The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson Volume I Part 23

The Island of Goza, in consequence of the summons mentioned in this letter, surrendered to his majesty's arms: and Admiral Nelson, in the evening of the 30th, having received particulars of the capitulation from Captain Ball, sailed again for Naples; leaving that excellent officer, the present Sir John Alexander Ball, Governor of Malta, to continue the blockade, with the same s.h.i.+ps as were before employed on that service.

These particulars were, on the 2d of November, forwarded to the commander in chief; with the following letter, by which they are here preceded.

"Vanguard, at Sea, 1st Nov. 1798.

"MY LORD,

"I have the honour to transmit to you a letter received from Captain Ball, dated October 30th, together with the capitulation of the Castle of Goza, and a list of ordnance, &c. found in it. The prisoners are embarked in the Vanguard and Minotaur, till I can get a vessel to send them to France. Captain Ball, with three sail of the line, a frigate, and fire-s.h.i.+p, is entrusted with the blockade of Malta, in which are two sail of the line and three frigates ready for sea; and, from the experience I have had of Captain Ball's zeal, activity, and ability, I have no doubt that, in due time, I shall have the honour of sending you a good account of the French in the town of Valetta. I am, with the greatest respect, your lords.h.i.+p's most obedient servant,

"Horatio Nelson." "Earl of St. Vincent."

"Alexander, off Malta, 30th Oct. 1798.

"SIR,

"I have the honour to acquaint you, that the commandant of the French troops in the Castle of Goza signed the capitulation on the 28th inst. which you had approved. I ordered Captain Cresswell of the Marines to take possession of it in the name of his Britannic Majesty, and his majesty's colours were hoisted. The next day, the place was delivered up, in form, to the deputies of the island, his Sicilian Majesty's colours hoisted, and he acknowledged their lawful sovereign.

"I embarked, yesterday, all the French officers and men who were on the Island of Goza, amounting to two hundred and seventeen. I inclose the Articles of Capitulation, and an Inventory of the Arms and Ammunition found in the Castle; part of which, I directed to be sent to the a.s.sistance of the Maltese who are in arms against the French. There were three thousand two hundred sacks of corn in the castle; which will be a great relief to the inhabitants, who are much in want of that article. I have the honour to be, &c.

"Alex. John Ball."

"Rear-Admiral Sir H. Nelson, K.B."

"_Articles of Capitulation, between Alexander John Ball, Esq.

Captain of his Majesty's s.h.i.+p the Alexander, appointed to conduct the Blockade of Malta, under Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B.

on the Part of Great Britain; and Lieutenant-Colonel Lockey, Aju.

de Battailon, Commander of the French Troops in the Castle of Goza_.

"1.

"The French troops shall march out of the Castle of Goza with the honours of war, and shall lay down their arms as they get out of the gate.

"2.

"The Castle of Goza, with all the military implements and stores, shall be delivered up to the British officer appointed to take charge of them.

"3

"The French officers and troops shall be protected in their persons and effects, and the officers allowed to retain their side-arms.

They shall be embarked, immediately, on board his Britannic majesty's s.h.i.+ps; and sent to France, in transports, at the expence of the French government They are not to serve against his Britannic majesty, or his allies, during the war, till regularly exchanged.

"Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B. has entered into articles with the inhabitants of Goza, that if the French surrender to the British, they shall be considered as under their protection, and they will not offer them the smallest insult or molestation.

"Signed, 28th Oct.

1798.

"Alexander John Ball, Captain of his Britannic Majesty's s.h.i.+p Alexander.

"Approved,

"Lockey, Aju. de Battailon.

Horatio Nelson."

"_Extract of Articles found in the Castle of Goza, the 28th of October_ 1798.

"Fifty barrels of powder, nine thousand ball-cartridges, one thousand musket-cartridges without ball, one thousand flints, thirty-eight eighteen-pound cartridges filled, one hundred and forty twelve-pound ditto, four hundred and fifty six-pound ditto, two hundred and sixty-eight four-pound ditto, twenty-five three-pound ditto, eighty-eight two-pound ditto, eighteen good eighteen-pounder guns and two hundred shot, two good twelve-pounder guns and nine hundred shot, four good six-pounders and two thousand nine hundred and eighty-five shot, four hundred hand-grenades filled, ninety-nine pikes, ninety halberts, and three thousand two hundred sacks of corn.

"N.B. No small-arms, except those laid down by the French troops."

On the 12th of November, Admiral Nelson, having a few days before arrived safely at Naples, went to the camp at St. Germaine's, in consequence of a request from his Sicilian Majesty, to meet General Mack and General Acton, at a grand review of the whole Neapolitan army; and Sir William and Lady Hamilton, with all the English n.o.bility and gentry then at Naples, accompanied our hero, where they joined the king, queen, and royal family. The account of this meeting, and it's results, including an intended attack of Leghorn, are sufficiently explained in the following very interesting letter to Earl Spencer: which is farther remarkable for being the first epistle that our hero appears to have ever signed with the omission of his Christian name, in consequence of being advanced to the peerage; of which honour he had, even yet, it should seem, by what will be seen hereafter, no official information from the n.o.ble earl to whom he was writing, though he must certainly have received some regular previous information on the subject.

"Camp, St. Germaine's, 13th Nov. 1798.

"MY LORD,

"A desire from his majesty called me here yesterday, to concert with General Mack and General Acton the commencement of the war.

Thirty thousand of--_Mack says--"La plus belle d'armie d'Europe_,"

was drawn out, for me to see; and, as far as my judgment goes in these matters, I agree, that a finer army cannot be. In the evening, we had a council; and it was settled, that four thousand infantry, and six hundred cavalry, should take possession of Leghorn. The infantry--(having stopped Captain Troubridge's squadron for Corfu)--I shall embark in the Vanguard, Culloden, Minotaur, two Portuguese s.h.i.+ps, (if I can get them ready, not that I see they have any wants) and the Alliance stores.h.i.+p. A Neapolitan s.h.i.+p brings the cavalry, in a convoy, after us. The king's order for the destination was to be given to me; and, when at sea, I was to give it to the general commanding the troops: who was to be totally ignorant, that Leghorn was the object, and not Malta; which, as a secret, was communicated to him. His majesty approved of this plan, and Mack was to march--I repeat it with pleasure--"with thirty thousand of the finest troops in Europe," on Sat.u.r.day, the 17th, to Rome; and keep advancing, trusting to the support of the emperor. Every hour, the French are increasing their Italian army, and two new generals are arrived at Rome. Thus I went to bed last night; and, at six this morning, came to take leave of their majesties. I found them in great distress. The courier who left London on the 4th, has not brought any a.s.surance of support from the emperor. M. Turget is evasive; and wishes, he says, the French to be the aggressors. It is aggression, if this court knows--all the world knows--that the French are collecting an army to over-run Naples; in a week, destroy the monarchy; plunder, and make it a republic. As this is fully known; surely, it is an aggression of the most serious nature. The emperor's troops have not yet been in the habits of retaking kingdoms; and it is easier to destroy, than restore. I ventured to tell their majesties, directly, that one of the following things must happen to the King, and he had his choice--"Either advance, trusting to G.o.d for his blessing on a just cause, to die with _l'epee a la main_; or remain quiet, and be kicked out of your kingdom." The king replied, that he would go on, and trust in G.o.d; and desired me to stay till noon, to consult with Mack on this new face of affairs.

"November 15. I came from the king after dinner; and their majesties both told me, that things stood precisely as they did before the receipt of the dispatches from London and Vienna. There was, evidently, a great disappointment at not getting money from England. That they want, is certain; nor do the ministers, I believe, know how to get it. Their paper money is at forty per cent. discount. I long ago told the queen, I did not think Mr. Pitt would go to parliament, and ask money of the country, in the present moment; that, if England saw every exertion made, in this country, to save themselves, John Bull was never backward in supporting his friends in distress. Good G.o.d, my lord, can the emperor submit to this!

"November 18. Last evening, Lady Hamilton received a letter from the queen, full of the idea that money was indispensable: and desired her ladys.h.i.+p to shew it to me; and, that I would say what I saw. That I can do, very soon. I see the finest country in the world, full of resources; yet, without enough to supply the public wants: all are plundering, who can get at public money or stores.

In my own line, I can speak. A Neapolitan s.h.i.+p of the line would cost more than ten English s.h.i.+ps fitting out. Five sail of the line must ruin the country. Every thing else is, I have no doubt, going on in the same system of thieving: I could give your lords.h.i.+p so many instances of the greatest mal-conduct of persons in office, and of those very people being rewarded. If money could be placed in the public chest at this moment, I believe it would be well used: for the sad thing in this country is, that although much is raised, yet very little reaches the public chest. I will give you a fact--When the order of Jesuits was suppressed in this country and Sicily, they possessed very large estates: although these, with every other part of their property, were seized by the crown; yet, to this moment, not one farthing has reached the public chest. On the contrary, some years, the pretended expence of management was more than the produce. Taxes have been sold for sums of money; which, now, are five times more than when sold. This, it is true, was done by viceroys, to please their distant masters. But, I am tiring your patience. In short, their majesties look to us for every succour; and, without it, they are undone.

"I have wrote to the Turkish and Russian admirals, and shall take care to keep on the very best footing with all the allied powers.

"Believe me, your lords.h.i.+p's most obedient and obliged servant,

"Nelson."

At this Neapolitan review, a curious circ.u.mstance is said to have occurred. By some mistake of General Mack's, in directing the operations of a feigned fight, it so happened that his own troops were completely surrounded by those of the enemy; when Lord Nelson, vexed at the unfortunate and inauspicious blunder, immediately exclaimed, to his surrounding friends--"This fellow does not understand his business!"

It having been agreed, in a council held at the camp of St. Germaine's, as suggested in the foregoing letter, to take possession of Leghorn, not a moment was lost, by Lord Nelson, in preparing for that expedition. The King and Queen of Naples, affected by the very indifferent state of his lords.h.i.+p's health, and fearing that the exertion might prove too much for their chief protector, wished him to remain at Naples. When the queen, accordingly, through the medium of Lady Hamilton, advised him to send the troops; he instantly directed her to inform her majesty, that it was his custom, in order to succeed, not to say--"Go!" but--"Let us go!"

Such was the dispatch used on this occasion, that all the troops were embarked, and his lords.h.i.+p sailed from the Bay of Naples, on the 22d instant. The Vanguard, Culloden, Minotaur, and Alliance, were the only British s.h.i.+ps, on board of which were about two thousand seven hundred soldiers; and, in the Portuguese Principe Real, Albuquerque, and St.

Sebastian, two thousand four hundred. In all, five thousand, one hundred and twenty-three. As it blew a strong gale all that night, and the following day, none but the British kept company with the Vanguard, which arrived in Leghorn Road on the 28th.

The ministers of their Majesties of Great Britain and of the Two Sicilies, the Honourable William Windham and the Duke Di Sangro, immediately going on board the Vanguard, and being of opinion that a summons in the name of Admiral Lord Nelson, as well as that of the Neapolitan General Naselli, would be proper, the following was instantly prepared.