the summer; and, in the winter, shall go home. You will readily fancy all I would say, and do think. My kind love to all friends. TO THOMAS BOLTON, ESQ. [Autograph, in the possession of James Young, Esq., of Wells.] Victory, April 11th, 1804. My dear Sir, Your letter of October 23rd has only just reached me. Your letter for Sir William3 shall be delivered when he joins the Fleet: he is now on his return from Naples. His conduct is such as not only merits my esteem, but also, that of all the Officers in the Fleet. If I knew where to place him to get some money, I should most gladly do it. I have given him his choice of station, but he rather wishes to keep at hand, in case of something turning up. As to vacancies, unless the French Fleet come out, I see no prospect of promotion; but time and chance happeneth to all, and so it will to him, if he looks out sharp for good fortune. We have various reports here of the King's illness; of the Invasion having been attempted, and failed, &c. &c. We shall never have a solid Peace until the Invasion is tried and found to fail. My state of health will certainly oblige me to return to England before next Christmas, and I shall always be happy in taking you by the hand, being ever, my dear Sir, your much obliged friend, NELSON AND BRONTE. TO CAPTAIN JOHN GORE, H. M. SHIP MEDUSA, OR THE SENIOR OFFICER AT GIBRALTAR. [Order-Book.] Victory, at Sea, 12th April, 1804. Whereas it is a well known custom in the Service, that after the loss of a Ship or Vessel of War, the Captain, Officers, and Men (who survive) are always considered answerable for their conduct, and cannot be employed until they have been tried by a Court-Martial; and, whereas, the four men named 5 Captain Sir William Bolton, of the Childers, nephew and son-in-law of Mr. Bolton, to whom this letter was written. in the margin, have been very improperly detained on board the Amphion, You are hereby required and directed to cause the said four men to be discharged from the Amphion, and sent to the Victory by the very first opportunity; and should either of the men named on the other side hereof be on board the Amphion, or any other of his Majesty's Ships under your orders, you will also cause them to be discharged, and sent to the Victory in the manner above-mentioned, and also the seven men belonging to the late Weazle Sloop (who were sent to the Hospital), on their recovery. NELSON AND BRONTE. TO CAPTAIN SAMUEL SUTTON, H.M. SHIP AMPHION. Dear Sir, [Letter-Book.] Victory, at Sea, 12th April, 1804. As the people belonging to His Majesty's late Sloop Weazle ought to have been sent up for Trial with the others, I have sent an order to the Senior Officer at Gibraltar to direct their discharge from the Amphion, that they may be sent to the Victory by the very first opportunity. I am &c., NELSON and Bronte. P.S. Should the order above-mentioned come to you, as Senior Officer, at Gibraltar, you will of course comply with it immediately. TO WILLIAM MARSDEN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Letter-Book.] Sir, Victory, at Sea, 13th April, 1804. 6 I herewith transmit you for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy of my order of yesterday's date, for the survey of Lieutenant Robert Stupart, of His Majesty's Ship Triumph, together with a report of that Officer's health in consequence; and I am to request you will • Lieutenant Robert Stupart died between 1805 and 1807. please to acquaint their Lordships, that as Lieutenant Askew has not yet joined the Triumph, Mr. Faddy continues acting in the room of Lieutenant Miller, as mentioned in my letter to you of the 20th ultimo, and as soon as Lieutenant Askew joins, I have given Mr. William Faddy an order to act in the room of Lieutenant Stupart, a copy of which, is herewith transmitted for their Lordships information, and trust, from a consideration of the circumstances stated in my said letter, respecting Mr. Faddy, their Lordships will be pleased to give him a Commission. I am, &c., NELSON AND BRONTE. TO MISS HORATIA NELSON THOMSON. [From "Lord Nelson's Letters to Lady Hamilton," vol. ii. p. 107.] My dear Horatia, Victory, April 13th, 1804. I send you twelve books of Spanish dresses, which you will let your Guardian Angel, Lady Hamilton, keep for you, when you are tired of looking at them. I am very glad to hear, that you are perfectly recovered; and, that you are a very good child. I beg, my dear Horatia, that you will always continue so; which will be a great comfort to your most affectionate, NELSON and Bronte. TO CAPTAIN BENJAMIN HALLOWELL, H. M. SHIP ARGO. [Order Book.] Victory, at Sea, 14th April, 1804. You are hereby required and directed on your arrival at Gibraltar, to make the signal for, and take under your convoy and protection, all the Trade bound from thence to any part of the United Kingdom, and proceed with them as expeditiously as possible, consistent with their safety, off Cadiz, where you will also take under your convoy and protection all the Merchant-Ships at that place, bound for Lieutenant William Askew died in December 1805: he was a brother of the present Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Askew, K.C.B., and of Captain Christopher Crakenthorp Askew, R.N.—I'ide Burke's "History of the Landed Gentry,” p. 29. England, and make the best of your way with them to their destination; and, in order that the Convoy under your Command may be sufficiently strengthened against L'Aigle, or any of the Enemy's Cruizers, You are hereby directed to order the Captain of the Agincourt to proceed in company with you from Gibraltar, and escort you twenty or twenty-five leagues to the Westward of Cadiz; and afterwards to return to Gibraltar, and follow my orders of the 20th ultimo, which he will find with Commissioner Otway at that place. You will also receive such money on board his Majesty's Ship Argo, under your command, as the Merchants at Gibraltar and Cadiz may have to send to England; but in receiving the money from the last-mentioned place, I must recommend great caution, and desire that you will take such measures for that purpose as may be perfectly consistent with the safety of the Trade which may be under your protection from Gibraltar. It may, therefore, be advisable to proceed in the Argo to Cadiz for the purpose above-mentioned, as well as for the bringing the Trade with you from that place, and leave the Agincourt to take the Convoy from Gibraltar off Cadiz, in order to its being joined by the Argo, on its appearance off Cadiz, and then proceed as before directed. NELSON AND BRONTE. TO WILLIAM MARSDEN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Original, in the Admiralty.] Victory, at Sea, 14th April, 1804. Sir, I request you will be pleased to acquaint the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that I have charged Captain Layman, of his Majesty's late Sloop Weazle, with my Public dispatches for the Admiralty, and beg to recommend him to their Lordships as an Officer very deserving their patronage and protection. I am, Sir, &c., NELSON AND Bronte. MEMORANDUM. [The following Paper was written by Captain Layman, late of the Weazle Sloop, and transmitted to the Admiralty by Lord Nelson on the 14th of April, 1804. "The importance of a Cruizer in the Gut of Gibraltar, in a Naval and Commercial point of view, as well as the consideration of obtaining supplies for the Garrison, seems to require a particular description of Vessel to keep her station in a Channel confined to the space of eight miles, in which, exclusive of the wind and sea being often boisterous and turbulent, there are four strong tides, besides the current; and, as to effect turning to the westward, against the wind, some tacks do not exceed one mile. It is presumed that a fast-sailing Brig is the best description of Vessel for this service, and as she ought not only to be able to repulse but to take anything in the shape of a Privateer, some of which have from twenty-two to twenty-six guns, with from one hundred and fifty to two hundred men, it would require her to be of such dimensions as to be armed with eighteen 32-pounder carronades, with sufficient space, abaft and forward, to mount a long 18-pounder to fire in all directions; and the better to prevent her being annoyed in a calm, and to enable her to pursue Privateers or Gun-boats, she should be fitted so as to pull thirty-eight sweeps and two skulls, the advantages of which were evinced in the Weazle.—H. M. Ship Victory, April 13th, 1804, W. LAYMAN.”—From a Copy in the Admiralty.] [Autograph on the above Paper.] Victory, April 14th, 1804. I agree most perfectly in the propriety of having Vessels of the aforementioned description, stationed in the Straits of Gibraltar; and I know no man so fit to command one of them as Captain Layman. NELSON AND Bronte. TO THE MASTERS OF THE MERCHANT SHIPS ZEPHYR, COURIER, OAK, AND HOPE, AT GIBRALTAR. [Letter-Book.] Victory, at Sea, 14th April, 1804. Gentlemen, I have received your Petition, dated at Gibraltar the 6th instant, stating, that you had for some time past been detained in the said Bay for want of Convoy; in answer to which, I am to acquaint you that Captain Hallowell, of his Majesty's Ship Argo, is directed to take the Ships you respectively command, and any others at Gibraltar, under his protection and convoy, and proceed with them to England as early as possible; but I cannot, at the same time, help expressing my |