telligence of the greatest importance to communicate to the French Government, respecting the distressed state of La Valetta, and which it is necessary, as far as it can be prevented, from being made known in France, it is my desire that you do not permit any of the said Officers to be exchanged, or sent to France, on any account, until you receive orders for their exchange from the Commander-in-Chief. I am, &c., BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE. TO ALEXANDER DAVISON, ESQ. [Letter-Book. This letter is particularly referred to in vol. iii. p. 510.] My dear Sir, Malta, 9th May, 1800. Mr. Fox having, in the House of Commons, in February, made an accusation against somebody, for what he calls a breach of a treaty with Rebels, which had been entered into with a British Officer; and having used language unbecoming either the wisdom of a Senator, or the politeness of a Gentleman, or an Englishman, who ought ever to suppose that His Majesty's Officers would always act with honour and openness in all their transactions; and as the whole affairs of the Kingdom of Naples were, at the time alluded to, absolutely placed in my hands, it is I who am called upon to explain my conduct and therefore send you my Observations, on the infamous Armistice entered into by the Cardinal; and on his refusal to send in a joint declaration to the French and Rebels, I sent in my Note, and on which the Rebels came out of the Castles, as they ought, and as I hope all those who are false to their King and Country will, to be hanged, or otherwise disposed of, as their Sovereign thought proper. The terms granted by Captain Foote of the Seahorse, at Castel-del-marc, were all strictly complied with, the Rebels having surrendered before my arrival. There has been nothing promised by a British Officer, that His Sicilian Majesty has not complied with, even in disobedience to his orders to the Cardinal. I am, &c., BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE. Show these papers to Mr. Rose, or some other; and, if thought right, you will put them in the papers. TO ALEXANDER DAVISON, ESQ. [Letter-Book.] My dear Davison, Malta, 9th May, 1800. When I laid claim to my right of Prize-money, as Commanding Admiral of the Mediterranean Fleet, I had not an idea of Lord St. Vincent attempting to lay in any claim, for I have ever considered him as far from attempting, notwithstanding any law opinion, to take away my undoubted property. I am confident it will be given up, the moment you show his Lordship my manner of thinking respecting the Nile prize-money. No lawyer in Europe can, I am confident, make either the Earl or myself do a dishonourable act, which this claim, if persisted in, would be; let my Earl lay his hand on his heart, and say, whether his Nelson, subject to all the responsibility of this command, is not entitled to the pittance of Prize-money-be it £5, or £50,000, it makes no difference. No Admiral ever yet received Prize-money, going for the benefit of his health from a Foreign station, and Lord St. Vincent was certainly not eligible to have given me any order till his return to this station; and so think the Board of Admiralty, by their directions to me of August 20th, and many subsequent ones, which would have passed through Lord St. Vincent, had they considered him eligible to give orders; but whether they did or not I could not have obeyed. I trust I shall hear no more of this business, which I blush to think should have been brought forward. I shall very soon see you in England, and ever believe me, my dear Davison, your obliged, BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE. TO ALEXANDER DAVISON, ESQ. [Letter-Book.] Should any person dispute my right to share Prize-money as Commander-in-Chief from the 17th August, when all my Senior Admirals had either struck their Flags, or were under the orders of other Admirals, their superiors, to the 30th of November following, in the year 1799, when Lord Keith returned to the Mediterranean station, I empower you, jointly with my Agents, Messrs. Marsh, Page, and Creed, or separately, as you please, to support my just and undoubted claim by due course of law; but as any claim for such Prizemoney is contrary to custom, I am confident no claim will be prosecuted by Lord St. Vincent. Given on board the Foudroyant, at Malta, May 9th, 1800. BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE. ANSWER TO MR. TUCKER'S STATEMENT, TRANSMITTED TO ALEXANDER DAVISON, ESQ., RESPECTING THE EARL OF ST. VINCENT'S SHARING PRIZE-MONEY, AS COMMANDER-INCHIEF ON THE MEDITERRANEAN STATION, WHILE HE WAS IN ENGLAND. [Letter Book.] 1st.-Mr. Tucker' says, the Earl St. Vincent had neither resigned or returned from the command of the Mediterranean station, but had come to England on leave from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, for the benefit of his health only: Answer.-Lord Nelson received a letter from Mr. Nepean, dated the 20th August 1799, stating, that as the Earl of St. Vincent had returned to England, and Lord Keith, with the other Flag-Officers, having quitted the Mediterranean station, in pursuit of the Enemy, Lord Nelson had become the Senior Officer of his Majesty's Ships there, and that he had all the important duties of the station to attend [to]; and proceeds to direct his Lordship's attention to the different points of the war, and of the operations to be carried on by the Squadron under his command. Lord Nelson considers this order alone to be sufficient to entitle him to share for all captures, as the Commander-in-Chief for the time being, as he had all the responsibility; and in no instance before, have Admirals Benjamin Tucker, Esq., for many years Private Secretary to Lord St. Vincent, afterwards Second Secretary to the Admiralty and Comptroller of the Treasurer's Accounts of the Navy, and father of Mr. Jedediah Tucker, mentioned in the Preface to the Second Volume. claimed to share when they left the station where they commanded, on account of ill health, or otherwise; and, as an instance, Lord Hood's going home for his health, as well as Lord Nelson, who were both retained in pay, but were not allowed to share any Prize-money; and in the case of Lord Hood and Admiral Hotham, there was no claim whatever made by Lord Hood, because neither him nor any Sea-Officer thought he could have a shadow of claim for such. 2nd. Mr. Tucker says, that after the arrival of the Earl of St. Vincent in England, he was borne and considered by the Admiralty, in every point of view, as the Commander-inChief, and corresponded with them as such until the 26th November, when he resigned the command: Answer.-If the Earl of St. Vincent was considered as Commander-in-Chief, as Mr. Tucker states him to be, why were not all the Admiralty orders sent to Lord Nelson addressed to the Earl of St. Vincent, as is usual, and by him transmitted to Lord Nelson ? On the contrary, all orders from the Admiralty were addressed to Lord Nelson, as the Commanding-Officer in the Mediterranean; and in no instance whatsoever did Lord Nelson receive any orders from the Earl of St. Vincent from the time he left the Mediterranean; and it is presumed that the Earl of St. Vincent did not interfere in the command, or give any orders or directions for the carrying on any service on the station. Answer to 3rd.'-With respect to the Alcmene being cruizing under the orders of the Earl of St. Vincent, and had not received any directions from any other Officer, this proves nothing, as though the orders from Lord Nelson did not reach the Alcmene before the capture of those prizes, yet orders were transmitted from Lord Nelson to Rear-Admiral Duckworth, to be forwarded as well to the Alcmene as the other ships on the Station, to put themselves under his Lordship's command; and if Lord Nelson had thought it proper, he was fully authorized to give orders to the Alcmene to cruize on any part of the station he might point out. Lord Nelson had it in his power to give directions to any of His Majesty's Ships on the station, in contradiction to any 1 The Third Statement does not occur in the Letter-Book orders given by the Earl of St. Vincent: on the contrary, the Earl of St. Vincent had it not in his power to give any orders in contradiction of those given by Lord Nelson, until his return within the limits of the Mediterranean Station. BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE. TO VICE-ADMIRAL LORD KEITH, K.B. [Letter Book.] My Lord, Foudroyant, Malta, 10th May, 1800. I have received your Lordship's letter of the 3rd April, conveying intelligence from Mahon of the intended sailing of the Spanish ships, with quicksilver, from Palermo for Spain.' Your Lordship's information is perfectly correct; for the Spanish Admiral is arrived, and I have given directions, in case of their preparing to leave that Port, to send Expressboats in all directions, to give the necessary information for their being pursued, and have also written to Mahon on the subject. I have the honour to be, &c., BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE. Sir, TO EVAN NEPEAN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Letter-Book.] Foudroyant, Malta, May 12th, 1800. I have the pleasure to send you, and to request you will present it to their Lordships, the Flag of the last of the French Squadron who fought at the Battle of the Nile, on the entire destruction of which I most cordially congratulate their Lordships. This Flag has been presented to me in the most flattering manner by the gallant Captors of the William Tell. I have the honour to be, &c., BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE. These Ships succeeded in escaping from Palermo. |