any of the Papers it should be insinuated that LORD NELSON could have done better. I should have fought the Enemy, so did my friend Calder; but who can say that he will be more successful than another? I only wish to stand upon my own merits, and not by comparison, one way or the other, upon the conduct of a brother Officer. You will forgive this dissertation, but I feel upon the occasion;" and nothing could be more considerate or more magnanimous (remembering Sir Robert Calder's conduct towards him after the Battle of St. Vincent), than NELSON's treatment of that Officer on going home for his trial, when he diminished his own force and actually disobeyed the orders of the Admiralty, merely to indulge Sir Robert's weakness in wishing, at such a moment, to return in his own Ship, instead of a Frigate.

While on shore LORD NELSON again pointed out to Mr. Pitt the importance of preventing France from obtaining possession of Sardinia; and he was frequently consulted by Ministers on the great events that were then pending, of which conferences he gave an amusing account in a letter to Captain Keats.

On the morning of the 2nd of September, LORD NELSON, who was then at Merton, was informed by Captain Blackwood that the Combined Fleet had put into Cadiz; whereupon he immediately went to the Admiralty, and it was determined that he should resume the command of the Mediterranean Fleet. Amidst the bustle of his approaching departure he could nevertheless bestow much of his thoughts on his family and friends; and the few Letters which

he had time to write, related almost entirely to their interests. To the Private Secretary of the First Lord of the Admiralty, he wrote on behalf of his protégé, Captain Layman; to Mr. Rose, to ask for an appointment for his brother-in-law, Mr. Bolton; and the two predominant feelings of his heart-to defeat the Enemy, and to show kindness to all who were dependent upon him,-were strikingly manifested in his Letter to Mr. Davison of the 6th of September, wherein he said he hoped soon to meet the Combined Fleet, that half a victory would but half content him, that he was doubtful whether the Admiralty could give him a sufficient force; and after adding, "but I will do my best, and I hope God Almighty will go with me; I have much to lose, but little to gain, and I go because it's right, and I will serve my Country faithfully," he adverts to the condition of his brother Maurice's widow, "poor blind Mrs. Nelson," and directs that her apothecary's bill, to a large amount, should be paid. He quitted Merton--it proved for ever-on the night of the 13th of September, and his private Diary shows the feelings of piety and patriotism which then animated him: "At half-past ten drove from dear, dear Merton, where I left all which I hold dear in this world, to go and serve my King and 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, that I may leave behind. His will be done."

LORD NELSON arrived at Portsmouth early on the morning of the 14th of September, and, after an absence of only twenty-five days, rehoisted his Flag on board the Victory. In proceeding to the place of embarkation towards the latter part of that day, accompanied by his friends Mr. Rose and Mr. Canning, "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:" touched with their enthusiasm, he exclaimed, "I had their huzzas before-I have their hearts now." The Victory sailed from Spithead on the morning of Sunday the 15th of September, in company with the Euryalus, Captain the Honourable Henry Blackwood, and on the 28th joined the Fleet off Cadiz, under Vice-Admiral Collingwood. From this time until the 19th of October, when the Combined Fleet put to sea, LORD NELSON'S correspondence related principally to the details of his Squadron, and to the expectation of meeting the Enemy, nearly all his Letters being addressed to Vice-Admiral Collingwood, or to Captain Blackwood, who had the arduous duty of watching the Enemy's movements in Cadiz. His account of his reception by the Captains of the Squadron is very characteristic: "I believe my arrival was most welcome, not only to the Commander of the Fleet, but also to every individual in it; and, when I came to

explain to them the Nelson touch,' it was like an electric shock, Some shed tears; all approved-' It was new-it was singular-it was simple!'; and, from Admirals downwards, it was repeated- It must succeed, if ever they will allow us to get at them! You are, my Lord, surrounded by friends whom you inspire with confidence. Some may be Judases; but the majority are certainly much pleased with my commanding them." In another Letter he says, "The reception I met with on joining the Fleet caused the sweetest sensation of my life. The Officers who came on board to welcome my return, forgot my rank as Commander-in-Chief, in the enthusiasm with which they greeted me. As soon as these emotions were past, I laid before them the Plan I had previously arranged for attacking the Enemy; and it was not only my pleasure to find it generally approved, but clearly perceived and understood." Writing to Mr. Davison, he said, "Day by day, my dear friend, I am expecting the Fleet to put to sea— every day, hour, and moment; and you may rely that if it is within the power of man to get at them, that it shall be done; and I am sure that all my brethren look to that day as the finish of our laborious cruise. The event no man can say exactly; but I must think, or render great injustice to those under me, that, let the Battle be when it may, it will never have been surpassed. My shattered frame, if I survive that day, will require rest, and that is all I shall ask for. If I fall on such a glorious occasion, it shall be my pride to take care that my friends shall not blush

for me. These things are in the hands of a wise and just Providence, and His will be done! I have got some trifle, thank God, to leave to those I hold most dear, and I have taken care not to neglect it. Do not think I am low-spirited on this account, or fancy anything is to happen to me; quite the contrary—my mind is calm, and I have only to think of destroying our inveterate foe."

On the 9th of October he communicated his celebrated Plan of Attack, in writing, to every Captain under his command, and which is now printed, for the first time from his original autograph in the possession of Vice-Admiral Sir George Mundy. Sending it to Vice-Admiral Collingwood, he said, "I send you 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, my dear friend, it is to place you perfectly at ease respecting my intentions, and to give full scope to your judgment 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 getting 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 old friend.” "I am watching these fellows," he said in a letter written on the same day, "as a cat would a mouse;" and on the 10th he wrote to Captain Blackwood, rely on you that we can't miss getting hold of them, and I will give them such a shaking as they never

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