Sir, TO WILLIAM MARSDEN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. Original, in the Admiralty.] Victory, off Cape St. Vincent, 11th May, 1805. In answer to your letter, this moment received, relative to the Disposition of the Fleet under my command, not having been transmitted to you since June last, I must desire to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that having expected permission to return to England for the benefit of my health, about the latter end of September last, or early in October, I intended forwarding this paper on quitting the Mediterranean, that their Lordships might see the Disposition of the Fleet at that period; that on the 13th of October you were put in possession of the Squadron placed under Sir Richard Strachan, outside the Straits, and perfectly knew the force I had detained in the Gut, for the protection of our Trade and comfort of the Garrison, as well as those placed at Malta, under the Senior Officer, for the various duties of the Archipelago and Adriatic; and that a Ship of the Line was at Naples for the protection of that place. I, therefore, considering myself as constantly on the eve of quitting the Mediterranean, for the time being withheld the Disposition above-mentioned, conceiving, [it] under the circumstances before-stated, to be of little consequence. Admiral Campbell's going home still procrastinated my return; the sudden movement of the French Flect from Toulon having led me to Egypt, and the idea that they would again put to sea, previous to the end of April, induced me on my return to reserve the Disposition of the Flect till it should be transferred to Sir Richard Bickerton, about that time, when I was satisfied they would not attempt any Expedition. And I must here remark that, the Amphion having been taken to England with the Treasure-Ships by Captain Graham Moore, and the Medusa very properly sent home with the Spanish Frigate Matilda by Sir Richard Strachan, the Niger afterwards sent to England by Sir John Orde, and other interferences at Gibraltar by Senior Captains of his Squadron, in sending the Ships under my command on services not intended for them by me, made the arrangements I had determined upon in that quarter so uncertain, that it became a matter of doubt whether those Ships sent to Gibraltar would ever rejoin Under these uncertain and unpleasant circumstances, I trust their Lordships will not consider the Disposition of the Fleet's not being duly sent, as neglectful, but owing to the reasons before stated. I herewith transmit you the Disposition of the Ships left in the Mediterranean, under Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, on the 6th instant, which you will be pleased to lay before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty for their information, and acquaint them that I have sent the Rear-Admiral your letter on this subject, that due regard may be paid to it in future. Inclosed is a copy of my order of the 18th of April, to the Honourable Captain Capel, which, together with the copy of my order of the 5th instant, and of the schedule that accompanied my letter to you of the 6th of this month, sent by the Wasp Sloop, will put their Lordships in the full possession of all the arrangements made by me in the Mediterranean, previous to my quitting it, which, I hope, will meet their approbation. I am, Sir, &c. NELSON AND Bronte. Sir, TO WILLIAM MARSDEN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Original, in the Admiralty.] Victory, off Cape St. Vincent, 11th May, 1805. I have this moment received your letter of the 20th of March last, transmitting me by direction of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy of the sentence of a Court-Martial held on Captain Bennett, of His Majesty's Ship Tribune, and also of the opinion of the Law Officers thereon. Your letter, also, of the above date, with fifty copies of a list containing the Names of the Ships and Vessels with their respective Numbers, which have been added to his Majesty's Navy since the 13th December last, has likewise been received, and shall be duly issued agreeably to their Lordships' direction. Your several other letters with the Commissions, &c. therein mentioned, I have sent by the Queen to Rear Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, who will, consequently, acknowledge them, and put their Lordships' instructions into effect. I am, &c. NELSON AND Bronte. TO VISCOUNT SIDMOUTH. [Autograph, in the Sidmonth Papers.] My dear Lord, Victory, off Cape St. Vincent, May 11th, 1805. The Portuguese Admiral Campbell gave me a letter for you, which I have put in the Admiralty packet; but I cannot allow it to go without writing you a line. Notwithstanding my very, very indifferent state of health, various other circumstances (which I shall tell you when we meet) and my leave of absence to go to England, I cannot forego the desire of getting, if possible, at the Enemy; and, therefore, I this day steer for the West Indies. My lot seems to have been hard, and the Enemy most fortunate; but it may turn,―patience and perseverance will do much. I shall see you very soon, and, I hope, a Victor; that it shall be so, nothing shall be wanting on the part of, my dear Lord, your most faithful friend, NELSON AND Bronte. TO WILLIAM MARSDEN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Autograph, in the possession of Mrs. Leake.] Victory, May 14th, 1805. 38 leagues from Madeira. My dear Sir, I am very much obliged by your friendly letter of April 17th. Under the most serious consideration which I can give from all I hear, I rather think that the West Indies must be the destination of the Combined Squadrons. A trip to England would have been far more agreeable, and more necessary for my state of health; but I put self out of the question upon these occasions. And, although it may be said I am unlucky, it never shall be said that I am inactive, or sparing of myself; and surely it will not be fancied I am on a party of pleasure, running after eighteen Sail of the Line with ten, and that to the West Indies. However, I know that patience and perseverance will do much; and if they are not there, the Squadron will be again off Cadiz by the end of June-in short, before the Enemy can know where I am gone to; and then I shall proceed immediately to England, leaving such a force as the Service requires; and as the Board will know where the Enemy are, I shall hope to receive their orders off Cape St. Vincent, should I return, from their not being in the West Indies. I shall trouble you with a few letters, and be assured that I am, my dear Sir, your most faithful and obliged, humble servant, NELSON AND BRONTE. My Lord, TO EARL CAMDEN, K.G. Victory, May 14th, 1805. I was honoured with your letter of March 29th, in which your Lordship is pleased to acknowledge the receipt of my letter to the Dey of Algiers, and my instructions to Captain Keats, and to approve; but, from the shortness of my letter, think that a former one must have miscarried. I send your Lordship a copy of the one I wrote you a few days before the 9" TO VICE-ADMIRAL VISCOUNT NELSON, K.B. "Downing Street, 29th March, 1805. "My Lord, "I have received your Lordship's letter of the 2nd of January, inclosing your instructions to Captain Keats, in consequence of the dispatch I wrote to your Lordship, under date the 29th day of October last, signifying his Majesty's pleasure respecting the conduct of his Highness the Dey of Algiers, and the provisional appointment of Mr. Cartwright to be Consul to that Regency. I entirely approve of the instructions you have given to Captain Keats, and can have no doubt but the Dey of Algiers will cheerfully acknowledge his Majesty's gracious condescension in the terms he has offered, unless the influence of hostile councils shall have persuaded him to reject every measure of reasonable accommodation. "Your Lordship's letter is extremely concise, and limited to this sentence: 'I omitted to send my letter to the Dey of Algiers, and instructions to Captain Keats. I now beg leave to forward them.' It, therefore, naturally occurs to me, that some previous letter from your Lordship must have miscarried, as the sentence I have cited evidently alludes to some prior communication, which I have not received. I have the honour to be, &c., CAMDEN."-Original, in the possession of the Right Honourable John Wilson Croker. one to which you allude, which I should think must have been received. I own, in sending inclosures which are to speak for themselves, I considered it would be a wanton waste of your Lordship's time to enter into any detail; for this reason I have not done more than sending you the last letters from Sardinia, having finished, to different Ministers, all that I can find to say upon the importance of Great Britain being in possession of it; and, as I expected to be at home very long before this time, I could have answered any questions which might have been asked me. I now, therefore, beg that your Lordship will not attribute my short letters to any other motive, than not taking up your time in reading a long letter upon nothing, than which, I know from experience, nothing can be more teasing. I shall address myself in another letter upon the subject of General Sir James Craig's instructions, which I have sent to Sir Richard Bickerton. I have a report that another attempt has been made to assassinate the Dey of Algiers, and that he lost three of his fingers. He is, I fancy, very unpopular. I am, &c. NELSON AND BRONTE. I saw, for a moment, your nephew, Mr. James,' in his new coat. He says he likes his new profession. My Lord, TO EARL CAMDEN, K.G. Victory, May 14th, 1805. In the afternoon of May 11th, I received your Lordship's letter of March 28th, and a copy of Sir James Craig's in 1 Vide vol. v. p. 512. "TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE ADMIRAI LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. "Private. "My Lord, "Arlington Street, March 28th, 1805. "Your lordship will receive, with the dispatches which will be forwarded to you from the Admiralty, the copy of my instructions to Sir James Craig, which will apprise your Lordship of the views with which that Officer is sent to take the command of his Majesty's Troops in the Mediterranean. I cannot, however, suffer |