John Acton observes, "It was in your Lordship's power to arrest the Cardinal, and send him to Palermo;" hence, as was assumed in the Editor's remarks' on the transactions at Naples in June 1799, the authority vested in LORD NELSON by His Sicilian Majesty, must have been superior to that of Cardinal Ruffo, or of any other Sicilian subject. Moreover, the additional Letters from Earl Spencer to LORD NELSON confirm the belief before expressed, that his proceedings at Naples had received the unqualified approbation of his own Government. Writing on the 4th of August, Lord Spencer said, "I have to thank you for a long string of letters, most of which have been a very considerable time finding their way to me; but, when they have reached, they have been very satisfactory. You must have gone through a great deal of anxiety, but I hope that your perseverance and spirit will ere this be amply rewarded by the complete reinstatement of the King at Naples, which, I trust, has by this time taken place." And again, on the 18th of the same month, "I received with great satisfaction on the 16th instant, your letter of the 15th of July. The account it conveyed of the repossession of Naples, and of your having restored the King to his Dominions, was calculated to give the most sincere pleasure to every one here; and it has given to none of your friends more joy than to myself, that this restoration should have been effected so entirely by your means, with 1 Vide vol. iv. p. 490. the assistance of the gallant companions of your services." Many of the new Letters are of great interest, especially those to Mr. Davison, as they show LORD NELSON'S private feelings on some important occasions, especially respecting the Battle of Copenhagen. The remaining part of the Volume contains LORD NELSON'S Will and the Codicils thereto; and in the APPENDIX, are the official account of his Funeral, and copy of the Patent creating the Earldom of NELSON, to which is added an Index Nominum to the whole a Work. Having completed his undertaking, and given to the Public about three thousand five hundred Letters of NELSON, the Editor congratulates himself that (with the exception of the Letters to Lady Hamilton, which had been before printed, and of which, however, the greater part is inserted,) he has been able to carry his plan into full effect, namely, to give all the Letters which fell into his hands, exactly as they were written; and having done so, he refers with pride to that plan, and again asks if this fact does not "redound to the honour of NELSON'S heart, and show the beautiful simplicity and integrity of his private character, in a far higher degree than all the eulogies ever composed on his merits, reflecting lustre upon even his matchless Victories. In what other instance strictly parallel has this ever been done? in how many would it be possible to do so without irreparable damage to the writer? and to accomplish it, who would not insert a few letters which may seem trivial, and a few sentences which, being the momentary effect of irritation of mind or body, it might perhaps be wished had never been written ** But there is a still higher cause for congratulation that the success of any Editorial plan, in the reception which the Moment thus erected by NELSON to his own fine, has met with from all classes of his coun men The generous he might almost say the enthusiastic, manner in which the Public Press has rendered homge to his glory, and done justice to As dancer, shows that the love of NELSON is a National Reling, and the 45 Name, that magical word of war," will be frever. The Editor spit offers his warmest thanks to the Lumerves Arves a dove contributed materials for the Work, and besides those already mentioned, to Lord Nelson's te friend and executor, Witsam Haslewood, Fsp. He will still feel greatly obliged for copies of any unpublished Letters, as well as for copies of such as have not been printed from the originals Tarrington SynaM |