Sir, TO WILLIAM MARSDEN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Original, in the Admiralty.] Victory, at Sea, 15th April, 1805. I have this moment received your letter of the 16th February, with the inclosures therein mentioned, from the Commissioners of Transports, and Captain Mouat, their Agent at Gibraltar, relative to the men impressed from the Transports by the Tribune and Seahorse, as therein stated. In answer thereto, I herewith transmit you a copy of my letter of the 4th of January last, to Captain Mouat, with a copy of my order of that date, intended for Captain Bennett, and also of the one delivered to the Honourable Captain Boyle, together with a copy of a General Order, to remain with Captain Mouat, to prevent the impressing of men from Transports or Victuallers, which I request you will be pleased to lay before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, for their information. I am, Sir, &c. NELSON AND Bronte. P.S.-I conceive Captain Mouat's application to the Transport Board improper, as it implies a doubt of my putting a stop to the evil he complained of, and tending to give much trouble where none was necessary. TO CAPTAIN THOMAS, H. M. BOMB ÆTNA. [Autograph, in the possession of Rear-Admiral Thomas.] Victory, April 16th, 1805. Sir, We have a report from the Vessel spoke by Leviathan, that the French Fleet (at least a Fleet) was seen on Sunday, the 7th April, off Cape de Gatte, with the wind Easterly, steering to the Westward; therefore you must tell any Ships in search of me, that I am going to ascertain that the French Fleet is not in Toulon, and then to proceed to the Westward, and this is all I can tell at present. I would have you continue, until further orders, on the station off Toro, to which place I shall send information, when I am sure where the French Fleet is gone, or that I am likely to leave the Mediterranean after them; and I shall also, if possible, leave a Ship on Rendezvous 97. You may expect Phoebe, Seahorse, Ambuscade, and Termagant, upon the Rendezvous off Toro, and probably some Frigate from the Westward: you will, therefore, keep a very good look out for them. I am, Sir, &c. NELSON and Bronte. TO VICE-ADMIRAL DEANS. [Autograph, in the possession of Captain Robert Deans, R.N.] My dear Deans, Victory, April 16th, 1805. I had much pleasure in receiving your letter of March 10th, and if I can get hold of the French Fleet, you may rely that Mr. Gray shall be made a Surgeon; however, I have put him on my list, and if I go home, I shall leave him as a legacy to Sir Richard Bickerton, my successor. With respect to your son, if I live, and am in service, take you care to place him near me, and I will lose no opportunity of making him a Lieutenant. I do assure you, my dear Sir, that nothing gives me greater pleasure than being useful to the sons of brother Officers, and much more so to the sons of old and respected messmates. I gave your letter to Admiral Murray to read, and he thanks you for your remembrance of him, and desires his best respects and good wishes; and be assured, my dear Deans, that I am your most faithful friend and servant, NELSON AND BRONTE. Consider I write with a left hand. The last time I saw you, was just before you was commissioned for the Monmouth. TO HIS EXCELLENCY HUGH ELLIOT, ESQ., NAPLES. [Autograph in the Elliot Papers.] My dear Sir, Victory, April 16th, 1805. The Decade, with the Amazon, joined me yesterday. The Termagant, I fancy, has passed through the Straits of Boni • From England. faccio. Your Excellency's notice about Troops being sent to the Mediterranean is the first word I have ever heard of it; nor have I an idea that any such thing could be in agitation without the Admiralty telling me, in order that I might meet and protect them. I have not yet heard of the French Fleet; but as I have Frigates in every possible direction, I must soon hear of them. I am not sure whether, in your letter, you mean that Lord Mulgrave says, that the Troops going to Malta are for a service which you have been long acquainted with. Does your Excellency mean that you have, or that I have, been long acquainted with [it]? If it is you, I dare say it is right; but if I am meant as being in the secret of the destination of those Troops, I most solemnly declare my entire ignorance as to the force or destination, or even that one Soldier is intended for the Mediterranean. I know certainly where many thousands are wanted; but, as I said before, I never will believe that any number of Troops will be risked inside Gibraltar, without an assurance of my protection; and that I should be directed to meet them upon some fixed station to the Westward of Toulon, if not to the Westward of Carthagena. I am now beating hard to get round the South end of Sardinia, blowing strong Westerly, which does me no good. A Convoy of Victuallers passed from England for Malta the 11th. They saw nothing to the Westward. I am ever, your Excellency's most obliged and faithful Servant, NELSON AND Bronte. Noon: A Vessel just spoke says, that on Sunday, April 7th, he saw sixteen Ships of War, twelve of them large Ships, off Cape de Gatte, steering to the Westward, with the wind at East. If this account is true, much mischief may be apprehended. It kills me, the very thought. In a letter of the 9th of April, 1805, Mr. Elliot said: "Lord Mulgrave informs me, in great secrecy, that a considerable body of Troops was upon the point of sailing for Malta, for the purposes with which you have been long acquainted. Lieutenant Colonel Smith, Lord Mulgrave's Private Secretary, who has brought me secret instructions upon this head, conceives that the Regiments will have left England & few days after the departure of the Decade. Under this impression I think it highly material that you should not be ignorant of a circumstance which, if known to the French, may have some weight with them respecting the destination of the Toulon Fleet."-Original, in the Elliot Papers. Lord Nelson received information from the Admiralty of the approach of these Troops, on the 1st of May. Vide p. 418, post. TO HIS EXCELLENCY HUGH ELLIOT, ESQ., NAPLES. [Autograph, in the Elliot Papers.] My dear Sir, Victory, April 18th, 1805. I am going out of the Mediterranean after the French Fleet. It may be thought that I have protected too well Sardinia, Naples, Sicily, the Morea, and Egypt, from the French; but I feel I have done right, and am, therefore, easy about any fate which may await me for having missed the French Fleet. I have left five Frigates, besides the Sloops, &c. stationed at Malta for the present service of the Mediterranean, and with the Neapolitan Squadron will, of course, be fully able to prevent any force the French have left to convoy Troops to Sicily. You will be so good as to present my humble duty to their Majesties, whose goodness I shall remember to the last moment of my life; and believe me, dear Sir, with the highest respect, your Excellency's most faithful Servant, NELSON AND Bronte. Sir, TO WILLIAM MARSDEN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Autograph, in the Admiralty.] Victory, off Toro, April 18th, 1805. Under the severe affliction which I feel at the escape of the French Fleet out of the Mediterranean, I hope that their Lordships will not impute it to any want of due attention on my part; but, on the contrary, that by my vigilance the Enemy found it was impossible to undertake any Expedition in the Mediterranean. I was obliged to come to Palma to meet the Transports with provisions, and by the report of the First Captain, I trust, it could not with propriety be longer deferred; however, I showed myself off Barcelona and the Coast of Spain, and the Islands of Majorca and Minorca, till the 21st of March. The Frigates, which I appointed to watch them, unfortunately lost sight of them the night of March 31st; and from April the 4th, when they joined, we have had nothing but strong, and sometimes hard gales of Westerly and N.W. winds, (and, it appears, that the French Fleet must have had strong gales Easterly). After allowing forty-eight hours for the possibility of the Enemy passing round the South end of Sardinia I proceeded off Sicily, sending Ships to Palermo and Naples for information. On Tuesday the 9th, I made sail from the West end of Sicily for the Westward, but, to this moment, I have only advanced sixty-five leagues, being only off Toro, owing to very bad weather, and have just received the account of the Enemy having passed the Straits the 8th of April. I am pursuing my route to the Westward and must be guided by what I hear when I get off Gibraltar. I shall leave Captain Capel with five Frigates and the Small Craft stationed at Malta to protect our Commerce, and to prevent the French sending Troops by sea. I have the honour to be, Sir, &c. NELSON AND Bronte. TO CAPTAIN THE HONOURABLE THOMAS BLADEN CAPEL, H. M. SHIP PHOBE. [From a Copy in the Admiralty, and Autograph draught, in the possession of Miss Bolton, of Burnham.] Victory, at Sea, 18th April, 1805. Whereas, from the information I have received that the Enemy's Fleet, which was seen off Cape de Gatte on the 7th instant, passed through the Straits on the day following, I am proceeding with the Fleet under my command as expeditiously as possible to the Westward in pursuit of them; and it being very probable that they may have left some Frigates and other Vessels of War at Toulon, for the purpose of convoying Troops either to Sardinia, Naples, Sicily, or Egypt, you are hereby required and directed to take his Majesty's Ships named in the margin' under your command, and station yourself off the Island of Toro, and between that and Maritimo, for the purpose of intercepting any Expedition which the Enemy may attempt against Sardinia, Sicily, or Egypt. With respect to Sicily, I should hope the Neapolitan Squadron will sufficiently protect that Island, and have written Mr. Elliot and Sir John Acton on this subject. With regard Hydra, Juno, Ambuscade, Niger, Thunder. |