CHAPTER II.

THE VISIT TO FRANCE.

(1781-1784.)

On the American Station-Attempt to recapture Turk's Island-First interview with Prince William Henry-The Prince's portrait of Nelson-Return to England on the Peace with France, 1783Exertions to obtain for his sailors their pay-A hard case-The result of the war to Nelson-Visit to France-The Prince de Deux Ponts First love-A despairing lover-Appointment to the Boreas-Leeward Islands Station.

O return to the Autobiography :

"In August, 1781, I was commissioned for the Albermarle, and it would almost be supposed to try my constitution, was kept the whole winter in the North Sea. In April, 1782, I sailed with a convoy for Newfoundland and Quebec, under the orders of Captain Thos. Pringle. From Quebec, during a cruise off Boston, I was chased by three French ships-of-the-line and the Iris frigate; as they all beat me in sailing very much, I had no chance left but running them amongst the shoals of St. George's Bank. This alarmed the line-of-battle ships, and they quitted the pursuit, but the frigate continued, and at sunset was little more than a gun-shot distant, when, the line-of-battle ships being out of sight, I ordered the maintop-sail to be laid to the mast; on this the frigate tacked and stood to rejoin her consorts."

To the period of his North Sea voyage, the following indignant denial of harsh conduct to a middy applies: :

"To WILLIAM LOCKER.

"Feb. 2, 1781.

"MY DEAR SIR,-The instant I received your letter, the latter part

struck me so very much, that perhaps I write to you sooner than otherwise I should have done. I need not say it to you, but what in the name of God could it be to me whether a midshipman in my ship had not a farthing or fifty pounds a year? Therefore, I must tell you, as far as I know, his wish to leave the ship.

When he came on board, lieutenant) where he was

part of

I sent him into Mr. Bromwich's mess (third two or three days. In that time they spoke to me, that they hoped I would not take amiss, but they could not think of keeping that young man (I forget his name) in their mess, as he could not pay his their small expenses. I am sure that you will not think I should attempt to force any people who were behaving exceedingly well in the ship (which would have been tyrannical in the highest degree) against their inclination. Whether the lad, sent to speak to me, or I sent for him, I do not recollect; but I told him of what the mess had said. He seemed very uneasy at what I told him, and said he could not afford to live in a mess that cost anything; and then said he wished to leave the ship. Next day he pressed me much to discharge him, as he could not live in any of the mid. messes. Much against my inclination, I did discharge him. What he took the idea of £30 a year from, I know not, but I declare I never opened my lips to him upon the subject. To a youngster in the ship whose friends are Norfolk people, who had not made an allowance for their son, I took upon me to allow £20 a year.

"I assure you, I hold myself under very great obligations to you, that you asserted it was an infamous lie; had I in the least suspected the story he has told, he should have stayed on board, and might have lived as he pleased. It was endeavouring to put him in a comfortable situation that has made any person speak ill of me." 1

On his return to the Downs from his North Sea cruize Nelson was all but shipwrecked in a terrible gale. According to his biographers, Nelson, at the moment when the gale burst on the shipping, was on shore, calling on the senior officer; and the Brilliant, store-ship, came athwart hawse of the Albermarle. The sequel, if true, was a striking illustration of Nelson's fearlessness in the discharge of his duty. It is quoted on their authority

:

"Captain Nelson immediately ran to the beach, and with his

'Clarke and McArthur, vol. i. p. 52.

1782.]

THE GALE IN THE DOWNS.

21

wonted contempt of danger, when any duty called for his exertions, employed every method he could devise to return on board, fearing lest the Albermarle might drive on the Goodwin Sands, but the dreadful surf and the increasing gale made even the skilful mariners of Deal regard the attempt as utterly impracticable. At length some of the most intrepid offered to make the trial for fifteen guineas; this produced a competition, and Nelson, to the astonishment of all beholders, was long seen struggling with a raging sea-surf, in which the boat was continually immersed. After much difficulty he got on board his ship."

This romantic incident, so characteristic of Nelson, may be true, but it is not even alluded to in the letter which he wrote to his brother William immediately after the occurrence. In this he details his hopes with great particularity:

:

“All done in five minutes. What a change!" he writes; "but we ought to be thankful we did not founder. We have been employed since in getting jury-masts, yards, and boat-sprits, and stopping holes in our sides. What is to become of us now I know not. We must go into dock, and I fear be paid off, she has received so much damage. But, however, we must take the rough with the smooth; these are the blessings of a sea life." 2

Of his voyage to Quebec and his escape from the too powerful squadron of the French, he gives the following brief account in his letter to his good friend William

Locker :

"To WILLIAM LOCKER.

"ISLE OF BEC, RIVER ST. LAWRENCE,

"Oct. 19, 1782.

"In the end our cruise has been an unsuccessful one; we have taken, seen, and destroyed more enemies than is seldom done in the same space of time, but not one has arrived in port. But, however, I do not repine at our loss; we have in other things been very fortunate,

* Clarke and McArthur, vol. i. p. 48.

2 To the Rev. W. Nelson, Jan. 28, 1782.

for on the 14th of August we fell in with, in Boston Bay, four sail-ofthe-line and the Iris, French man-of-war, part of M. Vaudreuil's squadron, who gave us a pretty dance for between nine and ten hours. But we beat all except the frigate, though we brought to for her, after we were out of sight of the line-of-battle ships, she tacked and stood from us."

The following extract from the Autobiography briefly relates to three interesting incidents in Nelson's Life-the commencement of that friendship with the young Prince William Henry, the future William IV., which became most intimate and lasted during the whole of Nelson's life; his trip to and residence in France, whither he went for the sake of acquiring greater facilities in the use of the French tongue; and the attempt to recover Turk's Island from the French.

"In October," writes Nelson in his autobiography, "I sailed from Quebec with a convoy to New York, where I joined the Fleet under the command of Lord Hood; and in November I sailed with him to the West Indies, where I remained till the Peace; when I came to England being directed in my way to attend on H.R.H. the Duke of Clarence on his visit to the Havannah ; and was paid off at Portsmouth on July 3rd, 1783. In the autumn I went to France, and remained there all the spring of the year 1784; when I was appointed to the Boreas frigate, of 28 guns, and ordered to Leeward Island Station."

"OFF CAPE TIBEROON,

"Feb. 25, 1783.

"My situation in Lord Hood's Fleet must be in the highest degree most flattering to a young man. He treats me as if I was his son, and will, I am convinced, give me anything I can ask of him : nor is my situation with Prince William Henry less flattering. Lord Hood was so kind as to tell him (indeed I cannot make use of expressions strong enough to describe what I 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 (the Prince) 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