TO MRS. NISBET. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 80.] My Dear Fanny, Boreas, English Harbour, 25th Feb. 1786. We landed Mr. Adye yesterday afternoon at St. John's; and after a disagreeable night, here we arrived this morning. Captain Collingwood is gone into the Country, therefore from this place I sail at daylight. You are too good and indulgent; I both know and feel it but my whole life shall ever be devoted to make you completely happy, whatever whims may sometimes take me. We are none of us perfect, and myself probably much less so than you deserve. I am, &c. HORATIO NELSON. TO MRS. NISBET. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 80.] Off the Island of Deseada, 3rd March, 1786. Separated from you, what pleasure can I feel? none, be assured: all my happiness is centred with thee; and where thou art not, there I am not happy. Every day, hour, and act, convince me of it. With my heart filled with the purest and most tender affection, do I write this: for were it not so, you know me well enough to be certain, that even at this moment I would tell you of it. I daily thank God, who ordained that I should be attached to you. He has, I firmly believe, intended it as a blessing to me; and I am well convinced you will not disappoint his beneficent intentions. Fortune, that is, money, is the only thing I regret the want of, and that only for the sake of my affectionate Fanny. But the Almighty, who brings us together, will, I doubt not, take ample care of us, and prosper all our undertakings. No dangers shall deter me from pursuing every honourable means of providing handsomely for you and yours; and again let me repeat, that my dear Josiah shall ever be considered by me as one of my own. That Omnipotent Being, who sees and knows what passes in all hearts, knows what I have written to 2 H. C. Adye, Esq., vide p 177, post. be my undisguised sentiments towards the little fellow. uneasy, but not unwell. Nothing but the Admiral's orders to be at Barbadoes at a given time, hindered me from coming down after my letters. Sir Richard Hughes, I am certain, would have overlooked my disobedience of orders, and have thought I had served the friend, who had neglected to bring my letters, very properly. But I cannot bear the idea of disobeying orders: I should not like to have mine disobeyed : therefore I came on. However, it was a toss-up, I assure you. [Apparently in continuation.] March 9th. At last we are arrived; and as we came into the bay on one side, the Adamant 3 made her appearance on the other. Captain K- has brought me one letter from Antigua; for which one, although I know there are more, I retract all my mischievous wishes; and I have received several at this place from my sister and brother; the former from Bath, where my old friend Scriviner desires to be kindly remembered to me. I don't think my dear sister knows of my intentions of altering my situation, or she would have mentioned it. My friend M. is still there: but I have not a line. It is wonderful, and I cannot account for it. I know myself to be so steady in my friendships, that I cannot bear the least coolness or inattention in others. My brother takes it for granted I am a married man, and in consequence desires his love. From my uncle Suckling I have a very kind letter, saying he will do everything in his power to add to my happiness; and if I should want it, that he will give me pecuniary assistance.5 It is strongly reported that we are to sail from this Country in June next: if that is to be the case, my time is short. All this affects my spirits, and will not allow me to feel so pleasant as I wish; and makes me the more regret that I had not paid greater attention to getting money. But I will have done with this subject. You must write often, and long letters. I am, &c. HORATIO NELSON. 3 The Adamant, Captain David Knox, then a Commander: he was Posted on the 10th of February 1789. 4 Apparently Captain Moutray, who died at Bath in 1785. "This was liberally done for some years by Mr. Suckling "-Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 81. 5 TO WILLIAM LOCKER, ESQ., WEST MALLING. [Autograph, in the Locker Papers.] My dear Friend, Boreas, off Martinico, March 5th, 1786. Your kind letter of December 5th I only received a few days. ago at Antigua, for the Post-Offices here are sadly careless of our letters, and if we do not happen to be at the Island where they arrive, they will not be at the trouble of forwarding them to us. You accuse me too justly of not writing; I know myself to be a sad careless fellow in that respect, and too often neglect my best friends; but really for this last year I have been plagued to death. This Station has not been overpleasant had it not been for Collingwood, it would have been the most disgreeable I ever saw. Little poor fellow, between Bacchus and Venus, is scarcely ever thoroughly in his senses. I am very sorry for him, for his heart is good; but he is not fit to command a Man-of-War. His Ship is the merest privateer you ever saw-such men hurt the Service more than it is in the power of ten good ones to bring back. The rest of the Captains I know nothing of; nor am I ambitious of the honour of their acquaintance. Sir Richard Hughes you know, probably better than myself, and that he is a fiddler; therefore, as his time is taken up tuning that instrument, you will consequently expect the Squadron is cursedly out of tune. I don't like to say much against my Commander-in-Chief; there has been too much of that the late War; but as I only tell it to you as a friend, you will not let it go further than you think right. Not that I can care who knows it; for I shall produce my orders whenever I come home, from some circumstances which has lately happened. It was near the hurricane months when I arrived in this Country, consequently nothing could be done till they were over in November, when the Squadron arrived at Barbadoes, and the Ships were to be sent to the different Islands, with orders only to examine the anchorages, and whether there was wood and water. This did not appear to me to be the intent of placing Men-of-War in peaceable times, therefore I asked Collingwood to go with me (for his senti ments and mine were exactly similar) to the Admiral. I then asked him if we were not to attend to the Commerce of our Country, and to take care that the British trade was kept in those channels that the Navigation Laws pointed out. He answered, he had no orders, nor had the Admiralty sent him any Acts of Parliament. I told him it was very odd, as every Captain of a Man-of-War was furnished with the Statutes of the Admiralty, in which was the Navigation Act, which Act was directed to Admirals, Captains, &c., to see it carried into execution. He said he had never seen the Book; but having produced and read the Laws to him, he seemed convinced that Men-of-War were sent abroad for some other purpose than to be made a show of. (The rebel Americans at this time filled our Ports.) Sir Richard then gave Orders to all the Squadron to see the Navigation Act carried into execution. When I went to my Station at St. Kitts, I turned away all the rebels, not choosing to seize them at that time, as it would have appeared a trap for them. In December, to my astonishment, comes down an order from him, telling us he had received good advice, and requiring us not to hinder the Americans from coming in, and having free egress and regress, if the Governors chose to allow them; and a copy of the order he sent to the Governors and the Presidents of the Islands. The General Shirley and others began by sending letters not far different from orders, that he should admit them in such and such situations; telling me the Admiral had left it to them, but they thought it right to let me know it. Mr. Shirley I soon trimmed up and silenced. Sir Richard Hughes' was a more delicate business; I must either disobey my orders, or disobey Acts of Parliament, which the Admiral was disobey • General Thomas Shirley was appointed Captain-General of the Leeward Islands, in 1781, and in June 1786, was created a Baronet: he died at Bath, in February 1800. Stemmuta Shirleiana, 4to. 1841, p. 245. Captain Wallis says in his Narrative, that Governor Shirley, feeling irritated at Nelson's remonstrances, told him, "That old Generals were not in the habit of taking advice from young gentlemen;" to which Nelson replied, "I have the honour, Sir, of being as old as the Prime Minister of England, and think myself as capable of commanding one of his Majesty's Ships as that Minister is of governing the State."-Original, in the Nelson Papers. ing. I determined upon the former, trusting to the uprightness of my intention, and believed that my Country would not allow me to be ruined, by protecting her Commerce. I first, to Sir Richard, expatiated upon the Navigation Laws to the best of my ability; told him I was certain some person had been giving him advice, which he would be sorry for having taken against the positive directions of an Act of Parliament; and that I was certain Sir Richard had too much regard for the Commerce of Great Britain to suffer our worst Enemies to take it from us; and that too at a time when Great Britain was straining every nerve to suppress illegal Trade at Home, which only affected the Revenue; and that I hoped we should not be singular in allowing a much more ruinous traffic to be carried on under the King's Flag; and in short, that I should decline obeying his orders, till I had an opportunity of seeing and talking to him, at the same time making him an apology. At first, I hear, he was going to send a Captain to supersede me; but having mentioned the matter to his Captain, he was told that he believed all the Squadron thought he had sent illegal orders, therefore did not know how far they were obliged to obey them. This being their sentiments, he could not try me here, and now he finds I am all right, and thanks me for having put him right. I told the Custom-Houses I should, after such a day, seize all Foreigners in our Islands, and keep them out to the utmost of my power till that time: the Custom-Houses fancied I could not seize without a Deputation, therefore disregarded my threats. In May last I seized the first I had the Governor, the Customs, all the Planters upon me; subscriptions were soon filled to prosecute me; and my Admiral stood neuter, although his Flag was then in the Roads. Before the first Vessel was tried, I had seized four others; and having sent for the Masters on board to examine them, and the Marines on board the vessels, not allowing some of them to go on shore, I had Writs taken out against me, and damages laid for the enormous sum of £4,000 sterling. When the Trial came on, I was protected by the Judge for the day; but the Marshal was desired to arrest [me], and the Merchants promised to indemnify them for the act; but the Judge having declared he would send him |