to flop their progrefs to Rome and Naples : we may fight their f^eet, but unlefs we can deftroy them, their tranfports will pufh on and efFe£l the landing. What will the French care for the lofs of a few men of war ? it is nothing if they get into Italy. This is the gold-mine, and what, depend on it, they will pulh for. The little that I have feen of Sir John I like ; he feems pleafed with my condii6l, and does not feem very willing to let me go home, even if Agamemnon does. I left the admiral on the 23d ult. to the weftward of Toulon. I told him of your remembrances to him.. Mr. Summers has fent home his eommiflion, and al- though the officer in whofe room he came, was only in- valided, yet the vacancy ought to be a good one, as he died very foon afterwards ; therefore the lift is not in- creafed by his appointment. I fuppofe Admiral Hotham will be thinking of homeward fleering ; he has fpent the winter at Naples, and been well received. How unfortunate Admiral Chriftian has been 1 I hope our Weft India illands will not fuffer more than they have done ; but I fee Wilberforcc is meddling again with the flaVe-trade, I feel very much obliged by Simon Taylor's remembrances ; pray do not forget me to him when you write. Were I an admiral, there is no ftation I fhould like fo much in a war, as Jamaica ; I think I could give fatisfa6iion by keeping the illand free from privateers, which I know is the general complaint againft our admirals. We are this day covered with fnow, and it is intenfely cold ; this will make the campaign later in opening, but every day French troops are arriving to 6jl APPENDIX. reinforce the army, I have my fears for Piedmont, unlefs the Etriperor orders many more troops than he has at prefent. I beg you will remember me kindly to evQry part of your family, and do not forget me to fu6h of our friends as you may meet with. Believe mc Yours mod truly, Horatio Nelsoi^. No. XLIIL Captain, at Sea^ June 20, 1 796. MY DEAR FRIEND, For this lafl fortnight my deftination has been fo often changed, that I have been very uncertain whc- ther I was to go home, or ftay. The Egmont, Captain Sutton> was under orders for England, with Admiral Linzee's flag on board, and had carried the convoy from Leghorn to Corfica ; at this time orders came out for a third rate, the word fhip in the line, to go l^ome with the convoy ; there could be no doubt but the Agamemnon muft be the (hip. Sir John knowing Sutton's anxiety to get home, and the intereft wliich had been made for that purpofe, ordered the captain of the San Fiorenzoto take the Egmont, and Sutton to take my ihip, when to my great artonifhment Sutton declined going liome, unlefs his fhip went, the beft conditioned and beft manned of all thofe which came firft out of England : for more than a week Agamemnon ftood for England, and had the corn- (hips, which were momentarily expedlcd, arrived, I muft have gone. However, when it was known in the fleet, many wiflied to go, and the captain of this fhip had the preference, he being in a very bad ftate of health ; if i hoift my flag here, the Goliath I fancy will be my fhip j- APPENDIX. 63 ihe is, I hear, wretchedly manned ; however, I don't mind, if I have but good ftufF to work upon. 1 left Sir John yefterday off Toulon, in good health and fpirits; he mod particularly defired me to make his kindeft re- membrances to you, and to fay, that he would write, but that I mufl fay the truth, he had not a moment for writing: this ftation is particular for correfpondence, for our minifters at all the Italian courts 4re ever writing. Should the French come out, I am faiisfied we (hould give a very good account of them. As to the news of the armies, the French fo far outnumber General Beau- lieu, that he has been obliged to retreat into the Tyrol ; Mantua is befieged, but we hope it will hold out a very long time. With kindeft remembrances to every part of vouT family^ believe me ever Yours moft faithfully, Horatio Nelson, No. XLIV. Page 68. — The hlockade of Leghorn ^ the capture of For t-9' Ferragioy &c. Captain, Leghorn Roads , Aug* 2, 1796,^ MY DEAR SIR, I SHALL confine my prefent letter principally to the fubje£l of your recommendation, with that of many other friends of Mr. Summers. Very foon after his arrival^ Admiral Hotham appointed him, in what was confidered at the time a real vacancy, for it was certain Lieutenant Wenman Allifon could not furvive, and he died a very few days after his arrival in London. Lieutenant Summers feels chagrined, and To do I» that after having been a year 64 APPENDIX. with me, and in a good vacancy, he is not confirmed; and I feel it the more, as thofe made fmce him in inva* liding vacancies, are confirmed. Indeed the Admirahy have confirmed a Mr. Compton to a vacancy, when they had adlually fent out another lieutenant, and tv/o are now ferving in the vacancy of lieutenant, now captain Andrews. This bufinefs I am fare wants nothing but a fair expla- nation, which I beg you to do, I have fent one certificate to Mr. Summers's agents, Marfh and Creed, and fend you another, which pray prefent to fom.e of our friends at the board. I have every reafon to believe Admiral Young will ftate the matter fairly to Lord Spencer. I may almoll congratulate yoti on our re-entry into Leghorn ; the country, from the Grand Duke down- wards, is fo completely in diftrefs by the blockade of Leghorn, that all is in motion^ and if the French are not out of Leghorn before the 15th, there will be a ge- neral infurredion. The Leghornefe have told the French, they mall not celebrate their fete of Auguft to, to which the French mull fubmit ; they fay the Grand Duke is a young man, but they do not fhare his miniftry. The prefent governor of Leghorn, who is fixed fince the French came, they fay is a traitor, and if there is an in- furredtion his head will go off: but I believe we fhall manage all without blood, and that the French will go ofF, No perfon in Leghorn will buy the Englilh property, for they could not fend it away; therefore except what is deftroyed all is fafe. Some Englifli merchants compro- mifed with Buonaparte for their effecSls ; they will lofe, which I am not forry for. The fear of the French has been the caufe of all their fuccefles in Italy. With kindeft remembrances to every one of your family, believe me, Sir, Your affectionate and obliged HoRATiO Nelson. APPENDIX* 65 No. XLV. Captain, at "Sea, Nov. 5, 1796. MV DEAR FRIEND, It is true that my time has lately been fo fully employed, that I have not had that time I wiflied, to write to all my friends. However, as I am now attached to the fleet, I have not fo many affairs on hand. Sir John de- flres rae to fay when I write to you, that he is forry he can- not, fo much as he wifhes, write to you himfelf. We have now done with Corfica ; 1 have feen the firft, and the laft of that kingdom : its fituation certainly was moft defira- ble for us, but the generality of its inhabitants are fQ greedy of wealth, and io jealous of each other, that it would require the patience of Job, and the riches of Crcefus to fatisfy them : they fay thet^ifelves they are only to be ruled, by the ruling power fhootlng all it^ ene- mies, and bribing all its friends. They already regret our departure from them, for no more filver harvcH will come to their lot. I remember when we quitted Toulon we endeavoured to reconcile ourfelves to Corfica ; now we are content with Elba — fuch things are : however,^ we have a fine port, and are at no expenfe for the government of the idand. We are anxious to hear what the King of Naples has determined on, in confequence of our re- maining to fupport him \ if he is marched, I hope foon to be in pofTeffion of Leghorn again. The condudl of the Pope i^-extraojrdinary ; although he is at war with the French, yet he has not opened his ports to us ; he is fearful of a turn in theprefent happy profpe6ls : in (hort, Italy has been loft by the fears of its princes; had they expended Half the money to preferve their territories^which E 66 APPENDIX. they paid the French for entering them, their countries would have been happy, inftead of being filled with pre- fent mifery, and diabolical notions of government. We left St. Fiorenzo on the 2d at night, and are now feeing our Smyrna convoy part of the way down the Straits, and hope to meet Admiral Man, who has more than a month paft, known the fituation of our gallant ad- miral ; orders have been fent to him to join us, which fame fays were received October loth, but if that is the fadl. Admiral Man could not have failed on the receipt of them. So foon as our fleet is united, I have no doubt but we (hall look out for the combined fleet, who I fuppofe are about thirty-four fail of the line, badly manned, and worfe ordered, whilfl: ours is fuch a fleet as I never before fa vv at fea ; there is nothing hardly beyond our reach : I need not give you the chara6ler of Sir John Jcrvis, you know him well ; therefore 1 (hall only fay, he is worthy of fuch a fleet, for he knows how to ufe us in the moft beneficial manner for our country. You will not forget me kindly to every part of your fa- mily, and alfo to Mr. Bradley and our naval friends ; alfo to Simon Taylor. As I read in the paper St. Domingo is to be evacuated, I hope Jamaica will be fafe. All the French army in Italy is going to the devil very faft. Wc are on fliore, upon velvet. — Ever believe me Your mcft affedtionate Horatio Nelson. A^«v. II, »^ Minorca, I write this to go when opportunity oflfcrs. Have you done the bufincfs for Mr. Summers ? APPENDIX. 67 No. XLVI. Page 74. — A Jhort memorandum made hy the Csmmodore hmjelf. Irrejtjiibk, Lagos Bay y Feb, 21 y 1797. MY DEAR FRIEND, I WAS too unwell to write to you by the Lively ; but as I know how anxious you are for my wel- fare, both in health, and reputation, I fend you a fhort detail of the tranfadions of the Captain ; and if you ap- prove of it, you are at perfe£l liberty to infert in the newf- papers ; inferting the name of Commodore inftead of /. Captains MiUer and Berry, &c. authenticated the truth, till I quitted the San Jofeph to go on board the Mincrve, and farther than this the detail Ihould not be printed. As I do not write for the prefs, there may be parts of it which require the pruning-knife, which I defire you will ufe ■without fear. I pretend not to fay that thefe fhips might not have fallen, had I not boarded them ; but truly it was far from impoflible, but they might have forged into the Spanifti fleet as the other two (hips did. 1 hope for a good account of the Santiflima Trinidada ; fhe has been feen without mafts, and fome of our frigates near her. Sir John has juft fent me word the Rofe goes for Eng- land in a few minutes. I can only fay, believe me ever Your mOil affedionate friend, Horatio Nelson. Captain Martin defires I make his beft refpe£ls. My pendant i^ in this fliip. 68 API'S ND15&. No. XLVIL Page 185. — On the lyh having holjlcd hh fiandard, MY DEAR FRIEND, NapkSy Julyl^, *799* Although I am fo ill that I can fcarcely fit up, yet I will not let the courier go off, without afTuring you that all your kindnefTes to me are frefh in my me- mory ; I remember all my fricHds ; 1 forgive, from my heart, my envious enemies. May God Almighty grant you, my revered friend, that health and happinefs which has never yet been obtained by , Your afFedlionate grateful friend. Nelson, My friend Troubridge is a general officer. THE END. S. GosNELL, Piijitej, Little Queen Street. 1805. CATALOGUE OF NEir BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS, No. 20, PATERNOSTER:.ROWj LONDOX. AGRICULTURE AND BOTANY, Jf Management Dedicated to the Right Hon. Lord Somen-iUe. 1. \ GENERAL TREATISE ON CATTLE. The Ox, the p, and the Swine : Comprehending their Breeding, Improvement, and Diseases. By John Lawrence, Authorofthe*' NEW FARMER^s CALENDAR," "MODERN LAND STEWARD," &c. &c. 2. 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Hints on entering into Practical or Medical Jurisprudence, &c. &c. 3s. 6d. boards. «« The work before us will be found not less interesting than instructive by the student in medicine, to whose use it is particularly dedicated. It seems well calculated to answer the benevolent intentions of the writer." British Critic. BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. U '* Th« author lias treated his various subjects in so judicious a manner, and ex- pressed himself with so much perspicuity, that no medical gentleman ought to com- mence his routine of studie* uatil he has careiuHy perused tliese letters." London Medical Review. 36. PARKINSON'S HINTS FOR THE IMPROVEIVIENT OF TRUSSES, intended to render their Use less inconvenient, and to prevent the Necessity of an Understrap. With a Description of a Truss of easy Construction, and slight Expence, for the Use of the Labouring Poor; to whom this little Tract is chiefly ad- dressed. 9d. ** These Hints are certainly entitled to the attention of all who have the misfortune to be afflicted with this dreadlul disorder." Anti-Jacobin, Oct. 1802. ** The contrivance here recommended is at once so simple, and apparently so effectual for the purpose to which it is designed, that mc question whether the mo^ skilful artist could add materially to its advantages, much /fw pretensions to improve- ment, than are here held forth, and much rvurse founded ones have led to a monopolj*, by patent, in innumerable instances." Medical and Chirurgical Reviezv, January, 1803. 37. THE PHYSICIAN'S VADE MECUM ; being a Compen- dium of Nosology and Therapeutics, for the Use of Students. By the Rev. JcsephTownsend, Rector ofPewsey,Wilts. SixthEdit. 4s. 38. A PRACTICAL TREATISE on the different FEVERS of the WEST INDIES, and their Diagnostic Symptoms. By Wil- liam Fow^LE, M. D. F. R. S. S. Ed. Licentiate of the London Royal College of Physicians, and Physician to the Forces. 2s. 6d. 39. The Second Part ofan ESSAY ONTHE ANTIVENE- REAL EFFECTS OFNITROUS ACID, and other analogous Sub- stances, which have lately been proposed as Substitutes for Mercury. By Wm. BLAiRy a. M. F. M. S. Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, Surgeon of the Lock Hospital and Asylum, of the Finsbury Dispensary, and Lecturer on the Diseases and Operations of Surgery. 8vo. 6s. boards. *' We do not hesitate to recommend this work to the perusal of every medical prac- titioner, especially the surgeon." London Review. 40. A Second Edition of the First Part, 4s. 6d. 41. A DICTIONARY OF SURGERY, or, the YOUNG surgeon's Pocket Assistant, by Benjamin Lara, 6s. bound. 42. A COMPENDIUM OF ANATOMY, being a Pocket Companion for young Surgeons and Artists ; adapted to the Intro- ductions of Surgery, and the Arts of Designing, Painting, and Sculpture ; in twelve Figures. In which the Bones and Muscles of the Human Body are represented, as they appear in the best chosen Attitudes, when c'^ared of the Skin, the Membrana Adiposa, and the Veins and Arteries. Most accurately engraved from the best Anatomical Tables and Figures extant. With a concise and yet clear Explanation; shewing their Names, Origin, Insertion, and Use. 2s. 6d. This Work is a proper Introduction to the Study of Anatomy, for the Use of young Surgeons ; and is not only very useful, but ab- solutely necessary, to Painters, Statuaries, and all Professors of Drawing and Design. n BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. EDUCATION-^ENGLISH, 43. THE ACCOMPLISHED TUTOR; or, Complete System of Liberal Education ; being an Introduction to Scientifical Knowledge and Genteel Accomplishments : containing the most improved Theory and Practice of the following Subjects ; English Grammar and Elocution, Penmanship and Short- hand, Arithmetic, Vulgar and Decimal, Stockholding and Mer- chants Accompts, Mensuration and Archi- tecture, Optics, Algebra, Doctrine of Annuities, Trigonometry, Logarithms, Geography, Astronomy, Mechanics, Electricity, Pneumatics, Hydrostatics,. Hydraulics, Drawing, Engraving, and Painting, and a Variety of other useful Matter. By Thomas HoDso?f ; Two large Volumes Octavo, IBs. boards (or in Seventeen Numbers, to be Jifed by One or more at a Time, Is. each) each Number containing Fifty-six Pages of Letter-press, and the Whole embellished with Twenty-six useful and elegant Copper-plates. To enumerate the various classes of individuals to whom the preservt Work will be highly acceptable, Mould be to particularize almost every description of mankind. The Scholar, under the tuition of a Master, would find his labours greatly abridged by a reference to svich a Treatise. The Mechanical Youth, and Man of Business, will find all that is necessarj' to qualify ihem for the Shop and Countirg-honse. Those "Who have missed the advantages of a liberal Education, may here supply that defect; and the experienced Scholar ma.v find his account in reviewing the earlier part of his education. *' This certainly is a useful and cheap Work ; the modern improvements on eacli subject are introduced j and we have no scruple in giving it our general recom- mendation." Vide British Critic y November, 1802. 44. DICTIONARY OF POLITE LITERATURE; or. Fa- bulous History of the Heathen Gods and Illustrious Heroes. 2 vols. ISrao. embellished with numerous elegant en- gravings. 12s. boards ; or, on fine Paper, hot-pressed, with first impressions of the Plate.s. ll. Is. boards. " This is a convenient publication for students of the Classics, nor does there ap- pear to be any omissions of material importaHce. The plates arc neatly executed by Angus, from designs by Burney ; and the type, though small, is remarkably neat and perspicuous." British Critic, June, 18l)4. " This- is a work of much merit, ornamented with a number of well executed and appropriate copper-plates. All the personages, whether divinities or heroes, that swell the pages of ancient poetry and mythology, are here described in a very ample arvd correct manner. To boys who are studying the Latin and Greek Authors, these V€vlumes wjU be a most acceptable present." Critical Review, July, 1804. 45. MENTOR; or. The Moral Conductor of Youth from the Academy to Manhood : a Work, the Result of actual but painful Experience, candidly stated, and usefully adapted to the Level of youthful Understanding. To which is added, as an Incite- ment to the Study of it in grown Youth, during their Hours of Relaxation from Business, An Essay on the extensi^ e Utility, Advantages, and Amusement of Mathematical Learning. By David Morrick, Author of The Art of Teaching, &c. &c. os. boards. ** We have- with great satisfaction perused this V»)lume ; and ferl ourselves bound^ by the dnly we owe to the public, as well as in justice to the Auti or, to say, that, u. a practical Treatise far the regulation of conduct in life, it is deserving of the most BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. 13 rxtensive circulation. The Lessons which it inculcates are, we are assured, founded on actual experience, and have, therefore, tiie strongest claims to attention." European Magazine, July, 1802. 46. AN ABSTRACT OF THE ART OF TEACHING, or Communicating Instruction; as far as it respects Reading, Grammr, Writing, Arithmetic, &c. &c. By David Morrice. Is. 6d. sewed. 47. ENGLISH COMPOSITION, on a Method entirely new; with various contrasted Examples from celebrated Writers. The Whole adapted to common Capacities, and designed as an easy Help to form a good Style, and to promote an early Acquaintance with the Works of the best Authors, l^y the Rev. G.G. Scraggs, of Buckingham. To which arc added. An Essay on the Advantages of understanding Composition ; and a List of the best Books for an English Reader, with Remarks. 3s. 6d. bound. We have now so many well written books in the English Language, that the study of Composition has become general. Blair's Lectures, and similar works, are either too expensive, or else written in such a scholastic manner, that they are never likely to be so extensively useful as the subject requires. This Volume com- presses much in a small compass : and, as it contains an Illustra- tion of every important rule in Grammar, Rhetoric, and English Composition, it will save the Reader both time and expense. In order to shew what is wrong and that which is right at one view the Author has given various contrasted Examples, by w^hich error may be very soon corrected. The Introductory Essay, which shews the advantages of understanding Composition, will help to atfain that knowledge ; and the List of Books, with Remarks, must be acceptable to English Readers. 48. BEAUTIES OF HISTORY; or. Pictures of Virtue AND Vice, drawn from Real Life: designed for the Instruction and Entertainment of Youth. Ey L. M. Stretch, Vicar of Twy- ford and Ouselbury, Hampshire, 12mo. 3s. 6d. bound. 4.9.THE CHILDREN'S FRIEND ; translated from theFrench «f M. Berciuin. 4 Volumes. 12s. bound. 50. SELECT STORIES, from the French ot M. Berquin, 3s. 6d. bound. 51. LETTERS ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE MIND, addressed to a Lady. By Mrs. Chapone. Elegantly printed on fine Foolscap Paper. 4s. boards; or a common Edi- tion, 2s. 6d. bound. 52. AN ADDRESS TO THE INGENUOUS YOUTH OF GREAT BRITAIN, together with a body of divinity in mi- niature ; to which is subjoined a plan of education, adapted to the Use of Schools, and which has been carried into Execution during a Course of near Fifty Years. By the Rev. John Ryland, A. M. with an elegant Portrait of the Author. 2s. in boards. *^* The well known Exertions of the late Mr. Ryl.\nd for the Benefit of Christian Youths were sucTi as to render his Works of the highest Estimation, and from the extensive Circulation of the fprmer Edition of the Body of Divinity, and the desire of several Chris- 14 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. tian Friends, he was induced to revise and correct it, and which is now presented to the Public with such Additions and Improvements as will render it still more acceptable than the former Edition. 54. By the same Author, SELECT ESSAYS ON THE MORAL VIRTUES, AND ON GENIUS, SCIENCE, AND TASTE, interspersed with stk ik j ng facts, being the Author's last present to the Public, in the Seventieth Year of his Age. Is. 6d. boards, or bound with the above, calf, lettered, ts. 6d. To sliew the Author's great Desire to see this Work brought for- ward, we shall make an Extract from one of his Letters a short Time before his Death. '* I long to see the liberal Sciences made illustrious so as to please Mankind. ^ * * * * I am fired with Ardour to see this grand Scheme take Place; I know I can execute it with Beauty and Honour, so as to please and instruct my Country, and spread a Blaze of virtuous Knowledge through the whole Kingdom." 55. SELECT FABLES OF ^SOP AND OTHER FABU- LISTS, in Three Books, Ancient, Modern, and Original, by R. DoDSLEY, I2mo. 3s. bound 56. FABLES, by Mr. Gay, 12mo. 2s. (id. bound ; or, on Fine Foolscap 8vo. with 69 elegant Copper-plates. 9s. boards. 57. BELLISARIUS, by Marmontel. Foolscap, Five Plates. 5s. 6d. boards ; or, on fine drawing Demy, Svo. 7s. 58. THE GLEANER. Consisting of Essays, Visions, Dia- logues, Stories, Narratives, Allegories, &c. Interspersed with Pro- verbs, Maxims, and Anecdotes, in Prose. THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO. Consi^sting of Odes, Eclogues, Elegies, Inscriptions, Portraits, Descriptions, Epitaphs, Hymns^ Tales, Invocations, &c. in Poetry. THE FABULATOR ; or, The Hall of Esop. Being a Se- lection of Fables in Prose and Verse. The last Three by W. Ho ds o Ny form each a neat Pocket Volume, embellished with an elegant Fron- tispiece, and Vignette Titles. Is. 6d. sewed, or 2s. bound. 59. ACADEMIC LESSONS: comprising a System of Edu- cation, reduced to Practice, particularly adapted to Female Se- minaries, by R. Cawte. Third Edition. 2s. 6d. bound. Containing a Summary View of the Rise and Progress of Learning— Ancient and Modern Modes of Education contrasted — General Observations on Boarding Schools — Advice to Parents, Guardians, and Governesses — Proper Hints to Teacbers of all Denominations — Lessons for Scholars with regard to Religion, Learninsj, Morals, Delicacy, Dress, Address, and various other Particulars. Illustrated witii Fables and Examples of real Characters j together with suitable Applications drawn from the Whole, familiarly adapted to the Capacity of Young Ladies of al! Ranks, A*hilst under a Course of Education. 60. GOLDSMITH'S ABRIDGMENT of the HISTORY of ENGLAND, from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Death of George the Second ; continued by an eminent Writer down to the present time. Eleventh Edition. 3s. 6d. bound ; or, in French, 4s. bd. 61. A DIALOGUE BETWEEN A LADY AND HER PUPILS ; describing a Journey through England and Wales ; in which a detail of the different Arts and Manufactures of each city BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. 15 and town is accurately given ; interspersed with Observations and Descriptions in Natural History. Designed for Young Ladies and Schools. By Mrs. Brook. 3s. 6d. bound. 62. An EPITOME OF GEOGRAPHY, in Three Parts : arranged after a new manner, and enlivened by references to Ancient and Modern History. Second Edition, with considerable Additions and Improvements. By John Evans, A. M. Islington. 2s. 6d. bound ; or on fine Foolscap Paper, 3s. 6d. boards. The importance of Geography, in a course of liberal Education, is universally acknowledged. It has, indeed, been denominated one of the eyes of History, and is rendered of still greater utility by the commercial spirit of the age. Without some acquaintance therefore with this branch of knowledge, no individual can be pronounced an intelligent and respectable member of the community. " AnM^<:f«/IntrcKhiction to Geography, which the Author printed for the Assistance of h« own Pupils, and which may be adopted wiih advnntna:e in OTHER SEMINA- RIES of EDUCATION." Critical ReiiezvJ'or December y^liiOi. 63. HAWNEY's COMPLETE MEASURER; or, the whole Art of Measuring, being a plain and comprehensive Treatise on Practical Geometry and Mensuration, preceded by Deci- mal and Duodecimal Arithmetic, and the Extraction of the Square and Cube Root. Adapted to the use of Schools, a»d persons con- cerned in Measuring, Gauging, Surveying, &c. A New Edition, corrected and greatly improved, by Thomas Keith, 4s. bound. 64. A KEY TO BONNYCASTLE's MENSURATION ; con. tainingthe Solutions to the Questions left unanswered in that A^ork, with the References as they stand m the last Edition. The whole explained in as easy and familiar a manner as the Subject will ad- mit. By Wm. Davis. l2mo. 3s. bound. Qb. An Easy and Comprehensive Description and Use of the Globes. By Wm. Davis. 3d Edition, with Additions and Im- provements. 1 2mo. 2s. 6d. 66. A KEYTO BONNYCASTLE\s ALGEBRA ; containing the Solutions of the Questions, with the References as they stand in the 6th Edition. By Wm Davis. 12mo. 4s. bound. 67. FISHER'S ''instructor; or. Young Man's best Companion, in Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Merchant's Ac- counts, Bookkeeping, Mensuration in all its Branches, Gauging, Dialing, Dying, Colouring, Gardening, Geography, Astronomy, &c. &c. 12mo. 3s. bound. 68. THE PENCE TABLE and THE MULTIPLICATION TABLE in Verse, on 2 Cards, 2d each, intended to render a dis- agreeable Task easy of acquisition, and pleasant and amusing to Youth. 69. The PENMAN'S REPOSITORY, by W. Milns. Beauti- fully engraved by Mr. Ash by, and elegantly printed in Folio, on a superfine wove Paper. II. 2s. 6d. This W'ork is all engraved by the celebrated Mr. Ashby, and com- prises the largest Collection of correct and distinct Alphabets ever offered to the Public, in various Hands and Languages. A great f6 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. variety of Elegant and New Designs ; with a curious and valuabW Selectioriiof Flourishes. 70. JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY of the English Lan- GUAGE, in which the words are deduced from their originals, explained in their different meanings, and authorized by the names of the writers in whose works they are found. Abstracted from the Folio Edition, by the Autlior. To which is prefixed, a Grammar of the English Language, 11th Edit, with considerable Additions. One large volume 8vo. 10s. 6d. bound; or fine paper 2 vols. 17s. calf, lettered. , ? 71. JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY in Miniature, to which are added an 7\lphabetical Account of the Heathen Deities; a List of the Cities, Boroughs, and Market Towns, in England and Wales ; a copious Chronology ; and a concise Epitome of the most remarkable Events during the French Revolution. By the Rev. Joseph Ha- milton, M. A. 14th Edit, small pocket size, 3s. 6d. bound. 72. SHERIDAN'S COMPLETE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, both with Regard to Sound and Meaning ; one main Object of which is to establish a plain and permanent Standard of Pronunciation. To which is prefixed, a Prosodial Grammar. Fifth Edition, revised, corrected, and enlarged, 2 vols. 8vo 14-s. bound. Whoever has occasion to seek assistance, either In spelling, read- ing, speaking, or understanding the English Language, will here find a Guide, on whose knowledge and fidelity he may rely with per- fect confidence. The same, abridged by Salmon, pocket size. 5s. bound. 73. ENTICK'sNEW SPELLING DICTIONARY; teaching to write and pronounce the English Tongue with Ease and Propriety. 2s. 6d. bound. 74. LOWTH's Short Introduction to ENGLISH GRAMMAR : with Critical Notes. Is. 6d. bound ; or fine Paper, 3s. 6d. 75. A NEW GUIDE TO THE ENGLISH TONGUE. In Five Parts. By Thomas Dilworth. Sixty-third Edition, with considerable Improvements. 1 s. 76. DILWORTH IMPROVED ; or, A New Guide to the English Tongue. By S.James, Schoolmaster, is. bound. 77. UNION SPELLING; or, Reading made Easy. By C. Pearson, Schoolmaster of Westminster. 6d. with Cuts. EDUCA T ION— LA TIN. 78. CLARKE'S INTRODUCTION TO THE MAKING OF LATIN. 3s. bound. 79. TRICOT ANGLICISED; or, the LATIN SYNTAX, as used in the late UNIVERSITY of PARIS, and in many eminent Colleges on the Continent. Adapted to the Use of the ENGLISH STUDENT. By G. Reynolds. U. 6d. BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SVMONDS. 17 EDUCA TION—FBENCIL 80. LA LTTURGIE ou Formulaire des Pri<$ies Pabllques selon rU.-a,?ede I'Lglise Anglicanc par N. Wanostrocht. 3s. Od.bd. 81. BELIb/iIRE ET FRAGMENS dl Philosofhie Mo- rale, par M. Makmontel, de L^Aradeniie Francoisfe. Nou- VKLLE Edition, avecia Signification des Mot'^. les plusdifiiciies en Angfois au bas de chaque page, revue etsoigueasemejit corrij;ee par N. Wanostrocht, Docteur en Droit. 12mo. .'is. 6d. bound. 82. LLS AVENTURES DETELEMAQUE, Fils D'Ulysse. Par M. Ff:nf.lon. Nouvelle Edition, avec la Signification des mots les plus difficiles en Anglois aa bas de ciiaqiie page. A laquelle ou a ajoute un petit Dictionnaire Mythologique et Geographj'.^ue, pour faciliter ^intelligence de cet ouvrage, Le tout soigneusement revu et corrlg^ I'^s nieilieurs Editions de Paris, par N. Wa- nostrocht. 4s. bound. 83. LES PETITS EMIGRES ou Correspondance de quclques Enfans, Ceiivrage fait pour servir a I'Education de la jeunesse, par Madame De Genlis. Nouvelle edition, avec des Notes gramma- ticales.^ 2 vols. 8s. bound; or, fine paper, 10s. 84. UAMIE DES ENFANS. Par M. RERauiN. revue et corrig^e avec soin. Par Nicholas Salmon. 4 Tome, l'2s. 85. ABREGE DE L'HISFOIRE DVVNGLETERRE, tradult de la Neuvieme Edition. Du Dr. Goldsmith. Par Njcholaj* Hamel. Nouvelle Edition revue, corrigee et continuee jusque'a L'an Mil Huit Cent. 4s. Ixjund. 86. LES VOYAGES DE CYRUS, avec un Discourse sur la Thdologie et la Mythologie des Anciens. Par M. Ramsay. Nouvelle Edition, avec la Signification des mots les plus difficiles en Anglois au bas de chaque page, revue etsoigneusement corrigee par N. Wanostrocht, l2mo. .3s. 6d. bound. 87. A METHOD ENTIRELY NEW OF LEARNING FRENCH ; ii) which the Principles of that Tongue are set forth .with such Order and Perspicuity as to promote the speedy Attain- ment of that universal Language. By J. Guisy. 3s. 'bound. *^* Tliis Grammar is particularly adapted to the genius and dispo- sition of Young Students, and persons entirely unacquainted with ihe French Language. By the arrangement of its principles, the nature of its rules and e^erci^es, it has the uncommon advantage of being equally adapted to the meanest and highest capacities, and will prove no less useful to the master himself than the pupil; for theory and practice, rules and examples, observations, and all the necessary indications to attain a thorough knowledge of its exercise* go hand in hand in every page. 88. PERRIN's GRAMMAR OF THE FRENCH TONGUE, grounded upon the Decisions of the Fr en ch Academy; wherein ail the necessary Rules, Observations; and Examples, arc cxhibited- in a manner entirely new. 3s. bound. ^9. PERRIN^s'eNTERTAINING AND INSTRUCTIVE EXERClSIiS, with the Rules of tiie French SynUx. 3s. bouwd. U 13 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. iO. NOUVELLE GRAMMAIRE FRANCOISE a TUsage de la Jeunesse Angloise. Composee dc.^Maniere a joindre la Pia* tlque a i'etude des regies de la Langue Fran^oise, par H. Gratte. Second edition, revue et corrigt^e. Js. 6d. bound. 91. EXERCISES to the Rules and Constructix)n^ of FRENCH SPEECH ; consisting of passages extracted out of the best French authors, with a reierenceto the grammar-rules to be turned back into French. By Lewis Chamuaud, 17th Edition revised and cor- rected, \\«^th great Improvements. By Mr. Des Caihiieres. 3s. EDUCA TION—GEBMAN, A NEW GERMAN GRAMMAR : under the Patronage of His Royal Highness the Duke of York. 92. A CONCISE PRACTIAL GRAMMAR OF THE GER- MAN TONGUE. By the Rev. Dr. Render, Teacher of the German Language in the University of Cambridge. 2d edition. 5s. ** This is a useful Practical Grammar for beginners, ati(i the method adopted in it is a sufficient recomineiKlation of the autlior as a teacher of the German Language. The exercises are well introduced to ground the learner in the knowlerlge of the parts of speech iii the proper order, and will be of great service to tlie teachers." CriinaJ Reviezc, April, 1800. 93. REIsIDER's EXERCISES, io facilitate the Acquisition of the German Language. 5s. bound, 94. A CONCISE ENGLISH AND GERMAN SPtL- LING BOOK ; or, an easy Introduction to the German Gram- mar ; adapted to the Use of Englishmen ; divided into Four Parts. By Godfrey Augustus Muller, Teacher of the German Language. 4s. bound. ARTS AND SCIENCES, TRADE, NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, AND MATHEMATICS. 95. TH^ NEW CYCLOPyEDIA;or,UNivERSAL Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. P'ormed upon a more enlarged Plan of Arrangement than the Dictionary of Mr. Cham- bers ; comprehending the various Articles of that Work,, with Ad- ditons and Improvements ; together with the new Subjects of Bio- graphy, Geography, and History ; adapted to the present State of Literature and Science. By Abraham Rees, D.D. F.R.S. Editor of the last edition of Mr. Chambers's Dictionary ; with the as- sistance of eminent professional Gentlemen. Illustrated by new Plates, including Maps, designed and^engraved for this Work by some of the most distinguished Artists. Parts I. to VIII. in 4to. 1 Ss. l'ork, entitled, 96. THE DOMESTIC ENCYCLOPyliDIA j or, , a cdncise Analysis ot such Discoveries, Inventions, and Impiovement<, as arc more immediately applicable to u.e Purposes otT.jie; coinprehcnding wiiateverdeserv fc -tobe know if, or may fend to promote national Pros- perity in ilie various Branches o: rural and domestic GLtonomy : calculated tor the Use of Private Fa.nilies, but more especially for the Accommodation of tho-e who are not inclined to purchase the more volammous and'expeiisive A orks. By A F. M. Will ch, M. D. Autlioi of the Lectuie:, on Diet and Regimen, 4 Vols. 8vo. 2l. 2s. boards , or, fnu piper, 2l. IGs. 97. A TREATISE ON BREWING : v^diereln Is exhibited the whole Process of the Art and Mysteiy of Brewing the various Sorts otMalt Liquor: with practical Examples upon each Species. Together with the Manner of using the Ihermometer and Sac- charometer : elucidated by Examples, and rendered easy to any Capacity, in brewing Wirtemberg Ale Scurvey-grass do. Table Beer, and Shipping do. London Porter Hock Brown Stout London Ale Reading Beer Windsor do. Amber Welch do. Also general Instructions for the making of Malt. By Alexander Morris, Common Brev/er. 10s. 6d. boards. In this Work the just pi'opoition of the various Quantities of Malt,, Hops, and other Ingredients necessary for brevying the above Species of Malt Liquor, are given : as vyell as every other Information that can pos- sibly be requisite for the young Common Brewer, or the Private Family, in Town or Country : and as it is that kind of Knowledge which none but the experienced Common Brewer can communi- cate, the Author flatters himself that this Treatise will be found, ibr Practice, superior to any other hitherto published. *• The Author, it must be acknowledged, writes like an honest as well as an in- telligent brewer ; and \ve have no doubt that this book will prove useful to those Readers lor wliom it is calulated. He has nho prefixed a History of the London Breiveryy which must be interesting to every Description of Readers.'' Monthly Revieu.', July, 1S02. See also A/iti-Jacobin Revie^^, An^. 1802. ' 98. THE LABORATORY ; or. School of Arts. Con- taining a large Collection of Valuable Secrets, Experim.ents, and Manual Operations of the Arts and Manufactures, higlily useful to Gilders, Dykrs, Jewellers, Cutlers, Enamellers, Pewter ers. Goldsmiths, Joiners, j^nd to the W^orkers in Metals in general Wood, Ivory, Bone, Horn, and other Ma<:erial Compiled originally by G. Smiti^, (Sixth Edition) with a great Number of Additional Receipts, Corrections, and Amendments, and a complete Treatise of Fire- Works, and the Artof Shdrt-Hapd Japanners, Bookbinders, pLi^ISTERERS, Artists, and in Plasteq^.of Paris, s. ^6 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. Writing— The Whole completely illustrated by at least Forty Engravings, forming Two handsome Volumes in Octavo, ll. Is. boards. 99. LAVATER's PHYSIOGNOMY, and PHYSIOGNO- MONICAL RULES ; Essays on Physiognomy, for the Promotion of tjie Knowledge and the Love of Mankind. Translated from the German of the Reverend John Caspar Lavater, by Thomas HoLCROFT, Esq. A new Edition, with Additions, corrected and improved by W. Beaumont, Esq. in 4- large Volumes 8vo. 4 1, is. in boards, or in 24- Parts at Is. each. To this Edition is added a Translation of a valuable posthu- mous Physiognomonical Work, by Mr. Lavater, lately published ut Zurich, by Mr, G. Gessner, Son-in-Law to the Author, en- titled One Hundred Physiognomonical Rules, elucidated by Fifty- eight additional Engravings, together with a Life of Lavater, Tlic most noble and truly praisie-worthy characteristic of these Essays, is the pure Morality and ardeut spirit of Piety viiich pervades them, unalloyed by Supersti- ion or contracted Bigotry. Tiiat benignant Charitj' and brotherly Love which Christianity inculcates is enforced in every Page, and the whole Work, as the Title imports, has for its principal Object to promote at once the Knowledge of huraaa Nature, and the purest l^hilanthropy. The Hundred Physiognomonical RulesofMr. Lavater, lately pul)lished in Germany, and now first translated, and annexed to this Edition, form ol themselves a Work truly curious, and highly valua!)Ie to ail who would v.ish to study Physiognomy as a Science. They were not intended for publication by the !\uthor during his Life-time, and only entrusted to a tew select Friends, under the strictest Inhibition from making them public. They appear to have been considered by Mr. Lavater as containing 'the most important and profound Secrets of his Art. Their authenticity is unquestion- able, both from the Testimony of the Editor of the posthumous Works of Lavater, Mr. George Gessner, his Son-in-Law, and the internal marks they bear of the Styl|} and Spirit of his Writings. . , 100. MERCANTILE, INTEREST, ANNUITY, and IRISH EXCHANGE TABLES, upon a new and universally approved Method, which, for Accuracy, Simplicity, and Expedition, excels ev^ery other Mode hitherto invented. By S. New man, of Lloyd's Cofi'ee- House. ll. 15s. boards. Inscribed, by permission, to the Directors of the Hon. East India Company, and patronised by the most distinguished Characters, and most eminent Merchants. This Work comprises, in One large Royal Octav^o Volume, all 'the Tables in general Use, either in the Counting-house or Office, by which the necessity of loading the Desk with a multiplicity of Books of distinct Tables is avoided jrand, as this Work has been Six " Times examined since printing, its Correctness may be relied on. 101 . The Twenty-second Edition of LEYBOURNE's READY RECKONER; or. Trader's Sure Guide. Containing Tables ready cast up, adapted to the Use of all who deal by Wholesale or Retail; exhibiting, at one View, the Amount or Value of any Number or Quantity of Goods or Merchandize, from One up to Ton Thousand, at the various Prices, from One Farthing to One Pound, &c. &c. with a List of Mercantile Stamps. 2s. bound. • 102. INTEREST TABLES, calcnlated from Two and a Half to Eight per Gent.. to which are added useful Tables for different purposes ; instructions for dealing in the Stocks ; and a summary ffllie duties on Bills, Notes, and Receipts. By Tiieophilup- '^ ICE, Doat pocket siise, 2s. 6d. bound. BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. 21, 103. HARDWICK^s CORRECT TABLES, for finding at one View the AmoiuiL of any Quantity of Goods bought or sold by the Hundred Weight or Toii, to a single Farthing: also, of Goods bought or sold by Tale or Measure of any kind. Third Edition, pocket size. 3s. bound. 101-. THE MATHEMATICAL PRINCIPLES OF NA- TURAL PHIbQSOPHY. By StriSAAC Newton. Translated into English by Andre\V Motte. To which arc added, Newton's System of the World; a short Comment on, and Defence of, the Principia. By W. Emerson ; with the Laws of the Moon'.-? Motion according to Gravity. By John 1\L\c^iin, Astronomical Professor at Gresham, and Secretary to the Royal Society. A new Edition, Three Volumes 8vo. ll. ,7 s. boards, illustrated by upwards of Fifty Engravings, together with the Life of Newton; and an ele- gant Portrait done from an original Bust at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich; carefully revised and corrected by W. Davis. The inconvenience ari>ing from the great scarcity of former Editions of Sir Isaac Kewton's Principia, and System of tiie World, added to the exorbitant Prices cliar-ied for them Mhen to be met with, determined the Editor to undertake a New Edition of ihnse Works; and he is impressed with confidence that no other apology will be thought necessary, at a time wiien Mathematics is become a fashionable Science, and ts looked upon as a necessary acquisition in the,polite world. 105. 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INSTRUCTIVESELLCTIONS;ortheBEAUTiEsoF Sen- timent from near One Hundred and Fifty of the best Autliors, an- cient and modern, in Prose and Poetry, on Subjects Religious, MoR A L, Liter A r Y,andENTEUTA ini n G,ina Methodentirely new; with Definitions to the Subjects, and the best Books recommended on each : als/j the Names of the Authors annexed to thu various Extracts. By the Rev. G. G. Scraggs, of Buckingham. Two V^oiumes, 12mo, Second Edition. 9s. bound. - *^* This Work is on a plan very different from any thmg of the kind ever printed, as it not only contains a great number oi strik- ing extracts from the best English und Foreign Writers, not to be 22 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. found in any oiher Selection ; but the whole is so methodically ar- ranged, that gmv subj(?ct may be ijnmediatdif found. The Extracts are always campkte seme, not very long, and yet not too t Principles ofChristianity. 2;5. 1 he SufiieringsSc Satisfaction ot Christ. 24. The Beatitudes. 25. The Daemonjac. 26. Dives and Lazarus. 27. The hidden Treasure. 28. The Otfices of the Messiah, 29. The great Sacrifice. 30. Lot's Flight. 31. Deliverance from Death. 32. The Privilege of Believers. 33. The Patterns of Mercy. 34. The Vision of Dry Bones. 35. The Safety of a True Christian. 36. The Assurance of Faith; or, the E-V- perience of a True Christian. 37. The Liafccy-voolsey Garment. '8. Tiie Reproach of the Cross. 39. The Widow of Nain. 4U, Tlie Beatific Viiioiii or, beholdia-j Jesu« crucified; 1 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMOXD3. 23 The whole of these Discourses are simple and plain and suited for sincere People, who do not want somewhat curious or diverting, but Salvation. 113. A Collection of HYMNS for Social Worship, more particularly desfgned for the Use of the Tabernacle and Chapel Con- greg;ations. Qy George Whitefield. With a Portrait of the Author. 2s. 6d. bound ; or,.:^ne Papef, 3s. 6d. 114. THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, by Johv Bunyan; with the Life of the Author, a Key to the Allegory, and a Critique on its Beauties; with Eleven elegant Engravings, including a fine Portrait of the Author by Collyer, Svo. 10s. 6d. boards, or on Royal Paper, 159. , 115. THE SEQUEL to The Sketch of the DeNaMiNA- TioNs OF THE Christian World ; being the Second and con- cluding Part of that Work. To which is prefixed, .An Essay on the Right of Private Judgment in Matters of Religion. By Joh!J Evans, A.M. Third Edition/with Portrait, 4-s. boards. ** To calm the violence of disscntion, witliout abating the proper zeal for truth, is to render a most essential service to mankind : sucli we believe to have been tlie design of Mr. Evans; and most cordiallv do we wish success to an Undertaking so praiseworthy." Briiiih Critic, December, 1802. 116. 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A COMPARISON of the INSTITUTIONS OF MOSES with those ^of THE HINDOOS and OTHER AN- CIENT NATIONS, with Remarks on Mr. D'Ji'uis's Origin of all Religions, the La*vs and Institutions of Mo^es Methodized, and an Address to the Jews on the present State of the World, and the Propliecics relating to h.. By J. PuiEbTLt v,LL.D. Svo. ^s. bds. . 24 BOOKS PEINT£D FOR H. D. SYMONDS. 122. THE LAW OF NATURE ; or. Catechism ©? a French Citizen ; containing the Second and concluding Part of- THE RUINS; or, A Survey of the Revolutions of Em- pires. By M. VoLNEY ; one of the Deputies of the National Assembly of 1789, and Author of Travels into Syria and Egvpt, &c. Anew Edition, Pocket Size, with Portrait 2s. 6d. sewed, or bound and gilt, 4s, The above elegant Work contains the folloiving interesting Subjects t 1. On the Law of Na- ture. 2. Characters ofthe Law . of Nature. 3. The Principles of the Law of Nature, as they relate to Man. 4. Ofthe Basis of Mo- rality ; of Gijod ; of Sin; of Crimes 3 of V ce and Virtue, 5. Of individual Virtue; of Knowlcdiije. 6 Of Terriperance. 7. Of Continence. 8. Of Courage and Ac- tivity. 9. Of Cleanliness. 1 0. Or Dome>tic Virtues n. Of theSocial\'irtues and of Justice. 12 Developenient of the Social Virtues. 123. THE SUBSTANCE of the Holy SCRIPTURES, me- ' thodized, and divided into Lessons for the Use o^ Families ; ou a Plan not hitherto attempted. By the Rev. Edmund Butcher, 4to, il, is. boards. LAJF. 124. THE WHOLE LAW respecting LANDLORDS, TEr NANTS, and LODGERS, laid down in a plain, easy, and com- prehensive Manner ; to which are added, the most approved Forms of Notices to quit, Directions for making a Distress, and for Re- plevying Goods when illegally taken: also Memoranaams foi letting Houses, Lands, and Apartments by Agreement, or on Lease; and various Precedents of Leases, and other useiul Deeds, as seitied by the most eminent Counsel. 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They are such as tend to awaken the tenderest emotions of tiie human heart ; to inculcate filial piety .in the joung towards those in declining years, and to excite and encourage patience and cheerfulness, and at that period of life when old age and infirn-i ies disqualify a man for the active scenes of the world. The whole Work is executed in a manner that is highly creditable to the present improved state of the Fine Arts in this country." 137. SHARPENS EDITION, complete in Nine beautiful iMinl- ature Volumes, 2s. each sewed, or neatly half bound red roan back and lettered t2s.6d. Of the PLAYSof WILLIAM SHAKSPEARE ; accurately printed, awA without the smallest abridgment, from the Text of the late Mr. Steevens, and now offered to the Patronage of the Public in a form combining an elegance, portability, and cheapness hitherto unattempted. Embellished with an elegant mi- niatu e of Siiakspeare. Though the Editions lately published of the Plays of our immor- tal Dramatist have been numerous. beyond all precedent, the Pro- prietors of tnis Edition consider any apology ibr adding to tlte Num- ber perfectly unnecessary, its Intention is obviously to facilitate BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. 27 and extend ,the Knowledge of an Author, of whom England has just reason to be proud ; and whose ■ ' works are such As ueitluT Man nor Muse can praise too much. 138. THE ROBBERS, a Tragedy. Translated from the Ger-- man of F. Schiller. By the Rev. Dr. Render, with an elegant Frontispiece. 5s. 6d. sewed. The Public are herf^ presented wit!) a careful, accurate, and faithful Translation of thh deservedly celebrate^ Tra^edy. Such Notes have been adciecl as Mere lhou;^ht ne- cessary to elucidati the ohscnritie? that otcur in the original, and explain the true meaning, and point out the beauty and force of such expressions ascould not ije literally Tendered into English. The Translator has endeavoured to give a just idea of the Styie and Language of Schiller. J39. DON CARLOS; a Tragedy, Second Edition. Trans- lated from the German of F. Schiller, with an elegant^ Frontis- piece. 5 s. boards. 1 40. MARY STEWART, QUEEN of SCOTS, a Tragedy, by F. ScH>LLER,8vo. 4s. 6d. or fine Paper 6s. boards. *' The life and death of Mary Queen of Scots has been rendered so familiar to every Briton by poets, historians, and even dramati-ts, that to give an air of novf Ity to the incidents of h^r ill-fated story, or to impart additional interest to tlieni by poetie languagu, and s'age etlect, is a task of "no easy attainment; the limitations of history become ilespotic restraints upon the freedom of imagination, *• By the preseiit writer, much ingenuity, however, is shown in the management of his drama, and much characteristic spirit is displayed in pourtraying the rival queens." Monthly Mirror ^ Jan. 1082. •*^4(.* The three last Tragedies of Schiller, complete in One laige Volume, 9s. boards. 141. COUNT BENYOWSKY ; or. The Conspiracy op Kamtschatka ; a Tragi-Comedy, in Five Acts, ^y Baron Kot- ^ ZEBUR, Author of the Stranger, Lovers' Vows, &c. &c. from the German. Qy the Rev. Dr. Render ; with an elegant Frpntispiece, 3s. 6d. sewed. ** He has produced an admirable Tragedy ; the best, in our opinion, that liai appeared from the German." Vide Crdkal RtviciCy June, 1798. / 142. The WIFE WITH TWO HUSBANDS, a Tragi-Gomedj, in Three Acts, 2s. 6d. Posthumous Work of the celebrated Lee Leives. 143. COMIC SKETCHES,orthe COMEDIAN his own MAN- AGER, written and selected for the Benefit of Actors, in England. Ireland, Scotland, and America. Inscribed to. Performers in general. By Charles Lee Lewes, Comedian. The materials for this Work, were originally collected for the East Indies, but owing to some Circumitances, which are now first made Public from Original Documents, they were never applied thus. Besides a deal of facetiousness, and Sketches truly comic, Ihey contain a Number of entirely new Anecdotes, relating taLord Orrery, Garrick, Smith, Hogarth, Quick, Fooie, Mossop, &c. &c. To Theatrical Amateurs, and Professional Gentlemen, it may be strongly recommended, as containing a Store from whence they may derive much Utility, and Amusement. ^8 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D, SYMONDS. 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On the sulijects of Love, therefore, ve are to e\pect many beautiful tiights, and ac- cordingly the whole of the present volume ^i^^pariched by them." Literary Renieiv, 146. PAUL AND VIRGINIA; or. The Shipwreck, by Bernardin St. Pierre. A New Translation from the French, with an elegant engraved Frontispiece. Is. 6d. in coloured paper. MISCELLANIES. \\l. The following Books are all correct and uniformly printed in a neat 246 Casti — Dr. Suedaeur. Helen Maria William* — Madame Talli- eu — Kosciusko, uaparte. I 1 5l A NEW SERIES OF THEUNIVERSALMAGAZINE ; commencing January, 180], and published regularly on the first day of every month. Is. 6d. (v;very six montiis' iorming a complete vo- j'ume) occasionally embellished with faithful Hkenes.-;es, accompanied with biographical memoirs of distinguished personages. Each num- ber con taihing at least 6 sheets of letter-press : consistmg of origuial communications in history, philosophy, belles lettres,- politics, amuse- meiits, &c &c. The department of original communications will c.ompreliend en- quiries into every subject ot human knowledge; philosophical spe- culations, moral disquisition?, historical and biographical re- marks, antiquities, mikellaneous criticism, original essays, and other communication;! on subjeclg vf literature in gencrajil. BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. 31 Ori^nal Criticism, — In this department wc shall confine ourselves to such vNorkv as are of acknowledged importance, interest, amuse- ment, or uLJiity. Original Poetry — will form a part of our miscellany : but we c*an- dldlv avow to the Public our determination rather to devote the pages reserved for poetry to some oth.-?r object, than to fatigue or in- sult our readers with the vapid effusions of mere mediocrity. What mav be termed the permanent part of a magazine, will in this-consist of . Parliamentary Debates, Political Information, Events in and near London, Provincial Occurrences, Deaths, Marriages, &c. &c. Proceedings of Learned Societies, Literary Notices, The Art^ and Sciences, Cominerce, Agriculture and Rural Economy, The Drama, In a word, our best endeavours will be exerted to render the Uni- versal Magazine an accurate and faithful history of the times, to me- rit its wonted distinction as a favourite repository of what may en- tertain the vacant hour, and engage theattention of an intelligent and inquisitive mind. ] 54. The VILLAGER'S FRIEND AND PHYSICIAN ; or, A Familiar Address on the Preservation of health, AinD THE Removal of Disease on its first Appearance. Supposed to be delivered by a Village Apothecary. By James Parkin- son, Hoxton. With Cursory Observations on the Treatment of Children, on Sobriety, Industry, &c. intepded for the Promotion of Domestic Happiness. Second edition with a frontispiece. Is. «< Wc cannot help expressing our opinion, that the'excellent society for betterinj: t!»e condition of the poor, coiild not employ a small portion of their fund in a manner more conducive to tlsat purpose, than by encouraging and facilitating the circulation of tliis book among them." British Critic. 155.THE WAY TO HEALTH; a Selection of Maxims for the Preservation of Health, extracted from the Villager's Friend; and printed on a Single Sheet, for the Cottager's^ Fire- Side. Embellished with an emblematical Print. 6d. 1 56. DANGEROUS SPORTS,-a Tale, addressed to Children, warning them against wanton, careless,, or mischievous Exposure to Situations, from which alarming Injuries so often proceed. Bv James Parkinson, Hoxton. £rabellished with a Frontispiece and II Wood Cuts. 2s. Vallum. *' Iflij knozvs but one of my stories may one day save the life of some ch'ld."* Old Milson'. ** Parents and tutors are in duty bound to put so engaging a piece Into the hands of- the rising generation. The benevolence of the Author entitles him to tiie fervent grati- tude of young persons, \vM)0 by their volatility oftentimes injure themselves in a man- ©cr which" baffles recovery." • "^ Monthly Visitor. 157. xMANUAL OF LIBERTY; or Testimonies in Behalf OF tmk Rights of Mankind, selected from the best Authorititis in Prose and Verse, methodically arranged. Svo. 63. boards. 158. DODSLEY's ORIGINAL CELLAR-BOOK: or, tf.e Butler's As-sisant, in keeping a regular' Account of his Liquors. Published annually. With Directions for Brewing, and useful infor- mation respecting- the Management of Malt Liquors, &c. Sec. in tiie CeJlar. Is. 6'd. sewed. ^2 BOOKS PRINTED FOR H. D. SYMONDS. 159. THE STATE OF THE NATION with respect to Its Public Funded Debt, Revenue, and Disbu R:^E^fKNT ; oom- prized in the Reports of the Select Committee on Finance, app .nt- ed by the House ofGommons to examine and state the total Amount •of the Public Debts, and of the Interest and Champs attenaing the same, to the present Time; particularizing the Receipts ana Dis- bursements of all the Public Offices ; the Names of the Superior Officers and Clerks in each Department ; their Salaries and Fees ; to- gether with the Amount of whatever additional Pensions or Salaries they receive from other Situations, paid by the Public. 4- vols. 8vo, ll. 8s. boards.. In Great Britain every farthing dravn from the Subject on accnimt of the Public Revenue, and all deductions thoretrom, until th* Net Produce is paid intc Ut^ Exche- quer, and faUs under the view ot Parliament, can be a>certHined with a mathematical accuracy. Sucfi bcin^ the resruiarity and exactness with which the Public Accounts of the Nation are kept ; it must be a pleasing gratification to krov\ the Causes and Na- ture of the expenditureof such lart^e Suil\s of money which are drawn from Vlic pockets ot' tf>6 Subject, under the deiiomination of Taxes. / By means of such investigations being made public by the Legislature, every indl- •vidual interested in the Public Funds will see the Amount of (he Funded Debt, what remains of the Public Debt unfunded, and the Reso.^rcrs of the Country to di!,c!ia-ge the claims of the Public Creditor. He will see the Produce of every article of revenue liable to impost, Foreign, and for Home Consumption, wfth their variations at different periods. LastJyj The Merchant and Manufacture will see the Regulations recommended to Parliament in those great Branche5 of Revenue, the Cnstpms, Excise, Stamp Duties, Post Office, Sfc. ; by which, notonly themselves will he prevented much trouble aad expence, but the Public will be moch benefited, by stopping of many useless Offices, and abolishing many sinecure Places and Pensions charged upon the industry of every individual in this country, should the recommendation of the Committee be adopted. 160 THE ONEIROCRITIC j being a Treatise on the Art of Foretelling Future Events by Dreams, Cards, j Zodiac, and the Moles, The Signs of the j Planets. Carefully done from the Arabic Manuscripts of Ibraham Ali Mahomed Hafez. Is. 161. THE LETTERS OF JUNIUS ; with Notes and Illus- trations, Hisiorifal,Tolitical, Biographical, and Critical. By PvOBert Heron, Esq. The Second Edition, with Additions, in 2 hanusome volumes, 8 vo. hot-pressed, ll. Is. in boards. *^'^" This Edition contains, besides an Introduction to each parti- cular Letter, with Notes and other Illustrations, several interesting preliminary Essays, written b^ Mr. Heron: particularly, 1. On the British Constitution: 2. On theEloquence of Junius ;,and, 3, On the much agitated Question— *' Who was the Author r" In thelastof these Essays, Mr. Heron has fully proved, that the late cielebrated John Dunning, Lord Ashburt(.n, was actually the real Author of Junius's Letters. An App^^ndix containing several curious and interesting Articles, is now also,