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tinguished merit, and therefore highly worthy of your notice. He will tell you of all my arduous work in this Country, and that all my anxiety is at present taken up with the desire of possessing Malta. But I fear, notwithstanding all my exertions, that I shall not get any British troops from Minorca, without which the business will be prolonged, perhaps till it is relieved, when all the force we can collect would be of little use against the strongest place in Europe. I am anxiously waiting the arrival of General Fox, and hope he will not consider the order for the removal of one or two Regiments, of such great consequence as the reduction of Malta, by keeping them for two months longer in the Mediterranean. On the one hand, they must, in England, or on the Continent, be like a drop of water in the ocean. By staying here, and employed, they would liberate us from our Enemy close to our door, gratify the Emperor of Russia, protect our Levant trade, and relieve a Squadron of our Ships from this service; besides giving us one 80-gun Ship, two 40-gun Frigates, a Maltese new Ship of the Line ready for sea, and two Frigates. With these in the scale, I cannot comprehend that a moment can be lost in deciding; but, Sir, I find few think as I do-but to obey orders is all perfection! To serve my King, and to destroy the French, I consider as the great order of all, from which little ones spring; and if one of these little ones militate against it, (for, who can tell exactly at a distance?) I go back to obey the great order and object, to down, down with the damned French villains. Excuse my warmth; but my blood boils at the name of a Frenchman. I hate them all-Royalists and Republicans.

My late letters from Egypt are, that Sir Sidney Smith is hurt at the notorious cowardice and want of discipline in the Turkish army, and I find that General Koehler' does not approve of such irregular proceedings as Naval Officers attacking and defending Fortifications. We have but one idea -to get close alongside. None but a sailor would have placed a battery only a hundred and eighty yards from the Castle of St. Elmo; a soldier must have gone according to art, and the ZZ way; my brave Sir Thomas Troubridge went straight, for

• Vide vol. i. P. 375.

we had no time to spare. Your Royal Highness will not believe that I mean to lessen the conduct of the Army; I have the highest respect for them all; but General Koehler should not have wrote such a paragraph in his letter: it conveyed a jealousy, which I dare say is not in his disposition.

May health and every blessing attend your Royal Highness is the constant prayer of your attached and obliged servant, BRONTE NELSON.

Sir,

TO EVAN NEPEAN, ESQ., ADMIRALTY.

[Original, in the Admiralty.]

Palermo, November 10th, 1799.

Yesterday the Vincejo Brig, who I had sent to look into Toulon on the 16th, joined me with an account that the two Venetian Ships armée en flute, two Frigates and two Corvettes sailed from Toulon on the 16th, in the evening, loaded with provisions; and that the Généreux and three Frigates, one the Ettiani [?] of 56 guns, were ready for sea. As Captain Long judged Malta their object, he made sail for that Island and gave the Marquis de Niza that information. As I have placed for the moment nine Sail of the Line, one Frigate, and three Corvettes in the track to that Island, I hope they cannot relieve it; for if they do, we shall have all to begin again, and I believe worse, for we shall be drove off the Island; but it has been no fault of the Navy that it has not been attacked by land, but we have neither the means ourselves, or the influence with others who have the power.

Reports say the Ships are put into Ville Franche. I have sent the Penelope to look after them, for she is the only Frigate I have really fit to go to sea (besides the Phaeton at Constantinople.) The Russians are supposed to have a Squadron on the Coast of Genoa, but I cannot depend, nor would I have their Lordships, on any operations but by English Ships. Marquis de Niza will be forced to quit his station in a week, for his Squadron cannot keep the sea like ours. I assure their Lordships nothing shall be wanting on my part to get hold of these gentry, and I am sure of the exertion of all under my command. I am, &c.,

NELSON.

TO SIR THOMAS TROUBRIDGE, BART., OR THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF HIS MAJESTY'S SHIPS AT MINORCA.

My dear Troubridge,

[Letter-Book.]

Palermo, November 10th, 1799.

The miserable situation of the Minotaur makes it absolutely necessary for her to go to Minorca to re-fit, and it must be done in the best manner we are able, but should it be impossible to re-fit her there, she must go to Gibraltar without loss of time; and when re-fitted, join me as soon as possible, unless Admiral Duckworth should require her services down the Mediterranean. I am almost in desperation about Malta. If our General cannot help us nor the Russians, I see only that we must abandon the Island, and confine ourselves to a seablockade. I am anxious to see you here, that you may relieve Niza and the Portuguese, for they must come away. Ever yours faithfully,

BRONTE NELSON.

TO THE MARQUIS DE NIZA.

[Letter-Book.]

My dear Marquis,

Palermo, 11th November, 1799.

I am afraid the French Ships are put into Ville Franche, and will not as yet come to pay you a visit. If they do, I have no doubt but you will take them all. I send you the Princess Charlotte; she may be of some use, although not to be calculated as an English-manned Frigate. I am wanting the Foudroyant very much, therefore, if she has not left you before this letter gets to you, pray send her to me. I expect the Russian Admiral's answer every moment, but I beg you will not draw a man from the Island till you have my directions. Ever believe me, my dear Marquis, your sincere and faithful friend,

BRONTE NELSON.

VOL. IV.

H

f

TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD MINTO.

[Autograph, in the Minto Papers.]

My dear Lord,

Palermo, November 11th, 1799.

I beg leave to introduce my friend Captain Hardy to your notice; he was Lieutenant with Cockburn in the Meleager and Minerve. He will tell you precisely our state here. When you have read the letters, be so good as to direct their being sealed and delivered to Captain Hardy. I am all anxiety about Malta; I want the Army to help me, but I cannot yet succeed. Pray tell me if I can do anything for you here; if so, you have only to command, for believe me, as ever, your attached and affectionate friend,

BRONTE NELSON.

You will know the Goliath is sailed for England; George,' a thorough seaman, and perfectly well.

TO MAJOR-GENERAL SIR JAMES ST. CLAIR ERSKINE, BART.

[From a Copy in the Admiralty.]

My dear Sir James,

Palermo, November 12th, 1799.

I am uneasy at not having yet had answers to my last letter of October 26th by the Salamine; therefore I must in duty again state the very great importance of driving the French out of Malta, and endeavour to impress my opinion by such arguments as offer themselves to my mind. I consider the great order of all (implied by the commencement of the war) is to destroy the power of the French: to accomplish this in the quietest and easiest way, is the object of all lesser orders; and if it can be proved that a breach of the lesser order is a more strict compliance with the former, then there can be no doubt of the duty of the breach of the lesser order.

The present Honourable Rear-Admiral George Eliott, C.B.

• Addressed to Sir James St. Clair Erskine, but it came to the hands of General the Hon. Henry Fox, who had arrived at Minorca in the interim, and taken the command of the troops.

I will suppose two Regiments ordered to England from Minorca,―certainly they not knowing of the important object of possessing Malta to us and our Allies, and probably believing, from reports, that La Valetta would fall to the present force employed against it,—the detaining these two Regiments for two months would probably, with the assistance of the Russians, give us Malta, liberate us from an Enemy close to our door, gratify the Emperor of Russia, protect our Levant trade, relieve a large Squadron of Ships from this service, and enable me the better to afford Naval protection to the Island of Minorca, and assist our Allies on the Northern coast of Italy, and to annoy the Enemy on the Coast of France. It would give us one 80-gun Ship, two 40-gun Frigates, French, besides a new Maltese 70-gun Ship and two Frigates, all ready for sea. With these in the scale against sending away the two Regiments, can there be a doubt as to the propriety of keeping them a little longer? In England or on the Continent, they would be like a drop of water in the ocean, and here they would be of the importance I have pointed out. I earnestly hope that you and General Fox will see the object in the same way as I do; if unhappily you do not, nor can allow the garrison of Messina to hold post in Malta till a force can be got to attack it, the worst consequences may be apprehended to our trade and that of our Allies. I have not yet received answers from the Russian Admiral and General at Naples. The weather has been so very bad. God forbid we should be obliged to give up the idea of taking La Valetta, only the thought of it almost breaks my heart.

I have so many Ships looking out for the Ships which sailed from Toulon the 16th October, that I do not think they can easily get to Malta. I beg that this letter, if General Fox is with you, may be considered as addressed to him as yourself; and ever believe me, with great truth and regard, your obliged friend,

NELSON.

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