ÆT. 39.] LETTERS. had 1600 men on board, and unless the Admiral would give him a Ship to convey them to Toulon, he would fight to the last man-a true French gasconade; we immediately slipped the sheet cable, and hoisted our topsails, and seeing the Admiral make the Leander's signal to engage the Enemy, which must have been the moment of his receiving this French reply, we hove up our best bower and ran down directly for the Tonnant, with the Master sounding in a boat ahead; as we cast so as to open the view of our broadside to her, she hoisted truce colours; when we got within a cable and half of her, having only 25 feet water, we let go our anchor, veered to within half a cable of her and hauled upon our spring, which was parted. It was now, however, of no consequence, as just after we came to, she allowed the Leander's boat to come on board, and was soon after under English colours; the Leander had brought-to about two or three cables without us while we were going down. The Timoléon being abandoned by her crew, was set on fire with her colours flying, and soon blew up. There being no longer an Enemy to contend with, we beat the retreat and solemnly returned thanks to Almighty God through whose mercy we had been instrumental in obtaining so great and glorious a victory to His Majesty's Arms, and I believe from a body of men more fervent gratitude never mingled in prayer. I had desired the Chaplain to introduce a prayer for the slain, which was attended to with a Previous to the degree of feeling that could not but delight every good heart. public service I had returned my own thanks to the Officers and Ship's Company for their gallantry and good conduct; and observing to them, that our business was not finished till the Prizes were fit for sea, exhorted them to obtain by their work as much credit as by their courage. Captain Oldfield of Marines, having very handsomely volunteered going into any of the Prizes, I sent him with his whole party on board the Tonnant, and Lieut. England, to take charge of her without one seaman, and gave him orders to secure the magazines, store-rooms, &c. immediately, and having examined below to see every person and every light from them, and to have sentinels to prevent any one going on any pretence below the lower deck, and to render it unnecessary I would send provisions and water daily from the Theseus; I was thus cautious from knowing some of the other Ships had been on fire since their capture. I now again felt the benefit of the pains I had taken to get carver-built boats, and more capacious than the regular allowed ones, and of having had three out of the way of shot during the Action. those in, two were destroyed and the launch shot through; I turned all the carpenters to patch her up for present use, merely while the people were dining, and then turned heartily to work, and having made one strong cable fast to the Tonnant, and desired sentinels to be placed on it on board her, we warped the Theseus about a mile and three quarters till we got hold of the end of the sheet cable we had slipped, and put it on board the Tonnant to secure her; this, from the freshness of the northerly wind and the swell, was not accomplished till the evening of the 6th; meanwhile Lieut. England was getting as much of the Tonnant's wreck cleared away by the French carpenters as he could, and we repairing Before daylight on the 7th I sent the First Lieuour own damages with ours. tenant, the Master, and all our best Petty officers, the boatswain, carpenter, and all his crew, two complete watches, and all the seamen of the Theseus, with everything necessary to erect shears and clear away wreck, both fore and main mast having fallen within board. I had enjoyed the pleasure of finding the Admiral much better on the 6th, and he had given into my care the fitting of the Tonnant, and told me I should not in the least be interfered with, and he hoped I should see her all the way to England; that after so many services to the public I owed it to myself to pursue my own happiness. Though I had thought this before, I was pleased to find a man of his activity think so likewise, and am infinitely obliged to him for his consideration in putting me unasked in the fair way to return to my long, long wished for home-but let me keep down the thousand emotions that rise in my soul till this narrative is finished, in which I am the more particular for a twofold purpose, it will give you the more information and be a more satisand it will remain in your hands as a record for factory account to B. me hereafter of the Battle, the share the Theseus had in it, and the mode of conAs most of the Ships were able to commence their duct I found beneficial. Of equipment and that of the Prizes under their charge on the 2nd, which I could not do till the 7th, I feared we should retard the sailing of the first batch to which we were fixed, and I determined it should be as short a period as possible. To encourage and enable all my people to do much work in little time, I ventured to make every day a meat day, and to give them an additional half allowance of wine. I sent her as many spars as we had unwounded, one spare topsail, and top-gallant sails to be courses and topsails for her, and had every man that could use a sail-needle at work to alter some of her own sails, and some we got from the Sérieuse to make up a set for her; and with the few men remaining in this Ship we got up and sent to her two French bower anchors, and one smaller one, with two cables and four or five hawsers; and also a bower anchor we have since given to the Peuple Souverain, and by that labour which no other Ship did, and which could not be at all expected from us especially, we added a £1000 value g least to the Prizes. By these means, seconded by the indefatigable exertions d the Officers and men in both Ships, I was enabled to say to the Admiral we wer both ready to sail as early as he pleased on the 10th, and I had the pleasure t find Tonnant the first Prize ready-we, however, continued to have the same party on board daily till the noon of the 13th, by which we made her the mort complete, and were enabled to set her new rigging up five times before she sailed. In the afternoon of that day I sent Lieut. Hawkins, 1st Lieut., Brodie the 2nd. Master, a Lieutenant and 12 Marines, and Petty officers and seamen, making together 133 souls. On the following morning of the 14th, the following Ship sailed under the command of Sir James Saumarez to receive Lord St. Vincent's orders off Cadiz ;-Orion, Bellerophon, Defence, Minotaur, Audacious, Theseus Majestic; with the following Prizes in charge, Peuple Souverain, Frankl Aquilon, Conquérant, Tonnant and Spartiate The three Prizes we left there were burnt by the Admiral's orders,-the Guerrier being so much cut up in the Action, the Mercure and Heureux from what they suffered in the Action and getting on shore, being found so much damaged that they could not be repaire without detaining the Squadron in Aboukir Bay longer than was consistent wi the necessities of His Majesty's service: most of their stores, &c. were previoush taken out. I have omitted to say the Franklin did not submit till after l'Orien had been some time on fire. I do not vouch for what I have said of the Bellero phon and Majestic, as among several disagreeing I have been unable to collect. what I could say is certainly exact history; but speaking generally, there appear to be a glorious emulation among all, to do service to their King and Country, and honour to themselves. On more particular inquiries respecting the Majestic and Bellerophon, it appears to me that the Majestic, as I have mentioned before, du not bring up on letting go her anchor till she got her bowsprit foul of the bo sprit of l'Heureux, in which position she lay one hour, able to make use of bat few guns; and the Tonnant firing into her quarter with her stern chace in addition to such guns as l'Heureux could bring to bear on getting disentangled, she lay athwart the Mercure's bow, raked her with great effect. On l'Orient taking fire the Tonnant, Heureux, and Mercure cut their cables, the former dropped a little way past the Guillaume Tell and anchored again, the other two, each with a stay sail or two set, ran aground. The Timoléon, Guillaume Tell and Génére veered I fancy to two cables, by which several means, and l'Orient blowing up, a vacancy of about a mile was left in the French line. The Bellerophon remained alongside l'Orient till near 8 o'clock, when Captain Darby who had been severely wounded in the head came on deck again, and seeing l'Orient on fire between decks, ordered the cable to be cut and drifted away as before described, without main or mizen mast, and his foremast fell soon after this fire was extinguished on board l'Orient. There cannot be much error in time for these reasons—a prisoner now on board this Ship who was a Lieutenant of the Tonnant, and speaks very good English, describes an English Ship dismasted by l'Orient and the Tonnant, and that after she cut her cable and dropped away from l'Orient, two other Ships came, one on her bow and one under her stern; these Ships were the Alexander and Swiftsure, who came in about 8 o'clock.-Oct. 17. We are now in sight of Gibraltar with all our prizes; we stopped at Augusta in Sicily 6 days, to get water, fresh beef, and vegetables.' TO ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, K.B. [Autograph in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., G.C.B. A few lines of this Letter, mixed up with another Letter, are in vol. iii. p. 100.] Vanguard, Mouth of the Nile, August 10, 1798. My Lord, I send Sir James Saumarez' with the Ships and Prizes named in the margin', the others not being yet ready. So soon as they are, I shall send Sir James Saumarez and a proper number of Ships with the others. I regret exceedingly parting with so many Ships, but I cannot, in justice to the captors, destroy all their reward of Victory. I shall remain off this Coast as long as circumstances will allow me, and endeavour to annoy the Enemy to the utmost of my power. I have the honour to be your Lordship's most obedient servant, HORATIO NELSON. TO ALEXANDER DAVISON, ESQ. Vanguard, Mouth of the Nile, My dear Davison, This Fleet have unanimously appointed you sole Agent for the capture at the Battle of the Nile. It is a great concern, and they rely on your established character and abilities for a speedy payment of their Prize-Money, which all Agents hitherto so studiously endeavour to keep from them. The French Army is in a scrape. They are up the Nile without supplies. The inhabitants will allow nothing to pass by land, nor H. N. by water. Their Army is wasting with the flux, and not a thousand men will ever return to Europe. I shall stay here as long as possible, after which you will probably see me in England. Best respects to Mrs. Davison. God bless you. H. N. TO MAURICE NELSON, ESQ. [Autograph in the possession of Colonel Davison.] My dear Brother, The Fleet have appointed Davison sole Agent for the Ships captured at the Battle of the Nile. Whatever assistance you Rear-Admiral Nelson wrote in this place "Captain Darby," and the name was corrected by his Secretary. Orion, Bellerophon, Majestic, Minotaur, Defence, Theseus, Audacious, Spartiate, Franklin, Aquilon, Tonnant, Conquérant, Sovereign. VOL. VII. may give Davison, or whatever he may wish to serve you in, I beg that you may never be considered, directly or indi rectly, as having anything to do with the Agency.-Ever yours most affectionately, HORATIO NELSON. August 12th, 1798.-My Secretary I have recommended to be Purser of the Franklin. He has not activity for me. August 14th, 1798. TO ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, K.B. [Autograph in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., G.C.B] My dear Lord, As Sir James is four leagues off, I have only time to say that a Brig, hired by Captain Tyler, is just arrived, and, suppose, has brought me all your dispatches. My head is so upset, that really I know not what to do; but by to-mor row morning I will arrange matters in my mind, and do m best.-Ever yours most sincerely and affectionately, HORATIO NELSON. TO ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, K.B. [Autograph in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., G.C Parts of this Letter are in vol. iii. p. 113.] Off Candia, September 1st, 1798. t My dear Lord, You will think me quite mad to pester you with so many letters. I now only do it to send you a copy of my letter Mr. Jackson, at Constantinople; and if the Grand Signi will but trot an Army into Syria, Buonaparte's career finished. As for Naples, she is saved in spite of herse they have evidently broken their treaty with France, and are afraid to assist in finishing the vast armament of French. Four hours, with four Bomb-vessels, would sets in a blaze, and we know what is an Army without stores. shall try the Marquis de Niza if he will go to Egypt, but hardly expect his compliance. I have just sent Sir James order to send me Minotaur and Audacious, with all the s provisions he can spare; but I have my doubts if the Sh [are] victualled to six months of that article. Culloden s dreadfully, but we have not a sick man in the three Sh with me. As to myself, I know I ought to give up for little while my head is splitting at this moment, but of t • This letter wears evident marks of the suffering of which Nelson complai he made three attempts at spelling this word. ET. 39.] LETTERS. hereafter; you will give me credit for serving as long as I can. My friend Ball is the polite man; he entertains the captive Admiral, and the First Captain of the Fleet, who was saved out of L'Orient: the Admiral being wounded, I shall let go, on his parole, at Naples, and all the rest in our Ships.-God bless you. Ever yours most affectionately, HORATIO NELSON. I am glad to think you are a little mistaken in Nisbet. He is young, but I find a great knowledge of the Service in him, and none that I see as to seamanship in any [sic]. He may have laid too long at Lisbon. I hope the best. Captain I have heard of him at Bowen is gone hunting for me. Cyprus. Captain Foote fortunately took the dispatches away from him, and told Captain B. that he should come to where he had seen the French Fleet; but Captain B. has wisely gone the round I left word at Syracuse I should go, to find the French. TO LADY HAMILTON. [Autograph in the possession of the Editor. A copy of this Letter from the Autograph draught, which materially differs from that actually sent, is in vol. iii. p. 141.] My dear Madam, Naples, October 3rd, 1798. The anxiety which you and Sir William have always expressed for the happiness and welfare of their Sicilian Majesties, was also planted in me five years past, and I can truly say that on every occasion which has offered (which have sincere my been numerous), I have never failed to manifest regard for the felicity of these Kingdoms. Under this attachment I cannot be an indifferent spectator to what has [been] and is passing in the Two Sicilies, nor to the misery which (without being a politician), I cannot but see plainly is ready to fall [on] those Kingdoms, now so loyal, by the worst of all policy, that of procrastination. Since my arrival in these Seas in June last, I have seen in Sicily the most loyal people to their Sovereign, with the utmost detestation of the French and their principles. Since my arrival at Naples I have found all ranks eager for War with the French, who, every one knows, are preparing an army of robbers to plunder these Kingdoms, and to destroy the Monarchy. I have seen the Minister of the insolent French pass over in silence the manifest breach of the 3rd Article of the Treaty between His Sicilian Majesty and the French Republic: ought not this extraordinary conduct to be seriously noticed? Have not the uniform conduct of the French been to lull Governments 12 |