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the bottom that he should have the Budget the moment my people could copy it. Captain Waller will have given it to you long, long, ere this.

"I am highly flattered by the honour her Majesty has done me by thinking of me. Indeed I begin to think you will spoil us all; we shall not be able to stay out for eight or nine months cruising, after all this attention. I sincerely wish the Princess a good time, for I really am very partial to the King and Royal family of Naples. I should have been with you, but I hope Monday evening the Culloden will be at Naples. I shall then have leisure, and be highly flattered by the introduction your Ladyship mentions. I shall say nothing of our French friends at Alexandria, as Sir William is in possession of all I am, except a small extract I send you from Captain Hood's letter, which I am sure will please you as it does me, so many villains out of the world, one of them, an aide-de-camp of a wretch they call Buonaparte. The messenger waits for this. I beg my respects

William.

"I have the honour to be,

to Sir

"With great sincerity,
"Your ever obliged and obedient

"Humble servant,

"Lady Hamilton."

"T. TROUBRIDGE.

CHAPTER VII.

1798.

Ar the urgent request of the King of Naples and the court, Nelson promised to return in the first week in November to concert the commencement of the war in which the King was to lead the troops, 30,000 in number, in person. There was, however, much hesitation on the occasion, as on the 14th November Nelson writes to Earl Spencer that he had been present at the deliberations with the King, General Mack, and Sir John Acton, and that a disposition appeared to exist in consequence of want of assurance of support from the Emperor of Austria to wait until the French had made further aggressions. Nelson boldly told the King: "Either to advance, trusting to God for his blessing on a just cause, to die with l'epée à la main, or remain quiet and be kicked out of your kingdoms."1

The letter just alluded to, which embraces the dates of the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 18th November, is generally considered as the first signed by Nelson as a Peer, his previous letters being Horatio Nelson. It, however, appears that Earl Spencer had apprised him in a letter of the date of the 7th of October, of the King having conferred upon him the dignity of a Baron, and the same was gazetted on the day preceding. Nelson did not receive this letter until the 7th of December, having been at Leghorn. Lord Spencer's letter of the 2nd of October upon receipt of the dispatches by Captain Capel, states only that in his next he should have the pleasure of acquainting him of the measures to be taken by the Government to mark their sense of his merits, and it is probable that some private information between the 2nd and the 6th may have been forwarded to him of the intention to raise him to the Peerage. He mentions in a

1 Letter Book.

тад

My Dear Madam,

I honor and respect you

and My Dear friend Sir Will Hamilton

And Believe Me Quer

your faithfult Affection with Nation

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