The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson Volume II Part 7

The garrison shall be embarked on board the English squadron, until the necessary s.h.i.+pping are provided to convey them to France.

VI.

When the English grenadiers take possession of the gate, all the subjects of his Sicilian Majesty shall be delivered up to the allies.

VII.

A guard of French soldiers shall be placed round the French colours, to prevent their being destroyed: that guard shall remain until all the garrison be marched out, and it is relieved by an English officer and guard; to whom orders shall be given to strike the French flag and hoist that of his Sicilian Majesty.

VIII.

All private property shall be reserved for those to whom the same appertains; and all public property shall be given up with the fort, as well as the effects pillaged.

IX.

The sick, not in a state to be removed, shall remain at Naples, with French surgeons, and shall be taken care of at the expence of the republic. They shall be sent back to France as soon as possible after their recovery.

Done at Fort St. Elmo, the 22d Messidor, in the seventh year of the French republic, or 12th July 1799.

Signed,

Il Duca di Salandra, Captain-General of the Forces of his Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies.

Thomas Troubridge, of his Britannic Majesty's s.h.i.+p Culloden, and Commander of the British and Portuguese troops at the attack of St. Elmo.

Chevalier Belle, Captain-Lieutenant, commanding the troops of his Imperial Russian Majesty at the attack of St. Elmo.

Jh. Mejau, commanding Fort St. Elmo.

_Return of Killed and Wounded at the Siege of the Castle of St.

Elmo._

Marine forces landed from the squadron--John Hickman, private, of the Vanguard, killed; Daniel Elliott, Christopher Calonie, privates of ditto, wounded. Serjeant Morgan, of the Foudroyant, Thomas Jones, and Benjamin Cole, privates of ditto, wounded.

Royal Artillery--Lieutenant Millbank killed.

T. Strickland, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Marine Forces.

Swiss Regiment--Two officers, seven privates, killed; nine privates wounded.

Albanese Volunteers--Four privates wounded.

Russians--One officer, three rank and file, killed; one officer, three rank and file, wounded.

Calabrese Regiment--One officer, twenty-one rank and file, killed; four officers, sixty-four rank and file, wounded.

Total--Five officers, thirty-two rank and file, killed; five officers, seventy-nine rank and file, wounded.

Foudroyant, Naples Bay, 13th July 1799.

The Castle of St. Elmo, at the time of it's surrender, had no want of ammunition or provisions: of the former, besides abundance of shot, sh.e.l.ls, grenades, cartridges, &c. they had twenty-five thousand pounds of powder; and, of the latter, with eighteen oxen, upwards of three hundred barrels of salt beef and pork, nearly three thousand quintals of wheat, a hundred and fifty-eight of biscuit, two thousand one hundred and sixty-seven of flour, and numerous other articles of food in proportion, they had fifty thousand pints of wine, and six thousand of brandy.

Lord Nelson, immediately on receiving these dispatches from Captain Troubridge, wrote the following official letter to Lord Keith.

"Foudroyant, Naples Bay, 13th July 1799.

"MY LORD,

"I have the pleasure to inform you of the surrender of Fort St.

Elmo, on the terms of the inclosed capitulation, after open batteries of eight days; during which time, one heavy battery was advanced within a hundred and eighty yards of the ditch. The very great strength of St. Elmo, and it's more formidable position, will mark with what fort.i.tude, perseverance, and ability, the combined forces must have acted. Captain Troubridge was the officer selected for the command of all the forces landed from the squadron. Captain Ball a.s.sisted him for seven days, till his services were wanted at Malta, when his place was ably supplied by Captain Hallowell, an officer of the most distinguished merit, and to whom Captain Troubridge expresses the highest obligation.

Captain Hood, with a garrison for the castle of Nuovo, and to keep good order in the capital--an arduous task, at that time--was also landed from the squadron; and I have the pleasure to tell you, that no capital is more quiet than Naples. I transmit you Captain Troubridge's letter to me, with a return of killed and wounded.

"I have now to state to your lords.h.i.+p, that although the ability and resources of my brave friend Troubridge are well known to all the world; yet he had difficulties to struggle with, in every way, which the state of the capital will easily bring to your idea, that has raised his great character even higher than it was before: and it is my earnest request, that your lords.h.i.+p will mention him, in that way, to the board of Admiralty, that his majesty may be graciously pleased to bestow some mark of his royal favour on Captain Troubridge; which will give real happiness to your lords.h.i.+p's most obedient and faithful servant,

"Nelson."

"Right Honourable Lord Keith."

Besides the above letter, Lord Nelson this day wrote three other letters to Lord Keith, and one to Earl Spencer; so indefatigable was his lords.h.i.+p in the performance of every branch of his duty. Yet, at this very moment, he was hazarding the imputation of too little regarding it, by those who have not his ability to discern in what it truly consists, or the magnanimity to hazard the consequences of a nominal and apparent breach, for the sake of securely seizing the spirit and substance of it's unquestionably intended effect. A truly great man, must sometimes even venture to expose his character, as well as his person, in perilous situations; though he will seldom be so presumptuous or rash as wantonly to commit either, on trivial occasions.

The fact is, that his lords.h.i.+p had, at this very critical juncture, been ordered, by Lord Keith, to detach a considerable part of his squadron for the reinforcement of his lords.h.i.+p, then at Minorca; with this order, however, having already parted with two s.h.i.+ps for Malta, it was not possible to comply, without again putting the safety of Naples to a most imminent hazard. He ventured, therefore to remonstrate against the measure, in the following apology to Lord Keith; describing his precise situation, of which the commander in chief could not have any possible knowledge at the time of sending such orders.

"Foudroyant, Naples Bay, 13th July, 1799.

"MY LORD,

"I have to acknowledge the receipt of your lords.h.i.+p's orders of 27th June; and, as soon as the safety of his Sicilian Majesty's kingdoms is secured, I shall not lose one moment in making the detachment you are pleased to order. At present, under G.o.d's providence, the safety of his Sicilian Majesty, and his speedy restoration to his kingdoms, depends on this fleet; and the confidence inspired, even by the appearance of our s.h.i.+ps before the city, is beyond all belief: and I have no scruple in declaring my opinion that, should any event draw us from the kingdom, if the French remain in any part of it, disturbances will again arise: for, all order having been completely overturned, it must take a thorough cleansing, and some little time, to restore tranquillity.

I have the honour to be, with great respect, your lords.h.i.+p's obedient servant,

"Nelson."

"Right Honourable Lord Keith."

With these accounts of the operations at Naples, copies of which were transmitted by Lord Nelson, to England, for public information, his lords.h.i.+p wrote the following private letter to Earl Spencer; in which, among other interesting particulars, descriptive of his then state, he alludes to the impropriety of hastily detaching any s.h.i.+ps for Minorca.

"Foudroyant, Naples Bay, 13th July 1799.