into a fatal security, and then to destroy them? As I have before stated, is it not known to every person, that Naples is the next marked object for plunder? With this knowledge, and that His Sicilian Majesty has an Army ready (I am told) to march into a country anxious to receive them with the advantage of carrying the War from, instead of waiting for it at home, I am all astonishment that the Army has not marched a month ago. I trust that the arrival of General Mack will induce the Government not to lose any more of the favourable time which Providence has put in their power; for if they do, and wait for an attack in this country, instead of carrying the War out of it, it requires no gift of prophecy to pronounce that these Kingdoms will be ruined, and the Monarchy destroyed; but should unhappily this miserable ruinous system of procrastination be persisted in, I would recommend to your Ladyship and Sir William to have all your property, and persons, ready to embark at a very short notice. It will be my duty to provide for your safety, and with it (I am sorry to think it will be necessary) that of their Sicilian Majesties and Family. I have read with admiration the Queen's dignified and incomparable letter of September 1796. That the Councils of these Kingdoms may ever be guided by such sentiments of honour, dignity and justice, and may the words and advice of the great William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, be engraved on the heart of every Minister of this Country-viz., the boldest measures are the safest, is the sincere wish of your Ladyship's most obedient servant, HORATIO NELSON.

P.S.-Your Ladyship will, I beg, receive this letter as a preparative for Sir William Hamilton, to whom I am writing, with all respect, the firm and unalterable opinion of a British Admiral anxious to approve himself a faithful servant to his Sovereign by doing everything in his power for the happiness and security of their Sicilian Majesties and their Kingdoms.

TO ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, K.B.

H. N.

[Autograph in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., Some passages of this Letter are in vol. iii. pp. 144, 145.]

G.C.B.

Naples, 4th October, 1798.

My dear Lord, I am sorry for the capture of the Leander, as it has kept your Lordship unacquainted with my movements and sucI cannot, am not able to tell you the quantity of matter I have to communicate. This Country, by its system of procrastination, will ruin itself: the Queen sees it, and

cess.

thinks as we do. The Ministry, except Acton, are for putting the evil day off, when it will come with destruction. Now War in this moment can alone save these Kingdoms. I am decidedly in opposition to Gallo. The Queen hates him, but does not now love Acton. The Porte has imprisoned the French Minister in the Seven Towers, and the populace burnt his house. When my letter gets to Constantinople all will be right, and an Army and Fleet are at this moment, I believe, in Egypt and Syria. General Mack is hourly expected here from Vienna, to command the Neapolitan Army: Acton says they are ready to march. I have scolded; anger is necessary. You will not believe I have said or done anything, without the approbation of Sir William Hamilton. His Excellency is too good to them, and the strong language of an English Admiral telling them plain truths of their miserable system may do good. The Marquis Niza is off Malta. He has just wrote that his provisions are nearly exhausted, and he must return to Naples. Ball sails, if possible to-morrow, with Terpsichore and Citoyenne. Murray, who gives us everything he has, very handsomely goes off Malta with him for a few days. Vanguard, I hope, will be next, Audacious, &c. Our wants are great, our means few. I need not to tell you we cannot get much from this small Arsenal, but they give us all. Culloden is getting forward, Troubridge is indefatigable: none but him could have saved poor Culloden. She is very rotten, but situated as Minotaur is, he had rather keep his Ship, trusting you may manage something for him. We all dine this day with the King on board Ship, he is very attentive; I have been with the Queen, she is truly a daughter of Maria Theresa. I know nothing of Bowen, nor Earl St. Vincent', who ought to have joined me so soon as Retalick was put on board the Marquis. Terpsichore will soon be down. She complains heavily. I am writing opposite Lady Hamilton, therefore you will not be surprised at the glorious jumble of this letter. Was your Lordship in my place, I much doubt if [you] could write so well; our hearts and our hands must be all in a flutter. Naples is a dangerous place, and we must keep clear of it. The plan, Acton says, is not yet determined, till General Mack arrives; neither from Rome to get into Bologna and Ferrara, and get Ancona on the Sea-Coast, or to send a part of the Army by sea to Leghorn, and secure Tuscany; but all will be decided before the 15th; for if the Army does not then march they will do little good. One

A Cutter.

month is already lost. I will send you something down the moment these matters are decided. Lady Hamilton commands me to say she longs to see you, her true Knight, and Sir William desires every good wish to your Lordship; and believe me, my dear Lord, ever your affectionate

HORATIO NELSON.

1

News came yesterday from Constantinople of September 7th. The Porte's declaration of War is dated September 1st. The French Minister is put in the Seven Towers. Some field-pieces, 7000 muskets, swords, &c., being found in his house, it was burnt. All French are seized. He calls them the Enemies of God-men without faith or law. A Russian Squadron is anchored in the Dardanelles-six Ships of the Line, and five Frigates. All are going to Egypt with a vast Army. My letter arrived on September 7th, and the rejoicings were very great. The Neapolitan Minister writes that the Grand Signior has ordered a present of a rich diamond (the Neapolitans are mad to see it. What fools not to mind their own business). The policy here, I now see, is to imitate La Combe, that these Kingdoms may be attacked or [sic], and the Emperor forced to defend them. From this policy proceeds the great attention and outward show to me. As yet La Combe is all politeness, and will be so till his plans are ripe. I shall be patient till General Mack has been here 48 hours; then I shall see my road clear. I ought, my dear Lord, to have sent duplicates of my account of the Action by Mutine; but, to say the truth, who could have expected the accident to Leander ; yet i I own I am wrong. Lieutenant Duval set off for Aleppo on the 17th, and at this moment is, I hope, in India.—May God bless you, and ever believe me your affectionate

HORATIO NELSON.

TO ALEXANDER DAVISON, ESQ.

[Autograph in the possession of Colonel Davison.]

My dear Davison, October 8th, 1798. I hope it was by Captain Capel I wrote you in the very handsome way all the Fleet had named you for sole Agent (probably Mr. Purvis will be Agent for the Admiral's oneeighth). As it is not possible to get certificates and Rôle d'Equipage, I send you the certificate of Admiral Blanquet, &c., &c. This must do; for the complement of men, and the number of Ships destroyed, will not, I fancy, be disputed. Near 3000 men marched from Alexandria the moment we

came in sight: how many got on board Ship I know not, but it is reasonable to suppose some did; and many of the Ships had Troops on board above the complement. However, you must settle this. I have wrote to Lord Spencer and Nepean about paying for nine Ships burnt by my orders. They were the property of the Captors, and it will be hard if they are to lose by my desire to serve my Country more effectually. Part of my Squadron sailed yesterday. In four days myself and nine others sail. You may depend I will not. be inactive. I hope and beg never to hear my brother's name mentioned in this Agency: I have the strongest reasons. God bless you. Remember me kindly to Mrs. Davison. Pringle, where is he? I love and respect him.-Ever your faithful friend,

HORATIO NELSON.

TO ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, K.B. [Autograph in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., G.C.B.] Naples, October 13th, 1798.

My dear Lord,

As Leander is gone-but with great honour, I hear, to her Captain and Crew-you will not get my official letter till Bowen. I have acknowledged my error. I was too sure of Leander's safety. Captain Capel arrived at Vienna on the 19th of September: all are mad with joy. The Emperor and Empress desired General Mack to tell me to come to Vienna, that they might thank me in person. The King of Naples, Acton has told Sir William Hamilton, is preparing his picture for me; but you will believe, that inducing the Emperor, &c., to go to War, is my very greatest reward, and I desire no other. You, my dear Lord and friend, make great allowances for my defects. My intentions are good: I vouch for no more. I am well,-never better. Lady Hamilton is an Angel. She has honoured me by being my Ambassadress to the Queen therefore she has my implicit confidence, and is worthy of it. Your Admirals must be mad. Parker might have right to speak; Orde could have none. If the first was not to go on the service, I had just as much right as Orde. I thank God on your account that your expectations have not been disappointed in me. I expect the Marquis every hour. He is tired of the sea: I shall not say a word to him, but all know here Portugal is making her Peace. Thank God, I want him not. If the French get thirteen more Ships into the Mediterranean, you will take care of me, and I will fight them the moment I can get at them; and I trust to the

blessing of God, who I praise and adore for all his mercies. May Heaven bless you.-Ever your affectionate HORATIO NELSON.

I cannot write a stiff formal public letter. You must make one or both so. I feel you are my friend, and my heart yearns to you.

My dear Lord,

TO ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, K.B. [Autograph in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., G.C.B.] Vanguard, off Ustica, November 3rd, 1798. As I hope the Earl St. Vincent Cutter is ready to sail, with the account of the King of Naples having marched towards Rome, I take the opportunity of writing when I can: for, to say the truth, my cough is returned again with such violence, since being four days at sea, that it is not always I can write, and I fear I shall at last either be obliged to give up this very flattering Command, or it will give me up. I had been so well nursed by Lady Hamilton, that I fancied myself perfectly recovered, but too soon I found the reverse. However, as Captain Dixon says, in his pleasant letter about taking the Dorothea, I never despair; whilst there is life,' there is hope, and so I finish tormenting you with my ills. What the Marquis de Niza would be at, is not difficult to guess. He wants an excuse to retreat to Lisbon, and he would like to have it from my inattention to him, but that he shall not. It would appear he pretends to be hurt that I did not order Captain Ball to put himself and Squadron under his command when he arrived off Malta. The plain fact is, that the Marquis's letters had repeatedly told me, I cannot stay long here; and his postscript, which I inclose, did not lead me to suppose he would stay a moment after Ball's arrival; therefore I asked Murray to accompany the Alexander off Malta for a few days, till I could get a Ship to join him, and gave the Marquis permission to return whenever he should think it necessary; at the same time submitting to him the propriety of keeping a sufficient force off the Island. Under these circumstances I thought it useless to write for orders for him to take those under his command, who, I did not expect, would find him there, which I certainly otherwise

Captain Manly Dixon, of the Lion, who in his official account of the capture of the Spanish Frigate Dorothea, in July 1798, speaking of his wounded seamen, said, "but there have been several miraculous recoveries in the Lion, owing to the great ability and humane attention of the Surgeon, Mr. Young: I therefore never despair of a man while there is life."-London Gazette, 18th September, 1798.