astonishment at your detention at Gibraltar for want of Convoy, particularly as his Majesty's Ship Monmouth sailed from that place on the 1st ultimo for England, and I am persuaded Captain Hart would have taken any Trade bound for the United Kingdom under his protection. I am, &c., NELSON AND BRONTE. TO THE SENIOR OFFICER OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS AND [Letter-Book.] Victory, at Sea, 14th April, 1804. Sir, As I wish my Public dispatches in the charge of Captain Layman, of his Majesty's late Sloop Weazle, to be forwarded to Government as early as possible, I am to desire you will (in case the Argo is sailed from England) immediately send a Vessel of War to Lisbon, with Captain Layman and the said dispatches; or in the event of none being at Gibraltar on his arrival, you will receive Captain Layman on board the Ship you command and proceed to Lisbon with him, with as much expedition as possible. Having so done, pursue the object of your former orders. I am, &c., NELSON AND Bronte. TO CAPTAIN GORE, H.M. SHIP MEDUSA, OR THE SENIOR OFFICER OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS AND VESSELS AT GIBRALTAR. [Letter-Book.] Victory, at Sea, 15th April, 1804. Sir, As the Rendezvous of the Squadron under my command is particularly uncertain, and must ever depend upon circumstances, I must desire that you will acquaint the Captains or Commanders of any of his Majesty's Ships, Vessels, or Transports ordered to join me, that they are to come to Rendezvous No. 97, under Cape St. Sebastians, mentioned on the inclosed Sheet of Rendezvous, where they will meet a Ship of War stationed for the purpose of falling in with Ships in search of me; and you will acquaint them that they are on no account or consideration to leave the said Rendezvous No. 97, but remain there for my further orders. I am, &c., NELSON AND BRONTE. N.B.-A letter of the same tenor and date as the above, inclosing a sheet of Rendezvous, sent to Commissioner Otway, Gibraltar. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD HOBART, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE WAR DEPARTMENT. [Autograph, in the Colonial Office.] My Lord, Victory, April 16th, 1804. I have been honoured with your letter of January 7th, and it has given me most sincere pleasure that my whole conduct in my Command here has been such as to meet his Majesty's approbation, and which it shall always be my study to deserve. Your Lordship will probably hear something of Sardinia through Mr. Elliot at Naples, and Mr. Jackson at Rome. I send your Lordship a copy of my last letter to Mr. Jackson. My line of conduct, in obedience to the spirit of his Majesty's instructions communicated through your Lordship, has been simply this, to conciliate all, to protect all from French rapacity, and I have the satisfaction to think that I have completely succeeded. My eye is constantly fixed upon Toulon; and I have no great reason to believe that the French will escape me, whatever may be their destination: and it is with real pleasure I can state to your Lordship, and request you will state it to the King, that no Fleet ever was in higher discipline, and health, and good humour, than the one I have the honour to command; and whenever we fall in with the Enemy's Fleet, (if I do my duty,) the happiest result will, I may venture to say, accrue. I' have the honour to be, &c., NELSON AND BRONTE. The French Fleet safe in Toulon this day at noon. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD HOBART. My Lord, [Autograph, in the Colonial Office.] Victory, April 16th, 1804. I have the honour to transmit your Lordship two letters from Ali Vizir, Pacha of Yanina. Captain Cracraft or Mr. Foresti have most probably seen him before this time. With respect to the Vessel, there must be some mistake in his Italian writer; but with regard to the Artillery-men, there can be none. Your Lordship will judge how far it would be proper to send them. I shall write to the Pacha about the Vessel. I think he can only mean a small handsome Vessel. Your Lordship is, I dare say, fully aware of the sort of independence this Pacha holds himself of the Porte, and that it has always been considered, that whenever he could get possession of the Suliotes, he would declare his independence. He has now accomplished his object, and could hold the Morea in spite of all the power of the Porte; but the times are also changed, and what he could have done easily ten years past, may now be difficult. The Russians, I fancy, resist any Power holding the Morea and European Turkey except themselves. Your Lordship will judge of the Pacha's present intentions, and whether he looks to us for support. I shall write him word that I have referred his letter to your Lordship. Of this we may be sure, that if we do not give him the two Artillerymen and the Vessel, the French will. I am, &c., NELSON AND Bronte. TO CAPTAIN LEWIS SHEPHEARD, H. M. SHIP THISBE. [Letter-Book.] Sir, Victory, at Sea, 17th April, 1804. I have received your letter of the 31st ultimo, acquainting me that you had detained a Greek Polacca Ship from Smyrna bound to Amsterdam, and that you had carried her into Valetta Harbour, under an idea that her cargo was Dutch property, which, I hope may prove so, to exonerate the detention. I have also to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 1st instant, acquainting me, that all the Convoy under your charge had arrived safe, except an armed Polacca belonging to Gibraltar. I am, &c., NELSON AND BRONTE. TO CAPTAIN SCHOMBERG, H. M. SHIP MADRAS, MALTA. [Letter-Book.] Sir, Victory, at Sea, 17th April, 1804. I have received your letter of the 17th ultimo, acquainting me, that Lieutenant Cantelo, of the Bombay Marine, had arrived at Malta, with dispatches for England, and that you had sent him on board the Agincourt to proceed to Gibraltar : also, that several Transports had arrived in the last Convoy from England, that are fit (with a little alteration) to receive Troops, that you had ordered them to victual and water for two months for their respective complements of Troops, and that embarkation for at least one thousand four hundred men is ready at a moment's notice. In answer to which, I very much approve of every part of your conduct on this occasion; but trust this arrangement has not interfered with the sailing of the two coppered Transports to the Black Sea, under the charge of Lieutenant Woodman, as mentioned in my letter to Captain Lamb, of the 20th March last, and order, to Lieutenant Woodman, of that date. I am, also, to desire you will use every possible exertion in your power, to collect all the Trade from the Levant and Adriatic, in order to proceed to England under the protection of the Agincourt and Thisbe, the moment the former shall arrive at Malta from Gibraltar, where I have sent her to take in her lower-deck guns, previous to her proceeding on this service. The Thisbe is for the moment directed to follow the orders of Captain Donnelly, to bring out Transports to the Fleet, and will return immediately. I have received information that there are three French Privateers (two of them Brigs) who have taken their station off Tunis, for the purpose of intercepting stragglers from Convoys, or Runners. I must, therefore, desire that you will pay all the attention to the destruction of these Privateers, which may be in your power, and at the same time communicate this circumstance to Captain Cracraft of the Anson, that he may also turn his mind to their capture. I am, &c., NELSON AND BRONTE. TO CAPTAIN SCHOMBERG, H. M. SHIP MADRAS. [Letter-Book.] Sir, Victory, at Sea, 17th April, 1804. I have received your letter of the 31st ultimo, acquainting me with the arrival of the Thisbe, with the Convoy from England mentioned on the list which accompanied your said letter, and that you had in consequence of directions from the Admiralty, communicated in Sir Evan Nepean's letter of the 21st December, ordered the Jalouse up the Adriatic with the Trade, and directed Captain Strachey to use his utmost exertions to collect the Ships left by the Morgiana, that they might arrive at Malta time enough to proceed with the Convoy for England; acquainting me, also, that a great part of the guns and stores belonging to his Majesty's late Sloop Raven, had been saved by Mr. Tough, and that you had recommended to him not to dispose of them, and that you should take the necessary steps to convey them to Malta. In answer to which, I very much approve of your sending the Jalouse with the Trade up the Adriatic, and also, with the measures you have taken respecting the conveyance of the stores saved from the late Raven Sloop to Malta, when I shall direct the Naval Officer to value them, and make the usual salvage for saving them. I approve of your having sent the Thisbe to pick up her straggled Convoy, and am glad to hear from Captain Shepheard" that they have arrived safe. I am, &c., 8 British Consul at Palermo. NELSON AND Bronte. Captain Lewis Shepheard of the Thisbe was Posted in October 1810, and died about 1831. |