The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson Volume II Part 2

In writing, on the 28th of January, to the Honourable Mr. Windham, at Leghorn, Lord Nelson thus foretells the fate of Tuscany, and of all the Emperor of Germany's Italian dominions. "Alas!" says his lords.h.i.+p, "the fancied neutrality of Tuscany will be it's downfall. You see it, and it cannot fail soon to happen. Tuscany does not, or cannot, support it's neutrality for us or Naples; only to protect the French, is this name prost.i.tuted. Seratti, who is a man of sound sense, must see it. When the emperor loses Tuscany and Naples--which, I am bold to say, the conduct of his ministry conduces to do more than the arms of the French--his newly-acquired dominions will not keep to him. Active, not pa.s.sive; actions, are the only weapons to meet these scoundrels with. We can, as your excellency knows, have no desire to distress the Grand Duke by our conduct; on the contrary, it is our duty to support his royal highness against the tyranny of the French. Your excellency will be so good as to say, for me, to his royal highness, that an English s.h.i.+p of war shall, as long as he pleases, remain at Leghorn, ready to receive his person and family; for, unless the emperor acts speedily, the British flag will be his only security. Tuscany has the choice, to act like men, and take the chance of war; or, in a few weeks, to become another conquest of the French, and to form a new republic." Speaking of Naples, he, says--"We have heard nothing since the 19th; and, from those accounts, it is difficult to say, what turn the mob will take; at that time, they were certainly loyal. The n.o.bility, to a man, Jacobins. Mack has disappeared, and no one knows the route he has taken." Such, it appears, was the uncertainty of the royal family of Naples, with regard to it's fate, on the 28th, at Palermo; though, in reality, it had then been already determined.

In fact, on the 25th, the following curious advertis.e.m.e.nt, for a grand Te Deum, in consequence of this desirable event, was actually published at Naples; and the archbishop, with the rest of the clergy, solemnly a.s.sured the people, that great faith, and extraordinary prayers, had induced their saint to testify his entire approbation of the measure.

"All the faithful citizens of Naples are invited to be present this day, (Friday, the 25th of January 1799,) at two in the afternoon, at the celebration of Te Deum; which the archbishop, accompanied by the chapter, the clergy, the general in chief and staff of the army of Naples, will sing in the cathedral church, to thank the Most High for the glorious entry of the French troops into this city; and who, protected in a peculiar manner by Providence, have regenerated this people, and are come to establish and consolidate our happiness. St. Januarius, our protector, rejoices in their arrival. His blood miraculously liquified on the very evening of the entry of the republican troops."

Lord Nelson, in the letter last mentioned, thus speaks of the state of Sicily--"As to this island, I cannot take upon me to say much: that they all hate the French, is certain; but, still, they feel themselves an oppressed people. On the 20th, at Augusta, a French vessel, with a hundred and forty officers and soldiers, arrived from Egypt. The boat people, and those of the town, attacked them. Eighty-seven were killed; the remainder escaped on board a Neapolitan frigate, who protected them.

Sir William and Lady Hamilton, and I may add myself, are all unwell. The great queen is far from well. The king is the best of the party. As the queen is very anxious to hear of the fate of Tuscany, I shall direct Captain Louis--who, I was sure, your excellency would like--to send either Terpsich.o.r.e, or this brig, back to Palermo."

In a letter of the same date to Captain now Admiral Louis, his lords.h.i.+p says, observing that all in the house had been ill, and were still far from well--"The air of Palermo is very bad, in my opinion." His confidence in Captain Louis, as well as in Mr. Windham, is thus strongly expressed--"You will, I am sure, my dear Sir, act in that way, which will always meet my wishes and do credit to our country. Whenever Mr.

Windham tells you, that his Royal Highness the Grand Duke his no occasion for his majesty's s.h.i.+ps, I shall be very glad to see you here; but consult with Mr. Windham, and you cannot err."

On the last day of January, Lord Nelson received, from England, official communications of the votes which had been pa.s.sed by the House of Peers, the House of Commons, and the Irish House of Commons, conveying their thanks, by their respective speakers, to his lords.h.i.+p, his officers, and men, who fought in the battle off the Nile; which he instantly acknowledged, by most respectful answers to Lord Loughborough, the Right Honourable Henry Addington, and the Honourable John Foster.

On the same day, he also received letters from the Lord Mayor of London, the Clerk of the Drapers Company, and the Mayor of Liverpool; to which he immediately wrote, respectively, the following answers.

"Vanguard, Palermo, 31st Jan. 1799.

"SIR,

"I have only this day received the honour of your letter (when Lord Mayor) of the 16th October; and I beg that you will convey to the Court of Common Council my sincere grat.i.tude for all their goodness to me; and a.s.sure them, it shall be the business of my life, to act in the manner most conducive to the prosperity of the city of London, on which depends that of our country.

"I am truly sensible of your politeness, in desiring me to say what particular devices I should wish on the sword which is to be presented to me by the city of London; but, I beg to leave that to the better judgment of my fellow-citizens. Believe me, when I a.s.sure you, that I feel myself your most faithful and obliged servant,"

Nelson.

"Sir William Anderson, Bart late Lord-Mayor of London.

"Vanguard, Palermo, 31st Jan. 1799.

"SIR,

"I have this day received your letter, conveying to me the great honour conferred upon me by the wors.h.i.+pful Company of Drapers of London, by presenting me with the freedom of their company. I beg you will, Sir, have the goodness to convey to the wors.h.i.+pful Company, how much I feel honoured by their kind notice of my services; and a.s.sure them, that it shall be the study of my life, to preserve their good opinion. Allow me, also, to thank you, for the very flattering manner in which you have executed the orders of the company. Believe me, Sir, with great respect, your much obliged and most obedient servant,"

"Nelson."

Henry Smith, Esq. Clerk of the Drapers Company.

"Vanguard, Palermo, 31st Jan. 1799.

"SIR,

"I am this day favoured with your letter, conveying to me the unanimous resolution of the Common Council of Liverpool, to honour me with their thanks, and also the freedom of their town. I beg you will a.s.sure those whom, from this moment, I am to call my brother freemen, that my future exertions shall never be wanting, to approve myself worthy of the high honour conferred upon me by the representative body of the second sea-port in the kingdom; and believe me, with the highest respect, your much obliged and obedient servant,

"Nelson."

"Thomas Leyland, Esq. Mayor of Liverpool."

The transactions of this busy day were of a nature which could not fail highly to gratify the feelings of our hero. He also received, either on this day or the following, a most kind, friendly, and highly satisfactory epistle, from the Earl of St. Vincent; the purport of which is sufficiently obvious from this answer, dated on board the Bellerophon, to which he had now s.h.i.+fted his flag.

"Bellerophon, Palermo, 1st Feb. 1799.

"MY LORD,

"I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th of January, inclosing a copy of one from Sir Sidney Smith, off Malta, with your answer; as, also, your lords.h.i.+p's order to take him under my command. I consider myself highly honoured by your lords.h.i.+p's letter, and flattered by your attention; and will order Sir Sidney Smith to put himself under my command the very first opportunity. I am, with the highest respect, my lord, your most obedient and faithful servant,

"Nelson."

The Vanguard, and La Minerve, had just been sent to Malta; and the Bellerophon wanting a little repair, his lords.h.i.+p had now s.h.i.+fted his flag on board that s.h.i.+p till the Vanguard's return. He was not without hope, that Malta would soon fall; and chose rather to let Captain Ball have the credit of driving the French out, after having, as he observed, gone through "all the hard f.a.g," than permit the Portuguese squadron, now at Messina, to partic.i.p.ate the glory, who had been unwilling to encounter the fatigue, which his lords.h.i.+p had originally wished them to partake. In mentioning the Portuguese officers to the Earl of St.

Vincent, he says--"As for the great commodores, their rank is as much a plague to them as it is to me. Niza is a good-tempered man. We are, apparently, the very best friends; nor have I, nor will I do an unkind thing by him." But, he had torn himself away from Malta, at the commencement, and his lords.h.i.+p was determined not to send him at the close.

Three letters were this day written by Lord Nelson to the Earl of St.

Vincent; one of them has a conclusion so forcibly interesting, on several accounts, that it must on no account be omitted. What a picture it affords, of a contrariety of contending pa.s.sions, struggling, at the same moment, in the bosom of this wonderful man; ever, as it should seem, feeling with too much energy, for the stability of it's own prolonged peace!

"All in this house have been ill, and are still. Our great queen, who truly admires you; our dear, invaluable Lady Hamilton; our good Sir William; and give me leave to add myself, to this excellent groupe; have but one opinion about you: viz. that you are every thing which is great and good. Let me say so, about Sir Sidney Smith! I thank you, most truly. My health is indeed, very indifferent; but, whilst I live, if the queen desire it, I remain for her security. No consideration of my own health shall make me abandon my honourable post, in which you have placed me. A parliament is called here: the queen has her doubts about their temper; and I have promised, under my hand, not to leave her; unless by her desire. Let me thank you, for your goodness to Captain Nisbet. I _wish_ he may deserve it; the thought half kills me! My dear lord, there is no true happiness in this life; and, in my present state, I could quit it with a smile. May G.o.d Almighty bless you with health, happiness, and long life! is the fervent prayer of your affectionate friend,

"Nelson."

To the intelligent reader, here is ample scope for reflection, in a very short compa.s.s. Felt grat.i.tude, warmly expressed, to the Earl of St.

Vincent, for his kind and generous attentions; lofty eulogiums of his lords.h.i.+p's royal and ill.u.s.trious friends on the conduct of the n.o.ble earl; severe mention of his friend Sir Sidney; complaint of ill health; firm attachment to the royal family at Palermo; fearful apprehensions for a beloved son-in-law, whom he had brought tenderly up with all the antic.i.p.atory hopes of the fondest paternal affection, and for whose future conduct he seems, by some untoward circ.u.mstances, to have been now filled with all a feeling father's anxieties and alarms; and, lastly, as the consequence of defeated expectations, a desponding willingness to relinquish even life, from an experienced conviction that it affords no permanent or perfect felicity.

On the 3d, his lords.h.i.+p received, through the Earl of St Vincent, the thanks of the House of Peers of Ireland, to himself, and the captains, officers, seamen, and marines, of the detached squadron under his command at the battle off the Nile, and immediately returned a respectful answer by the same channel. He also wrote the following true sailor's letter to the earl, respecting Malta.

"Palermo, Feb. 3, 1799.

"MY DEAR LORD,

"The Incendiary is just come from Ball, off Malta; and has brought me information, that the attempt to storm the city of Valette had failed, from--(I am afraid, I must call it)--cowardice.

They were over the first ditch, and retired, _d.a.m.n them_! But, I trust, the zeal, judgment, and bravery, of my friend Ball, and his gallant party, will overcome all difficulty. The cutter just going off prevents my being more particular. Ever your most faithful,

"Nelson."

"Naples is declared a republic, and the French flag flying. We are low in spirits, but all in this house love you."

His lords.h.i.+p should have considered, before he p.r.o.nounced the above naval anathema against the Maltese, for pusillanimity, the wretched starving state of the poor fellows carcases; of this he could not be ignorant, since he had, this very day, written to Sir John Acton in their behalf. "If," says he, "six thousand salms of corn are not sent directly to Malta, the inhabitants are in that state of want, that the worst consequences for the interest of his Sicilian Majesty may be apprehended. All these poor people want is, that the king should give them six months credit; when they could make their payments, in money or cotton. The case is important, and demands instant compliance.

"The inhabitants have not seven days bread." He wrote, the day following, to his friend Captain Ball, and inclosed him a satisfactory answer just received from General Acton on the subject: adding--"This evening I saw the king; and he is exceedingly angry, to think that his faithful Maltese subjects should want for any comforts or necessaries which it is in his power to bestow." He addressed, at the same time, a seasonable letter to the deputies of the Maltese people; containing, also, a copy of General Acton's letter, with a.s.surances of Captain Ball's protection, and his own determination to afford them every a.s.sistance in his power. In short, though his lords.h.i.+p execrated all appearances of cowardice, he compa.s.sionated every species of distress.

Lord Nelson, in a letter, dated the beginning of this month, addressed to Admiral then Commodore Duckworth, thus regrets the difficulty which he experiences, in consequence of having lost his right arm, with regard to writing--"I thank you, most truly, for your several very interesting letters, and beg that I may be favoured with your correspondence whenever opportunity offers. You will, I am sure, make allowance for a left-handed man; but, my inclination to write longer letters is great. I can get but slowly over the paper." This, added to the numerous avocations necessarily arising from so widely extended a command as that in which he was now engaged, will sufficiently account for any seeming neglect of continued correspondence with old friends; whom, however, he was not the man ever to forget. The truth of this observation more particularly manifests itself in the following letter written to that esteemed veteran, Captain Locker; who had sensibly felt the effect of this difficulty, though not the last to congratulate his honoured pupil on the success of his most splendid victory. This excellent letter has been repeatedly published, but it well merits to be again printed.