SPECTATOR'S LIBRARY.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY,

The Dispatches and Letters or Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson. With Notes, by Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas, G.C.M.G. The Second Volume-1795 to 1797.

FICTION, Colbvrn. The ImprovIsatore ; or Life in Italy. From the Danish of Hans Christian Andersen.

Translated by Mary Howltt. In two volumes Bentley- TRAVELS.

A. Hot-Water Cure, Sought out In Germany, in the Summer of 1844. The Journal of a Patient.. Saunders and Otley.

THE NELSON DISPATCHES.

Us second volume of this valuable work commences with January 1795, and closes in December 1797; when Admiral Nelson—having recovered the loss of his arm at Teneriffe, been invested with the order of the Bath by the hands of George the Third, and received for his services a pension of a thousand a year—was preparing to embark in the Vanguard, pre- paratory, as it turned out, to fight the battle of the Nile. For nearly the whole of the time embraced in the volume, Nelson was actively employed in blockading Italian ports of which the French had got possession ; en- deavouring to stop the French coasting-trade along the Mediterranean ; and trying to assist our allies, the Austrians, till the battle of Montenotte drove them from the coast. The great engagement off Cape St. Vincent of course falls into the year 1797 ; but there is little upon it from the pen of Nelson. The account of the repulse at Teneriffe is very full ; yet, somehow, it does not present that clear idea of the principles of the whole, which it really seems a hero cannot convey, at least when describing his own exploits. A few pages contain the correspondence of Nelson after his arrival in England in September, till his preparations for embarking in the following December.

Occasionally, letters may be picked out, that, having been written in a hurry, are somewhat confused in the structure of their sentences; but advancing years, more responsible command, and growing reputation, have given to the collection a greater force of style and decision of cha- racter than was visible in the former volume, without in the least de- tracting from their warmth and nature. Their transparency is indeed remarkable: it is visible at a glance that we not only have the entire views and thoughts of the man, but his feelings too. Some of his official letters, in reply to charges of violating the neutrality of Genoa, must have startled " the pretty gentlemen " in the offices at home, by their plainness of speech; and they are of that " unguarded" kind that few men would have written even privately. Still, their evident truth, or rather the evident truth of the writer, (for we think the case might be stated better by stripping it of the commentaries,) overcame even the diplomatists at the Foreign Office; and Lord Grenville distils a reply of satisfaction. In the discussion respecting the battle of St. Vincent, which originated with Sir William Parker, as to the proceedings of Sir William's 'own ship, Nelson appears to have been advised to waive controversy. But he does it awkwardly, and cannot refrain from one truth.

"TO REAR-ADMIRAL WILLIAM PARKER.

Angust 1797.

" Dear Sir—I must acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 25th July; and after declaring that I know nothing of the Prin, George till she was hailed from the forecastle of the San Nicolas, it is impossible I can enter into the sub- ject of your letter. " I am, &c. Horuvrio Nzraorr." It is this transparency that gives such value to the correspondence, not merely as a chronicle of the seaman and the officer, but of the man. As Nelson during eleven-twelfths of the period embraced in this volume was engaged on active service afloat, and constantly corresponding with his commanding officers, the diplomatists in the Mediterranean, or his naval friends, we have the fullest account of his actions, his plans, and his opinions upon men and things at home and abroad ; whilst with his family and private friends he had no other means of communication than by letter. Hence, in his correspondence we have his autobiography as completely as it is possible to conceive an autobiography to be : for if it appears in an .informal shape, it also wants the softening touches which time enables the artist to give, as well as the reflective suppressions of weakness or vanity that rise up in moments of irritation and disappoint- ment. In this point of view, enough, and more than enough, is given to slow the hero's simple tastes, domestic habits, family affections, and total disregard of pomp. It is, however, a matter for national regret that this correspondence is not so complete as it might have been. The letters intrusted to Clarke and M'Arthur seem lost beyond recovery. Judging from the tenour of the Duke of Clarence's replies, his late Majesty had some of a valuable character, which are not in existence, or not available. But it seems strange that persons having letters of this national hero should refuse the use of them for what may be considered a national undertaking. The worst sinner on this dog-in-the- manger principle.is the liberal Lord Spencer. He seems to admit that he has letters, but says they would be of no use to Sir Harris Nicolas ; though the essence of this work is to publish every thing, no matter how trivial. The more valuable collection of the great Lord St. Vincent is unavailable, from causes which are not very clearly explained. Sir William Parker, the legal owner, says he has not the possession of them, nor has he read them; and though he professes a desire to assist in the undertaking of Sir Harris, it seems very doubtful whether they are likely to be forthcoming. Mr. Tucker, the author of a Life of Earl St. Vincent, appears to have the holding of them • and when he was applied to, before the application to Sir William Parker, he gave a discouraging answer, in uncouth language— "Mr. Jedediah Tucker's reply, in October last, stated that he was unable to inform him [Sir Harris] of the address of any relative of Lord St. Vincent who may have letters from Lord Nelson, except Sir William Parker; neither can Mr. Tucker place the letters he may possess from Lord Nelson in Sir Harris Nicholas's hands, for Mr. Tucker does not think it advisable that Sir Harris Nicholas should publish them. Attention is given to the state in which the Letter from Lord St. Vincent appear, and should it be thought expedient to take any reps, the

proper ones be resorted to: "

Mr. Tucker may contemplate some use of the letters if he thinks of a new edition of the Memoirs of the Earl of St:Vincent such as we sug- gested in our notice of the book ; but he surely could have said 80 : and even if he does, their publication in the present work would not inter- fere with that intention, or injure it iii any degree ; for the merit of great works is not affected by such trifles, whatever mercenary Wok- makers may fancy. The real public obstacle in this case, however, is Sir William Parker ; for he is the responsible custodier.

Besides the autobiographical and nautical attraction in the Nelson Dis- patches, many readers will find an interest of another kind in the day- by-day reports and speculations of Nelson on the latter period of the Revolutionary war, and the first appearance of Napoleon as a commander. It is curious to sec in how matter-of-fact a way things are regarded close at hand. Montenotte now looks as the day-star of the imperial adven- turer : he himself exultingly exclaimed upon it, " Hannibal forced the Alps, and we have turned them " : yet, writing on the spot and within ear-shot of the guns, Nelson mentions it as an affair which he hoped would soon be retrieved ; and he seems constantly to have looked for a check to Bonaparte throughout the campaign. His frequent passing remarks and instances of the neglectful manner in which Pitt carried on the war, or allowed his subordinates to neglect it, upon the plainest points, are good evidence of the Heaven-born Minister's capability as a mere administrative war minister ; whilst it also seems tolerably clear that he had no plan whatever, but changed his schemes bit by bit aceord- ing to the last report. The facts and opinions respecting Continental alliances are even more valuable, because they contain a practical as well as an historical conclusion. Taking the evidence contained in the writings of three of our greatest commanders, Marlborough, Nelson, and Wellington, we infer that alliances for active operations should be the exception, not the rule.. In all Continental wars, it stands to reason that the Con- tinental powers have the most at stake ; and if they will not adopt the measures necessary to defend their country, it is not our business to med- dle. It is probably not saying too much of the wars of Queen Anne, that France would have given up at first what she gave up at last. It is quite certain that the blood and treasure squandered by us upon the Continent in subsidizing Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and endeavouring to effect revolutions for the houses of Nassau and Bourbon, had not the slightest effect in forwarding those objects, in saving the countries from Revolu- tionary and Imperial devastation, or in contributing towards the downfall of Napoleon. That was brought about by the certain injury which the first great check was likely to entail upon his army through his principle of war, and the burning hatred which French oppression and French am- bition had excited throughout the Teutonic and Sclavonic nations,— things that would have happened had we never sent a man or a guinea to the Germanic and Northern Powers. The war of the Peninsula was based upon another principle. The first and foremost object of Welling- ton was to keep the battle from our own doors. "So long as we are in Portugal," he argued, " the French can hardly conquer the Peninsula and while that is 'the case, they will not be at leisure to attempt an'inj vasion of England. It is as cheap, and much more agreeable, to make Portugal a battle-field, instead of waiting for it in Great Britain : in the mean time, we shall turn this essentially defensive into an offensive war on the first opportunity." There was also this further difference : Por- tugal was as much a province as an ally ; by money and management, we, to a certain extent, disposed of the resources of the country accord- ing to our own judgment ; whilst even in Spain the fundamental base cs our strategy was not so much Spanish cooperation as Spanish diversion. The conclusions from these facts would seem to be, that one of three conditions ought to be found in a Continental alliance for joint opera- lions-1. To hold a defensible country to divert the war from home : 2. When from the character of the executive or any other circumstances we can exercise a considerable control over the allied power,' (of course pay ing for it,) or when our offensive operations may be carried on to a great extent independently of our allies: 3. When the feelings and passions are so roused as to impel nations and their rulers to a vigorous action and a definite end, as was the case in the two last campaigns against Napoleon ; and this frame of mind will not be produced till after a hard experience. We saw in Malmesbury that the armies on the Rhine were rather inclined than otherwise to the cause of the French Revolu- tionists ; and nothing but the freedoms of the friends of "liberty, equa- lity, and fraternity, would shake that opinion. The following are some of Nelson's opinions on Continental allianCes, with sketches of the Austrians in Italy.

NELSON ON FOREIGNERS.

The campaign of our allies, the Austrians and Piedmontese, is, I suppose, almost over; not-that I am in the secret when it commenced. My situation with this army has convinced me, by ocular demonstration, of the futility of Continental alliances. The conduct of the Court of Vienna, 'whatever may be said by the House of Commons to the contrary, is nothing but deception: I am certain, if it appears to that court to be their interest to make peace with France, it will be instantly done. What is Austria better than Prussia, or rue versa? In one respect, Prussia per- haps may be better than Austria—the moment he got our money he finished the farce. Austria, I fear, may induce us to give her more; for to a certainty she will not carry on another campaign without more money. But it appears to me, that the continuance or cessation of the war depends entirely on the French nation themselves: it will now be seen whether they are willing to receive and join the Count d'Artois, and have Royalty, or if they oppose him, that they are determined to be a Republic. If the first, at hus moment of writing all must be nearly finished: it they destroy the emigrants landed at Charente, it is clear the French nation wish to be a Republic, and the best thing we can do is to make the best and quickest peace we can: the landing the emigrants is our last trial; and if that fail, we have done our utmost to place Louis upon the throne. To me, I own, all Frenchmen are alike: I despise them all. They are (even those who are fed by us) false and treacherous: even Louis XVIII. receives our money and will" not follow our advice and keep up the dignity of the King of France at Verona. - You will have heard of the Austrians being defeated on the coast of Genoa, and a part of the defeat attributed to a want of a sufficient naval force. However, on inquiry, things may turn out., I have still had the good fortune, individually, to meet with approbation from our Ministers and the Generals. dur Adminds will have, I believe, much to answer for in not giving me that force which I so re- peatedly called for, and for at last leaving me with Agamemnon alone.

BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AUSTRIANS, AND FRENCH: 1795.

I was put in a cleft stick : if I quitted where I was at anchor, the French would have landed in the rear of the Austrian army, and the total defeat of that army must have been the consequence: if I remained at anchor, the enemy's gun-boats in the general attack would harass the left wing of the Austrian army. Much against my inclination, I took the plan of laying quiet, instead of attacking their gun-boats: and most &innate it has been for the army I did so, for eight or ten thousand men made their escape by the road I protected, and among others, General de Arms himself. The Austrians will make the most of a want of naval force for all purposes. Admiral Hotham kept my squadron too small for its duty; and the moment SirHyde took the command of the fleet he reduced it to nothing— only one frigate and a brig; whereas I demanded two seventy-four gun-ships and eight or ten frigates and sloops, to insure safety to the army. However, on in- quiry, which I trust and sincerely hope will take place on my own account, it will turn out that the centre and right wing gave way, and that, although it must have been very unpleasant to have a number of gun-boats firing on them, the left was the only part that was not defeated, but retreated in a body; whereas the others fled. General de Vins, from ill health, as he says,gave up the command in the middle of the battle; and from that moment not a soldier stayed in his post; and many, thousands ran away who had never seen the enemy—some of them thirty miles from the advanced posts. So much for my history. I tremble at your account of want of bread for our poor. Pray God send us peace. We have established the French Republic; which, but for us, I verily be- lieve would never have been settled by such a volatile, changeable people. 1 hate a Frenchman. They are equally objects of my detestation, whether Royalist or Republicans; in some pt its, I believe, the latter are best,

• • • •

I have had letters from my poor Lieutenants and Midshipmen, [taken on shore,] telling me that few of the French soldiers are more than twenty-three or twenty-four years old; a great many do not exceed fourteen years, all without clothes: and my officers add, they are sure my barge's crew would have beat a hundred of them, and that, had 1 seen them, I should not have thought, if the world had been covered with such people, that they could have beat the Austrian army. The oldest officers say they never heard of so complete a defeat, and certainly without any reason.

Among the various family archives that have contributed to the value of the present work, the Minto papers deserve mention, from the number and interest of the letters, written to Sir Gilbert Elliot, Viceroy of Cor- sica. The following contains some curious traits of Napoleon at Leg- horn : he certainly does look like a Sans-culotte with his head turned by success.

" June 30th.—Giovanni Neri came on board at daylight, and Macevena (one of the people employed by Mr. Udney) with him. Last night, Buonaparte set off with all the cavalry. * • • The troops which are at Leghorn and on their march was 15,000 men; all but 3,000 are retiring: the first act of the French was to shut the gates. Buonaparte, on his arrival at the Mole battery, told the officer commanding there to fire on the English; and on the officer saying he had no orders, he struck him on the breast, and called him a scoundrel. The first order was, that if any communication was held with the English shipping in the road, the people concerned would be shot; the next was, that every person who had or knew of any effects belonging to the Elglish, and did not directly reveal the same, would suffer death. An order was given for every house to deliver up their arms; and afterwards they were searched by the French soldiers. All spare mattresses were taken for the French soldiers, who live in tits great etreet and sleep there; and it is ordered to be lighted every night: not a shop is opened, nor a thing brought to market, but the French help themselves. • • • • It is also said that the Governor of Leghorn said, I thought you came as friends, but I find you are enemies; and as that is the case I wish to go to Florence.' bn this, Buonaparte called him a Neapolitan scoundrel, a maccaroni-eater. &c. &c.; and said,' I will send you to Florence'; which he did, as a prisoner."

_But. for Nelson's transparency of character, and the fact that he was writing to his wife, the following might be held to betray vanity.

NELSON ON HIMSELF.

2d August 1796.

Had all my actions, my, dearest Fanny, been gazetted, not one fortnight would have passed during the whole war without a letter from me: one day or other I will have a long gazette to myself; I feel that such an opportunity will be given me. I cannot., if I am in the field for glory, be kept out of sight Probably my services may be forgotten by the great by the time I get home; but my mind will not forget, nor cease to feel, a degree of consolation and of applause superior to undeserved rewards. Wherever there is anything to be done, them Providence is sure to direct my steps. Credit must be given me in spite of envy. Even the French respect me: their Minister at Genoa, in answering a note of mine when returning some wearing apparel that had been taken, said, "Your nation, Sir, and mine are made to show examples of generosity as well as of valour to all the people of the earth." The following is a copy of the note I had sent him. Twill also relate another anecdote, all vanity to myself, but you will partake of it • A person sent me a letter, and directed as follows, " Horatio Nelson, Genoa." On being asked how he could direct in such a manner, his answer, in a large , was, " Sir, there is but one Horatio Nelson in the world." The letter cer- tainly came immediately. At Genoa, where I have stopped all their trade, I am beloved and respected both by the Senate and lower order. If any man is fearful of his vessel being stopped, he comes and asks me; if I give him a paper, or say " All is right," he is contented. I am known throughout Italy; not a kingdom or state where my name will be forgotten. This is my gazette.

• REASONS FOR WAR.

The Dey's Lord of the Bedchamber, or some such great man, has been on board my ship: he was highly pleased with my entertainment of him, and de- clared he would supply us with bullocks of 600 pounds each for ten Spanish dol- lars. He was never tired of looking about him.

I must relate an anecdote: I asked him why he would not make peace with the Genoese and Neapolitans, for they would pay the Dey ? His answer was, " If we make peace with every one, what is the Dey to do with his ships?" What a reason for carrying on a naval war?—but has our Minister a better one, for the present?

NELSON'S POLITICS.

Agamemnon, Vado Bay, 6th November-1795. Dear Sir—I have just received your letter of the 29th September, and will be open and sincere in my declaration, that I will not attempt to conic into Parlia- ment but in support of the real Whig interest—I mean the Portland interest; and I must know that those .principles are truly acceptable to that party which you conceive would give me its support.

Lady Berry has contributed several valuable letters, and much in- formation respecting Lady Nelson. The occasion of the following ex- plains itself; and exhibits the sportive humour of the Admiral.

TO CAPTAIN BERRY, R.N., DIL FORSTKR's, NORWICH. Secret, except to Dr. Forster_and

lith.Deoember [1797].

My dear Ear--If you mean to marry, I would recommend your doing it speedily, or the to be Mrs. Berry will have very little of our company; for I am well, and you may expect to be called for every hour. We shall gohably be at sea before the Foudroyant is launched. Our ship is at Chatham, a seventy-four, and she will be choicely manned. This may not happen, but it stands so today. Ever yours most faithfully, Honario NELSON.

The following shows the industry with which Sir Harris Nicolas has ferreted out manuscripts, as well as the care with which they have been preserved. It is an interesting trait, from the certainty that it was done in good feeling and good faith.

THANKSGIVING IN ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH, HANOVER SQUARE, LONDON.

[This most interesting paper is taken from a fac-simile which was In the possession of the family of the Reverend Mr. GrevUle, then minister of St. George's, Hanover Square.] " 8th December 1797.

" An officer desires to return thanks to Almighty God for his perfect recovery from a severe wound, and also for the many mercies bestowed upon him. " [For next Sunday.]* SOLICITING A FAVOUR.

To the Right Honourable the Lord Chancellor.

141 Bond Street, 12th October 1797.

My Lord—In addressing a letter to you, some persons may think me wrong, and that I ought to have chosen the interference of a friend; but feeling a con- viction that if what I have to ask is proper for your Lordship to grant, that I re- quire, on the present occasion, no interest but your own opinion of my endeavours to serve the state. I therefore enclose my request;' which, if your Lordship has the goodness to comply with, will be a small provision for the youngest son of my venerable father, and a lasting obligation conferred upon Your most obedient servant, Honterio Nutaore.

• Note by Sir Harris Nicolas.—To give his youngest brother, the Reverend Suckling Nelson, one of the livings held by his father, on his father's resignation of U. Lord Loughborough's consent was conveyed in terms that did him honour. " Sir —You have judged perfectly right in the mode of your application to me. Any interference would have much diminished the satisfaction I feel in acknowledging the perfect propriety of your request, and the just title your great services have gained to every mark of attention which, in the exercise of a public duty, it is in my Dower to express. Y011/73, &C., LOUGHBOROUG11."—Autograph, in the Nelson Papers.

SPECIMEN OF CLARKE AND M'ARTHUR'S IMPROVEMENTS.

Ville de Paris, 4th July 1797.

My dear Admiral—I congratulate you most heartily on the events, of last night. Every service you are engaged in adds fresh lustre to the British &dna, and to your character. (*) Examine strictly your prisoners, to discover if any of them are under the Convention of Trinidad or Lagos, and make the Spanish officers clearly understand the object of your investigation.(f) Most truly yours, J. JERVIS. The unjustifiable manner in which Clarke and MArthur have printed demi- meuts, is strikingly shown by their copy of this letter. At the place marked (*) they have interpolated this paragraph—" The letter is characteristic of your noble soul, and cannot be improved by the ablest pen in Europe;" and at (f) they have added, "Johnson, First Lieutenant of the- Emerald, is a man after your own heart; put him in a way of taking a gun-boat, and I will answer he suc- ceeds or loses his life in the attempt. I think the barges and launches shoUld come to you tomorrow after the night has closed, and you will make your arrange- ments accordingly: perhaps it would be better to try to carry some more gun- boats, without the bomb-ketch. The Lieutenant who has the greatest merit in taking a brig shall be made Captain of her immediately."— either of which

passages is to be fgund in the original letter, now in the Belson Papers. ,

The editing of the present volume exhibits the same care as was dis- played in its predecessor, with perhaps more variety ; controversial matter being introduced in the appendix, in reference to some remarks of James in his Naval History upon incidents of Nelson's career ; and an account inserted in the text of the battle of St. Vincent, with the nautical dis- cussion it gave rise to. Some additional letters, obtained since the pub- lication of the first edition of the first volume, are also printed in an ap- pendix, for the advantage of the original purchasers, as in the second edition they were inserted chronologically. The notes, we think too, are more extended by the introduction of illustrative matter, especially of those letters to which the text relates. Of this class there are some in- teresting epistles from Lady Nelson ; and some from William the Fourth, which exhibit the late King in a higher point of view than the common idea of him as a man of sense. So valuable are these in themselves, and so rich does the Nelson Papers appear to be, that we think it would be worth while to consider, whether all letters that directly relate to Nelson or have an intrinsic interest, might not be published in some way, either as an appendix or a supplement, if it might not be desirable to embody them in the text. Such letters as the following from Lady Nelson to her lord are as interesting as those of the hero himself. The boardiag of the two Spaniards at the battle of St. Vincent's is the wife's theme. "I shall not be myself till I hear from you again.. What can I attempt to say to you about Boarding? You have been most wonderfully tretected: you have done desperate actions enough. Now may I—indeed I do— that you never Board again. Leave it for Captains. How rejoiced Jo. must have been to have seen you, although it was but an absence of two months. To-morrow is our wed- ding-day, when it gave me a dear husband, my child the best of fathers. I htipe- he will deserve all the blessings Providence has bestowed on him." . . . "Ds come home this summer, or in the autumn. It is said a change in Administration would certainly have taken place, had not this wonderful and fortunate Victory taken place. Admiral Parker, it seems, had written, the Captain and Culloden bore the brunt of the Action. This instant have I received a letter from Lord Hood, telling me Sir Robert Calder was gone to Portsmouth. Thank you, my dearest husband, a thousand times, for your letter of February 22nd. God bless and protect you, and my Jo.—crown all your endeavours with success, and grant us a happy meeting. I can bear all my extreme good fortune. ' Your af- fectionate Wife, Film-Ices H. Ninsort.”--Autograpli., in the Nelson Papers. The fears for his safety which his exploits had excited, again show themselves in her Letter of the 20th of March:—" I sincerely hope, my dear husband, that all these wonderful and desperate actions—such as boarding ships—you will leave to others. With the protection of a Supreme Being, you have acquired a cha- racter or name which all hands agree cannot be greater: therefore, rest satisfied. What does Josiah say to all this? he is seasoned —Ibid.