catch them. At all events I shall soon take you by the hand. God bless you, my dear friend, and believe me ever your obliged, NELSON AND Bronte. I have saved these Colonies, and more than two hundred Sail of sugar-loaded Ships. TO SIR ALEXANDER JOHN BALL, BART., MALTA. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 413.] [About 12th June, 1805.] I hear all, and even feel obliged, for all is meant as kindness to me, that I should get at them. In this diversity of opinions I may as well follow my own, which is, that the Spaniards are gone to the Havannah, and that the French will either stand for Cadiz or Toulon-I feel most inclined to the latter place; and then they may fancy that they will get to Egypt without any interruption. I am, &c. NELSON AND Bronte. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE EARL CAMDEN. My Lord, [From Clarke and M‘Arthur, vol. ii. p. 411.] [About 12th June, 1805.] However unhappy I may feel at not having got up with the Enemy's Fleet, yet I should think myself very remiss if I failed to inform your Lordship, and to request you to inform his Majesty, of the very spirited conduct of LieutenantGeneral Sir William Myers, who offered to embark on board the Fleet with 2000 Troops, in order to try and annihilate both the Enemy's Fleet and Army, had we fortunately found them in any of our Islands. The zeal of the LieutenantGeneral and the whole body of Troops, was such as could not be exceeded; and it is a matter of sincere regret that we have not met with the Enemy. But great merit is not less due to the Lieutenant-General, for the expedition with which the Troops were collected from different parts of Barbadoes, and to the Officers and Men for the cheerfulness with which they embarked. I am, &c. NELSON AND BRONTE. TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF CLARENCE. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 411.] 12th June, 1805. Your Royal Highness will easily conceive the misery I am feeling, at hitherto having missed the French Fleet; and entirely owing to false information sent from St. Lucia, which arrived at Barbadoes the evening of June 3rd. This caused me to embark Sir William Myers and 2000 Troops, and to proceed to Tobago and Trinadad. But for that false information, I should have been off Port Royal, as they were putting to sea; and our Battle, most probably, would have been fought on the spot where the brave Rodney beat De Grasse. I am rather inclined to believe they are pushing for Europe to get out of our way: and the moment my mind is made up, I shall stand for the Straits' Mouth. But I must not move, after having saved these Colonies and 200 and upwards of sugarladen Ships, until I feel sure they are gone. We saw, about 200 leagues to the Westward of Madeira, a Vessel which I took to be a French Corvette, that watched us two days; but we could not take her. She, I hear, gave Gravina notice of our approach, and that probably hastened his movements; however, I feel I have done my duty to the very utmost of my abilities. The Combined Squadron passed to the leeward of Antigua on Saturday the 8th, standing to the Northward. My heart is almost broke, and, with my very serious complaints, I cannot expect long to go on. I am, &c. NELSON AND BRONTE. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD ROBERT FITZGERALD, MINISTER AT LISBON. [From Copies in the possession of the Right Honourable Sir George Rose, G.C.H., and Captain Gambier.] My Lord, Victory, at Sea, June 15th, 1805. The Combined Squadrons passed to leeward of Antigua on the 8th, standing to the Northward, and when I left St. John's Road, in that Island, on the 13th, nothing had been heard of them; therefore I believe they are on their return to Europe. As my trip to the West Indies must have greatly interested your Lordship, I shall briefly run over the occurrences. I arrived at Barbadoes June 4th, where I found LieutenantGeneral Sir William Myers, who the night before had received information from Brigadier-General Brereton, at St. Lucia, that twenty-eight Sail of the Enemy's Fleet had been seen to windward of St. Lucia, steering to the Southward. As there was no reason to doubt this information, the General offered to embark himself, with 2000 Troops, for the relief of either Tobago or Trinidada, which were supposed to be the intended objects of the Enemy's attack. On the 6th, we were off Tobago; on the 7th at Trinidada; on the 8th, I received an account that the Enemy had not moved on the 4th from Port Royal, but were expected to sail that night for the attack of Grenada. On the 9th, I was at Grenada, when I received a letter from General Prevost to say, that the Enemy had passed Dominica on the 6th, standing to the Northward, to the leeward of Antigua, and took that day a Convoy of fourteen Sail of sugar-loaded Ships, which unfortunately left St. John's in the night, for England. On the 11th, I was at Montserrat, and, at sunset of the 12th, anchored at St. John's, Antigua, to land the Troops, which was done, on the morning of the 13th, and at noon I sailed in my pursuit of the Enemy; and I do not yet despair of getting up with them before they arrive at Cadiz or Toulon, to which Ports I think they are bound, or, at least, in time to prevent them from having a moment's superiority. I have no reason to blame Dame Fortune. If either General Brereton could not have wrote, or his look-out man had been blind, nothing could have prevented my fighting them on June 6th; but such information, and from such a quarter, close to the Enemy, could not be doubted. The Frigate is directed to join me off Cape St. Vincent; and if Sir John Orde, my Senior Officer, is not off Cadiz, I shall anchor in Lagos Bay, and try to get both water and refreshments. If he has resumed his former station, I must go inside the Mediterranean, as I know he is exceedingly displeased if any of the Mediterranean Ships are a moment upon his station, and I have too great a respect for the wishes of my superiors to act contrary to them. I am, with great respect, &c. NELSON AND BRONTE. TO CAPTAIN MALCOLM, II. M. SHIP DONEGAL. [Autograph, in the possession of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm.] My dear Sir, Victory, June 16th, 1805. I can give you little, for I got nothing except some trifles at Barbadoes; but accept the little I can offer you. Grieved as I am by the information from General Brereton at St. Lucia, which deprived us of a Battle, yet we must not despair of overtaking them. Whenever it is calm enough for a Boat to reach the Victory, I shall be truly glad to see you, being ever your most faithful servant, NELSON AND BRONTE. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR EVAN NEPEAN, BART. [From a Copy in the possession of Viscount Melville, K.T.] My dear Sir Evan, Victory, June 16th, 1805. So far from being infallible, like the Pope, I believe my opinions to be very fallible, and therefore I may be mistaken. that the Enemy's Fleet is gone to Europe; but I cannot bring myself to think otherwise, notwithstanding the variety of opinions which different people of good judgment form; but I have called every circumstance which I have heard of their proceedings before me--I have considered the approaching season, the sickly state of their Troops and Ships, the means and time for defence which have been given to our Islands, and 5 Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 413, give the following as part of one of Lord Nelson's "unreserved conversations" with his Captains, about the 16th June, 1805:-"I am thankful that the Enemy has been driven from the West India Islands with so little loss to our Country. I had made up my mind to great sacrifices; for, I had determined, notwithstanding his vast superiority, to stop his career, and to put it out of his power to do any further mischief. Yet do not imagine I am one of those hot-brained people who fight at immense disadvantage, without an adequate object. My object is partly gained. If we meet them, we shall find them not less than eighteen, I rather think twenty Sail of the Line, and therefore do not be surprised if I should not fall on them immediately: we wont part without a Battle. I think they will be glad to let me alone, if I will let them alone; which I will do, either till we approach the shores of Europe, or they give me an advantage too tempting to be resisted." the certainty the Enemy must expect of our reinforcements' arrival; and, therefore, if they were not able to make an attack for the first three weeks after their arrival, they could not hope for greater success after our means of resistance increased, and their means of offence were diminished; and it is to be considered that the Enemy will not give me credit for quitting the West Indies for this month to come. As this is a letter of reasoning for my conduct, I may perhaps be prolix, but I am anxious to stand well in your opinion; and if my conduct is taken into consideration by Mr. Pitt, I will thank you to show him this letter. A Frigate certainly arrived from France, May 31st; from that moment all was hurry: on June 1st, I believe, the Furet arrived with an account of my being on the passage.-N.B. A Corvette watched us two days, when 150 leagues to the Westward of Madeira. If Barbadoes is the object of the Enemy's attack, a Fleet of Men of War could get there, on the average, in four or five days from Martinico; therefore why should they make a passage of, at least, fifteen or sixteen days, by going to the Northward? If Tobago or Trinidad was their object, they had only to weather St. Lucia, and they could fetch them with ease; to St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Grenada, they had a fair wind, therefore it must be unnecessary to go to the Northward. If, therefore, any of those Islands are the objects of their attack, as some people suppose, they are playing a game which, I own, is incomprehensible to my weak understanding, and I am completely deceived. What impression could they expect to make upon Jamaica with 4000 or 5000 men, and if that was their object, why not steer direct from Martinico? Some think they may be going to St. John's, Porto Rico, and wait to be joined there by reinforcements, but the season is passed; nor, if fifteen Sail of the Line is coming out to join them, is there occasion to hide themselves from our observations. My opinion is firm as a rock, that some cause, orders, or inability to perform any service in these seas, has made them resolve to proceed direct for Europe, sending the Spanish Ships to the Havannah. Ever, my dear Sir Evan, yours faithfully, NELSON AND BRONTE. There would have been no occasion for opinions, had not |