TO REAR-ADMIRAL SIR RICHARD BICKERTON, BART. [Order Book.] Victory, at Sea, 15th March, 1804. Pursuant to instructions from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, you are hereby required and directed to strike your Flag on board his Majesty's Ship Kent, and hoist it on board his Majesty's Ship Royal Sovereign, as soon as conveniently may be. NELSON AND Bronte. TO CAPTAIN DANVERS, ROYAL MARINES, H.M. SHIP BELLEISLE. [Letter-Book.] Sir, Victory, at Sea, 16th March, 1804. I have received your letter of the 14th instant, respecting the monthly Returns of the different detachments of Marines, on board the Ships of the Squadron, being made to you, for the purposes therein mentioned. In answer to which as it has hitherto been customary for the Commanding Marine Officers of the different Ships to send their monthly Returns to the Admiralty, I do not wish to make any alteration unless such should appear to their Lordships as necessary, and ordered by them in consequence. I am, &c., NELSON AND BRONTE. TO THE RUSSIAN GENTLEMEN ON BOARD HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP ROYAL SOVEREIGN. [Letter-Book.] Gentlemen, Victory, at Sea, 16th March, 1804. Far removed from your Country and relations, and placed to serve in the Fleet under my command, I desire that you will, on every occasion, both in public and private concerns, consult with me, and let me know your wants and wishes, and always consider me as your sincere friend, NELSON AND Bronte. TO ALEXANDER DAVISON, ESQ. [Autograph, in the possession of Colonel Davison.] My dear Friend, Victory, March 17th, [1804.] I cannot sufficiently thank you for all your kindness to me, and to my dearest friend Lady Hamilton; and thanks is all which I can give you. So our friend Nepean' is gone from the Admiralty at last; it will be play, any other station, and I sincerely hope his health will be re-established. All the things you ordered from Turner, at Portsmouth, are safe arrived. We are waiting impatiently for the French sailing; but the unexpected arrival of the Royal Sovereign' may keep them still in Port. A Spanish War seems very uncertain. I hardly think it possible, but I am prepared for all events. My friends need not to fear that I shall be taken napping. I am much pressed for time; for a new Captain has this morning joined for the Belleisle, and Captain Whitby is ordered to be expedited home to join Admiral Cornwallis. Mr. Marsden will, I dare say, receive my letters, and do the kind things about my letters, &c., as good Nepean did. When you write Nepean, make my kind regards, and also to Lord Moira; and believe me ever, for ever, whether I write or not, your much NELSON AND BRONTE. obliged friend, TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD HOBART, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE WAR DEPARTMENT.3 [Original, in the Colonial Office.] My Lord, Victory, March 17th, 1804. In obedience to your wishes to be informed of the state of the Sea-ports in the Pachalick of Ali Vizir, I sent a most Sir Evan Nepean had retired from the Secretaryship to the Admiralty, and was succeeded by William Marsden, Esq. Lord Nelson's Squadron was reinforced, on the 14th of March, by the arrival of the Royal Sovereign, of 100 guns, Captain Pulteney Malcolm, afterwards ViceAdmiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., who died on the 20th of July 1838. Lord Nelson had then just received the following Letter from Lord Hobart :— 66 My Lord, Downing Street, 7th January, 1804. "I am to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's dispatches of the 16th and intelligent Officer, Captain Cracraft, upon that service. I send you his account of the Port of Panormo, and also how the Country appeared to him. His Ship running on shore, obliged him to return to Malta. I send an extract of Mr. Foresti's letter, by which your Lordship will observe that he thinks there are many Ports which could contain in safety a number of Ships of War, and that the Country abounds 20th October, (vide pp. 248, 258, ante,) all of which, with their respective enclosures, I have had the honour to lay before the King. "The vigilant and zealous attention therein manifested for the Public interests has afforded much satisfaction to his Majesty, and I am particularly commanded to express his Majesty's most gracious approbation of the line of conduct which, under the circumstances represented in your letter of the 16th of October, you have deemed it advisable to pursue towards the Regency of Algiers, and especially of your intention, at all events, not to commence hostilities until you can strike an effectual blow against the Cruizers belonging to that Power. It is, however, without doubt, of the greatest consequence, at the present moment, to obviate the necessity of resorting to measures of force against the Barbary States, provided forbearance can be maintained without detriment to the dignity of his Majesty's Crown, or to the security of those who are placed under the protection of his Government; and as some of the Vessels which have been captured by the Algerine Cruizers, may have been taken with passports whose dates had expired, as is suggested by Sir Alexander Ball, I entertain the strongest hope, that by means of explanation between your Lordship and his Majesty's Civil Commissioner at Malta, and subsequent communication with the Algerine Government, the ground of future complaint will be obviated. If, on the other hand, it should be found absolutely necessary, after such explanation and communication, to establish the authority of the Passports granted in the name of his Majesty, by active measures, place the most complete dependence upon your Lordship's discretion, energy, and vigour for carrying his Majesty's former instructions of the 23rd of August, into full effect. "I am also to convey his Majesty's approbation of your Lordship's correspondence, and the system you have in consequence pursued with respect to the Bashaw of Tripoli. The critical situation of the Island of Corfu, and the whole of the Morea, cannot too strongly claim your Lordship's attention, for the defence of which important countries you have already made so excellent a disposition of your Cruizers. Whatever may prove to be the real object of the French Fleet, should it, by any circumstances of wind and weather, be freed from the blockade in which it is held by the Squadron under your Lordship's command, I still entertain the most sanguine expectation, that the measures you make take, upon your apprehension of its probable destination, will enable you to justify the confidence you express of frustrating all its plans. "I entirely concur in the propriety of keeping a Vessel at Naples for the personal security of the Royal Family, lest the progress of events should render their retreat from thence indispensable: and I depend much upon the execution of your Lordship's instructions, to receive Recruits on board his Majesty's Ships, for over coming the difficulties which the activity of the Agents of France have opposed to the progress of the Recruiting Service in Switzerland. I have the honour o be, &c., HOBART."-Autograph, in the Nelson Papers. with Ship-timber, and everything else. Our communication with Ali Vizir had, I am of opinion, better be in future carried on through him: he is a very intelligent man, and, I believe, fully to be trusted. Sardinia will be in the hands of the French, either by compact, exchange, or insurrection. It is the summum bonum of everything which is valuable for us in the Mediterranean. The more I know of it, the more I am convinced of its inestimable value, from position, Naval Port, and resources of all kinds. I am rather led to believe that the French are negotiating very hard for an exchange. Sir Alexander Ball thinks the French are destined for Egypt, and every Power thinks they are destined against them; but whatever the French may intend to do, I trust, and with confidence, they are destined for Spithead. I am afraid Mr. Frere has created some little alarm that the French Fleet has escaped us. My letter to him' was intended to do away any such fears. I beg leave, in justice to myself, to send your Lordship a copy of it. I shall not take up more of your time than to say that I believe the King of Naples, Sardinia, and the Porte, place confidence in us to save them from the French. I am, &c., NELSON AND Bronte. TO CAPTAIN GORE, H. M. SHIP MEDUSA. [Letter-Book.] Sir, Victory, at Sea, 17th March, 1804. I have just received your letter of the 5th ultimo, together with the several inclosures therein mentioned, and very much approve of every part of your conduct. I regret that I did not know of the Diana's being ordered to England with the Trade, as I would have detained the Braakel to have assisted in the blockade of L'Aigle. Your intentions of attacking that Ship with the small Squadron under your command are certainly very laudable; but I do not consider your force by any means. equal to it. I must, however, leave your judgment to determine upon this point, as well as with regard to the future 4 Vide p. 387, ante, arrangement of the Ships under your orders; and only observe that the protection of our Commerce, and the destruction of the Enemy's Privateers and Cruizers, are most essential objects for your consideration. I must desire to refer you to my secret letter of yesterday's date, with respect to the Spaniards, and that you will furnish me with the most early intelligence of the Enemy's Ships, should they escape from Ferrol and be bound into the Mediterranean. I am, &c., NELSON AND Bronte. TO CAPTAIN SUTTON, H.M. SHIP AMPHION. [Autograph, in the possession of Captain Ives Sutton.] My dear Sutton, March 17th, 1804. Many thanks for your letter of February 9th, and I assure you that I shall always rejoice in your success, whether I may be benefited or not. The French Fleet will some day or other put to sea, and it shall go hard but that some of them shall visit Spithead. I am ever, dear Sutton, your much obliged friend, Hardy writes you. NELSON AND Bronte. TO ADMIRAL THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT, K.B. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 359.] My dear Lord, March 17th, 1804. Whilst I have your support, and the Officers of the Fleet look up to me, I can do anything which the number of Ships can allow the warmest wishes of my friends to anticipate. Take that from me, and I am nothing. I am the child of opinion, and the Admiralty can with their breath destroy it. But I rely with confidence upon you, my dear Lord, and that alone keeps me up. My general health, I think, within this last fortnight is better; but my sight is much fallen off,—I have always thought I should be blind. If I can but meet the French Fleet, and do the thing well, I shall certainly ask for rest; it is necessary for me. I have sent your nephew 5 Captain Parker, of the Amazon. |