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Close in pursuit of the Ça Ira stood Nelson in the Agamemnon, unsupported by any line-of-battle ship within many miles. Rapidly he neared his enemy, and for a time received their well-aimed stern-guns without a shot in return. But the time was rapidly approaching for his reply. When within a hundred yards of her stern, he brought his ship round suddenly, and poured his whole broadside along his opponent's decks; again he braced up his yards, put his helm a-port, and stood after his adversary until again near enough to repeat the manœuvre, which turned all his force on his opponent without giving him a chance of aiming a single gun of his side-batteries against him. Rapidly Nelson's fire began to tell, when the French frigate brought the Ça Ira round and joined her in opposing broadsides with the Agamemnon; within half pistol shot Nelson

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passed the enemy, and then wore round to reengage; but now the rest of the enemy's ships were bearing down, and the signal for recal was flying from the British admiral. In obedience to his orders Nelson bore away, utterly un

scathed by the distant fire which the enemy poured after him: crippled he was indeed in rigging and sails, for the French had elevated their guns for distant action, but his losses in lives were trifling; six only of his men were hurt, and these only wounded; here and there was a shot in his hull; whilst the Ça Ira numbered 110 lost, and was so crippled as to be unable to get up a topmast during the ensuing night.

Day-break on the following day saw the body of the French fleet more than five miles distant from the British squadron, whilst the Ça Ira and her consort, the Censeur, a seventy-four, were hardly three miles and a half distant. An immediate attempt on the part of the British to cut off the sternmost ships, and on that of their opponents to rescue them, brought on a partial action. Once more the Agamemnon was engaged with her old antagonist on one side, and the Censeur on the other, whilst other ships of the squadron endeavoured to bring the other French ships to closer action. Long and gallantly the French ships fought, and not until nearly 700 men had fallen did they strike their flags to their gallant and persevering antagonist. No sooner were the conquered ships taken possession of by Nelson, than he counselled Admiral Hotham to leave them to the care of our frigates and a couple of half crippled line-ofbattle ships, whilst the rest of the fleet followed up their advantage. That steady conviction which Nelson felt, and which arose solely out of a determination, on which he knew he could rely, to seize the occasion whensoever it presented itself, was very foreign to Admiral Hotham's mind

"we must be contented-we have done very well," was Hotham's cautious reply. To Nelson such conduct was wormwood. He never experienced what hesitation or timidity was, or suffered his opportunity to pass away from any apprehension of the consequences. It was all in vain that Admiral Goodall backed his advice. Hotham was content, and Nelson could only expend his feelings in bitter letters, in which he wished for the command of that fleet but for one day, sure that either the French fleet should have graced his triumph, or he himself have been in a scrape and declared to his wife, "that had he taken ten sail and let the eleventh escape, when it was possible to have taken her, he could never have called it well done." The

spirit that conquered at the Nile and Trafalgar burned within him, and could not be controlled.

The good effect of Admiral Hotham's action was merely temporary. Corsica was saved for the time, but so neglected was our Mediterranean fleet, and so powerfully reinforced that of the enemy, that the passage of our transports was perilled, and their escape from capture regarded as purely providential. Some strange economical infatuation at home at that time endangered the English naval power in the Mediterranean, and completely prevented it from rendering that substantial assistance to the Austrian and Italian armies, that might have checked at its outbreak the successes of the republican armies; at last a squadron arrived from England, and the superiority of the naval forces enabled Admiral Hotham to detach Nelson to the assistance of the Austrians on the Riviera of Genoa.

Now honoured with the lucrative post of colonel of marines, an honourable sinecure, at that time given to four deserving post captains, and now commuted into the good service pension, Nelson sailed early in July for his new command, with eight frigates of various sizes under his orders. Hardly had he left his fleet, ere chance threw him in the way of the entire French fleet, and a long and dangerous chase of seven hours off Cape del Mele, forced him to put in force every tactic he knew, and drove him to return to the English fleet at St. Fiorenzo. It was near evening before he was quite safe and the French drew off from the shore; all that night Admiral Hotham laboured to work his fleet out and pursue the enemy; for four days the pursuit continued, a partial action occupied the fifth day, but the baffling winds prevented any close engagement, and the destruction of the Alcide seventy-four by an accidental explosion, was the only consequence of the laborious pursuit.

Once more, on the 15th of July, Nelson sailed for Genoa, hoisting a commodore's broad pendant, with a captain under him. No longer molested, he soon arrived at his destination, and applied his mind and his resources to crippling the French garrisons in the Genoese territory, and aiding the sluggish Austrians in their manœuvres. Though actually garrisoned and entirely ruled by the French, the Genoese still pretended to a national existence, and claimed to be treated as neutrals, in order to obtain

the advantage of carrying supplies to the French armies. Through this shallow pretext Nelson saw at once, and on his own responsibility treated all supply ships as enemies, boldly seizing and confiscating them wherever they fell in his way. Nor was the commodore less energetic with regard to the system established by our admiralty, of directing a specification of a neutral's cargo to be sent to them before any process of condemnation was instituted. With corn captures, which were his chief captures, this was destruction. Nelson therefore instituted local prize agents, made them sell the ships and cargoes forthwith, and hold the proceeds until the admiralty chose to decide on the matter of condemnation. Thus he at once saved himself and his captains from actions for damages in cases of release, and secured the value of every condemnation in full for his laborious seamates.

The Brigadier, as Nelson was called, from his land service in Corsica, did his best to spur on the Austrian general to active measures. He admitted that De Vins, the then commander, was a good soldier and willing to do his best, but he could not but see that the political orders of his masters tied the general's hands, and regarded our power of threatening to withdraw our subsidy, as the only means of putting the Italian army in motion. Until June, 1796, Nelson was in attendance on the Austrian army with little good effect. It was in vain that he constantly offered to transport troops for expeditions and diversions, and even prepared for them; no sooner did the day come, than an excuse came instead of the troops, and then immediately that the commodore was absent on some blockading expedition, another demand came for assistance, only to be followed by another delay. The closeness of his blockade harassed the enemy, and did somewhat to aid his sluggish allies; but the let-well-alone system of Admiral Hotham, prevented his following up and destroying an immense fleet of transports and their convoy that had taken refuge in the Bay of Alassio. Close upon this disappointment followed the defeat of De Vins, and Nelson sailed with his crippled ship to refit at Leghorn.

On the arrival of Sir John Jervis as commander-inchief, Nelson rejoined the fleet in Fiorenzo bay, having made the old Agamemnon as serviceable as her state, and

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the condition of the dockyard at Leghorn, would allow. Information and advice from Nelson were immediately sought by the new commander, who pressed him to change his ship and remain under his flag, as he could not spare him whether as captain or as admiral. That Nelson would, as before, be left to act very much on his own judgment, was soon apparent, and not a little envy was caused by the manner in which he was received by Sir John Jervis. "You did just as you pleased," grumbled one captain in the fleet, "in Lord Hood's time, the same in Admiral Hotham's, and now again with Sir John Jervis; it makes no difference to you who is commander-in-chief."

With very full powers, Nelson returned to his station off the Genoese coast, and did his best to make the Austrians act with an energy equivalent to the numbers of their forces. Beaulieu, who had succeeded De Vins, made a show of action, and apparent intention of acting on Nelson's advice in securing Port Especia, whilst the English fleet took possession of Vado bay. But all was mere show, day after day the plans were changed, and new places for the fleet suggested, and in vain agreed to by Nelson. The danger to which the squadron would be subjected in any other bay than that of Vado, was suggested by the Austrian, and in vain treated with contempt by Nelson, and met with the assurance that the admiral would replace any injured ships. Still the Austrian talked and planned until, like a thunderbolt, Bonaparte dashed into the middle of his position, routed him at Montenotte, and in a fortnight dictated submission in the Sardinian capital. From this time Nelson's co-operation with the Austrian army was useless, and his labours confined to intercepting the French coasting fleets that frequently baffled his endeavours, being enabled to creep close along the shore in water too shallow for his vessels of war. One capture of importance was made, in seizing some heavy artillery on its way to the lines before Mantua, which for a time prevented the continuance of the siege. Among the contents were the regimentals and clothing of an officer of artillery; these Nelson returned to their owner, deeming them not a lawful prize.

Shifting his flag from the crippled Agamemnon to the Captain, Nelson sailed for Leghorn, closely blockaded that

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