jmnHHinrfiii SOUTHEY OF NELSON WESTCOTT i Hi umw i i ii i i iij i iHi i U-^.-^ Class _.^^_£:Li3V- Book. dsMlii * f^l m CfOFYRIGHT DEPOSm Eak €ngltsi) Classics General Editor LINDSAY TODD DAMON, A. B. Professor of English in Brown University. ADDISON — The Sir Roger De Coverley Papers — Abbott 30c ADDISON AND STEELE — Selections from The Taller and The Spec- tator — ^Abbott 35c ^neid of Virgil — ^AllinsON 35c BROWNING — Selected Poems — Reynolds , 40 c BUNYAN — The Pilgrim'' s Progress — Latham 30c BURKE — Speech on Conciliation with America — ^Dennet 25c CARLYLE — Essay onBurns — ^Aiton 25c CHAUCER — Selections — Greenlaw 40c COLERIDGE — The Ancient Mariner ) ^ . ^Moodt 25c l^OWEJA^— Vision of Sir Launfal ) COOPER — The Last of the Mohicans — Lewis 40c COOPER — The Spy—DAUON 40c DANA — Two Years Before the Mast — Westcott 40c DEFOE — Robinson Cr^usoe — Hastings 40c DE OUINCEY— Joan of Arc and Selections — Moody. 25c DE QUINCE Y—Tfte Flight of a Tartar Tribe— Frenck 25c DICKENS — A Christmas Carol, etc. — Bboadtjs ; 30c DICKENS — A Tale of Two Cities — Baldwin 40c DICKENS — David Copper field — Baldwin 50c DRYDEN — Palamon and Arcite — Cook 25c EMERSON — Essays and Addresses — Heydrick 35c English Poems — From Pope, Gray, Goldsmith, Coleridge, Byron, Macaulay, Arnold aTid others — Scudder » 40c English Popular Ballads — Hart 40c Familiar Letters — Greenlaw 40c FRANKLIN — Autobiography — Griffin 30c GASKELL (Mrs."> — Cranford— 'Hancock 35c GEORGE ELIOT — SUas Marner — Hancock 30c GEORGE ELIOT — The Mill on the Floss — Ward 40c GOLDSMITH — The Vicar of Wakefield — Morton 30c HAWTHORNE — The Home of the Seven Gables — Herrick 35c HAWTHORNE — Twice-Told Tales — Herrick and Brtjebe 40c HUGHES — Tom Brown's School Days — Db Mille 35c IRVING— Z,l/e of Goldsmith— K-Rxv-p 40c IRVING— rfte StetchBooi—KRAVv 40c IRVING — Tale of a Traveller — and parts of The Sketch Book — Kbapp. , 40c l,AMB-~Essays ofElia — Benedict 35c tlfje iafee €nglfef) Clajfsitsi— fflnnttwix^d LONGFELLOW — Nanaiive Poems — Powell 40c LOWELL — Vision of Sir Launfaul — See Coleridge. MAGAULAY — Essays on Addison and Johnson — NEWCOMER 30c MAC AULA Y — Essays on Cllve and Hastings — Newcomer 35c MACAULA Y — Goldsmith Fi ederic The Great, Madame D'ArNay — ^New- comer 30c MAGAULAY — Essays on Milton and Addison — ^Newcomer 30c MILTON — L' Allegro, II Penseroso, Comus, and Lycidas — Neilson 25c MILTON — Paradise Lost, Books I and II — Farley 25c Old Testament Narratives — Rhodes 40c PALGRAVE — Golden Treaswy — Newcomer 40c PARKMAN — The Oregon Trail — Macdonald 40c POE^ — Poems and Tales, Selected — Newcomer 30c POPE — Homer's Iliad, Books I, VI XXII, XXIV — Cresst and Moody 25c RUSKIN — Sesame and Lilies — Linn 25c SCOTT — Ivanhoe — Simonds 45c SCOTT — Quentin Durwaid — Simonds 45c SCOTT — Lady of the LaM — Moody 30c SCOTT — Lay of the Last Minstrel — Moody and Willard 25c SCOTT — Marmion — Moody and Willard 30c SHAKSPERE — The Neilson Edition — Edited by W. A. Neilson, each . . 25c As You Like It Macbeth Hamlet Midsummer NighCs Dream Henry V Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar The Tempest Twelfth Nighi SHAKSPERE — Merchant of Venice— J^oyett , 25c SOUTHEY — Life of Nelson — Westcott 40c STEVENSON — Inland Voyage and Travels with a Donkey — Leonard. . 35c STEVENSON — Kidnapped — Leonard 35c STEVENSON — Treasure Island — Broadtjs 25c TENNYSON — Selected Poems — Reynolds. 35c TENNYSON — The Princess— Copeland 25c THACKERAY — Henry Esmond — Phelps 50c THACKERAY — English Humorists — Cunliffb and Watt 30c Three American Poems — The Raven, Snow-Bound, Miles Standish — Greever 25c Types of the Short Story — ^Heydrick 35c Washington, Webster, Lincoln — Dennet 25c SCOTT, FORESMAN AND COMPANY CHICAGO: 623 Wabash Ave. NEW YORK: 8 East 34th Street 2I!;e Siafef lEngltalj QUaaatra SOUTHEY'S LIFE OF NELSON EDITED FOR SCHOOL USE BY ALLAN F. WESTCOTT, Ph.D. INSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH, UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY SGOTT, FORESMAN AND COMPANY CHICAGO NEW YORK .( Copyright, 1916, by Scott, Foresman and Company OCT r9 1916 CI.A43897G •^ ) - f !f\. / 7 CONTENTS ?^ PAGE Introduction ......... 5 Biographical Note ........ 23 Text -Chapter I. Nelson's Birth and Boyhood — He is entered on board the Baisonndble — Goes to the West Indies in a Mer- chant-ship ; then serves in the Triumph — He sails in Cap- tain Phipps' Voyage of Discovery — Goes to the East Indies in the Seahorse, and returns in ill health — Serves as acting Lieutenant in the Worcester, and is made Lieu- tenant into the Lowestoffe, Commander into the Badger Brig, and Post into the Hinchinhroolc — Expedition against the Spanish Main — Sent to the North Seas in the Albe- marle — Services during the American War . . .25 Chapter IT. Nelson goes to France during the peace — Re- appointed to the Boreas, and stationed at the Leeward Islands — His firm conduct concerning the American inter- lopers and the contractors — The West Indies — Marries and returns to England — Is on the point of quitting the serv- ice in disgust — Manner of life while unemployed — Ap- pointed to the Agamemnon on the breaking out of the war of the French Revolution . . . . .57 Chapter TIT. The Agamemnon sent to the Mediterranean — Commencement of Nelson's acquaintance with Sir W. Hamilton — He is sent to Corsica, to co-operate with Paoli — State of affairs in that island — Nelson undertakes the siege of Bastia, and reduces it — Takes a distinguished part in the siege of Calvi, where he loses an eye — Admiral Hotham's action — The Agamemnon ordered to Genoa to co-operate with the Austrian and Sardinian forces — Gross misconduct of the Austrian General . . , .80 Chapter IV. Sir J. Jervis takes the command — Genoa joins the French — Bonaparte begins his career — Evacuation of Corsica — Nelson hoists his broad pendant m the Minerve-'— 3 Contents PAGE Action with the Sahina — Battle off Cape St. Vincent — Nelson commands the inner squadron at the blockade of' Cadiz — Boat action in the Bay of Cadiz — Expedition against Teneriffe — Nelson loses an arm — His sufferings in England, and recovery .,..,, 122 Chapter V. Nelson rejoins Earl St. Vincent in the Vanguard — Sails in pursuit of the French to Egypt — Eeturns to Sicily, and Sails again to Egypt — Battlt of the Nile . 154 Chapter VI. Nelson returns to Naples — State of that Court and Kingdom — General Mack — The French approach Na- ples — Flight of the Eoyal Family- — Successes of the Allies in Italy — Transactions in the Bay of Naples — Expulsion of the French from the Neapolitan and Eoman States — Nelson is made Duke of Bronte — He leaves the Mediter- ranean and returns to England. .... 189 Chapter VII. Nelson separates himself from his wife — Northern Confederacy — He goes to the Baltic under Sir Hyde Parker — Battle of Copenhagen, and subsequent Ne- gotiation — Nelson is made a Viscount .... Chapter VIII. Sir Hyde Parker is recalled, and Nelson ap- pointed Commander — He goes to Eevel — Settlement of Affairs in the Baltic — Unsuccessful Attempt upon the Flotilla at Boulogne — Peace of Amiens — Nelson takes the Command in the Mediterranean on the Eenewal of the War — Escape of the Toulon Fleet — Nelson chases them to the West Indies and back — Delivers up his Squadron to Admiral Cornwallis, and lands in England . Chapter IX. Sir Bobert Calder falls in with the combined Fleets — They form a Junction with the Ferrol Squadron, and get into Cadiz — Nelson is reappointed to the Com- mand — Battle of Trafalgar — Victory, and Death of Nel- son . . . . . . . , . 242 281 329 Glossary of Nautical Terms . . 362 MAPS The Mediterranean . Battle of Cape St. Vincent Battle of the Nile . Battle of Copenhagen Battle of Trafalgar 81 135 172 259 349 INTEODUCTION Southey's Life of Nelson has a two-fold interest and value: as one of the best short biographies in the lan- guage, by a master of prose stj^le; and as the classic life of one of the greatest figures in naval warfare. The place in literature of its author, Eobert Southey, is less easy to define. In a life devoted entirely to lit- erary pursuits, he wrote voluminously and in many fields, including poetry, history, biography, and liter- ary criticism. His work, though always distinguished, was rarely of a quality to give it permanence; and he is remembered today chiefly by his biographies and a few shorter poems. In the history of literature, never- theless, he is a figure of real importance, as a member of the Lake School of poetry, an infiuential critic and political writer, and a friend or acquaintance of most of the literary men of his time. His sterling qualities of character have also helped to give him a place not quite merited by his writings. Southey was born in Bristol, England, August 12, 1774, the son of a linen-draper. Of his early life we have a pleasant picture from his own pen, its details selected and colored a little, perhaps, to harmonize with his later career. Until his sixth year, he spent much of his time at Bath under the care of a maiden aunt, who was devoted to the theater, and in whose company he learned to enjoy, at a very early age it would 5 6 Introduction seem, the pleasures of poetry and the stage. At eight he had explored Shakspere and Beaumont and Fletcher. Thence he passed to Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered^ Or- lando Furioso, sjidi The Faerie Qiieene; and at twelve he was essaying dramas and epics of his own. After four years at Westminster School, 1788-1792, well spent in study and association with boys who remained his life-long friends, he left, to quote his own words, *'in a perilous state — a heart full of poetry and feeling, a head full of Rousseau and Werther, and my religious principles shaken by Gibbon. "^ In the summer of 1793, at the end of his first year at Balliol College, Oxford, he was at work sorting and transcribing his poetic effusions — "10,000 verses burnt and lost, the same number preserved, and 15,000 worth- less.'' If steadfast devotion and a fluent pen were to be of any avail, the young poet might feel assured of a safe place on Parnassus. To this summer belongs also his Joan of Arc, an epic in twelve books, romantic and chivalrous, a tribute to the ideals of revolutionary France. One may easily understand the immediate friendship that sprang up between the author of Joan and the Cambridge student, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who met him at Oxford in June of 1794. Pantisocracy — ''equal government for all" — and Aspheterism — "the generali- zation of individual property" — were terms they in- vented to express their common ideals. "This Panti- socratic scheme," writes Southey, "has given me new hope, new energy; all the faculties of my mind are dilated." There is no more characteristic episode in 1. Dowden's Life of Southey, English Men of Letters Series, p. 23. Introduction 7 the rise of early nineteenth century romanticism than that of Coleridge, Sonthey, and their Bristol friends of both sexes planning a New Utopia on the banks of the Susquehanna, a region selected not only for the poetry of the name but also '^for its excessive beauty, and security from hostile Indians." Unfortunately, the difficulty of raising the £150 deemed necessary even for a beginning of the venture remained insuperable, especially since Southey's aunt, on hearing of the proj- ect, promptly turned him out of doors. During the following winter, the two poets lived together in Bristol lodgings, gaining a living by their poetry and by pub- lic lectures — Coleridge speaking on ^'A Comparative View of the English and the French Revolutions" and **Eevealed Religion," Southey on "The Course of European History from Solon and Lycurgus to the American War." The vision of a Pantisocratic community faded; and in the autumn of 1795, at the invitation and expense of an uncle resident in Lisbon, Southey departed for six months of travel and study in Portugal and Spain. Before he left he married Edith Fricker, a sister to the wife of Coleridge, borrowing money to meet the expense of ring and fees. No similar responsibility, perhaps, was ever more rashly undertaken ; or, it should be added, more faithfully and happily sustained. The effect of this journey abroad, and of a second longer one in his wife's company in 1800-1801, was to enlarge the poet's horizon by foreign scenes and characters, and to leave him with a life-long interest in the history and literature of the Spanish Peninsula. During the period between his first and second for- 8 Introduction eign visits, Southey lived for a time in the neighbor- hood of Bristol, and later in London, attempting in vain the studies of medicine and law. From his friend Wynn he received in 1798 an annuity of £160, retained until the latter 's marriage in 1807; and to this was added the income from his writings. Joan of Arc brought £50; a volume of miscellaneous poems, £100; and he was busy with letters of travel and articles for magazines. In 1803, after a short and uncon- genial service as private secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer for Ireland, he took his books and fam- ily to share the home of Coleridge at Greta Hall, Kes- wick, in the lake district of northern England. ^'A library and a nursery,'' he remarked, "ought to be stationary." Here, aside from short journeys to Edin- burgh, London, and the Continent, he spent the rest of his life. "I have five children," wrote Southey in 1809, "three of them at home, and two under my mother's care in Heaven."^ Of the two boys, only the younger, Cuth- bert, lived to maturity. To his own family were added the wife and three children of Coleridge, who under the influence of ill-health and opium had drifted away from home ties and did not return to Keswick after 1809. Southey took up this added burden cheerfully, rejoicing, indeed, in the opportunity, as well as neces- sity, of devoting all his energies to the occupations that were his chief pleasures in life, — ''Here I possessed — ■what more should I require — Books, children, leisure ... all my heart 's desire. ' ^i 1. Dowden's Life of Southey, p. 62. 2. The Poet's Pilgrimage to Waterloo. Introduction 9 The qualities of his character, if not the limitations of his genius, are shown by his clear sense of everyday responsibilities. "A poet," he said, ''might wait for posthumous fame; but a poet's children cannot wait for posthumous bread and cheese." The study on the second floor of Greta Hall, its windows looking out over Keswick Lake to the moun- tains beyond, was soon filled to overflowing with manu- scripts and books, at first 4,000, in the end more than 14,000 volumes— all of them read, the more useful ones annotated, their contents extracted or summarized, and the results stowed away in packets for future use. Coleridge once said that he could never think of Southey without seeing him using or mending a pen. Even during his daily walks, it was his custom to carry a book open before him. His capacity for work was extraordinary, and he was expert and methodical in all details of the literary craft. His rest was gained chiefly by shifting from one task to another. ''And now, Gros- venor," he writes to a friend in 1806, "let me tell you what I have to do. I am writing, 1. The History of Portugal; 2. The Chronicle of the Cid; 3. The Curse of Kehama; 4. Espriella's Letters. Look you, all this I am writing. ... By way of interlude comes in this Preface [to Specimens of English Poets]. Don't swear, and bid me do one thing at a time. I tell you I can't afford to do one thing at a time— no, nor two either; and it is only by doing many things that I contrive to do so much."^ The revenues from his writings, though liberal, were not more than were required to meet the expenses of his 1. Life and Correspondence, ed. Cuthbert Southey, p. 210. 10 Introduction household. For his longer articles in the Quarterly Re- view, to which magazine alone he contributed 126 pieces between 1808 and 1838, he usually received £100. The Poet Laureateship, to which he succeeded in 1813, brought about £90, and after 1807 he received a govern- ment annuity of £150, doubled in 1835. The prospect thus offered of material comfort in later years was, however, of little avail to lighten domestic sorrow. The death of his wife, in 1837, Southey strove to bear with the stoic fortitude which had supported him in earlier afflictions. But his mind and health were weakened, and a complete mental breakdown preceded his death in 1843. During his life at Keswick, Southey 's chief interests, aside from his books, had been in his home and his friends. With Wordsworth, whose cottage at Grasmere was thir- teen miles distant, his relations were cordial but never very intimate. Lamb, Landor, and Scott were in the circle of his closer friends. During the winter of 1811- 12 Shelley spent pleasant days at Keswick, but it was with consternation and letters written "in the spirit of one who was sternly admonishing a fellow creature," that the elder poet followed the aberrations of the younger 's later career. This stiff moral rectitude of Southey seems to have irritated another of his contemporaries, Lord Byron, though in this case the friction was increased by South- ey 's apostasy from liberalism and his connection with Byron's old enemy the Quarterly Review. In 1813 the two met on friendly terms in London. Byron professed admiration for Southey 's ''epic appearance," and in his diary criticized the work of his fellow poet with approval Introduction j»l and evident sincerity. ' ' Sonthey 's talents, ' ' to quote the diary, ''are of the first order. His prose is perfect. Of his poetry there are various opinions; there is per- haps too much of it for the present generation; poster- ity will probably select. He has passages equal to anything. ' ' Trouble first arose over Byron's mischievous dedi- cation to the Poet Laureate of the most ribald of his productions, Don Juan. Southey in the preface to his Vision of Judgment replied by calling Don Juan *'an act of high treason on English poetry^" and its author a member of the ''Satanic School" of poets. Southey 's Vision itself, an ill-conceived piece of task work on the difficult theme of George Ill's reception among the immortals, offered Byron a splendid target for renewed attack. His parody, more famous than the original, held up to ridicule the profusion and occasional turgid- ity of Southey 's muse, — ''He had written much blank verse and blanker prose, And more of both than anybody knows. ' ' In particular its shafts were aimed at Southey 's extraor- dinary volte-face from the fiery republicanism and ideal- ism of his youth to the equally sturdy conservatism of his later years.^ Indeed it is not easy at first to reconcile the author of Joan of Arc and the early drama celebrating the rebel Wat Tyler with the uncompromising opponent of the Reform Bill, Free Trade, and Catholic Emancipa- tion. Yet in this change of heart there can be no sus- 1. For further account of the Southey-Byron controversy, see Byron's Letters and Journals^ ed. R. E. Prothero, Vol. VI, pp. 377-399. 12 Introduction picion of time-serving or duplicity. As a youth Southey had lived through the days of the Bastile, seen Europe *'on fire with freedom," and shared the sympathy felt in England and on the Continent for the ideals of strug- gling France. Later, like Wordsworth and many an- other Englishman, he had been alarmed by the excesses of the Revolution, and stirred to hatred by the danger to England threatened in the rise of Napoleon. For the latter no epithet was too violent, — *' . . . bold man and bad, Eemorseless, godless, full of fraud and lies, And black witli murders and with perjuries.'** It is not for those who pass through such upheavals as the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars to appreciate the cleansing and ultimately beneficent ef- fects of their destructive force. A hundred years later we may realize, but we should not rashly condemn, the narrowness of vision of those who clung to the old order at a time when all law and order seemed about to pass away. Like most men of his age, Southey pinned his faith to the past; and he carried all the fervor and positiveness of his ardent temperament into his defense of the established institutions of England. Strong conservative opinions, not to say prejudices, are hardly the best equipment for a writer who would carry a message to future generations. From both the prose and the poetry of Southey posterity, as Byron prophesied, has selected, and somewhat ruthlessly. His poetry, collected by its author in ten volumes, has not 1. Ode Written during the Negotiations with Bonaparte in January, Introduction 13 since been gathered together in a complete edition, and is best judged by Professor Dowden's single volume of well-chosen selections. This contains the shorter pieces and extracts from the fo-ur long narrative poems, Thalaha the Destroyer (1801), Madoc (1805), The Curse of Kehama (1810) and Roderick (1814). On the last-named, a spirited tale of the Goths in Spain, in blank verse, Byron pronounced the kindly judgment that it was ^'the first poem of the time." Of the other three, only Thalaha is strengthened by regular stanzas and rhyme ; and the fascination that Gothic legends and myths of India and Arabia had for readers a century ago seems long since to have passed away. "In the combat between Time and Thalaba," wrot€ Thackeray as early as 1860, ''I suspect the former destroyer has conquered; Kehama 's curse frightens very few readers now."^ Among the shorter poems. The Holly Tree and the charming lines My Days Among the Dead Are Past are well known; while the direct simplicity of The Battle of Blenheim and The Inchcape Rock make them more than children's classics. The bulk of Southey's work, and in many respects the best of it, is in prose. Yet, by a fate similar to that of his poetry, his prose is kept in memory chiefly by a short and rapidly written biography, rather than, as he wished and confidently expected, by the solid volumes of his History of Brazil (1819) and History of the Peninsular War (1832). His History of Portugal, of which the Brazil was but an off-shoot, and which was to include an account of the Portuguese colonies, of the monastic orders, and of the literatures of Portugal and 1. Thackeray's Four Georges, George lY. 14 Introduction Spain, remained unfinished at his death, though it had been the labor of forty years. Fortunately, the Life of Nelson, limited in scope, in- spiring in theme, and outside the field of political con- troversy, where Southey was prone to narrowness and dogmatism, represents his best qualities as a student and writer. In its first form a long article published in the Quarterly Review in 1810, it was expanded for sepa- rate publication in 1813. The book was finished in Feb- ruary of that year. *'I have walked among sea terms," the author wrote of it, ''as carefully as a cat does among crockery; but if I have succeeded in making the narrative continuous and clear — the very opposite of what it is in the lives before me— the materials are in themselves so full of character, so picturesque, and so sublime, that it cannot fail of being a good book."i But the book has maintained its place in literature by other virtues than those inherent in the subject. Chief among these is its generally recognized excellence of style. Some of the judgments expressed on this point are worth stopping over, as a means of helping us not only to a better appreciation of Southey, but also, per- haps, to a better understanding of the qualities of good prose. In a review of Southey 's Colloquies on Society — a review, it may be said in passing, which displays some of the faults of style and temper from which Southey 's prose is free— his younger contemporary Macaulay pays tribute to the ''beauty and purity" of Southey's Eng- lish, so charming, he confesses, that ''even when he writes nonsense, we generally read it with pleasure." The praise of another contemporary, Be Quincey, is 1. Life and Correspondence, p. 291. I Introduction 15 more moderate. He finds Southey's style ''admirably suited to the level character of his writing and the humbler choice of themes; let a subject arise in which a higher tone is required, of splendid declamation, and it will soon betray its want of the loftier qualities."^ To splendid declamation, Southey, it is true, does not often aspire. His aims, according to his own statement, are more pedestrian, — "To say what you have to say as perspicuously as possible, as briefly as possible, and as remember ably as possible, not omitting the little circum- stances which give life to narration, and bring old man- ners, old feelings, and old times before the eyes."^ In an age of romanticism, Southey 's prose goes back to the sober traditions of the eighteenth century; its excel- lences lie in clarity and moderation, rather than in rich- ness of ornament or striking individuality of style. There is more willingness among modern students to grant the purely literary merits of Southey 's Nelson^ than to concede that it retains any great value as a historical record. Since Southey 's time many docu- ments have been published, discoveries made, contro- versies waged, and much new light thrown on the public and private episodes of Nelson's life. One cannot, it is said, see the mountain near at hand ; nor is a contempo- rary, least of all a scholar among the documents of his library, best equipped to depict the stirring events in a great naval warrior's career. But if there are difficulties, there are also advantages in the contemporary point of view. Southey had lived through the momentous events of the Napoleonic wars; 1. Literary Reminiscences, chapter on Wordsivortli and Southey. 2. Dowden's Life of Southey, p. 77. 16 Introduction for better or worse, he shared the feelings of his hero and of his age, the hatred of Napoleon, the distrust of Frenchmen in general, and all the prejudices of the old anti-Gallician school. More than this, he could convey to us the love and veneration in which Nelson was held by men of his own time. When Southey wrote his biography. Nelson had been dead eight years. Several lives had been written, and Clarke and M 'Arthur had published their collection of Nelson's reports and correspondence. The faults of this latter collection Southey had called attention to in his Quarterly article of 1810; and of Harrison's Life of Nelson, on which he is said to have placed undue reliance, he had remarked that its author was chosen by Lady Hamilton's friends as ''one who would under- take to justify the only culpable parts of Nelson's con- duct." It is significant that Southey himself has been blamed, not for idealizing his hero, but for plain-spoken condemnation in reference to matters (such as the influ- ence of Lady Hamilton on Nelson's management of the fleet in Italian waters, and his later relations with his wife) which reflect least credit on the character of Nelson. "While it would be folly to minimize the importance of modern research on these and other points, it should at least be said that Southey errs less frequently and less flagrantly than some later biographers would have us believe. Fairness of temper and soundness of judg- ment are even more essential qualities in biographical writing than strict accuracy of detail. Southey was master of such materials as were then available, and he was a careful and conscientious workman, skilled by long practice in weighing conflicting authorities and sifting Introduction 17 large masses of evidence. Moreover, he was familiar with life in the navy. His brother, Thomas Southey, with whom he kept up a steady correspondence, had been a midshipman in the Bellona at the time of Nel- son's last Mediterranean campaign, and had risen to the rank of captain in the service. Southey speaks also of a visit from a Captain Guillem, Nelson's first lieuten- ant at Trafalgar, who had served before the mast and fought at Copenhagen, and who, as Southey said, "told us more of Nelson than I can find time to write. "^ For the professional side of Nelson 's career, the reader should turn to the admirable two-volume biography by Captain Mahan ; for a concise summary of the results of modern historical investigation, to the life in the EngUsli Men of Action Series by Sir John Knox Laughton; yet for a simple account of the essential facts, clear of techni- calities and unclouded by controversy, one may still justly prefer the pages of the older writer. In no small measure Southey is responsible for the popular conception of Nelson. If he has erred in the picture he has given us, the fault lies, not so much in a pardonable and even justifiable glorification of his hero 's achievements, as in laying more stress on his spectacular qualities of coolness and daring in actual battle than on the untiring foresight, attention to laborious detail, tact and policy in dealing with superiors and subordi- nates, and mastery of the science of his profession, which were equally a part of his genius and elements in his success. The thorough study which has since been de- voted to every phase of Nelson's professional career has brought out these qualities with increasing clearness. 1. Life and Correspondence, p. 228 (Nov. 24, 1807). 18 Introduction With the lapse of time judgment is less distracted by the facts of his private life, criticism less restrained by a sense of his immense service to his country, and we are thus able to attain a somewhat fuller and franker recognition of his virtues and defects as a naval leader than was possible when Southey wrote/ In his military; as in his personal character, Nelson mingled signal merits with very obvious weaknesses. Sailor fashion, he was, as his letters show, a bit given to grumbling, and to criticism of his superior officers and the shore administration. His professional ethics, tested for instance by his attitude toward the perennial evil of personal favor or "pulf in matters of promo- tion and the like, seem not to have been in advance of his age. Ever eager to reward his officers for merit or distinguished service, he was equally ready to push into a captaincy a step-son whose unfitness he must have known at the time. In matters of discipline, he was likely to be guided by his feelings rather than by strict equity, and it may even be suggested that in some instances his judgments savored of humor or caprice. As a case in point may be taken his decision to send Sir Robert C alder home for court martial in a 90-gun ship instead of a frigate, at a time when the full strength of the fleet was imperatively needed for the approach- ing struggle with Villeneuve. His methods of disci- pline, it is true, were extraordinarily successful, but their success should be ascribed to his personal hold on the affections of his men and his constant regard for their welfare, rather than to strict adherence to the con- ventional code. 1. See also Hawthorne's criticism, quoted on p. 359. Introduction 19 Early and late in his career Nelson assumed an inde- pendence of his superiors that was also unsanctioned by orthodox military standards. Under Hughes in the West Indies, under Jervis at Cape St. Vincent, under Keith in the Mediterranean, and again at Copenhagen, he acted with such disregard of his instructions as could be carried off only by brilliant success. In defeat, such conduct is insubordination; in victory, it is courageous assumption of responsibility. In Nelson's case it ac- counts for his rapid rise to prominence and his selection for difficult tasks. Again and again he put his fortunes to the hazard of a single bold stroke. "If I had not succeeded, I might have be^n broke," he exclaimed on one such occasion, and he might truthfully have repeated the remark at many another crisis of his career. That his ventures were so frequently successful must be attributed, not primarily to good luck, but to thorough preparation and skill in turning opportunities to advan- tage. Nelson was keenly interested in the science of naval warfare and his mind was constantly at work on its problems. In the opinion of Admiral Mahan, though he was a less expert seaman than his friend Collingwood, and less a master of naval administration than Jervis, he was better than either in the actual conduct of a campaign. Naval strategy — including all the phases of preparation for battle — and tactics — the movements in battle — were in Nelson's day less complicated and at the same time less generally understood than now. It may be doubted whether the British admirals blockading the enemy fleets in the ports of France and Spain realized as clearly as historians have later realized how they were cooperat- ing to frustrate Napoleon's schemes for the invasion 20 Introduction of England and to bring about his final downfall. What they did understand was that each had it as his task to watch, and if possible engage and destroy, that part of the enemy fleet to which he was assigned. This was Nelson 's chief concern, and to it he gave pro- longed study. In his Mediterranean campaigns he was ordinarily opposed to an enemy equal or superior in material strength and close to its base of supplies. To meet this superiority he could rely on, the better train- ing and seamanship of the British sailors, inured as they were to sea life by the long vigils of the blockade. If opportunity offered, the fundamental principle of his tactics was to take the offensive, and concentrate in superior force against a part of the enemy, preventing the remainder, if possible, from giving aid. The plan adopted at the Battle of the Nile, which illustrates this principle, was thoroughly worked out and understood by his captains before the attack. And the manner in which, in this engagement. Nelson carried his ships straight into action, in spite of gathering darkness, without a delay until morning which might quite con- ceivably have been fatal to his chance of victory, illus- trates admirably his combination of thorough prepara- tion and prompt execution. The plan employed at Trafalgar, similar but more elaborate, was under dis- cussion during the pursuit of Villenenve to the West Indies in the preceding winter, and was well formulated before Nelson's final departure from England to take command off Cadiz. In the difficult task of keeping his fleet in material readiness — ^his ships in repair and his crews in health, Nelson showed equal skill. The long Toulon blockade, Introduction 21 from May, 1803, to January, 1805, during which count- less difficulties had to be met arising from inadequate supplies, need of repairs, and the necessity of keeping up the health and spirits of the men, was an achievement comparable in its kind to the victory of Trafalgar. According to a report of the fleet physician in August, 1805, the deaths on shipboard during the preceding two years, in a force of from six to eight thousand men, amounted to only one hundred ten, and the average number on the sick-list to about twenty-five per thou- sand — a record unprecedented at that time and remark- able today. "When Nelson returned to Gibraltar after the pursuit of Villeneuve to the West Indies and back, he set foot on shore for the first time in over two years. The French fleet was demoralized by the long voyage; Nelson's ships joined Cornwallis in the Channel, and Nelson himself, after less than a month in England, again hoisted his flag in the Victory. In days when the very existence of England depended on her fleets. Nelson understood better than most of his contemporaries the need of pushing an engagement to decisive results. Many of the commanders under whom he served in his earlier years were men of the old school, accustomed to the long-range fleet engagements of the eighteenth century, with conventions as strict as those of the code duello and consequences seldom more fatal. Nelson rebelled against their half measures. ''Had we taken ten sail," he remarked after one such inconclusive encounter, ''and allowed the eleventh to escape, when it had been possible to have got at her, I could never have called it well done." It was by this eagerness for * ' close and decisive battle ' ' and the ' ' anni- 22 Introduction hilation of the enemy fleet" that Nelson, more than any one else, succeeded in breaking down eighteenth century traditions, and bringing about a revolution in naval warfare curiously parallel, in its more limited scope, to contemporary changes in literature, politics, and so- ciety. Popular imagination is, after all, right in remem- bering him for his impetuosity and daring, and pictur- ing him as the commander who broke from the line without orders at Gape St. Vincent, attacked a fleet protected by shoals and shore batteries at the Nile, pushed a reluctant superior officer to vigorous action at Copenhagen, and by seemingly rash and headlong onset destroyed a superior fleet at Trafalgar. In neither his defects nor his virtues is Nelson the typical British man of action, or at least not the con- ventional ideal. His petulance, vanity, and emotional- ism are more often associated with the Celtic or Latin temperaments, as are also his mental rapidity, alert- ness in crises, and power to inspire the unlimited devo- tion of his men. '^Wellington commanded our respect,^ ^ said an officer who had known both intimately, ''but Nelson was the man to love." With all his faults he stands preeminent among naval leaders, and is probably the greatest English commander on lander sea. A. F. W. TJ. S. Naval Academy, June 15, 1916. ^ BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE SOUTHEY Biographical sources: SoutJiey's Commonplace Boole, ed. J. W. Warter, 1849. Southey's Life and Correspondence, ed. Cuthbert Southey, two vols., 1850. Atlantic Monthly, Jan., 1902. (A number of Southey's letters not previously published.) Biographies : Life of Southey, by Edward Dowden, English Men of Letters Series, 1879. (The best critical study of Southey's life and writings.) Bohert Southey ; the Story of His Life Written in His Letters, ed. John Dennis, Boston, 1887, and published also in Bohn's Library, 1894. (A carefully edited collection of the more important of Southey's letters.) Works : Southey's Poems, ed. Edward Dowden, Golden Treasury Series, Macmillan, 1891. (A volume of selections with an excellent critical introduction.) Poems by Eohert Southey, ed. M. H. Fitzgerald, Oxford Univer- sity Press, 1909. Select Prose of Eohert Southey, ed. J. Zeitlin, Macmillan, New York, 1916, Additional references: Carlyle's Be^niniscences, 1881, Yol. I. (Brief personal recol- lections and criticism.) De Quincey's Literary Beminiscences. (Chapters on Coleridge and on Wordsworth and Southey.) Thackeray's Four Georges. (Interesting sketch of Southey in George IV.) Macaulay's Literary Essays. (Reviews of Southey's Colloquies on Society and Southey 's edition of Bunyan 's Pilgrim 's Prog- ress.) 23 24 Introduction Leslie Stephen's Studies of a BiograpJier, Vol. IV. (Essay on Southey.) Saintsbury's History of Criticism, Vol. Ill, pp. 233-237, and History of Nineteenth Century Literature, pp. 63-69. See also his essay on Southey in Macmillan's Magazine, April, 1895. Nelson Biographical sources: Clarke and M 'Arthur's Life of Nelson, two vols., 1809. (A biography in which are inserted the more important of Nel- son's official reports and letters — the letters considerably al- tered and mutilated.) Nicolas 's Despatches and Letters of Lord Nelson, seven vols., 1844-46. (A complete and well-edited collection.) Nelson's Letters and Despatches, ed. J. K. Laughton, one vol., 1886. Biograp^hies : Harrison's Life of Nelson, 1806. (Untrustworthy; written in the interest of Lady Hamilton from materials largely supplied by her.) Clark Eussell's Life of Nelson, Heroes of the Nations Series, 1890. J. K. Laughton 's Life of Nelson, English Men of Action Series, 1895, and The Nelson Memorial, 1896. Admiral Mahan's Life of Nelson, two vols., 1897. Additional references; James's Naval History, six vols. (The best contemporary au- thority on Nelson's professional career.) Pettigrew 's Memoirs of the Life of Nelson, two vols., 1849. Jeaffreson's Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson, 1888^ and The Queen of Naples and Lord Nelson, 1889. Admiral Mahan's Influence of Sea Power on the French Bevo- lution and Empire, two vols., 1892. Clowes' History of the Eoyal Navy, vols. IV and V, 1900. E. H. Hobhouse's Nelson in England, London, 1913. H. Newbolt's The Year of Trafalgar, London, 1915. THE LIFE OF NELSON CHAPTER I Nelson 's Birth and Boyhood — He is entered on board the Eaison- nable — Goes to the West Indies in a Merchant-ship; then serves in the Triumph — He sails in Captain Phipp's Voyage of Discovery — Goes to the East Indies in the Seahorse, and returns in ill health — Serves as acting Lieutenant in the Worcester, and is made Lieuten- ant into the Lowestoffe, Commander into the Badger Brig, and Post into the HinchinbrooJc — Expedition against the Spanish Main — Sent to the North Seas in the Albemarle — Services during the American War. Horatio, son of Edmund and Catherine Nelson, was born September 29, 1758, in the parsonage-bouse of Burnham-Thorpe, a village in the county of Norfolk, of wbicb bis father was rector. The maiden name of his mother was Suckling:^ her grandmother was an elder sister of Sir Eobert Walpole,^ and this child was named after his god-father, the first Lord Walpole.^ Mrs. Nel- 1. Suckling. Her father was a grandnephew of Sir John Suckling, poet, courtier, and soldier in the reign of Cliarles I. 2. Sir Rodert Walpole (1676-1745). Leader of the Whig party and foremost figure in English politics during the reigns of George I and George II. He is regarded as having been the first to exercise the powers of a modern prime minister. 3. First Lord Walpole. Horatio, first Lord Walpole of Wolterton, was an elder brother of Sir Robert Walpole and a patron of Nelson's father. Since the first lord died in 1756, Nelson's godfather was pre- sumably the second Lord Walpole, of the same name, who was about thirty-five years of age at the time of Nelson's birth. Neither the first nor the second Lord Walpole is to be confused with Sir Horace (or Horatio) Walpole of Strawberry Hill, the famous writer and anti- quarian, who was a son of Sir Robert. 25 26 The Life op Nelson Bon died in 1767, leaving eight out of eleven children. Her brother, Captain Maurice Suckling, of the Navy, visited the widower upon this event, and promised to take care of one of the boys. Three years afterwards, when Horatio was only twelve years of age, being at home during the Christmas holidays, he read in the country newspaper that his uncle was appointed to the Raisonnahle, of sixty- four guns.^ "Do, "William," said he to a brother who was a year and a half older than himself, "write to my father and tell him that I should like to go to sea with uncle Maurice." Mr. Nelson was then at Bath,^ whither he had gone for the recovery of his health : his circumstances were straitened, and he had no prospect of ever seeing them bettered: he knew that it was the wish of providing for himself by which Horatio was chiefly actuated; and did not oppose his resolution: he understood also the boy's character, and had always said, that in whatever station he might be placed, he would climb, if possible, to the very top of the tree. Accordingly Captain Suckling was written to. "What," said he in his answer, "has poor Horatio done, who is so weak, that he, above all the rest, should be sent to rough it out at sea? — But let him 1. Sixty-four guns. In the eighteenth century the ships of the Brit- ish Navy were divided Into "rates," or classes, according to the number of guns they carried, as follows : first-rates carried from 100 to 120 guns mounted on three decks ; second-rates were ships of 98 or 90 guns ; third-rates were 80's, 74's, or 64's. Vessels of 64 guns or more were called "ships-of-the-line," i. e., strong enough to be put in the first line of a battle formatior ; smaller vessels were classified as frigates, sloops-of-war, brigs, etc., according to their rig and arrange- ment of guns. A frigate of Nelson's time was usually ship-rigged and carried about 24 guns mounted on the main deck and on raised decks fore and aft : she was used chiefly for scouting, carrying despatches, and. transmitting signals in battle. A sloop-of-war (the French corvette) carried all her guns on the main deck. 2. Bath. A city near Bristol in southwestern England, celebrated for Its mineral springs. In the eighteenth century it reached the height of its popularity as a center of fashion and health resort. The Life of Nelson 27 i come, and the first time we go into action a cannon- ball may knock off his head, and provide for him at once." 1 It is manifest from these words, that Horatio was not the boy whom his uncle would have chosen to bring up in his own profession. He was never of a strong body ; and the ague, which at that time was one of the most common diseases in England, had greatly reduced his strength; yet he had already given proofs of that reso- lute heart and nobleness of mind, which, during his whole career of labor and of glory, so eminently distin- guished him. "When a mere child, he strayed a bird's- nesting from his grandmother's house in company with a cowboy : the dinner-hour elapsed ; he was absent, and could not be found ; and the alarm of the family became very great, for they apprehended that he might have been carried off by gipsies. At length, after search had been made for him in various directions, he was dis- covered alone, sitting composedly by the side of a brook which he could not get over. "I wonder, child," said the old lady when she saw him, *'that hunger and fear did not drive you home." — ''Fear! grand-mamma,'* replied the future hero, ''I never saw fear: — ^What is it?" Once, after the winter holidays, when he and his brother William had set off on horseback to return to school, they came back because there had been a fall of snow; and William, who did not much like the journey, said it was too deep for them to venture on. *'If that be the case," said the father, ''you certainly shall not go: but make another attempt, and I will leave it to your honor. If the road is dangerous, you may return : but remember, boys, I leave it to your honor. ' ' The snow was deep enough to have afforded them a reasonable excuse : but Horatio was not to be prevailed upon to turn back. **We must go on," said he: *' remember, 28 The Life op Nelson brother, it was left to our honor!" — There were some fine pears growing in the schoolmaster's garden, which the boys regarded as lawful booty ; but the boldest among them were afraid to venture for the prize. Horatio vol- unteered upon this service: he was lowered down at night from the bedroom window by some sheets, plun- dered the tree, was drawn up with the pears, and then distributed them among his schoolfellows without reserv- ing any for himself. — ''He only took them,'' he said, ''because every other boy was afraid."^ Early on a cold and dark spring morning Mr. Nel- son's servant arrived at this school, at North Walsham, with the expected summons for Horatio to join his ship. The parting from his brother William, who had been for so many years his playmate and bed-fellow, was a painful effort, and was the beginning of those privations which are the sailor's lot through life. He accompanied his father to London. The Raisonnahle was lying in the Medway. He was put into the Chatham^ stage, and on its arrival was set down with the rest of the passengers, and left to find his way on board as he could. After wandering about in the cold without being able to reach the ship, an officer observed the forlorn appearance of the boy; questioned him; and, happening to be acquainted with his uncle, took him home, and gave him some refreshments. "When he got 1. Because every other toy was afraid. Anecdotes such as the fore- going are characterized by Professor J. K. Laughton (Life of Nelson, p. 7) as "made to order, or exaggerations of old family Jokes." Southey was no doubt attracted by their narrative Interest, and felt less keenly than modern biographers the need of searching into their validity. They have a value also as illustrating the contemporary feeling for Nelson. 2. Chatham. A port on the Medway River, which forms below Chatham a wide estuary often employed by the British fleet as a base and winter-quarters. The Dutch in 1667 raided the port and destroyed most of the British Navy. The Life of Nelson 29 on board, Captain Suckling was not in the ship, nor had any person been apprised of the boy's coming. He paced the deck the whole remainder of the day, without being noticed by any one ; and it was not till the second day that somebody, as he expressed it, ' ' took compassion on him." The pain which is felt when we are first transplanted from our native soil, when the living branch is cut from the parent tree, is one of the most poignant which we have to endure through life. There are after griefs which wound more deeply, which leave behind them scars never to be effaced, which bruise the spirit and sometimes break the heart: but never do we feel so keenly the want of love, the necessity of being loved, and the sense of utter desertion, as when we first leave the haven of home, and are, as it were, pushed off upon the stream of life. Added to these feelings, the sea-boy has to endure physical hardships, and the privation of every comfort, even of sleep. Nel- son had a feeble body and an affectionate heart, and he remembered through life his first days of wretchedness in the service. , The Baisonnable having been commissioned on ac- count of the dispute respecting the Falkland Islands,^ was paid off as soon as that difference with the court of Spain was accommodated, and Captain Suckling was removed to the Triumph, seventy-four, then stationed as a guardship^ in the Thames. This was considered as too inactive a station for a boy, and Nelson was there- fore sent a voyage to the West Indies in a merchant- ship, commanded by Mr. John Rathbone, an excellent 1. Dispute respecting the Falkland Islands. Spain had received the Islands from France, and In 1770 drove out a small English settlement made there five years before. English naval preparations led Spain to give over her claims in 1771. 2. OuardsMp. A war-vessel appointed to protect and control the shipping of a port, and to receive naval recruits. 30 The Life op Nelson seaman, who had served as Master's mate^ under Cap- tain Suckling in the DreadnoiigJit. He returned a prac-. tical seaman, hut with a hatred of the king's service, and a saying then common among the sailors — -'^Aft the most honor, forward the better man." Eathbone had probably been disappointed and disgusted in the Navy ; and, with no unfriendly intentions, warned Nel- son against a profession which he himself had found hopeless. His uncle received him on board the Triumplbif on his return; and discovering his dislike to the Navy, took the best means of reconciling him to it. He held it out as a reward, that if he attended well to his naviga- tion he should go in the cutter and decked long-boat^ which was attached to the commanding officer's ship at Chatham. Thus he became a good pilot for vessels of that description, from Chatham to the Tower, and down the Swin Channel to . the North Foreland,^ and acquired a confidence among rocks and sands, of which he often felt the value. Nelson had not been many months on board the Triumph when his love of enterprise was excited by hearing that two ships were fitting out for a voyage of discovery toward the North Pole. In consequence of the difficulties which were expected on such a service, these vessels were to take out effective men instead of the usual number of boys. This, however, did not deter him from soliciting to be received, and by his 1. Master's mate. A petty officer (not eligible for promotion to commissioned rank) whose duty it was to assist the old-time sailing- master in navigating the ship, lading stores, and maintaining order on Bhip-board. 2. Cutter and decked long-loat. The largest of the ship's boats, provided with oars, mast, and sails, and with a crew usually of from twelve to fifteen men. 3. Totver . . . North Foreland. That is, he learned the chan- nels of the Thames estuary from the Tower of London to the North Foreland at its outer eonthern extremity. The Life of Nelson 31 ■ancle's interest^ lie Y\'as cdmitted as coxswain under Captain Lutwidge, second in command. The voyage was undertaken in compliance with an application from the Eoyal Society.^ Captain the Hon. Constantine John Phipps, eldest son of Lord Mulgrave, volunteered his services. The Racehorse and Carcass bombs^ were se- lected, as the strongest ships, and therefore best adapted for such a voyage ; and they were taken into dock and strengthened to render them as secure as possible against the ice. Two masters of Greenlandmen* were employed as pilots for each ship. No expedition was ever more carefully fitted out, and the First Lord of the Admiralty,^ Lord Sandwich, with a laudable solicitude, went on board himself before their departure, to see that everything had been completed to the wish of the officers. The ships were provided with a simple and excellent apparatus for distilling fresh from salt water, the invention of Dr. Irving, who accompanied the .. 1. Interest. Influence. ' 2. Royal Society. "The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge." From its foundation 'In 1660 to the present time, the society has been the foremost organization of its type in England, including among its members the leaders of English scientific achievement. During the voj^age, which was undertaken in the interest of various branches of science, the vessels explored and mapped the northwest coast and Islands of Spitzbergen, reaching a point 80° 48' N. I 3. Bombs. Bombs, or bomb-vessels, were staunch, broad-beamed crafts, built to carry mortar guns for throwing bombs at high angles, 4. Masters of Oreenlandmen. Captains of Greenland whaling vessels. 5. Admiralty. The Board of Admiralty, in which is vested the administration of the British Navy, consists of six members : the first lord, usually a civilian, who is head of the board and a cabinet min- ister ; four naval oflacers, called sea lords ; and one additional civilian lord. The first lord is in supreme authority, and it is held that his ■ constitutional powers permit him to issue orders on his own responsi- bility. Ordinarily, however, he does not act without the l^nowledge and concurrence of a majority of the board. In Nelson's time the powers of the Admiralty were more strictly confined to the control of the fleet, while financial and shore administration was in the hands of the Comptroller and the Navy Board. See p. 40, note 3. 32 The Life op Nelson expedition. It consisted merely of fitting a tnbe to the ship's kettle, and applying a wet mop to the surface, as the vapor was passing.^ By these means, from thirty- four to forty gallons were produced every day. They sailed from the Nore^ on the 4th of June :^ on the 6th of the following month they were in latitude 79° 56' 39"; longitude 9° 43' 30" E. The next day, about the place where most of the old discoverers had been stopped, the RaceJiorse was beset with ice ; but they hove her through with ice-anchors.^ Captain Phipps continued ranging along the ice northward and westward till the 24th; he then tried to the eastward. On the 30th he ,was in latitude 80° 13', longitude 18° 48' E., among the islands and in the ice, with no appearance of an open- ing for the ships. The weather was fine, mild, and un- usually clear. Here they were becalmed in a large bay, with three apparent openings between the islands which formed it; but everywhere, as far as they could see, surrounded with ice. There was not a breath of air, the water was perfectly smooth, the ice covered with snow, low and even, except a few broken pieces near the edge ; and the pools of water in the middle of the ice- fields just crusted over with young ice. On the next day the ice closed upon them, and no opening was to be seen anywhere, except a hole, or lake, as it might be called, of about a mile and a half in circumference, where the ships lay fast to the ice with their ice-anchors. They filled their casks with water from these ice-fields, which was very pure and soft. The men were playing 1. Vapor Vjas passing. The steam carried by the tube from the top of the kettle was turned to water by wrapping the tube with a wet, cold mop. 2. The Nore. A sand-bar and lighthouse midway in the mouth of the Thames, forty-eight miles below London. 3. Jfth of June. In the year 1773. 4. Ice-anchors. Tiarge iron hooks, bent nearly at right angles, with sharp points to catch In the Ice. The Life of Nelson 33 on the ice all day; but the Greenland pilots, who were further than they had ever been before, and considered that the season was far advancing, were alarmed at being- thus beset. The next day there was not the smallest opening, the ships were within less than two lengths of each other, separated by ice, and neither having room to turn. The ice, which the day before had been flat, and almost level with the water's edge, was now in many places forced higher than the mainyard,^ by the pieces squeezing to- gether. A day of thick fog followed : it was succeeded by clear weather, but the passage by which the ships had entered from the westward was closed, and no open water was in sight, either in that or any other quarter. By the pilots' advice the men were set to cut a passage, and warp through the small openings to the westward. They sawed through pieces of ice twelve feet thick, and this labor continued the whole day, during which their utmost efforts did not move the ships above three hun- dred yards; while they were driven, together with the ice, far to the N. E. and E. by the current. Some- times a field of several acres square would be lifted up between two larger islands, and incorporated with them ; and thus these larger pieces continued to grow by aggre- gation. Another day passed, and there seemed no proba- bility of getting the ships out, without a strong E. or N. E. wind. The season was far advanced, and every hour lessened the chance of extricating themselves. Young as he was, Nelson was appointed to command one of the boats which were sent out to explore a pas- sage into the open water. It was the means of saving a boat belonging to the Racehorse from a singular but imminent danger. Some of the officers had fired at and 1. Mainyard. The lowermost yard of the mainmast, twenty-five or thirty feet from the water. 34 The Life of Nelson wounded a walrus. As no other animal has so human- like an expression in its countenance, so also is there none that seems to possess more of the passions of hu- manity. The wounded animal dived immediately, and brought up a number of its companions; and they all joined in an attack upon the boat. They wrested an oar from one of the men ; and it was with the utmost diffi- culty that the crew could prevent them from staving or upsetting her, till the Carcass's boat came up: and the walruses, finding their enemies thus reinforced, dis- persed. Young Nelson exposed himself in a more daring manner. One night, during the mid-watch,^ he stole from the ship with one of his comrades, taking advan- tage of a rising fog, and set out over the ice in pursuit of a bear. It was not long before they were missed. The fog thickened, and Captain Lutwidge and his offi- cers became exceedingly alarmed for their safety. Be- tween three and four in the morning the weather cleared, and the two adventurers were seen, at a considerable distance from the ship, attacking a huge bear. The signal for them to return was immediately made : Nel- son 's comrade called upon him to obey it, but in vain; his musket had flashed in the pan;^ their ammunition was expended; and a chasm in the ice, which divided him from the bear, probably preserved his life. *' Never mind," he cried ; ''do but let me get a blow at this devil with the butt-end of my musket, and we shall have him. ' ' Captain Lutwidge, however, seeing his danger, fired a gun, which had the desired effect of frightening the 1. Mid-icatc7i. From midnight to 4 A. M. On ship-board, the day beginning at midnight is divided Into fonr-hour "watches," except that the period from 4 to 8 P. M. is divided into "dog watches" of two hours each, 2. Flashed in the pan. Failed to discharge. The old flint-loclc musket was fired hy priming powder placed in a small pan at the base of the barrel and ignited by a spark: struclt with flint. The Life of Nelson 35 beast; and the boy then returned, somewhat afraid of the consequences of his trespass. The captain repri- manded him sternly for conduct so unworthy of the office which he filled, and desired to know what motive he could have for hunting a bear. ''Sir," said he, pouting his lip, as he was wont to do when agitated, *'I wished to kill the bear, that I might carry the skin to my father." A party were now sent to an island, about twelve miles off (named Walden's Island in the chart, from the midshipman who was intrusted with this service), to see where the open water lay. They came back with information that the ice, though close all about them, was open to the westward, round the point by which they came in. They said also, that upon the island they had had a fresh east wind. This intelligence consid- erably abated the hopes of the crew, for where they lay it had been almost calm, and their main dependence had been upon the effect of an easterly wind in clear- ing the bay. There was but one alternative, either to wait the event of the weather upon the ships, or to betake themselves to the boats. The likelihood that it might be necessary to sacrifice the ships had been fore- seen ; the boats, accordingly, were adapted, both in num- ber and size, to transport, in case of emergency, the whole crew; and there were Dutch whalers upon the coast, in which they could all be conveyed to Europe. As for wintering where they were, that dreadful experi- ment had been already tried too often. No time was to be lost; the ships had driven into shoal water, having but fourteen fathoms. Should they, or the ice to which they were fast, take the ground, they must inevitably be lost: and at this time they were driving fast towards some rocks on the N. E. Captain Phipps had sent for the officers of both ships, and told them his intention '36 The Life op Nelson of preparing the boats for going away. They were immediately hoisted out, and the fitting begun. Canvas bread-bags were made, in case it should be necessary suddenly to desert the vessels ; and men were sent with the lead and line to the northward and eastward, to sound wherever they found cracks in the ice, that they might have notice before the ice took the ground; for, in that case, the ships must have instantly been crushed or overset. On the 7th of August they began to haul the boats over the ice. Nelson having command of the four-oared cutter. The men behaved excellently well, like true British seamen: they seemed reconciled to the thought of leaving the ships, and had full confidence in their officers. About noon, the ice appeared rather more open near the vessels ; and as the wind was easterly, though there was but little of it, the sails were set, and they got about a mile to the westward. They moved very slowly, and were not now nearly so far to the westward as when they were firs+ beset. However, all sail was kept upon them, to force them through whenever the ice slacked the least. "Whatever exertions were made, it could not be possible to get the boats to the water's edge before the 14th; and if the situation of the ships should not alter by that time, it would not be justifiable to stay longer by them. The Commander therefore resolved to carry on both attempts together, moving the boats constantly, and taking every opportunity of getting the ships through. A party was sent out next day to the westward, to examine the state of the ice: they returned with tidings that it was very heavy and close, consisting chiefly of large fields. The 'ships, how- ever, moved something, and the ice itself was drifting westward. There was a thick fog, so that it was impos- sible to ascertain what advantage had been gained. It The Life op Nelson " 37 continued on the 9th ; but the ships were moved a little through some very small openings: the mist cleared off in the afternoon; and it was then perceived that they had driven much more than could have been expected to the westward, and that the ice itself had driven still farther. In the course of the day they got past the boats, and took them on board again. On the morrow the wind sprang up to the N. N. E. All sail was set, and the ships forced their way through a great deal of very heavy ice. They frequently struck, and with such force, that one stroke broke the shank of the Racehorse's best bower anchor:^ but the vessels made way; and by noon they had cleared the ice, and were out at sea. The next day they anchored in Smeerenberg Harbor, close to that island of which the westernmost point is called Hakluyt's^ Headland, in honor of the great promoter and compiler of our English voyages of discovery. Here they remained for a few days, that the men might rest after their fatigue. No insect was to be seen in this dreary country, nor any species of reptile, not even the common earthworm. Large bodies of ice, called icebergs, filled up the valleys between high moun- tains, so dark, as, when contrasted with the snow, to appear black. The color of the ice was a lively light green. Opposite to the place where they had fixed their observatory was one of these icebergs, above three hun- dred feet high; its side towards the sea was nearly perpendicular, and a stream of water issued from it. Large pieces frequently broke off, and rolled down into the sea. There was no thunder nor lightning during 1. Shank of the test "bower anchor. The "best bower is the larger of the two anchors usually carried at a vessel's bow. The shank is the main shaft of the anchor, between the stock and the flukes. 2. Hakluyt's. Richard Hakluyt (c. 1553-1616). The final edition of his chief work, "The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation," appeared in 1600. 38 The Life op Nelson the whole time they were in these latitudes. The sky was generally loaded with hard white clouds, from which it was never entirely free, even in the clearest weather. They always knew when they were approach- ing the ice, long before they saw it, by a bright appear- ance near the horizon, which the Greenlandmen called the blink of the ice. The season was now so far ad- vanced that nothing more could have been attempted, if, indeed, anything had been left untried: but the summer had been, unusually favorable, and they had carefully surveyed the wall of ice extending for more than twenty degrees between the latitudes of 80° and 81°, without the smallest appearance of any opening. The ships were paid off shortly after their return to England ; and Nelson was then placed by his uncle with Captain Farmer, in the Seahorse, of twenty guns, then ^oing out to the East Indies in the squadron under Sir Edward Hughes. He was stationed in the foretop^ at watch and watch.^ His good conduct attracted the attention of the Master (afterwards Captain Surridge), in whose watch he was ; and, upon his recommendation, the Captain rated him as Midshipman.^ At this time his countenance was florid, and his appearance rather stout and athletic: but when he had been about eighteen 1. Foretop. A platform supported by the crosstrees at the fore- mast head. Nelson was here doing the work of an "able seaman," presumably in command of men stationed in the foretop to work sails. 2. Watch and watch. Serving one watch on and one off throughout the twenty-four hours. 3. Rated Mm as midshipman. In the eighteenth century there was a naval academy at Portsmouth accommodating about seventy "naval cadets." Most officers, however, began their training on ship-board as "captain's servants." At fifteen, which was Nelson's age at this time, they were rated as midshipmen. They were instructed in navigation by the sailing-master, and were expected to qualify in three or four years for the grade of lieutenant. The Life of Nelson 39 months in India^ he felt the effects of that climate, so perilous to European constitutions. The disease baffled all power of medicine; he was reduced almost to a skeleton ; the use of his limbs was for some time entirely lost; and the only hope that remained was from a voyage home. Accordingly he was brought home by Captain Pigot, in the Dolphin; and had it not been for the attentive and careful kindness of that officer on the way, Nelson would never have lived to reach his native shores. He had formed an acquaintance with Sir Charles Pole, Sir Thomas Troubridge, and other dis- tinguished officers, then, like himself, beginning their career: he had left them pursuing that career in full enjoyment of health and hope, and was returning from a country in which all things were to him iaew and Inter- esting, with a body broken down by sickness, and spirits which had sunk with his strength. Long afterwards, when the name of Nelson was known as widely as that of England itself, he spoke of the feelings which he at this time endured. *'I felt impressed," said he, '^with a feeling that I should never rise in my profession. My mind was staggered with a view of the difficulties I had to surmount, and the little interest I possessed. I could discover no means of reaching the object of my ambi- tion. After a long and gloomy reverie, in which I al- most wished myself overboard, a sudden glow of pa- triotism was kindled within me, and presented my King and- country as my patron, 'Well then,' I exclaimed, 'I will be a hero! and, confiding in Providence, brave every danger!' " Long afterwards, Nelson loved to speak of the feeling of that moment: and from that time, he often said, a ^ 1. Eighteen months in India. Nelson in an autobiographical Memoir States that he visited in the Seahorse "almost every part of the East Indies, from Bengal to Bussorah [Basra]." — Nelson's Letters (ed. Laughton), p. 2. 40 The Life of Nelson radiant orb was suspended in his mind's eye, which, ■urged him onward to renown. The state of mind in which these feelings began, is what the mystics^ mean by their season of darkness and desertion. If the ani- mal spirits fail, they represent it as an actual tempta- tion. The enthusiasm of Nelson's nature had taken a different direction, but its essence was the same. He knew to what the previous state of dejection was to be attributed; that an enfeebled body, and a mind de- pressed, had cast this shade over his soul : but he always seemed willing to believe, that the sunshine which suc- ceeded bore with it a prophetic glory, and that the light which led him on was *' light from heaven. "^ His interest, however, was far better than he imag- ined. During his absence Captain Suckling had been made Comptroller of the Navy;^ his health had mate- rially improved upon the voyage; and, as soon as the Dolphin was paid off, he was appointed Acting Lieu- tenant in the Worcester^ sixty-four. Captain Mark Rob- inson, then going out with convoy* to Gibraltar. Soon after his return, on the 8th of April, 1777, he passed his examination for a lieutenancy. Captain Suckling sat at the head of the board ; and when the examination had ended, in a manner highly honorable to Nelson, rose from his seat, and introduced him to the examining captains as his nephew. They expressed their wonder 1. Mystics. Those who trust the guidance of emotion rather than reason in matters of religious experience and faith. 2. Light from Heaven. From Burns's Vision: "But yet the light that led astray W^as light from Heaven." 3. Comptroller of the "Navy. An Important officer at the head of the so-called Navy Board, which, prior to its amalgamation with the Admiralty Board in 1832, exercised control over yards and docks, victualling, pay, and in general over the civil administration of the Navy. 4. With convoy. With merchant vessels under her protection. The Life of Nelson 41 that he had not informed them of this relationship be- fore; he replied, that he did not wish the younker to be favored; he knew his nephew would pass a good examination, and he had not been deceived. The next day Nelson received his commission as Second Lieu- tenant of the Lowestoffe frigate. Captain William Locker,^ then fitting out for Jamaica. American and French privateers, under American colors, were at that time harassing our trade in the "West Indies: even a frigate was not sufficiently active for Nelson, and he repeatedly got appointed to the com- mand of one of the Lowestoffe' s tenders.^ During one of their cruises tl;ie Lowestoffe captured an American letter-of-marque :^ it was blowing a gale, and a heavy sea running. The First Lieutenant being ordered to board the prize, went below to put on his hanger.* It happened to be mislaid; and, while he was seeking it, Captain Locker came on deck. Perceiving the boat still alongside, and in danger every moment of being swamped, and being extremely anxious that the priva- teer should be instantly taken in charge, because he feared that it would otherwise founder, he exclaimed, * ' Have I no officer in the ship who can board the prize ? ' ' Nelson did not offer himself immediately, waiting, with his usual sense of propriety, for the First Lieutenant's 1. Captain 'William Locker. Locker was a capable officer who had served under Admiral Hawke during the Seven Years' War. The excellent principles and teaching of Hawke in the art of naval war- fare may thus have been handed directly down to Nelson. "I have been your scholar," wrote Nelson to Locker in 1799 ; "it is you who always told me, 'Lay a Frenchman close, and you will beat him.' "— Letters (ed. Laughton), p. 183. 2. Tenders. Schooners or other small craft employed by a larger vessel for carrying dispatches, boarding prizes, and similar duties. 3. Letter-of-marque. Applied to a privately owned vessel carrying a government commission (letter-of-marque) authorizing it to prey on enemy commerce. 4. Hanger. A short, cut-and-thrust sword. 42 The Life of Nelson i return: but hearing the Master^ volunteer, he jumped into the boat, saying, **It is my turn now; and if I come back, it is yours." The American, who had carried a heavy press of sail in hope of escaping, was so com- pletely water-logged, that the Lowesioffe's boat went in on deck, and out again, with the sea. About this time he lost his uncle. Captain Locker, however, who had perceived the excellent qualities of Nelson, and formed a friendship for him, which con- tinued during his life, recommended him warmly to Sir Peter Parker, then Commander-in-Chief upon that sta- tion. In consequence of this recommendation he was removed into the Bristol flag-ship, and Lieutenant Cuth- bert Collingwood^ succeeded him in the Lowestoffe. He soon became First Lieutenant; and, on the 8th of De- cember, 1778, was appointed Commander of the Badger brig; Collingwood again succeeding him in the Bristol, "While the Badger was lying in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the Glasgow, of twenty guns, came in and anchored there, and in two hours was in flames, the steward hav- ing set fire to her while stealing rum out of the after- hold. Her crew were leaping into the water, when Nel- son came up in his boats, made them throw their powder overboard, and point their guns upward; and, by his presence of mind and personal exertions, prevented the loss of life which would otherwise have ensued. On the 11th of June, 1779, he was made Post^ into the Hinchin- hrooh, of twenty-eight guns, an enemy's merchantman, 1. Master. The sailing-master, a petty officer on war-vessels en- trnsted with the navigation of the ship ; Inferior, In rank to a lien- tenant, 2. Collingwood. Nelson's second in command at Trafalgar. 3. Post. Post captain, a title applied to officers actually holding commissions as captains and in command of vessels of the size to which their rank entitled them (20 guns or more), to distinguish them from acting captains and commanders of smaller vessels, who were often called captain by courtesy. The Life of Nelson 43 sheathed with wood, which had been taken into the service. A short time after he left the Lowestoffe, that ship, with a small squadron, stormed the fort of St. Fernando de Omoa, on the south side of the Bay of Honduras, and captured some register ships^ which were lying under its guns. Two hundred and fifty quintals- of quicksilver, and three millions of piastres,^ were the reward of this enterprise : and it is character- istic of Nelson, that the chance by which he missed a share in such a prize is never mentioned in any of his letters; nor is it likely that it ever excited even a momentary feeling of vexation. Nelson was fortunate in possessing good interest at the time when it could be most serviceable to him: his promotion had been almost as rapid as it could be ; and before he had attained the age of twenty-one he had gained that rank which brought all the honors of the service within his reach. No opportunity, indeed, had yet been given him of distinguishing himself; but he was thoroughly master of his profession, and his zeal and ability were acknowledged wherever he was known. Count d'Estaing,* with a fleet of one hundred and twenty-five sail, men-of-war and transports, and a reputed force of five-and-twenty thousand men, threat- ened Jamaica from St. Domingo. Nelson offered his services to the Admiral and to Governor-general Ball- ing, and was appointed to command the batteries of Fort Charles at Port Koyal.^ Not more than seven thousand men could be mustered for the defence of the 1. Register sMps, Spanish vessels carrying money or plate. 2. Quintals. Weights of about one hundred pounds. 3. Piastres. Spanish coins about equivalent to an American dollar. 4. D'Estaing. The French fleet under d'Estaing afterward fought Hood off Chesapeake Bay, preventing relief from reaching Cornwallis at Yorktown. 5. Port Royal. Near Kingston, Jamaica. 44 The Life of Nelson island, — a number wholly inadequate to resist the force which threatened them. Of this Nelson was so well aware, that when he wrote to his friends in England, he told them they must not be surprised to hear of his learning to speak French. D'Estaing, however, was either not aware of his own superiority, or not equal to the command with tvhich he was intrusted : he attempted nothing with this formidable armament; and General Bailing was thus left to execute a project which he had formed against the Spanish colonies. This project was, to take Fort San Juan^ on the river of that name, which flows from Lake Nicaragua into the Atlantic ; make himself master of the lake itself, and of the cities of Grenada and Leon;^ and thus cut off the communication of the Spaniards between their northern and southern possessions in America. Here it is that ai Canal between the two seas may most easily be formed ; — a work more important in its consequences than any which has ever yet been effected by human power. Lord George Germaine, at that time Secretary of State for the American department, approved the plan : and as discontents at that time were known to prevail in the Nuevo Eeyno,^ in Popayan,* and in Peru, the more san- guine part of the English began to dream of acquiring an empire in one part of America more extensive than that which they were on the point of losing in another.® General Dalling's plans were well formed; but the his- tory and the nature of the country had not been studied as accurately as its geography: the difficulties which 1. Fort San Juan. San Juan del Norte, or Greytown, Nicaragua. 2. Grenada and Leon. Situated between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific coast. 3. is'uevo Reyno (Spanish for new realm.) Mexico. 4. Popaijan. A city near the Pacific in the United States of Colom- bia ; perhaps formerly employed in referring to the west coast north of Peru. 5. Losing in another. A reference to the American Revolution. The Life of Nelson 45 occurred in fitting out the expedition delayed it till the season was too far advanced ; and the men were thus sent to adventure themselves, not so much against an enemy, whom they would have beaten, as against a cli- mate which would do the enemy's work. Early in the year 1780, five hundred men, destined for this service, were convoyed by Nelson from Port Eoyal to Cape Graeias a Dios, in Honduras. Not a native was to be seen when they landed : they had been taught that the English came with no other intent than that of enslaving them, and sending them to Jamaica. After a while, however, one of them ventured down, confiding in his knowledge of one of the party ; and by his means the neighboring tribes were conciliated with presents, and brought in. The troops were encamped on a swampy and unwholesome plain, where they were joined by a party of the 79th Regiment, from Black River,^ who were already in a deplorable state of sick- ness. Having remained here a month, they proceeded, anchoring frequently, along the Mosquito shore^ to col- lect their Indian allies, who were to furnish proper boats for the river, and to accompany them. They reached the river San Juan March 24th: and here, according to his orders. Nelson's services were to ter- minate ; but not a man in the expedition had ever been up the river, or knew the distances of any fortification from its mouth : and he, not being one who would turn back when so much was to be done, resolved to carry the soldiers up. About two hundred, therefore, were embarked in the Mosquito shore-craft, and in two of the Einchmhrook's boats, and they began their voyage. It was the latter end of the dry season, the worst time for 1. BlacJc River, The Rio Tinto, Negro, or Black River, in Honduras, Where tliere was a British settlement at this time. 2. Mosquito shore. Part of the eastern coast of Nicaragua. 46 The Life of Nelson sucli an expedition; the river was consequently low: Indians were sent forward through narrow channels be- tween shoals and hanks, and the men were frequently obliged to quit the boats, and exert their utmost strength to drag or thrust them along. This labor continued for several days, when they came into deeper water; they had then currents and rapids to contend with, which would have been insurmountable, but for the skill of the Indians in such difficulties. The brunt of the labor was borne by them and by the sailors — men never accus- tomed to stand aloof when any exertion of strength or hardihood is required. The soldiers, less accustomed to rely upon themselves, were of little use. But all equally endured the violent heat of the sun rendered more intense by being reflected from the white shoals, while the high woods on both sides of the river were fre- quently so close as to prevent all refreshing circulation of air ; and during the night all were equally exposed to the heavy and unwholesome dews. On the 9th of April they reached an island in the river called St. Bartolomeo, which the Spaniards had fortified, as an out-post, with a small semi-circular bat- tery, mounting nine or ten swivels,^ and manned with, sixteen or eighteen men. It commanded the river in a rapid and difficult part of the navigation. Nelson, at the head of a few of his seamen, leaped upon the beach. The ground upon which he sprung was so muddy, that he had some difficulty in extricating himself, and lost his shoes: bare-footed, however, he advanced, and, in his own phrase, hoarded the hattery. In this resolute attempt he was bravely supported by the well-known Despard,^ at that time a captain in the army. The Castle 1. Swivels. Small guns mounted on pivots so that they may be turned freely to right or left. 2. Despard. Hanged in 1803 for conspiring to assassinate George III. The Life op Nelson 47 of St. Juan is situated about sixteen miles higher up : the stores and ammunition, however, were landed a few miles below the castle, and the men had to march through woods almost impassable. One of the men was bitten under the eye by a snake, which darted upon him from the bough of a tree. He was unable to proceed from the violence of the pain: and when, after a short while, some of his comrades were sent back to assist him, he was dead, and the body already putrid. Nelson himself narrowly escaped a similar fate. He had ordered his hammock to be slung under some trees, being exces- sively fatigued, and was sleeping, when a monitory lizard passed across his face. The Indians happily ob- served the reptile, and, knowing what it indicated, awoke him. He started up, and found one of the deadliest serpents of the country coiled up at his feet. Pie suf- fered from poison of another kind; for, drinking at a spring in which some boughs of the manchineel had been thrown, the effects were so severe, as, in the opinion of some of his friends, to inflict a lasting injury upon his constitution. The Castle of St. Juan, is thirty-two miles below the Lake of Nicaragua, from which the river issues, and six- ty-nine from its mouth. Boats reach the sea from thence in a day and a half; but their navigation back, even when unladen, is the labor of nine days. The English appeared before it on the 11th, two days after they had taken St. Bartolomeo. Nelson's advice was, that it should instantly be carried by assault: but Nelson was not the commander; and it was thought proper to ob- serve all the formalities of a siege. Ten days were wasted before this could be commenced: it was a work more of fatigue than of danger ; but fatigue was more to be dreaded than the enemy ; the rains set in : and, could the garrison have held out a little longer, disease would 48 The Life of Nelson liave rid them of their invaders. Even the Indians sunk under it, the victims of "anusnal exertion, and of their own excesses. The place surrendered on the 24th. But victory procured to the conquerors none of that relief ■which, had been expected; the Castle was worse than a prison ; and it contained nothing which, could contribute to the recovery of the sick, or the preservation of those who were yet unaffected. The huts, which served for hospitals, were surrounded with filth and with the putre- fying hides of slaughtered cattle-^almost sufficient of themselves, to have engendered pestilence : and when, at last, orders were given to erect a convenient hospital, the contagion had become so general, that there were none who could w^ork at it; for, besides the few who were able to perform garrison duty, there were not orderly men^ enough to assist the sick. Added to these evils, there was the want of all needful remedies; for, though, the expedition had been amply provided with hospital stores, river craft enough had not been pro- cured for transporting the requisite baggage ; and when much was to be left behind, provision for sickness was that which of all things men in health would be most ready to leave. Now, when these medicines were re- quired, the river was swollen, and so turbulent, that its upward navigation was almost impracticable. At length, even the task of burying the dead was more than the living could perform, and the bodies were tossed into the stream, or left for beasts of prey, and for the gallinazos^ — those dreadful carrion-birds, which do not always wait for death before they begin their work. Five months the English persisted in what may be called this war against nature; they then left a few men, who seemed proof against the climate, to retain the Castle 1. Orderly men. Hospital attendants. 2. Oallinazos. Buzzards. The Life of Nelson 49 till tlie Spaniards should choose to retake it, and make them prisoners. The rest abandoned their baleful con- quest. Eighteen hundred men were sent to different posts upon this wretched expedition; not more than three hundred and eighty ever returned. The H in chin- brook's complement consisted of two hundred men; eighty-seven took to their beds in one night, and of the whole crew not more than ten survived. Nelson himself was saved by a timely removal. In a few days after the commencement of the siege, he was seized with the prevailing dysentery : meantime Captain Glover (son of the author of "Leonidas"^) died, and Nelson was appointed to succeed him in the Janus, of forty-four guns. He returned to the harbor the day before St. Juan surrendered, and immediately sailed for Jamaica in the sloop which brought the news of his appointment. He was, however, so greatly reduced by the disorder, that when they reached Port Royal he was carried ashore in his cot; and finding himself, after a partial amendment, unable to retain the command of his new ship, he was compelled to ask leave to return to England, as the only means of recovery. Captain (after- wards Admiral) Cornwallis- took him home in the Lion; and to his care and kindness Nelson believed himself in- debted for his life. He went immediately to Bath, in a miserable state : so helpless, that he was carried to and from his bed; and the act of moving him produced the most violent pain. In three months he recovered, and immediately hastened to London, and applied for em- ployment. After an interval of about four months he was appointed to the Albemarle y of twenty-eight guns, 1. Author of "Leonidas." Richard Glover (1712-1785). Leonidas, his best-known poem, Is an epic In praise of liberty. 2. Cornicallis. A captain durlug the American War of Independence, and an admiral during the War of the French Revolution ; he was brother to Lord Corn-\valJii>. who surrendered at Y(-rl:to\vn. 50 The Life of Nelson a French merchantman, which had been purchased from the captors for the King's service. His health was not yet thoroughly re-established; and while he was employed in getting his ship ready, he again became so ill as hardly to be able to keep out of bed. Yet in this state, still suffering from the fatal effect of a "West Indian climate, as if it might almost be supposed, he said, to try his constitution, he was sent to the North Seas, and kept there the whole winter. The asperity with which he mentioned this so many years afterwards, evinces how deeply he resented a mode of conduct equally cruel to the individual and detrimental to the service. It was during the Armed Neutrality;^ and when they anchored off Elsinore,^ the Danish Admiral sent on board, desiring to be informed what ships had arrived, and to have their force written down. *'The Albemarle/' said Nelson to the messenger, **is one of his Britannic Majesty's ships: you are at liberty, sir, to count the guns as you go do^^Ti the side ; and you may assure the Danish Admiral, that, if neces- sary, they shall all be well served." During this voy- age he gained a considerable knowledge of the Danish coast, and its soundings: greatly to the advantage of his country in after-times. The Albemarle was not a good ship, and was several times nearly overset, in con- sequence of the masts having been made much too long for her. On her return to England they were short- ened, and some other improvements made, at Nelson's suggestion. Still he always insisted that her first owners, the French, had taught her to run away, as she was 1. Armed "Neutrality. An alliance entered Into by Russia, Denmark, Sweden, and other nations to prevent the British practice of seizing goods shipped in neutral vessels to the ports of France and Spain. For Its revival in 1800, see p. 243 and note. 2. Elsinore. A fortified Danish port at the narrowest part of the Sound connecting the Cattegat and the Baltic. See p. 250. The Life of Nelson 51 never a good sailer, except when going directly before the wind. On their return to the Downs/ while he was ashore visiting the Senior Officer, there came on so heavy a gale that almost all the vessels drove, and a store-ship came athwart-hawse^ of the Albemarle. Nelson feared she would drive on the Goodwin Sands: he ran to the beach ; but even the Deal boatmen thought it impossible to get on board, such was the violence of the storm. At length some of the most intrepid offered to make the attempt for fifteen guineas ;^ and, to the astonishment and fear of all the beholders, he embarked during the height of the tempest. "With great difficulty and immi- nent danger he succeeded in reaching her. She lost her bowsprit and foremast, but escaped further injury. He was now ordered to Quebec; where, his surgeon told him, he would certainly be laid up by the climate. Many of his friends urged him to represent this to Admiral Keppel : but, having received his orders from Lord Sandwich, there appeared to him an indelicacy in applying to his successor* to have them altered. Accordingly he sailed for Canada. During her first cruise on that station, the Albemarle captured a fishing schooner, which contained, in her cargo, nearly all the property that her master possessed, and the poor fellow had a large family at home, anxiously expecting him. Nelson employed him as a pilot in Boston Bay, then restored him the schooner and cargo, and gave him a certificate to secure him against being captured by any 1. The Dovcns. A roadstead on the English side of the Straits of Dover, bordered on the northeast by the banks known as the Goodwin Sands. „ 2. Athtcart-Jiaicse. Across the bow. ^ 3. Guineas. A guinea is 21 shillings ; a shilling is worth about 24 cents. I' 4. His successor. Keppel succeeded Lord Sandwich as First Lord of the Admiralty March 20, 1782. 52 The Lii^i: c^ Nelson other vessel. The man came off afterwards to the Albemarle, at the hazard of his life, with a present of sheep, poultry, and fresh provisions. A most valuable supply it proved ; for the scurvy was raging on board : this was in the middle of August, and the ship's com- pany had not had a fresh meal since the beginning of April. The certificate^ was preserved at Boston in memory of an act of unusual generosity ; and now that the fame of Nelson has given interest to everything con- nected with his name, it is regarded as a relic. The Alhemarle had a narrow escape upon this cruise. Four French sail of the line and a frigate, which had come out of Boston Harbor, gave chase to her; and Nelson, perceiving that they beat him in sailing, boldly ran among the numerous shoals of St. George's Bank,^ con- fiding in his own skill in pilotage. Captain Salter, in the St. Margareitay had escaped the French fleet, by a similar maneuver, not long before. The frigate alone continued warily to pursue him; but as soon as he per- ceived that his enemy was unsupported he shortened sail, and hove-to : upon which the Frenchman thought it 1. Certificate, The vessel captured was tbe Harmony of Plymoutti. Her skipper, Nathaniel Carver, piloted Nelson through the narrow channel between Cape Cod and Nantucket, thus enal)ling him to escape the deep-draught French ships which had learned of the Albemarle's presence and were in pursuit. Later, in August, 1782, Nelson re-entered Massachusetts Bay, still retaining the Harmony as tender. Captain Carver and the owner, Thomas Davis, visited the ship, dined with Nelson, and received the following certificate, still preserved by the owner's descendants : These are to certify that I took the Schooner Harmony, Nathaniel Carver, Master, belonging to Plymouth, but on acct. of his good serv- ices have given him up his vessel again. Dated on bd His Majesty's Ship Albemarle, 17 Aug. 1782, in Boston Bay. Horatio Nelson. (From Southey's Life of Nelson, edited by Edwin L. Miller, N. Y., 1898.) 2. f^t. George's Bank. About one hundred miles east of Cape Cod. The Life op Nelson 53 advisable to give over the pursuit, and sail in quest of his consorts. At Quebec, Nelson became acquainted with Alexan- der Davison, by whose interference he was prevented from making what would have been called an impru- dent marriage. The Albemarle was about to leave the station, her captain had taken leave of his friends, and was gone down the river to the place of anchorage: when, the next morning, as Davison was walking on the Deach, to his surprise he saw Nelson coming back in his boat. Upon inquiring the cause of this reappearance, Nelson took his arm, to walk towards the town, and told him he found it utterly impossible to leave Quebec with- out again seeing the woman whose society had contrib- uted so much to his happiness there, and offering her his hand. — ^'If you do," said his friend, '^your utter ruin must inevitably follow." — ''Then let it follow," cried Nelson, ''for I am resolved to do it." — "And I," replied Davison, "am resolved you shall not." Nelson, however, upon this occasion, was less resolute than his friend, and suffered him^self to be led back to the boat. The Albemarle was under orders to convoy a fleet of transports to New York. — "A very pretty job," said her Captain, "at this late season of the year" (October was far advanced), "for our sails are at this moment frozen to the yards." On his arrival at Sandy Hook he waited on the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Digby, who told him he was come on a fine station for making prize-money. "Yes, sir," Nelson made answer; "but the "West Indies is the station for honor." Lord Hood, with a detachment of Rodney's victorious fleet,^ was at that time in Sandy Hook : he had been intimate with 1. Rodney's victorious fleet. Rodney had defeated Admiral de Grasse at the Battle of the Saints' Passage, West Indies, April 12, 1782. 54 The Life of Nelson Captain Suckling; and Nelson, who was desirous of nothing but honor, requested him to ask for the Albe- marle, that he might go to that station where it was most likely to be obtained. Admiral Digby reluctantly parted with him. His professional merit was already well known : and Lord Hood, on introducing him to Prince "William Henry, as the Duke of Clarence^ was then called, told the prince, if he wished to ask any question respecting naval tactics, Captain Nelson could give him as much information as any officer in the fleet. The duke, who, to his own honor, became from that time the firm friend of Nelson, describes him as appearing the merest boy of a captain he had ever seen, dressed in a full-lace uniform, an old-fashioned waist- coat with long flaps, and his lank unpowdered hair tied in a stiff Hessian taiP of extraordinary length; making altogether so remarkable a figure, *'that," says the duke, *'I had never seen anything like it before, nor could I imagine who he was, nor what he came about. But his address and conversation were irresistibly pleas- ing; and when he spoke on professional subjects, it was with an enthusiasm that showed he was no common being." It was expected that the French would attempt some of the passages between the Bahamas : and Lord Hood, thinking of this, said to Nelson, *'I suppose, sir, from the length of time you were cruising among the Bahama Keys, you must be a good pilot there?" He replied, with that constant readiness to render justice to every man, which was so conspicuous in all his conduct through life, that he was well acquainted with them himself, but 1. DuTce of Clarence. Then a midshipman on board the Barfleur; afterwards King William IV of England. 2. Hessian tail. Hessian troops, including those in British service, wore pig-tails until 1820, long after they had ceased to be a general fashion. The Life of Nelson 55 that in that respect his second lieutenant was far his superior. The French got into Puerto Cabello on the coast of Venezuela. Nelson was cruising between that port and La Guayra, under French colors, for the pur- pose of obtaining information, when a king's launch, belonging to the Spaniards, passed near, and being hailed in French, came alongside without suspicion, and answered all questions that were asked concerning the number and force of the enemy's ships. The crew, how- ever, were not a little surprised when they were taken on board, and found themselves prisoners. One of the party went by the name of Count de Deux Fonts. He was, however, a prince of the German empire, and brother to the heir of the Electorate of Bavaria: his companions were French officers of distinction, and men of science, who had been collecting specimens in the various branches of natural history. Nelson, having entertained them with the best his table could afford, told them they were at liberty to depart with their boat and all that it contained: he only required them to promise that they would consider themselves as prisoners, if the Commander-in-Chief should refuse to acquiesce in their being thus liberated : a circumstance which was not by any means likely to happen. Tidings soon ar- rived that the preliminaries of peace^ had been signed ; and the Albemarle returned to England, and was paid off. Nelson's first business, after he got to London, even before he went to see his relations, was to attempt to get the wages due to his men, for the various ships in which they had served during the war. * ' The disgust of seamen to the navy," he said, **was all owing to the infernal plan of turning them over from ship to ship; 1. Preliminaries of peace. The treaty of peace at the close of the American Revolution, signed November 30, 1782, and ratified in Sep- tember, 1783. 56 The Life of Nelson so that men could not be attached to the officers, nor the officers care the least about the men." Yet he him- self was so beloved by his men, that his whole ship*s company offered, if he could get a ship, to enter for her immediately. He was now, for the first time, presented at court. After going through this ceremony, he dined with his friend Davison, at Lincoln's Inn.^ As soon as he entered the chambers he threw off what he called his iron-bound coat, and putting himself at ease in a dress- ing-gown, passed the remainder of the day in talking over all that had befallen them since they parted on the shore of the River St. Lawrence. 1. Lincoln's Inn. One of the famous London Inns of Court, occu- pied by lawyers and law students. CHAPTER II Nelson goes to France during the peace — Re-appointed to the Boreas, and stationed at the Leeward Islands — His firm conduct concerning the American interlopers and the contractors — The West Indies — Marries and returns to England — Is on the point of quit- ting the service in disgust — Manner of life while unemployed — Ap- pointed to the Agamemnon on the breaking out of the war of the French Revolution. **I HAVE closed the war," said Nelson, in one of his letters, ''without a fortune; but there is not a speck in my character. True honor, I hope, predominates in my mind far above riches." He did not apply for a ship, because he was not wealthy enough to live on board in the manner which was then become customary. Finding it, therefore, prudent to economize to his half- pay^ during the peace, he went to France, in company with Captain Macnamara, of the navy, and took lodg- ings at St. Omer's.^ The death of his favorite sister, Anne, who died in consequence of going out of the ball- room, at Bath, when heated with dancing, affected his father so much, that it had nearly occasioned him to return in a few weeks. Time, however, and reason and religion, overcame this grief in the old man ; and Nelson continued at St. Omer's long enough to fall in love with the daughter of an English clergyman. This second attachment appears to have been less ardent than the first; for, upon weighing the evils of a straightened in- come to a married man, he thought it better to leave 1. Ealf-pay. Reduced pay allowed oflScers not in active service. 2. 8t» Omer's. A city in the extreme north of France, near Calais. 57 58 The Life op Nelson France, assigning to his friends something in his ac- counts as the cause. This prevented him from accepting an invitation from the Count of Deux Ponts^ to visit him at Paris, couched in the handsomest terms of ac- knowledgment for the treatment which he had received on board the Albemarle. The self-constraint which Nelson exerted in subduing this attachment, made him naturally desire to be at sea : and when, upon visiting Lord Howe^ at the Admiralty, he was asked if he wished to be employed, he made answer, that he did. Accordingly, in March, he was appointed to the Boreas, twenty-eight guns, going to the Leeward Islands, as a cruiser, on the peace establish- ment.^ Lady Hughes and her family went out with him to Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, who commanded on that statioh. His ship was full of young Midship- men, of whom there were not less than thirty on board ; and happy were they whose lot it was to be placed with such a captain. If he perceived that a boy was afraid at first going aloft, he would say to him, in a friendly manner: ''Well, sir, I am going a race to the mast-head, and beg that I may meet you there." The poor little fellow instantly began to climb, and got up how he could, — Nelson never noticed in what manner, but when they met in the top, spoke cheerfully to him, and would say, how much any person was to be pitied who fancied that getting up was either dangerous or difficult. Every day he went into the school-room, to see that they were pursuing their nautical studies; and at noon he was 1. Count of Deux Fonts. See p. 55. 2. Lord Howe (1725-1799). Commander of the British fleet on the American coast, 1776-78; First Lord of the Admiralty, 1783-88; in command at the victory over the French fl!eet on June 1, 1794. 3. Cruiser, on the peace establishment. In time of peace war ves- sels were detailed to move from station to station, taking the place of ships put out of commission. The Life of Nelson 59 always the first on deck with his quadrant/ Whenever he paid a visit of ceremony, some of these youths accom- panied him: and when he went to dine with the Gov- ernor of Barbados he took one of them in his hand, and presented him, saying, ''Your Excellency must excuse me for bringing one of my Midshipmen. I make it a rule to introduce them to all the good company I can, as they have few to look up to, besides myself, during the time they are at sea." When Nelson arrived in the West Indies he found himself senior Captain, and consequently second in command on that station. Satisfactory as this was, it soon involved him in a dispute with the Admiral, which a man less zealous for the service might have avoided. He found the Latona in English Harbor, Antigua, with a broad pendant^ hoisted ; and, upon inquiring the reason, was presented with a written order from Sir R. Hughes, requiring and directing him to obey the orders of Resident Commissioner Moutray, during the time he might have occasion to remain there; the said resident commissioner being, in consequence, author- ized to hoist a broad pendant on board any of his Majesty's ships in that port that he might think proper. Nelson was never at a loss how to act in any emergency. **I know of no superior officers," said he, ''besides the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and my seniors on the Post list."^ Concluding, therefore, that it was not consistent with the service for a resident commis- sioner, who held only a civil situation, to hoist a broad pendant, the moment that he had anchored he sent an 1. Quadrant. An instrument for measuring the altitude, or angle above the horizon, of heavenly bodies, to determine latitude and longi- tude. If weather permits, observations are always taken at noon. 2 Broad pendant. A square, swallow-tailed flag, hoisted by the officer In supreme command on a station. 3. Post list. The official list of full-grade captains. 60 The Life of Nelson order to the captain of the Latona to strike it, and return it to the dock-yard. He went on shore the same day, dined with the commissioner, to show him that he was actuated by no other motive than a sense of duty, and gave him the first intelligence that this pen- dant had been struck. Sir Richard sent an account of this to the Admiralty; but the case could admit of no doubt, and Captain Nelson's conduct was ap- proved.^ He displayed the same promptitude on another occa- sion. While the Boreas, after the hurricane months^ were over, was riding at anchor in Nevis Eoads, a French frigate passed to leeward, close along shore. Nelson had obtained information that this ship was sent from Martinique, with two general officers and some en- gineers on board, to make a survey of our sugar islands. This purpose he was determined to prevent them from executing, and therefore he gave orders to follow them. The next day he came up with them at anchor in the roads of St. Eustatia, and anchored at about two cables' length^ on the frigate's quarter.* Being afterwards in- vited by the Dutch governor to meet the French officers at dinner, he seized that occasion of assuring the French captain that, understanding it was his intention to honor the British possessions with a visit, he had taken the 1. Conduct was approved. Moutray was a naval officer twenty years senior to Nelson but not in active service. Both he and Nelson re- ported the matter to the Admiralty, which returned no further com- ment than that Nelson "would have done well to have submitted his doubts to the commander-in-chief, instead of taking upon himself to control Mr. Moutray's exercise of the functions of his appointment." — Letters (ed. Laughton), p. 31. 2. Hurricane months. August, September, and October. 3. Cable's length. The length of a cable is about 120 fathoms, or 720 feet. 4. On the frigate's quarter. Astern of her and bearing about 45 degrees to the right or left. The quarter Is that part of a vessel's Bide from opposite the mainmast to the stern. The Life of Nelson 61 earliest opportunity in his power to accompany him, in his Majesty's ship the Bof^eas, in order that such attention might be paid to the officers of his Most Chris- tian Majesty as every Englishman in the islands would be proud to show. The French, with equal courtesy, protested against giving him this trouble ; especially, they said, as they intended merely to cruise round the islands, without landing on any. But Nelson, with the utmost politeness, insisted upon paying them this compliment, followed them close, in spite of all their attempts to elude his vigilance, and never lost sight of them till, finding it impossible either to deceive or escape him, they gave up their treacherous purpose in despair, and beat up for Martinique. A business of more serious import soon engaged his attention. The Americans were at this time trading with our islands, taking advantage of the register of their ships, which had been issued while they were British subjects. Nelson knew that, by the Navigation Act,^ no foreigners, directly or indirectly, are permitted to carry on any trade with these possessions: he knew, also, that the Americans had made themselves foreign- ers with regard to England; they had broken the ties of blood and language, and acquired the independence which they had been provoked to claim, unhappily for themselves, before they were fit for it; and he was resolved that they should derive no profit from those ties. Foreigners they had made themselves, and as for- eigners they were to be treated. **If once," said he, *' they are admitted to any kind of intercourse with our islands, the views^ of the Loyalists, in settling at Nova 1. "Navigation Act, An act, first established under Cromwell and in force with slight changes until 1849, by which all trade with Great Britain and her colonies was reserved to vessels of British registry, manned in three-fourths part by British subjects. 2. Views. Expectations. 62 The Life of Nelson Scotia, are entirely done away; and when we are again embroiled in a French war, the Americans will first become the carriers of these colonies, and then have possession of them. Here they come, sell their cargoes for ready money, go to Martinique, buy molasses, and so round and round. The Loyalist cannot do this, and consequently must sell a little dearer. The residents here are Americans by connection and by interest, and are inimical to Great Britain. They are as great rebels as ever were in America, had they the power to show it." In November, when the squadron, having arrived at Barbados, was to separate, with no other orders than those for examining anchorages, and the usual inquiries concerning wood and water, Nelson asked his friend CoUingwood, then Captain of the Mediator, whose opinions he knew upon the subject, to accompany him to the Commander-in-Chief, whom he then respectfully asked, whether they were not to attend to the commerce of the country, and see that the Navigation Act was respected — ^that appearing to him to be the intent of keeping men-of-war upon this station in time of peace ? Sir Richard Hughes replied, he had no particular or- ders, neither had the Admiralty sent him any acts of parliament. But Nelson made answer, that the Naviga- tion Act was included in the statutes of the Admiralty, with which every captain was furnished, and that Act was directed to admirals, captains, etc., to see it carried into execution. Sir Eichard said, he had never seen the book. Upon this Nelson produced the statutes, read the words of the Act, and apparently convinced the Commander-in-Chief, that men-of-war, as he said, *'were sent abroad for some other purpose than to be made a show of." Accordingly, orders were given to enforce the Navigation Act. Major-General Sir Thomas Shirley was at this time The Life of Nelson 63 Governor of the Leeward Islands;^ and when Nelson waited on him to inform him how he intended to act, and upon what grounds, he replied, that ''Old generals were not in the habit of taking advice from young gen- tlemen. " — "Sir," said the young officer, with that con- fidence in himself which never carried him too far, and always was equal to the occasion, "I am as old as the Prime Minister of England,^ and think myself as capa- ble of commanding one of his Majesty's ships as that minister is of governing the state." He was resolved to do his duty, whatever might be the opinion or con- duct of others ; and when he arrived upon his station at St. Kitt's, he sent away all the Americans, not choos- ing to seize them before they had been well apprised that the Act would be carried into effect, lest it might seem as if a trap had been laid for them. The Americans, though they prudently decamped from St. Kitt's, were emboldened by the suppor:t they met with, and resolved to resist his orders, alleging that the King's ships had no legal power to seize them without having deputations^ from the Customs. The planters were to a man against him; the Governors and the Presidents of the different islands, with only a single exception, gave him no sup- port ; and the Admiral, afraid to act on either side, yet wishing to oblige the planters, sent him a note, advising him to be gi^ided by the wishes of the President of the Council. There was no danger in disregarding this, as it came unofficially, and in the form of advice. But scarcely a month after he had shown Sir Richard 1. Leeward Islands. With the Windward Islands, farther north, they form a chain called the Lesser Antilles, extending from Porto Rico toward the South American coast. Tbe names Windward and Lecuard are explained by the prevailing trade winds, which blow from the northeast. 2. Prime Minister of England. William Pitt (1759-1806). a year younger than Nelson. 3. Deputations. Authorization to act as deputy. 64 The Life op Nelson Hughes the law, and, as he supposed, satisfied him con- cerning it, he received an order from him, stating that he had now obtained good advice upon the point, and the Americans were not to be hindered from coming, and having free egress and regress, if the Governor chose to permit them. An order to the same purport had been sent round to the different Governors and Presidents; and General Shirley and others informed him, in an authoritative manner, that they chose to admit American ships, as the Commander-in-Chief had left the decision to them. These persons, in his own words, he soon ''trimmed up, and silenced"; but it was a more delicate business to deal with the Admiral. *'I must either," said he, ''disobey my orders, or disobey acts of Parliament. I determined upon the former, trusting to the uprightness of my intentions, and believ- ing that my country would not let me be ruined for protecting her commerce." With this determination he wrote to Sir Richard, appealed again to the plain, lit- eral, unequivocal sense of the Navigation Act, and in respectful language told him, he felt it his duty to de- cline obeying these orders till he had an opportunity of seeing and conversing with him. Sir Richard's first feeling was that of anger, and he was about to super- sede Nelson; but having mentioned the affair to his Captain, that officer told him he believed all the squad- ron thought the orders illegal, and therefore did not know how far they were bound to obey them. It was impossible, therefore, to bring Nelson to a court- martial,^ composed of men who agreed with him in opinion upon the point in dispute ; and luckily, though the Admiral wanted vigor of mind to decide upon what 1. Court-martial. The judges in such a court-martial would have been from five to nine fellow-officers, at least a majority senior In rank to the accused. The Life of Nelson 65 was right, he was not obstinate in wrong, and had even generosity enough in his nature to thank Nelson after- wards for having shown him his error. CoUingwood, in the Mediator, and his brother, Wil- fred Collingwood, in the Rattler, actively co-operated with Nelson The custom-houses were informed, that after a certain day all foreign vessels found in the ports would be seized; and many were in consequence seized, and condemned in the Admiralty Court. When the Boreas arrived at Nevis, she found four American ves- sels deeply laden, and wdth what are called the island colors flying — white, with a red cross. They were or- dered to hoist their proper flag, and depart within eight- and-forty hours ; but they refused to obey, denying that they were Americans. Some of their crews were then examined in Nelson's cabin, where the Judge of the Admiralty happened to be present. The case was plain ; they confessed that they were Americans, and that the ships, hull and cargo, were wholly American property: upon which he seized them. This raised a storm: the planters, the custom-house, and the Governor, were all against him. Subscriptions were opened and presently filled, for the purpose of carrying on the cause in behalf of the American captains : and the Admiral, whose flag was at that time in the road,^ stood neutral. But the Americans and their abettors w^re not content with de- fensive law. The marines whom he had sent to secure the ships, had prevented some of the masters from going ashore; and those persons, by whose depositions it ap- peared that the vessels and cargoes were American property, declared that they had given their testimony under bodily fear, for that a man with a drawn sword in his hand had stood over them the whole of the time. A rascally lawyer, whom the party employed, suggested j 1. Flag in the road. His ship was off tte port. 66 The Life of Nelson this story; and as the sentry at the cabin-door was a man with a drawn sword, the Americans made no scruple of swearing to this ridiculous falsehood, and commencing prosecutions against him accordingly. They laid their damages at the enormous amount of £40,000 ; and Nelson was obliged to keep close on board his own ship, lest he should be arrested for a sum for which it would have been impossible to find bail. The marshal frequently came on board to arrest him, but was always prevented by the address of the first lieutenant, Mr. Wallis. Had he been taken, such was the temper of the people, that it was certain he would have been cast^ for the wdiole sum. One of his oincers, one day, in speaking of the restraint which he was thus compelled to suffer, happened to use the word pity! "Pity!" ex- claimed Nelson: "Pity! did you say? I shall live, sir, to be envied ; and to that point I shall always direct my course." Eight weeks he remained under this state of duress. During that time the trial respecting these de- tained ships came on in the Court of Admiralty. He went on shore under a protection for the day from the Judge : but, notwithstanding this, the marshal was called upon to take that opportunity of arresting him, and the merchants promised to indemnify him for so doing. The Judge, however, did his duty, and threatened to send the marshal to prison if he attempted to violate the protection of the court. Mr. Herbert, the President of Nevis, behaved with singular generosity upon this oeca- sion. Though no man was a greater sufferer by the measures which Nelson had pursued, he offered in court to become his bail for £10,000, if he chose to suffer the arrest. The lawyer whom he had chosen proved to be an able as well as an honest man ; and, notwithstanding the opinions and pleadings of most of the counsel of 1. Cast. Forced by legal verdict to make payment. The Life of Nelson 67 the different islands, who maintained that ships of war were not justified in seizing American vessels without a deputation from the customs, the law was so explicit, the case so clear, and Nelson pleaded his own cause so well, that the four ships were condemned. During the progress of this business he sent a memorial home to the King: in consequence of which, orders were issued that he should be defended at the expense of the crown. And upon the representations which he made at the same time to the secretary of state, and the suggestions with which he accompanied them, the Register Act^ was framed. The sanction of government, and the appro- bation of his conduct which it implied, were highly grati- iying to him : but he was offended, and not without just cause, that the Treasury should have transmitted thanks to the Commander-in-Chief for his activity and zeal in protecting the commerce of Great Britain. ''Had they known all," said he, "I do not think they would have bestowed thanks in that cpiarter, and neglected me. I feel much hurt, that, after the loss of health and risk of fortune, another should be thanked for what I did f! gainst his orders, I either deserved to be sent out of the service, or at least to have had some little notice taken of what I had done. They have thought it worthy of notice, and yet have neglected me. If this is the reward for a faithful discharge of my duty, I shall be careful, and never stand forward again. But I have done my duty, and have nothing to accuse myself of." r The anxiety he had suffered from the harassing uncer- tainties of law, is apparent from these expressions. He had, however, something to console him, for he was at this time wooing the niece of his friend the President, 1. Register Act. An act forbidding British' registry to foreign-built ships, with the exception of prizes, and requiring British ships to register. 6S The Life of Nelson then in her eighteenth year, the widow of Dr. Nisbet, a physician. She had one child, a son, by name Josiah, who was three years old. One day Mr. Herbert, who had hastened, half-dressed, to receive Nelson, exclaimed, on returning to his dressing-room, ' ' Good God ! if I did not find that great-little^ man, of whom everybody is so afraid, playing in the next room, under the dining-table, with Mrs. Nisbet 's child!" A few days afterwards Mrs Nisbet herself was first introduced to him, and thanked him for the partiality which he had shown her little boy. Her manners were mild and winning : and the Cap- tain, whose heart was easily susceptible of attachment, found no such imperious necessity for subduing his in- clinations as had twice before withheld him from marry- ing. They were married on March 11, 1787 : Prince William Henry, ^ who had come out to the "West Indies the preceding winter, being present, by his own desire, to give away the bride. Mr. Herbert, her uncle, was at this time so much displeased with his only daughter, that he had resolved to disinherit her, and leave his whole fortune, which was very great, to his niece. But Nelson, whose nature was too noble to let him profit by an act of injustice, interfered, and succeeded in recon- ciling the President to his child. ** Yesterday, " said one of his naval friends the day after the wedding, ''the Navy lost one of its greatest ornaments, by Nelson's marriage. It is a national loss that such an officer should marry: had it not been for this. Nelson would have become the greatest man in the service." The man was rightly estimated: but he who delivered this opinion did not understand the effect of do- mestic love and duty upon a mind of the true heroic stamp. *'We are often separate," said Nelson, in a letter to 1. Great-little. Nelson was short of stature and slight of frame. 2. Prince William Henry. See p. 54, note 1. The Life of Nelson 69 Mrs. Nisbet, a few months before their marriage; ''but our affections are not by any means on that account diminished. Our country has the first demand for our services; and private convenience or happiness must ever give way to the public good. Duty is the great busi- ness of a sea officer : all private considerations must give way to it, however painful." ''Have you not often heard," says he, in another letter, "that salt water and absence always wash away love? Now, I am such a heretic as not to believe in that article : for behold, every morning I have had six pails of salt water poured upon my head, and instead of finding what seamen say to be true, it goes on so contrary to the prescription, that you must, perhaps, see me before the fixed time." More frequently his correspondence breathed a deeper strain. "To write letters to you," says he, "is the next great- est pleasure I feel to receiving them from you. What I experience when I read such as I am sure are the pure sentiments of your heart, my poor pen cannot express ; — ^nor, indeed, would I give much for any pen or head which could express feelings of that kind. Absent from you I feel no pleasure : it is you who are everything to me. Without you, I care not for this world ; for I have found, lately, nothing in it but vexation and trouble. These are my present sentiments. God Almighty grant they may never change ! Nor do I think they will. In- deed there is, as far as human knowledge can judge, a moral certainty that they cannot: for it must be real affection that brings us together, and not interest or compulsion." Such were the feelings, and such the sense of duty, with which Nelson became a husband. During his stay upon this station he had ample opportunity of observing the scandalous practices of the contractors, prize-agents,^ and other persons in the 1. Prise-agents. Agents entrusted with the sale of captured vessels. 70 The Lip^e of Nelson "West Indies connected with the naval service. When he was first left with the command, and bills were brought him to sign for money which was owing for goods purchased for the navy, he required the original vouchers, that he might examine whether those goods had been really purchased at the market price : but to produce vouchers would not have been convenient, and therefore was not the custom. Upon this Nelson wrote to Sir Charles Middleton, then Comptroller of the Navy, representing the abuses which were likely to be practiced in this manner. The answer which he received seemed to imply that the old forms were thought sufficient : and thus, having no alternative, he was compelled, with his eyes open, to submit to a practice originating in fraudu- lent intentions. Soon afterwards two Antigua mer- chants informed him that they were privy to great frauds, which had been committed upon government in various departments: at Antigua, to the amount of nearly £500,000; at Lucia, £300,000; at Barbados, £250,000; at Jamaica, upwards of a million. The in- formers were both shrewd, sensible men of business ; they did not affect to be actuated by a sense of justice, but required a percentage upon so much as government should actually recover through their means. Nelson examined the books and papers which they produced, and was convinced that government had been most in- famously plundered. Vouchers, he found, in that coun- try, were no check whatever: the principle was, ''that a thing was always worth what it would bring:" and the merchants were in the habit of signing vouchers for each other, without even the appearance of looking at the articles. These accounts he sent home to the different departments which had been defrauded: but the pecu- lators were too powerful ; and they succeeded not merely in impeding inquiry, but even in raising prejudices The Life op Nelson 71 against Nelson at the board of Admiralty, which it was many years before he could subdue. Owing, probably, to these prejudices, and the influ- ence of the peculators, he was treated, on his return to England, in a manner which had nearly driven him from the service. During the three years that the Boreas had remained upon a station which is usually so fatal, not a single officer or man of her whole comple- ment had died. This almost unexampled instance of good health, though mostly, no doubt, imputable to a healthy season, must in some measure also be ascribed to the wise conduct of the Captain. He never suffered the ships to remain more than three or four weeks at a time at any of the islands, and when the hurricane months confined him to English Harbor,^, he encouraged all kinds of useful amusements: music, dancing, and cudgelling among the men; theatricals among the offi- cers : anything which could employ their attention, and keep their spirits cheerful. The Boreas arrived in Eng- land in June. Nelson, who had many times been sup- posed to be consumptive when in the "West Indies, and perhaps was saved from consumption by that climate, was still in a precarious state of health ; and the raw, wet weather of one of our ungenial summers brought on cold, and sore throat, and fever ; yet his vessel was kept at the Nore from the end of June till the end of No- vember, serving as a slop and receiving ship.^ This unworthy treatment, which more probably proceeded from intention than from neglect, excited in Nelson the strongest indignation. During the whole five months he seldom or never quitted the ship, but carried on his duty with strict and sullen attention. On the morning 1. English Harbor. Chief port of the Island of Antigua. 2. Blop and receiving ship. A vessel stationed to receive impressed seamen or other naval recruits; and supply them with clothing and equipment. Slops is the nautical term for sailors' clothing. 72 J The Life of Nelson when orders were received to prepare the Boreas for being paid off, he expressed his joy to the senior officer in the Medway; saying, ''It will release me forever from an ungrateful service, for it is my firm and un- alterable determination, never again to set my foot on board a king's ship. Immediately after my arrival in town I shall wait on the First Lord of the Admiralty, and resign my commission." The officer to whom he thus communicated his intentions behaved in the wisest and most friendly manner; for finding it vain to dis- suade him in his present state of feeling, he secretly interfered with the First Lord to save him from a step so injurious to himself, little foreseeing how deeply the welfare and honor of England were at that moment at stake. This interference produced a letter from Lord Howe, the day before the ship was paid off, intimating a wish to see Captain Nelson as soon as he arrived in town": when, being pleased with his conversation, and perfectly convinced by what was then explained to him, of the propriety of his conduct, he desired that he might present him to the King on the first levee day :^ and the gracious manner in which Nelson was then received effectually removed his resentment. Prejudices had been, in like manner, excited against his friend. Prince William Henry. "Nothing is want- ing, sir," said Nelson in one of his letters, "to make you the darling of the English nation, but truth. Sorry I am to say, much to the contrary has been dispersed." This was not flattery; for Nelson was no flatterer. The letter in which this passage occurs shows in how wise and noble a manner he dealt with the prince. One of his Royal Highnesses officers had applied for a court-mar- tial upon a point in which he was unquestionably wrong. His Eoyal Highness, however, while he supported his 1. Levee dap. A day appointed for receptions at court. The Life of Nelson 73 own character and authority, prevented the trial, which must have been injurious to a brave and deserving man. **Now that you are parted," said Nelson, "pardon me, my Prince, when I presume to recommend that he may stand in your royal favor as if he had never sailed with you, and that at some future day you will serve him. There only wants this to place your conduct in the high- est point of view. None of us are without failings ; his, was being rather too hasty: but that, put into competi- tion with his being a good officer, will not, I am bold to say, be taken in the scale against him. More able friends than myself your Royal Highness may easily find, and of more consequence in the state ; but one more attached and affectionate is not so easily met with. Princes seldom, very seldom, find a disinterested person to com- municate their thoughts to : I do not pretend to be that person; but of this be assured, by a man who, I trust, never did a dishonorable act, that I am interested only that your Royal Highness should be the greatest and best man this country ever produced." Encouraged by the conduct of Lord Howe, and by his reception at court. Nelson renewed his attack upon the peculators with fresh spirit. He had interviews with Mr. Rose, Mr. Pitt, and Sir Charles Middleton,^ to all of whom he satisfactorily proved his charges. In consequence, it is said, these very extensive public frauds were at length put in a proper train to be provided against in the future ; his representations were attended to ; and every step which he recommended was adopted ; the investigation was put into a proper course, which ended in the detection and punishment of some of the culprits ; an immense saving was made to government, 1. Mr. Rose, Mr. Pitt, and Sir Charles Middleton. Pitt was Prime Minister ; Rose was a former naval officer and at tliis time Secretary to the Treasury ; Middleton, later Lord Barham, was Comptroller of the Navy. 74 The Life of Nelson and thus its attention was directed to similar peculation in other parts of the colonies. But it is said also, that no mark of commendation seems to have been bestowed upon Nelson for his exertion. And it is justly re- marked,* that the spirit of the Navy cannot be preserved so effectually by the liberal honors bestowed on officers, when they are worn out in the service, as by an atten- tion to those who, like Nelson at this part of his life, have only their integrity and zeal to bring them into no- tice. A junior officer, who had been left with the com- mand at Jamaica, received an additional allowance, for which Nelson had applied in vain. Double pay was allowed to every artificer and seaman employed in the Naval Yard: Nelson had superintended the whole busi- ness of that yard with the most rigid exactness, and he complained that he was neglected. *'It was most true," he said, "that the trouble which he took to detect the fraudulent practices then carried on, was no more than his duty; but he little thought that the expenses attend- ing his frequent journeys to St. John's upon that duty (a distance of twelve miles), would have fallen upon his pay as Captain of the Boreas.'^ Nevertheless, the sense of what he thought unworthy usage did not diminish his zeal. * ' I, " said he, "must still buffet the waves in search of — ^What ? Alas ! that they called honor is now thought of no more. My fortune, God knows, has grown worse for the service: so much for serving my country. But the devil, ever willing to tempt the virtuous, has made me offer, if any ships should be sent to destroy his Majesty of Morocco's ports, to be there: and I have some reason to think, that, should any more come of it, my humble services will be accepted. I have invariably laid down, and followed close, a plan of what ought to be uppermost in the breast of an officer, — that it is much • Clarke and M' Arthur, vol. i., p. 107. ^Southey's Note. The Life of Nelson 75 better to serve an ungrateful country, than to give up his own fame. Posterity will do him justice. A uniform course of honor and integrity seldom fails of bringing a man to the goal of fame at last." The design against the Barbary pirates,^ like all other designs against them, was laid aside ; and Nelson took his wife to his father's parsonage, meaning only to pay him a visit before they went to France ; a project which he had formed for the sake of acquiring a competent knowl- edge of the French language. But his father could not bear to lose him thus unnecessarily. Mr. Nelson had long been an invalid, suffering under paralytic and asthmatic affections, which, for several hours after he rose in the morning, scarcely permitted him to speak. He had been given over by his physicians for this com- plaint nearly forty years before his death; and was, for many of his last years, obliged to spend all his win- ters at Bath. The sight of his son, he declared, had given him new life. ''But, Horatio," said he, ''it would have been better that I had not been thus cheered, if I am so soon to be bereaved of you again. Let .me, my good son, see you whilst I can. My age and infirmities increase, and I shall not last long." To such an appeal there could be no reply. Nelson took up his abode at the parsonage, and amused himself with the sports and occupations of the country. Sometimes he busied him- self with farming the glebe ;^ sometimes spent the greater part of the day in the garden, where he would dig as if for the mere pleasure of wearying himself. Sometimes 1. Design against the Barbary pirates. During the American Revo- lution and Napoleonic Wars, Great Britain connived in the piratical activities of the Barbary States against the commerce of her enemies. The first effective measures against them were taken by the United States in the War with Tripoli (1801-04). 2. Glebe. Farming land; more strictly, cultivable land belonging to a parish church. 76 The Life of Nelson he went a bird's nesting like a boy: and in these expedi- tions Mrs. Nelson always, by his express desire, accom- panied him. Coursing^ was his favorite amusement. Shooting, as he practiced it, was far too dangerous for his companions: for he carried his gun upon the full cock, as if he were going to board an enemy; and the moment a bird rose, he let fly, without ever putting the fowling-piece to his shoulder. It is not, therefore, extraordinary, that his having once shot a partridge should be remembered by his family among the remark- able events of his life. But his time did not pass away thus without some vexatious cares to ruffle it. The affair of the American ships was not yet over, and he was again pestered with threats of prosecution. *'I have written them word," said he, ''that I will have nothing to do with them, and they must act as they think proper. Government, I sup- pose, will do what is right, and not leave me in the lurch. We have heard enough lately of the consequence of the Navigation Act to this country. They may take my person : .but if sixpence would save me from a prosecu- tion, I would not give it." It was his great ambition at this time to possess a pony; and having resolved to purchase one, he went to a fair for that purpose. Dur- ing his absence two men abruptly entered the parsonage, and inquired for him : they then asked for Mrs. Nelson : and after they had made her repeatedly declare that she was really and truly the captain's wife, presented her with a writ, or notification, on the part of the American captains, who now laid their damages at £20,000, and they charged her to give it to her husband on his return. Nelson having bought his pony, came home with it in high spirits. He called out his wife to admire his pur- chase, and listen to all its excellencies : nor was it till his 1. Coursing. Hunting with hounds. The Life of Nelson 77 glee had in some measure subsided, that the paper could be presented to him. His indignation was excessive : and, in the apprehension that he should be exposed to the anxieties of the suit, and the ruinous consequences which might ensue, he exclaimed, ''This affront I did not de- serve! But I'll be trifled with no longer. I will write immediately to the Treasury, and, if Government will not support me, I am resolved to leave the country." Accordingly, he informed the Treasury, that if a satis- factory answer were not sent him by return post, he should take refuge in France. To this he expected he should be driven, and for this he arranged everything with his characteristic rapidity of decision. It wa's set- tled that he should depart immediately, and Mrs. Nelson follow under the care of his elder brother Maurice, ten days after him. But the answer which he received from Government quieted his fears: it stated, that Captain Nelson was a very good officer, and needed be under no apprehension, for he would assuredly be supported. Here his disquietude upon this subject seems to have ended. Still he w^as not at ease ; he wanted employment,^ and was mortified that his applications for it produced no effect. ''Not being a man of fortune," he said, *'was a crime which he was unable to get over, and there- fore none of the great cared about him. ' ' Repeatedly he requested the Admiralty that they would not leave him to rust in indolence. During the armament which was made upon occasion of the dispute concerning Nootka Sound,^ he renewed his application : and his steady 1. Wanted employment. Nelson was on half-pay from 1788 to 1793. 2. Nootka Sound. Spain In 1789 seized a British trading station at Nootka Sound on* the west coast- of Vancouver Island. Pitt there- upon strengthened the fleet and forced Spain to concede equal trading rights along the Pacific Coast. 78 The Life of Nelson friend, Prince "William, who had then been created Duke of Clarence, recommended him to Lord Chatham.^ The failure of this recommendation wounded him so keenly, that he again thought of retiring from the service in dis- gust ; a resolution from which nothing but the urgent remonstrances of Lord Hood^ induced him to desist. Hearing that the Eaisonnable, in which he had com- menced his career, was to be commissioned, he asked for her. This also was in vain: and a coolness ensued, on his part, toward Lord Hood, because that excellent officer did not use his influence with Lord Chatham upon this occasion. Lord Hood, however, had certainly sufficient reasons for not interfering; for he ever continued his steady friend. In the winter of 1792, when we were on the eve of the revolutionary war,^ Nelson once more offered his services, earnestly requested a ship, and added, that if their lordships should be pleased to appoint him to a cockle-boat, he should feel satisfied. 1. Lord Chatham. First Lord of the Admiralty ; eldest brother of the Prime Minister. 2. Lord Hood. Samuel, Viscount Hood (1724-1816), member of the Admiralty Board (1788-93), and later in command of the Mediter- ranean fleet. 3. Revolutionary war. The French Revolution. Following the exe- cution of Louis XVI (January 21, 1793), the chief powers of Europe combined to crush the republic. More aggressive than her enemies, France extended her boundaries to the Rhine, occupied Belgium and Holland, made peace with Spain and Prussia (July, 1795), and In September of the same year secured Spain as an ally. In the mean- time the British Mediterranean fleet, which Nelson joined, was engaged chiefly in occupying Corsica and co-operating with the Austrian forces on the Riviera. In 1796 Napoleon tool: command in Italy, defeated three Austrian armies sent against him, and by the peace of Campo Formio (1797) created the Cisalpine and Ligurlan republics In northern Italy. In 1798 the Papal States and the territory of the King of Naples in southern Italy were also formed into republics under French protection. This deprived the British fleet of Italian bases and supplies. After the victory of the Nile^ (August 1, 1798) the French were driven out of Italy and the former rulers temporarily restored. The period of these events, 1793-1800, is covered in the next four chapters. The Life of Nelson 79 He was answered in the usual official form: ''Sir, I have received your letter of the 5th instant, expressing your readiness to serve, and have read the same to my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty." On the 12th of December he received this dry acknowledgment. The fresh mortification did not, however, affect him long : for, by the joint interest of the Duke and Lord Hood, he was appointed, on the 30th of January following, to the Agamemnon,'^ of sixty-four guns. 1. Agamemnon. With his usual enthusiasm for his ships and men, Nelson wrote of her "as the finest 64 in the service . . . manned exceedingly well." The "Old Eggs and Bacon," as her sailors called her, was wrecked in 1809 ; her successor of the same name is a pre- dreadnought of 16,500 tons. CHAPTER III The Agamemnon sent to the Mediterranean — Commencement of Nelson's acquaintance with Sir W. Hamilton — He is sent to Cor- sica, to co-operate with Paoli — State of affairs in that island — Nelson undertakes the siege of Bastia, and reduces it — Takes a distinguished part in the siege of Calvi, where he loses an eye — Admiral Hotham's action — The Agamemnon ordered to Genoa to co-operate with the Austrian and Sardinian forces— Gross miscon- duct of the Austrian General. "There are three things, young gentleman," said Nelson to one of his midshipmen, ''which you are con- stantly to bear in mind. First, you must always im- plicitly obey orders, without attempting to form any opinion of your own respecting their propriety. Sec- ondly, you must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your king; and, thirdly, you must hate a Frenchman as you do the devil." "With these feelings he engaged in the war. Josiah,^ his step-son, went with him as a midshipman. The Agamemnon was ordered to the Mediterranean, under Lord Hood. The fleet arrived in those seas at a time when the south of France would willingly have formed itself into a separate republic, under the protec- tion of England. But good principles had been at that time perilously abused by ignorant and profligate men ; and, in its fear and hatred of democracy, the English 1. Josiah. Josiah Nisbet, the son of Mrs. Nelson by her first mar- riage (See p. 68). He was later a lieutenant in the Theseus, ami captain in the Dolphin and Thalia. According to Professor Laughton (Life of Nelson, p. 153), "He seems to have been of intemperate habits and boorish demeanor. When drunk, he was violent and insulting." 80 The Life of Nelson 81 82 The Life op Nelson government abhorred whatever was republican. Lord Hood could not take advantage of the fair occasion which presented itself; and which, if it had been seized with vigor, might have ended in dividing France : — but he negotiated with the people of Toulon,^ to take posses- sion provisionally of their port and city ; which, fatally for themselves, was done. Before the British fleet en- tered, Nelson was sent with despatches to Sir William Hamilton," our Envoy at the court of Naples. Sir William, after his first interview with him, told Lady Hamilton^ that he was about to introduce a little man to her, who could not boast of being very handsome ; but such a man as, he believed, would one day astonish the world. ''I have never before," he continued, "enter- tained an officer at my house ; but I am determined to 1. Toulon. The city was recaptured largely through the skill of Napoleon, who commanded the republican artillery, organized the siege, and by training his guns on the British and Spanish fleets forced them to leave the harbor. 2. Sir William Hamilton (1730-1803). Envoy at Naples, 1764-1800. He was a man of amiable character, and of some attainments In diplomacy and science, but in later years enfeebled by age and con- tinued ill health. ITis relations with Nelson are covered sufficiently in later pages of the present book. 3. Lady Hamilton (c. 1765-1815). Lady Hamilton's maiden name ■was Emma or Amy Lyon, and she was the daughter of a Cheshire blacksmith. In the course of a disreputable career in London, she picked up some rudiments of education and breeding from the people with whom she came in contact, and her beauty and theatrical gifts made her a favorite model for the painter Romney, who depicted her in many attitudes and characters. Later, in Naples, as the mistress and afterward the wife of Sir William Hamilton, she won the confi- dence of Queen Maria Carolina and entered eagerly into the in- trigues of the Neapolitan Court. Nelson on his return from the Nile fell under the influence of her personal charm, flattery, and half- sincere hero-worship — an influence which had an ill effect on his management of the fleet in Italian waters and led later to his sepa- ration from Lady Nelson. Save in these respects, and in its unfor- tunate effect on his social standing and professional recognition In England, Nelson's connection with Lady Hamilton may be considered as a matter apart from his public services and career. The Life of Nelson S3 bring him here. Let him be put in the room prepared for PHnce Augustus."^ Thus that acquaintance began, which ended in the destruction of Nelson's domestic happiness. It seemed to threaten no such consequences at its commencement. He spoke of Lady Hamilton, in a letter to his wife, as a young woman of amiable manners, who did honor to the station to which she had been raised: and he remarked, that she had been exceedingly kind to Josiah. The activity with which the Envoy exerted himself in procuring troops from Naples to assist in garrisoning Toulon, so delighted him, that he is said to have exclaimed, ''Sir William, you are a man after my own heart ! — you do business in my own way : ' ' and then to have added, "I am now only a captain; but I will, if I live, be at the top of the tree." Here, also, that acquaintance with the Neapolitan court^ commenced, which led to the only blot^ upon Nelson's public char- acter. The King, w^ho w^as sincere at that time in his enmity to the French, called the English the saviors of Italy, and of his dominions in particular. He paid the most flattering attention to Nelson, made him dine with him, and seated him at his right hand. Having accomplished this mission,* Nelson received orders to join Commodore Linzee, at Tunis. On the 1. Prince Augustus. A son of George III of England. 2. Neapolitan Court. Italy at the time of the Napoleonic wars was a bundle of small states either independent or subject to Austria. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Sicily and Southern Italy) was ruled by a descendant of the Spanish Bourbons. Sardinia, which included the island itself and most of western Italy, was under the H^mse of Savoy. In all these states there was a good deal of sympathy for the ideals of the French Revolution, and they regarded with mingled feel- ings the efforts of an Austrian army and a British fleet to save tnem from Napoleon. 3. TJie onlij hlot. See pp. 216-221. 4. This mission. Nelson was sent to procure 10,000 troops to help hold Toulon. He received the promise of troops, but was forced to leave the port before they could be embarked. 84 The Life of Nelson way, five sail of the enemy were discovered off the coast of Sardinia, and he chased them. They proved to be three forty-four gun frigates, with a corvette^ of twenty- four, and a brig of twelve. The Agamemnon had only three hundred and forty-five men at quarters,^ having landed part of her crew at Toulon, and others being absent in prizes. He came near enough one of the frigates to engage her, but at great disadvantage, the Frenchman maneuvering well, and sailing greatly bet- ter.^ A running fight of three hours ensued, during which the other ships, which w^ere at some distance, made all speed to come up. By this time the enemy were almost silenced, when a favorable change of wind en- abled her to get out of reach of the Agamemnon's guns: and that ship had received so much damage in the rig- ging that she could not follow her. Nelson, conceiving that this was but the forerunner of a far more serious engagement, called his officers together, and asked them if the ship was fit to go into action against such a supe- rior force without some small refreshment for the men? Their answer was, that she certainly was not. He then gave these orders : "Veer the ship,* and lay her head to the westward; let some of the best men be employed in refitting the rigging, and the carpenter getting crows and capstern-bars^ to prevent our wounded spars from 1. Corvette. The French name for a type corresponding to the American "sloop-of-war," designed for seaworthiness and speed, with all the guns on the main or spar deck'. 2. At quarters. At their stations ready for action. 3. Sailing greatly tetter. French and Spanish frigates were at this time superior to the British in design and itoeed. 4. Veer the ship. Change her course, usually by turning with, the wind. 5. Crows and capstern-hars. Crow-bars and capstan-bars, the latter being long levers used to turn the capstan in hoisting anchor. In this case the bars were lashed along the damaged spars to strengthen them. The Life of Nelson 85 coming down ; and get the wine up for the people, with some bread, for it may be half an hour good before we are again in action." But when the French came up, their comrade made signals of distress, and they all hoisted out their boats to go to her assistance, leaving the Agamemnon unmolested. Nelson found Commodore Linzee at Tunis, where he had been sent to expostulate with the Dey upon the im- policy of his supporting the revolutionary government of France. Nelson represented to him the atrocity of that government. Such arguments were of little avail in Barbary : and when the Dey w^as told that the French had put their sovereign to death, he dryly replied, that *' Nothing could be more heinous; and yet, if historians told the truth, the English had once done the same. "^ This answer had doubtless been suggested by the French about him : they had completely gained the ascendancy, and all negotiation on our part proved fruitless. Shortly afterwards Nelson was detached with a small squadron, to co-operate with General Paoli and the anti-Gallican party in Corsica. Some thirty years before this time, the heroic pa- triotism of the Corsicans, and of their leader, Paoli, had been the admiration of England. The history of these brave people is but a melancholy tale. The island which they inhabit has been abundantly blessed by nature : it has many excellent harbors ; and though the malaria, or pestilential atmosphere, which is so deadly in many parts of Italy, and of the Italian islands, prevails on the east- err coast, the greater part of the country is mountainous and healthy. It is about 150 miles long, and from 40 to 50 broad : in circumference, some 320 : — a country large enough, and sufficiently distant from the nearest shores, to have subsisted as an independent state, if the welfare 1. Once done the same. An allusion to the execution of Charles I. 86 The Life of Nelson and happiness of the human race had ever been con- sidered as the end and aim of policy. The Moors, the Pisans, the kings of Aragon, and the Genoese, snccess- ively attempted, and each for a time effected, its con- quest. The yoke of the Genoese continued longest, and was the heaviest. These petty tyrants ruled with an iron rod : and when at any time a patriot rose to resist their oppressions, if they failed to subdue him by force, they resorted to assassination. At the commencement of the last century they quelled one revolt by the aid of Ger- man auxiliaries, whom the Emperor Charles VI.^ sent against a people who had never offended him, and who were fighting for whatever is most dear to man. In 1734 the war was renewed ; and Theodore, a "Westphalian baron, then appeared upon the stage. In that age men were not accustomed to see adventurers play for king- doms, and Theodore became the common talk of Europe. He had served in the French armies ; and having after- wards been noticed both by Ripperda and Alberoni,^ their example, perhaps, inflamed a spirit as ambitious and as unprincipled as their own. He employed the whole of his means in raising money and procuring arms : then wrote to the leaders of the Corsican patriots, to offer them considerable assistance, if they would erect Corsica into an independent kingdom, and elect him king. When he landed among them, they were struck with his stately person, his dignified manners, and im- posing talents: they believed the magnificent promises of foreign assistance which he held out, and elected him king accordingly. Had his means been as he repre- sented them, they could not have acted more wisely than 1. Charles VI. Emperor of Austria and head of the Holy Roman Empire (1711-1740). 2. Ripperda and Alberoni. The first a Dutch, and the second an Italian adventurer of the seventeenth century. Both rose to high posi- tions in the court of Spain. The Life of Nelson 87 in thus at once fixing the government of their country, and putting an end to those rivalries among the leading families, which had so often proved pernicious to the public v^eal. He struck^ money, conferred titles, blocked up^ the fortified towns which were held by the Genoese, and amused the people with promises of assistance for about eight months : then, perceiving that they cooled in their affections toward him, in proportion as their ex- pectations were disappointed, he left the island, under the plea of expediting himself the succors which he had so long awaited. Such was his address that he pre- vailed upon several rich merchants in Holland, particu- larly the Jews, to trust him with cannon and warlike stores to a great amount. They shipped these under the charge of a supercargo. Theodore returned with this supercargo to Corsica, and put him to death on his arrival, as the shortest way of settling the account. The remainder of his life was a series of deserved afflictions. He threw in the stores^ which he had thus fraudulently obtained : but he did not dare to land ; for Genoa had now called in the French to their assistance, and a price had been set upon his head. His dreams of royalty were now at an end; he took refuge in London, contracted debts, and was thrown into the King's Bench.* After lingering there many years, he was released under an act of insolvency : in consequence of which, he made over the kingdom of Corsica for the use of his creditors, and died shortly after his deliverance. The French, who have never acted a generous part in the history of the world, readily entered into the views of the Genoese, which accorded with their own policy; for such was their ascendancy at Genoa, that in subduing 1. Struck. Coined. 2. Blocked up. Blockaded, laid siege to. 3. Threw in the stores. Landed them In Corsica. 4. Thrown into the King's Bench. Held by the debtor's court. 88 The Life of Nelson Corsica for these allies, they were in fact subduing it for themselves. They entered into the contest, therefore, with their usual vigor, and their usual cruelty. It was in vain that the Corsicans addressed a most affecting me- morial to the court of Versailles ; that remorseless govern- ment persisted in its flagitious project. They poured in troops; dressed a part of them like the people of the country, by which means they deceived and destroyed many of the patriots; cut down the standing corn, the vines, and the olives ; set fire to the villages, and hung all the most able and active men who fell into their hands. A war of this kind may be carried on with suc- cess against a country so small and so thinly peopled as Corsica. Having reduced the island^ to perfect servitude, which they called peace, the French withdrew their forces. As soon as they were gone, men, women, and boys rose at once against their oppressors. The circum- stances of the times were now favorable to them; and some British ships, acting as allies of Sardinia, bom- barded Bastia and San Fiorenzo, and delivered them into the hands of the patriots. This service was long remembered with gratitude: the impression made upon our own countrymen was less favorable. They had wit- nessed the heart-burning of rival chiefs, and the dis- sentions among the patriots; and perceiving the state of barbarism to which continual oppression, and habits of lawless turbulence, had reduced the nation, did not recollect that the vices of the people were owing to their unhappy circumstances ; but that the virtues which they displayed arose from their own nature. This feeling, perhaps, influenced the British court, when, in 1746, Corsica offered to put herself under the protection of 1. Reduced the island. The motive of the FreBch in taking Corsica ■was well justified fear lest the island should fall into the hands of the English. Theodore returned in 1743 supported by a British fleet, but failed to win popular support. The Life of Nelson 89 Great Britain : an answer was returned expressing satis- faction at such a communication, hoping that the Cor- sicans would preserve the same sentiments, but signify- ing also that the present was not the time for such a measure. These brave islanders then formed a government for themselves, under two leaders, Gaffori and Matra, who had the title of protectors. The latter is represented as a partisan of Genoa, favoring the views of the oppressors of his country by the most treasonable means. Gaffori was a hero worthy of old times. His eloquence was long remembered with admiration. A band of assassins was once advancing against him ; he heard of their approach, went out to meet them ; and, with a serene dignity which overawed them, requested them to hear him: he then spoke to them so forcibly of the distresses of their coun- try, her intolerable wrongs, and the hopes and views of their brethren in arms, that the very men who had been hired to murder him fell at his feet, implored his forgive- ness, and joined his banner. While he was besieging the Genoese in Corte, a part of the garrison perceiving the nurse with his eldest son, then an infant in arms, straying at a little distance from the camp, suddenly sallied out and seized them. The use they made of their persons was in conformity with their usual execrable conduct. When Gaffori advanced to batter the walls, they held up the child directly over that part of the waU at which the guns were pointed. The Corsicans stopped; but Gaffori stood at their head, and ordered them to continue the fire. Providentially the child escaped, and lived to relate, with becoming feeling, a fact so honorable to his father. That father conducted the affairs of the island till 1753, when he was assassi- nated by some wretches, set on, it is believed, by Genoa ; but certainly pensioned by that abominable government 90 The Life of Nelson after the deed. He left the country in such a state, that it was enabled to continue the war two years after his death without a leader : then they found one worthy of their cause in Pasquale de Paoli. Paoli's father was one of the patriots who effected their escape from Corsic-a when the French reduced it to obedience. He retired to Naples, and brought up this his youngest son in the Neapolitan service. The Corsi- cans heard of young Paoli 's abilities, and solicited him to come over to his native country, and take the com- mand. He did not hesitate long : his father, who was too far advanced in years to take an active part himself, en- couraged him to go; and when they separated, the old man fell on his neck, and kissed him, and gave him his blessing. ''My son," said he, "perhaps I may never see you more; but in my mind I shall ever be present with you. Your design is great and noble ; and I doubt not but God will bless you in it. I shall devote to your cause the little remainder of my life, in offering up my prayers for your success." When Paoli assumed the command, he found all things in confusion; he formed a democratical government, of which he was chosen chief ; restored the authority of the laws ; established an university ; and took such measures, both for repressing abuses and molding the rising generation, that, if France had not interfered, upon its wicked and detestable prin- ciple of usurpation, Corsica might, at this day, have been as free, and flourishing, and happy a common- wealth as any of the Grecian states in the days of their prosperity. The Genoese were at this time driven out of their fortified towns, and must in a short time have been expelled. France was indebted some millions of livres^ to Genoa: it was not convenient to pay this money ; so the French minister proposed to the Genoese, 1. Livres. The Uvre, or French franCj Is worth about 20 cents. The Life of Nelson 91 that she should discharge the debt by sending six bat- talions to serve in Corsica for four years. The indigna- tion which this conduct excited in all generous hearts was forcibly expressed by Rousseau/ who, with all his errors, was seldom deficient in feeling for the wrongs of humanity. ''You Frenchmen," said he, writing to one of that people, "are a thoroughly servile nation, thor- oughly sold to tyranny, thoroughly cruel, and relent- less in persecuting the unhappy. If you knew of a free man at the other end of the world, I believe you would go thither for the mere pleasure of extirpating him. ' ' The immediate object of the French happened to be purely mercenary : they wanted to clear off their debt to Genoa ; and as the presence of their troops in the island effected this, they aimed at doing the people no farther mischief. Would that the conduct of England had been at this time free from reproach ! but a proclamation was issued by the English government, after the peace of Paris,^ prohibiting any intercourse with the rebels of Corsica. Paoli said, he did not expect this from Great Britain. This great man was deservedly proud of his country: — "I defy Eome, Sparta, or Thebes," he would say, ''to show me thirty years of such patriotism as Cor- sica can boast ! ' ' Availing himself of the respite which the inactivity of the French and the weakness of the Genoese allowed, he prosecuted his plans of civilizing the people. He used to say, that though he had an un- speakable pride in the prospect of the fame to which he aspired ; yet, if he could but render . his countrymen 1. Rousseau. Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), a French philos- opher and writer, whose radical teaching with regard to education, religion, and the rights of man did much to spread revolutionary ideas in Europe and America. Le Contrat Social, by Rousseau, is anti- Haonarchlc, basing all government on the consent of the governed. 2. Peace of Paris. Signed February 10, 1763, by England, France, and Spain. f92 The Life of Nelson happy, he would be content to be forgotten. His own importance he never affected to -undervalue. ''We are now to our country," said he, ''like the prophet Elisha,^ stretched over the dead body of the Shunamite, — eye to eye, nose to nose, mouth to mouth. It begins to recover warmth, and to revive: I hope it will yet regain full health and vigor.'' But when the four years were expired, France pur- chased the sovereignty of Corsica from the Genoese for forty millions of livres : as if the Genoese had been en- titled to sell it; as if any bargain or sale could justify one country in taking possession of another against the will of the inhabitants, and butchering all who oppose the usurpation ! Among the enormities which France has committed, this action seems but as a speck; yet the foulest murderer that ever suffered by the hands of the executioner has infinitely less guilt upon his soul than the statesman w^ho concluded this treaty, and the monarch who sanctioned and confirmed it. A desperate and glorious resistance was made ; but it was in vain ; no power interposed in behalf of these injured islanders, and the French poured in as many troops as were re- quired. They offered to confirm Paoli in the supreme authority, only on condition that he would hold it under their government. His answer was, "That the rocks which surrounded him should melt away before he would betray a cause which he held in common with the poorest Corsican." This people then set a price upon his head. During two campaigns he kept them at bay : they over- powered him at length : he was driven to the shore, and having escaped on ship-board, took refuge in England. It is said that Lord Shelburne resigned his seat in the cabinet because the ministry looked on, without attempt- ing to prevent France from succeeding in this abomi- 1. Prophet ElisJia, etc. See II Kings, iv, 31-34. The Life op Nelson 93 nable and important act of aggrandizement. In one re- spect, however, our country acted as became her. Paoli was welcomed with the honors which he deserved, a pen- sion of £1200 per annum was immediately granted him ; and provision was liberally made for his elder brother and his nephew. Above twenty years Paoli remained in England, en- joying the friendship of the wise, and the admiration of the good.^ But when the French Revolution began, it seemed as if the restoration of Corsica was at hand. The whole country, as if animated by one spirit, rose and demanded liberty; and the National Assembly^ passed a decree, recognizing the island as a department of France, and therefore entitled to all the privileges of the new French constitution. This satisfied the Cor- sicans, which it ought not to have done; and Paoli, in whom the ardor of youth was past, seeing that his coun- trymen were contented, and believing that they were about to enjoy a state of freedom, naturally wished to return to his native country. He resigned his pension in the year 1790, and appeared at the bar of the Assembly with the Corsican deputies, when they took the oath of fidelity to France, But the course of events in France soon dispelled those hopes of a new and better order of things, which Paoli, in common with so many friends of humankind, had indulged: and perceiving, after the execution of the King,^ that a civil war was about to 1. Admiration of the good. In England Paoli became Intimate with the literary circle which Included Johnson, Burke, Goldsmith, Garrlck, Reynolds, and Boswell. He is mentioned frequently in Boswell's Life of Johnson. 2. National A88eml)ly. Otherwise known as the Constituent (con- stitution-making) Assembly, formed In June, 1789, by combining the three bodies of the old States-General, and In session till Sept. 30, 1791. It was followed by the Legislative Assembly (Oct. 1, 1791- Sept. 21, 1792), elected under the new constitution. 3. Execution of the king. Louis XVI was guillotined Jan. 21, 1793. 94 The Life op Nelson ensue, of which no man could foresee the issue, he pre- pared to break the connection between Corsica and the French republic. The Convention,^ suspecting such a design, and perhaps occasioning it by their suspicions, ordered him to their bar. That way, he well knew, led to the guillotine ; and, returning a respectful answer, he declared that he would never be found wanting in his duty, but pleaded age and infirmity as a reason for dis- obeying the summons. Their second order was more summary: and the French troops who were in Corsica, aided by those of the natives, who were either influenced by hereditary party feelings, or who were sincere in Jacobinism,^ took the field against him. But the people were with him. He repaired to Corte, the capital of the island, and was again invested with the authority which he had held in the noonday of his fame. The Conven- tion, upon this, denounced him as a rebel, and set a price upon his head. It was not the first time that France had proscribed Paoli. Paoli now opened a correspondence with Lord Hood, promising, if the English would make an attack upon St. Fiorenzo from the sea, he would, at the same time, attack it by land. This promise he was unable to perform : and Commodore Linzee, who, in reliance upon it, was sent upon this service, was repulsed with some loss. Lord Hood, who had now been compelled to evacuate Toulon, suspected Paoli of intentionally deceiving him. This was an injurious^ suspicion. Shortly afterwards he des- patched Lieutenant-Colonel (afterwards Sir John) 1. The Convention. The National Convention, in control of France from Sept. 21, 1792, to Oct. 27, 1795. 2. Jacotinism. A term applied to radical republicanism at the time of the French Revolution. The name v^ras derived from the political club of which Marat, Danton, Robespierre and others of the more vio- lent revolutionists were members, and which met in an old Jacobin or Dominican convent. 3. Injurious. Unjustified. The Life op Nelson 95 Moore^ and Major Koehler to confer with him upon a plan of operations. Sir Gilbert Elliot accompanied them : and it was agreed, that, in consideration of the succors, both military and naval, which his Britannic Majesty should afford for the purpose of expelling the French, the island of Corsica should be delivered into the immediate possession of his Majesty, and bind itself to acquiesce in any settlement he might approve of con- cerning its government and its future relation with Great Britain. "While this negotiation was going on, Nelson cruised off the island with a small squadron, to prevent the enemy from throwing in supplies. Close to St. Fiorenzo the French had a store-house of flour, near their only mill : he watched an opportunity, and landed 120 men, who threw the flour into the sea, burnt the mill, and re-embarked before 1,000 men, who were sent against him, could occasion him the loss of a single man. While he exerted himself thus, keeping out all supplies, intercepting despatches, attacking their out- posts and forts, and cutting out vessels from the bay, — a species of warfare w^hich depresses the spirit of an enemy more than it injures them, because of the sense of individual superiority which it indicates in the assail- ants, — troops were landed, and St. Fiorenzo was be- sieged. The French, finding themselves unable to main- tain their post, sunk one of their frigates, burnt another, and retreated to Bastia. Lord Hood submitted to Gen- eral Dundas, who commanded the land forces, a plan for the reduction of this place : the general declined co- operating, thinking the attempt impracticable, without a reinforcement of 2,000 men, which he expected from 1. Sir John Moore. Moore died in 1809 at Corunna, Spain, from a wound received during the retreat of his army before superior French forces. A monument In his honor was erected by French officers, and his death commemorated in Wolfe's well-known poem, The Burial of Sir John Moore. 96 The Life of Nelson Gibraltar. Upon this Lord Hood determined to reduce it with the naval force under his command; and leaving part of his fleet off Toulon, he came with the rest to Bastia. He showed a proper sense of respect for Nelson's services, and of confidence in his talents, by taking care not to bring with him any older captain.^ A few days before their arrival, Nelson had had what he called a brush with the enemy. ''If I had had with me five hundred troops," he said, ''to a certainty I should have stormed the town, and I believe it might have been carried. Armies go so slow, that seamen think they never mean to get forward : but I daresay they act on a surer principle, although we seldom fail. ' ' During this partial action our army appeared upon the heights ; and having reconnoitred the place, returned to St. Fiorenzo. ''What the general could have seen to make a retreat necessary," said Nelson, "I cannot comprehend. A thousand men would certainly take Bastia ; with five hun- dred and Agamemnon I would attempt it. My seamen are now what British seamen ought to be — almost in- vincible. They really mind shot no more than peas." General Dundas had not the same confidence. "After mature consideration, ' ' said he in a letter to Lord Hood, "and a personal inspection for several days of all cir- cumstances, local as well as others, I consider the siege of Bastia, with our present means and force, to be a most visionary and rash attempt; such as no officer would be justified in undertaking. ' ' Lord Hood replied, that nothing would be more gratifying to his feelings than to have the whole responsibility upon himself ; and that he w^as ready and willing to undertake the reduc tion of the place at his own risk, with the force and 1. Any older captain. An officer senior In rank to Nelson would have superseded him In command. The Life of Nelson 97 means at present there. General d 'Anbant, who succeeded at this time to the command of the army, coincided in opinion with his predecessor, and did not think it right to furnish his lordship with a single soldier, can- non, or any stores. Lord Hood could only obtain a few artillerymen; and ordering on board that part of the troops who, having been embarked as marines, were borne on the ships' books as part of their respective com- plements, he began the siege with 1183 soldiers, artil- lerymen, and marines, and 250 sailors. "We are but few, ' ' said Nelson, ' ' but of the right sort ; our general at St. Fiorenzo not giving us one of the five regiments he has there lying idle." These men were landed on the 4th of April, under Lieutenant-Colonel Villettes and Nelson, who had now acquired from the army the title of Brigadier. Guns were dragged by the sailors up heights where it appeared almost impossible to convey them ; — a work of the great- est difficulty; and which Nelson said could never, in his opinion, have been accomplished by any but British seamen. The soldiers, though less dexterous in such service, because not accustomed, like sailors, to habitual dexterity, behaved with equal spirit. ' ' Their zeal, ' ' said the Brigadier, *'is almost unexampled. There is not a man but considers himself as personally interested in the event, and deserted by the general. It has, I am per- suaded, made them equal to double their numbers. '^ This is one proof, of many, that for our soldiers to equal our seamen, it is only necessary for them to be equally well commanded. They have the same heart and soul, as well as the same flesh and blood. Too much may, indeed, be exacted from them in a retreat ; but set their face toward a foe, and there is nothing within the reach of human achievement which they cannot perform. The French had improved the leisure which our military 88 The Life op Nelson commander had allowed them, and before Lord Hood commenced his operations, he had the mortification of seeing that the enemy were every day erecting new works, strengthening old ones, and rendering the at- tempt more difficult. La Combe St. Michel, the commis- sioner from the National Convention, who was in the city, replied in these terms to the summons of the British admiral: ''I have hot shot for your ships, and bayonets for your troops. "When two-thirds of our men are killed, I will then trust to the generosity of the English." The siege, however, was not sustained with the firmness which such a reply seemed to augur. On the 19th of May a treaty of capitulation was begun : that same evening the troops from St. Fiorenzo made their appearance on the hills; and, on the following morning, General d'Aubant arrived with the whole army to take possession of Bastia. The event of this siege had justified the confidence of the sailors ; but they themselves excused the opinion of the generals, when they saw what they had done. ''I am all astonishment," said Nelson, ''when I reflect upon what we have achieved : 1000 regulars, 1500 national guards, and a large party of Corsican troops, 4000 in all, laying down their arms to 1200 soldiers, marines, and seamen ! I always was of opinion, have ever acted up to it, and never had any reason to repent it, that one Englishman was equal to three Frenchmen. Had this been an English town, I am sure it would not have been taken by them." When it had been resolved to attack the place, the enemy were supposed to be far inferior in number; and it was not till the whole had been arranged, and the siege publicly undertaken, that Nelson received certain information of the great superiority of the gar- rison. This intelligence he kept secret, fearing lest, if so fair a pretext were afforded, the attempt would be abandoned. * ' My own honor, ' ' said he to his wife, ' ' Lord The Life of Nelson 99 Hood's honor, and the honor of our country, must have been sacrificed, had I mentioned what I knew: there- fore you will believe what must have been my feelings during the whole siege, when I had often proposals made to me to write to Lord Hood to raise it." Those very persons who thus advised him were rewarded for their conduct at the siege of Bastia : Nelson, by whom it might be truly affirmed that Bastia was taken, received no reward. Lord Hood's thanks to him, both public and private, were, as he himself said, the handsomest which man could give : but his signal merits were not so mentioned in the despatches as to make them sufficiently known to the nation, nor to obtain for him from Gov- ernment those honors to v/hich they so amply entitled him. This could only have arisen from the haste in which the despatches were, written ; certainly not from any deliberate purpose, for Lord Hood was uniformly his steady and sincere friend. One of the cartel's^ ships, which carried the garrison of Bastia to Toulon, brought back intelligence that the French were about to sail from that port ; — such exer- tions had they made to repair the damage done at the evacuation, and to fit out a fleet. The intelligence was speedily verified. Lord Hood sailed in quest of them toward the islands of the Hieres. The Agamemnon was with him. ''I pray God," said Nelson, writing to his vnfe,/'that we may meet their fleet. If any accident should happen to me, I am sure my conduct will be such as will entitle you to the royal favor; — not that I have the least idea but I shall return to you, and full of honor: — if not, the Lord's will be done. My name shall never be a disgrace to those who may belong to me. The 1. Cartel. A vessel or company of vessels protected by agreement (cartel = card) with the enemy while engaged In transporting prison- ers for exchange, or in similar duties. 100 The Life of Nelson little I have, I have given to you, except a small annuity ; I wish it was more ; but I have never got a farthing dis- honestly — it descends from clean hands. Whatever fate awaits me, I pray God to bless you, and preserve you, for your son's sake." With a mind thus prepared, and thus confident, his hopes and wishes seemed on the point of being gratified, when the enemy were discovered close under the land, near St. Tropez. The wind fell, and prevented Lord Hood from getting between them and the shore, as he designed: boats came out from Antibes and other places, to their assistance, and towed them within the shoals in Gourjean Roads,^ where they were protected by batteries on isles St. Honore and St. Mar- guerite, and on Cape Garousse.^ Here the English ad- miral planned a new mode of attack, meaning to double^ on five of the nearest ships ; but the wind again died away, and it was found that they had anchored in com- pact order, guarding the only passage for large ships. There was no way of effecting this passage, except by towing or warping the vessels; and this rendered the attempt impracticable. For this time the enemy escaped : but Nelson bore in mind the admirable plan of attack which Lord Hood had devised, and there came a day when they felt its tremendous effects. The Agamemnon was now" despatched to co-operate at the siege of Calvi* with General Sir Charles Stuart; an officer who, unfortunately for his country, never had an adequate field allotted him for the display of those emi- 1. Gourjean Roads. The Golfe Jouan, off the southeastern coast of France. 2. Cape Garousse. Cap de la Garoupe. 3. To double. To oppose two ships against each one of the enemy, a method very natural in view of the British superiority of thirteen to Beven. It can hardly be considered a model or precedent for Nelson's plan of battle at Abouklr Bay, where the French were in superior force and Nelson concentrated on the windward ships. 4. Calvi. A town on the northwest coast of Corsica. The Life of Nelson 101 nent talents, which were, to all who knew him, so con- spicuous.* Nelson had less responsibility here than at Bastia ; and w^as acting with a man after his own heart, who was never sparing of himself, and slept every night in the advanced battery. But the service was not less hard than that of the former siege. ''We will fag our- selves to death," said he to Lord Hood, ''before any blame shall lie at our doors. I trust it will not be for- gotten that twenty-five pieces of heavy ordnance have been dragged to the different batteries, mounted, and all but three fought by seamen, except one artilleryman to point the guns. ' ' The climate proved more destructive than the service ; for this was during the period of the "lion sun," as they there call our season of the "dog- days." Of 2000 men above half were sick, and the rest like so many phantoms. Nelson described himself as the reed among the oaks, bowing before the storm when they were laid low by it. "All the prevailing disorders have attacked me," said he, "but I have not strength enough for them to fasten on. ' ' The loss from the enemy was not great; but Nelson received a serious injury: a shot struck the ground near him, and drove the sand and small gravel into one of his eyes. He spoke of it slightly at the time : writing the same day to Lord Hood, he only said, that he got a little hurt that morning, not much ; and the next day he said, he should be able to attend his duty in the evening. In fact, he suffered it to confine him only one day ; but the sight was lost.^ • Lord Melville was fully sensible of these talents, and bore testi- mony to them in the handsomest manner after Sir Charles's death.— Southey'a Note. 1. Sight was lost, A letter from Nelson to Mrs. Nelson, August 18, 1794, gives further details : "On the 10th of July, a shot having hit our battery, the splinters and stones from it struck me with great violence in the face and breast. ... I most fortunately escaped, having only my right eye nearly deprived of its sight ; it was cut down, but is so far recovered as for me to be able to distinguish light 102 The Life of Nelson After the fall of Calvi, his services were, by a strange omission, altogether overlooked: and his name was not even mentioned in the list of wounded. This was no- ways imputable to the Admiral, for he sent home to Government Nelson's journal of the siege, that they might fully understand the nature of his indefatigable and unequalled exertions. If those exertions were not rewarded in the conspicuous manner which they de- served, the fault was in the administration of the day, not in Lord Hood. Nelson felt himself neglected. "One hundred and ten days," said he, '^I have been actually engaged, at sea and on shore, against the enemy; three actions against ships, two against Bastia in my ship, four boat actions, and two villages taken, and twelve sail of vessels burnt. I do not know that any one has done more. I have had the comfort to be always applauded by my Commander-in-Chief, but never to be rewarded : and, what is more mortifying, for services in which I have been wounded, others have been praised, who, at the same time, were actually in bed far from the scene of action. They have not done me justice. But, never mind, I'll have a 'Gazette'^ of my own." How amply was this second-sight of glory realized ! The health of his ship 's company had now, in his own words, been miserably torn to pieces by as hard service as a ship's crew ever performed: 150 were in their beds when he left Calvi; of them he lost fifty; and believed that the constitutions of the rest were entirely destroyed. He was now sent with despatches to Mr. Drake,^ at from darkness. As to all purposes of use it is gone ; however, the l)lemish is nothing, not to be perceived unless told." — Clarke and M'Arthur, Life of Nelson, Vol. I, p. 190. 1. Gazette. A publication issued periodically by the British govern- ment, giving information of appointments, promotions, honors, and matters of similar nature. 2. Mr. Dralce. The British Minister. The Life op Nelson 103 Genoa, and had his first interview with the Doge. The French had, at this time, taken possession of Vado Bay, in the Genoese territory; and Nelson foresaw, that if their thoughts were bent on the invasion of Italy, they would accomplish it the ensuing spring. ''The allied powers," he said, ''were jealous of each other; and none but England was hearty in the cause." His wish was for peace, on fair terms, because England, he thought, was draining herself, to maintain allies who would not fight for themselves. Lord Hood had now returned to England, and the command devolved on Admiral Hot- ham. The affairs of the Mediterranean wore at this time a gloomy aspect. The arts, as well as the arms of the enemy, were gaining the ascendancy there. Tuscany concluded peace, relying upon the faith of France, which was, in fact, placing itself at her mercy. Corsica was in danger. We had taken that island for ourselves, an- nexed it formally to the crown of Great Britain, and given it a constitution as free as our own. This was done with the consent of the majority of the inhabitants: and no transaction between two countries was ever more fairly or legitimately conducted: yet our conduct was unwise ; — the island is large enough to form an inde- pendent state, and such we should have made it, under our protection, as long as protection might be needed. The Corsicans would then have felt as a nation; but, when one party had given up the country to England, the natural consequence was, that the other looked to France. The question proposed to the people was, to which would they belong? Our language and our re- ligion were against us; our unaccommodating manners, it is to be feared, still more so. The French were better politicians. In intrigue they have ever been unrivalled ; and it now became apparent that, in spite of old wrongs, which ought never to have been forgotten or forgiven, 104 The Life of Nelson their partisans were daily acquiring strength. It is part of the policy of France, and a wise policy it is, to impress upon other powers the opinion of its strength, by lofty language, and by threatening before it strikes; a system which, while it keeps up the spirit of its allies, and perpetually stimulates their hopes, tends also to dismay its enemies. Corsica was now loudly threatened. The French, who had not yet been taught to feel their own inferiority upon the seas, braved us, in contempt, upon that element. They had a superior fleet in the Mediterranean, and they sent it out with express orders to seek the English and engage them. Accordingly, the Toulon fleet, consisting of seventeen ships of the line, and five smaller vessels, put to sea. Admiral Hotham received this information at Leghorn, and sailed immediately in search of them. He had with him fourteen sail of the line, and one Neapolitan seventy-four ; but his ships were only half manned, containing but 7650 men, whereas the enemy had 16,900. He soon came in sight of them: a general action was expected ; and Nelson, as was his cus- tom on such occasions, wrote a hasty letter to his wife, as that which might possibly contain his last farewell. *'The lives of all," said he, *'are in the hands of Him who knows best whether to preserve mine or not: my character and good name are in my own keeping." But however confident the French government might be of their naval superiority, the officers had no such feeling; and after maneuvering for a day, in sight of the English fleet, they suffered themselves to be chased. One of their ships, the Ca Ira, of eighty-four guns, car- ried away^ her main and fore top-masts. The Inconstant frigate fired at the disabled ship, but received so many shot that she was obliged to leave her. Soon afterwards a French frigate took the Qa Ira in tow; and the Sans 1. Carried away. Lost overboard. The Life op Nelson 105 Culottes, one hundred and twenty, and the Jean Barras, seventy-four, kept about gunshot^ distance on her weather bow.^ The Agamemnon stood towards her, hav- ing no ship of the line to support her within several miles. As she drew near, the Qa Ira fired her stern guns so truly, that not a shot missed some part of the ship, and, latterly, the masts were struck by every shot. It had been Nelson 's intention not to fire before he touched her stern ;^ but seeing how impossible it was he should be supported, and how certainly the Agamemnon must be severely cut up, if her masts were disabled, he altered his plan according to the occasion. As soon, therefore, as he was within a hundred yards of her stern, he ordered the helm to be put a-starboard, and the driver and after- sails to be brailed up and shivered; and, as the ship fell off, gave the enemy her whole broadside. They in- stantly braced up the after-yards, put the helm a-port, and stood after her again. This maneuver* he practiced for two hours and a quarter, never allowing the Ca Ira to get a single gun from either side to bear on him ; and when the French fired their after-guns now, it was no longer with coolness and precision, for every shot went far ahead. By this time her sails were hanging in tatters, her mizzen-topmast, mizzen-topsail, and cross- jack-yards, shot away. But the frigate which had her in tow hove in stays,^ and got her round. Both these French ships now brought their guns to bear, and opened their fire. The Agamemnon passed them within half-pistol 1. Gunshot. About 250 yards. 2. On her weather how. Opposite the bow, on the side toward the wind. 3. Touched her stern. Came up with her, 4. This maneuver. "By the use of helm and sails, the ship alter- nately turned her starboard side to fire her batteries and again re- sumed her course to regain the distance lost by each deviation,"— Mahan, Life of Nelson, Vol. I, p. 164. 5. Hove in stays. Changed to the opposite tack. 106 The Life of Nelson shot ; almost every shot passed over her, for the French had elevated their guns for the rigging, and for distant firing, and did not think of altering the elevation. As soon as the Agamemnon^ s after-guns ceased to bear, she" hove in stays, keeping a constant fire as she came round : and being worked, said Nelson, with as much exactness as if she had been turning into Spithead.^ On getting round, he saw that the Sans Culottes, which had wore, with many of the enemy's ships, was under his lee bow, and standing to leeward.^ The Admiral,^ at the same time, made the signal for the van ships* to join him. Upon this Nelson bore away, and prepared to set all sail; and the enemy, having saved their ship, hauled close to the wind, and opened upon him a distant and ineffectual fire. Only seven of the Agamemnon's men were hurt — a thing which Nelson himself remarked as wonderful: her sails and rigging were very much cut, and she had many shots in her hull, and some between wind and water. ^ The Ca Ira lost 110 men that day, and was so cut up that she could not get a topmast aloft during the night. At daylight on the following morning, the English ships were taken aback^ with a fine breeze at N. W., while the enemy's fleet kept the southerly wind. The 1. SpitJiead. The eastern entrance to the harbor of Southampton, England. 2. Wore . . . standing to leeward. The French had turned With the wind and were now to leeward of Nelson and somewhat ahead of him, sailing with the wind fair. 3. Admiral. The British Admiral, Hotham. 4. Tan ships. The ships of the forward division. In the eighteenth century the conventional battle formation was in three divisions, van, center, and rear. 5. Between wind and water. In parts of the hull near the water- Hue, sometimes exposed and sometimes submerged by the rolling of the ship. 6. Taken alacTc. Struck by a sudden change of wind, throwing the square sails back against the mast. The Life of Nelson 107 body of their fleet was about five miles distant; the Qa Ira, and the Censeur, seventy-four, which had her in ' tow, about three and a half. All sail was made to cut these ships off; and, as the French attempted to save them, a partial action was brought on. The Agamemnon was engaged with her yesterday 's antagonist ; but she^ , had to fight on both sides the ship at the same time. The (Ja Ira and the Censeiir fought most gallantly: the first lost nearly 300 men, in addition to her f orriier loss ; the last 350. Both at last struck : and Lieutenant Andrews, of the Agamemnon, brother to the lady to whom Nelson had become attached in France, and, in Nelson's own words, *^as gallant an officer as ever stepped a quarter- deck," hoisted English colors on board them both. The rest of the enemy's ships behaved very ill. As soon as these vessels had struck, Nelson went to Admiral Hot- ham, and proposed that the two prizes should be left with the Illustrious and Courageux, which had been crippled in the action, and with four frigates, and that the rest of the fleet should pursue the enemy, and follow up the advantage to the utmost. But his reply was — '^We must be contented; we have done very well." — "Now," said Nelson, "had we taken ten sail, and al- lowed the eleventh to escape, when it had been possible to have got at her, I could never have called it well done.* Goodall backed me: I got him to write the Ad- 1. She. The French ship. * "I can, entre nous," says Sir William Hamilton, in a letter to Nelson, "perceive that my old friend, Hotham, is not quite awake enough for such a command as that of the king's fleet in the Medi- terranean, although he appears the best creature imaginable," — > Southey's Note. "He is careful of us," wrote Nelson, "and will not suffer a line-of- battle ship to get out of his sight." Professor Laughton points out that, had the French fleet been completely destroyed at this time, a French army could hardly have invaded Italy, Spain would have held to the English alliance, and Napoleon's expedition to Egypt would 108 The Life op Nelson miral; but it would not do. We should have had such a day as, I believe, the annals of England never pro- duced." In this letter, the character of Nelson fully manifests itself. ''I wish," said he, ''to be an admiral, and in the command of the English fleet : I should very soon either do much, or be ruined: my disposition can- not bear tame and slow measures. Sure I am, had I commanded on the 14th, that either the whole French fleet would have graced my triumph, or I should have been in a confounded scrape." What the event would have been, he knew from his prophetic feelings and his own consciousness of power: and we also know it now, for Aboukir and Trafalgar have told it. The Qa Ira and Censeiilr probably defended them- selves with more obstinacy in this action, from a persua- sion that, if they struck, no quarter would be given; because they had fired red-hot shot, and had also a preparation, sent, as they said, by the Convention from Paris, which seems to have been of the nature of tjie Greek fire ; for it became liquid when it was discharged, and water would not extinguish its flames. This com- bustible was concealed with great care in the captured ships: like the red-hot shot, it had been found useless in battle. Admiral Hotham's action saved Corsica for the time; but the victory had been incomplete, and the arrival at Toulon of six sail of the line, two frigates, and two cutters, from Brest, gave the French a supe- riority which, had they known how to use it, would materially have endangered the British Mediterranean fleet. That fleet had been greatly neglected during Lord Chatham's administration at the Admiralty; and it did not, for some time, feel the beneficial effect of his bave remained undreamed of. Thus "the rise and grandeur of Na- poleon's career are bound up with Hotham's irresolution on the 13th." -—lAJe of Nelson^ p. 73. The Life of Nelson 109 removal. Lord Hood had gone home to represent the real state of affairs, and solicit reinforcements adequate to the exigencies of the time, and the importance of the scene of action. But that fatal error of under- proportioning the force to the service — that ruinous economy, which, by sparing a little, renders all that is spent useless, infected the British councils; and Lord Hood, not being able to obtain such reinforcements as he knew' were necessary, resigned the command. ' 'Sure- ly," said Nelson, ''the people at home have forgotten us." Another Neapolitan seventy-four joined Admiral Hotham ; and Nelson observed with sorrow, that this was matter of exultation to an English fleet. When the store-ships and victuallers from Gibraltar arrived, their escape from the enemy was thought wonderful ; and yet, had they not escaped, "the game," said Nelson, "was up here. At this moment our operations are at a stand for want of ships to support the Austrians in getting possesion of the sea-coast of the King of Sardinia;^ and, behold, our Admiral does not feel himself equal to show himself, much less to give assistance in their opera- tions." It was reported that the French were again out with eighteen or twenty sail. The combined British and Neapolitan were but sixteen; should the enemy be only eighteen. Nelson made no doubt of a complete vic- tory, but if there were twenty, he said, it was not to be ^expected: and a battle, without complete victory, would have been destruction, because another mast was not to be got on that side Gibraltar. At length Admiral Man arrived with a squadron from England. "What they can mean by sending him with only five sail of the line," said Nelson, "is truly astonishing: but all men 1. Sea coast of the King of Sardinia. The coast of Piedmont, in western Italy, which constituted the chief part of the Sardinian king- dom. 110 . The Life of Nelson are alike, and we in this country do not find any amend- ment or alteration from the old Board of Admiralty. They should know that half the ships in the fleet require to go to England ; and that long ago they ought to have reinforced us." About this time Nelson was made Colonel of Marines :^ a mark of approbation which he had long wished for rather than expected. It came in good season, for his spirits were oppressed by the thought that hi^ services had not been acknowledged as they deserved; and it abated the resentful feeling which would else have been excited by the answer to an application to the War- Office. During his four months' land service in Cor- sica, he had lost all his ship-furniture, owing to the movements of a camp. Upon this he wrote to the Sec- retary-at-War, briefly stating what his services on shore had been, and saying, he trusted it was not asking an improper thing to request that the same allowance might be made to him which would be made to a land officer of his rank, which, situated as he was, would be that of a Brigadier-General : if this could not be accorded, he hoped that his additional expenses would be paid him. The answer which he received was, ''that no pay had ever been issued under the direction of the War-Office to officers of the navy serving with the army on shore." He now entered upon a new line of service. The Aus- trian and Sardinian armies, under General de Yins, required a British squadron to co-operate with them in driving the French from the Riviera di Genoa :^ and as Nelson had been so much in the habit of soldiering, it was immediately fixed that the Brigadier should go. He sailed from St. Fiorenzo on this destination ; but fell in, 1. Colonel of Marines. A sinecure appointment, of which there were then four, given to post-captains for distinguished service, and vacated by them on promotion. 2. Riviera di Genoa. The Genoese coast. The Life of Nelson 111 off Cape del Mele, with the. enemy's fleet, who imme- diately gave his squadron chase. The chase lasted four- and-twenty hours ; and owing to the fickleness of the wind, the British ships w^ere somewhat hard pressed: but the want of skill on the part of the French gave them many advantages. Nelson beat his way back to St. Fiorenzo, where the fleet, which w^as in the midst of watering and refitting, had, for seven hours, the morti- fication of seeing him almost in possession of the enemy, before the wind would allow them to put out to his assistance. The French, however, at evening, went off, not choosing to approach nearer the shore. During the night. Admiral Hotham, by great exertions, got under weigh ; and, having sought the enemy four days, came in sight of them on the fifth. Baffling winds and vexa- tious calms, so common in the Mediterranean, rendered it impossible to close with them; only a partial action could be brought on; and then the firing made a per- fect calm. The French, being to windward, drew in shore ; and the English fleet was becalmed six or seven miles to the westward. L'Alcide, of seventy-four guns, struck; but before she could be taken possession of, a box of combustibles in her fore-top took fire, and the unhappy crew experienced how far more perilous their inventions were to themselves than to their enemies. So rapid was the conflagration, that the French in their official account say, the hull, the masts, and sails, all seemed to take fire at the same moment; and though the English boats were put out to the assistance of the poor wretches on board, not more than 200 could be saved. The Agamemnon, and Captain Rowley in the Cumberland, were just getting into close action a second time, when the Admiral called them off, the wind now being directly into the Gulf of Frejus, where the enemy anchored after the evening closed. 112 The Life of Nelson Nelson now proceeded to his station with eight sail of frigates under his command. Arriving at Genoa, he had a conference with Mr. Drake, the British Envoy to that state ; the result of which was, that the object of the British must be, to put an entire stop to all trade be- tween Genoa, France, and the places occupied by the French troops ; for, unless this trade were stopped, it would be scarcely possible for the allied armies to hold their situation, and impossible for them to make any progress in driving the enemy out of the Riviera di Genoa. Mr. Drake was of opinion, that even Nice might fall for want of supplies, if the trade with Genoa were cut off. This sort of blockade Nelson could not carry on without great risk to himself. A captain in the Navy, as he represented to the Envoy, is liable to prosecution for detention and damages.^ This danger was increased by an order which had then lately been issued; by which, when a neutral ship was detained, a complete specification of her cargo was directed to be sent to the Secretary of the Admiralty, and no legal process instituted against her till the pleasure of that Board should be communicated. This was requiring an impossibility. The cargoes of ships detained upon this station, consisting chiefly of corn, would be spoiled long before the orders of the Admiralty could be known; and then, if they should happen to release the vessel, the owners would look to the captain for damages. Even the only precaution which could be taken against this danger involved another danger not less to be appre- hended ; for, if the captain should direct the cargo to be taken out, the freight paid for, and the vessel released, the agent employed might prove fraudulent, and be- come bankrupt ; and in that case the captain became re- 1. Detention and damages. Unwarranted detention of a neutral ship, and damage to her cargo. The Life of Nelson 113 sponsible. Such things had happened; Nelson there- fore required, as the only means for carrying on that service, which was judged essential to the common cause, without exposing the officers to ruin, that the British Envoy should appoint agents to pay the freight, release the vessels, sell the cargo, and hold the amount till process was had upon it : Government thus securing its officers. ''I am acting," said Nelson, ''not only with- out the orders of my Commander-in-Chief, but, in some measure, contrary to him. However, I have not only the support of his Majesty's ministers, both at Turin and Genoa, but a consciousness that I am doing what is right and proper for the service of our king and coun- try. Political courage, in an officer abroad, is as highly necessary as military courage." This quality, which is as much rarer than military courage, as it is more valuable, and without which the soldier's bravery is often of little avail, Nelson possessed in an eminent degree. His representations were attended to as they deserved. Admiral Hotham commended him for what he had done ; and the attention of Government was awakened to the injury which the cause of the allies continually suffered from the frauds of neutral vessels. "What changes in my life of activity!" said this indefatigable man. ''Here I am; having com- menced a co-operation with an old Austrian General, almost fancying myself charging at the head of a troop of horse ! I do not write less than from ten to twenty letters every day; which, with the Austrian General and aides-de-camp, and my own little squadron, fully employ my time. This I like ; — active service, or none. ' ' It was Nelson's mind which supported his feeble body through these exertions. He was at this time almost blind, and wrote with very great pain. "Poor Aga- memnon/' he sometimes said, "was as nearly worn out 114 The Life op Nelson as her Captain; and both must soon be laid up to repair. ' ' When Nelson first saw General de Vins, he thought him an able man, who was willing to act with vigor. The general charged his inactivity upon the Piedmontese and Neapolitans, w^hom, he said, nothing could induce to act; and he concerted a plan with Nelson, for embark- ing a part of the Austrian army, and landing it in the rear of the French. But the English Commodore soon began to suspect that the Austrian General was little disposed to any active operations. In the hope of spur- ring him on, he wrote to him, telling him that he had surveyed the coast to the westward as far as Nice, and would undertake to embark four or five thousand men, with their arms, and a few days' provisions, on board the squadron, and land them within two miles of St. Remo, with their field-pieces. Respecting further pro- visions for the Austrian army, he would provide con- voys, that they should arrive in safety; and if a re- embarkation should be found necessary, he would cover it with the squadron. The possession of St. Remo, as headquarters for magazines of every kind, would enable the Austrian General to turn his army to the eastward or westward. The enemy at Oneglia. would be cut off from provisions, and men could be landed to attack that place whenever it was judged necessary. St. Remo was the only place between Vado and Ville Franche where the squadron could lie in safety, and anchor in almost all winds. The bay was not as good as Vado for large ships ; but it had a mole,^ which Vado had not, where all small vessels could lie, and load and unload their cargoes. This bay being in possession of the allies, Nice could be completely blockaded by sea. General de Vins, affecting, in his reply, to consider that Nelson's 1. Mole. Break wn tor. The Life op Nelson 115 proposal had no other end than that of obtaining the Bay of St. Remo as a station for the ships, told him, what he well knew, and had expressed before, that Vado Bay was a better anchorage ; nevertheless, if Monsieur le Commandant Nelson was well assured that part of the fleet could winter there, there was no risk to which he would not expose himself with pleasure, for the sake of procuring a safe station for the vessels of his Bri- tannic Majesty. Nelson soon assured the Austrian com- mander that this was not the object of his memorial. He now began to suspect that both the Austrian court and their General had other ends in view than the cause of their allies. ^'This army," said he, '4s slow beyond all description ; and I begin to think that the Emperor is anxious to touch another four millions of English money. As for the German Generals, war is their trade, and peace is ruin to them; therefore we cannot expect that they should have any wish to finish the war. The poli- tics of courts are so mean, that private people would be ashamed to act in the same way : all is trick and finesse^ to which the common cause is sacrificed. The General wants a loophole ; it has for some time appeared to me that he means to go no farther than his present position, and to lay the miscarriage of the enterprise against Nice, which has always been held out as the great object of his army, to the non-co-operation of the British fleet, and of the Sardinians." To prevent this plea, Nelson again addressed de Vins, requesting only to know the time, and the number of troops ready to embark; then he would, he said, dis- patch a ship to Admiral Hotham, requesting transports, having no doubt of obtaining them, and trusting that the plan would be successful to its fullest extent. Nel- son thought at the time, that if the whole fleet were offered him for transports, he would find some other 116 The Life of Nelson excuse; and Mr. Drake, who was now appointed to reside at the Austrian headquarters, entertained the same idea of the General's sincerity. It was not, how- ever, put so clearly to the proof as it ought to have been. He replied, that as soon as Nelson could declare himself ready with the vessels necessary for conveying 10,000 men, with their artillery and baggage, he would put the army in motion. But Nelson was not enabled to do this : Admiral Hotham, who was highly merito- rious in leaving such a man so much at his own discre- tion, pursued a cautious system, ill-according with the bold and comprehensive views of Nelson, who continu- ally regretted Lord Hood, saying, that the nation had suffered much by his resignation of the Mediterranean command. The plan which had been concerted, he said, would astonish the French, and perhaps the English. There was no unity in the views of the allied powers, no cordiality in their co-operation, no energy in their councils. The neutral powers assisted France more effectually than the allies assisted each other. The Genoese ports were at this time filled with French pri- vateers, which swarmed out every night, and covered the gulf; and French vessels were allowed to tow out of the port of Genoa itself, board vessels which were com- ing in, and then return into the mole. This was allowed without a remonstrance ; while, though Nelson abstained most carefully from offering any offense to the Genoese territory or flag, complaints were so repeatedly made against his squadron, that, he says, it seemed a trial who should be tired first: they of complaining, or he of answering their complaints. But the question of neutrality was soon at an end. An Austrian com- missary was travelling from Genoa towards Vado; it was known that he was to sleep at Voltri, ^d that he The Life of Nelson 117 had £10,000 with him, — a booty which the French Min- ister in that city, and the captain of a French frigate in that port, considered as far more important than the word of honor of the one, the duties of the other, and the laws of neutrality. The boats of the frigate went out with some privateers, landed, robbed the commis- sary, and brought back the money to Genoa. The next day men were publicly enlisted in that city for the French army : 700 men were embarked, with 7000 stand of arms,^ on board the frigates and other vessels, who were to land between Voltri and Savona:^ — there a de- tachment from the French army was to join them, and the Genoese peasantry were to be invited to insurrection, — a measure for which everything had been prepared. The night of the 13th was fixed for the sailing of this expedition: the Austrians called loudly for Nelson to prevent it; and he, on the evening of the 13th, arrived at Genoa. His presence checked the plan: the frigate, knowing her deserts, got within the merchant ships, in the inner mole ; and the Genoese government did not now even demand of Nelson respect to the neutral port, knowing that they had allowed, if not connived at, a flagrant breach of neutrality, and expecting the answer which he was prepared to return, that it was useless and impossible for him to respect it longer. But though this movement produced the immediate effect which was designed, it led to ill consequences, which Nelson foresaw, but, for want of sufficient force, was unable to prevent. His squadron was too small for the service which it had to perform. He required two seventy- fours, and eight or ten frigates and sloops ; but when he demanded this reinforcement, Admiral Hotham 1. stand of arms. Each "stand" Includes weapons and equipment for one soldier, 2. Voltri and Savoita. Towns on the coast, the first nine miles and the second about twenty-five miles west of Genoa. 118 The Life of Nelson had left the command; Sir Hyde Parker succeeded till the new commander should arrive ; and he immediately reduced it almost to nothing, leaving him only one frigate and a brig. This was a fatal error. While the Austrian and Sardinian troops, whether from the im- becility or the treachery of their leaders, remained in- active, the French were preparing for the invasion of Italy. Not many days before Nelson was thus sum- moned to Genoa, he chased a large convoy into Alassio. Twelve vessels he had formerly destroyed in that port, though. 2000 Frencli troops occupied the town: this former attack had made them take new measures of defence; and there were now above 100 sail of victual- lers, gunboats, and ships of war. Nelson represented to the admiral how important it was to destroy these ves- sels ; and offered, with his squadron of frigates, and the Ciilloden and Courageux, to lead himself in the Aga- memnon, and take or destroy the whole. The attempt was not permitted: but it was Nelson's belief, that, if it had been made, it would have prevented the attack upon the Austrian army, which took place almost imme- diately afterwards. General de Vins demanded satisfaction of the Genoese government for the seizure of his commissary; and then, without waiting for their reply, took possession of some empty magazines of the French, and pushed his sen- tinels to the very gates of Genoa. Had he done so at first, he would have found the magazines full; but timed as the measure was, and useless as it was to the cause of the allies, it was in character with the whole of the Austrian General's conduct: and it is no small proof of the dexterity with which he served the enemy, that in such circumstances he could so act with Genoa, as to contrive to put himself in the wrong. Nelson was at this time, according to his own expression, placed in The Life of Nelson 119 a cleft stick. Mr. Drake, the Austrian Minister, and the Austrian General, all joined in requiring him not to leave Genoa: if he left that port unguarded, they said, not only the imperial troops at St. Pier d'Arena^ and Voltri would be lost, but the French plan for taking post between Yoltri and Savona would certainly suc- ceed : if the Austrians should be worsted in the ad- vanced posts, the retreat by the Bocchetta^ would be cut off; and, if this happened, the loss of the army would be imputed to him, for having left Genoa. On the other hand, he knew that if he were not at Pietra,^ the enemy's gunboats would harass the left flank of the Austrians, who, if they were defeated, as was to be expected, from the spirit of all their operations, would very probably lay their defeat to the want of assistance from the Agamemnon. Had the force for which Nel- son applied been given him, he could have attended to both objects : and had he been permitted to attack the convoy in Alassio, he would have disconcerted the plans of the French, in spite of the Austrian General. He had foreseen the danger, and pointed out how it might be prevented ; but the means of preventing it were with- held. The attack was made, as he foresaw ; and the gun- boats brought their fire, to bear upon the Austrians. It so happened, however, that the left flank, which was exposed to them, was the only part of the army that be- haved well ; this division stood its ground till the center and the right wing fled, and then retreated in a soldier- like manner. General de Vins gave up the command in the middle of the battle, pleading ill health. "From that moment," says Nelson, "not a soldier stayed at his post: — it was the devil take the hindmost. Many 1. St. Pier d'Arena. A suburb of Genoa. 2 The BoccJietta. A pass through the Apennines fifteen miles north of Genoa. 3. Pietra. A town on the coast, about thirty miles west of Genoa, 120 The Life of Nelson thousands ran away who had never seen the enemy; some of them thirty miles from the advanced posts. Had I not, though, I own, against my inclination, been kept at Genoa, from eight to ten thousand men would have been taken prisoners, and, amongst the number, General de Vins himself : but, by this means, the pass of the Bocehetta was kept open. The purser of the ship, who was at Vado, ran with the Austrians eighteen miles without stopping : the men without arms, officers without soldiers, women without assistance. The oldest officer, say they, never heard of so complete a defeat, and cer- tainly without any reason. Thus has ended my cam- paign. — ."We have established the French republic ; which, but for us, I verily believe, would never have been set- tled by such a volatile, changeable people. I hate a Frenchman : they are equally objects of my detestation, whether royalists or republicans: in some points, I be- lieve, the latter are the best." Nelson had a lieutenant and two midshipmen taken at Vado: they told him, in their letter, that few of the French soldiers were more than three or four and twenty years old, a great many not more than fourteen, and all were nearly naked: they were sure, they said, his barge's crew^ could have beat a hundred of them; and that, had he himself seen them, he would not have thought, if the world had been covered with such people, that they could have beaten the Austrian army. The defeat of General de Vins gave the enemy pos- session of the Genoese coast from Savona to Voltri; and it deprived the Austrians ^f their direct communi- cation with the English fleet. The Agamemnon, there- fore, could no longer be useful on this station, and Nelson sailed for Leghorn to refit (about December 8th). When the ship went into dock, there was not a mast, 1. Barge's crew. From ten to twelve men. See p. 141. The Life of Nelson 121 yard, sail, or any part of the rigging, but what stood in need of repair, having been cut to pieces with shot. The hull was so damaged, that it had for some time been secured by cables, which were served or thrapped round it. CHAPTER IV Sir J. Jervis takes the command — Genoa joins the French — Bona- parte begins his career — Evacuation of Corsica — Nelson hoists his broad pendant in the Minerve — Action with the Sdbina — Battle off Cape St. Vincent — Nelson commands the inner squadron at the blockade of Cadiz — Boat action in the Bay of Cadiz — Expedition against Teneriffe — Nelson loses an arm — His sufferings in England, and recovery. Sir John Jervis had now^ arrived to take the com- mand of the Mediterranean fleet. The Agamemnon having, as her captain said, been made as fit for sea as a rotten ship could be. Nelson sailed from Leghorn, and joined the Admiral in Fiorenzo Bay.^ "I found him," said he, ** anxious to know many things, which I was a good deal surprised to find had not been communi- cated to him by others in the fleet ; and it would appear that he was so well satisfied with my opinion of what is likely to happen, and the means of prevention to be taken, that he had no reserve with me respecting his information and ideas of what is likely to be done. ' ' The manner in which Nelson was received is said to have ex- cited some envy. One captain observed to him: ''You did just as you pleased in Lord Hood's time, the same in Admiral Hotham 's, and now again with Sir John Jervis : it makes no difference to you who is Commander- in-Chief." A higher compliment could not have been paid to any Commander-in-Chief, than to say of him, that he understood the merits of Nelson, and left him, as far as possible, to act upon his own judgment. Sir John Jervis offered him the St. George^ ninety, or 1. November, 1795. 2. Fiorenzo Bay. On the northwest coast of Corsica. See p. 95. 122 The Life of Nelson 123 the Zealous, seventy-four, and asked if he should have any objection to serve under him with his flag.^ He re- plied, that if the Agamemnon were ordered home, and his flag were not arrived, he should, on many accounts, wish to return to England: still, if the war continued, he should be very proud of hoisting his flag under Sir John's command. '^We cannot spare you," said Sir John, "either as captain or admiral." Accordingly, he resumed his station in the Gulf of Genoa. The French had not followed up their successes in that quarter with their usual celerity. Scherer, who commanded there, owed his advancement to any other cause than his merit ; he was a favorite of the Directory;^ but, for the pres- ent, through the influence of Barras,^ he was removed from a command for which his incapacity was after- wards clearly proved, and Bonaparte was appointed to succeed him. Bonaparte had given indications of his military talents at Toulon, and of his remorse- less nature at Paris : but the extent either of his ability or his wickedness was at this time known to none, and perhaps not even suspected by himself. Nelson supposed, from the information which he had obtained, that one column of the French army would take possession of Port Especia ; either penetrating through the Genoese territory, or proceeding coastways in light vessels; our ships of war not being able to ap- proach the coast because of the shallowness of the water. To prevent this, he said, two things were necessary : the possession of Vado Bay, and the taking of Port Especia ; if either of these points were secured, Italy would be safe 1. With his flog. After his promotion to the rank of rear-admiral. 2. The Directory. A body of five members, in control of France from Oct. 27, 1795, till the coup d'etat of Nov. 9, 1799, which put Napoleon in power. 3. Barras. A member of the Directory ; responsible for Napoleon's promotion to supreme command In Italy. 124 The Life of Nelson from any attack of the French by sea. General Beau- lieu, who had now superseded De Vins in the command of the allied Austrian and Sardinian army, sent his nephew and aide-de-camp to communicate with Nelson, and inquire whether he could anchor in any other place than Vado Bay. Nelson replied, that Vado was the only place where the British fleet could lie in safety: but all places would suit- his squadron; and wherever the General came down to the sea-coast, there he should find it. The Austrian repeatedly asked, if there was not a risk of losing the squadron; and was constantly answered, that if these ships should be lost, the Ad- miral would find others. But all plans of co-operation with the Austrians were soon frustrated by the battle of Montenotte.^ Beaulieu ordered an attack to be made upon the post of Voltri : — it was made twelve hours be- fore the time which he had fixed, and before he arrived to direct it. In consequence, the French were enabled to effect their retreat, and fall back to Montenotte; thus giving the troops there a decisive superiority in number over the division which attacked them. This drew on the defeat of the Austrians. Bonaparte, with a celerity which had never before been witnessed in modern war, pursued his advantages, and, in the course of a fort- night, dictated to the court of Turin terms of peace, or rather of submission ; by which all the strongest places of Piedmont were put into his hands. On one occasion, and only on one. Nelson was able to impede the progress of this new conqueror. Six vessels, laden with cannon and ordnance-stores for the siege of Mantua, sailed from Toulon for St. Pier d 'Arena. As- sisted by Captain Cockburn, in the Meleager, he drove them under a battery, pursued them, silenced the bat- teries, and captured the whole. Military books, plans, 1. Battle of Montenotte. April 12, 1796. The Life op Nelson 125 and maps of Italy, with, the different points marked upon them where former battles had been fought, sent by the Directory for Bonaparte's use, were found in the convoy. The loss of this artillery was one of the chief causes which compelled the French to raise the siege of Mantua : but there was too much treachery, and too much imbecility, both in the councils and armies of the allied powers, for Austria to improve this momen- tary success. Bonaparte perceived that the conquest of all Italy was within his reach: treaties, and the rights of neutral or friendly powers, were as little regarded by him as by the government for which he acted. In open contempt of both he entered Tuscany, and took possession of Leghorn. In consequence of this move- ment. Nelson blockaded that port, and landed a British force in the Isle of Elba, to' secure Porto Ferrajo. Soon afterwards he took the island of Capraja, which had formerly belonged to Corsica, being less than forty miles distant from it : a distance, however, short as it was, which enabled the Genoese to retain it, after their in- famous sale of Corsica to France. Genoa had now taken part with France: its government had long covertly assisted the French, and now willingly yielded to the first compulsory menace which required them to exclude the English from their ports. Capraja was seized, in consequence: but this act of vigor was not followed up as it ought to have been. England at that time depended too much upon the feeble governments of the Continent, and too little upon itself. It was determined by the British Cabinet to evacuate Corsica, as soon as Spain should form an offensive alliance with France. This event, which, from the moment that Spain had been compelled to make peace, was clearly foreseen, had now taken place ;^ and orders for the 1. Bad now taken place. October 19, 1796. 126 The Life op Nelson evacuation of the island were immediately sent out. It was impolitic to annex this island to the British do- minions ; but, having done so, it was disgraceful thus to abandon it. The disgrace would have been spared, and every advantage which could have been derived from the possession of the island secured, if the people had at first been left to form a government for themselves, and protected by us in the enjoyment of their inde- pendence. The Viceroy, Sir Gilbert Elliot, deeply felt the im- policy and ignominy of this evacuation. The fleet also was ordered to leave the Mediterranean. This resolution was so contrary to the last instructions which had been received^ that Nelson exclaimed: — ''Do his Majesty's ministers know their own minds ? They at home, ' ' said he, '*do not know what this Heet is capable of perform- ing — anything and everything. Much as I shall rejoice to see England, I lament our present orders in sack- cloth and ashes, so dishonorable to the dignity of Eng- land, whose fleets are equal to meet the world in arms; and of all the fleets I ever saw, I never beheld one, in point of officers and men, equal to Sir John Jervis's, who is a Commander-in-Chief able to lead them to glory.'' Sir Gilbert Elliot believed that the great body of the Corsicans were perfectly satisfied, as they had good reason to be, with the British government, sen- sible of its advantages, and attached to it. However this may have been, when they found that the English intended to evacuate the island, they naturally and necessarily sent to make their peace with the French. The partisans of France found none to oppose them. A committee of thirty took upon them the government of Bastia, and sequestrated^ all the British property: armed Corsicans mounted guard at every place, and 1. Sequestrated. Seized for the use of the state. The Life of Nelson 127 a plan was laid for seizing the Viceroy. Nelson, who was appointed to superintend the evacuation, frustrated these projects. At a time when every one else de- spaired of saving stores, cannon, provisions, or property of any kind, and a privateer was moored across the mole-head to prevent all boats from passing, he sent word to the Committee, that if the slightest opposition were made to the embarkation and removal of British property, he would batter the town down. The priva- teer pointed her guns at the officer who carried this message, and muskets were levelled against his boats from the mole-head. Upon this, Captain Sutton, of the Egmontj pulling out his watch, gave them a quarter of an hour to deliberate upon their answer. In five min- utes after the expiration of that time, the ships, he said, would open their fire. Upon this the very sentinels scampered off, and every vessel came out of the mole. A shipowner complained to the Commodore, that the municipality refused to let him take his goods out of tlie custom-house. Nelson directed him to say, that unless they were instantly delivered, he would open his fire. The Committee turned pale ; and, without answer- ing a word, gave him the keys. Their last attempt was to levy a duty upon the things that were re-embarked. He sent them word, that he would pay them a disagree- able visit, if there were any more complaints. The Committee then finding that they had to deal with a man who knew his own power, and was determined to make the British name respected, desisted from the insolent conduct which they had assumed; and it was acknowledged, that Bastia had never been so quiet and orderly since the English were in possession of it. This was on the 14th of October: during the five following days the work of embarkation was carried on, the pri- vate property was saved, and public stores to the amount 128 The Life of Nelson of £200,000. The French, favored by the Spanish fleet, which was at that time within twelve leagues of Bastia, pushed over troops from Leghorn, who landed near Cape Corse on the 18th, and on the 20th, at one in the morn- ing, entered the citadel, an hour only after the British had spiked the guns, and evacuated it. Nelson em- barked at daybreak, being the last person who left the shore ; having thus, as he said, seen the first and the last of Corsica. Provoked at the conduct of the munici- pality, and the disposition which the populace had shown to profit by the confusion, he turned towards the shore, as he stepped into his boat, and exclaimed: ''Now, John Corse, follow the natural bent of your detestable character — plunder and revenge." This, however, was not Nelson's deliberate opinion of the people of Corsica; he knew that their vices were the natural consequences of internal anarchy and foreign oppression, such as the same causes would produce in any people : and when he saw, that of all those who took leave of the Viceroy, there was not one who parted from him without tears, he acknowledged that they manifestly acted, not from dislike of the English, but from fear of the French. England then might, with more reason, reproach her own rulers for pusillanimity, than the Corsicans for ingratitude. Having thus ably effected this humiliating service. Nelson was ordered to hoist his broad pendant on board the Minerve frigate. Captain George Cockburn, and, with the Blanche under his command, proceed to Porto Perrajo, and superintend the evacuation of that place also. On his way, he fell in with two Spanish frigates, the Sahina and the Ceres. The Minerve engaged the former, which was commanded by Don Jacobo Stuart, a descendant of the Duke of Berwick.^ After an action 1. Duke of Berwick. An illegitimate son of James II of England. The Life of Nelson 129 of three hours, during which the Spaniards lost 164 men, the Sahina struck. The Spanish Captain, who was the only surviving officer, had hardly been conveyed on board the Minerve, when another enemy's frigate came up, compelled her to cast off the prize, and brought her a second time to action. After half an hour's trial of strength, this new antagonist wore and hauled off:^ but a Spanish squadron of two ships of the line and two frigates came in sight. The Blanche, from which the Ceres had got off, was far to windward, and the Minerve escaped only by the anxiety of the enemy to recover their own ship. As soon as Nelson reached Porto Ferrajo, he sent his prisoner in a flag of truce to Carthagena, having returned him his sword; this he did in honor of the gallantry which Don Jacobo had displayed, and not without some feeling of respect for his ancestry. ''I felt it," said he, '' consonant to the dignit}^ of my country, and I always act as I feel right, without regard to custom: he was reputed the best officer in Spain, and his men were worthy of such a commander." By the same flag of truce he sent back all the Spanish prisoners at Porto Ferrajo, in exchange for whom he received his own men who had been taken in the prize. General de Burgh, who commanded at the Isle of Elba, did not think himself authorized to abandon the place, till he had received specific instructions from England to that effect ; professing that he was unable to decide between the contradictory orders of Government, or to guess at what their present intentions might be ; but he said, his only motive for urging delay in this measure arose from a desire that his own conduct might be properly sanctioned, not from any opinion that Porto Ferrajo ought to be retained. But Naples having made 1. Wore and hauled off. Turned with the wind and withdrew. 130 The Life of Nelson peace, Sir John Jervis considered his business with Italy as concluded; and the protection of Portugal was the point to which he was now instructed to attend. Nel- son, therefore, whose orders were perfectly clear and explicit, withdrew the whole naval establishment from that station, leaving the transports victualled, and so arranged, that all the troops and stores could be em- barked in three days. He was now about to leave the Mediterranean. Mr. Drake, who had been our minister at Genoa, expressed to him, on this occasion, the very high opinion which the allies entertained of his con- spicuous merit; adding, that it was impossible for any one, who had the honor of co-operating with him, not to admire the activity, talents, and zeal, which he had so eminently and constantly displayed. In fact, during this long course of services in the Mediterranean, the whole of his conduct had exhibited the same zeal, the same indefatigable energy, the same intuitive judgment, the same prompt and unerring decision, which charac- terized his after-career of glory. His name was as yet hardly known to the English public, but it was feared and respected throughout Italy. A letter came to him, directed, ''Horatio Nelson, Genoa:" and the writer, when he was asked how he could direct it so vaguely, replied, *'Sir, there is but one Horatio Nelson in the world. "At Genoa, in particular, where he had so long been stationed, and where the nature of his duty first led him to continual disputes with the government, and afterwards compelled him to stop the trade of the port, lie was equally respected by the Doge and by the people : for, while he maintained the rights and interests of Great Britain with becoming firmness, he tempered the exercise of power with courtesy and humanity, wherever duty would permit. "Had all my actions," said he, writing at this time to his wife, "been gazetted, not one The Life op Nelson 131 fortnight would have passed, during the whole war, without a letter from me. One day or other I will have a long ^Gazette' to myself. I feel that such an oppor- tunity will be given me. I cannot, if I am in the field of glory, be kept out of sight: wherever there is any- thing to be done, there Providence is sure to direct my steps. ' ' These hopes and anticipations were soon to be ful- filled. Nelson's mind had long been irritated and de- pressed by the fear that a general action would take place before he could join the fleet. At length he sailed from Porto Ferrajo with a convoy for Gibraltar; and having reached that place, proceeded to the westward in search of the Admiral. Of£ the mouth of the Straits he fell in with the Spanish fleet ;^ and, on the 13th of Feb- ruary, reaching the station off Cape St. Vincent, com- municated this intelligence to Sir John Jervis. He was now directed to shift his broad pendant on board the Captaiiiy seventy-four. Captain R. "W. Miller; and, be- fore sunset, the signal was made to prepare for action, to keep, during the night, in close order. At daybreak the enemy were in sight. The British force consisted of two ships of one hundred guns, two of ninety-eight, two of ninety, eight of seventy-four, and one of sixty- four guns : fifteen of the line in all ; with four frigates, a sloop, and a cutter. The Spaniards had one four decker, of one hundred and thirty-six guns, six three deckers of one hundred and twelve, two eighty-fours, 1. Fell in unth the Spanish fleet. Two Spanish vessels chased Nelson through the Straits. In the midst of the pursuit, a man fell overboard, and a jolly-boat, with Lieutenant Hardy in command, wag lowered to pick him up. On account of the strong eastward current, it was evident that the boat could not get back to the frigate unless . the latter's speed was checked. "By God, I'll not lose Hardy" ex- claimed Nelson ; "back the mizzen topsail." The enemy, imagining the frigate had caught sight of the British fleet, checked speed also, while the Minerve picked up the boat and resumed her course. 132 The Life of Nelson eighteen seventy-fours : in all, twenty-seven ships of the line, with ten frigates and a brig. Their Admiral, Don Josef de Cordova, had learned from an American, on the 5th, that the English had only nine ships, which was indeed the case when his informer had seen them ; for a reinforcement of five ships from England, under Ad- miral Parker, had not then joined, and the Cxdloden had parted company. Upon this inforaiation, the Span- ish Commander, instead of going into Cadiz, as was his intention when he sailed from Carthagen-a, determined to seek an enemy so inferior in force ; and relying, with fatal confidence, upon the American account, he suf- fered his ships to remain too far dispersed, and in some disorder. When the morning of the 14th broke, and dis- covered the English fleet, a fog for some time concealed their number. The lookout ship of the Spaniards, fancy- ing that her signal was disregarded, because so little notice seemed to be taken of it, made another signal, that the English force consisted of forty sail of the line. The Captain afterwards said he did this to rouse the Admiral: it had the effect of perplexing him, and alarming the whole fleet. The absurdity of such an act shows what was the state of the Spanish navy under that miserable government, by which Spain was so long oppressed and degraded, and finally betrayed. In reality, the general incapacity of the iiaval officers was so well known, that in a pasquinade,^ which about this time appeared at Madrid, wherein the different orders of the state were advertised for sale, the greater part of the sea-officers, with all their equipments, were offered as a gift ; and it was added, that any person who would please to take them, should receive a handsome gratuity. "When the probability that Spain would take part in the war, as an ally of France, was first contemplated, 1. Pasquinade. A satire, or lampoon. The Life of Nelson 133 Nelson said that their fleet, if it were no better than when it acted in alliance with us, would "soon be done for." Before the enemy could form a regular order of battle, Sir John Jervis, by carrying a press of sail, came up with them, passed through their fleet, then tacked, and thus cut off nine of their ships from the main body. These ships attempted to form on the lar- board tack/ either with a design of passing through the British line, or to the leeward of it, and thus rejoining their friends. Only one of them succeeded in this at- tempt; and that only because she was so covered with smoke that her intention was not discovered till she had reached the rear: the others were so warmly received, that they put about, took to flight, and did not appear again in the action till its close. The Admiral was now able to direct his attention to the enemy's main body, which was still superior in number to his whole fleet, and more so in weight of metal. He made signal to tack in succession. Nelson, whose station was in the rear of the British line, perceived that the Spaniards were bearing up before the wind, with an intention of forming their line, going large, and joining their sepa- rated ships; or else, of getting off without an engage- ment. To prevent either of these schemes, he disobeyed the signal without a moment's hesitation, and ordered his ship to be wore.^ This at once brought him into 1. Larboard tacTc. With the wind blowing on the left side. 2. Ordered Ms ship to he wore. To icear is to turn with the wind, Instead of against it as in tacking. The British fleet and the main body of the enemy wer.-. now passing each other on parallel but oppo site courses (see diagram, p. 135), the British beating into the wind, and the Spanish "goine" large" with the wind at a favorable angle. The signal to "tack in succession" meant that each British ship must keep on its course to the point then occupied by the leading ship, before turning t'> pursue the enemy. The order was intended as a means of keeping the British ships between the two Spanish divisions. 134 The Life of Nelson action with the Sdntissima Trinidad, one hundred and thirty-six, the San Josef, one hundred and twelve, the Salvador^ del Mundo, one hundred and twelve, the San Nicolas, eighty, the San Isidro, seventy-four, another seventy-four, and another first-rate. Troubridge, in the Ctdloden, immediately joined, and most nobly sup- ported him ; and for nearly an hour did the Culloden and Captain maintain what Nelson called *'this appar- ently, but not really, unequal contest ; ' ' — such was the advantage of skill and discipline, and the confidence which brave men derive from them. The Blenheim then passing between them and the enemy, gave them a respite, and poured in her fire upon the Spaniards. The Salvador del Mundo and San Isidro dropped a-stem, and were fired into, in a masterly style, by the Excellent, Captain Collingwood. The San Isidro struck ; and Nel- son thought that the Salvador struck also. '^But Col- lingwood," says he, ** disdaining the parade of taking possession of beaten enemies, most gallantly pushed up, with every sail set, to save his old friend and messmate, who was, to appearance, in a critical situation ; ' ' for the Captain was at this time actually fired upon by three first-rates, by the San Nicolas, and by a seventy-four, within about pistol-shot of that vessel. The Blenheim was ahead, the Cidloden crippled and a-stern. Colling- wood ranged up, and hauling up his mainsaiP just a-stem, passed within ten feet of the San Nicolas, giving her a most tremendous fire, then passed on for the Sa7i- tissima Trinidad. The San Nicolas luffing up, the San Nelson, with the same object, turned at once, thus preventing the Spanish from joining to leeward. After th^ battle one of the British captains, Calder, remarked to Jervis that Nelson's maneuver was an unauthorized departure from the prescribed mode of attack. "It cer- tainly was so," replied the admiral, "and if ever you commit such a breach of your orders, I will forgive you also." 1. Hauling up Ms mainsail. Tbus checking bis headway. The Life of Nelson 135 WIND West by South SPANISH MAIN DIVISION (21 ships) ^ % Excellent % Diadem I Captain (Nelson) 9 Namur f Britannia ^Barfleur I Goliath. f Egmont Ia Victory (Jervis) f Irresistible f Colossus 9 Orion ^^. 5 Six Spanish George ^'/^^0'^"^<'^V^^^^^^^^V^ %^ Blenheim ^^ P ships to leeward /Y cross to leeward U c>-<-> Culloden (tacks) PP- 1ST. PHASE: Hiiving cut off Spanish leeward ships, Jervis tacks to onga^ main division San /v 'Co •>'^'l' ^y te °.^<^e/y/ ^ Trin ssima idad Josef SPANISH A \ A MAIN DIVISION "^ (\ V (18 ships) T 1 H \f Excellent 'V' h \ ^.'Captain (wears) \ f I WIND West South-west %Culloden f V ♦ \ (La Victory ' i 9 'J / SPANISH ■' / LEE DIVISION /' (9 ships) 2ND. PHASE: Captain wears to prevent Spanish van from running to leeward BATTLE OF CAPE ST. VINCENT February 14,1797 BRITISH SPANISH 15 ships, 1232 guns 27 ships, 2286 g^uns 136 The Life of Nelson Josef fell on board her/ and Nelson resumed his station abreast of them, and close alongside. The Captain was now incapable of farther service, either in the line or in chase : she had lost her fore-topmast ; not a sail, shroud, or rope, was left, and her wheel was shot away. Nelson, therefore, directed Captain Miller to put the helm a-starboard, and, calling for the boarders, ordered them to board. Captain Berry, who had lately been Nelson's First Lieutenant, was the first man who leaped into the enemy's mizzen-chains. Miller, when in the very act of going, was ordered by Nelson to remain. Berry was supported from the spritsail-yard,- which locked in the ^an Nicolas' s main rigging. A soldier of the 69th broke the upper quarter-gallery window,^ and jumped in, followed by the Commodore himself, and by others as fast as possible. The cabin doors were fastened, and the Spanish officers fired their pistols at them through the window: the doors were soon forced, and the Spanish Brigadier* feir while retreating to the quar- ter-deck. Nelson pushed on, and found Berry in pos- session of the poop, and the Spanish ensign hauling down. He passed on to the forecastle, where he met two or three Spanish officers, and received their swords. The English were now in full possession of every part of the ship; and a fire of pistols and musketry opened 1. Fell on toard her. The San Nicolas having swung head into the wind as a result of Colllngwood's attack, the San Josef collided with her. 2. Supported from the spritsail-yard, etc. The Captain's spritsail- yard, a spar across the bowsprit, had become entangled with the rig- ging of the San Nicolas's mainmast, and served as a bridge by which boarders could cross to the Spanish vessel. 3. Upper quarter-gallery u-indow. A port or window of the Spanish vessel's after-cabin, which projected beyond the ship's side. 4. Brigadier. An officer in command of marines, or soldiers serving on ship-board. The Life of Nelson 137 upon them from the Admiral's stern gallery of the San Josef. Nelson having placed the sentinels at different ladders, and ordered Captain Miller to send more men into the prize, gave orders for boarding that ship from the San Nicolas.^ It was done in an instant, he himself leading the way, and exclaiming — ''Westminster Abbey,^ or victory!" Berry assisted him into the main-chains; and at that moment a Spanish officer looked over the quarter-deck rail, and said they surrendered. It was not long before he was on the quarter-deck, where the Spanish Captain presented to him his sword, and told him the Admiral was below, dying of his wounds. There, on the quarter-deck of an enemy's first-rate, he received the swords of the officers ; giving them, as they were delivered, one by one, to William Fearney, one of his old ^'Agamemnons," who, with the utmost coolness, put them under his arm, ''bundling them up," in the lively expression of Collingwood, "with as much com- posure as he would have made a faggot, though twenty- two sail of their line were still within gunshot. ' ' One of his sailors came up, and, with an Englishman's feeling, took him by the hand, saying, he might not soon have such another place to do it in, and he was heartily glad to see him there. Twenty- four of the Captain's men were killed, and fifty-six wounded; a fourth part of the loss sustained by the whole squadron falling upon this ship. Nelson received only a few bruises. The Spaniards still had eighteen or nineteen ships, which had suffered little or no injury : that part of the fleet which had been separated from the main body in 1. Boarding from the San Nicolas. "There is a saying in the fleet," wrote Nelson, "too flattering for me to omit telling, viz., 'Nelson's Patent Bridge for boarding First-rates,' alluding to my passing over an enemy's 80-gun ship." — DespatcJies (ed. Nicolas), Vol. II, p. 344. 2. Westminster Abbey. That is, a tomb in the famous abbey, in the event of his death in battle. 138 The Life of Nelson the morning was now coming np, and Sir John Jervis made signal to bring-to. His ships could not have formed without abandoning those which they had cap- tured, and running to leeward : the Captain was lying a perfect wreck on board^ her two prizes; and many of the other vessels were so shattered in their masts and rigging as to be wholly unmanageable. The Spanish Admiral, meantime, according to his official account, being altogether undecided in his own opinion respect- ing the state of the fleet, inquired of his captain whether it was proper to renew the action ; nine of them answered explicitly, that it was not; others replied that it was expedient to delay the business. The Pelayo and the Principe Conquistador were the only ships that were for fighting. As soon as the action was discontinued. Nelson went on board the Admiral's ship, Sir John Jervis received him on the quarter-deck, took him in his arms, and said he could not sufficiently thank him. For this victory the Commander-in-Chief was rewarded with the title of Earl St. Vincent.* Nelson, who before the action 1. On board. In contact with ; alongside. * In the official letter of Sir John Jervis, Nelson was not mentioned. It is said, that the Admiral had seen an instance of the ill conse- quences of such selections, after Lord Howe's victory ; and, therefore, would not name any individual, thinking it proper to speak to the public only in terms of general approbation. His private letter to the .First Lord of the Admiralty was, with his consent, published, for the first time, in a Life of Nelson, by Mr. Harrison. Here it is said, that "Commodore Nelson, who was in the rear, on the starboard tack, took the lead on the larboard, and contributed very much to the fortune of the day." It is also said, that he boarded the two Spanish ships suc- cessively ; but the fact, that Nelson wore without orders, and thus planned as well as accomplished the victory, is not explicitly stated. Perhaps it was thought proper to pass over this part of his conduct in silence, as a splendid fault : but such an example is not dangerous. The author of the work in which this letter was first made public protests against those overzealous friends, "who would make the action rather appear as Nelson's battle, than that of the illustrious Com- The Life of Nelson 139 was know:a in England, had been advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral/ had the Order of the Bath^ given him. The sword of the Spanish Rear-Admiral, which Sir John Jervis insisted upon his keeping, he presented to the mayor and corporation of Norwich, saying that he knew of no place where it conld give him or his family more pleasure to have it kept, than in the capital city of the county where he was born. The freedom of that city was voted him on this occasion. But of all the numerous congratulations which he received, none could have affected him with deeper delight than that which came from his venerable father. '^I thank my God," said this excellent man, "with all the power of a grate- ful soul, for the mercies He has most graciously be- mander-in-Chief, who derives from it so deservedly his title. No man," he says, "ever less needed, or less desired, to strip a single leaf from the honored wreath of any other hero, with the vain hope of augment- ing his own, than the immortal Nelson : no man ever more merited the whole of that which a generous nation unanimously presented to Sir J. Jervis, than the Earl of St. Vincent." Certainly Earl St. Vincent well deserved the reward which he received ; but it is not detracting from his merit to say, that Nelson is as fully entitled to as much fame from this action as the Commander-in-Chief ; not because the brunt of the action fell upon him ; not because he was engaged with all the four ships which were taken, and took two of them, it may almost be said, with his own hand ; but because the decisive movement which enabled him to perform all this, and by which the action became a victory, was executed in neglect of orders, upon his own judgment, and at his peril. Earl St. Vincent deserved his earldom : but it is not to the honor of those by whom titles were distributed in those days, that Nelson never obtained the rank of earl for either of those victories which he lived to enjoy, though the one was the most complete and glorious in the annals of naval history, and the other the most im- portant in its consequences of any which was achieved during the whole wa.T.^Southey's Note. 1. Rank of Rear-Admiral. Promotion from captain to rear-admiral was strictly by seniority. Nelson was a captain at twenty-one, and reached flag rank before he was thirty-nine, a good fortune not equaled by any of his contemporaries. 2. Order of the Bath. A military order, consisting in Nelson's time of a grand master and thirty-six knights, chosen for distinguished service. ' 140 The Life op Nelson stowed on me in preserving you. Not only my few acquaintances here, but the people in general, met me at every corner with such handsome words, that I was obliged to retire from the public eye. The height of glory to which your professional judgment, united with a proper degree of bravery, guarded by Providence, has raised you, few sons, my dear child, attain to, and fewer fathers live to see. Tears of joy have involuntarily trickled down my furrowed cheeks. Who could stand the force of such general congratulation ? The name and services of Nelson have sounded throughout this city of Bath — from the common ballad-singer to the public theatre.'' The good old man concluded by telling him, that the field of glory, in which he had so long been conspicuous, was still open, and by giving him his blessing. Sir Horatio, who had now hoisted his flag as Rear- Admiral of the Blue, was sent to bring away the troops from Porto Ferrajo : having performed this, he shifted Ms flag to the Theseus. That ship had taken part in the Mutiny in England,^ and being just arrived from home, some danger was apprehended from the temper of 1. Mutiny in England. Nelson took command of the Theseus on May 27, 1797. The outbreaks referred to had occurred in April of the same year among the crews of ships in the mouth of the Thames, and were manifestations of a spirit of discontent widespread in the service. On July 8, similar trouble arose in Jervis's fleet, with the result that two sailors were sentenced to be hanged. The execution taking place on Sunday morning, one of Jervis's vice-admii'als ventured to criticize him for thus "profaning the Sabbath." Nelson, on the other hand, supported him warmly. "Had it been Christmas day instead of Sun- day," he wrote, "I would have executed them. We know not what might have' been hatched by a Sunday's grog." Nelson's remarks at this time are quoted by his biographers in proof that "the iron grip beneath the velvet glove" was frequently felt in his handling of oflScera and men. But his unusual success in matters of discipline should be attributed in much larger measure to the prestige of his name, his constant attention to the welfare of his crews, and the natural charm of his manners and character. The Life of Nelson 141 the men. This was one reason why Nelson was removed to her. He had not been on board many weeks before a paper, signed in the name of all the ship's company, was dropped on the quarter-deck, containing these words: *' Success attend Admiral Nelson! God bless Captain Miller! "We thank them for the officers they have placed over us. We are happy and comfortable; and will shed every drop of blood in our veins to sup- port them;— and the name of the Theseus shall be im- mortalized as high as the Captain's.'' Wherever Nelson commanded, the men soon became attached to him; — in ten days' time he would have restored the most mutinous ship in the Navy to order. Whenever an officer fails to win the affections of those who are under his command, he may be assured that the fault is chiefly in himself. While Sir Horatio was in the Theseus^ he was em- ployed in the command of the inner squadron at the blockade of Cadiz. During this service, the most peril- ous action occurred in which he was ever engaged. Making a night attack upon the Spanish gunboats, his bprge was attacked by an armed launch, under their commander, Don Miguel Tregoyen, carrying twenty-six men. Nelson had with him only his ten bargemen, Cap- tain Fremantle, and his coxswain, John Sykes, an old and faithful follower, who twice saved the life of his Admiral, by parrying the blows that were aimed at him, and, at last, actually interposed his own head to receive the blow of a Spanish saber, which he could not by any other means avert; — thus dearly was Nelson be- loved. This was a desperate service — hand to hand with swords: and Nelson always considered that his personal courage was more conspicuous on this occasion than on any other during his whole life. Notwithstanding the great disproportion of numbers, eighteen of the enemy 142 The Life of Nelson were killed, all the rest wounded, and their launch taken. Nelson would have asked for a lieutenancy for Sykes, if he had served long enough : his manner and conduct, he observed, were so entirely above his situation, that Na- ture certainly intended him for a gentleman : but though he recovered from the dangerous wound which he re- ceived in this act of heroic attachment, he did not live to profit by the gratitude and friendship of his com- mander. Twelve days after this rencontre. Nelson sailed at the head of an expedition against Teneriffe.^ A report had prevailed a few months before, that the Viceroy of Mexico, with the treasure-ships, had put into that island. This had led Nelson to meditate the plan of an attack upon it, which he communicated to Earl St. Vincent. He was perfectly aware of the difficulties of the attempt. *'I do not," said he, "reckon myself equal to Blake :^ but, if I recollect right, he was more obliged to the wind coming off the land than to any exertions of his own. The approach by sea to the anchoring place is under very high land, passing three valleys; therefore the wind is either in from the sea, or squally with calms from the mountains:" and he perceived, that if the Spanish ships were won the object would still be frus- trated, if the wind did not come off shore. The land force, he thought, would render success certain; and there were the troops from Elba, with all necessary stores and artillery, already embarked. "But here," 1. Teneriffe. The largest of the Canary Islands, northwest of Africa. Santa Cruz is its chief port. 2. Equal to Blake. In April, 1657, Admiral Blake entered the Bay of Santa Cruz and destroyed sixteen Spanish plate-ships under the guns of the fort. On his approach the wind blew heavily into the bay, but later shifted suddenly and carried him safely out. "The Spaniards," says Clarendon in his History, "comforted themselves with the belief that they were devils and not men who had destroyed them in such a manner." The Life op Nelson 143 said he, "soldiers must be consulted; and I know, from experience, they have not the same boldness in undertak- ing a political measure that we have : we look to the benefit of our country, and risk our own fame every day to serve her; — a soldier obeys his orders, and no more..'* Nelson 's experience at Corsica justified him in his harsh opinion; — he did not live to see the glorious days of the British army under "Wellington. The army from Elba, consisting of 3700 men, would do the business, he said, in three days, probably in much less time ; and he would undertake, with a very small squadron, to per- form the naval part ; for though the shore was not easy of access, the transports might run in and land the troops in one day. The report concerning the Viceroy was unfounded; but a homeward-bound Manila ship put into Santa Cruz at this time, and the expedition was determined upon. It was not fitted out upon the scale which Nelson had proposed. Four ships of the line, three frigates, and the Fox cutter, formed the squadron; and he was allowed to choose such ships and officers as he thought proper. No troops were embarked: the seamen and the marines of the squadron being thought sufficient. His orders were, to make a vigorous attack; but on no ac- count to land in person, unless his presence should be absolutely necessary. The plan was, that the boats should land in the night between the fort on the N. B. side of Santa Cruz bay and the town, make themselves masters of that fort, and then send a summons to the governor. By midnight, the three frigates, having the force on board which was intended for this debarka- tion, approached within three miles of the place ; but owing to a strong gale of wind in the offing, and a strong current against them inshore, they were not able to get within a mile of the landing place before daybreak ; and 144 The Life op Nelson then they were seen, and their intention discovered. Trou- bridge and Bowen, with Captain Oldfield, of the ma- rines, went upon this to consult with the Admiral what was to be done; and it was resolved that they should attempt to get possession of the heights above the fort. The frigates accordingly landed their men; and Nelson stood in with the line-of-battle ships, meaning to batter the fort, for the purpose of distracting the attention of the garrison. A calm and contrary current hindered him from getting within a league^ of the shore; and the heights were by this time so secured, and manned with such a force as to be judged impracticable. Thus foiled in his plans by circumstances of wind and tide, he still considered it a point of honor that some attempt should be made. This was on the 22d of July: he re-embarked his men that night, got the ships, on the 24th, to anchor about two miles north of the town, and made show as if he intended to attack the heights. At six in the evening, signal was made for the boats to prepare to proceed on the service, as previously ordered. When this was done, Nelson addressed a letter to the Commander-in-Chief — the last which was ever written with his right hand. *'I shall not," said he, '* enter on the subject, why we are not in possession of Santa Cruz. Your partiality will give credit, that all has hitherto been done which was possible, but without effect. This night I, humble as I am, command the whole, destined to land under the batteries of the town : and, tomorrow, my head will probably be crowned either with laurel or cypress. I have only to recommend Josiah Nisbet to you and my country. The Duke of Clarence, should I fall, v^ill, I am confident, take a lively interest for my 1. League. Three nautical miles. A nautical mile is 6080 feet, or one-sixtieth of a degree at the equator. The Life op Nelson 145 son-in-law, on his name being mentioned." Perfectly aware how desperate a service this was likely to prove, before he left the Theseus, he called Lieutenant Nisbet, who had the watch on deck, into the cabin, that he might assist in arranging and burning his mother's letters. Perceiving that the young man was armed, he earnestly begged him to remain behind. ''Should we both fall, Josiah," said he, ''what would become of your poor mother! The care of the Theseus falls to you: stay, therefore, and take charge of her Nisbet replied: "Sir, the ship must take care of herself; I will go with you tonight, if I never go again." He met his captains at supper on board the Seahorse. Captain Fremantle, whose wife, whom he had lately mar- ried in the Mediterranean, presided at table. At eleven o'clock, the boats, containing between 600 and 700 men, with 180 on board the Fox cutter, and from 70 to 80 in a boat which had been taken the day before, pro- ceeded in six divisions toward the town, conducted by all the captains of the squadron, except Fremantle and Bowen, who attended with Nelson to regulate and lead the way to the attack. They were to land on the mole, and thence hasten, as fast as possible, into the great square; then form, and proceed as should be found expedient. They were not discovered till about half- past one o'clock, when, being Vvdthin half gun-shot of the landing place. Nelson directed the boats to cast off from each other, give a huzza and push for the shore. But the Spaniards were excellently well prepared : the alarm- bells answered the huzza, and a fire of thirty oi;- forty pieces of cannon, with musketry from one end of the town to the other, opened upon the invaders. Nothing, however, could check the intrepidity with which they advanced. The night was exceedingly dark; most of the boats m.issed the mole, and went on shore through 146 The Life of Nelson a raging surf, which stove all to the left of it. The Ad- miral, Fremantle, Thompson, Bowen, and four or five other boats, found the mole : they stormed it instantly, and carried it, though it was defended, as they imag- ined, by four or five hundred men. Its guns, which were six-and-twenty pounders, were spiked , but such a heavy fire of musketry and grape was kept up from the Citadel, and the houses at the head of the mole, that the assail- ants could not advance, and nearly all of them were killed or wounded. In the act of stepping out of the boat. Nelson received a shot through the right elbow, and fell ; but, as he fell, he caught the sword, which he had just drawn, in his left hand, determined never to part with it while he lived, for it had belonged to his uncle. Captain Suckling, and he valued it like a relic. Nisbet, who was close to him, placed him at the bottom of the boat, and laid his hat over the shattered arm, lest the sight of the blood, which gushed out in great abundance, should increase his faintness. He then examined the wound, and taking some silk handkerchiefs from his neck, bound them round tight above the lacerated vessels. Had it not been for this presence of mind of his son-in-law, Nelson must have perished. One of his barge-men, by name Lovel, tore his shirt into shreds, and made a sling with them for the broken limb They then collected five other seamen, by whose assistance they succeeded, at length, in getting the boat afloat ; for it had grounded with the falling tide. Nisbet took one of the oars, and ordered the steersman to go close under the guns of the battery, that they might be safe from its tremendous fire. Hear- ing his voice. Nelson roused himself, and desired to be lifted up in the boat, that he might look about him. Nisbet raised him up j but nothing could be seen, except the firing of the guns on shore, and what could be dis- The Life of Nelson 147 cerned by their flashes upon the stormy sea. In a few minutes, a general shriek was heard from the crew of the FoXy which had received a shot under water, and went down. Ninety-seven men were lost in her; eighty- three were saved, many by Nelson himself, whose exer- tions on this occasion greatly increased the pain and dan- ger of his wound. The first ship which the boat could reach happened to be the Seahorse: but nothing could induce him to go on board, though he was assured, that if they attempted to row to another ship, it might be at the risk of his life. ''I had rather suffer death," he replied, ''than alarm Mrs. Fremantle, by letting her see me in this state, when I can give her no tidings what- ever of her husband. ' ' They pushed on for the Theseus, When they came alongside, he peremptorily refused all assistance in getting aboard, so impatient was he that the boat should return, in hopes that it might save a few more from the Fox. He desired to have only a single rope thrown over the side, which he twisted round his left hand, saying, ' ' Let me alone : I have yet my legs left, and one arm. Tell the surgeon to make. haste, and get his instruments. I know I must lose my right arm ; so the sooner it is off the better. "* The spirit which he displayed, in jumping up the ship's side, astonished everybody. Fremantle had been severely wounded in the right arm, soon after the Admiral. He was fortunate enough • During the peace of Amiens, when Nelson was passing through Salisbury, and received there with those acclamations which followed him everywhere, he recognized, amid the crowd, a man who had as- sisted at the amputation, and attended him afterwards. He beckoned him up the stairs of the Council House, shook hands with him, and made him a present, in remembrance of his services at that time. The man took from his bosom a piece of lace, which he had torn from the sleeve of the amputated limb, saying he had preserved, and would preserve, it to the last moment, in memory of his old commander. — Southey's Note. 148 The Life op Nelson to find a boat at the beach, and got instantly to his ship. Thompson was wounded; Bowen* killed, to the great regret of Nelson; as was also one of his own officers, Lieutenant Weatherhead, who had followed him from the Agamemnon, and whom he greatly and deservedly esteemed. Troubridge, meantime, fortunately for his party, missed the mole in the darkness, but pushed on shore under the batteries, close to the south end of the Citadel. Captain Waller, of the Emerald, and two or three other boats, landed at the same time. The surf was so high, that many others put back. The boats were instantly filled with water, and stove against the rocks ; and most of the ammunition in the men's pouches was wetted. Having collected a few men, they pushed on to the great square, hoping there to find the Admiral and the rest of the force. The ladders were all lost, so that they could make no immediate attempt on the Citadel; but they sent a sergeant, wdth two of the town's people, to summon it : this messenger never returned ; and Trou- bridge having waited about an hour, in painful expecta- tion of his friends, marched to join Captains Hood and Miller, who had effected their landing to the south- west. They then endeavored to procure some intelli- gence of the Admiral and the rest of the officers, but without success. By daybreak they had gathered to- gether about eighty marines, eighty pikemen, and one hundred and eighty small-arm seamen ; all the survivors * "Captain Bowen's gold seals and chain, and sword, were preserved in the town house at Teneriffe, i. e., at Santa Cruz, the chief town in Teneriffe ; his watch and other valuables had been made booty of by the populace. In 1810, the magistrates of the island sent' these memo- rials of the dead to his brother, Commissioner Bowen, saying that they conceived it would be gratifying to his feelings to receive them, and that as the two nations were now united in a cause which did equal honor to both, they did not wish to retain a trophy which could remind them that they had ever been opposed to each other." — Naval Chronicle, vol. xxiv., p. 393. — [Southey's Note.] The Life of Nelson 149 of those who had made good their landing. They ob- tained some ammunition from the prisoners whom they had taken ; and marched on, to try what could be done at the Citadel without ladders. They found all the streets commanded by field-pieces, and several thou- sand Spaniards, with about a hundred French, under arms, approaching by every avenue. Finding himself without provisions, the powder wet, and no possibility of obtaining either stores or reinforcements from the ships, the boats being lost, Troubridge, with great pres- ence of mind, sent Captain Samuel Hood with a flag of truce to the governor, to say he was prepared to burn the town, and would instantly set fire to it, if the Span- iards approached one inch nearer: — This, however, if he were compelled to do it, he should do with regret, for he had no wish to injure the inhabitants : and he was ready to treat upon these terms, — that the British troops should re-embark, with all their arms, of every kind, and take their own boats, if they were saved, or be provided with such others as might be wanting; they, on their part, engaging that the squadron should not molest the town, nor any of the Canary Islands: all prisoners on both sides to be given up. When these terms were pro- posed, the governor made answer, that the English ought to surrender as prisoners of war: but Captain Hood replied, he was instructed to say, that if the terms were not accepted in five minutes, Captain Troubridge would set the town on fire, and attack the Spaniards at the point of the bayonet. Satisfied with his success, which was indeed sufficiently complete, and respecting, like a brave and honorable man, the gallantry of his enemy, the Spaniard acceded to the proposal, found boats to re- embark them, their own having been dashed to pieces in landing, and before they parted gave every man a loaf of bread and a pint of wine. ''And here,'' says Nelson 150 The Life of Nelson in his journal, "it is right we should notice the noble and generous conduct of Don Juan Antonio .^Gutierrez, the Spanish governor. The moment the terms were agreed to, he directed our wounded men to be received into the hospitals, and all our people to be supplied with the best provisions that could be procured ; and made it known, that the ships were at liberty to send on shore, and purchase whatever refreshments they were in want of during the time they might be off the island." A youth, by name Don Bernardo Collagon, stripped him- self of his shirt, to make bandages for one of those Englishmen against whom, not an hour before, he had been engaged in battle. Nelson wrote to thank the gov- ernor for the humanity which he had displayed. Pres- ents were interchanged between them. Sir Horatio offered to take charge of his despatches for the Spanish government; and thus actually became the first messen- ger to Spain of his own defeat. The total loss of the English, in killed, wounded, and drowned, amounted to 250. Nelson made no mention of his own wound in his official despatches; but in a pri- vate letter to Lord St. Vincent — the first which he wrote with his left hand — ^he shows himself to have been deeply affected by the failure of this enterprise. *'I am be- come,'* he said, ''a burden to my friends, and useless to my country : but by my last letter you will perceive my anxiety for the promotion of my son-in-law, Josiah Nisbet. When I leave your command, I become dead to the world: — *I go hence, and am no more seen.' If from poor Bowen's loss^ you think it proper to oblige me, I rest confident you will do it. The boy is under obligations to me ; but he repaid me, by bringing me 1. From poor Bowen's loss. Nelson's request, not explicitly stated, was that Nisbet should be promoted to the vacancy caused by the death of Captain Bowen. The Life of Nelson 151 from the mole of Santa Cruz. I hope you will be able to give me a frigate, to convey the remains of my car- cass to England." — "A left-handed admiral," he said in a subsequent letter, ^Svill never again be considered as useful; therefore, the sooner I get to a very humble cottage the better; and make room for a sounder man to serve the state." His first letter to Lady Nelson was written under the same opinion, but in a more cheerful strain. **It was the chance of war," said he, ''and I have great reason to be thankful : and I know it will add much to your pleasure to find that Josiah, under God's providence, was principally instrumental in saving my life. I shall not be surprised if I am neglected and for- gotten: probably I shall no longer be considered as use- ful : however, I shall feel rich if I continue to enjoy your affection. I beg neither you nor my father will think much of this mishap : — my mind has long been made up to such an event." His son-in-law, according to his wish, was imme- diately promoted; and honors enough to heal his wounded spirit awaited him in England. Letters were addressed to him by the First Lord of the Admiralty, and by his steady friend, the Duke of Clarence, to con- gratulate him on his return, covered as he was with glory. He assured the duke, in his reply, that not a scrap of that ardor with which he had hitherto served his king had been shot away. The freedoms of the cities of Bristol and London were conferred on him: he was invested with the Order of the Bath;^ and received a pension of £1000 a year. The Memorial which, as a matter of form, he was called upon to present on this occasion, exhibited an extraordinary catalogue of serv- 1. Order of the Bath. He had been appointed to the order, immedi- ately after the battle of Cape St. Vincent (see p. 139), but was now formally invested by the king. 152 The Life op Nelson ices performed during the war. It stated, that he had been in four actions with the fleets of the enemy, and in three actions with boats employed in cutting out of harbor, in destroying vessels, and in taking three towns: he had served on shore with the army four months, and commanded the batteries at the sieges of Bastia and Calvi; he had assisted at the capture of seven sail of the line, six frigates, four corvettes, and eleven priva- teers : taken and destroyed nearly fifty sail of merchant vessels; and actually been engaged against the enemy upwards of one hundred and twenty times; in which service he had lost his right eye and right arm, and been severely wounded and bruised in his body. His sufferings from the lost limb were long and pain- ful. A nerve had been taken up in one of the ligatures at the time of the operation ; and the ligature, according to the practice of the French surgeons, was of silk, in- stead of waxed thread: this produced a constant irrita- tion and discharge ; and the ends of the ligature being pulled every day, in hopes of bringing it away, occa- sioned fresh agony. He had scarcely any intermission of pain, day or night, for three months after his return to England. Lady Nelson, at his earnest request, at- tended the dressing of his arm, till she had acquired sufficient resolution and skill to dress it herself. One night, during this state of suffering, after a day of con'stant pain. Nelson retired early to bed, in hope of enjoying some respite by means of laudanum. He was at that time lodging in Bond Street; and the family was soon disturbed by a mob knocking loudly and vio- lently at the door. The news of Duncan's victory^ had been made public, and the house was not illuminated. But when the mob were told that Admiral Nelson lay 1. Duncan's victory. Over the Dutch off Camperdown, October 11, 1707 The Life of Nelson 153 there in bed, badly wounded, the foremost of them made answer: "You shall hear no more from us tonight;" and, in fact, the feeling' of respect and sympathy was communicated from one to another with such effect, that, under the confusion of such a night, the house was not molested again. About the end of November, after a night of sound sleep, he found the arm nearly free from pain: the surgeon was immediately sent for, to examine it; and the ligature came away with the slightest touch. From that time it began to heal. As soon as he thought his health established, he sent the following form of thanks- giving to the minister of St. George's, Hanover Square: "An officer desires to return thanks to Almighty God for his perfect recovery from a severe wound, and also for the many mercies bestowed on him." Not having been in England till now, since he lost his e^^e, he went to receive a year's pay, as smart money ;^ but could not obtain payment, because he had neglected to bring a certificate from a surgeon, that the sight was actually destroyed. A little irritated that this form should be insisted upon; because, though the fact was not apparent, he thought it was sufficiently notorious, he procured a certificate, at the same time, for the loss of his arm ; saying, they might just as well doubt one as the other. This put him in good humor with himself, and with the clerk who had offended him. On his return to the office, the clerk, finding it was only the annual pay of a captain, observed, he thought it had been more. "Oh!" replied Nelson, "this is only for an eye. In a few days I shall come for an arm ; and in a little time longer, God knows, most probably for a leg. ' ' Ac- cordingly, he soon afterwards went; and with perfect good humor exhibited the certificate of the loss of his arm. 1. Smart money. Extra pay granted for wounds incurred In service. CHAPTER V Nelson rejoins Earl St. Vincent in the Vanguard — Sails in pur- suit of the French to Egypt — Returns to Sicily, and sails again to Egypt— Battle of the Nile. Early in the year 1798, Sir Horatio Nelson hoisted his flag in the Vanguard, and was ordered to rejoin Earl St. Vincent. Upon his departure, his father addressed him with that affectionate solemnity by which all his letters were distinguished. *'I trust in the Lord," said he, "that He will prosper your going out and your coming in. I earnestly desired once more to see you, and that wish has been heard. If I should presume to say I hope to see you again, the question would readily be asked, How old art thou? Vale! vale! Dominie, vale!'^^ It is said that a gloomy foreboding hung on the spirits of Lady Nelson at their parting. This could have arisen only from the dread of losing him by the chance of war. Any apprehension of losing his affections could hardly have existed; for all his correspondence to this time shows that he thought himself happy in his marriage; and his private character had hitherto been as spotless as his public conduct. One of the last things he said to her was, that his own ambition was satisfied, but that he went to raise her to that rank in which he had long wished to see her. Immediately on his rejoining the fleet, he was des- patched to the Mediterranean, with a small squadron, in order to ascertain, if possible, the object of the great expedition which at that time was fitting out, under 1. Vale, etc. Farewell, Master, farewell. 154 The Life of Nelson 155 Bonaparte, at Toulon. The defeat of this armament, whatever might be its destination, was deemed by the British government an object paramount to every other ; and Earl St, Vincent was directed, if he thought it neces- sary, to take his whole force into the Mediterranean, to relinquish, for that purpose, the blockade of the Spanish fleet, as a thing of inferior moment: but, if he should deem a detachment sufficient, * ' I think it almost unneces- sary," said the First Lord of the Admiralty, in his secret instructions, ''to suggest to you the propriety of putting it under Sir Horatio Nelson." It is to the honor of Earl St. Vincent, that he had already made the same choice. This appointment to a service in which so much honor might be acquired gave great offence to the senior admirals of the fleet. Sir William Parker, who was a very excellent officer, and as gallant a man as any in the navy, and Sir John Orde, who on all occasions of service had acquitted himself with great honor, each wrote to Lord Spencer, complaining that so marked a prefer- ence should have been given to a junior of the same fleet. This resentment is what most men in a like case would feel, and if the preference thus given to Nelson had not originated in a clear perception that (as his friend Collingwood said of him a little while before) his spirit was equal to all undertakings, and his resources fltted to all occasions, an injustice would have been done to them by his appointment. But if the services were conducted with undeviating respect to seniority, the naval and military character would soon be brought down to the dead level of mediocrity. The armament at Toulon consisted of thirteen ships of the line, seven forty-gun frigates, with twenty-four smaller vessels of war, and nearly 200 transports. Mr. Udney, our counsel at Leghorn, was the first person who procured certain intelligence of the enemy's design 156 The Life op Nelson against Malta ; and, from his own sagacity, foresaw that Egypt must be their after object. Nelson sailed from Gibraltar on the 9th of May, with the Vanguard, Orion, and Alexander, seventy-fours ; the Caroline, Flora, Emerald, and Terpsichore, frigates; and the Bonnie Citoyenne sloop of war, to watch this formidable arma- ment. On the 19th, when they were in the Gulf of Lyons, a gale came on from the N, W. It moderated so much on the 20th, as to enable them to get their top-gallant- masts and yards aloft.^ After dark, it again began to blow strong : but the ships had been prepared for a gale, and therefore Nelson's mind was easy. Shortly after midnight, however, his main topmast went over the side, and the mizzen-topmast soon afterwards. The night was so tempestuous, that it was impossible for any signal either to be seen or heard; and Nelson determined, as soon as it should be daybreak, to wear, and scud before the gale: but at half -past three the foremast went into three pieces, and the bowsprit was found to be sprung in three places. When day broke, they succeeded in wearing the ship with a remnant of the sprit-sail :^ this was hardly to have been expected: the Vanguard was at that time twenty- five leagues south of the islands of Hieres, with her head lying to the N. E., and if she had not wore, the ship must have drifted to Corsica. Captain Ball, in the Alexander, took her in tow, to carry her into the Sardinian harbor of St. Pietro. Nelson, apprehensive that this attempt might endanger both vessels, ordered him to cast off : but that excellent officer, with a spirit like his commander's, replied, he was confident he could save the Vanguard, and 1. Masts and j/ards aloft. As was customary in violent storms, the top-gailant and other upper masts had been unrigged, lowered, and lashed to the masts below. 2. Wearing . . . ivith the sprit-sail. Turning the ship with the wind by mesns of a small sail spread under the bowsprit. The Life of Nelson 157 by God's help lie would do it. There had been a previous coolness between these great men; but from this time Nelson became fully sensible of the extraordinary talents of Captain Ball, and a sincere friendship subsisted be- tween them during the remainder of their lives. ''I ought not," said the Admiral, writing to his wife, *'I ought not to call what has happened to the Vanguard by the cold name of accident : I believe firmly it was the Almighty's goodness, to check my consummate vanity. I hope it has made me a better officer, as I feel confident it has made me a better man. Figure to yourself, on Sunday evening, at sunset, a vain man walking in his cabin, with a squadron around him, who looked up to their chief to lead them to glory, and in whom their chief placed the firmest reliance that the proudest ships of equal numbers belonging to France would have lowered their flags; — figure to yourself, on Monday morning, when the sun rose, this proud man, his ship dismasted, his fleet dispersed, and himself in such distress, that the meanest frigate out of France would have been an un- welcome guest." Nelson had, indeed, more reason to refuse the cold name of accident to this tempest than he was then aware of; for on that very day the French fleet sailed from Toulon, and must have passed within a few leagues of his little squadron, which was thus pre- served by the thick weather that came on. The British government at this time, with a becom- ing spirit, gave orders, that any port in the Mediterra- nean should be considered as hostile, where the governor or chief magistrate should refuse to let our ships of war procure supplies of provisions, or of any article which they might require. In these orders the ports of Sardinia were excepted. The continental possessions of the King of Sardinia were at this time completely at the mercy of the French, and 158 The Life of Nelson that prince was now discovering, when too late, that the terms to which he had consented, for the purpose of escaping immediate danger, necessarily involved the loss of the dominions which they were intended to preserve. The citadel of Turin was now occupied by French troops ; and his wretched court feared to afford the com- mon rights of humanity to British ships, lest it should give the French occasion to seize on the remainder of his dominions : — a measure for which, it was certain, they would soon make a pretext, if they did not find one. Nelson was informed, that he could not be permitted to enter the port of St. Pietro. Regardless of this inter- dict, which, under his circumstances, it would have been an act of suicidal folly to have regarded, he anchored in the harbor; and, by the exertions of Sir James Sau- marez. Captain Ball, and Captain Berry, the Vanguard was refitted in four days; months would have been em- ployed in refitting her in England. Nelson, with that proper sense of merit wherever it was found, which proved at once the goodness and greatness of his char- acter, especially recommended to Earl St. Vincent the carpenter of the Alexander, under whose direction the ship had been repaired ; stating, that he was an old and faithful servant of the crown, who had been nearly thirty years a warrant carpenter ;^ and begging most earnestly that the Commander-in-Chief would recommend him to the particular notice of the Board of Admiralty. He did not leave the harbor without expressing his sense of the treatment which he had received there, in a letter to the Viceroy of Sardinia. *'Sir," it said, ''having, by a gale 1. Warrant carpenter. In the British Navy all officers of lieu- tenant's rank or higher hold commissions from the Crown and are called, "commissioned officers" ; subordinate officers, such as boatswains, gunners, carpenters, etc., are usually promoted from seamen, are Ineligible for commissioned rank, and hold their positions on warrants Issued by the Admiralty. The Life of Nelson 159 of wind, sustained some trifling damages, I anchored a small part of his Majesty's fleet under my orders off this island, and was surprised to hear, by an officer sent by the governor, that admittance was to be refused to the flag of his Britannic Majesty into this port. When I reflect, that my most gracious sovereign is the oldest, I believe, and certainly the most faithful ally which the King of Sardinia ever had, I could feel the sorrow which it must have been to his Majesty to have given such an order; and also for your excellency, who had to direct its execu^ tion. I cannot but look at the African shore,^ where the followers of Mahomet are performing the part of the good Samaritan, which I look for in vain at St. Peter's, where it said the Christian religion is professed. ' ' The delay which was thus occasioned was useful to him in many respects : it enabled him to complete his supply of water, and to receive a reinforcement, which Earl St. Vincent, being himself reinforced from England, was enabled to send him. It consisted of the best ships of his fleet : the Culloden, seventy-four. Captain T. Trou- bridge; Goliath, seventy-four, Captain T. Foley; Mino- taur, seventy-four. Captain T. Louis; Defence, seventy- four. Captain John Peyton; Bellerophon, seventy-four, Captain H. D. E. Darby; Majestic, seventy-four, Cap- tain G. B. Westcott; Zealous, seventy-four. Captain S. Hood; Swiftsure, seventy-four. Captain B. Hallowell; Theseus, seventy-four, Captain R. W. Miller; Audacious, seventy-four. Captain Davidge Gould. The Leander, fifty. Captain T. B. Thompson, was afterwards added. These ships were made ready for the service as soon as Earl St. Vincent received advice from England that he was to be reinforced. As soon as the reinforcement was seen from the masthead of the- Admiral's ship, off Cadiz 1. African shore. For the friendly relations between Great Britain and the Barbary Statos, see p. 75, note 1. 160 The Life of Nelson Lay, signal was immediately made to Captain Troii* bridge to put to sea ; and he was out of sight before the ships from home cast anchor in the British station. Trou- bridge took with him no instructions to Nelson as to the course he was to steer, nor any certain account of the enemy's destination:^ everything was left to his own judgment. Unfortunately, the frigates had been sepa- rated from him in the tempest, and had not been able to rejoin: they sought him unsuccessfully in the Bay of Naples, where they obtained no tidings of his course : and he sailed without them. The first news of the enemy's armament was, that it had surprised Malta. Nelson formed a plan for attack- ing it while at anchor at Gozo :^ but on the 22d of June intelligence reached him that the French had left that island on the 16th, the day after their arrival. It was clear that their destination was eastward — he thought for Egypt — and for Egypt, therefore, he made all sail. Had the frigates been with him he could scarcely have failed to gain information of the enemy : for want of them, he only spoke three vessels on the way ; two came from- Alex- andria, one from the Archipelago f and neither of them had seen anything of the French. He arrived off Alex- andria on the 28th, and the enemy were not there, nei- ther was there any account of them; but the governor was endeavoring to put the city in a state of defence, hav- ing received advice from Leghorn, that the French expe- dition was intended against Egypt, after it had taken Malta. Nelson then shaped his course to the northward, for Caramania,* and steered from thence along the south- 1. Enemy's destination. This no one in tlie British fleet Icnew ; it was variously surmised to be Sicily, Corfu, Portugal, Ireland, and Cartagena. 2. ClGzo. A pmall island norihwest of Malta. See map, p. SI. 3. ArcJnpelago. The ^gean Sea and Islands. 4. Caramania. The southern coast of Asia Minor. The Life of Nelson 161 em side of Candia, carrying a press of sail, both night and day, with a contrary wind. It would have been l;is delight, he said, to have tried Bonaparte on a wind.^ It would have been the delight of Europe, too, and the bless- ing of the world, if that fleet had been overtaken with its general on board But of the myriads and millions of human beings who would have been preserved by that day's victory, there is not one to whom such essential benefit would have resulted, as to Bonaparte himself. It would have spared him his defeat at Acre — his only disgrace ;^ for to have been defeated by Nelson upon the seas would not have been disgraceful : it would have spared him all his after enormities. Hitherto his career had been glorious; the baneful principles of his heart had never yet passed his lips ; history would have repre- sented him as a soldier of fortune, who had faithfully served the cause in which he engaged ; and whose career had been distinguished by a series of successes, unex- ampled in modern times. A romantic obscurity would have hung over the expedition to Egypt, and he would have escaped the perpetration of those crimes which have incarnadined his soul with a deeper dye than that of the purple^ for which he committed them — those acts of perfidy, midnight murder,* usurpation, and remorseless tyranny, which have consigned his name to universal execration, now and forever. Conceiving that when an officer is not successful in his plans, it is absolutely necessary that he should explain 1. On a icind. Close-hauled, beating against the wind. In the ISth century fleets usually fought close-hauled on the same or opposite tacks. 2. Acre . . his only disgrace. Written earlier than 1813, be- fore Napoleon had suffered a serious reverse. For his defeat at Acre see p. 238, note 2. 3. Purple. The imperial purple. 4. Midnight murder. Presumably an allusion to Napoleon's act in seizing and putting to death the Due d'Enghien, a young prince of the Bourbon family, March 21, 1804. 162 The Life of Nelson the motives upon which they were founded, Nelson wrote at this time an account and vindication of his conduct for having carried the fleet to Egypt. The objection which he anticipated was, that he ought not to have made so long a voyage without more certain information. "My answer," said he, "is ready — Who was I to get it from? The governments of Naples and Sicily either knew not, or chose to keep me in ignorance. Was I to wait patiently until I heard certain accounts ? If Egypt were their object, before I could hear of them they would have been in India. To do nothing was disgraceful; therefore I made use of my understanding. I am before your lordships' judgment; and if, under all circum- stances, it is decided that I am wrong, I ought, for the sake of our country, to be superseded; for at this mo- ment, when I know the French are not in Alexandria, I hold the same opinion as off Cape Passaro — that, under all circumstances, I was right in steering for Alexandria : and by that opinioil I must stand or fall." Captain Ball, to whom he showed this paper, told him, he should recom- mend a friend never to begin a defence of his conduct before he was accused of error : he might give the fullest reasons for what he had done, expressed in such terms as would evince that he had acted from the strongest conviction of being right ; and of course he must expect that the public would view it in the same light. Captain Ball judged rightly of the public, whose first impulses, though from want of sufficient information they must frequently be erroneous, are generally founded upon just feelings. But the public are easily misled, and there are always persons ready to mislead them. Nelson had not yet attained that fame which compels envy to be silent; and when it was known in England that he had returned from an unsuccessful pursuit, it was said that he de- served impeachment ; and Earl St. Vincent was severely The Life of Nelson 163 censured for having sent so young an officer upon so important a service. Baffled in his pursuit, he returned to Sicily. The Nea- politan ministry had determined to give his squadron no assistance, being resolved to do nothing which could pos- sibly endanger their peace with the French Directory; by means, however, of Lady Hamilton's influence at court, he procured secret orders to the Sicilian govern- ors; and, under those orders, obtained everything which he wanted at Syracuse : — a timely supply ; without which, he always said, he could not have recommenced his pur- suit with any hope of success. ''It is an old saying,"' said he in his letter, ''that the devil's children have the devil's luck. I cannot to this moment learn, beyond vague conjecture, where the French fleet are gone to; and having gone a round of six hundred leagues at this season of the year, with an expedition^ incredible, here I am, as ignorant of the situation of the enemy as I was twenty-seven days ago. Every moment I have to regret the frigates having left me; had one-half of them been with me, I could not have wanted information. Should the French be so strongly secured in port that I cannot get at them, I shall immediately shift my flag into some other ship, and send the Vanguard to Naples to be re- fitted; for hardly any person but myself would have continued on service so long in such a wretched state. '^ Vexed, however, and disappointed as he was, Nelson, with the true spirit of a hero, was full of hope. ' ' Thanks to your exertions," said he, writing to Sir William and Lady Hamilton, "we have victualled and watered; and surely, watering at the fountain of Arethusa,^ we must have victory. We shall sail with the first breeze; and 1. Expedition. Speed. 2. Fountain of Arethusa. A spring on the small island of Ortygla, In the harbor of Syracuse. According to Greek legend, the nymph 164 The Life op Nelson be assured I will return either crowned with laurel or covered with cypress." Earl St. Vincent he assured, that if the French were above water he would find them out : — he still held his opinion that they were bound for Egypt: ''but," said he to the First Lord of the Ad- miralty, ' ' be they bound to the antipodes, your lordship may rely that I will not lose a moment in bringing them to action."^ On the 25th of July he sailed from Syracuse for the Morea.^ Anxious bej^ond measure, aind irritated that the enemy should so long have eluded him, the tediousness of the nights made him impatient; and the officer of the watch was repeatedly called on to let him know the hour, and convince him, who measured time by his own eager- ness, that it was not yet daybreak. The squadron made the Gulf of Coron^ on the 28th. Troubridge entered the port, and returned with intelligence that the French had been seen about four weeks before steering to the S. E. from Candia. Nelson then determined immediately to return to Alexandria, and the British fleet accordingly, with every sail set, stood once more for the coast of Egypt. On the 1st of August, about ten in the morning, they came in sight of Alexandria ; the port had been vacant md solitary when they saw it last; it was now Arethusa, pursued by the river-god Alpbeus, fled thither and was tr:insformed into the spring. Tliough tat:en from Harrison's Life of Nolscn and suspected as a forgery in support of Lady Hamilton's claims for services rendered to the fleet in the Mediterranean, the letter, with its characteristic antithesis of death and victory, is at least a good iir.ilation of Nelson's epistolary style. 1. Bringing them to action. Of Nelson's movements in the Nile campaign, Mr. David Hannay writes : "At no time in his life were the noble qualities of his nature displayed more entirely free from all alloy. He was an embodied flame of resolution, ar.d as yet showed no sign of the vulgar bluster which was to appear later." — Encyc. Britannica. 2. Morea. The southern peninsula of Greece. 3. Gulf of Coron. At the southern extremity of the Morea. The Life of Nelson 165 crowded with ships, and they perceived with exultation that the tri-color flag was flying upon the walls. At four in the afternoon, Captain Hood, in the Zealous, made the signal for the enemy's fleet. For many preceding days Nelson had hardly taken either sleep or food : he now ordered his dinner to be served, while preparations were making for battle ; and when his officers rose from the table, and went to their separate stations, he said to them : "Before this time tomorrow, I shall have gained a peerage or Westminster Abbey." The French, steering direct for Candia, had made an angular passage for Alexandria ; whereas Nelson, in pur- suit of them, made straight for that place, and thus mate- rially shortened the distance. The comparative small- ness of his force made it necessary to sail in close order, and it covered a less space than it would have done if the frigates had been with him: the weather also was constantly hazy. These circumstances prevented the English from discovering the enemy on the way to Egypt, though it appeared, upon examining the journals of the French officers taken in the action, that the two fleets must actually have crossed on the night of the 22d of June. During the return to Syracuse, the chances of falling in with them were fewer. Why Bonaparte, having effected his landing, should not have suffered the fleet to return, has never yet been explained. This much is certain, that it was detained by his command; though, with his accustomed falsehood, he accused Admiral Brueys, after that officer's death, of hav- ing lingered on the coast, contrary to orders. The French fleet arrived at Alexandria on the 1st of July; and Brueys, not being able to enter the port, which time and neglect had ruined, moored his ships in Aboukir Bay, in a strong and compact line of battle; the headmost vessel, according to his own account, being as close as '166 The Life of Nelson possible to a shoal on the N. W., and the rest of the fleet forming a kind of curve along the line of deep water, so as not to be turned by any means in the S. W. By Bona- parte 's desire, he had offered a reward of 10,000 livres to any pilot of the country who would carry the squadron in ; but none could be found who would venture to take charge of a single vessel drawing more than twenty feet. He had, therefore, made the best of his situation, and chosen the strongest position which he could possibly . take in an open road. The" commissary of the fleet said, they were moored in such a manner as to bid defiance to a force more than double their own. This presumption could not then be thought unreasonable. Admiral Bar- rington, when moored in a similar manner off St. Lucia, in the year 1778, beat off the Comte d'Estaing in three several attacks, though his force was inferior by almost one-third to that which assailed it. Here, the ad- vantage of numbers, both in ships, guns, and men, was in favor of the French. They had thirteen ships of the line and four frigates, carrying 1196 guns, and 11,230 men. The English had the same number of ships of the line, and one fifty-gun ship, carrying 1012 guns, and 8068 men. The English ships were all seventy-fours ; the French had three eighty- gun ships, and one three-decker of 120. During the whole pursuit, it had been Nelson's prac- tice, whenever circumstances would permit, to have his captains on board the Vanguard,^ and explain to them 1. Captains on "board the Vanguard. Modern students of naval war- fare find perhaps the most valuable lesson to be drawn from Nelson's career in his practice, here Illustrated, of carefully "indoctrinating" his subordinates in the plan and principles to be carried out in action. Understanding and accepting the plan, they were expected to use full discretion in executing it. "We must all exert ourselves to the tit- most," he wrote to one of his captains, "and not be nonsensical in saying, *I have an order for this, that, and the other,' if the King's service clearly marks what ought to be done." The Life of Nelson 167 his own ideas of the different and best modes of attack, and such plans as he proposed to execute, on falling in with the enemy, whatever their situation might be. There is no possible position, it is said, which he did not take into calculation. His officers were thus fully acquainted with his principles of tactics : and such was his confi- dence in their abilities, that the only thing determined upon, in case they should find the French at anchor, was for the ships to form as most convenient for their mutual support, and to anchor by the stern. ''First gain the victory, ' ' he said, ' ' and then make the best use of it you can." The moment he perceived the position of the French, that intuitive genius with which Nelson was en- dowed displayed itself ; and it instantly struck him, that where there was room for an enemy's ship to swing,^ there was room for one of ours to anchor. The plan which he intended to pursue, therefore, was to keep en- tirely on the outer sidejDf the French line, and station his ships, as far as he was able, one on the outer bow, and another on the outer quarter, of each of the enemy's. This plan of doubling on the enemy's ships was projected by Lord Hood, when he designed to attack the French fleet at their anchorage in Gourjean Road.^ Lord Hood found it impossible to make the attempt ; but the thought was not lost upon Nelson, who acknowledged himself, on this occasion, indebted for it to his old and excellent com- 1. Room , . . to sicing. Unless moored by both bow and stern, a ship at anchor must have a safe depth to swing in for the length of her cable in all directions. 2. Gourjean Road. For Hood's plan, see p. 100, and note. Nelson's method of attack here was to concentrate, two ships to one, on the outer side of the French ships nearest him, and thus to weaken them before the French ships anchored to leeward could come to their assistance. The maneuver, described later, by which Captain Foley and the four ships following him passed around the head of and thus inside the French line (doubling it in another sense) was an advantageous modification of the original plan, made possible by the freedom of Initiative which Nelson granted his subordinates. 168 The Life of Nelson mander. Captain Berry, when he comprehended the scope of the design, exclaimed with transport, "If we succeed, what will the world say ! ' ' — ' ' There is no if in the case, ' ' replied the Admiral : * * that we shall succeed, is certain : who may live to tell the story, is a very dif- ferent question." As the squadron advanced, they were assailed by a shower of shot and shells from the batteries on the island, and the enemy opened a steady fire from the starboard side of their whole line, within half gun-shot distance, full into the bows of our van ships. It was received in silence : the men on board every ship were employed aloft in furling sails, and below in tending the braces, and making ready for anchoring. A miserable sight for the French; who, with all their skill, and all their courage, and all their advantages of numbers and situation, were upon that element on which, when the hour of trial comes, a Frenchman has no hope. Admiral Brueys was a brave and able man; yet the indelible character of his country^ broke out in one of his letters, wherein he de- livered it as his private opinion, that the English had missed him, because, not being superior in force, they did not think it prudent to try their strength with him. — The moment was now come in which he was to be un- deceived. A French brig was instructed to decoy the English, by maneuvering so as to tempt them toward a shoal lying off the island of Bekier; but Nelson either knew the danger, or suspected some deceit ; and the lure was un- 1. Character of Ms country. The fighting quality of the French nation was sufficiently displayed on the battlefields of the Napoleonic wars. Her relative weakness on the sea in that period may be attrib- uted — not, as some writers have said, to the demoralizing influence of democracy, which had no similar effect on the army — but rather to the fact that control of the sea was less vital for her than for England, and her traditional naval policy was to keep the defensive and avoid the risk of a decisiv'^ action. The Life of Nelson 169 successful. Captain Foley led the way in the Goliath, outsailing the Zealous, which for some minutes disputed this post of honor with him. He had long conceived that if the enemy were moored in line of battle in with the land, the best plan of attack would be to lead between them and the shore, because the French guns on that side were not likely to be manned, nor even ready for action. Intending, therefore, to fix himself on the inner bow of the Guerrier, he kept as near the edge of the bank as the depth of the water would admit; but his anchor hung,^ and having opened his fire, he drifted to the second ship, the Conquerant, before it was clear; then anchored by the stern, inside of her, and in ten minutes shot away her mast. Hood, in the Zealous, perceiving this, took the station which the Goliath intended to have occupied, and totally disabled the Guerrier in twelve minutes. The third ship which doubled the enemy's van was the Orion, Sir J. Saumarez ; she passed to windward of the Zealous, and opened her larboard guns as long as they bore on the Guerrier; then passing inside the Goliath, sunk a frigate which annoyed her, hauled round toward the French line, and anchoring inside, between the fifth and sixth ships from the Guerrier, took her station on the larboard bow of the Franklin, and the quarter of the Peuple Sou- verain, receiving and returning the fire of both. The sun was now nearly down. The Audacious, Captain Gould, pouring a heavy fire into the Guerrier and the Conquerant, fixed herself on the larboard bow of the latter; and when that ship struck, passed on to the Peuple Souverain. The Theseus, Captain Miller, fol- lowed, brought down the Guerrier 's remaining main and mizzen masts, then anchored inside of the Spartiate, the third in the French line. While these advanced ships doubled the French line, 1. Anchor hung. Became entangled as It was lowered away. 170 The Life of Nelson the Vanguard was the first that anchored on the outer side of the enemy, within half pistol shot of their third ship, the Spartiate. Nelson had six colors flying in dif- ferent parts of his rigging, lest they should be shot away; — that they should be struck, no British Admiral considers as a possibility. He veered half a cable,^ and instantly opened a tremendous fire ; under cover of which the other four ships of his division, the Minotaur, Belle- rophon, DefeMce, and Majestic, sailed on ahead of the Admiral. In a few minutes, every man stationed at the first six guns in the fore part of the Vanguard's deck was killed or wounded — these guns were three times cleared. Captain Louis, in the Minotaur, anchored next ahead, and took off the fire of the Aquilon, the fourth in the enemy's line. The Bellerophon, Captain Darby, passed ahead and dropped her stern anchor on the star- board bow of the Orient, seventh in the line, Brueys' own ship, of one hundred and twenty guns, whose dif- ference of force w^as in proportion of more than seven to three, and whose weight of ball, from the lower deck alone, exceeded that from the whole broadside of the Bellerophon. Captain Peyton, in the Defence, took his station ahead of the Minotaur, and engaged the Frank- lin, the sixth in the line ; by which judicious movement the British line remained unbroken. The Majestic, Cap- tain Westcott, got entangled with the main rigging of one of the French ships astern of the Orient, and suf- fered dreadfully from that three-decker's fire: but she swung clear, and closely engaging the Heureux, the ninth ship, on the starboard bow, received also the fire of the Tonnant, which was the eighth in the line. The other four ships of the British squadron, having been detached previous to the discovery of the French, were at a con- 1. Veered half a cable. Slacked away 60 fathoms (360 feet) of the cable attached to the anchor. The Life op Nelson 171 siderable distance when the action began. It commenced at half after six; about seven, night closed, and there was no other light than that of the fire of the contending fleets. Troubridge, in the Culloden, then foremost of the re- maining ships, was two leagues astern. He came on sounding,^ as the others had done : as he advanced, the increasing darkness increased the difficulty of the navi- gation ; and suddenly, after having found eleven fathoms water, before the lead could be hove again, he was fast aground : nor could all his own exertions, joined to those of the Leander and the Mutine brig, which came to his assistance, get him off in time to bear a part in the action. His ship, however, served as a beacon to the Alexander and Swiftsure, which would else, from the course which they were holding, have gone considerably farther on the reef, and must inevitably have been lost. These ships entered the bay, and took their stations, in the darkness, in a manner long spoken of with admiration by all who remembered it. Captain Hallowell, in the SwiftsureJ as he was bearing down, fell in with what seemed to be a strange sail : Nelson had directed his ships to hoist four lights horizontally at the mizzen-peak, as soon as it be- came dark; and this vessel had no such distinction. Hallowell, however, with great judgment, ordered his men not to fire : if she was an enemy, he said, she was in too disabled a state to escape; but, from her sails being loose, and the way in which her head was, it was prob- able she might be an English ship. It was the Bellero- phon, overpowered by the huge Orient: her lights had gone overboard, nearly 200 of her crew were killed or wounded, all her masts and cables had been shot away; and she was drifting out of the line, toward the lee side of the bay. Her station, at this important time, was occu- 1. Came on sounding. Trying the depth of water as he advanced. 172 The Life of Nelson BATTLE OF THE NILE BRITISH 14 ships , 1012 guns 1 brig FRENCH 13 ships. 1026 guns 4 frigates, 152 guns The Life of Nelsoit 173 pied by the Swiftsure, which opened a steady fire on the quarter of the Franklin, and the bows of the French Admiral. At the same instant, Captain Bell, with the Alexander, passed under his stern, and anchored within side on his larboard quarter, raking him, and keeping up a severe fire of musketry upon his decks. The last ship which arrived to complete the destruction of the enemy was the Leander. Captain Thompson, finding that noth- ing could be done that night to get off the Culloden, ad- vanced with the intention of anchoring athwart-hawse of the Orient. The Franklin was so near her ahead, that there was not room for him to pass clear of the two ; he therefore, took his station athwart-hawse of the latter, in such a position as to rake both The two first ships of the French line had been dis- masted within a quarter of an hour after the commence- ment of the action ; and the others had in that time suf- fered so severely, that victory was already certain. The third, fourth, and fifth, were taken possession of at half- past eight. Meantime Nelson received a severe wound on the head from a piece of landridge shot.^ Captain Berry caught him in his arms as he was falling. The great effusion of blood occasioned an apprehension that the wound was mortal : Nelson himself thought so : a large flap of the skin of the forehead, cut from the bone, had fallen over one eye : and the other being blind, he was in total dark- ness. When he was carried down, the surgeon, — in the midst of a scene scarcely to be conceived by those who have never seen a cockpit in time of action, and the heroism which is displayed amid its horrors, — with a natural and pardonable eagerness, quitted the poor fel- low then under his hands, that he might instantly attend 1. Landridge shot. Pieces of scrap-iron, bolts, etc., fastened to- getlier as a projectile for damaging sails and rigging. 174 The Life of Nelson the Admiral. " No ! " said Nelson, ' ' I will take my turn with my brave fellows." Nor would he suffer his own wound to be examined till every man who had been pre- viously wounded was properly attended to. Fully be- lieving that the wound was mortal, and that he was about to die, as he had ever desired, in battle and in victory, he called the chaplain, and desired him to deliver what he supposed to be his dying remembrance to Lady Nelson: he then sent for Captain Louis on board from the Mino- taur, that he might thank him personally for the great assistance which he had rendered to the Vanguard; and, ever mindful of those who deserved to be his friends, ap- pointed Captain Hardy from the brig to the command of his own ship. Captain Berry having to go home with the news of the victory. When the surgeon came in due time to examine his wound (for it was in vain to entreat him to let it be examined sooner), the most anxious si- lence prevailed ; and the joy of the wounded men, and of the whole crew, when they heard that the hurt was merely superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure, than the unexpected assurance that his life was in no danger. The surgeon requested, and as far as he could, ordered him to remain quiet: but Nelson could not rest. He called for his secretary, Mr. Campbell, to write the des- patches. Campbell had himself been wounded ; and was so affected at the blind and suffering state of the Ad- miral, that he was unable to write. The chaplain was then sent for ; but, before he came, Nelson, with his char- acteristic eagerness, took the pen, and contrived to trace a few words, marking his devout sense of the success which had already been obtained. He was now left alone ; when suddenly a cry was heard on the deck, that the Orient was on fire. In the confusion, he found his way up, unassisted and unnoticed, and, to the astonish- ment of every one, appeared on the quarter-deck, where The Life of Nelson 175 he immediately gave orders that boats should be sent to the relief of the enemy. It was soon after nine that the fire on board the Orient broke out. Brueys was dead : he had received three wounds, yet would not leave his post : a fourth cut him almost in two. He desired not to be carried below, but to be left to die upon deck. The flames soon mastered his ship. Her sides had just been painted ; and the oil-jars and paint-buckets were lying on the poop. By the pro- digious light of this conflagration, the situation of the two fleets could now be perceived, the colors of both being clearly distinguishable. About ten o 'clock the ship blew up, with a shock which was felt to the very bottom of every vessel. Many of her officers and men jumped overboard, some clinging to the spars and pieces of wreck, with which the sea was strewn, others swimming to escape from the de- struction which they momentarily dreaded. Some were picked up by our boats ; and some, even in the heat and fury of the action, were dragged into the lower ports of the nearest British vessel by the British sailors. The greater part of her crew, however, stood the danger till the last, and continued to fire from the lower deck. This tremendous explosion was followed by a silence not less awful: the firing immediately ceased on both sides; and the first sound which broke the silence was the dash of her shattered masts and yards, falling into the water from the vast height to which they had been exploded. It is upon record, that a battle between two armies was once broken off by an earthquake •} such an event would be felt like a miracle; but no incident in war, produced by human means, has ever equalled the sublimity of this co-instantaneous pause, and all its circumstances. 1. Battle . . . droTcen off "by an earthquake, Hannibal's victory at Lake Trasimene, 217 B.C. 176 The Life of Nelson About seventy of the Orient's crew were saved by the English boats. Among the many hundreds who perished were the Commodore, Casa-Bianca,^ and his son, a brave boy, only ten years old. They were seen floating on a shattered mast when the ship blew up. She had money on board (the plunder of Malta) to the amount of 600,- OOOZ. sterling. The masses of burning wreck, which were scattered by the explosion, excited for some moments ap- prehensions in the English which they had never felt from any other danger. Two large pieces fell into the m.ain and fore tops of the Swiftsure, without injuring any person. A port-fire^ also fell into the main-royal of the Alexander: the fire which it occasioned was speedily extinguished. Captain Ball had provided, as far as human foresight could provide, against any such danger. All the shrouds and sails of his ship, not absolutely neces- sary for its immediate management, were thoroughly wetted, and so rolled up, that they were as hard and as little inflammable as so many solid cylinders. The firing recommenced with the ships to leeward of the center, and continued till about three. At daybreak, the Gidllaume Tell, and the Genereiix, the two rear ships of the enemy, were the only French ships of the line which had their colors fiying ; they cut their cables in the forenoon, not having been engaged, and stood out to sea, and two frigates with them. The Zealous pursued ; but as there was no other ship in a condition to support Cap- tain Hood, he was recalled. It was generally believed by the officers, that if Nelson had not been wounded, not one of these ships could have escaped : the four certainly could not, if the Culloden had got into action ; aad if the 1. Casa-Bianca. Admiral Brueys' chief-of-staff. The bravery of his son, the theme of Mrs. Heman's well-known poem, Is attested by an eye-witness. 2. Port-fire. A stick of inflammable matter formerly used in firing guns. The Life of Nelson 177 frigates belonging to tiie squadron had been present, not one of the enemy's fleet would have left Aboukir Bay. These four vessels, however, were all that escaped ; and the victory was the most complete and glorious in the annals of naval history. ' ' Victory, ' ' said Nelson, ' ' is not a name strong enough for such a scene;" he called it a conquest. Of thirteen sail of the line, nine were taken, and two burnt: of the four frigates, one was sunk, an- other, the Artemise, was burnt in a villainous manner by her captain, M. Estandlet, who, having fired a broadside at the Theseus, struck his colors, then set fire to the ship, and escaped with most of his crew to shore. The British loss, in killed and wounded, amounted to 895. Westcott was the only captain who fell: 3105 of the French, in- cluding the wounded, were sent on shore by cartel, and 5225 perished. As soon as the conquest was completed, Nelson sent orders through the fleet, to return thanksgiving in every ship for the victory with which Almighty God had blessed his Majesty's arms. The French at Rosetta,^ who with miserable fear beheld the engagement, were at a loss to understand the stillness of the fleet during the perform- ance of this solemn duty ; but it seemed to affect many of the prisoners, officers as well as men : and graceless and godless as the officers were,^ some of them remarked, that it was no wonder such order was preserved in the British navy, when the minds of our men could be impressed with such sentiments after so great a victory, and at a mo- ment of such confusion. — The French at Roselta, seeing their four ships sail out of the bay unmolested, en-, deavored to persuade themselves that they were in pos- 1. Rosetta. A town, near Aboukir Bay on the Rosetta branch of the Nile delta. 2. Godless as the officers were. During the French Revolution, the Christian religion was for a time ofBcially abolished, the Goddess of Reason set up for worship, and a tenth day substituted for Sunday. 178 The Life of Nelson session of the place of battle. But it was in vain thus to attempt, against their own secret and certain conviction, to deceive themselves: and even if they could have suc- ceeded in this, the bonfires which the Arabs kindled along the whole coast, and over the country, for the three following nights, would soon have undeceived them. Thousands of Arabs and Egyptians lined the shore, and covered the house-tops during the action, rejoicing in the destruction which had overtaken their invaders. Long after the battle, innumerable bodies were seen floating about the bay, in spite of all the exertions which were made to sink them, as well from fear of pestilence, as from the loathing and horror which the sight occasioned. Great numbers were cast up upon the Island of Bekier (Nelson's Island, it has since been called), and our sailors raised mounds of sand over them. Even after an interval of nearly three years Dr. Clarke saw them, and assisted in interring heaps of human bodies, which, hav- ing been thrown up by the sea, where there were no jackals to devour them, presented a sight loathsome to humanity. The shore, for an extent of four leagues, was covered with wreck; and the Arabs found employment for many days in burning on the beach the fragments which were cast up, for the sake of the iron.* Part of the Orient's main-mast was picked up by the Swift sure. Captain Hallowell ordered his carpenter to make a coffin of it ; the iron as well as wood was taken from the wreck of the same ship ; it was finished as well and handsomely as the workman 's skill and materials would permit ; and Hallowell then sent it to the Admiral with the following letter, — ' ' Sir, I have taken the liberty of presenting you * During his long subsequent cruise oflE Alexandria, Captain Hallowell kept his crew employed and amused in fishing up the small anchors in the road, which, with the iron found on the masts, was afterwards sold at Rhodes, and the produce applied to purchase vegetables and tobacco for the ship's company. — Southey's Note. The Life of Nelson 179 a coffin made from the main-mast of L' Orient, that when you have finished your military career in this world, you may be buried in one of your trophies. But that that period may be far distant, is the earnest wish of your sincere friend, Benjamin Hallowell.'^ An offering so strange, and yet so suited to the occasion, was received by Nelson in the spirit with which it was sent. As he felt it good for him, now that he was at the summit of his wishes, to have death before his eyes, he ordered the coffin to be placed upright in his cabin. Such a piece of fur- niture, however, was more suitable to his own feelings than to thosis of his guests and attendants; and an old favorite servant entreated him so earnestly to let it be removed, that at length he consented to have the coffin carried below: but he gave strict orders that it should be safely stowed, and reserved for the purpose for which its brave and worthy donor had designed it. The victory was complete ; but Nelson could not pursue it as he would have done, for want of means. Had he been provided with small craft, nothing could have pre- vented the destruction of the store-ships and transports in the port of Alexandria : — four bomb-vessels would at that time have burnt the whole in a few hours. "Were I to die this moment,'' said he in his despatches to the Admiralty, "want of frigates would be found stamped on my heart !^ No words of mine can express what I have suffered, and am suffering, for want of them." He had also to bear up against great bodily suffering; the blow had so shaken his head, that from its constant and violent aching, and the perpetual sickness which accom- panied the pain, he could scarcely persuade himself that the skull was not fractured. Had it not been for Trou- bridge, Ball, Hood, and Hallowell, he declared that he 1. stamped on my heart. Suggested by the exclamation of Queen Mary of England on hearing of the loss of Calais in 1558. 180 The Life of Nelson should have sunk under the fatigue of refitting the squad- ron. "All," he said, "had done well; but these officers were his supporters." But amidst his sufferings and exertions, Nelson could yet think of all the consequences of his victory; and that no advantage from it might be lost, he despatched an officer overland to India, with let- ters to the Governor of Bombay, informing him of the arrival of the French in Egypt, the total destruction of their fleet, and the consequent preservation of India from any attempt against it on the part of this formidable armament. "He knew that Bombay," he said, "was their first object, if they could get there ; but he trusted that Almighty God would overthrow in Egypt these pests of the human race. Bonaparte had never yet had to con- tend with an English officer, and he would endeavor to make him respect us." This despatch he sent upon his own responsibility, with letters of credit upon the East India Company,^ addressed to the British consuls, vice- consuls, and merchants on his route; Nelson saying, ^ ' that if he had done wrong, he hoped the bills would be paid, and he would repay the Company : for, as an Eng- lishman, he should be proud that it had been in his power to put our settlements on their guard." The informa- tion which by this means reached India was of great importance. Orders had just been received for defensive preparations, upon a scale proportionate to the appre- iiended danger; and the extraordinary expenses which would otherwise have been incurred were thus prevented. Nelson was now at the summit of glory: congratula- tions, rewards, and honors were showered upon him by all the states, and princes, and powers to whom his vic- tory gave a respite. The first communication of this 1. East India Company. Founded in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, this great corporation still controlled trade with India and had a large share in the administration of the Indian government. Its powers were not fully transferred to the Crown until 1858. The Life of Nelson 181 nature which he received was from the Turkish Sultan : who, as soon as the invasion of Egypt was known, had called upon ' ' all true believers to take arms against those swinish infidels the French, that they might deliver these blessed habitations from their accursed hands ; ' ' and who had ordered his ''Pashas to turn night into day in their efforts to take vengeance. ' ' The present of "his Imperial Majesty, the powerful, formidable, and most magnificent Grand Seignior,'^ was a pelisse of sables, with broad sleeves, valued at five thousand dollars ; and a diamond aigrette, valued at eighteen thousand — the most honor- able badge among the Turks ; and in this instance more especially honorable, because it was taken from one of the royal turbans. "If it were worth a million," said Nelson to his wife, "my pleasure would be to see it in your possession." The Sultan also sent, in a spirit worthy of imitation, a purse of two thousand sequins/ to be distributed among- the wounded. The mother of the Sultan sent him a box, set with diamonds, valued at one thousand pounds. The Czar Paul, in whom the bet- ter part of his strangelj^ compounded nature at this time predominated, presented him with his portrait, set in diamonds, in a gold box, accompanied with a letter of congratulation, written by his own hand. The King of Sardinia also wrote to him, and sent a gold box, set with diamonds. Honors in profusion were awaiting him at Naples. In his own country the king granted these hon- orable augmentations to his armorial ensign :^ a chief 1. Sequins. Gold coins, first issued by the Venetian Republic, worth about $2.25 each. 2. Augmentations to his armorial ensign. Additions to his coat-of- arms. The chief (upper division of the shield) was undulated (bordered by a waving line) and argent (silver) in color. A palm tree rose from the sea in the middle, signifying victory ; with a disabled ship on the right and a battery on the left, reminiscent of the battle of the Nile: all in their proper (natural) colors. The crest, above the chief, consisted of a golden naval crown, with a plume bearing 182 The Life of Nelson ^ undulated, argent; thereon waves of the sea ; from which a palm-tree issuant, between a disabled ship on the dex- ter, and a ruinous battery on the sinister, all proper; and for his crest, on a naval crown, or, the chelengk, or plume, presented to him by the Turk, with the motto, Palmam qui meruit ferat* And to his supporters, being a sailor on the dexter, and a lion on the sinister, were given these honorable augmentations : a palm-branch in the sailor 's hand, and another in the paw of the lion, both proper; with a tri-colored flag and staff in the lion's mouth. He was created Baron Nelson of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe, with a pension of £2000 for his own life, and those of his two immediate successors. When the grant was moved in the House of Commons, General Walpole expressed an opinion, that a higher degree of rank ought to be conferred. Mr. Pitt made answer, that he thought it needless to enter into that question. ''Ad- miral Nelson's fame," he said, "would be co-equal with the British name : and it would be remembered that he had obtained the greatest naval victory on record, when no man would think of asking whether he had been cre- ated a baron, a viscount, or an earl ! " It was strange that, in the very act of conferring a title, the minister should have excused himself for not having conferred a higher one, by representing all titles, on such an occa- sion, as nugatory and superfluous. True, indeed, what- the motto, "He gives the victory to him who deserves it." The sup- porters were figures on the dexter (right) and the sinister (left) sides of the shield. * It has been erroneously said that the motto was selected by the king : — it was fixed on by Lord Grenville, and taken from an ode of Jortin's. The application was singularly fortunate ; and the ode itself breathes a spirit, in which no man ever more truly sympathized than Nelson : Concurrant paribus cum ratibus rates, Spectent numina ponti, et Palmam qui meruit ferat. — Southey's 'Note. The Life op Nelson 183 ever title had been bestowed, whether viscount, earl, mar- quis, duke, or prince, if our laws had so permitted, he who received it would have been Nelson still. That name he had ennobled beyond all addition of nobility: it was the name by which England loved him, France feared him, Italy, Egypt, and Turkey celebrated him; and by which he will continue to be known while the present kingdoms and languages of the world endure, and as long as their history after them shall be held in remem- brance. It depended upon the degree of rank what should be the fashion of his coronet, in what page of the red book^ his name was to be inserted, and what prece- dency should be allowed his lady in the drawing-room and at the ball. That Nelson's honors were affected thus far, and no farther, might be conceded to Mr. Pitt and his colleagues in administration : but the degree of rank which they thought proper to allot was the measure of their gratitude,* though not of his services. This Nelson felt; and this he expressed, with indignation among his friends. Whatever may have been the motives of the ministry, and whatever the formalities with which they excused 1. Red hook. The Peerage, a book giving genealogical accounts of the British nobility. • Mr. Windham must be excepted from this well-deserved censure. He, whose fate it seems to have been almost always to think and feel more generously than those with whom he acted, declared, when he contended against his own party for Lord Wellington's peerage, that he always thought Lord Nelson had been inadequately rewarded. The ease was the more flagrant, because an earldom had so lately been granted for the battle of St. Vincent ; an action which could never be compared with the battle of the Nile, if the very different manner in which it was rewarded did not necessarily force a comparison ; espe- cially when the part which Nelson bore in it was considered. — Lords Duncan and St. Vincent had each a pension of £1000 from the Irish government. This was not granted to Nelson, in consequence of the Union ; though, surely, it would be more becoming to increase the Brit- ish grant, than to save a thousand a year by the Union in such cases. — Bouthey's Note. 184 The Life op Nelson their conduct to 'themselves, the importance and magni- tude of the victory^ were universally acknowledged. A grant of £10,000 was voted to Nelson by the East India Company; the Turkish Company presented him with a piece of plate ; the City of London presented a sword to him, and to each of his Captains ; gold medals were dis- tributed to the Captains; and the First Lieutenants of all the ships were promoted, as had been done after Lord Hovt^e's victory. Nelson was exceedingly anxious that the Captain and First Lieutenant of the Culloden should not be passed over because of their misfortune. To Troubridge himself he said, "Let us rejoice that the ship which got on shore was commanded by an officer whose character is so thoroughly established." To the Admiralty he stated, that Captain Troubridge 's conduct was as fully entitled to praise as that of any one officer in the squadron, and as highly deserving of reward. ^ ' It was Troubridge, ' ' said he, ' ' who equipped the squadron so soon at Syracuse: it was Troubridge who exerted himself for me after the action : it was Troubridge who saved the Culloden, when none that I know in the service would have attempted it." The gold medal, therefore, by the king's express desire, was given to Captain Trou- bridge, "for his services both before and since, and for the great and wonderful exertion which he made at the time of the action, in saving and getting off his ship." The private letter from the Admiralty to Nelson in- formed him, that the First Lieutenants of all the ships 1. Magnitude of the victory. "It was this battle," says the French naval historian, Admiral Jurien de la Graviere, "which for two years delivered up the Mediterranean to the power of England ; left the French army isolated among a hostile population ; decided the Porte in declaring against it ; saved India from French enterprise ; and brought France to the brink of ruin by reviving the smouldering flames of war with Austria, and bringing Suvarof and the Austro- Russians to the French frontiers." — Guerres Maritimes, Vol. I, p. 229. The Life of Nelson 185 engaged were to be promoted. Nelson instantly wrote to the Commander-in-Chief. "I sincerely hope," said he, "this is not intended to exclude the First Lieutenant of the Culloden. For Heaven 's sake — for my sake — if it be so, get it altered. Our dear friend Troubridge has en- dured enough. His sufferings were, in every respect, more than any of us." To the Admiralty he wrote in terms equally warm. *^I hope, and believe, the word engaged is not intended to exclude the Culloden. The merit of that ship, and her gallant captain, are too well known to benefit by anything I could say Her mis- fortune was great in getting aground, while her more fortunate companions were in the full tide of happiness. No; I am confident that my good Lord Spencer will never add misery to misfortune. Captain Troubridge on shore is superior to captains afloat : in the midst of his great misfortunes he made those signals which pre- vented certainly the Alexander and Swiftsure from run- ning on the shoals. I beg your pardon for writing on a subject which, I verily believe, has never entered your lordship 's head ; but my heart, as it ought to be, is warm to my gallant friends. ' ' Thus feelingly alive was Nelson to the claims, and interests, and feelings of others. The Admiralty replied, that the exception was necessary, as the ship had not been in action : but they desired the Commander-in-Chief to promote the Lieutenant upon the first vacancy which should occur. Nelson, in remembrance of an old and uninterrupted friendship, appointed Alexander Davison sole prize- agent for the captured ships; upon which Davison or- dered medals to be struck in gold, for the captains; in silver, for the lieutenants and warrant officers; in gilt metal, for petty officers; and in copper, for the seamen and marines. The cost of this act of liberality amounted to nearly £2000. It is worthy of record on another ae- 186 The Life of Nelson count : — for some of the gallant men, who received no other honorary badge of their conduct on that memorable day, than this copper medal, from a private individual, years afterwards, when they died upon a foreign station, made it their last request, that the medals might care- fully be sent home to their respective friends. So sensi- ble are brave men of honor, in whatever rank they may be placed. Three of the frigates, whose presence would have been so essential a few weeks sooner, joined the squadron on the twelfth day after the action. The fourth joined a few days after them. Nelson thus received despatches, which rendered it necessary for him to return to Naples. Be- fore he left Egypt he burnt three of the prizes : they could not have been fitted for a passage to Gibraltar in less than a month, and that at a great expense, and with the loss of the service of at least two sail of the line. *'I rest assured, ' ' he said to the Admiralty, ' ' that they will be paid for, and have held out that assurance to the squadron. For if an admiral, after a victory, is to look after the captured ships, and not to the distressing of the enemy, very dearly indeed must the nation pay for the prizes. I trust that £60,000 will be deemed a very moderate sum for them : and when the services, time, and men, with the expense of fitting the three ships for a voyage to England, are considered. Government will save nearly as much as they are valued at. Paying for prizes,"^ he continued, *'is no new idea of mine, and would often prove an amazing saving to the state, even without taking into calculation what the nation loses by the attention of the admirals to the property of the 1. Paying for prises. Tbe money arising from the sale of captured ships was divided among commander, officers, and crew. Nelson requested that a sum equal to the value of the destroyed vessels be handed over by the Government. The Life op Nelson 187 captori*, an attention absolutely necessary, as a recom- pense for the exertions of the officers and men. An ad- miral may be amply rewarded by his own feelings, and by the approbation of his superiors; but what reward have the inferior officers and men, but the yalue of the prizes ? If an admiral takes that from them, on any con- sideration, he cannot expect to be well-supported." To Earl St. Vincent he said, "If he could have been sure that Government would have paid a reasonable value for them, he would have ordered two of the other prizes to be burnt: for they would cost more in refitting, and by the loss of ships attending them, than they were worth. ' ' Having sent the six remaining prizes forward, under Sir James Saumarez, Nelson left Captain Hood, in the Zealous, off Alexandria, with the Swift sure, Goliath, Alcmene, and Emerald, and stood out to sea himself on the seventeenth day after the battle.* ♦ "Some French officers, during the blockade of Alexandria, were sent off to Captain Hallowell to offer a supply of vegetables, and observe, of course, the state of the blockading squadron. They were received with all possible civility. In the course of conversation, after dinner, one of them remarked that we had made use of unfair weapons during the action, by which probably the Orient was burnt; and that General Bonaparte had expressed great indignation at it. In proof of this assertion he stated that in the late gunboat attacks, their camp had twice been set on fire by balls of unextinguishable mat- ter which were fired from one of the English boats. Captain Hallowell instantly ordered the gunner to bring up some of those balls, and asked him from whence he had them. To the confusion of the accusers he related that they were found on board of the 8parUate, one of the ships captured on the 1st of August ; as these balls were distinguished by particular marks, though in other respects alike, the Captain ordered an experiment to be made, in order to ascertain the nature of them. The next morning, says Mr. Willyams, I accompanied Mr. Parr, the gunner, to the island ; the first we tried proved to be a fire-ball, but of what materials composed we could not ascertain. As it did not explode (which at first we apprehended), we rolled it into the sea, where it continued to burn under water ; a black pitchy substance exuding from it till only an iron skeleton of a shell remained. The whole had been carefully crusted over with a substance that gave it the appearance of a perfect shell. On setting fire to the fuse of the 188 The Life of Nelson other, which was differently marked, it burst into many pieces ; though somewhat alarmed, fortunately none of us were hurt. People account differently for the fire that happened on board of the French Admiral ; but why may it not have arisen from some of these fire-balls left, per- haps carelessly, on the poop or cabin, where it first broke out? and what confirms my opinion on this head Is, that several pieces of such shells were found sticking in the BelleropJion, which she most probably received from the first fire of L'Orient/' — Willyams^s Voyage in the Mediterranean, p. 145. — Soiifheji's 'Note. CHAPTER VI Nelson returns to Naples — St^te of that Court and Kingdom — General Mack — The French approach Naples — Flight of the Eoyal Family — Successes of the Allies in Italy — Transactions in the Bay of Naples — Expulsion of the French from the Neapolitan and Eoman States — Nelson is made Duke of Bronte — He leaves the Mediterra- nean and returns to England. Nelson ^s health had suffered greatly while he was in the Agamemnon. "My complaint," he said, "is as if a girth were buckled taut over my breast; and my en- deavor in the night is to get it loose. ' ' After the battle of Cape St. Vincent, he felt a little rest to be so essential to his recovery, that he declared he would not continue to serve longer than the ensuing summer, unless it should be absolutely necessary ; for, in his own strong language, he had then been four years and nine months without one moment's repose for body or mind. A few months' intermission of labor he had obtained — ^not of rest, for it was purchased with the loss of a limb ; and the greater part of the time had been a season of constant pain. As soon as his shattered frame had sufficiently recovered for him to resume his duties, he was called to services of greater importance than any on which he had hitherto been employed, and they brought with them commensu- rate fatigue and care. The anxiety which he endured during his long pursuit of the enemy was rather changed in its direction, than abated, by their defeat: and this constant wakefulness of thought, added to the effect of his wound, and the exertions from which it was not pos- sible for one of so ardent and wide-reaching a mind to spare himself, nearly proved fatal. On his way back to 189 190 The Life of Nelson Italy he was seized with fever. For eighteen hours his life was despaired of; and even when the disorder took a favorable turn, and he was so far recovered as again to appear on deck, he himself thought that his end was approaching, — such was the weakness to which the fever and cough had reduced him. Writing to Earl St. Vincent, on the passage, he said to him, ^'I never ex- pect, my dear lord, to see your face again. It may please God that this will be the finish to that fever of anxiety which I have endured from the middle of June ; but be that as it pleases His goodness. I am resigned to His will." The kindest attentions of the warmest friendship were awaiting him at Naples. ' ' Come here, ' ' said Sir William Hamilton, ''for God's sake, my dear friend, as soon as the service will permit you. A pleasant apartment is ready for you in my house, and Emma is looking out for the softest pillows, to repose the few wearied limbs you have left." Happy would it have been for Nelson if warm and careful friendship had been all that awaited him there ! He himself saw at that time the character of the Neapolitan court, as it first struck an Englishman, in its true light : and when he was on the way, he de- clared that he detested the voyage to Naples, and that nothing but necessity could have forced him to it. But never was any hero, on his return from victory, wel- comed with more heartfelt joy. Before the battle of Aboukir the court of Naples had been trembling for its existence. The language which the Directory^ held towards it was well described by Sir William Hamilton, as being exactly the language of a highwayman. The Neapolitans were told, that Benevento^ might be added 1. The Directory. See p. 123, note 2. 2. Benevento. A city and province near Naples, then under the con- trol of the Pope. The Life op Nelson 191 to their dominions, provided they would pay a large sum, sufficient to satisfy the Directory; and they were warned, that if the proposal were refused, or even if there were any delay in accepting it, the French would revolutionize all Italy. The joy, therefore, of the court at Nelson's success was in proportion to the dismay from which that success relieved them. The Queen was a daughter of Maria Theresa,^ and sister of Marie Antoi- nette.^ Had she been the wisest and gentlest of her sex, it would not have been possible for her to have regarded the French without hatred and horror : and the progress of revolutionary opinions, while it perpetually reminded her of her sister's fate, excited no unreasonable appre- hensions for her own. Her feelings, naturally ardent, and little accustomed to restraint, were excited to the highest pitch when the news of the victory arrived. Lady Hamilton, her constant friend and favorite, who was present, says, "It is nof possible to describe her trans- ports : she wept, she kissed her husband, her children, walked frantically about the room, burst into tears again, and again kissed and embraced every person near her; exclaiming, ' brave Nelson ! God ! bless and protect our brave deliverer ; Nelson ! Nelson ! what do we not owe you! conqueror — savior of Italy! that my swoln heart could now tell him personally what we owe to him ! ' " She wrote to the Neapolitan ambassador at London upon the occasion in terms which show the fulness of her joy, and the height of the hopes w^hich it had excited. "I wish I could give wings," said she, ''to the bearer of the news, and, at the same time, to our mc:."j sincere gratitude. The whole of the sea-coast of Italy is saved; and this is owing alone to the generous English. This battle, or, to speak more correctly, this total defeat, 1. Maria Theresa (1717-1780). Ruler over Austria and Hungary. 2. Marie Antoinette. Queen of France, wife of Louis XVI. 192 The Life op Nelson of the regicide squadron, was obtained by the valor of this brave Admiral, seconded by a navy which is the terror of its enemies. The victory is so complete, that I can still scarcely believe it : and if it were not the brave English nation, which is accustomed to perform prodi- gies by sea, I could not persuade myself that it had hap- pened. It would have moved ^ you to have seen all my children, boys and girls, hanging on my neck and crying for joy at the happy news. — Recommend the hero to his master : he has filled the whole of Italy with admira- tion of the English. Great hopes were entertained of some advantages being gained by his bravery, but no one could look for so total a destruction. All here are drunk with joy." Such being the feelings of the royal family, it may well be supposed with what delight, and with what honors, Nelson would be welcomed. Early on the 22d of Septem- ber the poor, wretched Vanguard^ as he called his shat- tered vessel, appeared in sight of Naples. The Cidloden and Alexander had preceded her by some days, and given notice of her approach. Many hundred boats and barges were ready to go forth and meet him, with music and streamers, and every demonstration of joy and triumph. Sir William and Lady Hamilton led the way in their state barge. They had seen Nelson only for a few days four years ago, but they then perceived in him that heroic spirit which was now so fully and gloriously mani- fested to the world. Emma Lady Hamilton, who from this time so greatly influenced his future life, wa^ a woman whose personal accomplishments have seldom been equalled, and whose powers of mind were not less fascinating than her person. She was passionately at- tached, to the Queen : and by her influence the British fleet had obtained those supplies at Syracuse, without which, Nelson always asserted, the battle of Aboukir The Life of Nelson 193 could not have been fought. During the long interval which passed before any tidings were received, her anx- iety had been hardly less than that of Nelson himself, while pursuing an enemy of whom he could obtain no in- formation : and when the tidings were brought her by a joyful bearer, open-mouthed, its effect was such, that she fell like one who had been shot. She and Sir William had literally been made ill by their hopes and fears, and joy at a catastrophe so far exceeding all that they had dared to hope for. Their admiration for the hero neces- sarily produced a degree of proportionate gratitude and affection ; and when their barge came alongside the Van- guard, at the sight of Nelson, Lady Hamilton sprang up the ship's side, and exclaiming, ''0 God! is it possible!" fell into his arms, more, he says, like one dead than alive. He described the meeting as ''terribly affecting." These friends had scarcely recovered from their tears, when the King, who went out to meet him three leagues in the royal barge, came on board and took him by the hand, calling him his deliverer and preserver; from all the boats around he was saluted with the same appellations ; the multitude who surrounded him when he landed, repeated the same enthusiastic cries ; and the lazzaroni^ displayed their joy by holding up birds in cages, and giving them their liberty as he passed. His birthday, which occurred a week after his arrival, was celebrated with one of the most splendid /e^es ever beheld at Naples. But, notwithstanding the splendor with which he was encircled, and the flattering honors with which all ranks welcomed him, Nelson was fully sen- sible of the depravity, as well as weakness, of those by whom he was surrounded. ''What precious moments," 1. La-:zaroni. The beggars and poorer classes of Naples, so called from the Hospital of St. Lazarus in Naples, which served as their refuge. 194 The Life of Nelson said lie, ''the courts of Naples and Vienna are losing! Three months would liberate Italy! but this court is so enervated, that the happy moment will be lost. I am very unwell ; and their miserable conduct is not likely to cool my irritable temper. It is a country of fiddlers, poets, and scoundrels." This sense of their ruinous weakness he always retained; nor was he ever blind to the mingled folly and treachery of the Neapolitan minis- ters, and the complication of iniquities under which the country groaned: but he insensibly, under the influence of Lady Hamilton, formed an affection for the court, to whose misgovernment the miserable condition of the country was so greatly to be imputed. By the kindness of her nature, as well as by her attrac- tions, she had won his heart. Earl St. Vincent, writing to her at this time, says, "Ten thousand most grateful thanks are due to your ladyship for restoring the health of our invaluable friend, on whose life the fate of the remaining governments of Europe, whose system has not been deranged by these devils, depends. Pray do not let your fascinating Neapolitan dames approach too near him, for he is made of flesh and blood, and cannot resist their temptations." But this was addressed to the very person from whom he was in danger. The state of Naples may be described in few words. The King was one of the Spanish Bourbons.^ As the Csesars have shown us to what wickedness the moral na- ture of princes may be perverted, so in this family the degradation to which their intellectual nature can be reduced has been not less conspicuously evinced. Ferdi- nand, like the rest of his race, was passionately fond of 1. The King was one of the SpanisJi Bour'bons. Ferdinand IV. son of Charles III of Spain and grandson of Louis XIV of France, was king of Naples and Sicily from 1759 to 1806, and again, after the downfall of Napoleon, nntil his death in 1825. During Napoleon's ascendancy Ferdinand continued to rule in Sicily. The Life op Nelson 195 field-sports,* and cared for nothing else. His Queen had all the vices of the house of Austria, with little to miti- gate, and nothing to ennoble them : — provided she could have her pleasures, and the King his sports, they cared not in what manner the revenue was raised or admin- istered. Of course a system of favoritism existed at court, and the vilest and most impudent cormption pre- vailed in every department of state, and in every branch of administration, from the highest to the lowest. It is only the institutions of Christianity, and the vicinity of better-regulated states, which prevent kingdoms, under such circumstances of misrule, from sinking into a bar- barism like that of Turkey. A sense of better things was • Sir William Hamilton's letters give the history of one of this sovereign's campaigns against the wolves and boars. "Our first chase has not succeeded ; the king would direct how we should beat the wood, and began at the wrong end, by which the wolves and boars escaped. The king's face is very long at this moment, but I dare say tomorrow's good sport will shorten it again." — "No sport again ! He has no other comfort today, than having killed a wild cat, and his face is a yard long. However, his Majesty has vowed vengeance on the boars tomorrow, and will go according to his own fancy ; and I dare say there will be a terrible slaughter." — "Today has been so thoroughly bad that we have not been able to stir out, and the King, of course, is in bad humor." — "The king has killed twenty-one boars today, and is quite happy." — "We have had a miserable cold day, but good sport. I killed two boars and a doe ; the king nineteen boars, two does, and a porcupine. He is happy beyond expression." — "Only think of his not being satisfied with killing more than thirty yesterday ! He said, if the wind had favored him, he should have killed sixty at least." — "The King has killed eighty-one animals of one sort or other today, and amongst them a wolf and some stags. He fell asleep in the coach ; and, waking, told me he had been dreaming of shooting. One would have thought he had shed blood enough." — "It is a long-faced day with the King. We went far ; the weather was bad ; and after all, met with little or no game. Yesterday, when we brought home all we killed, it filled the house completely, and today they are obliged to whitewash the walls to take away the blood. There were more than four hundred boars, deer, stags, and all. Tomorrow we are to have another slaughter ; and not a word of reason or common-sense do I meet with the whole day, till I retire to my volumes of the old Gentleman's Magazine, which just keeps my mind from starving." — Southey's Note. 196 The Life of Nelson kept alive in some of the Neapolitans by literature, and by their intercourse with happier countries. These per- sons naturally looked to France, at the commencement of the revolution; and, during all the horrors of that revolution, still cherished a hope, that by the aid of France, they might be enabled to establish a new order of things in Naples. They were grievously mistaken in supposing that the principles of liberty would ever be supported by France, but they were not mistaken in be- lieving that no government could be worse th'an their own; and, therefore, they considered any change* as de- sirable. In this opinion men of the most different char- acters agreed. Many of the nobles, who were not in favor, wished for a revolution, that they might obtain the ascendancy to which they thought themselves en- titled : men of desperate fortunes desired it, in the hope of enriching themselves; knaves and intriguers sold themselves to the French, to promote it; and a few en- lightened men, and true lovers of their country, joined in the same cause, from the purest and noblest motives. All these were confounded under the common name of Jacobins ; and the Jacobins of the Continental kingdoms were regarded by the English with more hatred than they deserved. They were classed with Philippe Egalite, Marat, and Hebert ;^ — whereas they deserved rather to be ranked, if not with Locke, and Sydney, and Russell, at least with Argyle and Monmouth,^ and those who, having 1. Egalite, Marat, and Hebert. These were among the more radical French republicans. Philippe Egalite, though a Bourbon prince, voted for the execution of Louis XVI. His son Louis Philippe was king of France from 1830 to 1848. 2. Locke and Sydney, and Russell, etc. The English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) accepted the principle that the authority of kings rests on the consent of the people, and that rebellion against a tyrant is justified. William Sydney and Algernon Russell were Englishmen of high character and ideals, beheaded for alleged com- plicity in the Rye-House Plot (1683) against Charles II. The Earl The Life of Nelson 197 the same object as tiie prime movers of our own revolu- tion, failed in their premature, but not Linworthy attempt. No circumstances could be more unfavorable to the best interests of Europe, than those which placed Eng- land in strict alliance with the superannuated^ and abom- inable governments of the Continent. The subjects of those governments who wished for freedom thus became enemies to England, and dupes and agents of France. They looked to their own grinding grievances, and did not see the danger with which the liberties of the world were threatened: England, on the other hand, saw the danger in its true magnitude, but was blind to these grievances,, and found herself compelled to support sys- tems which had formerly been equally the object of her abhorrence and her contempt. This was the state of Nelson's mind: he knew that there could be no peace for Europe till the pride of France was humbled, and her strength broken; and he regarded all those who were the friends of France as traitors to the common cause, as well as to their own individual sovereigns. There are situations in which the most opposite and hostile parties may mean equally well, and yet act equally wrong. The court of Naples, unconscious of committing any crime by continuing the system of misrule to which they had succeeded, conceived that, in maintaining things as they were, they were maintaining their own rights, and pre- serving the people from such horrors as had been perpe- trated in France. The Neapolitan revolutionists thought that, without a total change of system, any relief from of Argyle and the Duke of Monmouth, the latter an illegitimate son of Charles II, were Whig leaders who failed in an insurrection against James II (1685). 1. Superannuated. The revolutions of 1640 and 1688 gave to Eng- land political reforms that did not reach the Continent till after the French Revolution. 198 The Life of Nelson the present evils was impossible, and they believed them- selves justified in bringing about that change by any means. Both parties knew that it was the fixed intention of the French to revolutionize Naples. The revolution- ists supposed that it was for the purpose of establishing . a free government : the court, and all disinterested per- sons, were perfectly aware that the enemy had no other object than conquest and plunder. The battle of the Nile shook the power of France. Her most successful general, and her finest army, were blocked up in Egypt — hopeless, as it appeared, of return ; and the government was in the hands of men without talents, without character, and divided among themselves. Aus- tria, whom Bonaparte had terrified into a peace, at a time when constancy on her part would probably have led to his destruction, took advantage of the crisis to renew the war. Eussia also was preparing to enter the field with unbroken forces ; led by a general^ whose extra- ordinary military genius would have entitled him to a high and honorable rank in history, if it had not been sullied by all the ferocity of a barbarian. Naples, seeing its destruction at hand, and thinking that the only means of averting it was by meeting the danger, after long vacil- lations, which were produced by the fears, and weakness, and treachery of its council, agreed at last to join this new coalition, with a numerical force of 80,000 men. Nelson told the King, in plain terms, that he had his choice, either to advance, trusting to God for His bless- ing on a just cause, and prepared to die sword in hand — or to remain quiet, and be kicked out of his kingdom: — one of these things must happen. The King made answer, he would go on and trust in God and Nelson : and Nelson, 1. A general. The Russian field-marshal, Alexander Suvarof (1729- 1800), remarkable for his victories in Turkey and Poland. His conduct of war was marked by unusual cruelty. The Life of Nelson 199 who would else have returned to Egypt, for the purpose of destroying the French shipping in Alexandria, gave up his intention, at the desire of the Neapolitan court, and resolved to remain on that station, in the hope that he might be useful to the movements of the army. He suspected also, with reason, that the continuance of his fleet was so earnestly requested, because the royal family thought their persons would be safer, in case of any mishap, under the British flag, than under their own. His first object was the recovery of Malta — an island which the King of Naples pretended to claim. The Mal- tese, whom the villainous Knights of their order^ had betrayed to France, had taken up arms against their rapa- cious invaders, with a spirit and unanimity worthy the highest praise. They blockaded the French garrison by land, and a small squadron, under Captain Ball, began to blockade them by sea, on the 12th of October. Twelve days afterwards Nelson arrived. ''It is as I suspected," he says: "the ministers at Naples know nothing of the situation of the island. Not a house or bastion of the town is in possession of the islanders ; and the Marquis de Niza tells us, they want arms, victuals, and support. He does not know that any Neapolitan officers are in the island; perhaps, although I have their names, none are arrived ; and it is very certain, by the marquis ' account, that no supplies have been sent by the governors of Syra- cuse or Messina." The little island of Gozo, dependent upon Malta, which had also been seized and garrisoned by the French, capitulated soon after his arrival, and was taken possession of by the British, in the name of his 'Sicilian Majesty— a power who had no better claim to it 1. Knights of their order. The Order of the Knights of Malta, or Hospitalers of St. John of Jerusalem, was founded during the first crusade (about 1099) and received Malta from Charles V in 1530. Napoleon secured the surrender of the island by intrigue with French members of the order. See p. 160. 200 The Life of Nelson than France. Having seen this effected, and reinforced Captain Ball, he left that able officer to perform a most arduous and important part, and returned himself to co- operate with the intended movements of the Neapolitans. General Mack^ was at the head of the Neapolitan troops : — all that is now doubtful concerning this man is whether he was a coward or a traitor. At that time he was assiduously extolled as a most consummate com- mander, to whom Europe might look for deliverance : and when he was introduced by the King and Queen to the British Admiral, the Queen said to him, ''Be to us by land, General, what my hero Nelson has been by sea." Mack, on his part, did not fail to praise the force which he was appointed to command. ''It was," he said, "the finest army in Europe." Nelson agreed with him, that there could not be finer men : but when the General, at a review, so directed the operations of a mock fight, that, by an unhappy blunder, his own troops were surrounded instead of those of the enemy, he turned to his friends and exclaimed, with bitterness, that the fellow did not understand his business. Another circumstance, not less characteristic, confirmed Nelson in his judgment. ' ' Gen- eral Mack, ' ' said he, in one of his letters, ' ' cannot move without five carriages! I have formed my opinion. I heartily pray I may be mistaken." While Mack, at the head of 32,000 men, marched into the Roman state, 5000 Neapolitans were embarked on board the British and Portuguese squadron, to take pos- session of Leghorn. This was effected without opposi- tion ; and the Grand Duke of Tuscany, whose neutrality 1. General Mack. The Austrian field-marshal, Karl Mack von Lelberich (1752-1822). He was captured in the 1798 campaign, after- ward escaped, and surrendered an Austrian army to Napoleon at Ulm (1805). His failure in Italy Is by modern authorities attributed rather to the character of his troops than to his own inability or treachery. The Life of Nelson 201 had been so outrageously violated by the French, was better satisfied with the measure than some of the Neapoli- tans themselves. Naselli, their General, refused to seize the French vessels at Leghorn, because he and the Duke di Sangro, who was ambassador at the Tuscan court, maintained that the King of Naples was not at war with France. ''What!" said Nelson, ''has not the King re- ceived, as a conquest made by him, the republican flag taken at Gozo ? Is not his own flag flying there, and at Malta, not only by his permission, but by his order ? Is not his flag shot at every day by the French, and their shot returned from batteries which bear that flag ? Are not two frigates and a corvette placed under my orders ready to fight the French, meet them where they may? Has not the King sent publicly from Naples guns, mor- tars, etc., with officers and artillery, against the French in Malta ? If these acts are not tantamount to any writ- ten paper, I give up all knowledge of what is war." This reasoning was of less avail than argument addressed to the General's fears. Nelson told him, that if he per- mitted the many hundred French who were in the mole to remain neutral, till they had a fair opportunity of being active, they had one sure resource, if all other schemes failed, which was, to set one vessel on fire ; the mole would be destroyed, probably the town also ; and the port ruined for twenty years. This representation made Naselli agree to the half measure of laying an embargo on the vessels. Among them were a great number of French privateers, some of which were of such force as to threaten the greatest mischief to our commerce, and about seventy sail of vessels belonging to the Ligurian Republic, as Genoa was now called, laden with corn, and ready to sail for Genoa and France; where their arrival would have expedited the entrance of more French troops into Italy. "The General," said Nelson, 202 The Life of Nelson '^saw, I believe, the consequence of permitting these ves- sels to depart in the same light as myself: but there is this difference between us — he prudently, and certainly safely, waits the orders of his court, taking no responsi- bility upon himself ; I act from the circumstances of the moment, as I feel may be the most advantageous for the cause which I serve, taking all responsibility on myself. ' ' It was in vain to hope for anything vigorous or manly from such men as Nelson was compelled to act with. The crews of the French ships and their allies were ordered to depart in two days. Four days elapsed, and nobody obeyed the order; nor, in spite of the representations of the British Minister, Mr. Wyndham, were any means taken to enforce it : — the true Neapolitan shuffle, as Nel- son called it, took place on all occasions. After an ab- sence of ten days, he returned to Naples: and receiving intelligence there, from Mr. Wyndham, that the priva- teers were at last to be disarmed, the corn landed, and the crews sent away, he expressed his satisfaction at the news in characteristic language, saying, "So far I am content. The enemy will be distressed; and, thank God, I shall get no money. The world, I know, think that money is our God ; and now they will be undeceived, as far as relates to us. Down, down with the French I is my constant prayer. ' ' Odes, sonnets, and congratulatory poems, of every de- scription, were poured in upon Nelson, on his arrival at Naples. An Irish Franciscan, who was one of the poets, not being content with panegyric, upon this occasion ventured upon a flight of prophecy, and predicted that Lord Nelson would take Rome with his ships. His lord- ship reminded Father M'Cormick that ships could not ascend the Tiber : but the father, who had probably for- gotten this circumstance, met the objection with a bold front, and declared he saw that it would come to pass not- The Life of Nelson 203 withstanding. Rejoicings of this kind were of short dura- tion. The King of Naples was with the army which had entered Rome ; but the castle of St. Angelo was held by the French, and 13^000 French were strongly posted in the Roman states at Castellana. Mack had marched against them with 20,000 men. Nelson saw that the event was doubtful ; — or rather, that there could be very little hope of the result. But the immediate fate of Naples, as he well knew, hung upon the issue, *'If Mack is de- feated, ' ' said he, ' ' in fourteen days this country is lost ; for the Emperor^ has not yet moved his army, and Naples has not the power of resisting the enemy. It was not a case for choice, but of necessity, which induced the King to march out of his kingdom, and not wait till the French had collected a force sufficient to drive him out of it in a week. ' ' He had no reliance upon the Neapolitan officers ; who, as he described them, seemed frightened at a drawn sword or a loaded gun ; and he was perfectly aware of the consequences which the sluggish movements and deceitful policy of the Austrians were likely to bring down upon themselves, and all their Continental allies. '*A delayed war, on the part of the Emperor," said he, writing to the British Minister at Vienna, 'Vill be destructive to this monarchy of Naples; and, of course, to the newly-ac- quired dominions of the Emperor in Italy. Had the war commenced in September or October, all Italy would, at this moment, have been liberated. This month is worse than the last : the next will render the contest doubtful : and, in six months, when the Neapolitan Republic will be organized, armed, and with its numerous resources called forth, the Emperor will not only be defeated in Italy, but will totter on his throne at Vienna. Down, down with the French! ought to be written in the council-room of every country in the world : and may Almighty God give l: Emperor. Francis II of Austria. 204 The Life of Nelson right thoughts to every sovereign, is my constant prayer!" His perfect foresight of the immediate event was clearly shown in this letter, when he desired the am- bassador to assure the Empress (who was a daughter of the house of Naples) that, notwithstanding the coun- cils which had shaken the throne of her father and mother, he would remain there, ready to save their per- sons, and her brothers and sisters ; and that he had also left ships ct Leghorn, to save the lives of the grand duke and her sister: ''For all," said he, ''must be a republic, if the Emperor does not act with expedition and vigor." His fears were soon verified. "The Neapolitan offi- cers," said Nelson, "did not lose much honor, for, God knows, they had not much to lose ; — but they lost all they had." General St. Philip commanded the right wing, of 19,000 men. He fell in with 3,000 of the enemy; and, as soon as he came near enough, deserted to them. One of his men had virtue enough to level a musket at him, and shot him through the arm ; but the wound was not sufficient to prevent him from joining with the French in pursuit of his own countrymen. Cannon, tents, baggage, and military chest were all forsaken by the runaways, though they lost only forty men; for the French, having put them to flight, and got possession of everything, did not pursue an army of more than three times their own number. The main body of the Neapoli- tans, under Mack, did not behave better. The King re- turned to Naples; where every day brought with it the tidings of some new disgrace from the army, and the discovery of some new treachery at home ; till four days after his return, the General sent him advice, that there was no prospect of stopping the progress of the enemy, and that the royal family must look to their own personal safety. The state of the public mind at Naples was such, at this time, that neither the British Minister nor the The Life of Nelson 205 British Admiral tliought it prudent to appear at court. Their motions were watched ; and the revolutionists had even formed a plan for seizing and detaining them as hostages, to prevent any attack on the city after the French should have taken possesion of it, A letter, which Nelson addressed at this time to the First Lord of the Admiralty, shows in what manner he contemplated the possible issue of the storm. It was in these words : — "^My dear^Lord, — There is an old saying, that when things are at the worst they must mend : — now the mind of man cannot fancy things worse than they are here. But, thank God ! my health is better, my mind never firmer, and my heart in the right trim to comfort, re- lieve, and protect those whom it is my duty to afford assistance to. Pray, my lord, assure our gracious sov- ereign that, while I live, I will support his glory: and that, if I fall, it shall be__in a manner worthy of your lordship's faithful and obliged Nelson. I must not write, more. Every word may be a text for a long letter. ' ' Meantime Lady Hamilton arranged everything for the removal of the royal family. This was conducted, on her part, with the greatest address, and without suspicion, be- cause she had been in habits of constant correspondence with the Queen. It was known that the removal could not be effected without danger; for the mob, and especially the lazzarcni, were attached to the King : and as, at this time, they felt a natural presumption in their own num- bers and strength, they insisted that he should not leave Naples. Several persons fell victims to their fury : among others was a messenger from Vienna, whose body was dragged under the windows of the palace in the King's sight. The King and Queen spoke to the mob, and paci- fied them ; but it would not have been safe, while they were in this agitated state, to have embarked the effects of the royal family openly. Lady Hamilton, like a 206 The Life of Nelson heroine of modern romance, explored, with no little danger, a subterraneous passage, leading from the palace to the seaside : through this passage the royal treasures, the choicest pieces of painting and sculpture, and other property, to the amount of two millions and a half, were conveyed to the shore, and stowed safely on board the English ships. On the night of the 21st, at half-past eight, Nelson landed, brought out the whole royal family, embarked them in three barges, and carried them safely, through a tremendous sea, to the Vanguard. Notice was then immediately given to the British merchants, that they would be received on board any ship in the squad- ron. Their property had previously been embarked in transports. Two days were passed in the Bay, for the purpose of taking such persons on board as required an asylum ; and, on the night of the 23d, the fleet sailed. The next day a more violent storm arose than Nelson had ever before encountered. On the 25th, the youngest of the princes was taken ill, and died in Lady Hamilton's arms. During this whole trying season, Lady Hamilton waited upon the royal family with the zeal of the most devoted servant, at a time when, except one man, no person belonging to the court assisted them. On the morning of the 26th, the royal family were landed at Palermo. It was soon seen that their flight had not been premature. Prince Pignatelli, who had been left as vicar-general and viceroy, with orders to defend the kingdom to the last rock in Calabria,^ sent plenipotentia- ries to the French camp before Capua ; and they, for the sake of saving the capital, signed an armistice, by which the greater part of the kingdom was given up to the enemy: a cession that necessarily led to the loss of the whole. This was on the 10th of January. The French advanced toward Naples. Mack, under pretext of taking 1. Calabria. A district at the southern extremity or "toe" of Italy. The Life of Nelson 207 shelter from the fury of the lazzaroni, fled to the French General Championet, who sent him under an escort to Milan : but as France hoped for further services from this wretched traitor, it was thought prudent to treat him ap- parently as a prisoner of war. The Neapolitan army disappeared in a few days : of the men, some, following their officers, deserted to the enemy : the greater part took the opportunity of disbanding themselves. The lazzaroni proved true to their country : they attacked the enemy 's advanced posts, drove them in, and were not dispirited by the murderous defeat which they suffered from the main body. Flying into the city, they continued to de- fend it, even after the French had planted their artillery in the principal streets. Had there been a man of genius to have directed their enthusiasm, or had there been any correspondent feelings in the higher ranks, Naples might have set a glorious example to Europe, and have proved the grave of every Frenehman who entered it. But the vices of the government had extinguished all other pa- triotism than that of a rabble, who had no other virtue than that sort of loyalty which was like the fidelity of a dog to its master. This fidelity the French and their adherents counteracted by another kind of devotion : the priests affirmed that St. Januarius^ had declared in favor- of the revolution. The miracle of his blood was per- formed with the usual success, and more than usual effect, on the very evening when, after two days of des- perate fighting, the French obtained possession of Na- ples. A French guard of honor was stationed at his church. Championet gave, "Respect for St. Januarius !" as the word for the army ; and the next day Te Deumwa^ 1. St. Januarius. Bishop of Benevento, beheaded by Diocletian about 300 A.D. Relics asserted to be the head and blood of the saint are preserved in the cathedral at Naples. The blood is said to have the miraculous pov/er of becoming liquid when brought near the head ; its failure to liquefy is a presage of disaster. 208 The Life op Nelson sung by the archbishop, in the cathedral ; and the inhab- itants were invited to attend the ceremony, and join in thanksgiving for the glorious entry of the French ; who, it was said, being under the peculiar protection of Provi- dence, had regenerated the Neapolitans, and were come to establish and consolidate their happiness. It seems to have been Nelson's opinion, that the Aus- trian cabinet regarded the conquest of Naples with com- placency, and that its measures were directed so as designedly not to prevent the French from overrunning it. That cabinet was assuredly capable of any folly and of any baseness : and it is not improbable that, at this time, calculating upon the success of the new coalition, it indulged a dream of adding extensively to its former Italian possessions; and, therefore, left the few remain- ing powers of Italy to be overthrown, as a means which would facilitate its own ambitious views. The King of Sardinia, finding it impossible longer to endure the exac- tions of France, and the insults of the French commis- sary, went to Leghorn, embarked on board a Danish frigate, and sailed, under British protection, to Sardinia — that part of his dominions which the maritime suprem- acy of England rendered a secure asylum. On his arrival he published a protest against the conduct of France; declaring, upon the faith and word of a king, that he had never infringed, even in the slightest degree, the treaties which he had made with the French republic. Tuscany was soon occupied by French troops : a fate which bolder policy might, perhaps, have failed to avert, but which its weak and timid neutrality rendered in- evitable. Nelson began to fear even for Sicily. "Oh, my dear sir," said he, writing to Commodore Duckworth, "'one thousand English troops would save Messina, — and I fear General Stuart cannot give me men to save this most important island!" But his representations were The Life of Nelson 209 not lost upon Sir Charles Stuart: this officer hastened immediately from Minorca, with a thousand men, assisted in the measures of defense which were taken, and did not return before he had satisfied himself, that, if the Neapolitans were excluded from the management of af- fairs, and the spirit of the peasantry properly directed, Sicily was safe. Before his coming, Nelson had offered the King, if no resources should arrive, to defend Mes- sina with the ship's company of an English man-of- war. Eussia had now entered into the war. Corfu surren- dered to a Russian and Turkish fleet, acting now, for the first time, in strange confederacy; yet against a power which was certainly the common and worst enemy of both. Troubridge, having given up the blockade of Alexandria to Sir Sidney Smith, joined Nelson, bringing with him a considerable addition of strength; and in himself, what Nelson valued more, a man upon whose sagacity, indefatigable zeal, and inexhaustible resources^ he could place full reliance. Troubridge was instructed to commence the operations against the French in the Bay of Naples. Meantime Cardinal Ruffo,^ a man of questionable character, but of a temper fitted for such times, having landed in Calabria, raised what he called a Christian army, composed of the best and the vilest materials ; loyal peasants, enthusiastic priests and friars, galley slaves, the emptying of the jails, and banditti. The islands in the Bay of Naples were joyfully delivered up by the inhabitants, who were in a state of famine already, from the effect of this baleful revolution. Trou- 1. Cardinal Ruffo. Fabrizio Ruffo (1744-1827), a Neapolitan who,, though not an ordained priest, had risen to the rank of cardinal in the papal service. Ferdinand made him vicar-general, and entrusted him with the task of stirring up the peasantry against the French government in Naples. Nelson called him "the great devil who com- mancZod Vzg Christian army." 210 The Life op Nelson bridge distributed among' them all his flour ; and Nelson pressed the Sicilian court incessantly for supplies, tell- ing them, that £10,000 given away in provisions would, at this time, purchase a kingdom. Money, he was told, they had not to give ; and the wisdom and integrity which might have supplied its want, were not to be found. ^' There is nothing," said he, "which I propose that is not, as far as orders go, implicitly complied with : but the execution is dreadful, and almost makes me mad. My desire to serve their Majesties faithfully, as is my duty, has been such, that I am almost blind and worn out; and cannot, in my present state, hold much longer. ' ' Before any government can be overthrown by the con- sent of the people, the government must be intolerably oppressive, or the people thoroughly corrupted. Bad as the misrule of Naples had been, its consequences had been felt far less there than in Sicily ; and the peasantry had that attachment to the soil, which gives birth to so many of the noblest, as well as of the happiest feelings. In all the islands the people were perfectly frantic with joy, when they saw the Neapolitan colors hoisted. At Procida,^ Troubridge could not procure even a rag of the tri-col- ored flag to lay at the King's feet; it was rent into ten thousand pieces by the inhabitants, and entirely de- stroyed. ''The horrid treatment of the French," he said, ' 'had made them mad. ' ' It exasperated the ferocity of a character which neither the laws nor the religion under which they lived tended to mitigate. Their hatred w^as especially directed against the Neapolitan revolution- ists; and the fishermen, in concert among themselves, chose each his own victim, whom he would stiletto when the day of vengeance should arrive. The head of one was sent off one morning to Troubridge, with his basket 1. Procida. An island near Naples. The Life of Nelson 211 of grap'cs for breakfast, — and a note from the Italian who had what he called the glory of present- ing it, saying, he had killed the man as he was running away, and begging his Excellency to accept the head, and consider it as a proof of the writer's attachment to the crown. With the first success of the court the work of punishment began. The judge at Ischia^ said it was necessary to have a bishop to degrade the traitorous priests before he could execute them : upon which Trou- bridge advised him to hang them first, and send them to him afterwards, if he did not think that degradation sufficient. This was said with the straightforward feel- ing of a sailor, who cared as little for canon law as he knew about it : but when he discovered that the judge 's orders were to go through the business in a summary manner, under his sanction, he told him at once, that could not be, for the prisoners were not British subjects ; and he declined having anything to do with it. There were manifestly persons about the oourt, who, while they thirsted for the pleasure of vengeance, were devising how to throw the odium of it upon the English. They wanted to employ an English man-of-war to carry the priests to Palermo, for degradation, and then bring them back for execution; — and they applied to Troubridge for a hangman, which he indignantly refused. He, meantime, was almost heartbroken by the situation in which he found himself. He had promised relief to the islanders, relying upon the Queen's promise to him. He had dis- tributed the whole of his private stock, — there was plenty of grain at Palermo, and in its neighborhood, and yet none was sent him: the enemy, he complained, had more interest there than the King ; and the distress for bread, which he witnessed, was such, he said, that it would move even a Frenchman to pity. 1. Ischia. An island in the Bay of Naples. 212 Thz Life of Nelson Nelson's heart too was at this time ashore. "To tell you/' he says, writing to Lady Hamilton, ''how dreary and uncomfortable the Vanguard appears, is only telling you what it is to go from the pleasantest society to a soli- tary cell ; or from the dearest friends to no friends. I am now perfectly the great man, — not a creature near me. From my heart I wish myself the little man again. You and good Sir William have spoiled me for any place, but with you." His mind was not in a happier state respecting pub- lic affairs. "As to politics," said he, "at this time they are my abomination : — the ministers of kings and princes are as great scoundrels as ever lived. The brother of the Emperor is just going to marry the great something of Russia, and it is more than expected that a kingdom is to be found for him in Italy, and that the King of Naples will be sacrificed." Had there been a wise and manly spirit in the Italian states, or had the conduct of Austria been directed by anything like a principle of honor, a more favorable opportunity could not have been desired, for restoring order and prosperity in Europe, than the misconduct of the French Directory at this time afforded. But Nelson saw selfishness and knavery wherever he' looked ; and even the pleasure of seeing a cause prosper, in which he was so zealously engaged, was poisoned by his sense of the rascality of those with whom he was com- pelled to act. At this juncture intelligence arrived that the French fleet had escaped from Brest, under cover of a fog, passed Cadiz unseen by Lord Keith's squadron, in hazy weather, and entered the Mediterranean. It was said to consist of twenty-four sail of the line, six frigates, and three sloops. The object of the French was to lib- erate the Spanish fleet, form a junction with them, act against Minorca and Sicily, and overpower our naval force in the Mediterranean by falling in with detached The Life of Nelson 213 squadrons, and thus destroying it in detail. When they arrived at Carthagena, they requested the Spanish ships to make sail and join; but the Spaniards replied, they had not men to man them. To this it was answered, that the French had men enough on board for that purpose. But the Spaniards seem to have been apprehensive of delivering up their ships thus entirely into the power of such allies, and refused to come out. The fleet from Cadiz, however, consisting of from seventeen to twenty sail of the line, got out, under Masaredo,^ a man who then bore an honorable name, which he has since rendered infamous by betraying his country. They met with a violent storm off the coast of Oran, which dismasted many of their ships, and so effectually disabled them, as to prevent the junction, and frustrated a well planned expedition. Before this occurred, and while the junction was as probable as it would have been. formidable. Nelson was in a state of the greatest anxiety. ''"What a state am I in!" said he to Earl St. Vincent. *'If I^go, I risk, and more than risk Sicily : for we know, from experience, that more depends upon opinion than upon acts them- selves : and as I stay, my heart is breaking. ' ' His first business was to summon. Troubridge to join him, with all the ships of the line under his command, and a frigate, if possible. Then hearing that the French had entered the Mediterranean, and expecting them at Palermo, where he had only his own ship, with that single ship he prepared to make all the resistance possible. Troubridge having joined him, he left Captain E. J. Foote, of the Seahorse, to command the smaller vessels in the Bay of Naples, and sailed with six ships, one a Portuguese, and a Portuguese corvette; telling Earl St. Vincent that the squadron 1. Masaredo (or Mazareddo). A Spanish admiral; later a supporter of Napoleon in Spain. 214 ' The Life of Nelson should never fall into the hands of the enemy. ^'And before we are destroyed," said he, "I have little doubt but they will have their wings so completely clipped, that they may be easily overtaken. ' ' It was just at this time that he received from Captain Hallowell the present of the coffin.^ Such a present was regarded by the men with natural astonishment: one of his old shipmates in the Agamemnon said : "We shall have hot work of it indeed! You see the Admiral intends to fight till he is killed ; and there he is to be buried." Nelson placed it upright against the bulkhead of his cabin, behind his chair, where he sat at dinner. The gift suited him at this time. It is said that he was disappointed in the step-son^ whom he had loved so dearly from his childhood, and who had saved his life at Teneriffe : and it is certain that he had now formed an infatuated attachment for Lady Hamil- ton, which totally weaned his affections from his wife. Further than this, there is no reason to believe that this most unfortunate attachment was criminal : but this was criminality enough, and it brought with it its punish- ment. Nelson was dissatisfied with himself, and therefore weary of the world. This feeling he now frequently ex- pressed. ' ' There is no true happiness in this life, ' ' said he; "and in my present state I could quit it with a smile." And in a letter to his old friend Davison, he said : ' ' Believe me, my only wish, is to sink with honor into the grave ; and when that shall please God, I shall meet death with a smile. Not that I am insensible to the honors and riches my King and country have heaped upon me — so much more than any officer could deserve; yet I am ready to quit this world of trouble, and envy none but those of the estate six feet by two. ' ' Well had it been for Nelson if he had made no other 1. Present of the coffin. See p. 178. 2. Disappointed in the step-son. See page 80, Bote 1, and p. 150. The Life of Nelson 215 sacrifices to this unhappy attachment than his peace of mind; but it led to the only blot upon his public char- acter. While he sailed from Palermo, with the intention of collecting his whole force, and keeping off Maretimo,^ either to receive reinforcements there, if the French were bound upwards, or to hasten to Minorca, if that should be their destination. Captain Foote, in the Seahorse, with the Neapolitan frigates and some small vessels under his command, was left to act with a land force consisting of a few regular troops, of four different nations, and with the armed rabble which Cardinal Ruffo called the Christian army. His directions were, to co-operate to the utmost of his power with the royalists, at whose head Euffo had been placed ; and he had no other instructions whatever. Ruffo advancing, without any plan, but relying upon the enemy ^s want of numbers, which prevented them from attempting to act upon the offensive, and ready to take advantage of any accident which might occur, approached Naples. Fort St. Elmo, which commands the town, was wholly garrisoned by the French troops; the castles of Uovo and Nuovo, which commanded the anchorage, were chiefly defended by Neapolitan revolutionists, the power- ful men among them having taken shelter there. If these castles were taken, the reduction of Fort St. Elmo would be greatly expedited. They were strong places, and there was reason to apprehend that the French fleet might arrive to relieve them, Ruffo proposed to the garrison to capitulate, on condition that their persons and prop- erty should be guaranteed, and that they should, at their own option, either be sent to Toulon or remain at Naples, without being molested either in their persons or families. This capitulation was accepted: it was signed by the Cardinal, and the Russian and Turkish commanders; and, lastly, by Captain Foote, as commander of the 1. Maretimo (or Marittimo). A small island west of Sicily. 216 The Life op Nelson British force. About six-and-thirty hours afterwards Nelson arrived in the Bay, with a force, which had joined him during his cruise, consisting of seventeen sail of the line, with seventeen hundred troops on board, and the Prince Royal of Naples in the Admiral's ship. A flag of truce was flying on the castles, and on board the Seahorse. Nelson made a signal to annul the treaty, declaring that he would grant rebels no other terms than those of un- conditional submission. The Cardinal objected to this; nor could all the arguments of Nelson, Sir William Ham- ilton, and Lady Hamilton, who took an active part in the conference, convince him that a treaty of such a nature, solemnly concluded, could honorably be set aside. He retired at last, silenced by Nelson's authority, but not convinced. Captain Foote was sent out of the Bay; and the garrisons, taken out of the castles, under pretence of carrying the treaty into effect, were delivered over as rebels to the vengeance of the Sicilian court. — A deplor- able transaction ! a stain upon the memory of Nelson, and the honor of England ! To palliate it would be in vain ; to justify it would be wicked : there is no alternative for one who will not make himself a participator in guilt, but to record the disgraceful story* with sorrow and with shame. Prince Francesco Caraccioli, a younger branch of one of the noblest Neapolitan families, escaped from one of • In one of his letters to Lady Hamilton, written a few weeks before this fatal transaction, Nelson says in speaking of the Queen : "I de- clare to God, my whole study is how to meet her approbation." — Bouthey's Note. In the opinion of Admiral Mahan (Life of Nelson, vol. i, p. 432), Nelson, whether justified or not, was at least within his rights in annulling the treaty, which had been executed by parties acting as representatives and not as principals, and not accredited for that specific purpose. RuflEo, indeed, had according to Nelson acted "in direct disobedience" of the King's orders. It is a disputed point, furthermore, whether any steps had been taken to put the treaty into execution. Nelson's fault lay chiefly in subordinating his duties as a British naval officer to those as a representative of the King of Naples, The Life of Nelson 217 these castles before it capitulated. He was at the head of the marine, and was nearly seventy^ years of age, bear- ing a high character, both for professional and personal merit. He had accompanied the court to Sicily : but when the revolutionary government, or Parthenopsean ^ Republic, as it was called, issued an edict, ordering all absent Neapolitans to return, on pain of confiscation of their property, he solicited and obtained permission of the King to return, his estates being very great. It is said that the King, when he granted him this permission, warned him not to take any part in politics ; expressing, at the same time, his own persuasion that he should re- cover his kingdom. But neither the King, nor he him- self ought to have imagined that, in such times, a man of such reputation would be permitted to remain inactive ; and it soon appeared that Caraccioli was again in com- mand of the nsiYy, and serving under the republic against his late sovereign. The sailors reported that he was forced to act thus ; and this was believed, till it was seen that he directed ably the offensive operations of the revo- lutionists, and did not avail himself of opportunities for escaping when they offered. When the recovery of Naples was evidently near, he applied to Cardinal Ruffo, and to the Duke of Calvirrano, for protection; expressing his hope, that the few days during which he had been forced to obey the French would not outweigh forty years of faithful services; but, perhaps not receiving such assur- ances as he wished, and knowing too well the temper of the Sicilian court, he endeavored to secrete himself, and a price was set upon his head. More unfortunately for others than for himself, he was brought in alive, having 1. Nearly seventy years of age. Caraccioli was born in 1732, and was thus sixty-seven at the time of his death. (En eye. Brit.) 2. Parthenopwan Republic. So called from Parthenope, the ancient name of Naples. Nelson referred to it In his letters as the "Vesuvlan Republic." 218 The Life op Nelson been discovered in the disguise of a peasant, and carried one morning on board Lord Nelson 's ship, with his hands tied behind him. Caraccioli was well known to the British officers, and had been ever highly esteemed by all who knew him. Cap- tain Hardy ordered him immediately to be unbound, and to be treated with all those attentions which he felt due to a man who, when last on board the Foudroyant, had been received as an admiral and a prince. Sir William and Lady Hamilton were in the ship, but Nelson, it is af- firmed, saw no one except his own officers during the tragedy which ensued. His own determination was made ; and he issued an order to the Neapolitan commodore, Oount Thurn, to assemble a court-martial of Neapolitan officers, on board the British flag-ship, proceed immedi- ately to try the prisoner, and report to him, if the charges were proved, what punishment he ought to suf- fer. These proceedings were as rapid as possible; Caraccioli was brought on board at nine in the forenoon, and the trial began at ten. It lasted two hours : he averred, in his defence, that he had acted under com- pulsion, having been compelled to serve as a common soldier, till he consented to take command of the fleet.' This, the apologists of Lord Nelson say, he failed in proving. They forget that the possibility of proving it was not allowed him ; for he was brought to trial within an hour after he was legally in arrest ; and how, in that time, was he to collect his witnesses? He was found guilty, and sentenced to death; and Nelson gave orders that the sentence should be carried into effect that even- ing, at five o'clock, on board the Sicilian frigate. La Minerva, by hanging him at the fore-yard-arm till sunset ; when the body was to be cut down and thrown into the sea. Caraccioli requested Lieutenant Parkinson, under whose custody he was placed, to intercede with Lord The Life of Nelson 219 Nelson for a second trial, — for this, among other reasons, that Count Thurn, who presided at the court-martial, was notoriously his personal enemy. Nelson made answer, that the prisoner had been fairly tried by the officers of his own country, and he could not interfere — forgetting that, if he felt himself justified in ordering the trial and the execution, no human being could ever have questioned the propriety of his interfering on the side of mercy. Caraccioli then entreated that he might be shot, — ' ' I am an old man, sir, ' ' said he ; ' ' I leave no family to lament me, and therefore cannot be supposed to be very anxious about prolonging my life; but the disgrace of being hanged is dreadful to me." When this was repeated to Nelson, he only told the Lieutenant, with much agitation, to go and attend to his duty. As a last hope, Caraccioli asked the Lieutenant if he thought an application to Lady Hamilton would be beneficial ? Parkinson went to seek her. She was not to-be seen on this occasion, — ^but she was present at the execution. She had the most devoted attachment to the Neapolitan court; and the hatred which she felt against those whom she regarded as its enemies made her, at this time, forget what was due to the character of her sex, as well as of her country. Here, also, a faithful historian is called upon to pro- nounce a severe and unqualified condemnation of Nel- son's conduct. Had he the authority of his Sicilian Majesty for proceeding as he did? If so, why was not that authority produced? If not, why were the pro- ceedings hurried on without it ? Why was the trial pre- cipitated so that it was impossible for the prisoner, if he had been innocent, to provide the witnesses who might have proved him so ? Why was the second trial refused, when the known animosity of the President of the court against the prisoner was considered ? Why was the exe- cution hastened so as to preclude any appeal for mercy, 220 The Life op Nelson and render the prerogative of mercy useless ? — Doubtless, the British Admiral seemed to himself to be acting under a rigid sense of justice ; but, to all other persons, it was obvious that he was influenced by an infatuated attach- ment — a baneful passion, which destroyed his domestic happiness, and now, in a second instance, stained in- effaceably his public character.^ The body was carried out to a considerable distance, and sunk in the bay, with three double-headed shot, weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, tied to its legs. Between two and three weeks afterwards, when the King was on board the Foudroyant, a Neapolitan fisherman came to the ship, and solemnly declared that Caraccioli had risen from the bottom of the sea, and was coming, as fast as he could, to Naples, swimming half out of the water. Such an account was listened to like a tale of idle credulity. The day being fair. Nelson, to please the King, stood out to sea; but the ship had not proceeded far before a body was distinctly seen, upright in the water, and approaching them. It was soon recognized to be, indeed, the corpse of Caraccioli, which had risen and floated, while the great weights attached to the legs kept the body in a position like that of a living man. A fact so extraordinary astonished the King, and perhaps ex- cited some feeling of superstitious fear, akin to regret. He gave permission for the body to be taken on shore, and receive Christian burial. It produced no better effect. Naples exhibited more dreadful scenes than it had 1. stained , . . Ms public character. Regarding Nelson's con- duct in the trial of Caraccioli, modern historians are on the whole inclined to support Southey's judgment. Admiral Mahan (Life of Nelson, Vol. I, p. 441) clears Nelson from "the stigma of treachery and unworthy Influence," but regards the abrupt execution as "par- donable perhaps in a Neapolitan royalist but not in a foreign officer only Indirectly interested in the issues at stake." Nelson himself speaks of "Sicllifying my own ccascituce." Thi; Life of Nelson 221 witnessed in the days of Massaniello.^ After the mob had had their fill of blood and plunder, the reins were given to justice — if that can be called justice which an- nuls its own stipulations, looks to the naked facts alone, disregarding all motives and all circumstances; and, without considering character or science, or sex, or youth, sacrifices its victims, not for the public weal, but for the gratification of greedy vengeance. The castles of St. Elmo, Gaeta, and Capua,^ remained to be subdued. On the land side, there was no danger that the French in these garrisons should be relieved, for Suvarof^ was now beginning to drive the enemy before him; but Nelson thought his presence necessary in the Bay of Naples : and when Lord Keith, having received in- telligence that the French and Spanish fleets had formed a junction, and sailed for Carthagena, ordered him to re- pair to Minorca, with the whole or the greater part of his force, he sent Admiral: Duckworth with a small part only. This was a dilemma which he had foreseen. "Should such an order come at this moment," he said, in a letter previously written to the Admiralty, ' ' it would be a case for some consideration, whether Minorca is to be risked, or the two kingdoms of Naples and Sicily: I rather think my decision would be to risk the former." And, after he had acted upon this opinion, he wrote in these terms to the Duke of Clarence, with whose high no- tions of obedience he was well acquainted : " I am well aware of the consequences of disobeying my orders ; but 1. Massaniello (contracted from Tommaso Aniello), 1623-1647. An Amalfl fisherman who in 1647 led a successful revolt against the Span- ish viceroy in Naples. 2. St. Elmo, Oaeta, and Capua. St. Elmo is a fortress overlooking Naples, Gaeta is a town on the coast farther north, and Capua is about twenty miles inland. 3. Suvarof. Leader of the Russian army in Italy. See p. 198, and note. 222 The Life of Nelson as I have often before risked my life for the good cause, so I, with cheerfulness, did my commission, for, although a military tribunal may think me criminal, the world will approve of my conduct : and I regard not my own safety, when the honor of my King is at stake. ' ' Nelson was right in his judgment : no attempt was made upon Minorca; and the expulsion of the French from Naples may rather be said to have been effected, than accelerated, by the English and Portuguese of the allied fleet, acting upon shore, under Troubridge. The French commandant at St. Elmo, relying upon the strength of the place, and the nature of the force which attacked it, had insulted Captain Foote in the grossest terms: but Citoyen Mejan was soon taught better man- ners, when Troubridge, in spite of every obstacle, opened ^YQ batteries upon the fort. He was informed, that none of his letters, with the insolent printed words at the top, Liherte, Egalite, Guerre aux Tyransj^ etc., would be re- ceived ; but that, if he wrote like a soldier and a gentle- man, he should be answered in the same style. The Frenchman then began to flatter his antagonist upon the hienfaisance^ and humanite, which he said, were the least of the many virtues which distinguished Monsieur Trou- bridge. Monsieur Troubridge 's Ijienfaisance was, at this time, thinking of mining the fort. — ''If we can accom- plish that,'^ said he, "I am a strong advocate to send them, hostages and all, to Old Nick, and surprise him with a group of nobility and republicans. Meantime," he added, "it was some satisfaction to perceive that the shells fell well, and broke some of their shins." Finally, to complete his character, Mejan offered to surrender for 150,000 ducats. Great Britain, perhaps, has made but 1. Liberie, etc. "Liberty, Equality, War on Tyrants" — watchwords of the French Revolution. 2. Bienfaisance. Kindness, i The Life of Nelson 223 too little use of this kind of artillery, which France has found so effectual towards subjugating the continent: but Troubridge had the prey within his reach; and, in the course of a few days, his last battery, ''after much trouble and palaver, " as he said, ' ' brought the vagabonds to their senses. ' ' Troubridge had more difficulties to overcome in this siege, from the character of the Neapolitans who pre- tended to assist him, and whom he made useful, than even from the strength of the place and the skill of the French. "Such damned cowards and villains," he declared, ''he had never seen before. ' ' The men at the advanced posts carried on, what he called, ' ' a diabolical good understand- ing ' ' with the enemy, and the workmen would sometimes take fright and run away. ' ' I make the best I can, ' ' said he, ' ' of the degenerate race I have to deal with : the whole means of guns, ammunition, pioneers, etc., with all mate- rials, rest with them. With fair promises to the men, and threats of instant death if I found any one erring, a little spur has been given." Nelson said of him, with truth, upon this occasion, that he was a first-rate general. "I find, sir," said he afterwards, in a letter to the Duke of Clarence, "that General Koehler^ does not approve of such irregular proceedings as naval officers attacking and defending fortifications. We have but one idea, — to get close alongside. None but a sailor would have placed a battery only one hundred and eighty yards from the castle of St. Elmo : a soldier must have gone according to art, and the ZZ way.- My brave Troubridge went straight on, for we had no time to spare." 1. General Koehler. An artillery officer in the British army. In the spring of 1799 Koehler was sent to aid the Turks against Na- poleon, and passed through the Mediterranean on his way. 2. The ZZ way. Presumably, by zigzag trenches. Burke in the sec- ond of his Letters on a Regicide Peace (1796) applies the phrase^ "the surer mode of zigzag," to the methods employed by politicians. 224 The Life of Nelson Troubridge then proceeded to Capua, and took the command of the motley besieging force. One thousand of the best men in the fleet were sent to assist in the siege. Just at this time Nelson received a peremptory order from Lord Keith, to sail with the whole of his force for the protection of Minorca ; or, at least, to retain no more than was absolutely necessary at Sicily. ' ^ You will easily conceive my feelings," said he, in communicating this to Earl St. Vincent; "but my mind, as your lordship knows, was perfectly prepared for this order ; and it is- now, more than ever, made up. At this moment I will not part with a single ship ; as I cannot do that without drawing a hundred and twenty men from each ship, now at the siege of Capua. I am fully aware of the act I have committed; but I am prepared for any fate which may await my disobedience. Capua and Gaeta will soon fall ; and the moment the scoundrels of French are out of this kingdom, I shall send eight or nine ships of the line to Minorca. I have done what I thought right : others may think differently: but it will be my consolation that I have gained a kingdom, seated a faithful ally of his Majesty firmly on his throne, and restored happiness to millions. ' ' At Capua, Troubridge had the same difficulties as at St. Elmo ; and being farther from Naples", and from the fleet, was less able to overcome them. The powder was so bad that he suspected treachery : and when he asked Nel- son to spare him forty casks from the ships, he told him it would be necessary that some Englishmen should ac- company it, or they would steal one half, and change the other. ''Every man you see,'' said he, "gentle and simple, are such notorious villains, that it is a misery to be with them." Capua, however, soon fell. Gaeta im- mediately afterwards surrendered to Captain Louis of the Minotaur. Here the commanding officer acted more The Life op Nelson 225 unlike a Frenchman, Captain Louis said, than any one he had ever met ; meaning that he acted like a man of honor. He required, however, that the garrison should carry away their horses and other pillaged property : to which Nelson replied: "That no property which they did not bring with them into the country could be theirs ; and that the greatest care should be taken to prevent them from carrying it away." — "I am sorry," said he to Captain Louis, ' ' that you have entered into any altercation. There is no way of dealing with a Frenchman but to knock him down : to be civil to them is only to be laughed at, when they are enemies. ' ' The w^hole kingdom of Naples was thus delivered by Nelson from the French. The Admiralty, however, thought it expedient to censure him for disobeying Lord Keith's orders, and thus hazarding Minorca, without, as it appeared to them, any sufficient reason ; and also for having landed seamen for the siege of Capua, to form part of an army employed in operations at a distance from the coast ; where, in case of defeat, they might have been prevented from returning to their ships ; and they enjoined him ''not to employ the seamen in like manner in future." This reprimand was issued before the event^ was known; though, indeed, the event would not affect the principle upon which it proceeded. When Nelson communicated the tidings of his complete success he said^ in his public letter, ' ' that it would not be the less accept- able for having been principally brought about by Brit- ish sailors. ' ' His judgment in thus employing them had been justified by the result; and his joy was evidently heightened by the gratification of a professional and be- coming pride. To the First Lord he said, at the same time, ' ' I certainly, from having only a left hand, cannot enter into details which may explain the motives that 1. Event. Outcome. 226 The Life of Nelson actuated my conduct. My principle is, lo assist in driv- ing the French to the devil, and in restoring peace and happiness to mankind. I feel that I am fitter to do the action than to describe it." He then added, that he would take care of Minorca. In expelling the French from Naples, Nelson had, with characteristic zeal and ability, discharged his duty; but he deceived himself, when he imagined that he had seated Ferdinand firmly on his throne, and that he had restored happiness to millions. These objects might have been ac- complished if it had been possible to inspire virtue and wisdom into a vicious and infatuated court ; and if Nel- son 's eyes had not been, as it were, spellbound by that unhappy attachment which had now completely mastered him, he would have seen things as they were ; and might, perhaps, have awakened the Sicilian court to a sense of their interest, if not of their duty. That court employed itself in a miserable round of folly and festivity, while the prisons of Naples were filled with groans, and the scaf- folds streamed with blood. St. Januarius was solemnly removed from his rank as patron saint of the kingdom, having been convicted of Jacobinism ; and St. Antonio as solemnly installed in his place. The King, instead of re- establishing order at Naples by his presence, speedily returned to Palermo, to indulge in his favorite amuse- ments. Nelson, and the ambassador's family, accompa- nied the court ; and Troubridge remained, groaning over the villainy and frivolity of those with whom he was com- pelled to deal. A party of officers applied to him for a passage to Palermo, to see the procession of St. Rosalia : — he recommended them to exercise their troops, and not behave like children. It was grief enough for him that the court should be busied in these follies, and Nelson involved in them. *'I dread, my Lord," said he, "all the feasting, etc., at Palermo. I am sure your health will be The Life of Nelson 227 hurt. If so, all their saints will be damned by the Navy. The King would be better employed digesting a good gov- ernment: everything gives way to their pleasures. The money spent at Palermo gives discontent here : fifty thou- sand people are unemployed, trade discouraged, manu- factures at a stand. It is the interest of many here to keep the King away : they all dread reform. Their vil- lainies are so deeply rooted, that, if some method is not taken to dig them out, this government cannot hold to- gether. Out of twenty millions of ducats, collected as the revenue, only thirteen millions reach the treasury; and the King pays four ducats where he should pay one. He is surrounded by thieves ; and none of them have honor or honesty enough to tell him the real and true state of things." In another letter, he expressed his sense of the miserable state of Naples. ' ' There are upwards of forty thousand families," said he, ''who have relations con- fined. If some act of oblivion is not passed, there will be no end of persecution ; for the people of this country have no idea of anything but revenge; and, to gain a point, would swear ten thousand false oaths. Constant efforts are made to get a man taken up in order to rob him. The confiscated property does not reach the King's treas- ury. — All thieves! It is selling for nothing. His own people, whom he employs, are buying it up, and the vaga- bonds pocket the whole. I should not be surprised to hear that they brought a bill of expenses against him for the sale." The Sicilian court, however, were at this time duly sensible of the services which had been rendered them by the British fleet, and their gratitude to Nelson was shown with proper and princely munificence. — They gave him the dukedom and domain of Bronte,^ worth about £3000 1. Bronte. The town and estate connected with the title are located in Sicily. 228 The Life of Nelson a year. It was some days before he could be persuaded to accept it: the argument which finally prevailed is said to have been suggested by the Queen, and urged, at her request, by Lady Hamilton, upon her knees. "He con- sidered his own honor too much," she said, "if he per- sisted in refusing what the King and Queen felt to be absolutely necessary for the preservation of theirs. ' ' The King himself, also, is said to have addressed him in w^ords which show that the sense of rank will sometimes confer a virtue upon those who seem to be most unworthy of the lot to which they have been born : "Lord Nelson, do yon wish that your name alone should pass with honor to pos- terity ; and that I, Ferdinand Bourbon, should appear un- grateful?" He gave him also, when the dukedom was accepted, a diamond-hilted sword, which his father, Charles III. of Spain, had given him, on his accession to the throne of the Two Sicilies. Nelson said, ' ' The reward w^as magnificent, and worthy of a king, and he was deter- mined that the inhabitants on the domain should be the happiest in all his Sicilian Majesty's dominions. — Yet," said he, speaking of these and the other remunerations which were made him for his services, "these presents, rich as they are, do not elevate me. My pride is, that, at Constantinople, from the Grand Seignior to the lowest Turk, the name of Nelson is familiar in their mouths ; and in this country I am everything which a grateful monarch and people can call me." Nelson, however, had a par- donable pride in the outward and visible signs of honor, which he had so fairly won. He was fond of his Sicilian title; the signification, perhaps, pleased him; — Duke of Thunder^ was what in Dahomy would be called a strong name; it was to a sailor's taste ; and, certainly, to no man could it ever be more applicable. But a simple offering, which he received not long afterwards, from the island 1. Duke of Thunder. Eronte is Greek for thunder. The Life of Nelson 229 of Zante, affected him with a deeper and finer feeling. The Greeks of that little community sent him a golden- headed sword, and a truncheon, set round with all the diamonds that the island could furnish, in a single row. They thanked him ' ' for having, by his victory, preserved that part of Greece from the horrors of anarchy; and prayed that his exploits might accelerate the day, in which, amidst the glory and peace of thrones, the miseries of the human race would cease." This unexpected trib- ute touched Nelson to the heart. ''No officer," he said, ''had ever received from any country a higher acknowl- edgment of his services. ' ' The French still occupied the Koman states; from which, according to their own admission, they had ex- torted, in jewels, plate, specie, and requisitions of every kind, to the enormous amount of eight millions sterling : yet they affected to appear as deliverers among the peo- ple whom they were thus cruelly plundering; and they distributed portraits of Bonaparte, with the blasphemous inscription — "This is the true likeness of the Holy Sav- iour of the world ! ' ' The people, detesting the impiety, and groaning beneath the exactions of these perfidious robbers, were ready to join any regular force that should come to their assistance; but they dreaded Cardinal Ruffe's rabble, and declared they would resist them as banditti, who came only for the purpose of pillage. Nel- son perceived that no object was now so essential for the tranquillity of Naples as the recovery of Rome ; which, in the present state of things, when Suvarof was driving the French before him, would complete the deliverance of Italy. He applied, therefore, to Sir James St. Clair Erskine, who, in the absence of General Fox, commanded at Minorca, to assist in this great object with twelve hun- dred men. "The field of glory," said he, "is a large one, and was never more open to any one than at this moment 230 The Life op Nelson to you. Rome would throw open lier gates, and receive you as her deliverer : and the Pope would owe his restora- tion to a heretic." But Sir James Erskine looked only at the difficulties of the undertaking. ' ' Twelve hundred men, he thought, would be too small a force to be com- mitted in such an enterprise ; for Civita Vecchia ^ was a regular fortress. The local situation and climate, also, were such, that, even if this force were adequate, it would be proper to delay the expedition till October. General Fox, too, was soon expected ; and during his absence, and under existing circumstances, he did not feel justified in sending away such a detachment." What this general thought it imprudent to attempt, Nelson and Troubridge effected without his assistance, by a small detachment from the fleet. Troubridge first sent Captain Hallowell to Civita Vecchia, to offer the garrison there, and at Castle St. Angelo,^ the same terms which had been granted to Gaeta. Hallowell perceived, by the overstrained civility of the officers who came off to him, and the compliments which they paid to the English nation, that they were sensible of their own weakness, and their inability to offer any effectual resistance; but the French know, that while they are in a condition to serve their government, they can rely upon it for every possible exertion in their support; and this reliance gives them hope and confidence to the last. Upon Hallowell 's report, Troubridge, who had now been made Sir Thomas for his services, sent Captain Louis, with a squadron, to enforce the terms which he had offered ; and, as soon as he could leave Naples, he himself followed. The French, who had no longer any hope from the fate of arms, relied upon their skill in negotiation, and proposed terms to Trou- 1. Civita Vecchia. A seaport near Rome. 2. Castle St. Angela. A fortress in Rome ; originally the tomb of the Emperor Hadrian. The Life of Nelson . 231 bridge with that effrontery which characterizes their pub- lic proceedings ; but which is as often successful as it is impudent. They had a man of the right stamp to deal with. Their ambassador at Rome began by saying, that the Roman territory was the property of the French by right of conquest. The British Commodore settled that point, by replying, "It is mine by reconquest." A ca- pitulation was soon concluded for all the Roman states, and Captain Louis rowed up the Tiber in his barge, hoisted English colors on the capitol, and acted, for the time, as governor of Rome. The prophecy of the Irish poet^ was thus accomplished, and the friar reaped the fruits : for Nelson, who was struck with the oddity of the circumstance, and not a little pleased with it, obtained preferment for him from the King of Sicily, and recom- mended him to the Pope. Having thus completed his work upon the continent of Italy, Nelson's whole attention was directed towards Malta, where Captain Ball, with most inadequate means, was besieging the French garrison. Never was any offi- cer engaged in a more anxious and painful service : the smallest reinforcement from France would, at any mo- ment, have turned the scale against him; and had it not been for his consummate ability, and the love and ven- eration with which the Maltese regarded him, Malta must have remained in the hands of the enemy. Men, money, food, — all things were wanting. The garrison consisted of five thousand troops, the besieging force of five hun- dred English and Portuguese marines, and about fifteen hundred armed peasants. Long and repeatedly did Nel- son solicit troops to effect the reduction of this important place. "It has been no fault of the Navy," said he, "that Malta has not been attacked by land, but we have neither 1. Prophecy of the Irish poet. See p. 202. 232 The Life op Nelson the means ourselves, nor influence with those who have." The same causes of demurral existed which prevented British troops from assisting in the expulsion of the French from Rome. Sir James ErsMne was expecting General Fox; he could not act without orders; and not having, like Nelson, that lively spring of hope within him, which partakes enough of the nature of faith to work miracles in war, he thought it ^* evident, that unless a respectable land force, in numbers sufficient to undertake the siege of such a garrison, in one of the strongest places of Europe, and supplied with proportionate artillery and stores, were sent against it, no reasonable hope could be entertained of its surrender." Nelson groaned over the spirit of over-reasoning caution, and unreasoning obedi- ence. "My heart," said he, "is almost broken. If the enemy gets supplies in, we may bid adieu to Malta ; all the force we can collect would then be of little use against the strongest place in Europe. To say that an officer is never, for any object, to alter his orders, is what I cannot comprehend. The circumstances of this war so often vary, that an officer has almost every moment to consider, "What would my superiors direct did they know what is passing under my nose ? But, sir, ' ' said he, writing to the Duke of Clarence, ' 'I find few think as I do. To obey orders is all perfection. To serve my king, and to destroy the French, I consider as the great order of all, from which little ones spring; and if one of these militate against it (for who can tell exactly at a distance?) I go back and obey the great order and object, to down — down with the damned French villains ! My blood boils at the name of Frenchman ! ' ' At length General Fox arrived si Minorca, — and, at length, p'^rmitted Colonel Grahsm to go to Malta, but with means miserpblv limiiecl. In fact, the expedition was at a stand for want of money ; when Troubridge arriving The Life of Nelson 233 at Messina, to co-operate in it, and finding this fresh delay, immediately offered all that he could command of his own. ' ' I procured him, my lord, ' ' said he to Nelson, "fifteen thousand of my cobs : ^ — every farthing, and every atom of me shall be devoted to the cause. " ' ' What can this mean ? ' ' said Nelson, when he learned that Colonel Graham was ordered not to incur any expense for stores, or any articles except provisions, — "the cause cannot stand still for want of a little money. If nobody will pay it, I will sell Bronte, and the Emperor of Russia's box." ^ And he actually pledged Bronte for £6600, if there should be any difficulty about paying the bills. The long delayed expedition was thus, at last, set forth ; but Trou- bridge little imagined in what scenes of misery he was to bear his part. He looked to Sicily for supplies ; it was the interest, as well as the duty, of the Sicilian govern- ment to use every exertion for furnishing them ; and Nel- son and the British Ambassador were on the spot to press upon them the necessity of exertion. But though Nelson saw with what a knavish crew the Sicilian court was sur- rounded, he was blind to the vices of the court itself, and resigning himself wholly to Lady Hamilton's influence, never even suspected the crooked policy which it was remorselessly pursuing. The Maltese, and the British in Malta severely felt it. Troubriclge, who had the truest affection for Nelson, knew his infatuation, and feared that it might prove injurious to his character, as well as fatal to an enterprise which had begun so well, and been car- ried on so patiently. "My Lord," said he, writing to him from the siege, "we are dying off fast from want. I learn that Sir William Hamilton says Prince Luzzi refused com some time ago, and Sir William does not think it worth while making another application. If that 1. Cobs. Nautical slang for Spanish dollars. 2. Emperor of Rtissia's how. See p. 181. 234 The Life of Nelson be tlie case, I wish he commanded this distressing scene instead of me. Puglia had an immense harvest: near thirty sail left Messina, before I did, to load corn. "Will they let ns have any ? If not, a short time will decide the business. The German interest prevails. I wish I was at your lordship 's elbow for an hour. All, all, will be thrown on you ! I will parry the blow as much as is in my power. I foresee much mischief brewing. God bless your lord- ship ! I am miserable ; I cannot assist your operations more. Many happy returns of the day to you (it was the first of the new year) ; I never spent so miserable a one. I am not very tender-hearted, but really the distress here would even move a Neapolitan.'' Soon afterwards he wrote, ^'I have this day saved thirty thousand people from starving, but with this day my ability ceases. As the government are bent on starving us, I see no alterna- tive but to leave these poor, unhappy people to perish without our being witnesses of their distress. I curse the day I ever served the Neapolitan government. — We have characters, my Lord, to lose ; these people have none. Do not suffer their infamous conduct to fall on us. Our country is just, but severe. Such is the fever of my brain this minute, that I assure you, on my honor, if the Pa- lermo traitors were here, I would shoot them first and then myself. Girgenti is full of corn ; the money is ready to pay for it ; we do not ask it as a gift. Oh ! could you see the horrid distress I daily experience, something would be done. — Some engine ^ is at work against us at Naples, and I believe I hit on the proper person. If you complain, he will be immediately promoted, agreeably to the Neapolitan custom. All I write to you is known at the Queen's. For my own part, I look upon the Nea- politans as the worst of intriguing enemies : every hour shows me their infamy and duplicity. I pray your lord- 1. Engine, Trick, macliination. The Life of Nelson 235 ship be cautious : your honest, open manner of acting will be made a handle of. When I see you, and tell of their infamous tricks, you will be as much surprised as I am. The whole will fall on you. ' ' Nelson was not, and could not be, insensible to the dis- tress which his friend so earnestly represented. He begged, almost on his knees, he said, small supplies of money and corn, to keep the Maltese from starving. And when the court granted a small supply, protesting their poverty, he believed their protestations, and was satisfied with their professions, instead of insisting that the re- strictions upon the exportation of corn should be with- drawn. The anxiety, however, which he endured affected him so deeply, that he said it had broken his spirit for ever. Happily all that Troubridge, with so much reason, foreboded, did not come to pass. For Captain Ball, with more decision than Nelson himself would have shown at that time and upon that occasion, ventured upon a reso- lute measure, for which his name would deserve always to be held in veneration by the Maltese, even if it had no other claims to the love and reverence of a grateful peo- ple. Finding it hopeless longer to look for succor or common humanity from the deceitful and infatuated court of Sicily, which persisted in prohibiting, by san- guinary edicts, the exportation of supplies, at his own risk he sent his First Lieutenant to the port of Messina, with orders to seize, and bring with him to Malta, the ships which were there lying laden with com, — of the number of which he had received accurate information. These orders were executed to the great delight and ad- vantage of the shipowners and proprietors ; the necessity of raising the siege was removed, and Captain Ball waited in calmness for the consequences to himself. ' ' But, ' ' said Mr. Coleridge,^ '*not a complaint, not a murmur, pro- 1. Mr. Coleridge. The poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, while voyag- 236 The Life of Nelson ceeded from the court of Naples : the sole result was, that the governor of Malta became an especial object of its hatred, its fear, and its respect. ' ' Nelson himself, at the beginning of February, sailed for that island. On the way he fell in with a French squadron bound for its relief, and consisting of the GenereuXy seventy-four, three frigates, and a corvette. One of these frigates and the line of battle ship were taken ; the others escaped, but failed in their purpose of reaching La Valette. This success was peculiarly grati- fying to Nelson, for many reasons. During some months he had acted as Commander-in-Chief in the Mediter- ranean, while Lord Keith was in England. Lord Keith was now returned, and Nelson had, upon his own plan and at his own risk, left him, to sail for Malta; "for which," said he, "if I had not succeeded, I might have been broke ; ^ and if I had not acted thus, the Genereux never would have been taken." This ship was one of those which had escaped from Aboukir. Two frigates and the Gtiillaume Tell, eighty-six, were all that now remained of the fleet which Bonaparte had conducted to Egypt. The Guillaume Tell was at this time closely watched in the harbor of La Valetta ; and shortly after- wards, attempting to make her escape from thence, was taken, after an action in which greater skill was never displayed by British ships,^ nor greater gallantry by an Ing in th'e Slediterranearf for H's healTlC was appointed by Captain Ball "Public Secretary for Malta and its Dependencies," and held the posi- tion for over a year, 1804-1805. 1. Broke. Degraded in rank, or dismissed from the service. Nelson was guilty of no disobedience at this time, but in the preceding sum- mer he had been reprimanded by the Admiralty for remaining off Sicily contrary to Keith's urgent and repeated orders. 2. iikill . . - displayed hy British sMps. As the Guillaume Tell ran out of the harbor, she was pursued by the Penelope frigate. Captain Blackwood, which followed close in her wake, yawing to port and starboard, and keeping up a continual fire to attract other ships. The French vessel was later overpowered by the Lion and Foudroyant, The Life of Nelson 237 enemy. She was taken by the Foudroyant, Lion, and Penelope frigate. Nelson, rejoicing at what he called this glorious finish to the whole French Mediterranean fleet, rejoiced also that he was not present to have taken a sprig of these brave men's laurels. ''They are,'' said he, ' ' and I glory in them, my children ; they served in my school ; and all of us caught our professional zeal and fire from the great and good Earl St. Vincent. What a pleasure, what happiness, to have the Nile fleet all taken under my orders and regulations!" The two frigates still remained in La Yaletta: before its surrender they stole out: one was taken in the attempt; the other was the only ship of the whole fleet which escaped capture or destruction. Letters were found on board the Guillaume Tell show- ing that the French were now becoming hopeless of pre- serving the conquest which they had so foully acquired. Troubridge and his brother officers were anxious that Nelson should have the honor of signing the capitulation. They told him that they absolutely, as far as they dared, insisted on his staying to do this; but their earnest and affectionate entreaties were vain. Sir William Hamilton had just been superseded ; Nelson had no feeling of cor- diality towards Lord Keith; and thinking that, after Earl St. Vincent, no man had so good a claim to the com- mand in the Mediterranean as himself, he applied for permission to return to England ; telling the First Lord of the Admiralty, that his spirit could not submit pa- tiently, and that he was a broken-hearted man. From the time of his return from Egypt, amid all the honors which were showered upon him, he had suffered many mortifications. Sir Sidney Smith had been sent to Egypt, with orders to take under his command the squadron which Nelson had left there. Sir Sidney appears to have thought that this command was to be independent of 238 The Life of Nelson Nelson '} and Nelson himself thinking so, determined to return, saying to Earl St, Vincent, " I do feel, for I am a man, that it is impossible for me to serve in these seas with a squadron under a junior officer.'' Earl St. Vin- cent seems to have dissuaded him from this resolution: some heart-burnings, however, still remained, and some incautious expressions of Sir Sidney's were noticed by him in terms of evident displeasure. But this did not continue long, as no man bore more willing testimony than Nelson to the admirable defense of Acre.^ He differed from Sir Sidney as to the policy which ought to be pursued towards the French in Egj^pt ; and strictly commanded him, in the strongest language, not, on any pretence, to permit a single Frenchman to leave the country, saying that he considered it nothing short of madness to permit that band of thieves to return to Europe. ' * No, ' ' said he, ' ' to Egypt they went with their own consent, and there they shall remain, while Nelson commands this squadron ; for never, never, will he con- sent to the return of one ship or Frenchman. I wish them to perish in Egypt, and give an awful lesson to the world of the justice of the Almighty." If Nelson had not thoroughly understood the character of the enemy against whom he was engaged, their conduct in Egypt would have disclosed it. After the battle of the Nile, he had landed all his prisoners, upon a solemn engagement, 1. Independent of Nelson. As commander of the eastern squadron Smith was subordinate to Nelson, but as envoy to Turkey (a duty included In his commission) he was independent or even superior. Nelson carefully discriminated between Smith the diplomat and Smith the officer. "I beg your excellency," he wrote to the former, "to forward my letter to Sir Sidney Smith, Captain of the Tigre." — Mahan, Life of Nelson^ Vol. I, p. 402. 2. Defense of Acre. Napoleon's defeat at Acre, on the coast of Palestine, was due chiefly to the previous capture of French supply ships by the British fleet, and to Smith's able leadership of the Turkish garrison. The Life of Nelson ' 239 made between Troubridge on one side and Captain Barre on the other, that none of them should serve till regu- larly exchanged. They were no sooner on shore than part of them were drafted into the different regiments, and the remainder formed into a corps called the nautic legion. This occasioned Captain Hallowell to say that the French had forfeited all claim to respect from us. ''The army of Bonaparte," said he, ''are entirely desti- tute of every principle of honor : they have always acted like licentious thieves." Bonaparte's escape^ was the more regretted by Nelson, because, if he had had suffi- cient force, he thought it would certainly have been pre- vented. He wished to keep ships upon the watch to inter- cept anything coming from Egypt; but the Admiralty calculated upon the assistance of the Russian fleet, which failed when it was most wanted. The ships which should have been thus employed were then required for more pressing services, and tlie bloody Corsican was thus en- abled to reach Europe in safety, there to become the guilty instrument of a wider-spreading destruction than any with which the world had ever before been visited. Nelson had other causes of chagrin. Earl St. Vincent, for whom he felt such high respect, and whom Sir John Orde had challenged for having nominated Nelson in- stead of himself to the command of the Nile squadron, laid claim to prize-money, as Commander-in-Chief, after he had quitted the station. The point was contested, and decided against him.- Nelson, perhaps, felt this the more, because his own feelings, with regard to money, were so different. An opinion had been given by Dr. Lawrence, which would have excluded the junior flag 1. Bonaparte's escape. Napoleon left Alexandria secretly In a frigate, reaching France October 9, 1799. 2. Against him. Against Nelson, who had contested the Earl's claims. In 1803 the decision was reversed, Nelson receiving £13,000. 240 The Life of Nelson officers from prize-money. When this was made known to him, his reply was in these words : ' ' Notwithstanding Dr. Lawrence 's opinion, I do not believe I have any right to exclude the junior flag officers : and if I have, I desire that no such claim may be made : no, not if it were sixty times the sum, and, poor as I am, I were never to see prize-money. ' ' A ship could not be spared to convey him to England ; he, therefore, traveled through Germany to Hamburg, in company with his inseparable friends. Sir William and Lady Hamilton. The Queen of Naples went with them to Vienna. While they were at Leghorn, upon a report that the French were approaching (for, through the folly of weak courts, and the treachery of venal cabinets, they had now recovered their ascendancy in Italy), the people rose tumultuously, and would fain have persuaded Nelson to lead them against the enemy. Public honors, and yet more gratifying testimonials of public admiration, awaited Nelson wherever he went. The Prince of Ester- hazy entertained him in a style of Hungarian magnifi- cence — a hundred grenadiers, each six feet in height, constantly waiting at table. At Magdeburgh, the master of the hotel where he was entertained contrived to show him for money ; — admitting the curious to mount a lad- der, and peep at him through a small window. A wine- merchant at Hamburg, who was above seventy years of age, requested to speak with Lady Hamilton ; and told Jher he had some Rhenish wine, of the vintage of 1625, which had been in his own possession more than half a century : he had preserved it for some extraordinary oc- casion ; and that which had now arrived was far beyond any that he could ever have expected. His request was, that her ladyship would prevail upon Lord Nelson to accept six dozen of this incomparable wine : part of it would then have the honor to flow into the heart 's blood The Life of Nelson 241 of that immortal hero ; and this thought would make him happy during the remainder of his life. Nelson, when this singular request was reported to him, went into the room, and taking the worthy old gentleman kindly by the hand, consented to receive six bottles, provided the donor would dine with him next day. Twelve were sent ; and Nelson, saying that he hoped yet to win half a dozen more great victories, promised to lay by six bottles of his Hamburg friend 's wine for the purpose of drinking one after each. — A German pastor, between seventy and eighty years of age, traveled forty miles, with the Bible of his parish church, to request that Nelson would write his name on the first leaf of it. He called him the sav- iour of the Christian world. The old man's hope de- ceived him. There was no Nelson upon shore, or Europe would have been saved ; but, in his foresight of the hor- rors with which all Germany and all Christendom were threatened by France, th^ pastor could not possibly have apprehended more than has actually taken place. CHAPTER VII Nelson separates himself from his wife — Northern Confederacy — He goes to the Baltic under Sir Hyde Parker — Battle of Copen- hagen, and subsequent Negotiation — Nelson is made a Viscount. Nelson was welcomed in England with every mark of popular honor. At Yarmouth, where he landed, every ship in the harbor hoisted her colors. The mayor and corporation waited upon him with . the freedom of the town, and accompanied him in procession to church, with all the naval officers on shore, and the principal inhabi- tants. Bonfires and illuminations concluded the day; and, on the morrow, the volunteer cavalry drew up and saluted him as he departed, and followed the carriage to the borders of the county. At Ipswich, the people came out to meet him, drew him a mile into the town, and three miles out. When he was in the Agamemnon, he wished to represent this place in Parliament, and some of his friends had consulted the leading men of the corpora-- tion ; the result was not successful : and Nelson observing, that he would endeavor to find out a preferable path into Parliament, said there might come a time when the peo- ple of Ipswdch would think it an honor to have had him for their representative. In London, he was feasted by the city, drawn by the populace from Ludgate-hill to Guildhall, and received the thanks of the Common Coun- cil for his great victory, and a golden-hilted sword studded with diamonds. Nelson had every earthly bless- ing, except domestic happiness : he had forfeited that forever. Before he had been three months in England, he separated from Lady Nelson. Some of his last words to her were : ' ' I call God to witness, there is nothing in The Life of Nelson 243 you, or your conduct, that I wish otherwise." This was the consequence of his infatuated attachment to Lad}'- Hamilton. It had before caused a quarrel with his son- in-law, and occasioned remonstrances from his truest friends ; which produced no other effect than that of mak- ing him displeased, with them, and more dissatisfied with himself. The Addington Administration^ was just at this time formed ; and Nelson, who had solicited emploj^ment, and been made Vice-Admiral of the Blue, was sent to the Baltic as second in command, under Sir Hyde Parker, by Earl St. Vincent, the new First Lord of the Admiralty. The three Northern Courts had formed a confederacy for making England resign her naval rights." Of these courts Russia was guided by the passions of its Emperor, Paul, a man not without fits of generosity, and some natural goodness, but subject to the wildest humors of caprice, and crazed by the possession of greater power than can ever be safely, or perhaps innocently, possessed by weak humanity. Denmark was French at heart; ready to co- operate in all the views of France, to recognize all her usurpations, and obey all her injunctions. Sweden, under a king whose principles were right, and whose feel- ings were generous, but who had a taint of hereditary insanity, acted in acquiescence with the dictates of two powers whom it feared to offend. The Danish Navy, 1. The Addington Administration. Henry Addington, afterward Vis- count Sidmouth, was premier from 1801 to 1804, 2. Naval rights. For the first "League of Armed Neutrality," see p. 50, and note. The second league, formed by Denmark, Sweden and Russia, and encouraged by a secret understanding between the Czar and Napoleon, aimed to resist England's attempts to hold up naval stores and other goods bound for France from the Baltic. It stood for the principles that belligerent property is protected by a neutral flag, that a blockade to be binding must be maintained by an adequate force, and that goods to be regarded as contraband must be so designated in agreements prior to the outbreak of hostilities. 244 The Life of Nelson at this time, consisted of twenty-three ships of the line, with about thirty-one frigates and smaller vessels, exclu- sive of guard ships. The Swedes had eighteen ships of the line, fourteen frigates and sloops, seventy-four gal- leys and smaller vessels, besides gun boats ; and this force was in a far better state of equipment than the Danish. The Russians had eighty-two sail of the line and forty frigates. Of these, there were forty-seven sail of the line at Cronstadt, Revel, Petersburg, and Archangel : but the Russian fleet was ill manned, ill officered, and ill equipped. Such a combination, under the influence of France, would soon have become formidable ; and never did the British cabinet display more decision than in instantly preparing to crush it. They erred, however, in permit- ting any petty consideration to prevent them from ap- pointing Nelson to the command. The public properly murmured at seeing it entrusted to another : and he him- self said to Earl St. Vincent, that, circumstanced as he was, this expedition would probably be the last service that he should ever perform. The Earl, in reply, be- sought him, for God's sake, not to suffer himself to be carried away by any sudden impulse. The season happened to be unusually favorable ; so mild a winter had not been known in the Baltic for many years. When Nelson joined the fleet at Yarmouth, he found the Admiral "a little nervous about dark nights and fields of ice." — ''But we must brace up," said he, ''these are not times for nervous systems. — I hope we shall give our northern enemies that hailstorm of bullets, which gives our dear country the dominion of the sea. We have it, and all the devils in the north cannot take it from us, if our wooden walls^ have fair play." Before 1. Wooden walls. At the time of the Persian invasions, the Delphic Oracle pronounced that the safety of Athens lay in "wooden walls." Themistocles, interpreting this to mean ships, gathered a fleet and defeated the Persians at Salamis. The Life of Nelson 245 the fleet left Yarmouth, it was sufficiently known that its destination was against Denmark. Some Danes, who be- longed to the Amazon frigate, went to Captain Riou, and telling him what they had heard, begged that he would get them exchanged into a ship bound on some other destination. "They had no wish," they said, '^to quit the British service; but they entreated that they might not be forced to fight against their own country. ' ' There was not in our whole navy a man who had a higher and more chivalrous sense of duty than Riou. Tears came into his eyes while the men were speaking : without mak- ing any reply, he instantly ordered his boat, and did not return to the Amazon until he could tell them that their wish was effected. The fleet sailed on the 12th of March. Mr. Vansittart^ sailed in it ; the British cabinet still hoping to obtain its end by negotiation. It was well for England that Sir Hyde Parker placed a "fuller confidence in Nelson than the Government seems to have done at this most impor- tant crisis. Her enemies might well have been astonished at learning, that any other man should for a moment have been thought of for the command. But so little deference was paid, even at this time, to his intuitive and all-commanding genius, that when the fleet had reached its first rendezvous, at the entrance of the Catte- gat, he had received no official communication whatever of the intended operations. His own mind had been made up upon them with its accustomed decision. "All I have gathered of our first plans, ' ' said he, "I disapprove most exceedingly. Honor may arise from them ; good cannot. I hear we are likely to anchor outside of Cronenburgh Castle, instead of Copenhagen, which would give weight to our negotiation. A Danish minister would think twice 1. Mr. Yansittarf. Nicholas Vansitt-^.rt, afterward Baron Bexley, sent as a cl!plcinat:c rgont with the fleet. 246 The Life of Nelson before he would put his name to war with England, when the next moment he would probably see his master 's fleet in flames, and his capital in ruins. The Dane should see our flag every moment he lifted up his head. ' ' Mr Yansittart left the fleet at the Scaw,^ and preceded it in a frigate, with a flag of truce. Precious time was lost by this delay, which was to be purchased by the dear- est blood of Britain and Denmark : according to the Danes themselves, the intelligence that a British fleet was seen off the Sound produced a much more general alarm in Copenhagen than its actual arrival in the roads; for their means of defense were, at that time, in such a state, that they could hardly hope to resist, still less to repel, an enemy. On the 21st, Nelson had a long conference with Sir Hyde; and the next day addressed a letter to him, worthy of himself and of the occasion. Mr, Yan- sittart 's report had then been received. It represented the Danish government as in the highest degree hostile ; and their state of preparation as exceeding what our cab- inet had supposed possible ; for Denmark had profited, with all activity, of the leisure which had so impoliticly been given her. ^'The more I have reflected," said Nel- son to his commander, "the more I am confirmed in opinion, that not a moment should be lost in attacking the enemy. They will every day and every hour be stronger : we shall never be so good a match for them as at this moment. The only consideration is, how to get at them with the least risk to our ships. — Here you are, with almost the safety, certainly with the honor, of England, more entrusted to you than ever yet fell to the lot of any British officer. On your decision depends whether our country shall be degraded in the eyes of Europe, or whether she shall rear her head higher than ever. Again, I do repeat, never did our country depend so much upon 1. The Scav:. Cape Skagen, the northernmost point of Dcnmni-'-. The Life of Nelson 247 the success of any fleet as on this. How best to honor her, and abate the pride of her enemies, must be the subject of your deepest consideration." Supposing him to force the passage of the Sound, Nel- son thought some damage might be done among the masts and yards ; though, perhaps, not one of them but would be serviceable again. ''If the wind be fair," said he, ''and you determine to attack the ships and Crown Islands, you must expect the natural issue of such a battle — ships crippled, and, perhaps, one or two lost; for the wind which carries you in will most probably not bring out a crippled ship. This mode I call taking the bull by the horns. It, however, will not prevent the Revel ships, or the Swedes, from joining the Danes : and to prevent this, is, in my humble opinion, a measure absolutely neces- sary; and still to attack Copenhagen." For this he pro- posed two modes. One was, to pass Cronenburgh, taking the risk of danger ; take the deepest and straightest chan- nel along the Middle Grounds; and then, coming down the Garbar, or King's Channel, attack the Danish line of floating batteries and ships, as might be found convenient. This would prevent a junction, and might give an oppor- tunity of bombarding Copenhagen. Or to take the pas- sage of the Belt,^ which might be accomplished in four or five days ; and then the attack by Draco might be made, and the junction of the Russians prevented. Supposing them through the Belt, he proposed that a detachment of the fleet should be sent to destroy the Russian squadron at Revel ; and that the business at Copenhagen should be 1. The Belt. Of the two proposed methods of approaching Copen- hagen, one was the direct route through the Sound, past the city of Elsinore with its fortified castle of Cronenburgh, and north of the large island of Zeeland on which Copenhagen is situated. The other was through the Great Belt, a broad, shallower passage south of Zeeland. By this route Copenhagen could be attacked from the east" ward, past the town of Draco, or Dragor. 248 The Life op Nelson attempted with the remainder. ' ' The measure, ' ' he said, *' might be thought bold; but the boldest measures are the safest."^ The pilots, as men who had nothing but safety to think of, were terrified by the formidable report of the batteries of Elsinore, and the tremendous preparations which our negotiators, who were now returned from their fruitless mission, had witnessed. They, therefore, persuaded Sir Hyde to prefer the passage of the Belt. ''Let it be by the Sound, by the Belt, or anyhow, ' ' cried Nelson, ' ' only lose not an hour ! ' ' On the 26th they sailed for the Belt : such was the habitual reserve of Sir Hyde that his own captain — the captain of the fleet^ — did not know which course he had resolved to take till the fleet were getting under weigh. When Captain Domett was thus apprised of it, he felt it his duty to represent to the Admiral his belief that, if that course were persevered in, the ultimate object would be totally defeated : it was liable to long de- lays, and to accidents of ships grounding ; in the whole fleet there were only one captain and one pilot who knew anything of this formidable passage (as it was then 1. Boldest measures are the safest. The sentiments of Parker and the instructions of the Government, according to a later letter of Nelson's, were "to stay in the Cattegat, and there wait the time when the whole naval force of the Baltic might choose to come out and fight." Nelson by his prestige and boldness of spirit dominated the council, compelled active measures, and thus placed the fleet without delay in an effective strategic position between the forces of Denmark and Russia, where it could prevent their union, and attack either in detail. The letter quoted in part in the text, and written immediately after the council, illustrates Nelson's grasp of the broad political and strategical aspects of a naval campaign. According to Admiral Mahan (Influence of &ea Power on the French Revolution, Vol. II, p. 40^ the plan of first attacking the Russian base at Revel, had it been adopted and carried to successful execution, "would have brought down the Baltic Confederacy with a crash that would have resounded throughout Europe." 2. Captain of the fleet. Commander of the flagship, and aide to the admiral in routine matters concerning the fleet. Ills duties were similar to those of a modern chief-of-staff. The Life of Nelson 249 deemed); and their knowledge was very slight: their in- structions did not authorize them to attempt it : — suppos- ing them safe through the Belts, the heavy ships could not come over the Grounds to attack Copenhagen, and light vessels would have no effect on such a line of defense as had been prepared against them. Domett urged these reasons so forcibly that Sir Hyde's opinion was shaken, and he consented to bring the fleet to, and send for Nelson on board. There can be little doubt but that the expedi- tion would have failed, if Captain Domett had not thus timely and earnestly given his advice. — Nelson entirely agreed with him; and it was finally determined to take the passage of the Sound, and the fleet returned to its former anchorage: The next day was more idly expended in despatching a flag of truce to the Governor of Cronenburgh Castle, to ask whether he had received orders to fire at the British fleet ; as the Admiral must consider the first gun to be a declaration of war on the part of Denmark. A soldier- like and becoming answer was returned to this formality. The Governor said, that the British Minister had not been sent away from Copenhagen, but had obtained a passport at his own demand. He himself, as a soldier, could not meddle with politics : but he was not at liberty to suffer a fleet, of which the intention was not yet known, to approach the guns of the castle which he had the honor to command: and he requested, if the British Admiral should think proper to make any proposals to the King of Denmark, that he might be apprised of it before the fleet approached nearer. During this intercourse, a Dane, who came on board the commander's ship, having occa- sion to express his business in. writing, found the pen blunt; and, holding it up, sarcastically said, ''If your guns are not better pointed than your pens, you will make little impression on Copenhagen!" 250 The Life op Nelson On that day intelligence reached the Admiral of the loss of one of his fleet, the Invincible, seventy-four, wrecked on a sand-bank, as she was coming out of Yar- mouth : 400 of her men perished in her. Nelson, who was now appointed to lead the van, shifted his flag to the Ele- phant, Captain Foley — a lighter ship than the >S^^. George, and, therefore, fitter for the expected operations. The two following days were calm. Orders had been given to pass the Sound as soon as the wind would permit ; and, on the afternoon of the 29th, the ships were cleared for actioli with an alacrity characteristic of British seamen. At daybreak, on the 30th, it blew a topsail breeze^ from N.W. The signal was made, and the fleet moved on in order of battle; Nelson's division in the van, Sir Hyde's in the center, and Admiral Graves' in the rear. Great actions, whether military or naval, have gener- ally given celebrity to the scenes from whence they are denominated; and thus petty villages, and capes, and bays, known only to the coasting trader, become asso- ciated with mighty deeds, and their names are made con- spicuous in the history of the worldo Here, however, the scene was every way worthy of the drama. The political importance of the Sound is such, that grand objects are not needed there to impress the imagination, yet is the channel full of grand and interesting objects, both of art and nature. This passage, which Denmark had so long considered as the key of the Baltic,^ is in its narrowest part, about three miles wide, and here the city of Elsinore is situated; except Copenhagen, the most flourishing of the Danish towns. Every vessel which passes lowers her 1. Topsail Ireese. A wind too strong to permit the use of any sails above the topsails. 2. Key of the Baltic. A second outlet, of great strategic impor- tance, is now afforded by the Kiel Canal through the isthmus connect- ing Denmark and Germany. The Life of Nelson 251 topgallant-sails^ and pays toll at Elsinore; a toll which is believed to have had its origin in the consent of the traders to that sea, Denmark taking upon itself the charge of constructing lighthouses and erecting signals to mark the shoals and rocks from the Cattegat to the Baltic, and they, on their part, agreeing that all ships should pass this way, in order that all might pay their shares : none from that time using the passage of the Belt ; because it was not fitting that they, who enjoyed the benefit of the beacons in dark and stormy weather, should evade contributing to them in fair seasons and summer nights. Of late years about ten thousand vessels had annually paid this contribution in time of peace. Ad- joining Elsinore, and at the edge of the peninsular prom- ontory, upon the nearest point of land to the Swedish coast, stands Cronenburgh Castle, built after Tycho Brahe 's- design ; a magnificent pile — at once a palace, and fortress, and state-prison, with its spires and towers, and battlements and batteries. On the left of the strait is the old Swedish city of Helsinburg, at the foot and on the side of a hill. To the north of Helsinburg the shores are steep and rocky; they lower to the south, and the distant spires of Landscrona, Lund, and Malmoe, are seen in the flat country. The Danish shores consist partly of ridges of sand ; but more frequently they are diversi- fied with corn-fields, meadows, slopes, and are covered with rich wood, and villages and villas, and summer pal- aces belonging to the King and the nobility, and denoting the vicinity of a great capital. The isles of Huen, Salt- holm, and Amak, appear in the widening channel; and, 1. Lowers her topgallant-sails. A form of salute. The requirement of salute and tolls was discontinued in 1829. 2, Tycho Brahe (1546-1601). A great Danish astronomer. His ob- servatory was located on the island of Huen (Hveen) in the Sound, where he was visited by James I of England at the time of his mar- riage with Anne of Denmark. 252 The Ijife of Nelson at the distance of twenty miles from Elsinore, stands Copenhagen in full view ; the best city of the north, and one of the finest capitals of Europe, visible, with its stately spires, far off. Amid these magnificent objects there are some which possess a peculiar interest from the recollections which they call forth. The isle of Huen, a lovely domain, about six miles in circumference, had been the munificent gift of Frederick the Second^ to Tycho Brahe. Here most of his discoveries v/ere made, and here the ruins are to be seen of his observatory, and of the mansion where he was visited by princes, and where, with a princely spirit, he received and entertained all comers from all parts, and promoted science by his liberality as well as by his labors. Elsinore is a name familiar to English ears, being inseparably associated with Hamlet, and one of the noblest works of human genius. Cronenburgh had been the scene of deeper trag- edy. Here Queen Matilda" was confined, the victim of a foul and murderous court intrigue. Here, amid heart- breaking griefs, she found consolation in nursing her infant. Here she took her everlasting leave of that infant, when, by the interference of England, her own deliverance was obtained ; and, as the ship bore her away from a country where the venial indiscretions of youth and unsuspicious gaiety had been so cruelly punished, upon these towers she fixed her eyes, and stood upon the deck, obstinately gazing toward them till the last speck had disappeared. The Sound being the only frequented entrance to the Baltic, the great Mediterranean of the North, few parts of the sea display so frequent a navigation. In the height 1. Frederick tJie Second (1534-1588). King of Denmark and Nor- way. 2. Queen Matilda, lister of George III of England and wife of Christian VII of Denmarli. The marriage was annulled in 1772. The Life of Nelson 253 of the season not fewer than a hundred vessels pass every four-and-twenty hours, for many weeks in succession : but never had so busy or so splendid a scene been exhibited there as on this day, when the British fleet prepared to force that passage where, till now, all ships had vailed^ their top-sails to the flag of Denmark. The whole force consisted of fifty-one sail of various descriptions; of which sixteen were of the line. The greater part of the bomb and gun vessels took their stations off Cronenburgh Castle, to cover the fleet, while others on the larboard were ready to engage the Swedish shore. The Danes, hav- ing improved every moment which ill-timed negotiation and baffling weather gave them, had lined their shore with batteries; and as soon as the Monarch, which was the leading ship, came abreast of them, a fire was opened from about a hundred pieces of cannon and mortars ; our light vessels immediately, in return, opened their fire upon the Castle. Here was all the pompous circumstance and exciting reality of war without its effects, for this ostentatious display was but a bloodless prelude to the wide and sweeping destruction which was soon to follow. The enemy's shot fell near enough to splash the water on board our ships : not relying upon any forbearance of the Swedes, they meant to have kept the mid-channel; but when they perceived that not a shot v/as fired from Hel- sinburg, and that no batteries were to be seen on the Swedish shore,- they inclined to that side, so as completely to get out of reach of the Danish guns. The uninter- rupted blaze which was kept up from them till the fleet 1. VaAled. Lowered as a salute or token of submission. England for centuries asserted sovereignty over a much wider expanse. Until 1805 an Admiralty regulation required that "When any of Hia Majesty's ships shall meet with the ships of any foreign power within His Majesty's seas (which extend to Cape Finisterre) it is expected that the said foreign ships do strike their topsail and take in their flag, in acknowledgment of His Majesty's sovereignty in those seas." 254 The Life of Nelson had passed served only to exhilarate our sailors and af- ford them matter for jest, as the shot fell in showers a full cable's length short of its destined aim. A few rounds were returned from some of our leading ships till they perceived its inutility: — this, however, occasioned the only bloodshed of the day, some of our men being killed and wounded by the bursting of a gun. As soon as the main body had passed, the gun-vessels followed, desisting from their bombardment, which had been as innocent as that of the enemy; and, about mid-day, the whole fleet anchored between the island of Huen and Copenhagen. Sir Hyde, with Nelson, Admiral Graves, some of the senior captains, and the commanding officers of the artillery and the troops, then proceeded in a lugger to reconnoiter the enemy's means of defense; a formida- ble line of ships, radeaus, pontoons, galleys, fire-ships, and gun-boats, flanked and supported by extensive bat- teries, and occupying from one extreme point to the other, an extent of nearly four miles. A council of war was held in the afternoon. It was apparent that the Danes could not be attacked without great difficulty and risk; and some of the members of the council spoke of the number of the Swedes and Rus- sians whom they should afterwards have to engage, as a consideration which ought to be borne in mind. Nelson, who kept pacing the cabin, impatient as he ever was of anything which savored of irresolution, repeatedly said, ' ' The more numerous the better : I wish they were twice as many, — the easier the victory, depend on it." The plan upon which he had determined, if ever it should be his fortune to bring a Baltic fleet to action, was to attack the head of their line and confuse their movements. — "Close with a Frenchman," he used to say, ''but out- maneuver a Kussian." He offered his services for the attack, requiring ten sail of the line, and the whole of the The Life of Nelson 255 smaller craft. Sir Hyde gave liim two more line-of- battle ships than he asked, and left everything to his judgment. The enemy's force was not the only, nor the greatest, obstacle with which the British fleet had to contend: there was another to be overcome before they could come in contact with it. The channel was little known and extremely intricate ; all the buoys had been removed ; and the Danes considered this difficulty as almost insuperable, thinking the channel impracticable for so large a fleet. Nelson himself saw the soundings made, and the buoys laid down, boating it upon this exhausting service, day and night, till it was effected. When this was done, he thanked God for having enabled him to get through this difficult part of his duty. ' ' It had worn him down, ' ' he said, ' ' and was infinitely more grievous to him than any resistance which he could experience from the enemy. ' ' , At the first council of war, opinions inclined to an attack from the eastward : but the next day, the wind being southerly, after a second examination of the Danish position, it was determined to attack from the south, ap- proaching in the manner which Nelson had suggested in his first thoughts. On the morning of the 1st of April, the whole fleet removed to an anchorage within two leagues of the town, and off the N.W. end of the Middle Ground ; a shoal lying exactly before the town, at about three-quarters of a mile's distance, and extending along its whole sea-front. The King's Channel, where there is deep water, is between this shoal and the town ; and here the Danes had arranged their line of defense, as near the shore as possible; nineteen ships and floating batteries, flanked, at the end nearest the town, by the Crown Bat- teries, which were two artificial islands at the mouth of the harbor — most formidable works ; the larger one hav- ing, by the Danish account, sixty-six guns ; but, as Nelson 256 The Life of Nelson believed, eiglity-eight. The fleet having anchored, Nel- son, with Riou, in the Amazon, made his last examination of the ground; and, about one o'clock, returning to his own ship, threw out the signal to weigh. It was received with a shout throughout the whole division ; they weighed with a light and favorable wind: the narrow channel between the island of Saltholm and the Middle Ground had been accurately buoyed ; the small craft pointed out the course distinctly; Riou led the way: the whole di- vision coasted along the outer edge of the shoal, doubled its south extremity, and anchored there off Draco Point, just as the darkness closed — the headmost of the enemy 's line not being more than two miles distant. The signal to prepare for action had been made ^arly in the evening; and, as his own anchor dropped. Nelson called out, ''I will fight them the moment I have a fair wind. ' ' It had been agreed that Sir Hyde, with the remaining ships, should weigh on the following morning, at the same time as Nelson, to menace the Crown Batteries on his side, and the four ships of the line which lay at the entrance of the arsenal ; and to cover our own disabled ships as they came out of action. The Danes, meantime, had not been idle : no sooner did the guns of Cronenburgh make it known to the whole city that all negotiation was at an end, that the British fleet was passing the Sound, and that the dispute between the two crowns must now be decided by arms, than a spirit displayed itself most honorable to the Danish character. All ranks offered themselves to the service of their coun-. try ; the University furnished a corps of twelve hundred youth, the flower of Denmark : — it was one of those emer- gencies in which little drilling or discipline is necessary to render courage available : they had nothing to learn but how to manage the guns, and were employed day and night in practicing them. When the movements of Nel- The Life of Nelson • 257 son's squadron were perceived, it was known when and where the attack was to be expected, and the line of de- fense was manned indiscriminately by soldiers, sailors, and citizens. Had not the whole attention of the Danes been directed to strengthen their own means of defense, they might most materially have annoyed the invading squadron, and, perhaps, frustrated the impending attack ; for the British ships were crowded in an anchoring ground of little extent : — it was calm, so that mortar-boats might have acted against them to the utmost advantage ; and they were within range of shells from Amak Island. A few fell among them; but the enemy soon ceased to fire. It was learned afterwards, that, fortunately for the fleet, the bed of the mortar had given way ; and the Danes either could not get it replaced, or, in the darkness, lost the direction. This was an awful night for Copenhagen — far more so than for the British fleet, where the men were accustomed to battle and victory, and had none of those objects before their eyes which render death terrible. Nelson sat down to table with a large party of his officers ; he was, as he was ever wont to be when on the eve of action, in high spirits, and drank to a leading^ wind, and to the success of the morrow. After supper they returned to their respective ships, except Riou, who remained to arrange the order of battle with Nelson and Foley, and to draw up instructions: Hardy, meantime, went in a small boat to examine the channel between them and the enemy; approaching so near, that he sounded round their leading ship with a pole, lest the noise of throwing the lead should discover him. The incessant fatigue of body, as well as mind, which Nelson had undergone during the last three days, had so exhausted him, that he was earnestly urged to go to his cot; and his old servant, Allen, using that 1. Lcarfinrj. Fair, favorable. 258 . The Life of Nelson kind of authority which long and affectionate services entitled and enabled him to assume on such occasions, insisted upon his complying. The cot was placed on the floor, and he continued to dictate from it. About eleven Hardy returned, and reported the practicability of the channel, and the depth of water up to the enemy's line. About one, the orders were completed ; and half-a-dozen clerks in the foremost cabin, proceeded to transcribe them : Nelson frequently calling out to them from his cot to hasten their work, for the wind was becoming fair. Instead of attempting to get a few hours of sleep, he was constantly receiving reports on this important point. At daybreak it was announced as becoming perfectly fair. The clerks finished their work about six. Nelson, who was already up, breakfasted, and made signal for all cap- tains. The land forces, and five hundred seamen, under Captain Fremantle and the Hon. Col. Stewart, were to storm the Crown Battery as soon as its fire should be silenced : and Riou — whom Nelson had never seen till this expedition, but whose worth he had instantly perceived, and appreciated as it deserved — had the Blanche and Alcmene frigates, the Bart and Arrow sloops, and Zephyr , and Otter fire-ships, given him, with a special command to act as circumstances might require : — every other ship had its station appointed. Between eight and nine, the pilots and masters were ordered on board the Admiral's ship. The pilots were mostly men who had been mates in Baltic traders; and their hesitation about the bearing of the east end of the shoal, and the exact line of deep water, gave ominous warning of how little their knowledge was to be trusted. The signal for action had been made, the wind was fair — not a moment to be lost. Nelson urged them to be steady, — to be resolute, and to decide : but they wanted the only ground for steadiness and decision in such cases; and The Life of Nelson 259 BALTIC SEA \\ N WIND South South-east RESERVE under Parker >- ^ Ifiddle'. Ground Shoa I O BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN April 2,1801 BRITISH 51 sail in all, .16 ships-of-the-line DANISH 19 ships-of-the-Iine 260 The Life op Nelson Nelson had reason to regret that he had not trusted to Hardy's single report. This was one of the most painful moments of his life ; and he always spoke of it with bit- terness. ^'I experienced in the Sound," said he, ''the misery of having the honor of our country entrusted to a set of pilots, who had no other thought than to keep the ships clear of danger, and their own silly heads clear of shot. Everybody knows what I must have suffered : and if any merit attaches itself to me, it was for combating the dangers of the shallows in defiance of them." At length Mr. Bryerly, the master of the Bellona, declared that he was prepared to lead the fleet ;^ his judgment was acceded to by the rest : they returned to their ships ; and, at half-past nine, the signal was made to weigh in succession. Captain Murray, in the Edgar, led the way ; the Aga- memnon was next in order : but, on the first attempt to leave her anchorage, she could not weather the edge of the shoal ; and Nelson had the grief to see his old ship, in which he had performed so many years' gallant services, immovably aground, at a moment when her help was so greatly required. Signal was then made for the Polyphe- mus: and this change in the order of sailing was executed with the utmost promptitude : yet so much delay had thus been unavoidably occasioned, that the Edgar was for some time unsupported : and the Polyphemus, whose place should have been at the end of the enemy 's line, where their strength was the greatest, could get no farther than the beginning, owing to the difficulty of the channel: there she occupied, indeed, an efficient station, but one where her presence was less required. The Isis followed, with better fortune, and took her own berth.^ The Bel- 1. Lead the fleet. That is, pilot it, sliifting for ttie purpose to the foremost ship, the Edgar. 2. Rer own berth. Her proper station, as assigned in the order of battle. The Life of Nelson 261 lona, Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, kept too close on the starboard shoal, and grounded abreast of the outer ship of the enemy : this was the more vexatious, inasmuch as the wind was fair, the room ample, and three ships had led the way. The Uussellj following the Bellona, grounded in like manner ; both were within reach of shot ; but their absence from their intended stations was se- verely felt. Each ship had been ordered to pass her leader on the starboard side, because the water was sup- posed to shoal on the larboard shore. Nelson, who came next after these two ships, thought they had kept too far on the starboard direction, and made signal for them to close with the enemy, not knowing that they were aground : but, when he perceived that they did not obey the signal, he ordered the Elephant's helm to starboard,^ and went within these ships : thus quitting the appointed order of sailing, and guiding those which were to follow. The greater part of the fleet were probably, by this act of promptitude on his part, saved from going on shore. Each ship, as she arrived nearly opposite to her ap- pointed station, let her anchor go by the stern, and pre- sented her broadside to the Danes. The distance between each was about a half-cable. The action was fought nearly at the distance of a cable 's length from the enemy. This, which rendered its continuance so long, was owing to the ignorance and consequent indecision of the pilots. In pursuance of the same error which had led the Bellona and the Russell aground, they, when the lead was at a quarter less five,- refused to approach nearer, in dread of shoaling their water on the larboard shore : a fear alto- gether erroneous, for the water deepened up to the very side of the enemy's line. 1. Helm to starboard. Thus turning the ship in the opposite direc- tion, to the left. 2. A quarter less five. Four fathoms and three quarters, or 28 1/^ feet. 262 The Life of Nelson At five minutes after ten the action began. The first half of our fleet was engaged in about half an hour; and, by half -past eleven, the battle became general. The plan of the attack had been complete : but seldom has any plan been more disconcerted by untoward accidents. Of twelve ships of the line, one was entirely useless, and two others in a situation where they could not render half the service which was required of them. Of the squadron of gun-brigs only one could get into action: the rest were prevented, by baffling currents, from weathering the eastern end of the shoal; and only two of the bomb- vessels could reach their station on the Middle Ground, and open their mortars on the arsenal, firing over both fleets. Eiou took the vacant station against the Crown Battery, with his frigates ; attempting, with that unequal force, a service in which three sail of the line had been directed to assist. Nelson 's agitation had been extreme when he saw him- self, before the action began, deprived of a fourth part of his ships of the line ; but no sooner was he in battle, where his squadron was received with the fire of more than a thousand guns, than, as if that artillery, like music, had driven away all care and painful thoughts, his counte- nance brightened ; and as a bystander describes him, his conversation became joyous, animated, elevated, and de- lightful. The Commander-in-Chief, meantime, near enough to the scene of action to know the unfavorable accidents which had so materially weakened Nelson, and yet too distant to know the real state of the contending parties, suffered the most dreadful anxiety. To get to his assistance was impossible; both wind and current were against him. Fear for the event, in such circumstances, would naturally preponderate in the bravest mind ; and, at one o 'clock, perceiving that, after three hours ' endur- ance, the enemy's fire was unslackened, he began to de- The Life of Nelson 263 spair of success. ' ' I will make the signal of recall, ' ' said he to his captain, ' ' for Nelson 's sake. If he is in a con- dition to continue the action successfully, he will disre- gard it ; if he is not, it will be an excuse for his retreat, and no blame can be imputed to him," Captain Domett urged him at least to delay the signal, till he could com- municate with Nelson; but, in Sir Hyde's opinion, the danger was too pressing for delay : — "The fire," he said, * ' was too hot for Nelson to oppose ; a retreat he thought must be made — he was aware of the consequences to his own personal reputation, but it would be cowardly in him to leave Nelson to bear the whole shame of the failure, if shame it should be deemed. ' ' Under a mistaken judg- ment,* therefore, but with this disinterested and generous feeling, he made the signal for retreat. Nelson was at this time, in all the excitement of action, pacing the quarter-deck. A shot through the mainmast knocked the splinters about ; and he observed to one of his officers with a smile, ' ' It is warm work ; and this day may be the last to any of us at a moment : ' ' — and then stop- ping short at the gang-way, added with emotion — ''But, mark you! I would not be elsewhere for thousands." About this time the signal-lieutenant called out, that No. 39 (the signal for discontinuing the action) was thrown out by the Commander-in-Chief. He continued to walk the deck, and appeared to take no notice of it. The signal- officer met him at the next turn, and asked him if he should repeat it. "No," he replied, "acknowledge it."^ Presently he called after him to know if the signal for * I have great pleasure in rendering this justice to Sir Hyde Par- ker's reasoning. This fact is here stated upon the highest and most unquestionable authority. — Southey's Note. 1. Acknowledge it. To acknowledge a signal is simply to hoist a flag showing that the signal has been understood ; to repeat it is to hoist the signal itself, thus transmitting the order to other ships. There is considerable evidence that Nelson understood the commander- 264 The Life op Nelson clpse action was still hoisted ; and being answered in the affirmative, said, "Mind you keep it so," He now paced the deck, moving the stump of his lost arm in a manner which always indicated great emotion. * ' Do you know, ' ^ said he to Mr. Ferguson, "what is shown on board the Commander-in-Chief? No. 39!" Mr. Ferguson asked what that meant. — "Why, to leave off action!" Then, shrugging up his shoulders, he repeated the words — ' ' Leave off action ? Now, damn me if I do ! You know, Foley, ' ' turning to the Captain, ' ' I have only one eye, — I have a right to be blind sometimes : ' ' — and then, putting the glass to his blind eye, in that mood of mind which sports v^ith bitterness, he exclaimed, ' ' I really do not see the signal ! ' ' Presently he exclaimed, ' ' Damn the signal ! Keep mine for closer battle flying ! That 's the way I an- swer such signals ! Nail mine to the mast ! ' ' Admiral Graves, who was so situated that he could not discern what was done on board the Elephant, disobeyed Sir Hyde's signal in like manner: whether by a fortunate mistake, or by a like brave intention, has not been made known. The other ships of the line, looking only to Nel- son, continued the action. The signal, however, saved Riou 's little squadron, but did not save its heroic leader. This squadron, which was nearest the Commander-in- Chief, obeyed, and hauled off. It had suffered severely in its most unequal contest. For a long time the Amazon had been firing, enveloped in smoke, when Riou desired his men to stand fast, and let the smoke clear off, that they might see what they were about. A fatal order ; for the Danes then got clear sight of her from the batteries, and pointed their guns with such tremendous effect, that nothing but the signal for retreat saved this frigate from in-chief s order was merely permissive, Bot mandatory, in which case the quarter-deck conversation on the Elephant may be taken as half- jocular. The Life of Nelson 265' destruction. ''What will Nelson think of us?" was Riou's mournful exclamation, when he unwillingly drew off. He had been wounded in the head by a splinter, and was sitting on a gun, encouraging his men, when, just as the Amazon showed her stern to the Trekroner Bat- tery,^ his clerk was killed by his side ; and another shot swept away several marines, who were hauling in the main brace. ' ' Come, then my boys ! ' ' cried Riou, ' 'let us die all together ! ' ' The words had scarcely been uttered before a raking shot cut him in two. Except it had been Nelson himself, the British navy could not have suffered a severer loss. The action continued along the line with unabated vigor on our side, and with the most determined resolu- tion on the part of the Danes. They fought to great ad- vantage, because most of the vessels in their line of defense were without masts: the few which had any standing had their top-masts struck, and the hulls could only be seen at intervals. The Isis must have been de- stroyed by the superior weight of her enemy's fire, if Captain Inman in the DesirSe frigate, had not judiciously taken a situation which enabled him to rake the Dane, and if the Polyphemus had not also relieved her. Both in the Bellona and the Isis many men were lost by the burst- ing of their guns. The former ship was about forty years old, and these guns were believed to be the same which she had first taken to sea : they were, probably, originally faulty, for the fragments were full of little air-holes. The Bellona lost seventy-five men ; the Isis, one hundred and ten; the Monarch, two hundred and ten. She was, more than any other line of battle ship, exposed to the great battery: and supporting, at the same time, the 1. Trekroner Battery. The larger of the Crown Batteries ; so called in reference to the three crowns of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, once united. 266 The Life of Nelson united fire of the Holstein and the Zealand, her loss this day exceeded that of any single ship during the whole war. Amid the tremendous carnage in this vessel, some of the men displayed a singular instance of coolness: the pork and peas happened to be in the kettle; a shot knocked its contents about; they picked up the pieces, and ate and fought at the same time. The Prince Royal had taken his station upon one of the batteries, from whence he beheld the action, and issued his orders. Denmark had never been engaged in so ardu- ous a contest, and never did the Danes more nobly display their national courage : — a courage not more unhappily, than impoliticly, exerted in subserviency to the interests of France. Captain Thura, of the Indfoedsretten, fell early in the action; and all his officers, except one lieu- tenant and one marine officer, were either killed or wounded. In the confusion, the colors were either struck or shot away; but she was moored athwart one of the batteries in such a situation that the British made no at- tempt to board her; and a boat was despatched to the Prince, to inform him of her situation. He turned to those about him, and said, '' Gentlemen, Thura is killed; which of you will take the command ? ' ' Schroedersee, a captain who had lately resigned, on account of extreme ill health, answered, in a feeble voice, ''I will!" and hastened on board. The crew, perceiving a new com- mander coming alongside, hoisted their colors again, and fired a broadside. Schroedersee, when he came on deck, found himself surrounded by the dead and wounded, and called to those in the boat to get quickly on board : a ball struck him at that moment. A lieutenant, who had accompanied him, then took the command, and continued to fight the ship. A youth of seventeen, by name Ville- moes, particularly distinguished himself on this memor- able day. He had volunteered to take the command of a The Life of Nelson 267 floating battery, which was a raft, consisting merely, of a number of beams nailed together, with a flooring to support the guns : it was square, with a breastwork full of port-holes, and without masts, carrying 24 guns, and 120 men. With this he got under the stern of the Ele- phant^ below the reach of the stern-chasers;^ and under a heavy fire of small arms from the marines, fought his raft, till the truce was announced, with such skill, as well as courage, as to excite Nelson 's warmest admiration. Between one and two the fire of the Danes slackened ; about two it ceased from the greater part of their line, and some of their lighter ships were adrift. It was, how- ever, difficult to take possession of those which struck, because the batteries on Amak Island protected them; and because an irregular fire was kept up from the ships themselves as the boats approached. This arose from the nature of the action; the crews were continually rein- forced from the shore ; and fresh men coming on board, did not inquire whether the flag had been struck, or, per- haps, did not heed it; — many, or most of them, never having been engaged in war before — knowing nothing, therefore, of its laws, and thinking only of defending their country to the last extremity. The Danhrog fired upon the Elephant's boats in this manner, though her Commodore had removed her pendant and deserted her, though she had struck, and though she was in flames. After she had been abandoned by the Commodore, Braun fought her till he lost his right hand, and then Captain Lemming took the command. This unexpected renewal of her fire made the Elephant and Glatton renew theirs, till she was not only silenced, but nearly every man in the praams^ ahead and astern of her was killed. When the 1. stern-chasers. Guns mounted to flre astern. 2. Praams. Floating batteries ; praams is the Danish name for large flat-boats or scows. 268 The Life of Nelson smoke of their guns died away, she was seen drifting in flames before the wind, those of her crew who remained alive, and able to exert themselves, throwing themselves out of her port-holes. Captain Eothe commanded the Nyeborg praam ; and, perceiving that she could not much longer be kept afloat, made for the inner road. As he passed the line, he found the Aggershuus praam in a more miserable condition than his own ; her masts had all gone by the board, and she was on the point of sinking. Rothe made fast a cable to her stern, and towed her off: but he could get her no farther than a shoal, called Stubben, when she sunk; and soon after he had worked the Nyeborg up to the landing place, that vessel also sunk to her gunwale. Never did any vessel come out of action in a more dreadful plight. The stump of her foremast was the only stick standing; her cabin had been stove in; every gun, except a single one, was dismounted: and her deck was covered with shattered limbs and dead bodies. By half -past two the action had ceased along that part of the line which was astern of the Elephant y but not with the ships ahead and the Crown Batteries. Nelson, seeing , the manner in which his boats were fired upon, when they went to take possession of the prizes, became angry, and said, he must either send on shore to have this irregular proceeding stopped, or send a fire-ship and burn them. Half the shot from the Trekroner, and from the batteries at Amak, at this time struck the surrendered ships, four of which had got close together ; and the fire of the Eng- lish, in return, was equally, or even more, destructive to these poor devoted Danes. Nelson, who was as humane as he was brave, was shocked at this massacre, for such he called it: and, with a presence of mind peculiar to himself, and never more signally displaj^ed than now, he The Life of Nelson 269 retired into the stern gallery, and wrote thus to the Crown Prince : ' ' Vice- Admiral Lord Nelson has been commanded to spare Denmark, when she no longer resists. The line of defense which covered her shores has struck to the British flag ; but if the firing is continued on the part of Denmark, he must set on fire all the prizes that he has taken, without having the power of saving the men who have so nobly defended them. The brave Danes are the brothers, and should never be the enemies, of the Eng- lish." A wafer^ was given him, but he ordered a candle to be brought from the cockpit, and sealed the letter with wax, affixing a larger seal than he ordnarily used. *'This," said he, "is no time to appear hurried and in- formal." Captain Sir Frederic Thesiger, who acted as his aide-de-camp, carried this letter with a flag of truce. Meantime the fire of the ships ahead, and the approach of the Ramillies and Defense, from Sir Hyde's division, which had now worked near enough to alarm the enemy, though not to injure them, silenced the remainder of the Danish line to the eastward of the Trekroner. That battery, however, continued its fire. This formidable work, owing to the want of the ships which had been destined to attack it, and the inadequate force of Riou's little squadron, was comparatively uninjured; towards the close of the action it had been manned with nearly fifteen hundred men, and the intention of storming it, for which every preparation had been made, was aban- doned as impracticable. During Thesiger 's absence. Nelson sent for Fremantle from the Ganges, and consulted with him and Foley, whether it was advisable to advance, with those ships which had sustained least damage, against the yet unin- jured part of the Danish line. They were decidedly of opinion, that the best thing which could be done was, 1. Wafer. A thin disk of dried paste, used for sealing letters. 270 The Life of Nelson while the wind continued fair, to remove the fleet out of the intricate channel, from which it had to retreat. In somewhat more than half an hour after Thesiger had been despatched, the Danish Adjutant-General, Lind- holm, came bearing a flag of truce: upon which the Trekroner ceased to fire, and the action closed, after four hours' continuance. He brought an inquiry from the Prince, What was the object of Nelson's note? The British Admiral wrote in reply: ''Lord Nelson's object in sending a flag of truce was 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 or carry off his prizes as he shall think fit. Lord Nelson, with humble duty to his royal highness the Prince, will con- sider this the greatest victory he has ever gained, if it may be the cause of a happy reconciliation and union between his own most gracious sovereign and his majesty the King of Denmark." — Sir Frederic Thesiger was de- spatched a second time with the reply; and the Danish Adjutant-General was referred to the Commander-in- Chief for a conference upon this overture. Lindholm assenting to this, proceeded to the London, which was riding at anchor full four miles off; and Nelson, losing not one of the critical moments which he had thus gained, made signal for his leading ships to weigh in succession : — they had the shoal to clear, they were much crippled, and their course was immediately under the guns of the Trekroner. The Monarch led the way. This ship had received six- and-twenty shot between wind and water. She had not a shroud standing ; there was a double-headed shot^ in the heart of her foremast, and the slightest wind would have 1. Double-headed shot. Two shot joined by a bar, for destroying spars and rigging. The Life of Nelson 271 sent every mast over her side.* The imminent danger from which Nelson had extricated himself soon became apparent; the Monarch touched immediately upon a shoal, over which she was pushed by the Ganges taking her amidships; the Glatton went clear; but the other two, the Defiance and the Elephant, grounded about a mile from the Trekroner, and there remained fixed, for many hours, in spite of all the exertions of their wearied crews. The Desiree frigate also, at the other end of the line, having gone toward the close of the action to assist the Bellona, became fast on the same shoal. Nelson left the Elephant, soon after she took the ground, to follow Lind- holm. The heat of action was over; and that kind of feeling, which the surrounding scene of havoc was so well fitted to produce, pressed heavily upon his exhausted spirits : the sky had suddenly become overcast ; white flags were waving at the mast-heads of so many shattered ships: — the slaughter had- ceased, but the grief was to come, for the account of the dead was not yet made up, and no man could tell for what friends he would have to mourn. The very silence which follows the cessation of such a battle becomes a weight upon the heart at first,' rather than a relief ; and though the work of mutual de- struction was at an end, the Danhrog was, at this time, drifting about in flames ; presently she blew up, while our boats, which had put off in all directions to assist her, were endeavoring to pick up her devoted crew, few of whom could be saved. The fate of these men, after the * It would have been well if the fleet, before they went under tiae batteries, had left their spare spars moored out of reach of shot. Many would have been saved which were destroyed lying on the booms, and the hurt done by their splinters would have been saved also. Small craft could have towed them up when they were required ; and, after such an action, so many must necessarily be wanted, that. If those which were not in use were wounded, it might have rendered It im- possible to refit the ships. — Southey's 'Note, 272 The Life of Nelson gallantry which they had displayed, particularly affected Nelson; for there was nothing in this action of that in- dignation against the enemy, and that impression of retributive justice, which at the Nile had given a sterner temper to his mind, and a sense of austere delight, in beholding the vengeance of which he was the appointed minister. The Danes were an honorable foe; they were of English mold as well as English blood ; and now that the battle had ceased, he regarded them rather as breth- ren than as enemies. There was another reflection also, which mingled with these melancholy thoughts, and pre- disposed him to receive them. He was not here master of his own movements, as at Egj^pt ; he had won the da^^ by disobeying his orders; and in so far as he had been •successful, had convicted the Commander-in-Chief of an error in judgment. '^Well,'' said he, as he left the Elephant f '*I have fought contrary to orders, and I shall perhaps be hanged ! Never mind : let them ! ' ' This was the language of a man w^ho, while he is giving utterance to an uneasy thought, clothes it half in jest, be- cause he half repents that it has been disclosed. His ser- vices had been too eminent on that day, his judgment too conspicuous, his success too signal, for any commander, however jealous of his own authority, or envious of an- other's merits, to express anything but satisfaction and gratitude, which Sir Hyde heartily felt and sincerely ex- pressed. It wg3 speedily agreed that there should be a suspension of hostilities for f our-and-twenty hours ; that all the prizes should be surrendered, and the wounded Danes carried on shore. There was a pressing necessity for this ; for the Danes, either from too much confidence in the strength of their positions, and the difficulty of the channel; or, supposing that the wounded might be car- ried on shore during the action, which was found totally impracticable ; or, perhaps, from the confusion which the The Life op Nelson 273 attack excited, had provided no surgeons; so that, when our men boarded the captured ships, they found many of the mangled and mutilated Danes bleeding to death for want of proper assistance ; a scene, of all others, the most shocking to a brave man's feelings. The boats of Sir Hyde's division were actively em- ployed all night in bringing out the prizes, and in getting afloat the ships which were on shore. At daybreak. Nel- son, who had slept in his own ship, the St. George, rowed to the Elephant, and his delight at finding her afloat seemed to give him new life. There he took a hasty breakfast, praising the men for their exertions, and then pushed off to the prizes which had not yet been removed. The Zealand, 74, the last which struck, had drifted on the shoal under the Trekroner ; and relying, as it seems, upon the protection which that battery might have af- forded, refused to acknowledge herself captured, saying that, though it was true her flag was not to be seen, her pendant was still flying. Nelson ordered one of our brigs and three long-boats to approach- her, and rowed up himself to one of the enemy's ships, to communicate with the Commodore, This officer proved to be an old acquaintance, whom he had known in the West Indies; so he invited himself on board ; and with that urbanity, as well as decision, which always characterized him, urged his claim to the Zealand so well, that it was ad- mitted. The men from the boats lashed a cable around her bowsprit, and the gun-vessel towed her away. It is affirmed, and probably with truth, that the Danes felt more pain at beholding this than at all their misfortunes on the preceding day ; and one of the officers, Commodore Steen Bille, v/ent to the Trekrcner battery, and asked the commander why he had not sunk the Zealand, rather than suffer her thus to be carried off by the enemy ? T!::s y;27, i:::'':"''"^ a ri^"i:rnf""^ c'":'^ for Cc^'^^^lir^'-^zi! It 2/4 The Life of Nelson was Good Friday; but the general agitation, and the mourning which was in every house, made all distinction of days be forgotten. There were, at that hour, thou- sands in that city who felt, and more, perhaps, who needed, the consolations of Christianity ; but few or none w^ho could be calm enough to think of its observances. The English were actively employed in refitting their own ships, securing the prizes, and distributing the prisoners ; the Danes, in carrying on shore and disposing of the wounded and the dead. It had been a murderous action. Our loss, in killed and wounded, was nine hun- dred and fifty-three. Part of the slaughter might have been spared. The commanding officer of the troops on board one of our ships asked where his men should be stationed ? He was told that they could be of no use ; that they were not near enough for musketry, and were not wanted at the guns; they had, therefore, better go below. This, he said, was impossible — it would be a dis- grace that could never be wiped away. They were, there- fore, drawn up upon the gangway, to satisfy this cruel point of honor; and there, without the possibility of annoying the enemy, they were mowed down ! The loss of the Danes, including prisoners, amounted to about six thousand. The negotiations, meantime, went on ; and it was agreed that Nelson should have an interview with the Prince the following day. Hardy and Fremantle landed with him. This was a thing as unexampled as the other circumstances of the battle. A strong guard was appointed to escort him to the palace, as much for the purpose of security as of honor. The populace, accord- ing to the British account, showed a mixture of admira- tion, curiosity, and displeasure, at beholding that man in the midst of them who had inflicted such wounds upon Denmark. But there were neither acclamation nor mur- murs. ''The people," says a Dane, "did not degrade The Life of Nelson 275 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 wdth respect." The preliminaries of the negotiations were adjusted at this interview. During the repast which followed, Nelson, with all the sincerity of his character, bore willing testimony to the valor of his foes. He told the Prince that he had been in a hundred and five en- gagements, but that this was the most tremendous of all. ' ' The French, ' ' he said, ' ' fought bravely ; but they could not have stood for one hour the fight which the Danes had supported for four. ' ' He requested that Villemoes might be introduced to him ; and, shaking hands Vv^ith the youth, told the Prince that he ought to be made an admiral. The Prince replied : "If, my lord, I am to make all my brave officers admirals, I should have no captains or lieutenants in my service." The sympathy of the Danes for their countrymen who had bled in their defense was not weakened by distance of time or place in this instance. Things needful for the service or the comfort of the wounded were sent in "pro- fusion to the hospitals, till the superintendents gave pub- lic notice that they could receive no more. On the third day after the action the dead were buried in the naval churchyard : the ceremony was made as public and as solemn as the occasion required; such a procession had never before been seen in that or, perhaps, in any other city. A public monument was erected upon the spot where the slain were gathered together. A subscription was opened on the day of the funeral for the relief of the sufferers, and collections in aid of it made throughout all the churches in the kingdom This appeal to the feelings of the people was made with circumstances which gave it full effect. A monument was raised in the midst of the church, surmounted by the Danish colors: young 276 The Life op Nelson ■ maidens, dressed in white, stood around it, with either one who had been wounded in the battle, or the widow and orphans of some one who had fallen : a suitable ora tion was delivered from the pulpit, and patriotic hymns and songs were afterwards performed. Medals were dis- tributed to all the officers, and to the men who had dis- tinguished themselves. Poets and painters vied with each other in celebrating a battle which, disastrous as it was, had yet been honorable to their country : some, with pardonable sophistry, represented the advantage of the day as on their own side. One writer discovered a more curious, but less disputable, ground of satisfaction, in the reflection that Nelson, as may be inferred from his name, was of Danish descent, and his actions, therefore, the Dane argued, were attributable to Danish valor. The negotiation was continued during the five follow- ing days ; and, in that interval, the prizes were disposed of, in a manner which was little approved by Nelson. Six line of battle ships and eight praams had been taken. Of these, the Holstein, 64, was the only one which was sent home. The Zealand was a finer ship : but the Zealand, and all the others, were burnt, and their brass battering cannon sunk with the hulls in such shoal water, that, when the fleet returned from Eevel, they found the Danes with craft over the wrecks employed in getting the guns up again. Nelson, though he forebore from any public expression of displeasure at seeing the proofs and trophies of his victory destroyed, did not forget to repre- sent to the Admiralty the case of those who were thus deprived of their prize-money. ''Whether," said he to Earl St. Vincent, "Sir Hyde Parker may mention the subject to you, I know not ; for he is rich, and does not want it : nor is it, you will believe me, any desire to get a few hundred pounds that actuates me to address this letter to you, but justice to the brave officers and men The Life of Nelson 27T who fought OR that day. It is true our opponents were in hulks and floats, only adapted for the position they were in; but that made our battle so much the harder, and victory so much more difficult to obtain. Believe me^ I have weighed all the circumstances; and, in my con- science, I think that the King should send a gracious mes- sage to the House of Commons for a gift to this fleet : for what must be the natural feelings of the oflicers and men belonging to it, to see their rich Commander-in-Chief burn all the fruits of their victory, — which, if fitted up and sent to England (as many of them might have been by dismantling part of our fleet), would have sold for a good round sum ? ' ' On the 9th, Nelson landed again, to conclude the terms of the armistice. During its continuance the armed ships and vessels of Denmark were to remain in their then actual situation, as to armament, equipment, and hostile position; and the Treaty of armed neutrality, as far as related to the co-operation of Denmark, was sus- pended. The prisoners were to be sent on shore ; ar ac- knowledgment being given for them, and for the wounded also, that they might be carried to Great Britain 's credit in the account of war, in case hostilities should be re- newed. The British fleet was allowed to provide itself with all things requisite for the health and comfort of its men. A difficulty arose respecting the duration of the armistice. The Danish commissioners fairly stated their fears of Russia; and Nelson, with that frankness which sound policy and the sense of povv^er seem often to require as v/ell as justify in diplomacy, told them his reason for demanding a long term was, that he might have time to act against the Russian fleet, and then return to Copen- hagen. Neither party would yield upon this point ; and one of the Danes hinted at the renewal of hostilities. ''Renew hostilities!" cried Nelson to one of his friends. 278 The Life of Nelson — for he understood French enough to comprehend what was said, though not to answer it in the same language, — ''tell him we are ready at a moment ! — ready to bombard this very night ! ' ' The conference, however, proceeded amicably on both sides ; and as the commissioners could not agree upon this head, they broke up, leaving Nelson to settle it with the Prince. A levee was held forthwith in one of the state-rooms; a scene well suited for such a consultation: for all these rooms had been stripped of their furniture, in fear of a bombardment. To a bom- bardment also Nelson was looking at this time : fatigue, and anxiety, and vexation at the dilatory measures of the Commander-in-Chief, combined to make him irritable : and as he was on the way to the Prince 's dining-room, he whispered to the officer on whose arm he was leaning, ''Though I have only one e^^e, I can see that all this will burn well." After dinner he was closeted with the Prince; and they agreed that the armistice should con- tinue fourteen weeks ; and that, at its termination, four- teen days' notice should be given before the recommence- ment of hostilities. An official account of the battle was published by Olfert Fischer, the Danish Commander-in-Chief, in which it was asserted that our force was greatly superior; nevertheless, that two of our ships of the line had struck, that the others were so weakened, and especially Lord Nelson's own ship, as to fire only single shots for an hour before the end of the action ; and that this hero himself, in the middle and very heat of the conflict, sent a flag of truce on shore to propose a cessation of hostilities. For the truth of this account the Dane appealed to the Prince, and all those who, like him, had been eye-witnesses of the scene. Nelson was exceedingly indignant at such a statement, and addressed a letter in confutation of it, to the Adjutant-General, Lindholm; thinking this in- The Life of Nelson 279 cumbent upon him, for the information of the Prince, since his Royal Highness had been appealed to as a wit- ness: ''Otherwise," said he, "had Commodore Fischer confined himself to his own veracity, I should have treated his official letter with the contempt it deserved, and allowed the world to appreciate the merits of the two contending officers." After pointing out and de- tecting some of the misstatements in the account, he proceeds: "As to his nonsense about victory, his Royal Highness will not much credit him. I sunk, burned, cap- tured, or drove into the harbor, the whole line of defense to the southward of the Crown Islands. He says he is told that two British ships struck. Why did he not take possession of them? I took possession of his as fast as they struck. The reason is clear, that he did not believe it : he must have known the falsity of the report. — He states, that the ship in which I had the honor to hoist my flag fired latterly only single guns. It is true ; for steady and cool were my brave fellows, and did not wish to throw awa}^ a single shot. He seems to exult that I sent on shore a flag of truce. — You know, and his Royal High- ness knov/s, that the guns fired from the shore could only fire through the Danish ships which had surrendered; and that, if I fired at the shore, it could only be in the same manner. God forbid that I should destroy an un- resisting Dane ! When they became my prisoners, I be- came their protector." This letter was written in terms of great asperity against the Danish commander. Lindholm replied in a manner every way honorable to himself. He vindicated the Commodore in some points, and excused him in others, reminding Nelson that every commander-in-chief was liable to receive incorrect reports. With a natural desire to represent the action in a most favorable light to Denmark, he took into the comparative strength of 280 The Life of Nelson tlie two parties the ships which were aground, and which could not get into action : and omitted the Trekroner and the batteries upon Amak Island. He disclaimed all idea of claiming as a victory, ' ' what to every intent and pur- pose," said he, ''was a defeat, — but not an inglorious one. As to your lordship's motive for sending a flag of truce, it never can be misconstrued ; and your subsequent conduct has sufficiently shown that humanity is always the companion of true valor. You have done more : you have shown yourself a friend to the re-establishment of peace and good harmony between this country and Great Britain. It is, therefore, with the sincerest esteem I shall always feel myself attached to your lordship." Thus handsomely winding up his reply, he soothed and contented Nelson; who, drawing up a memorandum of the comparative force of the two parties, for his own satisfaction, assured Lindholm, that if the Commodore's statement had been in the same manly and honorable strain, he would have been the last man to have noticed any little inaccuracies which might get into a com- mander-in-chief's public letter. For the battle of Copenhagen, Nelson was raised to the rank of Viscount : an inadequate mark of reward for ser- vices so splendid, and of such paramount importance to the dearest interests of England. There was, however, some prudence in dealing out honors to him step by step ; had he lived long enough, he would have fought his way up to a Dukedom. CHAPTER VIII Sir Hyde Parker is recalled, and Nelson appointed Commander — ' He goes to Eevel— Settlement of Affairs in the Baltic — Unsuccess- ful Attempt upon the Flotilla at Boulogne — Peace of Amiens — • JSTelson takes the Command in the Mediterranean on the Eenewal of the War — Escape of the Toulon Fleet — Nelson chases them to the West Indies, and back — Delivers up his Squadron to Admiral Corn- wallis, and lands in England. When Nelson informed Earl St. Vincent that the ar- mistice had been concluded, he told him also, without re° serve, his own discontent at the dilatoriness and inde- cision which he witnessed, and could not remedy. "No man," said he, "but those who are on the spot, can tell what I have gone through, and do suffer. I make no scruple in saying, that I would have been at ReveP four- teen days ago ! that, without this armistice, the fleet would never have gone, but by order of the Admiralty ; and with it, I dare say, we shall not go this week. I wanted Sir Hyde to let me, at least, go and cruise off Carlscrona,^ to prevent the Revel ships from getting in. I said I would not go to Revel to take any of those laurels which I was sure he would reap there. Think for me, my dear lord; — and if I have deserved well, let me re- turn : if ill, for Heaven 's sake supersede me, — for I can- not exist in this state." Fatigue, incessant anxiety, and a climate little suited to one of a tender constitution, which had now for many years been accustomed to more genial latitudes, made him, at this time, seriously determine upon returning home. "If the northern business were not settled," he said, 1. Revel. A Russian naval base on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. See p. 244. 2. Carlscrona. A city on the southeastern coast of Sweden. 281 282 The Life op Nelson "they must send more admirals; for the keen air of the north had cut him to the heart." He felt the want of ac- tivity and decision in the Commander-in-Chief more keenly ; and this affected his spirits, and consequently his health, more than the inclemency of the Baltic, Soon after the armistice was signed, Sir Hyde proceeded to the eastward, with such ships as were fit for service, leav- ing Nelson to follow with the rest, as soon as those which had received slight damages should be repaired, and the rest sent to England. In passing between the isles of Amak and Saltholm, most of the ships touched the ground, and some of them stuck fast for a while; no serious injury, however, was sustained. It was intended to act against the Eussians first, before the breaking up of the frost should enable them to leave Revel ; but, learn- ing on the way that the Swedes had put to sea to effect a junction with them, Sir Hyde altered his course, in hopes of intercepting this part of the enemy's force. Nelson had, at this time, provided for the more pressing emerg- encies of the service, and prepared, on the 18th, to follow the fleet. The St. George drew too much water to pass the channel between the isles without being lightened : the guns were therefore taken out, and put on board an American vessel : a contrary wind, however, prevented Nelson from moving;' and on that same evening, while he was thus delayed, information reached him of the relative situation of the Swedish and British fleets, and the prob- ability of an action. The fleet was nearly ten leagues distant; and both wind and current contrary; but it was not possible that Nelson eould wait for a favorable sea- son under such an expectation. He ordered his boat immediately and stepped into it. Night was setting in, — one of the cold spring nights of the north, — and it was discovered, soon after thev had left thp shiD, that, in their haste, they had forgotten to provide him with a The Life of Nelson 283 boat-cloak. He, however, forbade them to return for one : and when one of his companions offered his own great-coat, and urged him to make use of it, he replied, "I thank you very much, — but, to tell you the truth, my anxiety keeps me sufficiently warm at present. ' ' "Do you think," said he, presently, "that our fleet has quitted Bornholm ? If it has, we must follow it to Carls- crona." About midnight he reached it, and once more .got on board the Elephant. On the following morning the Swedes were discovered ; as soon, however, as they perceived the English approaching, they retired, and took shelter in Carlscrona, behind the batteries on the island, at the entrance of that port. Sir Hyde sent in a flag of truce, stating that Denmark had concluded an armistice, and requiring an explicit declaration from the court of Sweden, whether it would adhere to, or abandon, the hostile measures which it had taken against the rights and interest of Great Britain ? The commander, Vice-Admiral Cronstadt, replied, "that he could not answer a question which did not come within the particu- lar circle of his duty; but that the King was then at Maloe, and would soon be at Carlscrona," Gustavus shortly afterwards arrived, and an answer was then re- turned to this effect: "That his Swedish Majesty would not, for a moment, fail to fulfil, with fidelity and sincer- ity, the engagements he had entered into with his allies ; but he would not refuse to listen to equitable proposals made by deputies furnished with proper authority' by the King of Great Britain to the united Northern Pow- ers." Satisfied with this answer, and with the known disposition of the Swedish court, Sir Hyde sailed for the Gulf of Finland ; but he had not proceeded far be- fore a despatch boat, from the Russian Ambassador at Copenhagen, arrived, bringing intelligence of the death of the Emperor Paul ; and that his successor, Alexander, '284 The Life of Nelson had accepted the offer made by England to his father, of terminating the dispute by a convention; the British Admiral was therefore required to desist from all further hostilities. It was Nelson's maxim that, to negotiate with effect, force should be at hand, and in a situation to act. The fleet, having been reinforced from England, amounted to eighteen sail of the line ; and the wind was fair for Revel. There he would have sailed immediately, to place himself- between that division of the Russian fleet and the squad- ron at Cronstadt, in case this offer should prove insincere. Sir Hyde, on the other hand, believed that the death of Paul had effected all that was necessary. The manner of that death,^ indeed, rendered it apparent that a change of policy would take place in the cabinet of Petersburg ; but Nelson never trusted anything to the uncertain events of time which could possibly be secured by promptitude or resolution. It was not, therefore, without severe mortification that he saw the Commander-in-Chief re- turn to the coast of Zealand, and anchor in Kioge Bay, there to wait patiently for what might happen. There the fleet remained, till despatches arrived from home, on the 5th of May, recalling Sir Hyde, and ap- pointing Nelson Commander-in-Chief. Nelson wrote to Earl St. Vincent that he was unable to hold this honorable station. Admiral Graves also was so ill, as to be confined to his bed; and he entreated that some person might come out and take the command. ' ' I will endeavor," said he, *'to do my best while I remain: but, my dear lord, I shall either soon go to heaven, I hope, or must rest quiet for a time. If Sir Hyde were gone, I would now be under sail. ' ' On the day when this was written he received news of his appointment. Not a moment was now lost. His first signal, as Commander- 1. Manner of that death. He was assassinated by conspirators. The Life op Nelson 285 in-Chief, was to hoist in all launches, and prepare to weigh : and on the 7th he sailed from Kioge. Part of his fleet was left at Bornholm to watch the Swedes : from wdiom he required, and obtained, an assurance, that the British trade in the Cattegat, and in the Baltic, should not be molested ; and saying how unpleasant it would be to him if anything should happen which might, for a moment, disturb the returning harmony between Sweden and Great Britain, he apprised them that he was not directed to abstain from hostilities should he meet with the Swedish fleet at sea. Meantime he himself, with ten sail of the line, two frigates, a brig, and a schooner, made for the Gulf of Finland. Paul, in one of the freaks of his tyranny, had seized upon all the British effects in Russia, and even considered British subjects as his pris- oners. ''I will have all the English shipping and prop- erty restored," said Nelson, ''but I will do nothing vio- lently, — ^neither commit the affairs of my country, nor suffer Russia to mix the affairs of Denmark or Sweden with the detention of our ships." The wind was fair, and carried him in four days to Revel Roads. But the bay had been clear of firm ice on the 29th of April, while the English were lying idly at Kioge. The Russians had cut through the ice in the mole six feet thick, and their whole squadron had sailed for Cronstadt on the 3d. Before that time it had Iain at the mercy of the English. — "Nothing," Nelson said, ''if it had been right to make the attack, could have saved one ship of them in two hours after our entering the bay." It so happened that there was no cause to regret the opportunity which had been lost, and Nelson immediately put the intentions of Russia to the proof. He sent on shore to say, that he came with friendly views, and was. ready to return a salute. On their part the salute was de- layed, till a message was sent to them to inquire for what 286 The Life op Nelson reason : and the officer, whose neglect had occasioned the delay, was put under arrest. Nelson wrote to the Emperor, proposing to wait on him personally, and congratulate him on his accession, and, urged the immediate release of British subjects, and restoration of British property. The answer arrived on the 16th : Nelson, meantime, had exchanged visits with the Governor, and the most friend- ly intercourse had subsisted between the ships and the shore. Alexander's ministers, in their reply, expressed their surprise at the arrival of a British fleet in a Rus- sian port, and their wish that it should return: they professed, on the part of Russia, the most friendly dis- position towards Great Britain, but declined the personal visit of Lord Nelson, unless he came in a single ship. There was a suspicion implied in this which stung Nel- son ; and he said the Russian ministers would never have written thus if their fleet had been at Revel. He wrote an immediate reply, expressing what he felt : he told the court of Petersburg, ^*that the word of a British Admiral, when given in explanation of any part of his conduct, was as sacred as that of any sovereign in Europe. ' ' And he repeated, *Hhat, under other circumstances, it would have been his anxious wish to have paid his personal respects to the Emperor, and signed with his own hand the act of amity between the two countries." Having despatched this, he stood out to sea immediately, leaving a brig to bring off the provisions which had been con- tracted for, and to settle the accounts. ''I hope all is right," said he, writing to our Ambassador at Berlin; "but seamen are but bad negotiators; for we put to issue in five minutes what diplomatic forms would be ■Oyq months doing." On his way down the Baltic, however, he met the Rus- sian Admiral Tchitchagof, whom the Emperor, in reply to Sir Hyde's overtures, had sent to communicate per- The Life of Nelson 287 sonally with the British Commander-in-Chief. The reply was such as had been wished and expected: and these negotiators going, seaman-like, straight to their object, satisfied each other of the friendly intentions of their respective governments.. Nelson then anchored off Ros- tock ; and there he received an answer to his last despatch from Revel, in which the Russian court expressed their regret that there should have been any misconception between them, informed him that the British vessels which Paul had detained were ordered to be liberated, and invited him to Petersburg in whatever mode might be most agreeable to himself. Other honors awaited him: — ^the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Queen's brother,^ came to visit him on board his ship ; and towns of the inland parts of Mecklenburg sent deputations, with their public books of record, that they might have the name of Nelson in them written by his own hand. From Rostock, the fleet returned to Kioge Bay. Nel- son saw that the temper of the Danes towards England was such as naturally arose from the chastisement which they had so recently received. "In this nation," said he, "we shall not be forgiven for having the upper hand of them : I only thank God we have, or they would try to humble us to the dust." He saw also that the Danish cabinet was completely subservient to France : a French officer was at this time the companion and counsellor of the Crown Prince; and things were done in such open violation of the armistice, that Nelson thought a second infliction of vengeance would soon be necessary. He wrote to the Admiralty, requesting a clear and explicit reply to his inquiry, Whether the Commander-in-Chief was at liberty to hold the language becoming a British Admiral? "Which, very probably," said he, "if I am here, will break the armistice, and set Copenhagen in a 1. Queen's trother. Brother to Charlotte Sophia, wife of George III. 288 The Life of Nelson blaze. I see everything wMcli is dirty and mean going on, and the Prince Royal at the head of it. Ships have been masted, guns taken on board, floating batteries prepared, and, except hauling out and completing their rigging, everything is done in defiance of the treaty. My heart burns at seeing the word of a Prince, nearly allied to our good King, so falsified; but his conduct is such, that he will lose his kingdom if he goes on, for Jacobins rule in Denmark, I have made no representations yet, as it would be useless to do so until I have the power of correction. All I beg, in the name of the future Com- mander-in-Chief, is, that the orders may be clear; for enough is done to break twenty treaties if it should be wished, or to make the Prince Royal humble himself before British generosity." Nelson was not deceived in his judgment of the Danish Cabinet, but the battle of Copenhagen had crippled its power. The death of the Czar Paul had broken the con- federacy ; and that Cabinet, therefore, was compelled to defer, till a more convenient season, the indulgence of its enmity towards Great Britain. Soon afterwards, Vice- Aclmiral Sir Charles Maurice Pole arrived to take com- mand. The business, military and political, had by that time been so far completed, that the presence of the Brit- ish fleet soon became no longer necessary. Sir Charles, however, made the short time of his command memorable, by passing the Great Belt, for the first time, with line of battle ships; working through the channel against adverse winds. When Nelson left the fleet,^ this speedy termination of the expedition, though confidently ex- 1. Left the fleet. Nelson was relieved on June 19. "I never saw the man," wrote St. Vincent at this time, "excepting yourself and Trou- bridge, who possessed the magic art of infusing the same spirit into others, which inspired their own actions ; exclusive of other talents and habits of business, not common to naval characters." — Mahan, Life of Nelson, Vol. II, p. 116. The Life of Nelson 289 pected, was not certain ; and he, in his unwillingness to weaken the British force, thought at one time of travers- ing Jutland in his boat, by the canal, to Tonningen on the Eyder, and finding his way home from thence. The intention was not executed ; but he returned in a brig, declining to accept a frigate : which few admirals would have done, especially if, like him, they suffered from sea- sickness in a small vessel. On his arrival at Yarmouth, the first thing he did was to visit the hospital, and see the men who had been wounded in the late battle: — that victory which had added a new gloiy to the name of Nel- son, and which was of more importance, even than the battle of the Nile, to the honor, the strength, and security of England. The feelings of Nelson's friends, upon the news of his great victory at Copenhagen, were highly described by Sir William Hamilton, in a letter to him. ' ' We can only expect," he says, ''what we know well, and often said before, that Nelson was, is, and to the last ivill ever he^ the first. Emma did not know whether she was on her head or heels — in such a hurry to tell your great news, that she could utter nothing but tears of joy and tender- ness. I went to Davison, and found him still in bed, hav- ing had a severe fit of the gout, and with your letter, which he had just received ; and he cried like a child : but what was very extraordinary, assured me that, from the instant he had read your letter, all pain had left him, and that he felt himself able to get up and walk about. Your brother, Mrs. Nelson, and Horace dined with us. Your brother was more extraordinary than ever. He would get up suddenly, and cut a caper; rubbing his hands every time that the thought of your fresh laurels came into his head. In short, except myself (and your Lordship knows that I have some phlegm), all the com- pany, which was considerable after dinner, were mad 290 The Life of Nelson with joy. But I am sure that no one rejoiced more at heart than I did. I have lived too long to have ecstasies ! But with calm reflection, I felt for my friend having got to the very summit of glory ! the ne plus ultra .f^ that he has had another opportunity of rendering his country the most important service, and manifesting again his judgment, his intrepidity, and his humanity." He had not been many weeks on shore before he was called upon to undertake a service for which no Nelson was required. Bonaparte, who was now First Consul, and in reality sole ruler of France, was making prepara- tions, upon a great scale, for invading England r but his schemes in the Baltic had been baffled : fleets could not be created as they were wanted; and his armies, therefore, were to come over in gun-boats, and such small craft as could be rapidly built or collected for the occasion. From the former governments of France, such threats have only been matter of insult or policy : in Bonaparte they were sincere : for this adventurer, intoxicated with suc- cess, already began to imagine that all things were to be submitted to his fortune. We had not at that time proved the superiority of our soldiers over the French ; and the unreflecting multitude were not to be persuaded that an invasion could only be effected by numerous and powerful fleets. A general alarm was excited : and, in condescension to this unworthy feeling, Nelson was ap- pointed to a command extending from Orfordness to 1, JSfe plus ultra. Nothing further ; the uttermost point. 2. Invading England. Napoleon collected at Boulogne an army of 1^0,000 men and a great number of flat-boats and barges, and exercised the troops in embarking and disembarking, preparatory to an expedition against England. Whether he actually intended to make the attempt is uncertain ; but the control of the Channel necessary to prevent It was the constant concern of the British fleet up to the victory of Trafalgar, Oct. 21, 1805. In August of that year, however, Napoleon was forced to march against an Austrian army approaching through Bouthern Germany. The Life of Nelson 291 Beacliy Head, on both shores;^ — a sort of service, he said, for which he felt no other ability than what might be found in his zeal. To this service, however, such as it was, he applied with his wonted alacrity, though in no cheerful frame of mind. To Lady Hamilton, his only female correspondent, he says at this time — ' ' I am not in very good spirits ; and except that our country demands all our services and abilities to bring about an honorable peace, nothing should prevent my being the bearer of my own letter. But, my dear friend, I know you are so true and loyal an Englishwoman, that you would hate those who would not stand forth in defense of our King, laws, religion, and all that is dear to us. — It is your sex that makes us go forth, and seems to tell us, 'None but the brave deserve the fair;' — and if we fall, we still live in the hearts of those females. It is your sex that rewards us, it is your sex who cherish our memorfes ; and you, my dear honored friend, are, believe me, the first, the best of your sex. I have been the world around, and in every corner of it, and never yet saw your equal, or even one who could be put in comparison with you. You know how to reward virtue, honor, and courage, and never to ask if it is placed in a prince, duke, lord, or peasant." Having hoisted his flag in the Medusa frigate, he went to recon- noitre Boulogne; the point from which it was supposed the great attempt would be made, and which the French, in fear of an attack themselves, were fortifying with all care. He approached near enough to sink two of their floating batteries, and destroy a few gun-boats which were without the pier; what damage was done within could not be ascertained. ''Boulogne," he said, "was 1. Orfordness to Beacliy Head, on 'both shores. Including the mouth of the Thames, the Straits of Dover, and the eastern extremity of the Channel, from the English to the French coast. 292 The Life of Nelson certainly not a very pleasant place that morning : — ^but,*' he added, "it is not my wish to injure the poor inhabi- tants; and the town is spared as much as the nature of the service will admit." Enough was done to show the enemy that they could not, with impunity, come outside their own ports. Nelson was satisfied, by what he saw, that they meant to make an attempt from this place, but that it was impracticable ; for the least wind at W.N."W„, and they were lost. The ports of Flushing and Flanders were better points : there we could not tell by our eyes what means of transport were provided. From thence, therefore, if it came forth at. all, the expedition would come: — ''And what a forlorn undertaking!" said he: ''consider cross tides, etc. As for rowing, that is impossible. It is perfectly right to be prepared for a mad government: but with the active force which has been given me, I may pronounce it almost impracticable. " That force had been got together with an alacrity which has seldom been equalled. On the 28th of July we were, in Nelson's own words, literally at the foundation of our fabric of defense : and twelve days afterwards we were so prepared on the enemy's coast, that he did not believe they could get three miles from their ports. The Medusa, returning to our own shores, anchored in the rolling ground^ off Harwich; and when Nelson wished to get to the Nore in her, the wind rendered it impossible to proceed there by the usual channel. In haste to be at the Nore, remembering that he had been a tolerable pilot for the mouth of the Thames in his younger days, and thinking it necessary that he should know all that could be known of the navigation, he requested the maritime surveyor of the coast, Mr. Spence, to get him into the Swin, by any channel : for neither the pilots whom he had 1. Rolling ground. An exposed anchorage In shallow water, subject to a heavy grouiul swell. The Life of Nelson 293 on board, nor the Harwich ones, would take charge of the ship. No vessel drawing more than fourteen feet had ever before ventured over the Naze. Mr. Spence, how- ever, who had surveyed the channel, carried her safely through. The channel has since been called Nelson's, though he himself wished it to be named after the Medusa: his name needed no new memorial. Nelson's eye was upon Flushing : — ''To take possession of that place," he said, "v/oulcl be a week's expedition for four or five thousand troops." This, however, re- quired a consultation with the Admiralty ; and that some- thing might be done meantime, he resolved upon attack- ing the flotilla in the mouth of Boulogne Harbor. This resolution was made in deference to the opinion of others, and to the public feeling which was so preposterously excited. He himself scrupled not to assert, that the French army would never embark at Boulogne for the invasion of England; and^he owned, that this boat-war- fare was not exactly congenial to his feelings. Into Hel- voet or Flushing he should be happy to lead, if Govern- ment turned their thoughts that way. ' ' "While I serve, ' ^ said he, ''I will do it actively, and to the very best of my abilities. — I require nursing like a child, ' ' he added ; ''my mind carries me beyond my strength, and will do me up : — but such is my nature. ' ' The attack was made by the boats of the squadron in five divisions, under Captains Somerville, Parker, Cot- grave, Jones, and Conn. The previous essay had taught the French the weak parts of their position; and they omitted no means of strengthening it, and of guarding against the expected attempt. The boats put off about half an hour before midnight; but, owing to the dark- ness, and tide and half-tide,^ which must always make 1. Tide and half-tide. When the tide continues to flow upward in a river or inlet after it has reached liigli water on the coast. /294 The Life of Nelson night-attacks so uncertain on the coasts of the Channel, the divisions separated. One could not arrive at all; another not till near daybreak. The others made their attack gallantly; but the enemy were fully prepared: every vessel was defended by long poles, headed with iron spikes, projecting from their sides : strong nettings were braced up to their lower yards ; they were moored by the bottom to the shore, and chained one to another;* they were strongly manned with soldiers, and protected by land-batteries, and the shore was lined with troops. Many were taken possession of; and, though they could not have been brought out, would have been burned, had not the French resorted to a mode of offense, which they have often used, but which no other people have ever been wicked enough to employ. The moment the firing ceased on board one of their own vessels, they fired upon it from the shore, perfectly regardless of their own men. The commander of one of the French divisions acted like a generous enemy. He hailed the boats as they ap- proached, and cried out in English, '^Let me advise you, my brave Englishmen, to keep your distance : you can do nothing here ; and it is only uselessly shedding the blood of brave men to make the attempt. ' ' The French official account boasted of the victory. ''The combat," it said, ''took place in sight of both countries; it was the first of the kind, and the historian would have cause to make this remark." They guessed our loss at four or five hundred : ♦ In tbe former editions I had stated, upon what appeared anthen- tic information, that the boats were chained one to another. Nelson Wmself believed this. But I have been assured that it was not the case, by M. de Bercet, who, when I had the pleasure of seeing him in 1825, was (and I hope still is) Commandant of Boulogne. The word of this brave and loyal soldier is as little to be doubted as his worth. He is the last survivor of Charette's band ; and his own memoirs, could he be persuaded to write them (a duty which he owes to his country as well as to himself) would form a redeeming episode in the history of the French Revolution. — S'out'hey's Tot''. The Life of Nelson 295 — it amounted to one hundred and seventy-two. In his private letters to the Admiralty, Nelson affirmed that had our force arrived as he intended, it was not all the chains in France which could have prevented our men from bringing off the whole of the vessels. There had been no error committed, and never did Englishmen dis- play more courage. Upon this point Nelson was fully satisfied ; but he said he should never bring himself again to allow any attack wherein he was not personally con- cerned ; and that his mind suffered more than if he had had a leg sho.t off in the affair. He grieved particularly for Captain Parker, — an excellent officer, to whom he was greatly attached, and who had an aged father look- ing to him for assistance. His thigh was shattered in the action, and the wound proved mortal, after some weeks of suffering and manly resignation. During this in- terval, Nelson's anxiety was very great. ''Dear Parker is my child," said he, "for I found him in distress." And, when he received the tidings of his death, he re- plied: — "You will judge of my feelings: God's will be done. I beg that his hair may be cut off and given me ; —it shall be buried in my grave. Poor Mr. Parker! What a son has he lost ! If I were to say I was content, I should lie ; but I shall endeavor to submit with all the fortitude in my power. — His loss has made a wound in my heart which time will hardly heal." "You ask me, my dear friend," he says to Lady Ham- ilton, "if I am going on more expeditions? and even if I was to forfeit your friendship, which is dearer to me than all the world, I can tell you nothing. For, I go out : if I see the enemy, and can get at them, it is my duty: and you would naturally hate me, if I kept back one moment. — I long to pay them, for their tricks t'other day, the debt of a drubbing, which surely I '11 pay : but when, where, or how, it is impossible, your own good 296 The Life of Nelson sense must tell you, for me or mortal man to say." Yet he now wished to be relieved from this service. The coun- try, he said, had attached a confidence to his name, which he had submitted to, and therefore had cheerfully re- paired to the station; but this boat business, though it might be part of a great plan of invasion, could never be the only one, and he did not think it was a command for a Vice- Admiral. It was not that he wanted a more lu^ crative situation ,— for, seriously indisposed as he was,' and low-spirited from private considerations, he did not know, if the Mediterranean were vacant, that he should be equal to undertake it. He was offended with the Admiralty for refusing him leave to go to town when he had solicited ; in reply to a friendly letter from Trou- bridge he says, ''I am at this moment as firmly of opinion as ever, that Lord St. Vincent and yourself should have allowed of my coming to town for my own affairs, for every one knows I left it without a thought for myself." His letters at this time breathe an angry feeling toward Troubridge, who was now become, he said, one of his lords and masters,^ — ''I have a letter from him," he says, "recommending me to wear flannel shirts. Does he care for me? no: but never mind. They shall work hard to get me again. The cold has settled in my bowels. I wish the Admiralty had my complaint : but they have no bowels, at least for me.— I dare say Master Troubridge is grown fat ; I know I am grown lean with my complaint, which, but for their indifference about my health, could never have happened ; or, at least, I should have got well long ago in a warm, room with a good fire and sincere friend." In the same tone of bitterness, he complained that he was not able to promote those whom he thought deserving: "Troubridge," he says, "has so completely 1. One of his lords and masters. Troubridge was one of the Lords of the Admiralty from 1801 to 1804, The Life of Nelson 297 prevented my ever mentioning anybody's service, that I am become a cipher, and he has gained a victory over Nel- son 's spirit. I am kept here, for what? — he may be able to tell, I cannot. But long it cannot — shall not be. ' ' An end was put to this uncomfortable state of mind when, fortunately (on that account) for him, as well as happily for the nation, the peace of Amiens^ was, just at this time, signed. Nelson rejoiced that the experiment was made, but was well aware that it was an experiment; he saw what he called the misery of peace, unless the utmost vig- ilance and prudence were exerted ; and he expressed, in bitter terms, his proper indignation at the manner in which the mob of London welcomed the French General, who brought the ratification: saying, ''that they made him ashamed of his country. ' ' He had purchased a house and estate at Merton,^ in Surrey ; meaning to pass his days there in the society of Sir William and Lady Hamilton. He had indulged in pleasant dreams when looking on to this as his place of residence and rest. ''To be sure," he says, "we shall employ the tradespeople of our village in preference to any others, in what we want for common use, and give them every encouragement to be kind and attentive to us."— i' Have we a nice church at Merton? We will set an example of goodness to the under-parishioners. I admire the pigs and poultry. Sheep are certainly most beneficial to eat off the grass. Do you get paid for them, and take care that they are kept on the premises all night, for that is the time they do good to the land. They should be folded. Is your head man a good person, and 1. Peace of Amiens. Signed October 1, 1801. and ratified Marcli 27, 1802, between Great Britain on one side and France, Spain, and the Low Countries on the other. England agreed to restore her conquests of French colonies provided France abandoned Rome and Naples, and gave back Malta to the Knights of St. John. 2. Merton. About eight miles south of London. 298 The Life of Nelson true to our interest? I intend to have a farming-book. I expect that all animals will increase where you are, for I never expect that you will suffer any to be killed. No person can take amiss our not visiting. The answer from me will always be very civil thanks, but that I wish to live retired. We shall have our sea-friends ; and I know Sir William thinks they are the best. ' ' This place he had never seen till he was now welcomed there by the friends to whom he had so passionately devoted himself, and who were not less sincerely attached to him. The place, and everything which Lady Hamilton had done to it, delighted him; and he declared that the longest liver should possess it all. Here he amused himself with angling in the Wandle, having been a good fly-fisher in former days, and learning now to practice with his left hand,* what he could no longer pursue as a solitary di- version. His pensions for his victories, and for the loss of his eye and arm, amounted with his half -pay to about £3400 a year. From this he gave £1800 to Lady Nelson, £200 to a brother 's widow, and £150 for the education of his children ; and he paid £500 interest for borrowed money; so that Nelson was comparatively a poor man; and though much of the pecuniary embarrassment which he endured was occasioned by the separation from his wife — even if that cause had not existed, his income would not have been sufficient for the rank which he held, and the claims which would necessarily be made upon his bounty. The depression of spirits under which he had long labored arose partly from this state of his circumstances, and partly from the other disquietudes in which his connection with Lady Hamilton had in- * This is mentioned on the authority, and by the desire of Sir Humphrey Davy (Salmonia, p. 6), whose name I write with the re- spect to which It is so justly entitled ; and, calling to mind the time when we were in habits of daily and intimate intercourse, with afiEec- tionate regret. — Southey's Note. The Life of Nelson 299 volved him; a connection which it was not possible his father could behold without sorrow and displeasure. Mr. Nelson, however, was soon persuaded that the attach- ment, which Lady Nelson regarded with natural jealousy and resentment, did not, in reality, pass the bounds of ardent and romantic^ admiration ; a passion which the manners and accomplishments of Lady Hamilton, fas- cinating as they were, would not have been able to excite, if they had not been accompanied by more uncommon in- tellectual endowments, and by a character which, both in its strength and in its weakness, resembled his own. It did not, therefore, require much explanation to reconcile him to his son ; — an event the more essential to Nelson 's happiness, because, a few months afterwards, the good old man died at the age of seventy-nine. Soon after the conclusion of peace, tidings arrived of our final and decisive successes in Egypt :^ in conse- quence of which the Common Council voted their thanks to the army and navy for bringing the campaign to so glorious a conclusion. When Nelson, after the action of Cape St. Vincent, had been entertained at a city feast, he had observed to the Lord Mayor, ''That, if the city continued its generosity, the navy would ruin them in gifts. ' ' To which, the Lord Mayor replied, putting his hand upon the Admiral's shoulder, "Do you find victo- ries, and we will find rewards." Nelson, as he said, had kept his word, — had doubly fulfilled his part of the con- tract, — but no thanks had been voted for the battle of Copenhagen ; and, feeling that he and his companions in that day's glory had a fair and honorable claim to this reward, he took the present opportunity of addressing a letter to the Lord Mayor, complaining of the omission 1. Successes in Egypt. An English force of 18,000 men under, General Abercrombie defeated the French at Alexandria, March 21, ■ 1801, and forced them to complete surrender in August of the same .year. 300 The Life of Nelson II and the injustice. "The smallest services," said he, ** rendered by the army or navy to the country have al- ways been noticed by the great city of London, with one exception : — the glorious 2nd of April : — a day when the greatest dangers of navigation were overcome, and the Danish force, which they thought impregnable, totally taken or destroyed, by the consummate skill of our com- manders, and by the undaunted bravery of as gallant a band as ever defended the rights of this country. For myself, if I were only personally concerned, I should bear the stigma, attempted to be now first placed upon my brow, with humility. But, my lord, I am the natural guardian of the fame of all the officers of the navy, army, and marines, who fought, and so profusely bled, under my command on that day. Again I disclaim for myself more merit than naturally falls to a successful comman- aer ; but when I am called upon to speak of the merits of the captains of His Majesty's ships, and of the officers and men, v/hether seamen, marines, or soldiers, whom I that day had the happiness to command, I then say, that never was the glory of this country upheld with more de- termined bravery than on that occasion : — and, if I may be allowed to give an opinion as a Briton, then I say, that more important service was never rendered to our King and country. It is my duty, my lord, to prove to the brave fellows, my companions in danger, that I have not failed, at every proper place, to represent, as well as I am able, their bravery and meritorious conduct. ' ' Another honor, of greater import, was withheld from the conquerors. The King had given medals to those cap- tains who were engaged in the battles of the 1st of June,^ of Cape St. Vincent, of Camperdown,^ and of the Nile. 1. The 1st of June. Lord Howe's defeat of the French off Ushant, June 1, 1794. 2. Camperdown. Admiral Duncan's victory over the Dutch October 11, 1797. The Life of Nelson 301 Then came the victory of Copenhagen : which Nelson truly called the most difficult achievement, the hardest fought battle, the most glorious result that ever graced the annals of our country. He, of course, expected the medal: and, in writing to the Earl St. Vincent, said: ''He longed to have it, and would not give it up to be made an English duke." The medal, however, was not given : — ''For what reason," said Nelson, "Lord St. Vin- cent best knows. ' ' — Words plainly implying a suspicion, that it was withheld by some feeling of jealousy: and that suspicion estranged him, during the remaining part of his life, from one who had been at one time essentially, as well as sincerely, his friend, and of whose professional abilities he ever entertained the highest opinion. The happiness which Nelson enjoyed in the society of his chosen friends, was of no long continuance. Sir William Hamilton, who was far advanced in years, died early in 1803; a mild, amiable, accomplished man, who has thus in a letter described his own philosophy : — ' ' My study of antiquities, ' ' he says, ' ' has kept me in constant thought of the perpetual fluctuation of everything. The whole art is really to live all the days of our life ; and not with anxious care disturb the sweetest hour that life affords— which is the present. Admire the Creator, and all his works, to us incomprehensible; and do all the good you can upon earth ; and take the chance of eternity without dismay." He expired in his wife's arms, hold- ing Nelson by the hand ; and almost in his last words left her to his protection ; requesting him that he would see justice done her by the government, as he knew what she had done for her country. He left him her portrait in enamel, calling him his dearest friend; the most vir- tuous, loyal, and truly brave character he had ever known. The codicil containing this bequest concluded with these words: "God bless him, and shame fall on 302' The Life of Nelson those who do not say Amen." Sir William's pension, of £1200 a year, ceased with his death. Nelson applied to Mr. Addington in Lady Hamilton 's behalf, stating the important service which she had rendered to the fleet at Syracuse; and Mr. Addington, it is said, acknowledged that she had a just claim upon the gratitude of the country. This barren acknowledgment was all that was obtained ; but a sum, equal to the pension which her hus- band had enjoyed, was settled on her by Nelson, and paid in monthly payments during his life. A few weeks after this event, the war was renewed ;^ and, the day after His Majesty's message to Parliament, Nelson departed to take command of the Mediterranean fleet. The war, he thought, could not be long; just enough to make him independent in pecuniary matters. He took his station immediately off Toulon ; and there, with incessant vigilance, waited for the coming out of the enemy. The expectation of acquiring a competent fortune did not last long. ''Somehow," he says, ''my mind is not sharp enough for prize-money. Lord Keith would have made £20,000, and I have not made £6000. ' ' More than once he says that the prizes taken in the Medi- terranean had not paid his expenses, and once he ex- presses himself as if it were a consolation to think that some ball might soon close all his accounts with this world of care and vexation. At this time the widow of his brother, being then blind and advanced in years, was distressed for money, and about to sell her plate; he wrote to Lady Hamilton, requesting of her to find out what her debts were, and saying, that if the amount was within his power, he would certainly pay it, and rather pinch himself than that she should want. Before he had finished the letter, an account arrived that a sum was payable to him for some neutral taken four years before, 1. War teas rcncvpd. War was declared May 18, 1803. The Life op Nelson 303 which enabled him to do this without being the poorer ; and he seems to have felt at the moment that what was thus disposed of by a cheerful giver, shall be paid to him again. — One from whom he had looked for very different conduct, had compared his own wealth in no becoming manner with Nelson's limited means. "I know," said he to Lady Hamilton, ''the full extent of the obliga- tion I owe him, and he may be useful to me again; but I can never forjet his unkindness to you. But I guess many reasons influenced his conduct in bragging of his riches and my honorable poverty; but, as I have often said, and with honest pride, what I have is my own : it never cost the widow a tear, or the nation a farthing. I got what I have with my pure blood, from the enemies of my country. Our house, my own Emma, is built upon a solid foundation; and will last to us, when his house and lands may belong to others than his children. ' ' His hope was that peace might soon be made, or that he should be relieved from his command, and retire to Merton, where, at that distance, he was planning and directing improvements. On his birthday he writes : ''This day, my dearest Emma, I consider as more fortu- nate than common days, as by my coming into the world it has brought me so intimately acquainted with you. I well know that you will keep it and have my dear Ho- ratia^ to drink my health. Forty-six years of toil and trouble ! How few more the common lot of mankind leads us to expect ! and therefore it is almost time to think of spending the few last years in peace and quiet- ness. " It is painful to think that this language was not addressed to his wife, but to one with whom he promised himself "many, many happy years, when that impedi- 1. Horatia; Daughter of Nelson and Lady Hamilton, born Janu- ary 30, 1801. She became the wife of the Rev. Philip Ward, and died in 1881. 30 i The Life of Nelson ment," as he calls her, ''shall have been removed, if God pleased;" and they might be surrounded with their children's children. When he had been fourteen months off Toulon, he received a vote of thanks from the city of London, for his skill and perseverance in blockading that port, so as to prevent the French from putting to sea. Nelson had not forgotten the wrong which the city had done to the Baltic fleet by their omission, and did not lose the oppor- tunity, which this vote afforded, of recurring to that point. "I do assure your lordship," said he, in his answer to the Lord Mayor, ''that there is not that man breathing who sets a higher value upon the thanks of his fellow-citizens of London than myself; but I should feel as much ashamed to receive them for a particular service, marked in the resolution, if I felt that I did not come within that line of service, as I should feel hurt at having a great victory passed over without notice. I beg to inform your lordship, that the port of Toulon has never been blockaded by me : quite the reverse. Every oppor- tunity has been offered the enemy to put to sea; for it is there that we hope to realize the hopes and expecta- tions of our country." Nelson then remarked, that the junior flag officers of his fleet had been omitted in this vote of thanks ; and his surprise at the omission was ex- pressed with more asperity, perhaps, than an offence, so entirely and manifestly unintentional, deserved : but it arose from that generous regard for the feelings as well as interests of all who were under his command, which made him as much beloved in the fleets of Britain as he was dreaded in those of the enemy. Never was any commander more beloved. He gov- erned men by their reason and their affections; they knew that he was incapable of caprice or tyranny; and they obeyed him with alacrity and joy, because he pos- The Life of Nelson 305 sessed their confidence as well as their love. ' ' Our Nel, ' ' they used to say, "is as brave as a lion, and as gentle as a lamb." Severe discipline he detested, though he had been bred in a severe school : he never inflicted corporal punishment if it were possible to avoid it ; and when compelled to enforce it, he, who was familiar with wounds and death, suffered like a woman. In his whole life Nelson was never known to act unkindly towards an officer. If he was asked to prosecute one for ill be- havior, he used to answer: "That there was no occa- sion for him to ruin a poor devil, who was sufficiently his own enemy to ruin himself." But in Nelson there was more than the easiness and humanity of a happy nature : he did not merely abstain from injury ; his was an active and watchful benevolence, ever desirous not only to render justice, but to do good. During the peace, he had spoken in Parliament upon the abuses respecting prize-money, and had submitted plans to Government for more easily manning the Navy, and preventing desertion from it, by bettering the condition of the seamen. He proposed that their certificates should be registered, and that every man who had served, with a good character, five years in war, should receive a bounty of two guineas annually after that time, and of four guineas after eight years. "This," he said, "might, at first sight, appear an enormous sum for the state to pay; but the average life of a seaman is, from hard service, finished at forty- five : he cannot, therefore, enjoy the annuity many years ; and the interest of the money saved by their not desert- ing, would go far to pay the whole expense. ' ' ' To his midshipmen he ever shov/ed the most winning kindness, encouraging the diffident, tempering the hasty, counselling and befriending both. "Recollect," he used to say, ' ' that you must be a seaman to be an officer ; and also, that you cannot be a good officer without being a 306 The Life of Nelson gentleman. ' ' A lieutenant wrote to him to say, that he was dissatisfied with his captain. Nelson's answer was in that spirit of perfect wisdom and perfect goodness, which regulated his whole conduct toward those who were under his command. ''I have just received your letter ; and I am truly sorry that any difference should arise between your captain, who has the reputation of being one of the bright officers of the service, and your- self, a very young man and a very young officer, who must naturally have much to learn : therefore the chance is that you are perfectly wrong in the disagreement. However, as your present situation must be very dis- agreeable, I will certainly take an early opportunity of removing you, provided your conduct to your present captain be such, that another may not refuse to receive you." The gentleness and benignity of his disposition never made him forget what was due to discipline. Being on one occasion applied to, to save a young officer from a court-martial, which he had provoked by his miscon- duct, his reply was, ' ' That he would do everything in his power to oblige so gallant and good an officer as Sir John "Warren," in whose name the intercession had been made : — ' * But what, ' ' he added, ' ' would he do if he were here? — Exactly what I have done, and am still willing to do. The young man must write such a letter of con- trition as would be an acknowledgment of his great fault ; and with a sincere promise, if his captain will intercede to prevent the impending court-martial, never to so mis- behave again. On his captain's enclosing me such a letter, with a request to cancel the order for the trial, I might be induced to do it : but the letters and reprimand will be given in the public order-book of the fleet, and read to all the officers. The young man has pushed him- self forward to notice, and he must take the consequence. — It was upon the quarter-deck, in the face of the ships' The Life of Nelson 307 company, that he treated his captain with contempt ; and I am in duty bound to support the authority and conse- quence of every officer under my command. A poor ignorant seaman is for ever punished for contempt to his superiors. ' ' A dispute occurred in the fleet, while it was off Toulon, which called forth Nelson 's zeal for the rights and inter- ests of the navy. Some young artillery officers, serving on board the bomb-vessels, refused to let their men per- form any other duty but what related to the mortars. They wished to have it established, that their corps was not subject to the captain's authority. The same pre- tensions were made in the Channel fleet about the same time; and the artillery rested their claims to separate and independent authority on board, upon a clause in the Act,^ which they interpreted in their favor. Nelson took up the subject with all the earnestness which its importance deserved. — ''There is no real happiness in this world," said he, writing to Earl St. Vincent, as First Lord. "With all content, and smiles around me, up start these artillery hojs (I understand they are not beyond that age), and set us at defiance; speaking in the most disrespectful manner of the navy and its command- ers. I know you, my dear lord, so v/ell, that, with your quickness, the matter would have been settled, and per- haps some of them been broke. I am, perhaps, more pa- tient ; but, I do assure you, not less resolved, if my plan of conciliation is not attended to. You and I are on the eve of quitting the theater of our exploits; but we hold it due to our successors never, whilst we have a tongue to speak, or a hand to write, to allow the Navy to be, in the smallest degree, injured in its discipline by our con- duct. ' ' To Troubridge he wrote in the same spirit : — 1. Act. The Act of Parliament "for the regulation of His Majesty's ships, vessels, and forces at sea," i. e., the Naval Regulations. 308 The Life of Nelson ''It is the old history, trying to do away the Act of Parliament: but I trust they will never succeed; for, when they do, farewell to our naval superiority. We should be prettily commanded ! Let them once gain the step of being independent of the Navy on board a ship, and they will soon have the other, and command us.— But, thank Goji! my dear Troubridge, the King himself cannot do away the Act of Parliament. Although my career is nearly run, yet it would embitter my future days and expiring moments to hear of our Navy being sacrificed to the Army." As the surest way of prevent- ing such disputes, he suggested that the Navy should have its own corps of artillery; and a corps of Marine Artillery was accordingly established. Instead of lessening the power of the Commander, Nel- son would have wished to see it increased : it was abso- lutely necessary, he thought, that merit should be re- warded at the moment, and that the officers of the fleet should look up to the Commander-in-Chief for their reward. He himself was never more happy than when he could promote those who were deserving of promotion. Many were the services which he thus rendered unso- licited ; and frequently the officer, in whose behalf he had interested himself with the Admiralty, did not know to whose friendly interference he was indebted for his good fortune. He used to say, ''I wish it to appear as a God- send." The love which he bore the Navy made him promote the interests and honor the memory of all who had added to its glories. ''The near relations of brother- officers," he said, ''he considered as legacies to the serv- ice." Upon mention being made to him of a son of Rod- ney,i by the Duke of Clarence, his reply was: "I agree with your Royal Highness most entirely, that the son of Rodney ought to be the protege of every person in the 1. Rodney. See p. 53, note 1. The Life op Nelson 309 kingdom, and particularly of the sea officers. Had I known that there had been this claimant, some of my own lieutenants must have given way to such a name, and he should have been placed in the Victory : she is full, and I have twenty on my list ; but, whatever numbers I have, the name of Rodney must cut many of them out. ' ' Such was the proper sense which Nelson felt of what was due to splendid services and illustrious names. His feelings toward the brave men who had served with him are shown by a note in his diary, which was probably not intended for any other eye than his own. — ''Nov. 7. I had the comfort of making an old Agamemnon, George Jones, a gunner into the Chameleon brig." When Nelson took the command, it was expected that the Mediterranean would be an active scene. Nelson well understood the character of the perfidious Corsican, who was now sole tyrant of France ; and knowing that he was as ready to attack his friends as his enemies, knew, there- fore, that nothing could be more uncertain than the direc- tion of the fleet from Toulon, whenever it should put to sea : — ''It had as many destinations,"^ he said, "as there were countries." The momentous revolutions of the last ten years had given him ample matter for reflection, as well as opportunities for observation : the film was cleared from his eyes ; and now, when the French no longer went abroad with the cry of liberty and equality, he saw that the oppression and misrule of the powers which had been opposed to them had been the main causes of their suc- cess, and that those causes would still prepare the way before them. Even in Sicily, where, if it had been possi- ble longer to blind himself. Nelson would willingly have seen no evil, he perceived that the people wished for a 1. Many destinations. Ireland, the West Indies, and tbe Levant were the chief possibilities. "I shall follow them to the Antipodes," wrote Nelson ; and again, with a touch of humor, "I trust they are destined for Spithead." 310 The Life op Nelson change, and acknowledged that they had reason to wish for it. In Sardinia, the same burden of misgovernment was felt ; and the people, like the Sicilians, were impov- erished by a government so utterly incompetent to per- form its first and most essential duties, that it did not protect its own coasts from the Barbary pirates. He would fain have had us purchase this island (the finest in the Mediterranean) from its sovereign, who did not receive £5000 a year from it, after its wretched estab- lishment^ was paid. There was reason to think that France was preparing to possess herself of this impor- tant point, which afforded our fleet facilities for watch- ing Toulon not to be obtained elsewhere. An expedition was preparing at Corsica for the purpose; and all the Sardes, who had taken part with revolutionary France, were ordered to assemble there. It was certain that if the attack were made, it would succeed. Nelson thought that the only means to prevent Sardinia from becoming French was to make it English, and that half a million would give the King a rich price, and England a cheap purchase. A better, and therefore a wiser, policy would have been to exert our influence in removing the abuses of the government; for foreign dominion is always, in some degree, an evil; and allegiance neither can nor ought to be made a thing of bargain and sale. Sardinia, like Sicily and Corsica, is large enough to form a sepa- rate state. Let us hope that these islands may, ere long, be made free and independent. Freedom and independ- ence will bring with them industry and prosperity; and wherever these are found, arts and letters will flourish, and the improvement of the human race proceed. The proposed attack was postponed. Views of wider ambition were opening before Bonaparte, who now al- 1. Establishment. The military and civil forces required to govern the island. The Life of Nelson 311 most undisguisedly aspired to make himself master of the continent of Europe ; and Austria was preparing for another struggle, to be conducted as weakly, and ter- minated as miserably, as the former. Spain, too, was once more to be involved in war by the policy of France ; that perfidious government having in view the double object of employing the Spanish resources against Eng- land, and exhausting them, in order to render Spain herself finally its prey. Nelson, who knew that England and the Peninsula ought to be in alliance, for the com- mon interest of both, frequently expressed his hopes that Spain might resume her natural rank among the nations. "We ought," he said, ''by mutual consent, to be the very best of friends, and both to be ever hostile to France." But he saw that Bonaparte was meditating the destruction of Spain, and that, while the wretched court of Madrid professed to remain neutral, the appear- ances of neutrality were scarcely preserved. An order of the year 1771, excluding British ships of war from the Spanish ports, was revived, and put in force ; while French privateers, from these very ports, annoyed the British trade, carried their prizes in, and sold them even at Barcelona. Nelson complained of this to the Captain General of Catalonia, informing him that he claimed, for every British ship or squadron, the right of lying, as long as it pleased, in the ports of Spain, while that right was allowed to other powers. To the British Ambassador he said : " I am ready to make large allowances for the mis- erable situation Spain has placed herself in ; but there is a certain line beyond which I cannot submit to be treated with disrespect. We have given up French vessels taken within gun-shot^ of the Spanish shore, and yet French 1. Within gun-shot. Within tlie "three-mile limit," a distance deter» mined roughly by the range of an old-time cannon from the shore; hence illegitimately captured. 312 The Life op Nelson vessels are permitted to attack our ships from the Span- ish shore. Your Excellency may assure the Spanish government, that in whatever place the Spaniards allow the French to attack us, in that place I shall order the French to be attacked." During this state of things, to which the weakness of Spain, and not her will, consented, the enemy's fleet did not venture to put to- sea. Nelson watched it with unre- mitting and almost unexampled perseverance. The sta- tion off Toulon he called his home. ''We are in the right fighting trim,'' said he: ''let them come as soon as they please. I never saw a fleet altogether so well officered and manned : would to God the ships were half so good !— The finest ones in the service would soon be destroyed by such terrible weather : I know well enough, that if I were to go into Malta I should save the ships during this bad sea- son; but if I am to watch the French, I must be at sea; and if at sea, must have bad weather: and if the ships are not fit to stand bad weather, they are useless. ' ' Then only he was satisfied, and at ease, when he had the enemy in view. Mr. Elliot, our Minister at Naples, seems, at this time, to have proposed to send a confidentiaP Frenchman to him with information. "I should be very happy," he replied, "to receive authentic intelligence of the destina- tion of the French squadron, their route, and time of sail- ing.— Anything short of this is useless; and I assure your Excellency, that I would not, upon any consideration, have a Frenchman in the fleet,, except as a prisoner. I put no confidence in them. You think yours good ; the Queen thinks the same : I believe they are all alike. What- ever information you can get me, I shall be very thankful for ; but not a Frenchman comes here. Forgive me, but my mother hated the French !" ' || M. Latouche Treville, who had commanded at Bou- 1. Confidential. Trustworthy. The Life of Nelson 313 logne, commanded now at Toulon. ' ' He was sent for on purpose/' said Nelson, "as he heat me at Boulogne, to beat me again : but he seems very loth to try. ' ' One day, while the main body of our fleet was out of sight of land, Rear-Admiral Campbell, reconnoitering with the Cano- pus, Donegal, and Amazon, stood in close to the port, and M. Latouche, taking advantage of a breeze which sprung up, pushed out, with four ships of the line, and three heavy frigates, and chased him about four leagues. The Frenchman, delighted at having found himself in so novel a situation, published a boastful account; affirm- ing that he had given chase to the whole British fleet, and that Nelson had fled before him. Nelson thought it due to the Admiralty to send home a copy of the Vic- tory 's log upon this occasion. ' ^ As for himself, ' ' he said, "if his character was not established by that time for not being apt to run away, it was not worth his while to put the world right." — "If this fleet gets fairly up with M. Latouche, ' ' said he to one of his correspondents, ' ' his letter, with all his ingenuity, must be different from his last. We had fancied that we had chased him into Toulon; for, blind as I am, I could see his water-line, when he clewed his topsails up, shutting in Sepet.^ But, from the time of his meeting Captain Hawker in the /m/ I never heard of his acting otherwise than as a poltroon and a liar. Contempt is the best mode of treat- ing such a miscreant." In spite, however, of contempt, the impudence of this Frenchman half angered him. He said to his brother: "You will have seen Latouche 's letter ; how he chased me, and how I ran. I keep it ; and if I take him, by God he shall eat it ! " 1. Shutting in Sepet (or Cepet). Running inside the headland which protects Toulon harbor. The sense of the passage is that Tr6- ville carried a heavy press of sail till he got safely back into port. 2. Meeting Captain Hawker in the Tsis. An indecisive frigate action off New York, June 7, 1780. 314 The Life of Nelson Nelson, who used to say, that in sea affairs nothing is impossible, and nothing improbable, feared the more that this Frenchman might get out and elude his vigilance ; because he was so especially desirous of catching him, and administering to him his own lying letter in a sand- wich. M. Latouche, however, escaped him in another way. He died, according to the French papers, in con- sequence of walking so often up to the signal post upon Sepet, to watch the British fleet. ' ^ I always pronounced that would be his death," said Nelson. ''If he had come out and fought me, it would at least have added ten years to my life." The patience with which he had watched Toulon he spoke of, truly, as a perseverance at sea which had never been surpassed. From May, 1803, to August, 1805, he himself went out of his ship but three times; each of those times was upon the King's service, and neither time of absence exceeded an hour. In 1804, the Swift cutter going out with despatches was taken, and all the despatches and letters fell into the hands of the enemy. "A very pretty piece of work," says Nelson. "I am not surprised at the capture, but am very much so that any despatches should be sent in a vessel with twenty-three men, not equal to cope with any row-boat privateer. The loss of the Hmdostaii^ was great enough ; but for importance it is lost in comparison with the probable knowledge the enemy will obtain of our connections with foreign countries. Foreigners for- ever say, and it is true, 'We dare not trust England: one way or other we are sure to be committed.' " In a subsequent letter, speaking of the same capture, he says : *'I find, my dearest Emma, that your picture is very much admired by the French Consul at Barcelona; and that he has not sent it to be admired, which I am sure it 1. Eindostan. A storeship captured by the French April 2, 1804, the day before the loss of the Swift. The Life of Nelson 315 would be, by Bonaparte. They pretend that there were three pictures taken. I wish I had them; but they are all gone as irretrievably as the despatches, unless we may read them in a book, as we printed their correspondence from Egypt. But from us what can they find out ? That I love you most dearly, and hate the French most damn- ably. Dr. Scott went to Barcelona to try to get the pri- vate letters, but I fancy they are all gone to Paris. The Swedish and American Consuls told him that the French Consul had your picture and read your letters; and the doctor thinks one of them, probably, read the letters. By the master's account of the cutter I would not have trusted a pair of old shoes in her. He tells me she did not sail, but was a good. sea boat. I hope Mr. Marsden will not trust any more of my private letters in such a conveyance : if they choose to trust the affairs of the public in such a thing, I cannot help it." "While he was on this station, the weather had been so unusually severe, that, he said, the Mediterranean seemed altered. It was his rule never to contend with the gales; but either run to the southward, to escape their violence, or furl all the sails, and make the ships as easy as possible. The men, though he said flesh and. blood could hardly stand it, continued in excellent health, which he ascribed, in great measure, to a plentiful sup- ply of lemons and onions. For himself, he thought he could only last till the battle was over. One battle more it was his hope that he might fight. "However," said he, "whatever happens I have run a glorious race." "A few months ' rest, ' ' he says, ' ' I must have very soon. If I am in my grave, what are the mines of Peru to me? But to say the truth, I have no idea of killing myself. I may, with care, live yet to do good service to the State. My cough is very bad, and my side, where I was struck on the 14th of February, is very much swelled ; at times 316 The Life of Nelson a lump as large as my fist, brought on occasionally by violent coughing. But I hope and believe my lungs are yet safe/' He was afraid of blindness: and this was the only evil which he could not contemplate without un- happiness. More alarming symptoms he regarded with less apprehension; describing his own ^'shattered car- cass " as in the worst plight of any in the fleet : and he says, ''I have felt the blood gushing up the left side of my head : and, the moment it covers the brain, I am fast asleep." The fleet was in worse trim than the men: but when he compared it with the enemy's, it was with a right English feeling. "The French fleet,^ yesterday," said he, in one of his letters, ' ^ was to appearance in liigh feather, and as fine as paint could make them: — but when they may sail, or where they may go, I am very- sorry to say is a secret I am not acquainted with. Our weather-beaten ships, I have no fear, will make their sides like a plum pudding." "Yesterday," he says, on another occasion, ' * a rear-admiral and seven sail of ships put their nose outside the harbor. If they go on play- ing this game, some day we shall lay salt upon their tails." Hostilities at length commenced between Great Britain and Spain. That country, whose miserable government made her subservient to France, was once more destined to lavish her resources and her blood in furtherance of the designs of a perfidious ally. The immediate occasion of the war was the seizure of four treasure ships by the English. — The act was perfectly justifiable; for those treasures were intended to furnish means for France; but the circumstances which attended it were as unhappy 1. The French fleet. In the spring of 1804 the French had eight Bhips ready at Toulon and two or three nearly so ; Nelson had nine ships and three frigates, some of which, however, were kept con- stantly away on special service. The Life op Nelson 317 as they were unforeseen. Four frigates had been des- patched to intercept them. They met with an equal force. Resistance, therefore, became a point of honor on the part of the Spaniards, and one of their ships soon blew up with all on board. Had a stronger squadron been sent, this deplorable catastrophe might have been spared: a catastrophe which excited not more indigna- tion in Spain, than it did grief in those who were its un- willing instruments, in the English government and in the English people. On the 5th of October this unhappy affair occurred, and Nelson was not apprised of it till the 12th of the ensuing month. He had, indeed, suffi- cient mortification at the breaking out of this Spanish war ; an event which, it might reasonably have been sup- posed, would amply enrich the officers of the Mediterra- nean fleet, and repay them for the severe and unremit- ting duty on which they had been so long employed. But of this harvest they were deprived; for Sir John Orde was sent with a small squadron, and a separate command, to Cadiz. Nelson's feelings were never wounded so deeply as now. * ' I had thought, ' ' said he, ' ' writing in the first flow and freshness of indignation ; * ' I fancied — but, nay ; it must have been a dream, an idle dream ; — ^yet, I confess it, I did fancy that I had done my country service ; and thus they use me ! And under what circumstances, and with what pointed aggravation ! Yet, if I know my own thoughts, it is not for myself, or on my own account chiefly, that I feel the sting and disappointment. No ! it is for my brave officers ; for my noble-minded friends and comrades. Such a gallant set of fellows! Such a band of brothers! My heart swells at the thought of them I ' ' War between Spain and England was now declared; and, on the 18th of January, the Toulon fleet, having the Spaniards to co-operate with them, put to sea. Nelson 318 The Life of Nelson was at anchor off the coast of Sardinia, where the Mag- dalena islands form one of the finest harbors in the world, when, at three in the afternoon of the 19th, the Active and Seahorse frigates brought this long hoped for intelligence. They had been close to the enemy at ten on the preceding night, but lost sight of them in about four hours. The fleet immediately unmoored and weighed, and at six in the evening ran through the strait between Biche and Sardinia ; a passage so narrow, that the ships could only pass one at a time, each following the stern lights of its leader. From the position of the enemy, when they were last seen, it w^as inferred that they must be bound round the southern end of Sardinia. Signal was made the next morning to prepare for battle. Bad weather came on, baffling the one fleet in its object, and the other in its pursuit. Nelson beat about the Sicilian seas for ten days, without obtaining any other informa- tion of the enemy, than that one of their ships had put into Ajaccio dismasted; and having seen that Sardinia, Naples, and Sicily were safe, believing Egypt to be their destination, for Egypt he ran. The disappointment and distress which he had experienced in his former pursuits of the French through the same seas were now renewed ; but Nelson, while he endured these anxious and unhappy feelings, was still consoled by the same confidence as on the former occasion — that, though his judgment might be erroneous, under all circumstances he was right in having formed it. ''I have consulted no man," said he to the Admiralty: ^'therefore the whole blame of ignor- ance in forming my judgment must rest with me. I would allow no man to take from me an atom of my glory, had I fallen in with the French fleet ; nor do I desire any man to partake any of the responsibility. All is mine, right or wrong. ' ' Then stating the grounds upon which he had proceeded, he added : ''At this moment of sorrow, The Life op Nelson 319 I still feel that I have acted right." In the same spirit he said to Sir Alexander Ball: "When I call to remem- brance all the circumstances, I approve, if nobody else does, of my own conduct." Baffled thus, he bore up for Malta, and met intelli- gence from Naples that the French, having been dis- persed in a gale, had put back to Toulon. From the same quarter he learned that a great number of saddles and muskets had been embarked : and this confirmed him in his opinion that Egypt was their destination. That they should have put back in consequence of storms which he had weathered, gave him a consoling sense of British superiority. "These gentlemen," said he, "are not accustomed to a Gulf of Lyons gale ; we have buffeted them for one-and-twenty months, and not carried away a spar." He, however, who had so often braved these gales, was now, though not mastered by them, vexatiously thwarted and impeded; and, on February 27th, he was compelled to anchor in PuUa Bay, in the Gulf of Cagliari. From the 21st of January, the fleet had remained ready for battle, without a bulkhead up,^ night or day. He anchored here that he might not be driven to leeward. As soon as the weather moderated he put to sea again ; and, after again beating about against contrary winds, an- other gale drove him to anchor in the Gulf of Palma, on the 8th of March. This he made his rendezvous ; he knew that the French troops still remained embarked, and, wishing to lead them into a belief that he was sta- tioned upon the Spanish coast, he made his appearance off Barcelona with that intent. About the end of the month, he began to fear that the plan of the expedition was abandoned; and, sailing once more towards his old station off Toulon, on the 4th of April, he met the Phoehe, 1. Without a hulkhead up. The bulkheads, or partitions dividing space below decks, were usually removed in clearing a ship for action. 320 The Life op Nelson with the news that Villeneiive^ had put to sea on the last of March with eleven ships of the line, seven frigates, and two brigs. When last seen, they were steering toward the coast of Africa. Nelson first covered the channel between Sardinia and Barbary, so as to satisfy himself that Villenenve was not taking the same route for Egypt which Ganteaume had taken before Mm, when he at- tempted to carry reinforcements^ there. Certain of this, he bore up on the 7th for Palermo, lest the French should pass to the north of Corsica, and he despatched cruisers in all directions. On the 11th, he felt assured that they were not gone down the Mediterranean ; and sending off frigates to Gibraltar, to Lisbon, and to Admiral Corn- wallis, who commanded the squadron off Brest, he en- deavored to get to the westward, beating against west- erly winds. After five days, a neutral gave intelligence that the French had been seen off Cape de Gatte^ on the 7th. It was soon* after ascertained that they had passed 1. Villeneuve. Treville died August 20, 1804, thus, as Nelson put it, "giving me the slip." Villeneuve succeeded to the command of the Toulon fleet in November. After his escape with the rear ships at the Battle of the Nile, Napoleon is said to have regarded him as bora under a fortunate star. The movements of Villeneuve's and Nelson's fleets, from this point to Trafalgar, form an interesting study in naval strategy. Napoleon had 20 ships at Brest, 5 at Rochefort, and 10 at Toulon, besides about 28 Spanish vessels in the northern ports of Spain. To secure control of the English channel, it was necessary to entice away the British fleets watching these ports, and then rapidly to concentrate an overwhelming naval force against the British fleet guarding the English coast. Various methods of doing this had been proposed. The one now adopted was that Villeneuve should sail for the West Indies, drawing Nelson after him, join there the French fleets escaped from northern ports, and return at once to attack the British Channel fleet. The plan was not altogether unfeasible, but failed through Villeneuve's incapacity. 2. Reinforcements. Admiral Ganteaume left Brest with seven ships- of-the-line and 5000 troops, but reached Egypt with only a part of his force and too late to be of assistance. 3. Cape de Oatte (or de Gata). On the Spanish coast east of Gibraltar. The Life of Nelson 321 the Straits of Gibraltar on the day following ; and Nelson, knowing that they might already be half way to Ire- land, or to Jamaica, exclaimed, that he was miserable. One gleam of comfort only came across him in the reflec- tion, that his vigilance had rendered it impossible for them to undertake any expedition in the Mediterranean. Eight days after this certain intelligence had been ob- tained, he described his state of mind thus forcibly, in writing to the Governor of Malta : ' ' My good fortune, my dear Ball, seems flown away. I cannot get a fair wind, or even a side wind. Dead foul ! Dead foul ! But my mind is fully made up what to do when I leave the Straits, supposing there is no certain account of the enemy's destination. I believe this ill-luck will go near to kill me; but, as these are times for exertion, I must not be cast down, whatever I may feel." In spite of every exertion which could be made by all the zeal and all the skill of British seamen, he did not get in sight of Gibraltar till the 30th of April; and the wind was then so adverse, that it was impossible to pass the Gut. He anchored in Mazari Bay, on the Barbary shore ; obtained supplies from Tetuan; and when, on the 5th, a breeze from the eastward sprang up at last, sailed once more, hoping to hear of the enemy from Sir John Orde, who commanded off Cadiz, or from Lisbon. ''If nothing is heard of them, ' ' said he to the Admiralty, ' ' I shall prob- ably think the rumors which have been spread are true, that their object is the West Indies; and, in that case, I think it my duty to follow them, — or to the Antipodes, should I believe that to be their destination." At the time when this resolution was taken, the physician of the fleet had ordered him to return to England before the hot months. Nelson had formed his judgment of their destination, and made up his mind accordingly, when Donald Camp- 322 The Life of Nelson bell, at that time an admiral in the Portuguese service, the same person who had given important tidings to Earl St. Vincent of the movements of that fleet from which he won his title, a second time gave timely and momentous intelligence to the flag of his country. He went on board the Victory, and communicated to Nelson his certain knowledge that the combined Spanish and French fleets were bound for the West Indies. Hitherto all things had favored the enemy. While the British Commander was beating up against strong southerly and westerly gales, they had wind to their wish from the N. E., and had done in nine days what he was a whole month in accom- plishing. Villeneuve, finding the Spaniards at Cartha- gena were not in a state of equipment to join him, dared not wait, but hastened on to Cadiz. Sir John Orde necessarily retired at his approach. Admiral Gravina, with six Spanish ships of the line, and two French, came out to him, and they sailed without a moment's loss of time. They had about three thousand French troops on board, and fifteen hundred Spanish: six hundred were under orders, expecting them at Martinique, and one thousand at Guadaloupe. General Lauriston commanded the troops. The combined fleet now consisted of eighteen sail of the line, six forty-four gun frigates, one of twenty- six guns, three corvettes, and a brig. They were joined afterwards by two new French line of battle ships, and one forty-four. Nelson pursued them with ten sail of the line and three frigates. ''Take you a Frenchman apiece," said he to his Captains, ''and leave me the Spaniards, — ^when I haul down my colors, I expect you to do the same, — and not till then." The enemy had five-and-thirty days ' start ; but he cal- culated that he should gain eight or ten days upon them by his exertions. May 15th he made Madeira, and on June 4th reached Barbados, whither he had sent des- The Life of Nelson 323 patches before him; and where he found Admiral Coch- rane, with two ships, part of our squadron in those seas being at Jamaica. He found here also accounts that the combined fleets had been seen from St. Lucia on the 28th, standing to the southward, and that Tobago and Trini- dad were their objects. This Nelson doubted; but he was alone in his opinion, and yielded it with these fore- boding words — ''If your intelligence proves false, you lose me the French fleet. ' ' Sir William Myers offered to embark here with two thousand troops : — they were taken on board, and the next morning he sailed for Tobago. Here accident confirmed the false intelligence which had, whether from intention or error, misled him. A mer- chant at Tobago, in the general alarm, not knowing whether this fleet was friend or foe, sent out a schooner to reconnoiter, and acquaint him by signal. The signal which he had chosen happened to be the very one which had been appointed by Colonel Shipley of the engineers to signify that the enemy were at Trinidad ; and as this was at the close of day, there was no opportunity of dis- covering the mistake. An American brig was met with about the same time ; the master of which, with that pro- pensity to deceive the English and assist the French in any manner, which has been but too common among his countrymen, affirmed, that he had been boarded off Granada a few days before by the French, who were standing towards the Bocas of Trinidad.^ This fresh intelligence removed all doubts. The ships were cleared for action before daylight, and Nelson entered the Bay of Paria on the 7th, hoping and expecting to make the mouths of the Orinoco as famous in the annals of the British Navy as those of the Nile. Not an enemy was there; and it was discovered that accident and artifice 1. Bocas of Trinidad. The Boca del Dragon, or Serpent's Mouth, Is the strait between Trinidad and the coast of South America. 324 The Life op Nelson had combined to lead him so far to leeward, that there could have been little hope of fetching to windward of Granada for any other fleet. Nelson, however, with skill and exertions never exceeded, and almost unexampled, bore for that island. Advices met him on the way, that the combined fleets, having captured the Diamond Eock,^ were then at Mar- tinique, on the 4th, and were expected to sail that night for the attack of Granada. On the 9th, Nelson arrived off that island, and there learned that they had passed to leeward of Antigua the preceding day, and taken a homeward-bound convoy. Had it not been for false in- formation, upon which Nelson had acted reluctantly, and in opposition to his own judgment, he would have been off Fort RoyaP just as they were leaving it, and the battle would have been fought on the spot where Rodney defeated De Grasse.^ This he remembered in his vexa- tion; but he had saved the colonies and above two hun- dred ships laden for Europe, which would else have fallen into the enemy's hands; and he had the satisfac- tion of knowing that the mere terror of his name had effected this, and had put to flight the allied enemies, whose force nearly doubled that before which they fled. That they were flying back to Europe he believed, and for Europe he steered in pursuit on the 13th, having disembarked the troops at Antigua, and taking with him the Spartiate, 74 : the only addition to the squadron with which he was pursuing so superior a force. Five days afterwards the Amazon brought intelligence, that she 1. Diamond Rock. A small Island, fortified by the British, off the southern coast of the French island of Martinique. 2. Fort Royal. The former name of Fort de France, in Martinique. Villeneuve arrived at Martinique May 26 and left June 8 ; Nelson ar- rived at Barbados (the second island south of Martinique) June 4, having gained ten days in crossing. 3. Defeated De Grasse. See p. 53, note 1. The Life of Nelson 325 had spoke a schooner who had seen them, on the evening of the 15th, steering to the north ; and, by computation, eighty-seven leagues off. Nelson's diary at this time denotes his great anxiety, and his perpetual and all- observing vigilance. ' ' June 21, Midnight. — Nearly calm ; saw three planks which I think came from the French fleet. Very miserable, which is very foolish." On the 17th of July, he came in sight of Cape St. Vincent, and Peered for Gibraltar. "June 18th," his diary says, ' ' Cape Spartel in sight, but no French fleet, nor any in- formation about them. How sorrowful this makes me 1 but I cannot help myself." The next day he anchored at Gibraltar, and on the 20th, says he, "I went on shore for the first time since June 16th, 1803 ; and from hav- ing my foot out of the Victory, two years, wanting ten days. "^ Here he communicated with his old friend Colling- wood, who, having been detached with a squadron, when the disappearance of the combined fleets, and of Nelson in their pursuit, was known in England, had taken his station off Cadiz, He thought that Ireland was the enemy's ultimate object; that they would now liberate the Ferrol squadron, which was blocked up by Sir Rob- ert Calder, call for the Rochefort ships, and then appear off Ushant with three or four and thirty sail ; there to be joined by the Brest fleet. With this great force he sup- posed they would make for Ireland, — the real mark and 1. Two years, icanting ten days. "After an unremitting cruise of two long years in ttie stormy Gulf of Lyons, to have proceeded without going into port to Alexandria, from Alexandria to the West Indies, from the West Indies back again to Gibraltar, to bave kept your ships afloat, your rigging standing, and your crews in health and spirits — is an effort such as never was realized in former times, nor, I doubt, will ever again be repeated by any other admiral. You have protected us for two long years, and you have saved the West Indies by only a few days." — Letter from Elliot, Minister to Naples, Mahan's Life of Nelson, Vol. II, p. 310. 326 The Life of Nelson "bent of all their operations ; and their flight to the West Indies, he thought, had been merely undertaken to take off Nelson's force, which was the great impediment to their undertaking. Collingwood was gifted with great political penetra- . tion. As yet, however, all was conjecture concerning the enemy; and Nelson, having victualled and watered at Tetuan, stood for Ceuta on the 24th, still without infor- mation of their course. Next day intelligence arrived that the Curieiix brig^ had seen them on the 19th, stand- ing to the northward. He proceeded off Cape St. Vin- cent, rather cruising for intelligence, than knowing whither to betake himself ; and here a case occurred that, more than any other event in real history, resembles those whimsical proofs of sagacity which Voltaire, in his **Zadig,''^ has borrowed from the Orientals. One of our frigates spoke an American who, a little to the westward of the Azores, had fallen in with an armed vessel, ap- pearing to be a dismasted privateer, deserted by her crew, which had been run on board by another ship, and had been set fire to ; but the fire had gone out. A log-book, and a few seamen's jackets, were found in the cabin; and these were brought to Nelson. The log-book closed with these words : * ' Two large vessels in the W. N. W. ; ' ' and this led him to conclude that the vessel had been an English privateer, cruising off the Western Islands. But there was in this book a scrap of dirty paper, filled with figures. Nelson, immediately upon seeing it, observed 1. The Curieux "brig. This vessel, sent ahead by Nelson on June 12, had sighted and passed the French fleet on June 19, and brought word to England that Villeneuve was heading for the northern ports of Spain. This timely warning led to the despatch of Calder's fleet, referred to in the next chapter, . 2. Zadig. An Arab of remarkable detective powers in Voltaire's romance of the same name ; an early prototype of Poe's Dupin and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. The Life op Nelson 327 that the figures were written by a Frenchman ; and, after studying this for a while, said : ' ' I can explain the whole. The jackets are of French manufacture, and prove that the privateer was in possession of the enemy. She had been chased and taken by the two ships that were seen in the W. N. W. The prize-master, going on board in a hurry, forgot to take with him his reckoning ;^ there is none in the log-book; and the dirty paper contains her work for the number of days since the privateer last left Corvo : with an unaccounted-for run, which I take to have been the chase, in his endeavor to find out her situa- tion by back-reckonings. By some mismanagement, I con- clude, she was run on board of by one of the enemy's ships, and dismasted. Not liking delay (for I am satis- fied that those two ships were the advanced ones of the French squadron), and fancying we were close at their heels, they set fire to the vessel, and abandoned her in a hurry. If this explanation be correct, I infer from it, that they are gone more to the northward, and more to the northward I will look for them." This course ac- cordingly he held, but still without success. Still perse- vering, and still disappointed, he returned near enough to Cadiz to ascertain that they were not there ; traversed the Bay of Biscay; and then, as a last hope, stood over for the northwest coast of Ireland against adverse winds; till, on the evening of the 12th of August, he learned that they had not been heard of there. Frus- trated thus in all his hopes, after a pursuit to which, for its extent, rapidity, and perseverance, no parallel can be produced, he judged it best to reinforce the Channel fleet with his squadron, lest the enemy, as Collingwood appre- hended, should bear down upon Brest with their whole collected force. On the 15th, he joined Admiral Corn- 1, Reckoning. The ship's latitude and longitude at the time of her capture. 328 The Life op Nelson ^ wallis off Ushant.^ No news had yet been obtained of the enemy; and, on the same evening, he received orders to proceed, with the Victory and Superh, to Portsmoath. jl, 1. Ushant. An island ofE the northwest coast of France, at the' entrance to the English channel. CHAPTER IX Sir Eobert Calder falls in with the Combined Fleets — They form a Junction with the Ferrol Squadron, and get into Cadiz — Nelson is reappointed to the Command — Battle of Trafalgar — ^Victory, and Death of Nelson. At Portsmouth, Nelson at length found news of the combined fleet. Sir Robert Calder, who had been sent out to intercept their return, had fallen in with them on the 22d of July, sixty leagues west of Cape Finisterre. Their force consisted of twenty sail of the line, three fifty-gun ships, five frigates, and two brigs ; his, of fifteen line of battle ships, two frigates, a cutter, and a lugger. After an action of four hours he had captured an eighty- four and a seventy-four, and then thought it necessary to bring-to the squadron, for the purpose of securing their prizes. The hostile fleets remained in sight of each other till the 26th, when the enemy bore away. The capture of two ships from so superior a force, would have been con- sidered as no inconsiderable victory a few years earlier ; but Nelson had introduced a new era in our naval his- tory; and the nation felt, respecting this action, as he had felt on a somewhat similar occasion.^ They regretted that Nelson, with his eleven ships, had not been in Sir Robert Calder 's place; and their disappointment was generally and loudly expressed. Frustrated as his own hopes had been, Nelson had yet the high satisfaction of knowing that his judgment had never been more conspicuously approved, and that he had rendered essential service to his country, by driving the 1, Similar occasion. See p. 107. 329 330 The Life op Nelson enemy from those islands, where they expected there could be no force capable of opposing them. The West India merchants in London, as men whose interests were more immediately benefited, appointed a deputation to express their thanks for his great and judicious exer- tions. It was now his intention to rest^ awhile from his labors, and recruit himself, after all his fatigues and cares, in the society of those whom he loved. All his stores were brought up from the Victory, and he found in his house at Merton the enjoyment which he had an- ticipated. Many days had not elapsed before Captain Blackwood, on his way to London with despatches, called on him at five in the morning. Nelson, who was already dressed, exclaimed, the moment he saw him : "I am sure you bring me news of the French and Spanish fleets ! I think I shall yet have to beat them ! ' ' They had refitted at Vigo, after the indecisive action with Sir Robert Calder ; then proceeded to Ferrol, brought out the squad- ron from thence, and with it entered Cadiz in safety!- ''Depend on it, Blackwood," he repeatedly said, '*I shall yet give M. Villeneuve a drubbing." But, when Black- wood had left him, he wanted resolution to declare his wishes to Lady Hamilton and his sisters, and endeavored 1. Intention to rest. Nelson remained in England only twenty-five days, from August 19 to September 15. His first and only meeting with the Duke of Wellington occurred at this time, in an anteroom of the Secretary of State's office. Nelson at first failed to recognize the General, and according to Wellington's later report he monopolized the conversation, "in a style so vain and silly as to .-"urprise and almost disgust me." But on learning the other's identity, Nelspn's "charlatan style vanished, and he talked like an officer and a states- man. ... I don't know that I ever had a conversation that in- terested me more." 2. Entered Cadiz in safety. Napoleon's urgent instructions to Vil- leneuve at Ferrol were that he should proceed northward to join the fleet at Brest. This Villeneuve attempted, but became alarmed by false news of a superior British force ahead of bim, and turned southward for Cadiz, where he arrived August 20. The Life of Nelson 331 to drive away the thought. He had done enough, he said : ' ' Let the man trudge it who has lost his budget ! ' ' His countenance belied his lips : and as he was pacing one of the walks in the garden, which he used to call the quarter-deck, Lady Hamilton came up to him, and said she saw he was uneasy. He smiled, and said: '^No, he was as happy as possible; he was surrounded by his family, his health was better since he had been on shore, and he would not give sixpence to call the King his uncle." She replied, that she did not believe him, that she knew he was longing to get at the combined fleets, that he considered them as his own property, that he would be miserable if any man but himself did the busi- ness, and that he ought to have them, as the price and reward of his two years' long watching, and his hard chase. '^ Nelson," said she, "however we may lament your absence, offer your services ; they will be accepted, and you will gain a quiet heart by it; you will have a glorious victory, and then you maj; return here, and be happy. ' ' He looked at her with tears in his eyes : — ''Brave Emma! — Good Emma! — If there were more Emmas, there would be more Nelsons."^ His services were as willingly accepted as they were offered; and Lord Barham,^ giving him the list of the Navy, desired him to choose his own officers. "Choose yourself, my lord, ' ' was his reply : ' ' the same spirit actu- ates the whole profession; you cannot choose wrong." Lord Barham then desired him to say what ships, and how many, he would wish in addition to the fleet which he was going to command, and said they should follow 1. More Nelsons. This conversation is taken from Harrison's Life of Nelson. Lady Hamilton's influence over Nelson's decision is evi- dently exaggerated, for there is proof that his choice had already been made and that Blackwood's call was by appointment. 2. Lord Barham. Successor to Earl St. Vincent as First Lord of the Admiralty. He was a retired naval officer, over eighty years old. 332 The Life op Nelson him as soon as each was ready. No appointment was ever more in unison with the feelings and judgment of the whole nation. They, like Lady Hamilton, thought that the destruction of the combined fleets ought prop- erly to be Nelson's work; that he, who had been *^Half around the sea-girt ball, The hunter of the recreant Gaul, ' '* ought to reap the spoils of the chase, which he had watched so long, and so perseveringly pursued. Unremitting exertions were made to equip the ships which he had chosen, and especially to refit the Victory, which was once more to bear his flag. Before he left Lon- don, he called at his upholsterer's, where the coffin which Captain Hallowell had given him was deposited, and de- sired that his history might be engraven upon the lid, saying, it was highly probable he might want it on his return. He seemed, indeed, to have been impressed with an expectation that he should fall in battle. In a letter to his brother, written immediately after his return, he had said : "We must not talk of Sir Eobert Calder's battle. — I might not have done so much with my small force. If I had fallen in with them, you might probably have been a lord before I wished ; for I know they meant to make a dead set at the Victortf." Nelson had once regarded the prospect of death with gloomy satisfaction : it was when he anticipated the upbraidings of his wife, and the dis- pleasure of his venerable father. The state of his feelings now was expressed, in his private journal, in these words : ''Friday night (September 13th) at half -past ten, I drove from dear, dear Merton; where I left all which I hold dear in this world, to go to serve my king and ♦ Songs of Trafalgar. — Southey's "Note. The Songs of Trafalgar were written by John Wilson Croker, Secretary of the Admiralty, to whom Southey dedicated his Life of Nelson. The Life of Nelson 333 country. May the great God, whom I adore, enable me to fulfil the expectations of my country! And, if it is His good pleasure that I should return, my thanks will never cease being offered up to the throne of His mercy. If it is His good providence to cut short my days upon earth, I bow with the greatest submission; relying that He will protect those so dear to me, whom I may leave behind ! His will be done, Amen ! Amen ! Amen ! ' ' Early on the following morning he reached Ports- mouth; and, having despatched his business on shore, endeavored to elude the populace by taking a by-way to the beach, but a crowd collected in his train, pressing forward to obtain a sight of his face : many were in tears, and many knelt down before him, and blessed him as he passed. England has had many heroes, but never one who so entirely possessed the love of his fellow-coun- trymen as Nelson. All men knew that his heart was as humane as it was fearless ; that there was not in his na- ture the slightest alloy of selfishness or cupidity ; but that, with perfect and entire devotion, he served his country with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength ; and, therefore, they loved him as truly and as fervently as he loved England. They pressed upon the parapet, to gaze after him when his barge pushed off, and he was returning their cheers by waving his hat. The sentinels, who endeavored to prevent them from tres- passing upon this ground, were wedged among the crowd ; and an officer, who, not very prudently upon such an occasion, ordered them to drive the people down with their bayonets, was compelled speedily to retreat; for the people would not be debarred from gazing, till the last moment, upon the hero — the darling hero of England! He arrived off Cadiz on the 29th of September — ^his birthday. Fearing that, if the enemy knew his force, 334 The Life of Nelson they might be deterred from venturing to sea, he kept out of sight of land, desired Collingwood to fire no salnte, and hoist no colors; and wrote to Gibraltar, to request that the force of the fleet might not be inserted there in the Gazette. His reception in the Mediterranean fleet was as gratifying as the farewell of his countrymen at Portsmouth : the officers, who came on board to welcome him, forgot his rank as commander, in their joy at see- ing him again.^ On the day of his arrival, Villeneuve received orders to put to sea^ the first opportunity. Ville- neuve, however, hesitated, when he heard that Nelson had resumed the command. He called a council of war ; and their determination was, that it would not be ex- pedient to leave Cadiz, unless they had reason to believe themselves stronger by one-third than the British force. In the public measures of this country, secrecy is seldom practicable, and seldomer attempted: here, however, by the precautions of Nelson, and the wise measures of the Admiralty, the enemy were for once kept in ignorance; for, as the ships appointed to reinforce the Mediterra- nean fleet were despatched singly, each as soon as it was ready, their collected number was not stated in the news- papers, and their arrival was not known to the enemy. But the enemy knew that Admiral Louis, with six sail, had been detached for stores and water to Gibraltar. Accident also contributed to make the French Admiral doubt whether Nelson himself had actually taken the command. An American, lately arrived from England, 1. Joy at seeing Mm again. The warmth of their welcome may have been increased by relief from the iron discipline of Collingwood, who is described as a capable and conscientious officer, but strict, uncom- municative, and tactless in handling his subordinates. 2. Orders to put to »•«. Villeneuve was under instructions from i>apoleon to return to the Mediterranean. With his disorganized forces and . trained crews, however, he had little hope of escaping defeat, and delayed sailing until he heard that he was to be superseded in command and that his successor was already on the way to Cadiz. The Life of Nelson 335 maintained that it was impossible — for he had seen him only a few days before in London; and, at that time, there was no rumor of his going again to sea. The station which Nelson had chosen was some fifty or sixty miles to the west of Cadiz, near Cape St. Mary's. At this distance he hoped to decoy the enemy ont, while he guarded against the danger of being caught with a westerly wind near Cadiz, and driven within the"^ Straits. The blockade of the port was rigorously enforced, in hopes that the combined fleet might be forced to sea by want. The Danish vessels, therefore, which were carry- ing provisions from the French ports in the bay,^ under the name of Danish property, to all the little ports from Ayamonte to Algesiras, from whence they were conveyed in coasting boats to Cadiz, were seized. Without this proper exertion of power, the blockade would have been rendered nugatory, by the advantage thus taken of the neutral flag. The supplies from France were thus effectu- ally cut off. There was now every indication that the enemy would speedily venture out : officers and men were in the highest spirits at the prospect of giving them a de- cisive blow; such, indeed, as would put an end to all further contest upon the seas. Theatrical amusements were performed every evening in most of the ships : and God Save the King was the hymn with which the sports concluded. "I verily believe," said Nelson (writing on the 6th of October), ''that the country will soon be put to some expense on my account ; either a monument, or a new pension and honors; for I have not the smallest doubt but that a very few days, almost hours, will put us in battle. The success no man can insure; but for the fighting them, if they can be got at, I pledge myself. — The sooner the better! I don't like to have these things upon my mind." 1. Bay. The Bay of Biscay. 336 The Life of Nelson At this time he was not without some cause of anxiety : he was in want of frigates, — the eyes of the fleet, as he always called them : — to the want of which the enemy before were indebted for their escape, and Bonaparte for his arrival in Egypt. He had only twenty-three ships, — others were on the way, — ^but they might come too late ; and, though Nelson never doubted of victory, mere vic- tory was not what he looked to, he wanted to annihilate the enemy's fleet. The Carthagena squadron^ might effect a junction with this fleet on the one side ; and, on the other, it was to be expected that a similar attempt would be made by the French from Brest ; in either case a formidable contingency to be apprehended by the blockading force. The Eochefort squadron did push out, and had nearly caught the Agamemnon and VAimahle in their way to reinforce the British Admiral. Yet Nelson at this time weakened his own fleet. He had the un- pleasant task to perform of sending home Sir Robert Calder, whose conduct was to be made the subject of a court-martial, in consequence of the general dissatisfac- tion which had been felt and expressed at his imperfect victory. Sir Robert Calder, and Sir John Orde, Nelson believed to be the only two enemies^ whom h,e had ever had in his profession ; — and, from that sensitive delicacjl which distinguished him, this made him the more scrupu- lously anxious to show every possible mark of respect and kindness to Sir Robert. He wished to detain him till after the expected action ; when the services which he might perform, and the triumphant joy which would be excited, would leave nothing to be apprehended from an 1. Carthagena squadron. It consisted of six Spanish ships-of-the- line. 2. Tioo enemies. Calder had criticized Nelson's conduct at St. Vin- cent (see p. 134), and Orde had objected to Nelson's appointment to command the Mediterranean fleet before the Battle of the Nile (see p. 239 I The Life of Nelson 337 inquiry into the previous engagement. Sir Robert, how- ever, whose situation was very painful, did not choose to delay a trial, from the result of which he confidently ex- pected a complete justification: and Nelson, instead of sending him home in a frigate, insisted on his returning in his own ninety-gun ship ; ill as such a ship could at that time be spared. Nothing could be more honorable than the feeling by which Nelson was influenced ; but, at such a crisis, it ought not to have been indulged. On the 9th, Nelson sent Collingwood what he called, in his diary, the Nelson touch.^ ''I send you," said he, ''my plan of attack, as far as a man dare venture to guess at the very uncertain position the enemy may be found in : but it is to place you perfectly at ease respect- ing my intentions, and to give full scope to your judg- ment for carrying them into effect. We can, my dear Coll, have no little jealousies. We have only one great object in view, that of annihilating our enemies, and get- ting a glorious peace for our country. No man has more confidence in another than I have in you; and no man will render your services more justice than your very 1. The Nelson touch. This phrase, which appears also in letters to Lady Hamilton, refers to the Memorandum Of October 9th, intended at first for Collingwood only, but afterward sent to all the captains of the fleet. It provided plans for attack from either the windward (see diagram, p. 349) or the leeward, assuming the relative strength to be 40 British ships against 46 of the enemy. In either case, Colling- wood's division was to attack the enemy's rear, while Nelson fell upon the center (presumably containing the French flagship) and cut it off from the ships in the van. With slight changes, notably uniting the small advanced (in reality a reserve) squadron with Nelson's so as to bring all forces into action at once, the plan for attack from the wind- ward was carried out in the battle. Its advantages may be said to lie (1) in the division of forces and freedom of action granted to the second in command, thus avoiding the difficulty of controlling so large a fleet as a unit; (2) in the concentration on rear and center, thus break- ing up the enemy's line and neutralizing its numerical superiority ; and (3) in its adaptability to modification under the exigencies of actual conflict. It may be regarded as the product of Nelson's ripest expe- rience and genius. 338 , The Life of Nelson old friend Nelson and Bronte." The order of sailing was to be the order of battle ; the fleet in two lines, with an advance squadron of eight of the fastest sailing two- deckers. The second in command; having the entire direction of his line, was to break through the enemy, about the twelfth ship from their rear : he^ would lead through the center, and the advanced squadron was to cut off three or four ahead of the center. This plan was to be adapted to the strength of the enemy, so that they should always be one-fourth superior to those whom they cut off. Nelson said, ''That his admirals and cap- tains, knowing his precise object to be that of a close and decisive action, would supply any deficiency of signals, and act accordingly. In case signals cannot be seen or clearly understood, no captain can do wrong if he places his ship alongside that of an enemy." One of the last orders of this admirable man was, that the name and family of every officer, seaman, and marine, who might be killed or wounded in action, should be, as soon as pos- sible, returned to him, in order to be transmitted to the Chairman of the Patriotic Fund, that the case might be taken into consideration, for the benefit of the sufferer or his family. About half -past nine in the morning of the 19th, the Mars, being the nearest to the fleet of ships which formed the line of communication with the frigates in shore, re- peated the signal, that the enemy were coming out of port. The wind was at this time very light, with partial breezes, mostly from the S. S. W. Nelson ordered the signal to be made for a chase in the southeast quarter. About two, the repeating ships announced that the enemy were at sea. All night the British fleet continued under all sail, steering to the southeast. At daybreak they were in the entrance of the Straits, but the enemy were not in sight. 1. Be. Nelson, with the main or windward division. The Life of Nelson • 339 About seven, one of the frigates made signal that the enemy were bearing north. Upon this the Victory hove- to ; and shortly afterwards Nelson made sail again to the northward. In the afternoon the wind blew fresh from the southwest, and the English began to fear that the foe might be forced to return to port. A little before sunset, however, Blackwood, in the Euryahis, telegraphed^ that they appeared determined to go to the westward. — "And that," said the Admiral in his diary, "they shall not do, if it is in the power of Nelson and Bronte to prevent them." Nelson had signified to Blackwood that he de- pended upon him to keep sight of the enemy. They were observed so well, that all their motions were made known to him; and, as they wore twice, he inferred that they were aiming to keep the port of Cadiz open, and would retreat there as soon as they saw the British fleet : for this reason he was very careful not to approach near enough to be seen by them during the night. At daybreak the combined fleets were distinctly seen from the Victory's deck, formed in a close line of battle ahead, on the star- board tack, about twelve miles to leeward, and standing to the south. Our fleet consisted of twenty-seven sail of the line and four frigates ; theirs of thirty-three and seven large frigates. Their superiority was greater in size and weight of metaP than in numbers. They had four thou- sand troops on board ; and the best riflemen who could be procured, many of them Tyrolese, were dispersed through the ships. Little did the Tyrolese, and little did the Spaniards, at that day, imagine what horrors the 1. Telegraphed. This word, taken directly from Nelson's papers, was formerly the term commonly applied to flag signaling between ships at sea. 2. Size and weight of metal. The Allies had a total of 2626 guns, with four ships of 100 to 130 guns ; the British had 2148 guns, with seven ships of 98 to 100. Most of the other ships on both sides were 74's. 340 ' The Life of Nelson wicked tyrant whom they served was preparing for their country.^ Soon after daylight Nelson came upon deck. The 21st of October was a festival in his family, because on that day his uncle, Captain Suckling, in the Dreadnought, with two other line of battle ships, had beaten off a French squadron of four sail of the line and three frigates. Nelson, with that sort of superstition from which few persons are entirely exempt, had more than once expressed his persuasion that this was to be the day of his battle also ; and he was well pleased at seeing his prediction about to be verified. The wind was now from the west, light breezes, with a long heavy swell. Signal was made to bear down upon the enemy in two lines ; and the fleet set all sail. Collingwood, in the Royal Sovereign, led the lee line of thirteen ships; the Victory led the weather line of fourteen. Having seen that all was as it should be, Nelson retired to his cabin, and wrote the following prayer : "May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory; and may no misconduct in any one tarnish it ! and may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British fleet ! For my- self individually, I commit my life to Him that made me; and may His blessing alight on my endeavors for serving my country faithfully! To Him I resign my- self, and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen, Amen, Amen." Having thus discharged his devotional duties, he an- 1. Preparing for their country. The inhabitants of Tyrol in 1809 revolted against Bavaria and aided France, bnt on the conclusion of peace they were forced by France to go back under Bavarian rule. In Spain, Napoleon overthrew the wretched Bourbon monarchy and in 1808 set his brother Joseph on the throne. The people, however, fought desperately against French control. The Life op Nelson 341 nexed, in the same diary, the following remarkable writ- ing : ^^ October 21st, 1805. — Then in sight of the comhined fleets of France and Spain, distant ahout ten miles. ''Whereas the eminent services of Emma Hamilton, widow of the Right Honorable Sir William Hamilton, have been of the very greatest service to my King and my country, to my knowledge, without ever receiving any reward from either our King or country. ''First, That she obtained the King of Spain's letter, in 1796, to his brother, the King of Naples, acquainting him of his intention to declare war against England; from which letter the ministry sent out orders to the then Sir John Jervis, to strike a stroke, if opportunity offered, against either the arsenals of Spain or her fleets. That neither of these was done is not the fault of Lady Hamilton ; the opportunity might have been offered. ' ' Secondly : The British fleet under my command could never have returned the second time to Egypt, had not Lady Hamilton's influence with the Queen of Naples caused letters to be wrote to the governor of Syracuse, that he was to encourage the fleet's being supplied with, everything, should they put into any port in Sicily. We put into Syracuse, and received every supply; went to Egypt, and destroyed the French fleet. ' ' Could I have rewarded these services, I would not now have called upon my country ; but as that has not been in my power, I leave Emma Lady Hamilton therefore a legacy to my King and country, that they will give her an ample provision^ to maintain her rank in life. 1. Ample provision. Lady Hamilton's claims were never recognized by the Government. Though provided with about £2000 a year from the estates of Sir William Hamilton and Nelson, she soon exhausted her funds and was imprisoned for debt. On her release she retired to Calais, where she died in 1815. 342 The Life of Nelson ^'I also leave to the beneficence of my country my adopted daughter, Horatia^ Nelson Thompson ; and I de- sire she will use in future the name of Nelson only. ''These are the only favors I ask of my King and country, at this moment when I am going to fight their battle. May God bless my King and country, and all those I hold dear ! My relations it is needless to men- tion : they will, of course, be amply provided for. "Nelson and Bronte." "Witness, Henry Blackwood. T. M. Hardy." The child of whom this writing speaks was believed to be his daughter, and so, indeed, he called her the last time that he pronounced her name. She was then about five years old, living at Merton, under Lady Hamilton's care. The last minutes which Nelson passed at Merton were employed in praying over this child, as she lay sleeping. A portrait of Lady Hamilton hung in his cabin: and no Catholic ever beheld the picture of his patron saint with devouter reverence. The undisguised and romantic passion with which he regarded it amounted almost to superstition; and when the 'portrait was now taken down, in clearing for action, he desired the men who removed it to "take care of his guardian angel." In this manner he frequently spoke of it, as if he be- lieved there were a virtue in the image. He wore a miniature of her, also, next his heart. Blackwood went on board the Victory about six. He found him in good spirits, but very calm ; not in that ex- hilaration which he had felt upon entering into battle at Aboukir and Copenhagen : he knew that his own life would be particularly aimed at, and seems to have looked 1. Horatia. See p. 303, note 1. The Life of Nelson 343 for death with almost as sure an expectation as for vic- tory. His whole attention was fixed upon the enemy. They tacked to the northward, and formed their line on the larboard tack ; thus bringing the shoals of Trafalgar and St. Pedro under the lee of the British, and keeping the port of Cadiz open for themselves. This was judi- ciously done; and Nelson, aware of all the advantages which it gave them, made signal to prepare to anchor. Villeneuve was a skilful seaman ; worthy of serving a better master, and a better cause. His plan of defense was as well conceived, and as original, as the plan of at- tack. He formed the fleet in a double line ; every alter- nate ship being about a cable 's length to windward of her second ahead and astern. Nelson, certain of a triumph- ant issue to the day, asked Blackwood what he should con- sider as a victory. That officer answered, that, consid- ing the handsome way in which battle was offered by the enemy, their apparent determination for a fair trial of strength, and the situation of the land, he thought it would be a glorious result if fourteen were captured. He replied: "I shall not be satisfied with less than twenty. '^ Soon afterwards he asked him, if he did not think there was a signal wanting. Captain Blackwood made answer, that he thought the whole fleet seemed very clearly to understand what they were about. These words were scarcely spoken before that signal was made, which will be remembered as long as the language, or even the memory, of England shall endure; — Nelson's last sig- nal^ : — "England expects every man to do his duty!" 1. Nelson's last signal. The form at first proposed was "Nelson confides, etc." Someone, however, suggested "England confides," a change which Nelson at once approved. Signals were conveyed by flags of different shapes and colors, for different numbers, which in turn stood for letters or whole words according to a code. The word "con- fides" had no number in the code book, and it was therefore changed to "expects." Collingwood is said to have exclaimed when he caught 344 The Life of Nelson It was received throughout the fleet with a shout of answering acclamation, made sublime by the spirit which it breathed, and the feeling which it expressed. ' ' Now, ' ' said Lord Nelson, * ' I can do no more. "We must trust to the great Disposer of all events, and the justice of our cause. I thank God for this great opportunity of doing my duty." He wore that day, as usual, his Admiral's frock-coat, bearing on the left breast four stars, of the different or- ders with which he was invested. Ornaments which ren- dered him so conspicuous a mark for the enemy were be- held with ominous apprehensions by his officers. It was known that there were riflemen on board the French ships ; and it could not be doubted but that his life would be particularly aimed at. They communicated their fears to each other; and the surgeon, Mr. Beatty,* spoke to the chaplain. Dr. Scott, and to Mr. Scott, the public secretary, desiring that some person would entreat him to change his dress, or cover the stars: but they knew that such a request would highly displease him. "In honor I gained them," he had said, when such a thing had been hinted to him formerly, ''and in honor I will die with them." Mr. Beatty, however, would not have been deterred by any fear of exciting displeasure, from speaking to him himself upon a subject in which the weal of England, as well as the life of Nelson, was con- cerned, — ^but he was ordered from the deck before he could flnd an opportunity. This was a point upon which Nelson 's officers knew that it was hopeless to remonstrate sight of the first flag going aloft, "I wish Nelson would stop sig- naling ; we all know what we have to do," — a remark which may be taken to indicate a clear understanding of his instructions rather than unwillingness to receive orders. * In this part of the work I have chiefly been indebted to this gentleman's Narrative of Lord Nelson's Death — a. document as interest- ing as it is authentic. — Southey's Note. The Life of Nelson 345 or reason with him; but both Blackwood and his own captain, Hardy, represented to him how advantageous to the fleet it would be for him to keep out of action as long as possible; and he consented at last to let the Leviathan and the Temeraire, which were sailing abreast of the Victory, be ordered to pass ahead. Yet even here the last infirmity of this nobie mind was indulged; for these ships could not pass ahead if the Victory continued to carry all her sail ; and so far was Nelson from shorten- ing sail, that it was evident he took pleasure in pressing on, and rendering it impossible for them to obey his own orders. A long swell was setting into the Bay of Cadiz : our shipi, crowding all sail, moved majestically before it, with light winds from the southwest.^ The sun shone on the sails of the enemy; and their well-formed line, with their numerous three-deckers, made an appearance which any other assailants would have thought formidable; — but the British sailors only admired the beauty and splendor of the spectacle ; and, in full confidence of win- ning what they saw, remarked to each other, what a fine sight yonder ships would make at Spithead ! The French Admiral, from the Biicentaure, beheld the new manner in which his enemy was advancing — Nelson and Collingwood each leading his line ; and pointing them out to his officers, he is said to have exclaimed, that such conduct could not fail to be successful. Yet Villeneuve had made his own dispositions with the utmost skill, and the fleets under his command waited for the attack with perfect coolness. Ten minutes before twelve they opened their fire. Eight or nine of the ships immediately ahead of the Victory, and. across her bows, fired single guns at her, to ascertain whether she was yet within their range. As soon as Nelson perceived that their shot passed over him, he desired Blackwood, and Captain 1. SoutJiicest. Before the battle the wind shifted to the northwest. 346 The Life of Nelson Prowse, of the Sirius, to repair to their respective fri- gates; and, on their way, to tell all the captains of the line of battle ships that he depended on their exertions; and that, if by the prescribed mode of attack they found it impracticable to get into action immediately, they might adopt whatever they thought best, provided it led them quickly and closely alongside an enemy. As they were standing on the front of the poop, Blackwood took him by the hand, saying, he hoped soon to return and find him in possession of twenty prizes. He replied: **God bless you, Blackwood; I shall never see you again ! ' ' Nelson 's column was steered about two points more to the north than Collingwood 's, in order to cut off the enemy's escape into Cadiz: the lee line, therefore, was first engaged. *'See,'' cried Nelson, pointing to the Boyal Sovereign^ as she steered right for the center of the enemy 's line, cut through it astern of the Santa Ana, three-decker, and engaged her at the muzzle of her guns on the starboard side; ''see how that noble fellow, Col- lingwood, carries his ship into action ! ' ' Collingwood, delighted at being first in the heat of the fire, and know- ing the feelings of his Commander and old friend, turned to his Captain, and exclaimed : * ' Rotherham, what would Nelson give to be here ? ' ' Both these brave officers, per- haps, at this moment, thought of Nelson with gratitude, for a circumstance which had occurred on the preceding day. Admiral Collingwood, with some of the captains, having gone on board the Victory to receive instructions. Nelson inquired of him where his Captain^ was ; and was told, in reply, that they were not upon good terms with each other. ' ' Terms ! ' ' said Nelson ; — ' ' good terms with each other!" Immediately he sent a boat for Captain Rotherham; led him, as soon as he arrived, to CoUing- 1. Eis Captain. That Is, the captain of Collingwood's flagship. The Life of Nelson 347 wood, and saying, — ''Look; yonder are the enemy!" bade them shake hands like Englishmen. The enemy continued to fire a gun at a time at the Victory, till they saw that a shot had passed through her main-top-gallant sail ; then they opened their broadsides, aiming chiefly at her rigging in the hope of disabling her before she could close with them. Nelson, as usual, had hoisted several flags, lest one should be shot away. The enemy showed no colors till late in the action, when they began to feel the necessity of having them to strike. For this reason, the Santissima Trinidad, Nelson's old acquaintance, as he used to call her, was distinguishable only by her four decks ;^ and to the bow of this opponent lie ordered the Victory to be steered. Meantime, an in- cessant raking fire was kept up upon the Victory. The Admiral 's secretary was one of the first who fell ; he was killed by a cannon-shot while conversing with Hardy. Captain Adair of the marines, with the help of a sailor, endeavored to remove the body from Nelson 's sight, who had a great regard for Mr. Scott ; but he anxiously asked : "Is that poor Scott that's gone?" and being informed that it was indeed so, exclaimed : ' ' Poor fellow ! ' ' Pres- ently, a double-headed shot struck a party of marines, who were drawn up on the poop, and killed eight of them: upon which Nelson immediately desired Captain Adair to disperse his men around the ship, that they might not suffer so much from being together. A few minutes afterwards a shou struck the fore-brace bits on the quarter-deck, and passed between Nelson and Hardy, a splinter from the bit tearing off Hardy's buckle, and bruising his foot. Both stopped, and looked anxiously at each' other : each supposed the other to be wounded. 1. Four decks. The Santissima Trinidad was tbe largest battleship afloat, with 130 guns, mounted on the spar-deck and three gun-decka below. Nelson had exchanged broadsides with her at Cape St. Vincent. (See p 134.) 348 The Life of Nelson Nelson then smiled, and said: "This is too warm work, Hardy, to last long. " The Victory had not yet returned a single gun ; fifty of her men had been by this time killed or wounded, and her mizzen-topmast with all her studding-sails and their booms shot away. Nelson declared, that, in all his bat- tles, he had seen nothing which surpassed the cool cour- age of his crew on this occasion. At four minutes after twelve, she opened her fire from both sides of her deck. It was not possible to break the enemy's line without running on board one of their ships: Hardy informed him of this, and asked him which he would prefer. Nel- son replied : ' ' Take your choice, Hardy, it does not sig- nify much." The Master was ordered to put the helm to port, and the Victory ran on board^ the Redout able, just as her tiller-ropes were shot away. The French ship received her with a broadside; then instantly let down her lower-deck ports, for fear of being boarded through them, and never afterwards fired a great gun^ during the action. Her tops, like those of all the enemy's ships, were filled with riflemen. Nelson never placed musketry in his tops ; he had a strong dislike to the prac- tice : not merely because it endangers setting fire to the sails, but also because it is a murderous sort of warfare, by which individuals may suffer, and a commander now and then be picked off, but which never can decide the fate of a general engagement.^ 1. Ran on hoard the Redouta'ble. When the Yictory drew in range Bhe turned first to the right (helm to port) and then to the left to come under the stem of Villeneuve's flagship the Bucentaure. After she had done so, she came alongside the Redouta'ble, which had run up nearly abreast of the French flagship to protect her. 2. Great gun. A cannon. 3. Decide the fate of a general engagement. In this case the musketry at one time nearly cleared the decks of the Victory. It may be said to have decided the battle in the fight between the Bonhomme BicTiard and the Serapis. i The Life of Nelson 349 FRENCH and SPANISH (40 ships) BRITISH (30 ships) RESERVE ( 6 fast ships ) WINDWARD DIVISION (lO ships) to cut through enemy center LEE DIVISION ( 12 ships ) to wear simultaneously and attack enemy rear NELSON'S PLAN FOR ATTACK FROM THE WINDWARD Africa ^ Neptuno (^ Scipion Vi Intrepide \ Formidable\^ (i Duguay Trouin Minotaure ^Ajax Vspartlate ^Agamemnon Mt. Blanch |Rayo ^Conqueror ^Leviathan --' v-^ Neptune ^ Britannia C- e Orion WIND West North-west J San Francisco de Asisi (^He'ros ^San Augustino Q Santissima r^ Trinidad UABucentaure ^ /Redoutable '^ U gSan Justo tory Neptune (^ San Leandroii ndomptabie AFougueux Monarca Bahama ___Aigle^ I — ''"' Montanes C'3lossLi_s ^ (jSwiftsure ,^' _^^-^Achil!e ',^ Defense ^ „_^ ■^Defiance ■'Dreadnought ■^ Revenge Argonauts ■— ■> J San lldefenso ^Argonauta ^ Achiiie ^ ^ Berwick Principe DeAsturias ^ Swiftsure # Sao Juan Nepomuceno Scene of >- fP^ Strait of G'J;;i°j ^euta TangieTI9>-^ f I MOROCCO ,'^ Polyphemus ^^'^^ Thunderer ^ BRITISH 27 ships, 5 frigates, 1 schooner O FRENCH ^ SPANISH 33 ships, 5 frigates, 2 brigs BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 350 The Life of Nelson Captain Harvey, in the Temeraire, fell on board the Bedoiitahle on the other side. Another enemy was in like manner on board the Temeraire, so that these four ships formed as compact a tier as if they had been moored to- gether, their heads lying all the same way. The lieuten- ants of the Victory, seeing this, depressed the guns of the middle and lower decks, and fired with a diminished charge, lest the shot should pass through and injure the Temeraire. And because there was danger that the Be- doiitahle might take fire from the lower-deck guns, the muzzles of which touched her side when they were run out, the fire-man of each gun stood ready with a bucket of water; which, as soon as the gun was discharged, he dashed into the hole made by the shot. An incessant fire was kept up from the Victory from both sides ; her lar- board guns playing upon the Bucentaure, and the huge Santissima Trinidad. It had been part of Nelson's prayer, that the British fleet might be distinguished by humanity in the victory which he expected. Setting an example himself, he twice gave orders to cease firing upon the Bedoutahle, sup- posing that she had struck, because her great guns were silent ; for, as she carried no flag, there was no means of instantly ascertaining the fact. From this ship, which he had thus twice spared, he received his death. A ball fired from her mizzen-top, which, in the then situation of the two vessels, was not more than fifteen yards from that part of the deck where he was standing, struck the epaulette on his left shoulder, about a quarter after one, just in the heat of the action. He fell upon his face, on the spot which was covered with his poor secretary's blood. Hardy, who was a few steps from him, turning around, saw three men raising him up. ''They have done for me at last, Hardy!" said he. — **I hope not," cried Hardy. — **Yes!" he replied ; **my back-bone is shot The Life of Nelson 351 through." Yet even now, not for a moment losing his presence of mind, he observed, as they were carrying him down the ladder, that the tiller-ropes, which had been shot away, were not yet replaced, and ordered that new ones should be rove immediately : — then, that he might not be seen by the crew, he took out his handker- chief, and covered his face and his stars. Had he but concealed these badges of honor from the enemy, Eng- land, perhaps, would not have had cause to receive with sorrow the news of the battle of Trafalgar. The cockpit was crowded with wounded and dying men ; over whose bodies he was with some difficulty conveyed, and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen's berth. It was soon perceived, upon examination, that the wound was mortal. This, however, was concealed from all except Captain Hardy, the chaplain, and the medical attendants. He himself being certain, from the sensation in his back, and the gush of blood he felt momently within his breast, that no human care could avail him, insisted that the surgeon should leave him, and attend to those to whom he might be useful ; ' 'For," said he, ''you can do nothing for me." — ^AU that could be done was to fan him with paper, and frequently to give him lemonade to alleviate his intense thirst. He was in great pain, and expressed much anxiety for the event of the action, which now be- gan to declare itself. As often as a ship struck, the crew of the Victory hurrahed; and at every hurrah, a visible expression of joy gleamed in the eyes, and marked the countenance, of the dying hero. But he became impa- tient to see Captain Hardy; and as that officer, though often sent for, could not leave the deck. Nelson feared that some fatal cause prevented him, and repeatedly cried: "Will no one bring Hardy to me? He must be killed ! He is surely dead ! ' ' — An hour and ten minutes elapsed from the time when Nelson received his wound. 352 The Life of Nelson before Hardy could come to liim. They shook hands in silence; Hardy in vain strnggling to suppress the feel- ings of that most painful and yet sublimest moment. ''Well, Hardy," said Nelson; ''how goes the day with us?" — "Very well," replied Hardy; "ten ships have struck, but five of the van^ have tacked, and show an intention to bear down on the Victory. I have called two or three of our fresh ships around, and have no doubt of giving them a drubbing." — "I hope," said Nelson, "none of our ships have struck?" Hardy an- swered, ' ' There was no fear of that. ' ' Then, and not till then. Nelson spoke of himself. "I am a dead man, Hardy, ' ' said he : "I am going fast : — it will be all over with me soon. Come nearer to me. Let my dear Lady Hamilton have my hair, and all other things belonging to me." Hardy observed, that he hoped Mr. Beatty would hold out some prospect of life. "Oh no ! " he re- plied : " it is impossible ; my back is shot through. Beatty will tell you so." Captain Hardy then, once more, shook hands with him ; and with a heart almost bursting, has- tened upon deck. By this time all feeling below the breast was gone ; and Nelson, having made the surgeon ascertain this, said to him : ' ' You know I am gone. I know it. I feel some- thing rising in my breast" — ^putting his hand on his left side — " which tells me so." And upon Beatty 's inquir- ing whether his pain was very great? he replied, ''so great, that he wished he was dead. Yet," said he, in a lower voice, "one would like to live a little longer too!" And after a few minutes, in the same undertone, he added — ' ' What would become of poor Lady Hamilton if 1. Five of the van. In spite of VUlenenve's urgent orders "to take positions that would bring them most rapidly under fire," the ten ships of the van kept on their course until late in the battle. When they turned, five passed to windward and five to leeward of the ships In action. All save one escaped. The Life of Nelson 353 she knew my situation ! ' ' Next to his country, she occu- pied his thoughts. Captain Hardy, some fifty minutes after he had left the cockpit, returned ; and again taking the hand of his dying friend and commander, congratu- lated him on having gained a complete victory. How many of the enemy were taken he did not know, as it was impossible to perceive them distinctly; but fourteen or fifteen at least. ''That's well," cried Nelson; ''but I bargained for twenty." And then, in a stronger voice, he said: "Anchor, Hardy; anchor." Hardy, upon this, hinted that Admiral Collingood would take upon himself the direction of affairs. ' ' Not while I live, Hardy, ' ' said the dying Nelson, ineffectually endeavoring to raise him- self from the bed : " do you anchor. ' ' His previous order for preparing to anchor had shown how clearly he fore- saw the necessity of this. Presently, calling Hardy back, he said to him, in a low voice, "Don't throw me over- board : ' ' and he desired that he might be buried by his parents, unless it should please the King to order other- wise. Then reverting to private feelings: "Take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy: take care of poor Lady Hamilton.— Kiss me, Hardy," said he. Hardy knelt down and kissed his cheek : and Nelson said, ' ' Now I am satisfied. Thank God, I have done my duty!" Hardy stood over him in silence for a moment or two, then knelt again, and kissed his forehead. "Who is that ? ' ' said Nelson ; and being informed, he replied : ' ' God bless you, Hardy ! ' ' And Hardy then left him — forever. Nelson now desired to be turned upon his right side, and said, "I wish I had not left the deck; for I shall soon be gone. ' ' Death was, indeed, rapidly approaching. He said to the chaplain, "Doctor, I have not been a great sinner : ' ' and after a short pause, ' ' remember that I leave Lady Hamilton, and my daughter Horatia as a legacy to 354 The Life of Nelson II my country. ' ' His articulation now became difficult ; but he was distinctly heard to say, ' ' Thank God, I have done my duty ! ' ' These words he repeatedly pronounced ; and they were the last words which he uttered. He expired at thirty minutes after four, — three hours and a quarter after he had received his wound Within a quarter of an hour after Nelson was wounded, above fifty of the Victory ^s men fell by the enemy's mus- ketry. They, however, on their part, were not idle ; and it was not long before there were only two Frenchmen left alive in the mizzen-top of the Redoutable. One of them was the man who had given the fatal wound ; he did not live to boast of what he had done. An old quarter- master had seen him fire; and easily recognized him, because he wore a glazed cocked hat and a white frock. This quarter-master and two midshipmen, Mr. Colling- wood and Mr. Pollard, were the only persons left in the Victory's poop; — the two midshipmen kept firing at the top, and he supplied them with cartridges. One of the Frenchmen, attempting to make his escape down the rigging, was shot by Mr. Pollard, and fell on the poop. But the old quarter-master, as he cried out, ' ' That 's he — that's he," and pointed at the other, who was coming forward to fire again, received a shot in his mouth, and fell dead. Both the midshipmen then fired at the same time, and the fellow dropped in the top. When they took possession of the prize, they went into the mizzen-top, and found him dead; with one ball through his head, and another through his breast. The Redoutable struck within twenty minutes after the fatal shot had been fired from her. During that time she had been twice on fire, — in her fore-chains, and in her forecastle. The French, as they had done in other battles, made use in this of fire-balls, and other com- bustibles ; implements of destruction, which other na- The Life of Nelson 355 tions, from a sense of honor and humanity, have laid aside ; which add to the sufferings of the wounded, without determining the issue of the combat : which none but the cruel would employ, and which never can be successful against the brave. Once they succeeded in setting fire, from the Redoutahle, to some ropes and canvas on the Victory ^s booms. The cry ran through the ship, and reached the cockpit : but even this dreadful cry produced no confusion : the men displayed that perfect self-posses- sion in danger by which English seamen are character- ized; they extinguished the flames on board their own ship, and then hastened to extinguish them in the enemy, by throwing buckets of water from the gangway. When the Redoutahle had struck, it was not practicable to board her from the Victory, for, though the two ships touched, the upper works of both fell in so much^ that there was a great space between their gangways; and she could not be boarded from her lower or middle decks, because her ports were down. Some of our men went to Lieutenant Quilliam and offered to swim under her bows, and get up there ; but it was thought unfit to hazard brave lives in this manner. What our men would have done from gallantry, some of the crew of the Santissima Trinidad did to save them- selves. Unable to stand the tremendous fire of the Vic- tory, whose larboard guns played against this great four- decker, and not knowing how else to escape them, nor where else to betake themselves for protection, many of them leaped overboard, and swam to the Victory; and were actually helped up her sides by the English during the action. The Spaniards began the battle with less vivacity than their unworthy allies, but they continued it with greater firmness. The Argonauta and Bahama 1. Fell in so much. Vessels of this period were considerably broader at the waterline than at the deck, to give stability. 356 The Life of Nelson II were defended till they had each lost about four hundred men ; the San Juan Nepomuceno lost three hundred and fifty. Often as the superiority of British courage has been proved against France upon the seas, it was never more conspicuous than in this decisive conflict. Five of our ships were engaged muzzle to muzzle with five of the French. In all five, the Frenchmen lowered their lower- deck ports, and deserted their guns ; while our men con- tinued deliberately to load and fire, till they had made the victory secure. Once, amidst his sufferings. Nelson had expressed a wish that he were dead ; but immediately the spirit sub- dued the pains of death, and he wished to live a little longer ; — doubtless that he might hear the completion of the victory which he had seen so gloriously begun. That consolation, — that joy, — that triumph, — was afforded him. He lived to know that the victory was decisive ; and the last guns which were fired at the flying enemy were heard a minute or two before he expired. The ships which were thus flying were four of the enemy's van, all French, under Rear-Admiral Dumanoir. They had borne no part in the action ; and now, when they were seeking safety in flight, they fired not only into the Victory and Royal Sovereign as they passed, but poured their broad- sides into the Spanish captured ships; and they were seen to back their topsails, for the purpose of firing with more precision. The indignation of the Spaniards at this detestable cruelty from their allies, for whom they had fought so bravely, and so profusely bled, may well be conceived. It was such, that when, two days after the action, seven of the ships which had escaped into Cadiz came out, in hopes of retaking some of the dis- abled prizes, the prisoners in the Argonauta, in a body, offered their services to the British prize-master, to man the guns against any of the French ships : saying, that The Life of Nelson 357 if a Spanish ship came alongside they would quietly go below ; but they requested that they might be allowed to fight the French, in resentment for the murderous usage which they had suffered at their hands. Such was their earnestness, and such the implicit confidence which could be placed in Spanish honor, that the offer was accepted ; and they were actually stationed at the lower-deck guns. Dumanoir and his squadron were not more fortunate than the fleet from whose destruction they fled: they fell in with Sir Richard Strachan, who was cruising for the Rochefort squadron, and were all taken. In the better days of France, if such a crime could then have been committed, it would have received an exemplary pun- ishment from the French government : under Bonaparte, it was sure of impunity, and, perhaps, might be thought deserving of reward. But, if the Spanish court had been independent, it would have become us to have delivered Dumanoir and his captains up to Spain, that they might have been brought to trial, and hanged in sight of the remains of the Spanish fleet. The total British loss in the battle of Trafalgar amounted to 1587. Twenty of the enemy struck ; but it was not possible to anchor the fleet,* as Nelson had en- joined ; — a gale came on from the southwest ; some of the prizes went down, some went on shore ; one effected * In the former editions it was said that unhappily the fleet did not anchor : implying an opinion that Nelson's orders ought to have been followed by his successor. From the recently published Memoirs and Correspondence of Lord Collingwood, it appears that this was not practicable, and that if it had been, and had been done, the conse- quences, from the state of the weather (which Nelson could not fore- see), would, in all likelihood, have been more disastrous than they were. Having thus referred to Lord Collingwood's Life, I may be allowed to say that the publication of this volume is indeed a national good. It ought to be in every oflBcer's cabin and in every statesman's cabinet. — Southey'8 Note. 358 The Life of Nelson its escape into Cadiz ; others were destroyed ; four onh were saved, and those by the greatest exertions. The' wounded Spaniards were sent ashore, an assurance being given that they should not serve till regularly exchanged ; and the Spaniards, with a generous feeling which would not, perhaps, have been found in any other people, offered the use of their hospitals for our wounded, pledging the honor of Spain that they should be carefully attended there. When the storm, after the action, drove some of the prizes upon the coast, they declared that the Eng- lish, who were thus thrown into their hands, should not be considered as prisoners of war; and the Spanish soldiers gave up their own beds to their shipwrecked enemies. The Spanish Vice-Admiral, Alava, died of his wounds. Villeneuve was sent to England, and permitted to return to France. The French government say that he destroyed himself^ on the way to Paris, dreading the consequences of a court-martial : but there is every reason to believe that the tyrant, who never acknowledged the loss of the battle of Trafalgar, added Villeneuve to the numerous victims of his murderous policy. It is almost superfluous to add, that all the honors which a grateful country could bestow were heaped upon j the memory of Nelson. His brother was made an Earl,) with a grant of £6000 a year ; £10,000 were voted to each ^ of his sisters; and £100,000 for the purchase of an estate.' A public funeraP was decreed, and a public monument.^ 1. Destroyed himself. It has been proved by later Investigation that| Villeneuve committed suicide at Rennes, April 22, 1806. *. 2. Puhlic funeral. Nelson was buried in state in St. Paul's Catbe^ , dral, London. ^ 3. Public monument. The Nelson Column, 145 feet high, in Trafalgar! Square, London. It is made of bronze from captured cannon, is sur- mounted by a statue of Nelson, and has four reliefs on its pedestal representing scenes from Nelson's four great victories — St. Vincent, Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar. Four lions, by Landseer, guard the base. The Life of Nelson 359 Statues and monuments also were voted by most of our principal cities. The leaden coffin, in which he was brought home, was cut in pieces, which were distributed as relics of Saint Nelson, — so the gunner of the Victory'^ called them;— and when, at his interment, his flag was about to be lowered into the grave, the sailors, who as- sisted at the ceremony, with one accord rent it to pieces, that each might preserve a fragment^ while he lived. 1. Victory. The first British ship of this name fought against the Spanish Armada i& 1588. Nelson's Victorp, the fifth of the name, was launched in 1765, was the flagship of Admiral Keppel in 1778, of Kempenfeldt in his action with De Guichen in 1781, of Howe In 1793, and of Jervis at Cape St. Vincent In 1797. She has since been preserved at Portsmouth. 2. Preserve a fragment. A chamber of Nelson pictures and relics is preserved in Greenwich Hospital, London. Describing the sensations stirred by these memorials, Nathaniel Hawthorne writes as follows : "It is remarkable, however, that the great naval hero of England — ■ the greatest, therefore, in the world, and of all time — had none of the stolid characteristics that belong to his class, and cannot fairly be accepted as their representative man. Foremost in the roughest of professions, he was as delicately organized as a woman, and as pain- fully sensitive as a poet. More than any other Englishman he won the love and admiration of his country, but he won them through the efficacy of qualities that are not English, or, at all events, were inten- sified in his case and made poignant and powerful by something morbid in the man, which put him otherwise at cross-purposes with life. He was a man of genius ; and, genius in an Englishman (not to cite the good old simile of a pearl in the oyster) is usually a symptom of a lack of balance in the general making-up of the character ; as we may satisfy ourselves by running over the list of their poets, for example, and observing how many of them have been sickly or deformed, and how often their lives have been darkened by insanity. An ordinary English- man is the healthiest and wholesomest of human beings ; an extraor- dinary one is almost always, in one way or another, a sick man. It was so with Lord Nelson. The wonderful contrast or relation between his personal qualities, the position which he held, and the life that he lived, makes him as interesting a personage as all history has to show, and it is a pity that Southey's biography — so good in its superficial way, and yet so inadequate as regards any real delineation of the man — should have taken the subject out of the hands of some writer endowed with more delicate appreciation and deeper insight than that genuine Englishman possessed. But Southey accomplished his own purpose, which, apparently, was to present his hero as a pattern for England's young midshipmen. 360 The Life of Nelson The death of Nelson was felt in England as something more than a public calamity : men started at the intelli- gence, and turned pale ; as if they had heard of the loss of a dear friend. An object of our admiration and affec- tion, of our pride and of our hopes, was suddenly taken from us ; and it seemed as if we had never, till then, known how deeply we loved and reverenced him. What the country had lost in its great naval hero — the greatest of our own and of all former times, was scarcely taken into the account of grief. So perfectly, indeed, had he performed his part, that the maritime war, after the battle of Trafalgar, was considered at an end i the fleets of the enemy were not merely defeated, but destroyed: new navies must be built, and a new race of seamen reared for them, before the possibility of their invading our shores could again be contemplated. It was not, , therefore, from any selfish reflection upon the magnitude * of our loss that we mourned for him : the general sorrow was of a higher character. The people of England grieved that funeral ceremonies, and public monuments, and posthumous rewards, were all which they could now bestow upon him, whom the King, the Legislature, and ! » "But the English capacity for hero-worship is full to the brim with , what they are able to comprehend of Lord Nelson's character. Adjoin- ing the Painted Hall is a smaller room, the walls of which are com- pletely and exclusively adorned with pictures of the great Admiral's exploits. We see the frail, ardent man in all the most noted events of his career, from his encounter with a Polar bear to his death at Trafalgar, quivering here and there ahout the room like a Mue, lamhent flame. No Briton ever enters that apartment without feeling the beef and ale of his composition stirred to its depths, and finding himself changed into a hero for the nonce, however stolid his brain, however tough his heart, however unexcitable his ordinary mood. To confess the truth, I myself, though belonging to another parish, have been deeply sensible to the sublime recollection there aroused, acknowledging that Nelson expressed his life in a kind of symbolic poetry which I had as much right to understand as these burly islanders." — Hawthorne's Our Old HomCj A Visit to GreenicicJi and Chelsea. The Life of Nelson 361 the nation, would have alike delighted to honor; whom every tongue would have blessed'; whose presence in every village through which he might have passed would have wakened the church bells, have given schoolboys a holiday, have drawn children from their sports to gaze upon him, and "old men from the chimney corner,"^ to look upon Nelson ere they died. The victory of Trafalgar was celebrated, indeed, with the usual forms of rejoicing, but they were without joy; for such already was the glory of the British Navy, through Nelson's surpassing genius, that it scarcely seemed to receive any addition from the most signal victory- that ever was achieved upon the seas : and the destruction of this mighty fleet, by which all the maritime schemes of France were totally frustrated, hardly appeared to add to our security or strength ; for, while Nelson was living, to watch the com- bined squadrons of the enemy, we felt ourselves as secure as now, when they were no longer in existence. There was reason to suppose, from the appearances upon opening the body, that, in the course of nature, he might have attained, like his father, to a good old age. Yet he cannot be said to have fallen prematurely whose work was done ; nor ought he to be lamented, who died so full of honors, and at the height of human fame. The most triumphant death is that of the martyr; the most awful that of the martyred patriot; the most splendid that of the hero in the hour of victory : and if the chariot 1, "Old men from the chimney corner.'' "He [the poet] cometh unto you with a tale that holdeth children from play and old men from the chimney corner " — Sir Philip Sidney, Defense of Poesy. 2. Most signal victory. Napoleon's invasion of England, postponed by the Austrian advance and the earlier failure of Villeneuve to reach the Channel, was definitely prevented by the destruction of the French fleet at Trafalgar. The news reached England in time to dispel the gloom caused by tidings of Napoleon's victories against Austria. Aa Meredith wrote in the poem Trafalgar Day, the winds "rolled the smoke from Trafalgar to darken Austerlitz ablaze." '362 The Life of Nelson ^^_ and the horses of fire^ had been vouchsafed for Nelson's j translation, he could scarcely have departed in a brighter blaze of glory. He has left us, not indeed his mantle of inspiration, but a name and an example, which are at this hour inspiring thousands of the youth of England : — a name which is our pride, and an example which will continue to be our shield and our strength. Thus it is that the spirits of the great and the wise continue to live and to act after them; verifying, in this sense, the language of the old mythologist : To\ fiev 8aLfJL0ve<; elaL, Ato? fieydXov Bua jSouAas, EaOXol, iTTixOovLOi, (pvXaKE's 6vy]T(ov av6p(i)7ru)V.^ 1. The chariot and the horses of fire. An allusion to the prophet Elijah's ascent into Heaven, II Kings, ii, 11-14. The mantle of the prophet fell upon his successor, Ellsha. 2. "These god-like spirits, through the will of almighty Zeus, are beneficent, and remain ©n earth as the protectors of mortal men." — Hesiod, Works and Days, 122, 123. I GLOSSARY OF NAUTICAL TERMS Aback (taken). See p. 106. Aft, after. Toward the stern. Athwart-hawse. Across the course of a vessel; across her bow. Back a sail. To shift a square-sail so that it presses back against the mast, thus checking the ship's headway. Barge, A large boat supplied only to flag-ships for the use of flag officers. Barge's crew, see p. 120. Bear up. To turn with the wind, to leeward. Beat. To make progress against the wind by sailing in tacks, or zig-zag courses. Berth. The place where a man sleeps. Also, a vessel's assigned position or station. Bits. Upright timbers in the deck to which ropes and cables are made fast. Bomb, bomb-vessel. See p. 31. Boom. A long spar used to spread the foot of a sail. Bow. The forward end of a vessel. Bower anchor. See p. 37. Bowsprit. A large, strong spar ex- tending from the bow. Braces. Ropes attached to the ends of yards. Brace up, to swing the yards to a position nearly parallel with the ship's keel, for sailing into the wind. Brails. Ropes used in furling fore- and-aft sails. Brailed up, said of a sail taken in by means of brails. Brig. A square-rigged vessel with, two masts. Bring-to. To turn into the wind; to stop. Broad pendant. See p. 59. Broadside. All the guns on one side of a ship; or a simultaneous discharge from all of them. Bulkhead. See p, 319. . Cable. The chain by which a ves- sel is secured to her anchor. Catle's length, about 120 fathoms, or 720 feet. Capstem (capstan) bar. See p. 84. Captain of the fleet. See p. 248. Carried away. See p. 104. Cartel. See p. 99 Chains. Iron bars by which the shrouds holding the masts are made fast to the ship's sides. They are designated as fore, main, and niizzen chains accord- ing to the mast with which they are connected. Clew lip. To take in a sail by rais- ing it to the yard above. Cockle-boat. A small, light boat used only in protected waters. Cockpit. An apartment below the waterline, aft; occupied by wounded men during an engage- ment. Commissioned officer. See p. 158. Convoy. Merchant-vessels under the protection of a man-of-war. Corvette. See p. 84. Coxswain. One appointed to com- mand a captain's barge or other- ship's boat. Crossjack yard. The spar support- ing the crossjacJc, or lowest square-sail on the mizzenmast. Cutter. See p. 30. Drive. To drift before the wind. Driver. A name formerly given to the spanker or large fore-and- aft sail on the mizzenmast. Embargro. An order forbidding vessels to leave port. Ensign. A flag indicating na- tionality. 364 The Life of Nelson Fall off. To turn with the wind. Fell on board. See p. 136. Fathom. Six feet. Fire-ship. A vessel with combust- ibles or explosives, sent among' enemy ships to set them on fire. Flag-ship. The vessel bearing the commander-in-chief. Fore. A prefix designating the forward part of a vessel, or ob- jects in that direction. Fore-and-aft saU. A sail rigged on a boom and gaff, instead of yards; like the mainsail of a cat- boat or sloop. Fore-brace. A rope attached to the lowermost yard on the fore- mast. Fore-'brace bit, an upright post in the deck to which the fore-brace is made fast. Forecastle. The crew's quarters, forward. Also the upper deck forward of the foremast. Foremast. The mast nearest the bow in a vessel with more than one mast. Foretop. See p. 38. Frigate. See p. 26. Furl. To take in a sail. Galley. Applied In modern times to small war-vessels propelled primarily by oars, whether rigged with sails or not. Gangways. The upper deck near the sides, between the quarter- deck and the forecastle. Going large. Sailing with the wind fair. Guardship. See p. 29. Gunboat. Applied in former times to a small craft mounting a single gun. Hanger. See p. 41. Haul off. To withdraw. Heave-to. To check or stop a ves- sel's progress. Hove in stays, see p. 105. Ice anchor. See p. 32. Jolly boat. A small boat carried at the stern. liandridge shot. See p. 173. Larboard. The left side of a ship, looking forward. Launch. The largest of a ship's boats. Lead. A rope with a weight at- tached for taking the depth of water. Leading wind. See p. 257. League. See p. 144. Lee, leeward. On the side not ex- posed to the wind; the sheltered side. Log. The ship's journal, a record kept by the officers. Long-boat. See p 30 Luff. To turn the head of a vessel toward the wind; to sail closer to the wind. Lugger. A small vessel with lug- sails hoisted on yards swung at an angle to the mast. Main. A prefix designating the sails, rigging, etc., of the main- mast. Main-brace. A rope attached to the lowermost yard on the main- mast. Mainmast. The middle mast of a ship; the after mast of a brig or schooner. Mainsail. In a square-rigged ship, the lower square-sail on the mainmast. Mainyard. The yard that supports the mainsail. See p. 33. Marines. Soldiers serving on ship- board. Master. See p. 42. Master's mate. See p. 30. Midshipman. See p. 38. Mid-watch. See p. 34. Mizzen. A prefix designating the sails, rigging, etc., of the niiz- zenmast. Mizzenmast. The aftermost mast of a three-masted vessel. Mizzen-peak. The upper outer corner of the fore-and-aft sail on the mizzenmast. Mole. See p. 114. Mortar-boat. A small vessel mounting mortars, i.e., short guns of large bore for firing shells at high angles. Glossary of Nautical Terms 365 Points (of a compass). The thirty- two divisions of the compass card, the cardinal points being north, east, south, and west. Pontoons. Flat-bottomed barges or lighters. Poop. A raised deck at the stern. Hence, in general, the after part of a vessel. Port-fire. See p. 176. Ports. Openings in the side of a vessel; especially openings through which cannon may be discharged. Post captain. See p. 42. Praams. See p. 267. Privateer. A privately owned ves- sel commissioned by a govern- ment to engage in warfare. Prize. A vessel captured from the enemy in time of war. Prize-agents. See p. 69. Quadrant. See p. 59. Quarter. That part of a vessel's side from about opposite the mainmast to the stern. On the quarter^ see p. 60. Quarter-decls. The upper deck be- tween the mainmast and the stern, reserved for the use of officers. Quarter-gallery. See p. 136. Quartermaster. A petty officer sta- tioned on the quarter-deck to tend the helm and in general to assist the sailing-master in his duties. Badeaus. Rafts. Bake. To fire from such a posi- tion that the shots range the whole length of an enemy ship. Bates. See p. 26. Beceivingr ship. See p. 71. Begister ship. See p. 43, Bigging. A general term applied to all the ropes of a vessel; or, more particularly, to the shrouds and stays of the masts, as main rigging, mizzen rigging, Boads. An anchorage outside a port, more exposed than a har- bor. Boiling ground. See p. 292. Eoyal. The name of the fourth mast above the deck, next above the topgallant mast. Used also to designate the sail and yard of this mast. Serve. 1. To wind a small rope or rope-yarn around a larger rope, to prevent chafing. 2. To wind a rope .iround any object. Shank. See p. 37. Sheathed. Covered on the outside. Ship. 1. Strictly, a vessel with three masts, square-rigged. 2. A ship-of-the-line. 3. Any large, sea-going vessel. Ship-of-the-Iine. See p. 26. Shiver. To loosen a sail so that it flaps in the wind. Shrouds. Rope stays supporting a mast from the sides. The shrouds of the upper masts run to cross-trees, and those of the lower masts to the sides of the ship. Sloop-of-war. See p. 26. Slops. See p. 71. Sound. To try the depth of water by means of a lead or other- wise. Spars. \. general term for masts, yards, booms, etc., used to sup- port sails. Applied particularly to the masts. Spritsail. A sail carried in former times underneath the bowsprit. Spritsail yard. A spar crossing the bowsprit horizontally and at right angles, used to support the spritsail. Starboard. The right side of a ves- sel, looking forward. Stern. The after end of a vessel. Stern-chasers. See p. 267. Studding-sails. Sails set on sliding booms beyond the lower square- sails; carried only in moderate weather. Supercargo. An agent placed in charge of a ship's cargo. Swivel. See p. 46. Tack. 1. To turn a vessel about by bringing her bow into the wind — the opposite of wear. 366 The Life of Nelson 2. The course of a vessel in beating against the wind, called starboard or larboard (port) ac- cording as the wind strikes on the right or the left side. Taken aback. See aback. Tender. See p. 41. Thrap. (variant of frap). To bind or strengthen with ropes or cables. Tiller. A bar extending forward from the rudder-post, for turn- ing the rudder. Tiller-ropes. Ropes running from the tiller to the steering wheel. Top. A platform at the head of a lower mast, for the convenience of men aloft. Topgallant. The name of the third mast above the deck, next above the topmast. Used also to designate the sail, yard, and rigging of this mast. Topmast. The second mast above the deck. Topsail. The sail of a topmast; the second square-sail above the deck. Topsail breeze. See p. 250. Transports. Vessels engaged in carrying troops or supplies. VaUed. See p. 253. Van. See p. 106. Veer, See p. 84. Warp. To heave a vessel forward by ropes attached to anchors or other objects ahead. Warrant carpenter. See p. 158. Watch and watch. See p. 38. Water-logged. Applied to a vessel with so much water in her hold that she is not easily steered. Wear (pret. and past participle, wore). To turn a vessel about by swinging the bow with the wind, instead of against it, as in tacking. Weather. Windward; in the di- rection from which the wind blows. Weigh. To hoist anchor; to get under w^ay. Wind (on a). See p. 161. Yard. A spar swung by its center to a mast, and carrying a square-sail. mm- iiiV,\iimr-',-}mHt LIBRARY OF ^°'[!,jjJ|,mS 1| 020 691 741 6