The life of Horatio, lord Nelson

LONDON:

Printed by S. & J. BENTLEY, WILSON, and FLEY,

Bangor House, Shoe Lane.

PREFACE.

THE Completion of the Nelson Despatches has now enabled the writer to compile a life of Nelson with the greatest accuracy of facts, and the clearest insight into the heart of that great hero. No description of a man as he really is, surpasses that which is contained in the plain straightforward relation of his thoughts, feelings, acts, and intentions in private letters designed for the perusal of those alone to whom they were addressed. The letters of a man like Petrarch, who always thought more of the public than of his correspondent, "and the bearer of whose letters," says Sismondi, "well knew that he would flatter the vanity of the writer by communicating it, and, therefore, openly read it, and even gave copies of it before it reached its destination," gave no insight into the character of the writer. "It is certain," said the great Lord Hardwick, "that no works have done more service to mankind than those which have appeared in the shape of letters on familiar subjects, and which were never intended for publication. This it is which renders them valuable; for I must confess, for my part, that letters which are very elaborately written, and originally intended for publication, are generally the most insignificant, and very little worth any person's reading."

The letters of Nelson, excepting his few public despatches, are all evidently written for the correspondent alone, and are full of that freshness and reality which ever characterises the letter to a relation, and an intimate friend. There the heart speaks rather than the head, and the man appears without disguise. From them, now so carefully and ably edited, the following sketch has been drawn in no way pretending to a comparison with the beautiful narrative of Southey, but hoping to compensate for its inferiority in style, by its greater correctness in facts.