Sent to Naples with Despatches.

his own account as on your's, for he is a real good boy, and most affectionately loves me. Lord Hood has sent to offer me a 74, but I have declined it; as the Admiralty chose to put me into a 64, there I stay. I cannot give up my officers."

At this time, the south of France seemed disposed to the restoration of monarchical government, and commissioners were sent by Marseilles and Toulon to Lord Hood to treat on the subject. During this negociation, which ended in the surrender of Toulon to the British squadron, Captain Nelson was sent to Naples with despatches for Sir William Hamilton, our envoy at the court of the Two Sicilies. The object of these despatches was to apply for troops to assist in garrisoning and keeping possession of Toulon. After his first interview with Captain Nelson, the ambassador told his lady that he was going to introduce to her a little man, who could not boast of being very handsome; "but," added he, in the spirit of true prophecy, "this man, who is an English naval officer, will become the greatest man that England ever produced. I know it from the few words I have already exchanged with him. I pronounce that he will one day astonish the world. I have never entertained any officer at my house, but I am determined to bring him here. Let him be put in the room prepared for Prince Augustus," (the Duke of Sussex). Such was the commencement of that acquaintance which, at a later period, weaned Nelson's affections from the wife, to whom he had been so strongly attached, and undermined his domestic happiness. In a letter to her he describes Lady Hamilton as "a young woman of amiable manners, and who does honour to the station to which she is raised," and says that she has been "wonderfully kind and good to Josiah."

By the court of Naples he was received with the

Rejoins the Squadron off Toulon.

most flattering marks of attention.

The king, who

had been threatened in an insolent message with war by the French republic, was overjoyed at the news of the surrender of Toulon. He paid Nelson a visit on board the Agamemnon, made him dine with him, seated him at his right hand, called the English the saviours of Italy, and of his dominions in particular, and promised to send six thousand troops to reinforce the British at Toulon. The object of his mission was so warmly seconded by Sir William Hamilton and so speedily accomplished, that Nelson exclaimed in exultation: "Sir William, you are a man after my own heart. You do business in my own way. I am now only a captain; but if I live I will be at the top of the tree."

Having performed this business, to use his own words, "with a zeal which no one could exceed," he returned to join the squadron off Toulon. Writing on the 12th of October, he says: "Every day, at Toulon, has hitherto afforded some brilliant action on shore, in which the sea-officers have made a conspicuous figure. I have only been a spectator; but, had we remained, I should certainly have desired to be landed. Some of our ships have been pegged pretty handsomely; yet such is the force of habit that we seem to feel no danger. The other day we sat at a court-martial on board Admiral Hotham, when a French 74, our friend, three frigates, and four mortarboats, were firing at a battery for four hours; the shot and shells going over us; which, extraordinary as it may seem, made no difference!" Three days before this was written, Nelson had been directed to proceed to Cagliari, in Sardinia, and to place himself under the orders of Commodore Linzee.

P

He sailed in prosecution of these instructions; and, on the 22d of October, when off the Island of Sardinia,

66

Engages a French Squadron.

the Agamemnon, having only 345 men at quarters, the others being ashore in Toulon, or in prizes, she fell in with three French frigates, of 44 guns, a corvette of 24, and a brig of 14, from Tunis. Nelson immediately gave chace, and got near enough to engage one of the frigates, which, from her favourable situation, superior sailing, and skilful manœuvres, was enabled to keep up a running fight of three hours, at the expiration of which she had received so much damage as to be obliged to make signals of distress to her consorts, which showed a disposition to come to her relief. The Agamemnon having her maintopsail cut to pieces, main and mizen-masts and foreyard badly wounded, and her rigging much shot away, could not follow her adversary. In this predicament, Nelson expecting to be attacked by the whole force of the enemy, called his officers together, and, among other questions, asked them From what you see of the state of our ship, is she fit to go into action with such a superior force without some small refit and refreshment of our people?"-"She certainly is not," was the unanimous reply. Then wear the ship," said he, "and lay her head to the westward; let some of the best hands be employed in refitting the rigging, and the carpenters get crows and capstan-bars to prevent our wounded spars from coming down; and get the wine up for the people with some bread, for it may be half an hour good before we are again in action." For three hours the enemy had the option of renewing the contest, but they contented themselves with going to the assistance of their crippled consort; the Agamemnon, which had but one man killed and two wounded, pursued her course to Cagliari, and thence followed Commodore Linzee, who had sailed for Tunis. Nelson afterwards learned that the frigate which he engaged was the Melpomene, that she had 24 men

Nelson's Interview with the Bey of Tunis.

killed, and 50 wounded, and would have struck long before he parted from her but for the gunner, who opposed her surrender; and when at length the colours were ordered to be struck by general consent, it fell calm around the combatants, while the other French ships came up with a fresh breeze to join their companion, which was so much damaged that she was laid up dismantled in St. Fiorenzo.

The object of Commodore Linzee's mission to Tunis was to detach the Bey from the interest of France. Lord Hood's instructions directed him to expostulate with his excellency in the strongest and most impressive manner on the impolicy of giving countenance and support to a sanguinary government like that of France, by which the king and queen had been barbarously beheaded. The Bey was a shrewd man, and, in the conference which Nelson held with him, displayed a sagacity which disconcerted even the captain of the Agamemnon. When the latter expatiated on the excesses committed by the French government, the Bey drily replied: "Indeed nothing can be more heinous than the murder of their sovereign and yet, sir, if your historians tell the truth, your own countrymen once did the same." Hopes had been entertained that the Bey might be prevailed upon to permit the English to possess themselves of a French convoy then lying at Tunis, under the protection of an 80-gun ship and a corvette: "but," as Nelson observed, "the English never yet succeeded in a negociation against the French, and we have not contradicted our practice at Tunis, for the Monsieurs have completely upset us with the Bey; and, had we latterly attempted to take them, I am certain he would have declared against us, and done our trade some damage."

Foiled in this negociation, Nelson proceeded to execute the further instructions of Lord Hood, which

State of Corsica.

directed Commodore Linzee to send him immediately to cruize from Calvi in Corsica to the gulf of Especia, to look out for the frigates which had before escaped him, but not to let it be known where he was gone; and he was to take the command of the frigates which he should find on that station. In a letter to Captain Locker, after giving this intelligence, he says that the Agamemnon had had her share of service, having had the anchor down but thirty-four times since sailing from the Nore, and then only to get water and provisions. He added that one hun dred of her crew being then absent, she was not much better than a 50-gun ship. To another friend, however, he jocosely observed on this occasion, that the hands he had were chiefly Norfolk men, and he always reckoned them as good as two others.

The people of Corsica, who, during the preceding half century, had made ineffectual attempts to shake off their dependence, first on Genoa and afterwards on France, to which that Republic had transferred the sovereignty of the island, had considered the recent events in the south of France, and the occupation of Toulon by the English, as favourable to an attempt to recover their liberty. They were joined by their celebrated countryman, General Paoli, whose heroic exertions to rescue his native land from the yoke of France had driven him into honourable exile for twenty years in England. This portion of the population naturally looked to Britain for succour. wrote to Lord Hood, representing that the French might with ease be driven from the posts which they held in Corsica; he specified the vulnerable points of attack, and intimated that even the mere appearance of a few ships would prove of essential service. A small squadron was consequently ordered to sail for Corsica, under Commodore Linzee. In January, 1794, Paoli transmitted fresh assurances of the active

Paoli