no Nelson upon shore, or Europe would have been saved; but, in his foresight of the horrors with which all Germany and all Christendom were threatened by France, the pastor could not possibly have apprehended more than has actually taken place.1

CHAPTER VII.

Nelson separates himself from his wife. Northern confederacy. He goes

to the Baltic under Sir Hyde Parker. - Battle of Copenhagen, and subsequent negotiations. - Nelson is made a viscount.

NELSON

out.

ELSON was welcomed in England with every mark of popular honor. At Yarmouth, where he landed, every

ship in the harbor hoisted her colors. The mayor and corporation waited upon him with the freedom of the town, and accompanied him in procession to church, with all the naval officers on shore and the principal inhabitants. Bonfires and illuminations concluded the day; and, on the morrow, the volunteer cavalry drew up and saluted him as he departed, and followed the carriage to the borders of the county. At Ipswich the people came out to meet him, drew 2 him a mile into the town and three miles When he was in the Agamemnon he wished to represent this place in Parliament, and some of his friends had consulted the leading men of the corporation. The result was not successful, and Nelson, observing that he would endeavor to find a preferable path into Parliament, said there might come a time when the people of Ipswich would think it an honor to have had him for their representative. In London he was feasted by the city, drawn by the populace from Ludgate Hill to Guildhall, and received the thanks of the Common Council for his great victory, and a golden-hilted sword studded with diamonds. Nelson

1 This was written in 1813, before the overthrow of Napoleon was accomplished.

2 Drew his carriage themselves, having taken out the horses.

had every earthly blessing except domestic happiness; he had forfeited that forever. Before he had been three months in England he separated from Lady Nelson. Some of his last words to her were: "I call God to witness, there is nothing in you, or your conduct, that I wish otherwise." This was the consequence of his infatuated attachment to Lady Hamilton. It had before caused a quarrel with his son-in-law, and occasioned remonstrances from his truest friends, which produced no other effect than that of making him displeased with them and more dissatisfied with himself.

The Addington administration 1 was just at this time formed; and Nelson, who had solicited employment, and been made vice admiral of the blue, was sent to the Baltic, as second in command, under Sir Hyde Parker, by Earl St. Vincent, the new First Lord of the Admiralty. The three northern courts had formed a confederacy for making England resign her naval rights. Of these courts, Russia was guided by the passions of its Emperor, Paul; a man not without fits of generosity and some natural goodness, but subject to the wildest humors of caprice, and crazed by the possession of greater power than can ever be safely, or, perhaps, innocently, possessed by weak humanity. Denmark was French at heart, ready to coöperate in all the views of France; to recognize all her usurpations and obey all her injunctions. Sweden, under a king whose principles were right and whose feelings were generous, but who had a taint of hereditary insanity, acted in acquiescence to the dictates of two powers, whom it feared to offend. The Danish navy at this time consisted of twenty-three ships of the line, with about thirty-one frigates and smaller vessels, exclusive of guard ships. The Swedes had eighteen ships of the line, fourteen frigates and sloops, seventy-four galleys and smaller vessels, besides gunboats; and this force was in a far better state of equipment than the Danish. The Russians had eighty-two sail of the line and forty frigates. Of these,

1 The administration of which Mr. Addington was the head continued from 1801 until 1804.

there were forty-seven sail of the line at Cronstadt, Revel, Petersburg, and Archangel; but the Russian fleet was ill-manned, illofficered, and ill-equipped. Such a combination, under the influence of France, would soon have become formidable; and never did the British cabinet display more decision than in instantly preparing to crush it. They erred, however, in permitting any petty consideration to prevent them from appointing Nelson to the command. The public properly murmured at seeing it intrusted to another; and he himself said to Earl St. Vincent, that, circumstanced as he was, this expedition would probably be the last service that he should ever perform. The Earl, in reply, besought him, for God's sake, not to suffer himself to be carried away by any sudden impulse.

1

The season happened to be unusually favorable; so mild a winter had not been known in the Baltic for many years. When Nelson joined the fleet at Yarmouth he found the admiral "a little nervous about dark nights and fields of ice." "But we must brace up," said he; "these are not times for nervous systems. I hope we shall give our northern enemies that hailstorm of bullets which gives our dear country the dominion of the sea. We have it, and all the devils in the North cannot take it from us if our wooden walls 2 have fair play." Before the fleet left Yarmouth it was sufficiently known that its destination was against Denmark. Some Danes who belonged to the Amazon frigate went to Captain Riou, and telling him what they had heard, begged that he would get them exchanged into a ship bound on some other destination. They had no wish, they said, to quit the British service; but they entreated that they might not be forced to fight against their own country. There was not in our whole navy a man who had a higher and more chivalrous sense of duty than Riou. Tears came into his eyes while the

1 The winter of 1801.

2 A name applied to ships as far back as the time of the Persian invasion of Athens. The Delphic oracle urged the Athenians to trust to their wooden walls, which their leaders interpreted as ships, and to conquest by sea.

men were speaking. Without making any reply, he instantly ordered his boat, and did not return to the Amazon till he could tell them that their wish was effected.

The fleet sailed on the 12th of March. Mr. Vansittart sailed in it, the British cabinet still hoping to obtain its end by negotiation. It was well for England that Sir Hyde Parker placed a fuller confidence in Nelson than the government seems to have done at this most important crisis. Her enemies might well have been astonished at learning that any other man should, for a moment, have been thought of for the command. But so little deference was paid, even at this time, to his intuitive and allcommanding genius, that when the fleet had reached its first rendezvous, at the entrance of the Cattegat, he had received no official communication whatever of the intended operations. His own mind had been made up upon them with its accustomed decision. "All I have gathered of our first plans,” said he, "I disapprove most exceedingly. Honor may arise from them; good cannot.1 I hear we are likely to anchor outside of Cronenburg Castle,2 instead of Copenhagen, which would give weight to our negotiation. A Danish minister would think twice before he would put his name to war with England, when the next moment he would probably see his master's fleet in flames and his capital in ruins. The Dane should see our flag every moment he lifted up his head.”

Mr. Vansittart left the fleet at the Skaw,3 and preceded it in a frigate, with a flag of truce. Precious time was lost by this delay, which was to be purchased by the dearest blood of Britain and of Denmark. According to the Danes themselves, the intelligence that a British fleet was seen off the Sound produced a much more general alarm in Copenhagen than its actual arrival

1 "Honor" i.e., from a courageous attack, or from victory; good," i.e., lasting benefit.

2 Castle of Kronborg. (See page 202.)

3 Cape Skagen, the northernmost point of Denmark.

4 The widening of the sea below the Cattegat and north of Copenhagen.

in the roads; for their means of defense were, at that time, in such a state that they could hardly hope to resist, still less to repel, an enemy. On the 21st Nelson had a long conference with Sir Hyde, and the next day addressed a letter to him worthy of himself and of the occasion. Mr. Vansittart's report had then

been received. It represented the Danish government as in the highest degree hostile, and their state of preparation as exceeding what our cabinet had supposed possible; for Denmark had profited, with all activity, of the leisure which had so impoliticly been given her. "The more I have reflected," said Nelson to his commander, "the more I am confirmed in opinion that not a moment should be lost in attacking the enemy. They will every day and hour be stronger; we never shall be so good a match for them as at this moment. The only consideration is, how to get at them with the least risk to our ships. Here you are, with almost the safety- certainly with the honor-of England more intrusted to you than ever yet fell to the lot of any British officer. On your decision depends whether our country shall be degraded in the eyes of Europe, or whether she shall rear her head higher than ever. Again do I repeat, never did our country depend so much on the success of any fleet as on this. How best to honor her and abate the pride of her enemies must be the subject of your deepest consideration."

Supposing him to force the passage of the Sound, Nelson thought some damage might be done among the masts and yards; though perhaps not one of them but would be serviceable again. "If the wind be fair," said he, "and you determine to attack the ships and Crown Islands,1 you must expect the natural issue of such a battle,-ships crippled, and perhaps one or two lost; for the wind which carries you in will, most probably, not bring out a crippled ship. This mode I call taking the bull by the horns. It, however, will not prevent the Revel ships,2 or the Swedes, from joining the Danes; and to prevent this is, in my

1 Two small batteries off the shore near Copenhagen.

2 The Russian squadron at Revel.