The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson Volume I Part 11

"P.S. I beg that you will be pleased to direct the two adjoined letters to the Admiral Jervis and to Sir James Saumarez."

Flags of truce, indeed, were continually pa.s.sing, at this time, between the British and Spanish commanders; and peace, by the latter, at least, was ardently wished for.

The naval fete, proposed for his majesty's birth-day, had another object, which could not very courteously be hinted to the Spanish admiral. On that day, it seems, Rear-Admiral Nelson was invested, by his commander in chief, who personated the king on this occasion, with the insignia of the order of the Bath, and the gold medal, which had been transmitted by the sovereign, in consequence of the glorious victory of the 14th of February over the Spanish fleet.

The mutual civilities between the Spanish and British officers, while in expectation of peace, were certainly to the honour of both parties. It seems, however, to have been soon suspected, that advantage was taken of a most humane indulgence.

On the 30th of June, a letter was addressed, by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, to Don Josef Mazerendo, the Spanish admiral, from on board the Theseus, which evidently intimated apprehensions of such an effect.

"SIR,

"I am directed by my worthy commander in chief to inform your excellency, that numbers of the Spanish fis.h.i.+ng-boats are found at such a distance from the land as plainly to evince that they have something farther in view than catching fish; and, therefore, that orders are given, that no fis.h.i.+ng vessel be in future permitted to go farther from the sh.o.r.e than their usual fis.h.i.+ng ground; which, we understand, is in about thirty-five fathoms water. Your excellency, I am confident, will receive this communication as an additional mark of attention from my commander in chief to the inhabitants of Cadiz and it's environs; and will take measures for the information of the fishermen that their boats will be sunk, if found acting in contradiction to this notification of the British admiral. With every sincere good wish towards your excellency, believe me, your most obedient,

"Horatio Nelson."

This seems the prelude of augmented precaution, and a more rigid adherence to the closeness of the blockade. It was usual to send, nightly, a guard of one or two boats, manned and armed, from each s.h.i.+p, into the very mouth of the harbour. These were supported by some gun-boats, purposely fitted for the occasion; and which, in case of attack, depended for their own protection on the interior line of s.h.i.+ps under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson. With a view to enforce a strict attention throughout all the inferior branches of the service, the rear-admiral was accustomed to be rowed, in his barge, through these guard-boats, after they had been duly stationed for the night. Thus officers and men were kept constantly in a state of alertness; and ready to repel any attack which might be meditated against them from the blockaded port itself. The Spaniards, too, had equipped a number of gun-boats and large launches, in which they also rowed guard during the night, to prevent any nearer approach of the blockaders; who might, otherwise, they feared, suddenly annoy their fleet. On these occasions, they sometimes approached each other; and several little skirmishes had occurred, but none of any importance.

As the Spaniards seemed to be perpetually increasing the number of these gun-boats and armed launches, the British commander in chief thought it necessary to give them a timely check. So that, notwithstanding the occasional civilities of their epistolary correspondence, such are often the necessary deceptions of war, that hostilities were, perhaps, all the time, meditating by both parties. Certain it is, that on the night of the 3d of July, only three days after the date of the above letter, Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson received orders actually to bombard Cadiz, without any polite intimation to the ladies of that city of the real danger which now awaited them.

His letter to the commander in chief, on this occasion, will inform the reader how far it was successful.

"Theseus, July 4, 1797.

"SIR,

"In obedience to your orders, the Thunder bomb was placed, by the good management of Lieutenant Gomley, her present commander, a.s.sisted by Mr. Jackson, master of the Ville de Paris, who volunteered his able services, within two thousand five hundred yards of the walls of Cadiz; and the sh.e.l.ls were thrown from her, with much precision, under the direction of Lieutenant Baynes of the Royal Artillery. But, unfortunately, it was soon found, that the large mortar was materially injured, from it's former services; I therefore judged it proper to order her to return, under the protection of the Goliah, Terpsich.o.r.e, and Fox; which were kept under sail for that purpose, and for whose active services I feel much obliged.

"The Spaniards having sent out a great number of mortar and gun-boats, and armed launches, I directed a vigorous attack to be made on them; which was done with such gallantry, that they were drove and pursued close to the walls of Cadiz, and must have suffered considerable loss: and I have the pleasure to inform you, that two mortar-boats, and an armed launch, remain in our possession.

"I feel myself particularly indebted, for the successful termination of this contest, to the gallantry of Captains Freemantle and Miller, the former of whom accompanied me in my barge: and to my c.o.xswain, John Sykes; who, in defending my person, is severely wounded, as was Captain Freemantle, slightly, in the attack: and my praises are, generally, due to every officer and man; some of whom I saw behave in the most n.o.ble manner, and I regret that it is not in my power to particularize them.

"I must also beg to be permitted to express my admiration of Don Miguel Tyrason, the commander of the Spanish gun-boats. In his barge, he laid my boat alongside, and his resistance was such as to honour a brave officer; eighteen of the twenty-six being killed, and himself and all the rest wounded.

"Not having a correct list of our killed and wounded, I can only state that, I believe, about six are killed, and twenty wounded.

"I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,

"Horatio Nelson."

The encounter so modestly described in the above letter, was one of the sharpest conflicts in which the heroic writer had ever been engaged. Sir Horatio fought, hand to hand, with the Spanish commandant; and, though the crew of his own barge consisted only of himself, Captain Freemantle, the c.o.xswain, and ten bargemen, they killed or wounded the whole of the twenty-six men, with the commandant, who were in the Spanish armed launch. Never, indeed, had the rear-admiral been in a more perilous state. It was always his opinion, that he would probably have lost his life, if his brave and most faithful c.o.xswain, John Sykes, whose name deserves to be coexistent with that of Nelson, had not wilfully interposed his own head to save him from the blow of a Spanish sabre, which this generous man plainly perceived must otherwise prove fatal to his beloved master; and, though the poor fellow thus readily received the diverted stroke, it inflicted on his skull a very dangerous wound, which was for some time thought to be incurable. Even before this unexampled proof of attachment, had that worthy and gallant man saved Sir Horatio, more than once during the conflict, from the dangerous blows of his numerous a.s.sailants; several of whom Sykes, as well as his master, had mortally wounded.

Sir John Jervis, in his letter to the Admiralty, on this occasion, dated the 5th of July 1797, gives the handsomest and the highest possible encomium to Rear-Admiral Nelson.

"The rear-admiral," says he, "who is always present in the most arduous enterprises, with the a.s.sistance of some other barges, boarded and carried two of the enemy's gun-boats, and a barge-launch belonging to some of their s.h.i.+ps of war, with the commandant of the flotilla.

Rear-Admiral Nelson's actions speak for themselves; any praise of mine would fall very short of his merit!"

A second and more effectual bombardment of the city of Cadiz, and the s.h.i.+pping in the harbour, under the direction of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, took place on the evening of the 5th of July. The bomb vessels, arranged by his instructions, suddenly opened a most tremendous discharge on the town, as well as on the fleet; which was vigorously kept up, till they had expended the whole of their allotted portion of sh.e.l.ls: when, having greatly annoyed the enemy, and considerably diminished the force of the warlike preparations which had been collecting, they retired in good order, without themselves receiving the smallest injury.

Even these hostile attacks, however, do not appear to have extinguished civilities between the contending commanders, though they must certainly have diminished their satisfaction at receiving them.

Two or three days after, thirty Spanish prisoners having been taken in a s.h.i.+p from the Havannah, with the captain of a Spanish frigate which had been burnt there, and who was a pa.s.senger in the captured vessel, Rear-Admiral Nelson wrote a letter to Don Josef Mazerendo, dated on board the Theseus, July 8, 1797; in which he says, that he is directed, by Sir John Jervis, to acquaint his excellency that these thirty men are at liberty to return into Cadiz, whenever he may be pleased to send for them, on condition that they do not serve till regularly exchanged. Of the Spanish captain, taken as a pa.s.senger, he generously adds--"I know it to be my commander in chief's intention, that he should not be considered as a prisoner of war. The distresses occasioned by the known laws of war," liberally concludes this exalted man, "are miserable enough, without adding to them!"

The prisoners, accordingly, were immediately sent for; but there seems to have been a backwardness in the Spanish admiral's performance of the conditions proposed: and, on the 10th, Rear-Admiral Nelson resolutely demanded them again, that they might be immediately sent to England, if they were not received as prisoners of war; which, at length, was reluctantly agreed to.

It appears that, about this time, intelligence had been received, by the commander in chief, of a prodigiously rich s.h.i.+p, El Principe d'Asturias, belonging to the Philippine Company, and bound from Manilla to Cadiz, being then in the port of Santa Cruz, the capital of the island of Teneriffe; where the treasure was intended to be landed for security, as had previously been the case with several other rich cargoes. With a view of obtaining possession of these valuable treasures, an expedition against that place was determined on, under the conduct of Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson.

He was accordingly detached, by Sir John Jervis, on the 15th of July, with three s.h.i.+ps of the line, the Theseus, Culloden, and Zealous; the Terpsich.o.r.e, Emerald, and Seahorse, frigates; and the Fox cutter. These were afterwards joined by the Leander of fifty guns. The general orders which Sir Horatio Nelson received were, to make a vigorous and spirited attack; but, on no account, personally to land with the forces, which were to be under the command of Captain Troubridge, unless his presence should be absolutely necessary. These particular injunctions were generally thought to have been most humanely given, by the commander in chief, for the sake of preserving the valuable life of the rear-admiral; which might, otherwise, from his known disregard of danger, be too much exposed: and some also ascribed them to the wish of giving Captain Troubridge a considerable share in the glory of that intended brilliant enterprise.

The plan of this expedition was contrived with all that masterly address and precision which ever marked the operations projected by the judicious and gallant rear-admiral; and, as the author is favoured with the opportunity of giving them in detail, the principles which they comprise may be adopted, perhaps, with deserved success, by other commanders, on many future occasions.

The first order issued by Rear-Admiral Nelson was addressed to Thomas Troubridge, Esq. captain of his majesty's s.h.i.+p Culloden, and commander of the forces ordered to be landed for taking Santa Cruz.

"Theseus, at Sea, July 20, 1797.

"SIR,

"I desire you will take under your command the number of seamen and marines named in the margin, who will be under the command of Captains Hood, Freemantle, Bowen, Miller, and Waller, and the marines under the command of Captain Thomas Oldfield, and a detachment of the Royal Artillery under the command of Lieutenant Baynes; all of whom are now embarked on board his majesty's frigates Seahorse, Terpsich.o.r.e, and Emerald. With this detachment, you will proceed as near to the town of Santa Cruz as possible, without endangering your being perceived; when you will embark as many men as the boats will carry, and force your landing in the north-east part of the bay of Santa Cruz, near a large battery; which, when carried, and your post secured, you will either proceed by storm against the town and mole-head battery, or send in my letter, as you judge most proper, containing a summons, of which I send you a copy, and the terms are either to be accepted or rejected in the time specified, unless you see good cause for prolonging it, as no alteration will be made in them: and you will pursue such other methods as you judge most proper for speedily effecting my orders; which are, to possess myself of all cargoes and treasures which may be landed in the island of Teneriffe.

Having the firmest confidence in the ability, bravery, and zeal, of yourself, and all placed under your command, I have only to heartily wish you success; and to a.s.sure you, that I am your most obedient and faithful servant,

"Horatio Nelson."

The number of seamen and marines mentioned in the margin of the above letter were--Theseus, Culloden, and Zealous, two hundred each; Seahorse, Terpsich.o.r.e, and Emerald, one hundred each: making, in all, nine hundred, exclusive of officers and their servants.

The Summons alluded to, addressed to the Governor or Commanding Officer of Santa Cruz, was as follows.

"_By Sir Horatio Nelson, Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and Commander in Chief of His Britannic Majesty's Forces by Sea and Land, before Santa Cruz._

"Theseus, 20th July 1797.

"SIR,

"I have the honour to acquaint you, that I am come here to demand the immediate surrender of the s.h.i.+p El Principe d'Asturias, from Manilla, bound to Cadiz, belonging to the Phillipine Company, together with her whole and entire cargo; and, also, all such other cargoes and property as may have been landed in the island of Teneriffe, and not intended for the consumption of it's inhabitants.

"And, as it is my earnest wish, that not one individual inhabitant of the island of Teneriffe should suffer by my demand being instantly complied with, I offer the following most honourable and liberal terms; which, if refused, the horrors of war, which will fall on the inhabitants of Teneriffe, must be, by the world, imputed to you, and to you only: for I shall destroy Santa Cruz, and the other towns in the island, by a bombardment, and levy a very heavy contribution on the island.

"ARTICLE I.

"The forts shall be delivered to me; and, instantly, a party of the British troops shall be put in possession of the gates.

"ARTICLE II.