Though Lord Nelson felt that he had no force fit to face the enemy, and
was resolved never to get out of their way--"I cannot think myself
justified," said his lordship, writing to the Earl of St. Vincent, this
same day, "in exposing the world--I may almost say--to be plundered by
these miscreants. I trust, your lordship will not think me wrong, in the
painful determination I conceived myself forced to make; for agonized,
indeed, was the mind of your lordship's faithful and affectionate
servant."
The fact seems to be, that Lord Nelson had not the smallest
apprehensions of any serious designs on Minorca; and greatly feared
that, if he should entirely quit the protection of Sicily and Naples,
they would both soon be irrecoverably lost. It was, therefore, with
extreme reluctance, that he proceeded on the present business; and
having, next day, the 17th, been joined off Malta by the Alexander and
Goliath, his force was now fifteen sail of two-decked English ships, and
three Portuguese, with a fireship and cutter.
On the 20th, the Swallow Portuguese corvette brought dispatches of the
17th, from the Earl of St. Vincent; acquainting Lord Nelson of the near
approach of the squadron under Sir Alan Gardiner, and that Lord Keith
was going in search of the French fleet. Having now, therefore, no hope
of any sufficient reinforcement to enable him to do the same, his
lordship determined once more to offer himself for the service of
Naples, which he seems to have imagined the French intended to visit;
and, indeed, information to that effect had repeatedly arrived, by
different ships, as well British as foreign. Accordingly, having parted
for Palermo, he arrived off that port on the 21st; but, the ship being
becalmed, he was under the necessity of proceeding some leagues in his
barge. Having reached Palermo early in the morning of this day, he
waited on Sir William Hamilton; and requested that, the instant they had
breakfasted, the carriage might be ready to take himself, with Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, to the king and queen. Nothing could possibly
have been more opportune than this unpremeditated visit; for his
lordship now learned, that General Acton had actually written to him, by
the desire of their majesties, though he had not yet received the letter
most earnestly intreating his return, for the purpose of going into the
Bay of Naples, and there completing the business which had been so
auspiciously commenced under his judicious arrangements. Such, indeed,
was the then critical state of affairs at Naples, that it required both
the ablest heads, and the best hearts, to seize the favourable moment,
already beginning to flit away, for effectually restoring loyalty and
order in that devoted country. During the absence of Lord Nelson and
Captain Troubridge, from Sicily and Naples, Cardinal Ruffo, with his
army of twenty thousand Calabrese and other loyalists, aided by some
hundred Russian troops, had defeated the Neapolitan republicans, after
the evacuation of Naples by the French under General Macdonald, who
succeeded to Championet; and, in consequence, was actually in
possession of all the capital, except the castles of St. Elmo, Ovo, and
Nuovo, the two latter of which were momentarily expected to fall. In
this state of things, with many doubts respecting the firmness rather
than the fidelity of the cardinal, and much apprehension with regard to
the pernicious effects of the imposing plausibility of several chiefs of
the numerous parties into which the distracted country was unhappily
divided, every precaution was considered necessary to be adopted that
human sagacity could contrive, and all the fortitude judged requisite to
be preserved that the most magnanimous bosom could exercise. Their
Sicilian Majesties well knew, that they had now before them a man,
devoted to their just interests, who possessed, in the supremest degree,
these rare and most estimable qualities. They intreated him, therefore,
to undertake the arduous task, which could not be securely committed to
any other hands than his own. His lordship was sensible of the
importance of the charge, and overwhelmed with generous sentiments for
the noble confidence expressed by the royal sufferers in his abilities
to render them those essential services which their peculiar situation
demanded. Difficulty could never deter the mind of Lord Nelson from any
attempt; for, where there is no difficulty, heroism is without an
object. His lordship had, therefore, not a moment to pause, with respect
to his ready acquiescence in the will of their majesties; but, from his
very imperfect knowledge of the Italian language, he expressed his
apprehensions that he might be subject to fatal deceptions, if he should
trust to the fidelity of any interpreter among a people so generally
corruptible. He did not, however, state the objection, without proposing
a remedy. If, his lordship said, Sir William and Lady Hamilton would
accompany him into the Bay of Naples, that he might have the assistance
of their able heads, and excellent hearts, to consult, correspond, and
interpret, on all occasions, he should not have the smallest doubt of
complete success in the business. Sir William, and his lady, were
accordingly requested, by the king and queen, to afford their requisite
aid on the occasion: to which they agreed, without a moment's
hesitation; and, in less than three hours from the time of his first
landing, such was the dispatch thought necessary, that her ladyship,
having packed up a few articles of the first necessity, proceeded in the
barge, with Sir William and his lordship, on board the Foudroyant, which
instantly sailed for the Bay of Naples.
Lord Nelson, it may be supposed, had received very full powers from
their Sicilian Majesties; with the advice of their equally brave, wise,
and skilful privy-counsellor, General Sir John Acton: but, such was the
delicacy of his lordship in the exercise of his almost limitless
authority, that no single instance can be with truth adduced, where he
ever interfered with the criminal jurisprudence of the country; except,
indeed, on the side of mercy, to which his excellent heart, it is well
known, constantly inclined.
On the 24th, they arrived in the Bay of Naples; where Lord Nelson saw a
flag of truce flying on board the Seahorse, Captain Foote, and also on
the Castles of Ovo and Nuovo. Having, on the passage, received
information, that an infamous armistice was entered into with the rebels
of those castles, to which Captain Foote had put his name, his lordship
instantly made the signal to annul the truce; being determined, as he
said, never to give his approbation to any terms, with rebels, but
unconditional submission. The fleet was now anchored in close line of
battle, north-west by north, and south-east by south, from the mole
head, one mile and a half distant; flanked by twenty-two gun and mortar
boats, which he had recalled from Procida.
His lordship sent, instantly, Captains Troubridge and Ball to the
Cardinal Vicar-General Ruffo; to represent to his eminence, the opinion
which he entertained of the infamous truce entered into with the rebels.
They were also charged with two papers to his eminence, expressive of
these sentiments; one of which was intended for their perusal,
previously to the agreed surrender. The cardinal, however, declared that
he would send no papers; and that, if his lordship pleased, he might
break the armistice, for he was himself tired of his situation. Captain
Troubridge then asked this plain question--"If Lord Nelson breaks the
armistice, will your eminence assist him in the attack of the castles?"
His answer was decisive--"I will neither assist him with men nor guns."
After much talking, to very little purpose, his eminence expressed a
wish to see his lordship on board, that he might converse with him
respecting this situation of affairs; and they, accordingly, accompanied
him thither. Sir William Hamilton interpreted between Lord Nelson and
Cardinal Ruffo, till he was almost exhausted with fatigue. The dispute
lasted about two hours, and frequently ran very high; the cardinal,
however, proved more than a match for Sir William and his lordship
together in volubility, though far from equal to either in true
eloquence. The venerable Sir William, at length, vexed and wearied,
calmly seated himself; and requested his lady, though less loquacious
than the generality of her sex, to assist their honourable friend, who
continued pacing the cabin with the most determined perseverance, in
conducting this war of words. The pleasingly persuasive voice of her
ladyship, delivering the manly sentiments of his lordship, made no
impression on the cardinal. He would not submit to reason, nor his
lordship to any thing else: so that the lady was in a fair way of
becoming soon as desirous to desist as Sir William had been before her,
and for the same reason too, if Lord Nelson had not suddenly put an end
to the argument, by observing that, since he found an admiral was no
match for a cardinal in talking, he would try the effect of writing. He
wrote, therefore, the following opinion, which he immediately delivered
to Cardinal Ruffo--
"Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson, who arrived in the Bay of Naples on the
24th of June, with the British fleet, found a treaty entered into
with the rebels; which, he is of opinion, ought not to be carried
into execution, without the approbation of his Sicilian
Majesty--the Earl of St. Vincent--Lord Keith."
Thus terminated the interview: the cardinal retired in disgust; and the
rebels, after having notice of his lordship's resolve, persisted in
coming out of the castles, which were immediately occupied by the
marines of the squadron.
Much has been said, by weak persons, respecting the justice of thus
annulling a truce which had been actually signed before his lordship's
arrival. They know little of this great and honourable man, the glory of
human nature, as well as of his country, who can for a moment conceive
that any part of Lord Nelson's character, public or private, need shrink
from the severest scrutiny to which the actions of terrestrial beings
may with justice be subjected. He was, it is maintained, among the best,
as well as the bravest, among the most just, as well as the most
judicious, of mankind. With regard to the right which his lordship
possessed of putting an end to the armistice, notwithstanding the
capitulation had been signed, while the castles remained unsurrendered,
a few plain words will be allowed sufficient, by the sober part of
mankind, for whom they can, indeed, scarcely be necessary, to set the
question at rest for ever. Had the French fleet arrived, instead of the
British, would the capitulation have been at all regarded by those who
had agreed to surrender these castles? Would they have delivered them up
to the then overpowered besiegers? On the contrary, would they not have
instantly directed the guns of these very fortresses against the persons
to whom they had just signed their submission? These questions are so
obvious, that they scarcely need any reply, since there cannot possibly
be two opinions on the subject. If there exists, in such derogations,
any departure from strictly moral justice, which admits of much doubt,
it must be ascribed to the rigorous necessities inseparable from a state
of war, and not to any want of rectitude in the breasts of those
honourable men on whom devolves the severe task of dictating the
operations of that dreadful but unavoidable chastiser of the human race.
The besieged, by the laws of war, would have had a right to avail
themselves, as is suggested, in the case of such an arrival of the
French fleet; and, unquestionably, that of the British, which actually
occurred, was alike entitled to alter the effect of the unexecuted
capitulation.
It appears, however, that Lord Nelson, though he would not sanction an
armistice which he considered as dishonouring the sovereign for whom he
was acting, had not the smallest desire to interfere with the disposal
of the rebels whom he was so anxious to secure. It was not for their
punishment, but for the security of those whom he feared they might
contaminate by their principles, that he resolved to keep them in safe
custody till the farther pleasure of his Sicilian Majesty should be
known; and, in this, even Cardinal Ruffo, it seems, at length,
reluctantly acquiesced.
On the morning of the 27th, having embarked all the principal rebels in
the several ships of the British squadron, and the rest in polacres
anchored under their care, his lordship ordered Captain Troubridge to
land with a detachment of troops, for the purpose of cutting down "the
infamous Tree of Anarchy," which was immediately burnt before the king's
palace. His Sicilian Majesty's flag was now every where flying in
Naples, except on the Castle of St. Elmo. This fortress still remaining
in the hands of the French, Captains Troubridge and Ball, who had now,
in some degree, conciliated the cardinal, taking with them thirteen
hundred men from the ships, five hundred Russian troops, and a
considerable body of royalists, proceeded to invest it.
As there could be little doubt that this place, though exceedingly
strong, must in a few days yield to the vigorous operations of the brave
and skilful officers by whom it was besieged, which would complete the
repossession of the Neapolitan capital, Lord Nelson wrote to General
Acton; requesting that his Sicilian Majesty would come into the Bay of
Naples, as well as the general, to sanction and direct, by his royal
presence, and their united councils, the requisite measures for
completing the important business now in so fair a train for being
happily concluded.
At the surrender of the castles, Carraccioli had effected his escape;
but he was soon apprehended by the royalists, who were clamorous for his
execution; and, on the 29th, after a fair trial, by a board of naval
officers of his Sicilian Majesty, for rebellion against his lawful
sovereign, and firing at his Sicilian Majesty's frigate La Minerve, he
was hanged at the fore-yard-arm of that ship.
Lord Nelson greatly lamented the fate of this unhappy man, though he
could not deny the justice of his sentence; and he would, undoubtedly,
have recommended him as an object of mercy to his Sicilian Majesty, had
he not well known that such an interference, in the then temper of the
people, must have rendered himself an object of their suspicion; and
thus have operated against the king's interest, without finally
preserving the culprit from the worst effects of their fury. When it is
considered that, a very few months before, Carraccioli had received, at
Palermo, the supreme command of the small remains of his Sicilian
Majesty's fleet; that, on his departure for Messina, he had been
earnestely and most pathetically conjured by the queen, while taking
leave of her majesty, to do every thing in his power for the promotion
of the welfare of her little family; that he had, soon after, under
pretence of assisting the royalists in Calabria, abandoned his
sovereign, and actually joined the republicans with the force committed
to his charge; he cannot be well regarded as an object entitled to any
very extraordinary degree of commiseration.
On the 3d of July, Lord Nelson had the high gratification of receiving
official notice of the liberal grant of ten thousand pounds, which had
been unanimously voted to his lordship by the Honourable East India
Company, for his services at the battle off the Nile; and his
considerate regard to their interests, demonstrated by his judicious
conduct immediately after that glorious event. To the letter from Sir
Stephen Lushington, Bart. Chairman of the Court of Directors, which
conveyed this agreeable information, his lordship instantly wrote the
following answer.
"Foudroyant, Naples Bay,
3d July 1799.
"SIR,
"I was this day honoured with your letter of May 1st, conveying to
me the resolutions of the Honourable East India Company. It is
true, Sir, that I am incapable of finding words to convey my
feelings, for the unprecedented honour done me by the Company.
Having, in my younger days, served in the East Indies, I am no
stranger to the munificence of the Honourable Company; but this
generous act of their's to me so much surpasses all calculation of
gratitude, that I have only the power of saying that I receive it
with all respect. Give me leave, Sir, to thank you for your very
elegant and flattering letter, and to add, that I am, with the
greatest respect, your most obliged and obedient servant,
"Nelson."
Nor did this generous man, for whose just praise language must ever be
at a loss, rise from the table at which he had penned the above letter
of thanks, till his liberal soul, invited every dear relative in the
first degree to a kind participation of the bounty which he had just
received; by making out drafts, of five hundred pounds each, for his
venerable father--his elder brother, Maurice Nelson, Esq. of the Navy
Office--the Reverend Dr. Nelson, the present Earl--and his two most
amiable sisters, Mrs. Bolton and Mrs. Matcham: thus nobly disposing of a
fourth part of what he had so honourably acquired, in a way which must
ever reflect unfading glory on his memory, and no inconsiderable lustre
on the characters of those who were thought thus uniformly entitled to
the tender regards of such an exalted as well as kindred mind. It will
scarcely be supposed possible, that any human being could convert this
generous token of his lordship's affection and esteem for his family,
into a cause of violent complaint. There was one person, however, who
did complain on the occasion; and that with such piteous lamentations,
as absolutely induced his lordship's father, in whose house she was at
the same time residing, to decline accepting his portion of his son's
most honourable gift. The mention of this undoubted fact, has no other
object, than to demonstrate how very distant from a unity of sentiment,
in some important respects, Lady Nelson and her illustrious husband,
must necessarily have been; the unfortunate want of which, is ever
likely to occasion a proportionable degree of connubial infelicity, and
to account for all it's disagreeable consequences, without resorting to
grosser motives.
On the 6th of July, Captain Ball, who had been commanding at St. Elmo
with Captain Troubridge, was ordered by Lord Nelson to resume his
situation at Malta; for which place he accordingly sailed in the
Alexander, with the Portuguese ship Alfonso de Albequerque, and Captain
Peard in the Success.
During the siege of St. Elmo, many of the Neapolitans came out, every
day, in boats, to the British squadron; and the leaders of different
parties, with various views, but all affecting the strictest zeal and
most loyal attachment to their sovereign, paid congratulatory visits to
Lord Nelson and Sir William and Lady Hamilton: it was not, perhaps,
always possible to discover the insincere; but this illustrious
triumvirate, as they merit to be denominated, by their extreme
circumspection and address, made all of them conduce, whatever might
have been their original design, to the promotion of the royal cause.
Her ladyship, on these occasions, was eminently successful in
conciliating those who had entertained unjust prejudices against the
queen; and, by the well timed distribution of necklaces, ear-rings, and
other trinkets, among the most active of the female partisans, said to
be the gracious gifts of her majesty, who had not any present means of
more profusely showering her bounty on her beloved people, in which
assertion there was but little departure from truth, such an astonishing
progress was made in the attachments of them and their numerous
admirers, as would appear scarcely credible to those who are
unacquainted with the wonderful influence of the Neapolitan women.
On the 10th of July, his Sicilian Majesty, with his principal ministers,
arrived in the Bay of Naples; and went on board the Foudroyant, when his
royal standard was instantly hoisted. At the first notice of this event,
the Neapolitan royalists came out in prodigious numbers; and, rowing
round the ship, called, in the most affectionate manner, for a sight of
their beloved sovereign, under the denomination of their dear father.
"The effusions of loyalty," says Lord Nelson, in writing to Lord Keith
of this event, "from the lower order of the people to their _father_,
for by no other name do they address the king, is truly moving!" It was,
indeed, very affecting to hear them; and their transports of joy, on
beholding him, are not to be described. Every day, which their king
remained on board, did these loyal people continue to flock out;
crying--"Father! father! let us only see your face, and we will be
satisfied." It was truly pathetic to hear the generous creatures; and to
behold the amiable condescension of their worthy sovereign, who never
refused to indulge them with a sight of his person. From half past
twelve, however, the constant time of dining, till four in the
afternoon, when the king usually slept, the most profound silence was
preserved by the many anxious and impatient people with whom the
surrounding boats were crouded. If the smallest noise occurred, silence
was immediately insisted on--"Do you not know," they would softly, but
fiercely, say, "that our father is asleep? Would you dare to disturb
him?" Then, as the time of his awaking drew near, they generally asked
for their good mistress, the name by which they addressed Lady Hamilton;
requesting that she would kindly let them know when their father was
ready to see them. This, her ladyship never failed to do; and they
immediately resumed the eager and affecting cry of--"Father! father!"
&c. when the king instantly presented himself to their view, and often
spoke to them with the most consoling affability. The effect of Lady
Hamilton's continual presents and kind remembrances from her majesty,
soon occasioned them to make similar enquiries after their good mother,
the queen; and their dear children, the royal offspring--"When shall we
again behold our good mother? When shall we once more see our dear
children?" In such simple expressions of affectionate regard, did all
the humble classes of Neapolitans pour forth their effusions of loyal
attachment to their beloved sovereign; while the generality of those who
possessed titles of honour, seemed wholly destitute of it's principles.
"The conduct of the nobles," Lord Nelson remarked, in the letter above
noticed, "has been infamous; and it delights me, to see that his majesty
marks the difference in the most proper manner. It has been, and is, my
study, to treat his majesty with all the respect due to so great a
personage; and I have the pleasure to believe, that my humble endeavours
have met with the royal approbation."
The painful anxiety of the king, as he viewed the hostile flag on the
distant Castle of St. Elmo, feeling both for the besiegers and the
besieged, was excessive; but, when on the third day after his arrival,
it was visibly lowered, as he stood on the deck, with Lord Nelson and Sir
William and Lady Hamilton, he threw his arms round them in an extacy of
gratitude, and hailed those generous friends by the appellation of his
preservers and restorers.
In fact, the castle surrendered, on the 12th, by capitulation, after a
close siege of eight days, with open batteries; in which, the bravery of
Captain Troubridge, and the other British officers serving under him,
with a most heterogeneous army of British marines, and Russian,
Portuguese, Albanese, Calabrese, and Swiss troops, was eminently
conspicuous. The particulars of this siege, as well as it's success,
will appear in the following letter sent by Captain Troubridge to Lord
Nelson.
"Antignano, near St. Elmo,
July 13, 1799.
"MY LORD,
Agreeable to your lordship's orders, I landed with the English and
Portuguese marines of the fleet, on the 27th of June: and, after
embarking the garrisons of the castles of Ovo and Nuovo, composed
of French and rebels, I put a garrison in each; and, on the 29th,
took post against Fort St. Elmo, which I summoned to surrender.
But, the commandant being determined to stand a siege, we opened a
battery of three thirty-six pounders and four mortars, on the 3d
inst. within seven hundred yards of the fort; and, on the 5th,
another, of two thirty-six pounders. The Russians, under Captain
Buillie, opened another battery of four thirty-six pounders and
four mortars, against the opposite angle; intending to storm it, in
different places, as soon as we could make two practicable breaches
in the work. On the 6th, I added four more mortars: and, on the
11th, by incessant labour, we opened another battery of six
thirty-six pounders, within a hundred and eighty yards of the wall
of the garrison; and had another, of one eighteen pounder, and two
howitzers, at the same distance, nearly completed. After a few
hours cannonading from the last battery, the enemy displayed a flag
of truce, when our firing ceased; and, their guns being mostly
dismounted, and their works nearly destroyed, the inclosed terms of
capitulation were agreed to and signed.
"In performing this service, I feel much satisfaction in informing
your lordship, that I received every possible assistance from
Captain Ball, for the first seven days: when your lordship ordered
him on other service, and did me the honour to place Captain
Hallowell under my orders in his room; whose exertions and
abilities your lordship is acquainted with, and merit every
attention.
"Lieutenant-Colonel Strickland, Major Cresswell, and all the
officers of marines, and men, merit every praise I can bestow: as
does Antonio Saldineo de Gama, and the officers and men belonging
to her most faithful majesty the Queen of Portugal; their
readiness, on all occasions, does them great honour. The very
commanding situation of St. Elmo, rendered our approaches
difficult; or, I trust, it would have been reduced much sooner. The
ready acquiescence to all our demands, and the assistance received
from the Duc di Salandra, I beg, may be made known, by your
lordship, to his Sicilian Majesty.
"I feel myself also much indebted to Colonel Tschudy, for his great
zeal and exertions on all occasions.