SPECTATOR'S LIBRARY.

AVTOBIOGRAPUT.

The Despatches and Letters of Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson. With Notes by

• Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas, G.C.M.G. The First Volume—l77 to 1794.

%uvula. °Aura. Impressions of Ireland and the Irish. By the Author of Random Recollections of

the Lords and Commons," Etc. &c. In two volumes Camanyham.

HISTOKT,

The History of Sweden. Translated from the Original of Anders Frptell. Edited

by Mary Howitt. Vols. 1.11 Bentley.

NELSON'S DESPATCHES AND LETTERS.

Ties object of Sir HARRIS NICOLAS in collecting from every acces- sible quarter every remaining scrap of NELSON'S correspondence, and giving it to the world in a chronological order with illustrative notes, is not so much to produce a counterpart of the WELLINGTON Papers, as to exhibit an autobiographical account of the hero's career and character, written extempore upon the impulse of the occasion without the power of after-modification. In the case of NELSON this opportunity exists to a remarkable degree. Except a few of a strictly business character, WELLINGTON'S pub- lic letters do not commence till he was thirty and in high com- mand, whilst even the private correspondence mostly relates to public events or professional circumstances: little or nothing of a personal character has been given to the world. With NELSON the case is altogether reversed. Strong domestic affections, a family not too high in life to deaden or disunite home ties, and the iso- lated character of the sailor's profession, which renders letters so precious to such natures as his, have produced a large number of private epistles ; and their preservation has been induced by an instinctive perception of his coming greatness, or that personal regard which attended him through life, and made MALconi, after a knowledge both of NAPOLEON and WELLINGTON, say that NELSON was "the man to be loved." Besides the letters to his brother and successor in the title, in the possession of NELSON'S niece the present Lady BRIDPORT, and his communications to Captain LOCKER one of his earliest commanders and friends, many of which now appear for the first time, numbers of others have been preserved, and rendered available to the editor.

"The sources from which the Letters have been obtained," Sir HARRIS says, u are very numerous ; and though, in April last, the Editor commenced his labours without having one single letter in his possession, enough have been already collected to form at least three volumes. This fact shows the care with which Nelson's Letters have been preserved, and the generous desire that pre- vails in the public to enable the hero to perpetuate his own fame. In most cases these letters have been cherished as relics ; and in some instances they were even glazed and framed, to adorn the apartments of their possessors."

Besides the manuscript letters alluded to by Sir HARRIS, this edition will contain those already published in biographies and other works,—tested, when it is possible, by reference to the originals, as NELSON'S epistles already printed have often been altered, either with reference to some temporary feeling or OD the notion of im- proving their style. This purpose, in the instance of two great sinners in this way, Doctors CLARKE and M'Airramt in their biography, cannot, however, be accomplished- " As a large collection of Letters were in the hands of Dr. Clarke and Dr. M'Arthur, it became the Editor's duty to endeavour to obtain access to the papers used by those gentlemen in their Life of Lord Nelson,' with the hope of giving literally and in full those documents which they have printed partially and imperfectly. The attempt, however, utterly failed : the widow of Dr. Clarke said she knew nothing on the subject ; while the widow of Dr. M'Arthur, after consulting some members of his family, admitted that they had papers relating to Nelson, but declined to allow them tube seen. The prudence of this resolution is greater than its courtesy ; because the Editor learnt, in re- ply to his applications to many individuals, that all the letters they possessed had been lent to Dr. Clarke and Dr. M'Arthur, and that they had not been restored."

The letters thus collected, and printed precisely as they were written, commence in the volume before us with 1777, when NEL- SON was in his nineteenth year and had just passed his examina- tion as Lieutenant, and close in 1794, soon after the capture of Bastia and Calvi, while he was yet unknown to the world, except by a slight mention of his name in two Gazettes, with which he was always dissatisfied. In a public light, the letters of this volume are therefore not very important : they chiefly consist of an account of the writer's contentions with the West Indian authorities touching his rigid enforcement of the Navigation Acts against American smug. glers ; his different rebukes by the Admiralty for occasional breaches of trivial forms or an obvious oversight of etiquette ; together with his notice of affairs in the Mediterranean and at Corsica during the years 1793-94, and the common routine of service. As a por- tion of NELSON'S autobiography they are of great value ; reflecting for so many years his fortune, his feelings, and his mind. All the letters to his brother, his father, his uncles, his friends LOCKER and COLLINGWOOD, and his love-letters to the lady who was afterwards Mrs. NELSON, are now brought together, and exhibit him perhaps as few other minds were ever exhibited. His high sense of honour, his deep affections, his kindliness of heart, and contented nature, which, setting his profession aside, could be "bounded in a nut- shell and count itself king of infinite space," spontaneously appear in his correspondence. The frank undisguise of the sailor is every- where conspicuous ; and, with some of the sailor's nautical pre- judices, his straightforward temper and chivalrous feelings are still more predominant. But perhaps the most remarkable thing in the correspondence is the purity of mind which it displays, and that without the least allowance for the times or his profession. It is not that there is nothing which a lady might not read—there is but one thing which a lady might not have written : indeed, in many cases ladies have written and their friends have published grosser things in word and spirit than anything in these letters ; yet they are constantly dealing with the chit-chat, scandal, and personal topics of slave-colonies in the last century, addressed to individuala who were acquainted with the place. Even his love-letters have something of a refined domestic character about them, as if his pas- sion could only be excited through his mind: and it was doubtless by flattering his vanity, and stimulating his chivalry, that Lady HAMILTON at a later period ensnared him.

As regards composition, the letters, though always very charac- teristic of the writer, generally display less vigour and perhaps less directness of style than those of his later years. In a biographical sense this gives them a value for their complete reflection of his mind, which, during the early periods especially, retained something of a boyish character. In this point of view, they seem to offer a striking contrast to the Duke of WELLINGTON'S letters : but it must be remembered that we only see WELLINGTON as the mature man, with the responsibility of high station, and the conscious- ness of possessing power and the support of power. NELSON comes before us in his teens, with scarcely an official friend in the world : at a time of life when WELLINGTON was acting the part of Proconsul, with his brother as Governor-General to carry him through, NELSON was out of employment, residing at his father's parsonage, and under the Admiralty's ban—for no other earthly reason, it would seem, than for giving departments trouble by doing his duty in exposing frauds and illegalities. When we remember what a boy he was when he entered the service, (only twelve years old,) bow eagerly his zealous spirit seized upon every opportunity for service without regard to its difficulties or hardships, and how thoroughly he executed whatever be undertook, his slow rise may be considered as a remarkable phwnomenon, much more discredit- able to the spirit of our Government than encouraging to merit. Even when the Admiralty had proofs of his spirit and skill, they did not bring him forward. Accident gave him his brief command in the West Indies ; it was ST. VINCENT who sent him to the battle of the Nile ; and that opportunity of distinction was not reached till after a service of eight-and-twenty years. This sense of desert and ill-reward, with the consciousness of want of interest, frequently breaks out in his letters—it would be hopelessly, but he is always sustained by the idea of doing his duty, and by the trust that his character at last will be done justice to by the world. He is buoy- ant even in complaint. Mingled with these greater traits are a few weaknesses; one of the most striking of which is vanity or something like it. Slight distinctions of a public or professional kind flattered him to a degree far beyond their actual value. Another weakness, though rather prudential or worldly than moral, was his openness and quickness. Whatever he thought or felt, that he said; and not merely without regard to consequences, but to those maxims of policy or prudence which men have deduced from experience. His care only went so far as not to give needless offence by his terms, and not always to that. Truth, even to his self-accusation, or such accusation as is implied in uncalled-for defence when he felt wrong, was a principle of action, or rather an impulse of his nature. It is this perfect transparency, with the almost boyish cha- racter of his earlier style, that gives its peculiar character to the letters in this volume; rendering them the most naturally natural correspondence we ever read. The letters of WELLINGTON are in- deed natural enough ; but it is his own nature ; NELSON'S is human nature.

Some of the most elaborate letters relate to a tour and sojourn in France, which NELSON made in company with his friend MAC- NAMARA (not the duellist) after the peace of 1783, in order to ac- quire French. These are the only purely literary letters in the volume,—that is, the matter optional, not rendered necessary by business or personal affairs ; and they give a favourable idea of the writer's liveliness and animation of mind. The following is his first impression of France.

" We slept at Dover, and next morning at seven a clock, put to Sea with a fine North-west wind, and at half-past ten we were safe at breakfast in Mon- sieur Grandsire's house at Calais. His mother kept it when Hogarth wrote [painted] his' Gate of Calais.' Sterne's Sentimental Journey is the best de- scription i can give of our tour. Mac advised me to go first to St. Omer, as he had experienced the difficulty of attempting to fix in any place where there are no English : after dinner we set off, intended for Montrenil, sixty miles from Calais: they told us we travelled en poste, but I ani sure we did not get on more than four miles an hour. I was highly diverted with looking what a curious figure the postillions in their jack-boots and their rats of horses made together. Their chaises have no springs, and the roads generally paved like London streets ; therefore, you will naturally suppose we were pretty well shook together by the time we had travelled two poste and a half, which ia fifteen miles' to Marquise. Here we [were] shown into an inn—they called it—I should have called it a pigstye : we were shown into a room with two straw beds, and with great difficulty they mustered up clean sheets ; and gave us two pigeons for supper, upon a dirty cloth, and wooden-handled knives-0 what a transition from happy England ! " [The concluding Italics are Nelson's own.] The friends finally fixed at St. Omer ; where they lodged with a French family, and visited some English families. NELSON 10St his heart at the house of the Reverend Mr. ANDREWS, but was too poor to marry. This as well as his family affections will be gathered from the following miscellaneous letter, written shortly after he had heard of the death of his sister ANNE. It will also be seen that he dabbled in the lottery; which appears on several other occasions.

"To the Reverend Arr. W. Nelson, Burnham.

(Autograph, in the Nelson Papers.] St. Omer, 4th December l783. -

"My dear Brother—Yours I received a few days ago, and am exceedingly happy to hear of your preferment, as it will make you an independent man, and also give ease to our good. Lather Fortune. jots see. now favours us when We least expect it ; but I hope this will not hinder the Walpoles giving you something if it should be in their power. I have not heard from our Father Since our melancholy loss. My fears from that account are great. Mr. Suck- hug wrote me the account of that shocking event the 20th of last month. My surprise and grief upon the occasion are, you will suppose, more to be felt than described. What is to become of poor Kate ? [a younger sister.] Although I am very fond of Mrs. Bolton, [a married sister,] yet I own I should not like to see Kate fixed in a Wells' society. For God's sake write what you have beard of our Father. I am in astonishment at not having heard from him, Or of him, by Mr. Suckling. If such an event was to take place, for with his delicate constitution, I do not think it unlikely, I shall immediately come to England, and most probably fix in some place that might be most for poor Kitty's advantage. My small income shall always be at her service, and she shall never want a protector and a sincere friend while I exist. But I will quit the subject.

"The occasion of my fears will, I hope in God, soon be removed, by a letter from Mr. Suckling or my Father. St. Omer increases much upon me, and I am as happy as I can be separated from my native Country. My heart is quite secured against the French beauties : I almost wish I could say as much for an English young lady, the daughter of a clergyman, with whom I am just going to dine and spend the day. She has such accomplishments, that had I a million of money. I am sure I should at this moment make her an offer of them : my income at present is by fir too small to think of marriage, and she has no fortune. Are our tickets drawn ? I wrote you Mr. Poynter had them ; and I told you the numbers, I believe, for I have quite forgot them."

THE GREAT PROMOTER.

"I wish I could congratulate you [Nelson's brother] upon a Rectory instead of a Vicarage : it is rather awkward wishing the poor man dead, but we all rise by deaths. I got my rank by a shot killing a Post-Captain, and I most sincerely hope I shall, when I go, go out of [the] world the same way ; then we go all in the line of our Profession—a Parson praying, a Captain fighting.'"

The following just observations relate to the sister who had married Mr. BOLTON: but, from this and some other allusions, it would seem they were no great favourites of the hero.

"Perhaps, and I believe, your reasoning upon giving up the money to Mr. Bolton is very just ; but yet I shall sign the power of attorney, if it is sent me. lithe children have nothing else, I am sure that is no object. Your argument, that if his trading schemes should fail, our family must maintain her and his children, I deny ; I don't think myself obliged to do any such thing. Perhaps our denying the money to Mr. Bolton may bring on a disagreement between him and his wife : it is better for us to run the risk of the sum, than that such a thing should happen. I beg we may not interfere about the houses at Wells : if he don't do it let it rest."

NELSON 'WITH LORD HOOD AND PRINCE WILLIAM. (W. Iv.) My situation in Lord Hood's Fleet must be in the highest degree flattering to any young man. He treats me as if I was his son, and will, I am convinced, give me any thing I can ask of him : nor is my situation with Prince William less flattering. Lord Hood was so kind as to tell him, (indeed I cannot make use of expressions strong enough to describe what 1 felt,) that if he wished to ask questions relative to Naval Tactics, I could give him as much information as any Officer in the Fleet. He will be, I am certain, an ornament to our Service. He is a seaman ; which you could hardly suppose. Every other qualification you may expect from him. But he will be a disciplinarian, and a strong one : he says he is determined every person shall serve his time before they shall be provided for, as he is obliged to serve his.

A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.

To William Locker, Esq.

[Autograph, in the Locker papers.] PorLmouth. 21st April 1789.

My dear Sir—Since I parted from you I have encountered many disagreeable adventures. The day after I left you we sailed at daylight, just after high water. The d—d Pilot—it makes me swear to think of it—ran the Ship aground, where she lay with so little water that the people could walk round her till neat high-water. That night and part of the next day we lay below the None, with a hard gale of wind and snow ; Tuesday I got into the Downs ; on Wednesday I got into a quarrel with a Dutch Indianian who had English- men on board, which we settled after some difficulty. The Dutchman has made a complaint against me ; but the Admiralty fortunately have approved my conduct in the business,—a thing they are not very guilty of where there is a likelihood of a .scrape. And yesterday, to complete me, I was riding a black- guard horse that ran away with me at Common, carried me round all the Works into Portsmouth, by the London gates, through the Town out at the gate that leads to Common, where there w as a waggon in the road—which is so very narrow, that a horse could barely pass. To save my legs, and perhaps my life, I Was obliged to throw myself from the horse ; which I did with great agility, but, unluckily, upon hard stones, which has hurt my back and my leg, but done no other mischief. It was a thousand to one that I had not been killed. To crown all, a young girl was riding with me : her horse ran away with mine ; but, most fortunately, a gallant young man seized her horse's bridle a moment before I dismounted, and saved her from the destruction which she could not have avoided.

WEST INDIAN CHIT-CHAT (TO NELSON'S: BROTHER, HIS WHILOM CHAPLAIN.)

Come, I must carry you to our love-scenes. Captain Sandys luni asked Miss -Eliot—refused. Captain Sterling was attentive to Miss Elizabeth E.; but never having asked the question, Captain Berkeley is, I hear, to be the happy Mall. Captain Kelly is attached to a lady at Nevis, so he says: I don't much think it. He is not steady enough for that passion to hold long. All the Eliot family spent their Christmas at Constitution Hill—came up in Latona. The Boreas, you guessed right, at English Harbour. Rosy [one of the Ad- miral's daughters] has had no offers: I fancy she seems hurt at it. Poor girl ! you should have offered. I have not gallantry enough. A niece of Governor Parry's ;has come out. She goes to Nevis in the Boreas they trust any young lady with me, being an old-fashioned fellow. My paper draws towards an end to business. You may be assured I will keep you upon the Books as long as I can, but it depends entirely upon the Admiral, and we are not upon the very best terms; but as I feel I am perfectly right, you know upon those occasions I am not famous for giving up a point. Should inclination or oppor- tunity bring you here again, towards the latter end of the Station, I shall be happy to receive you.

THE IMPORTANT POSTSCRIPT.

You ask when I may return to England ? How can you who have been at Sea ask such a question ? How can I possibly tell and I never guess. If you sincerely ask my opinion relative to your coming out to this infernal climate, I can only tell you it is a thing I should never think of; nor would any that reflected one moment. All that I can say is, that if you come out, I shall be happy to receive you, and to make everything as pleasant as is in my power. The Admiral, Lady, and Miss, sailed from here yesterday. Joy go with them ; I.had rather have their room than their company. I can't write you any more; therefore pray excuse use. Give my kind love to our father, sisters, brothers, and respects to all who inquire alter use; and do you be assured that I am, with sincere affection, your brother, HORATIO NELSON. Entre nons.—Do not be surprised to hear I am a Benedict; for if at all, it will be before a month. Do not telh WILLIAM THE FOURTH AS A SUBORDINATE.

You will know long before this reaches you, that Prince 'William is under my command : I shall endeavour to take care he is not a loser by that circum- stance. He has his foibles as well as private men, but they are far overbalanced by his virtues. In his Professional line, he is superior to near two-thirds, lain sure, of the List ; and in attention to orders, and respect to his Superior Offi- cers, I know hardly his equal: this is what I have found him. 1 Some others, I have heard, will tell another story.

A GENERAL ORDER.

[Transmitted to the Admiralty in a Letter dated 10th July 1787, wherein Captain Nelson explained his motives for issuing Ibis Order. It originated in consequence of a quarrel between Prince William and his First Lieutenant, who wrote to demand a Court-martial; which superseded him for the time.] By Horatio Nelson, Esq.,

Captain of His Majesty's Ship Boreas.

For the better maintaining discipline and good government in the King's Squadron under my command,

think it necessary to inform the Officers, that if any one of them shall presume to write to the Commander of the Squadron (unless there shall be Ships enough present to bring them to immediate Trial) for a Court-martial to investigate their conduct on a frivolous pretence, thereby depriving his Ma- jesty of their services by obliging the Commander of the Squadron to confine them, that I shall and do consider such conduct as a direct breach of the 14th and part of the 19th Articles of War, and shall order them to be Tried for the same.

Given under my hand, on board His Majesty's Ship Boreas, at Antigua, the

28th of January 1787. HORATio NELSON.

During his retirement at his father's in Norfolk, [1787-1793,] NELSON'S amusements were of the simplest kind — gardening, bird-nesting with his wife, and even the pastimes of childhood. He also gave attention to the condition of the poor, and drew up tabular accounts of their income and expenditure, which he sent to the Duke of CLARENCE at a time of growing discontent. His political economy may be wrong, but his heart was right.

NELSON ON THE POOR.

That the poor labourer should have been seduced by promises and hopes of better times, your Royal Highness will not wonder at when I assure you that they are really in want of everything to make life comfortable. [Nelson originally wrote, " Hunger is a sharp thorn; and they are not only in want of food sufficient, but of clothes and firing."] Part of their wants perhaps were unavoidable, from the dearness of every article of life ; but much has arose from the neglect of the Country Gentlemen, in not making their farmers raise their wages in some small proportion as the prices of necessaries increased. The enclosed paper will give your Royal Highness an idea of their situation. It is most favourable ; but I have been careful that no Country Gentleman should have it in his power to say I had pointed out the wants of the poor greater than they really are. Their wages have been raised within these three weeks, pretty generally, one shilling a week : had it been done some time past, they would not have been discontented, for a want of loyalty is not amongst their faults; and many of their superiors, in many instances, might have imi- tated their conduct with advantage.

THE HERO ON BULL-FIGHTS.

A bull-feast was exhibited, for which the Spaniards are famous • and from their dexterity in attacking and killing of these animals the ladies Choose their husbands. We English had certainly to regret the want of humanity in the Dons and Donnas. The amphitheatre will hold 16,000 people: about 12,000 were present. Ten bulls were selected, and one brought out at a time. Three cavaliers on horseback and footmen with flags were the combatants. We had what is called a fine feast, for five horses were killed and two men very much hurt : had they been killed, it would have been quite complete. We felt for the bulls and horses; and I own it would not have displeased me to have had some of the Dons tossed by the enraged animal. Now women can even sit out, much more applaud such sights, is astonishing. It even turned us sick, and we could hardly go through it : the dead, mangled horses, with the entrails torn out, and the bulls covered with blood, were too much. However, we have seen one bull-feast, and agree that nothing shall tempt us to see another. The better sort of people never miss one, if within reach of them ' - and the lowest will sell his jacket or go without his victuals rather than be absent.

The collection, thus far, is one of the best-edited books in Eng- lish literature. The preface contains a brief notice of every bio- graphy of NELSON published, with an account of the various sources whence Sir HAaais NicoLes has drawn this collection. Such formal matters as the contents and the analytical view of NEL- SON'S life are presented with a business-like clearness which imparts character even to mere tables ; and to every letter is affixed an intimation of the source whence it was derived, and, when the case seems to require, an account of the circumstances under which it was written, or of the letter to which it was a reply. Notes also are added, giving a brief notice of every person whoee name is introduced, with any other particulars that seem essential to the understanding of the text. The arrtngement of the letters is strictly chronological ; a plan which, as the editor observes, has the advantage of variety, and of exactly exhibiting the mood of mind, but which sometimes (as in the case of the West Indian frauds) is rather distracting. Some of the letters, too, are trifling or minute, and some written on the same subject involve repeti- tions: but these are unavoidable drawbacks ; and Sir Malys NicoLes has, we think, exercised a sound discretion in publishing the whole.