Generosity to the Master of a Fishing Schooner.

and escorted it in safety to the river St. Lawrence, where the fleet arrived on the 2d of July, 1782.

Two days afterwards the Albemarle sailed on a cruise, and on the 14th captured a fishing schooner belonging to Cape Cod, which had nearly completed her voyage, and which, with her cargo, constituted the whole property of the master. Nelson, having no officer on board who was acquainted with Boston Bay and the adjacent shoals, ordered the master of the schooner on board the Albemarle, to act as her pilot. This man, whose name was Carver, and who had a large family anxiously awaiting his return, instantly obeyed without a murmur, and exerted himself to the utmost to fulfil the orders of his captor. When Nelson had no further occasion for his services, he dismissed him with this address : "You have rendered us a very essential service, and it is not the custom of English seamen to be ungrateful. In the name, therefore, and with the approbation of the officers of this ship, I return your schooner, and with it this certificate of your good conduct. Farewell, and may God bless you!" The certificate was intended to secure him from being captured by any other British ship. Grateful for this generous treatment, Carver afterwards came off at the hazard of his life to the Albemarle, with four sheep, some poultry, and a quantity of vegetables as a present to her captain; and a most valuable one it proved, as the scurvy was raging in the ship: it was the month of August, and the ship's company had not had a single fresh meal since the beginning of April. Though himself and his officers had been living for eight successive weeks on salt beef, he ordered the whole of the American's present to be divided equally among the sick.

Though this cruise proved in its result unprofitable, yet some prizes were taken, and one of considerable

Falls in with a French squadron.

value, but they were lost through the mismanagement of the prize-masters; on one occasion, through the intoxication of the captors, who had made too free with the wine which they found on board. "I do not, however, repine at our loss," he wrote in a letter to Captain Locker; "we have, in other respects, been very fortunate: for on the 14th of August we fell in with, in Boston Bay, four sail of the line and the Iris frigate, part of Monsieur Vaudreuil's squadron, who gave us a pretty dance for nine or ten hours. But we beat them all, except the frigate; and though we brought-to for her, after we were out of sight of the line of battle ships, she tacked and stood from us. Our escape I think wonderful. They were, on the clearing up of a fog, within shot of us, and chased us the whole time, about one point from the wind. The frigate, I fancy, had not forgotten the dressing Captain Salter had given the Amazon for daring to leave the line of battle ships."

Such is his own modest account of this affair; but he might justly have taken to himself the whole merit of this escape. The "pretty dance" which he mentions was led and concluded by himself, with consummate skill and address, among the shoals of St. George's Bank, in Boston Bay, whither the lineof-battle ships were unable to follow, had they even possessed his skill in pilotage. They therefore desisted from the pursuit, though the frigate persevered for some time longer, and had about sun-set approached within little more than gun-shot. At this time, Nelson, overhearing some of his men remark to one another that they thought, as the line-ofbattle ships were not following, they should be able to manage the frigate, immediately told his brave fellows, in the most kind and encouraging manner, that he would at least give them an opportunity to try for it. He immediately ordered the

First acquaintance with Mr. Alexander Davison.

main-top sail to be laid to the mast. No sooner did the French frigate perceive her antagonist thus brought-to, for the purpose of engaging, than she suddenly tacked and made all sail to rejoin her

consorts.

On the 23d of August, so many of his crew were daily sinking under the scurvy, that Nelson steered for Quebec. On the 9th of September, the Albemarle arrived off the Isle of Bec, in the St. Lawrence, and there procured a pilot. On the morning of the 15th they weighed from Cape Torment, and made sail with light airs through the North Traverse; but it soon fell calm, and the ship drifted among the shoals. The pilot, terrified at her situation, earnestly entreated the captain to return to the anchorage which he had left in the morning. "No," replied Nelson, with his usual decision, "I have a great number of men sick on board; I am bound to Quebec, and there I will go." Upon this the crew turned to, and, having warped the ship through the North Traverse to the utter astonishment of the pilot, anchored on the 17th at Quebec, and sent the sick to the hospital.

It was during his repeated visits to Quebec that Captain Nelson first became acquainted with Mr. Alexander Davison, at whose house he experienced the kindest hospitality, and for whom he conceived the warmest friendship. The sanguine mind of Nelson, indeed, often required the cool and steady reason of a friend to regulate the common occurrences of private life. It is related that, by the interference of Mr. Davison, about this time, he was prevented from contracting a most imprudent marriage. The Albemarle being about to quit the station, the Captain had taken leave of his friends and gone down the river to the place of anchorage. Next morning, Mr. Davison, being on the beach, was surprised to see Nelson coming back in his boat. He inquired the

His reason for preferring the West India station.

cause of his return. Nelson took his arm, began to walk towards the town, and confessed that he could not leave Quebec without once more seeing the woman whose society had contributed so much to his happiness, while there, and making her an offer of his hand. His friend dissuaded him from the step, emphatically declaring that his utter ruin must inevitably follow. "Then let it follow!" exclaimed Nelfor I am determined to do it."-" And I," rejoined Davison, "am determined that you shall not." The determination of the latter prevailed, and Nelson suffered his friend to lead him back to the boat.

son,

66

In the month of October, Nelson received orders to convoy a fleet of transports with troops from Quebec to New York-" a very pretty job," says he in the letter last quoted, "at this late season of the year; for our sails are at this moment frozen to the yards." On his arrival at Sandy Hook, he found Lord Hood in the Barfleur, 98, with twelve sail of the line, bound to the West Indies. When he waited on Admiral Digby, the commander-in-chief on the New York station, Lord Hood was present, and saw the captain of the Albemarle for the first time. You are come to a fine station for making prize-money," said Admiral Digby. "Yes, sir," replied Nelson, "but the West Indies is the station for honour." He soon afterwards went on board the Barfleur, and earnestly requested Lord Hood (appointed to the command in the West Indies) to ask for the Albemarle, a favour which was not obtained from Admiral Digby without much difficulty, so sensible were both commanders of his professional merit, even at this early period of his career. It was only by agreeing to leave a ship of nearly double the force instead of the Albemarle that Lord Hood carried his point at last.

Prince William Henry (his present Majesty) was then serving as midshipman in the Barfleur; the

Personal appearance of Nelson.

description which he has furnished of the appearance of the captain of the Albemarle, at this time, is highly amusing. I had the watch on deck, when Captain Nelson of the Albemarle came alongside in his barge: he appeared to be the merest boy of a captain I ever beheld, and his dress was worthy of notice. He had on a full-laced uniform; his lank unpowdered hair was tied in a stiff Hessian tail of extraordinary length; the old-fashioned flaps of his waistcoat added to the general quaintness of his figure, and produced an appearance which particularly attracted my notice, for I had never seen any thing like it before, nor could I imagine who he was or what he came about. My doubts were, however, removed when Lord Hood introduced me to him. There was something so irresistibly pleasing in his address and conversation, and an enthusiasm when speaking on professional subjects, which showed that he was no common being." It was on occasion of this first interview that Lord Hood, on introducing the Prince and Nelson to each other, told his Royal Highness if he wished to ask any questions relative to naval tactics, the captain of the Albemarle could give him as much information as any officer in the fleet. "Throughout the whole of the American war," continued the Prince, "the height of Nelson's ambition was to command a line-of-battle ship; as for prize-money, it never entered his thoughts. He had the honour of the king's service, and the independence of the British navy, particularly at heart; and his mind glowed with this idea as much when he was simply captain of the Albemarle as when afterwards he was decorated with so much well-earned distinction."

The Albemarle sailed with Lord Hood's fleet for the West Indies, on the 22d of November. On their departure, the French squadron under Vaudreuil left Boston, intending to go to Cape François in St. Do