Turin, have strongly requested of him to return the six hundred barrels of Powder which his Lordship had seized upon, as the Sardinian Army was much in want of it. I have, therefore, to request you will have the goodness to direct such part of the powder as is not wanted for this place, to be delivered to me. I am, dear Sir, &c., &c., H. N. TO LIEUTENANT SAINTHILL, AGENT FOR TRANSPORTS. [From the "United Service Journal," 1830, part I. p. 37.] Agamemnon, Calvi, August 14th, 1794. Dear Sir, Your readiness at all times to expedite the King's service, I shall always bear my testimony of, and therefore I have no doubt but that you have got all the barrel powder from the shore on board the Scarborough, which I hope is five hundred barrels. If she should not be sailed for Fiorenzo, pray expedite her as soon possible, and don't keep her for a few barrels. I shall be off Revellata Point nearly all day to-morrow; let her join me, and I will see her safe into Port. Should the Agamemnon not be there, she will proceed by herself. I have written a line to Captain Mac Namara about her. I am, dear Sir, very truly yours, HORATIO NElson. Minister at Turin have strongly requested I would return the six hundred barrels I seized upon, the Sardinian Army being in want, which I desire you will make known to General Stuart; and you must manage to put all you can get into your bread-room. I propose to anchor in St. Fiorenzo for forty-eight hours, as Mr. Drake is arrived in Corsica from Milan for the purpose of communicating with me. If therefore you wish to see me, before you go to Leghorn, you know where you will probably find me. I shall be very glad to attend to your wishes in favour of your Surgeon's Mate immediately, and if you will send Mr. Fellows on board the Victory I will promote him as soon as I can. At present I have four or five Officer's sons upon my hands, whom I must attend to. Ever faithfully yours, HOOD.-Soon as Gibson has received your commands send him to me, and if the weather should not permit my being off Calvi in the morning, send Captain May in the Fox cutter to me, and 1 shall send back in her the Officers for the two French frigates.-Copy, in the Hood Papers. TO LIEUTENANT SAINTHILL. [From "Memoirs of Captain Richard Sainthill."] Dear Sir, Agamemnon, Aug. 14. You are to come to Calvi harbour, and may be of use in carrying some of our poor fellows to Bastia, and where probably your Ship will be wanted with the forage. Many thanks for your getting off the powder. Capt. Wolseley will tell you what to do with the tent and spars. Yours most sincerely, HORATIO NELSON. TO MRS. NELSON. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 189.] Off Leghorn, August 18th, 1794. I left Calvi on the 15th, and hope never to be in it again. I was yesterday in St. Fiorenzo, and to-day shall be safe moored, I expect, in Leghorn: since the Ship has been commissioned, this will be the first resting-time we have had. As it is all past, I may now tell you, that on the 10th of July, a shot having hit our battery, the splinters and stones from it struck me with great violence in the face and breast. Although the blow was so severe as to occasion a great flow of blood from my head, yet I most fortunately escaped, having only my right eye nearly deprived of its sight: it was cut down, but is so far recovered, as for me to be able to distinguish light from darkness. As to all the purposes of use, it is gone; however, the blemish is nothing, not to be perceived, unless told. The pupil is nearly the size of the blue part, I don't know the name.' Nelson received the following consolatory letter from his Father on the loss of his eye: "My dear Horatio,-It is well known that the predestinarian doctrine is amongst the creeds of Military men. It may sometimes be useful: yet it must not exclude the confidence Christianity preaches of a particular Providence, which directs all events. It was an unerring power, wise and good, which diminished the force of the blow by which your eye was lost; and we thank the hand that spared you, spared you for future good, for example, and instruction, At Bastia, I got a sharp cut in the back. You must not think that my hurts confined me: no, nothing but the loss of a limb would have kept me from my duty, and I believe my exertions conduced to preserve me in this general mortality. I am fearful that Mrs. Moutray's son, who was on shore with us, will fall a sacrifice to the climate; he is a Lieutenant of the Victory, a very fine young man, for whom I have a great regard. Lord Hood is quite distressed about him. Poor little Hoste is also extremely ill, and I have great fears about him; one hundred and fifty of my people are in their beds; of two thousand men I am the most healthy. Josiah is very well, and a clever smart young man, for so I must call him, his sense demands it. You will be sorry to hear that young Moutray is dead: he was Second Lieutenant of the Victory, and at this moment, had he survived, would have been a Captain. What a shock in many subsequent years. There is no fear that flattery can come from me; but I sometimes wipe away the tear of joy, at hearing your character in every point of view so well spoken of. The Letters received from you, give me and your good Wife the pleasing intelligence that your health has not suffered from the long fatiguing service you are professionally obliged to go through; and also, that success has generally been the issue of your endeavours to make yourself known to the world as a man of probity and judgment; not only looking towards the things that are your own, but to those of others also. Your lot is cast, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord: the very hairs of your head are numbered a most comfortable doctrine. "Upon the whole, I am as strong as can be looked for; how many do I see, and hear of, that are either fallen, or much more afflicted by age than myself. Bless God, my days are lengthened, I hope, for some good purpose. Accept, my dear good Son, the usual but most hearty expressions of love and friendship from your affectionate Father, EDMUND NELSON. -Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 192. 2 This gallant young officer, who has been often mentioned, died the next day. VOL. I. I I it will be to his poor Mother, who was all expectation to hear of his promotion; a very different account will now be told her. His amiable disposition will never be forgotten by those who knew him. Lord Hood was his godfather, and feels much for the loss of him. The French Squadron is still in Gourjean Bay, blockaded by us and the Spaniards; but another month must liberate them, and they will get I dare say to Toulon. The opportunity was lost of fighting them when they first came out of port. Yours, &c., HORATIO NELSON. He was the only Son of Commissioner Moutray, and of the Lady whom Nelson so highly esteemed at Antigua, (vide ante.) The following Inscription to his Memory was placed by Nelson in the Church of St. Fiorenzo : [From a Copy, in Nelson's own hand, in the Nelson Papers.] SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF LIEUTENANT JAMES MOUTRAY, R.N. WHO, SERVING ON SHORE AT THE SIEGE, THERE CAUGHT A FEVER, OF WHICH HE DIED, ON AUGUST 19TH, 1794, AGED 21 YEARS. THIS STONE IS ERECTED BY AN AFFECTIONATE FRIEND, WHO WELL KNEW HIS WORTH AS AN OFFICER, AND HIS ACCOMPLISHED MANNERS AS A GENTLEMAN. H. N. TO MRS. NELSON. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 190.] September 12th, 1794. I expect to see you in the fall of the year; and although I shall not bring with me either riches or honours, yet I flatter myself I shall bring an unblemished character. It always rejoices me to hear that you are comfortable, and that my friends are attentive to you. I hope we shall find some snug cottage, whenever we may be obliged to quit the Parsonage. My Ship's company are better, but still are in a very weak state. It is probable that we shall get to sea in about three days, and attend Lord Hood in the Victory to Genoa, Porto Especia, and Vado Bay; and then proceed off Gourjean Bay, Toulon, and I hope to Gibraltar and England. When Lord Hood quits this station, I should be truly sorry to remain; he is the greatest Sea-officer I ever knew; and what can be said against him, I cannot conceive, it must only be envy, and it is better to be envied than pitied. But this comes from the Army, who have also poisoned some few of our minds. The taking of Bastia, contrary to all Military judgment, is such an attack on them that it is never to be forgiven. Yours, &c., HORATIO NELSON. TO ADMIRAL LORD HOOD. [From a Copy in the Nelson Papers.] Agamemnon, Genoa Mole, September 20th, 1794. My dear Lord, We arrived here3 yesterday morning at ten o'clock in a very strong breeze, and thick weather. We were in the Mole before they saw us from the Signal-house. None of us having been here, I had the Signal up for a Pilot, which, by the 3 On the 18th of September Captain Nelson was ordered by Lord Hood to proceed to the Mole of Genoa with Dispatches for Mr. Drake, Minister at that place, and to wait for further instructions.-Original, in the Nelson Papers. The Signal for a Pilot was then, and is still, the Union Jack at the fore-topgallant-mast-head. The mistake mentioned in this Letter, is only one of many |