CHAPTER XVIII.

PERSONAL II.: NELSON AND HIS FAMILY.

(1779 to 1805.)

Nelson's liberality to his family-His brother Maurice's widow-His sister, Mrs. Bolton-Affection for Burnham-His charity and goodness at Merton-His narrow means-His god-children-the estate of Bronte-The Hon. A. Nelson Hood's account of BronteNelson in Parliament-Anxiety about his proxy--Advice on the Navy-Lawsuit with Lord St. Vincent.

As

WELSON was a poor man for his position until after the victory of the Nile. he truly said, foreigners could not understand the really small pecuniary means of the captain of a man-of-war, or the necessity which in such a position he had of incurring expenses which the routine of the Treasury forbad it to repay. Still, however, he found means to send his Christmas gifts to his father for the deserving poor of Burnham, and of helping many a young officer to maintain his position in his ship. It was in vain that he asked for some remuneration for acting as a land officer-practically in the position of a brigadier for his conduct at the siege of Bastia and Calvi. It was also in vain that he applied for a wound pension for the loss of his eye at the latter siege; it was not, as the Treasury replied, equal to the loss of a limb. After St. Vincent his pay rose as an admiral, and after Teneriffe a wound pension was awarded. Still he had nothing to spare, his necessary expenses as he advanced

in his rank were barely met by his increased pay and pension. He never, however, forgot his aged father; what money there was in his agent's hands was at the service of his father and his family. Though he had earned prize money, the cream of it was skimmed by his commanders-in-chief, and even of what was left to the working captain the payment was long delayed. After the victory of the Nile, however, the liberal gift by the East India Company made him able to give substantial help to his family. Of the ten thousand pounds then voted to him, he immediately instructed Davison to divide two thousand among them, and in his ignorance of business was much surprised to find that it had not been immediately paid to his wife. See the following letters to his wife and his agent, and from his aged father, so truly marking his unselfishness, and its appreciation by his family :

"TO LADY NELSON.

"NAPLES, July 14, 1799. "I rejoice that you gave Mr. Bolton the money, and I wish it made up to £500. I never regarded money, nor wanted it for my own use; therefore, as the East India Company have made me so magnificent a present, I beg that £2,000 of it may be disposed of in the following manner :-Five hundred pounds to my father; five hundred to be made up to Mr. Bolton, and let it be a God-send without any restriction; five hundred to Maurice, and five hundred to William. And if you think my sister Matcham would be gratified by it, do the same for her. If I were rich I would do more; but it will very soon be known how poor I am, except my yearly income. I am not surprised at my brother's death [Suckling]. Three are now dead, younger than myself, having grown to man's age." I

"To ALEX. DAVISON.

"September 26, 1799.

"In my state, of what consequence is all the wealth of this world,

I took for granted the East India Company would pay their noble gift

1799.]

LIBERALITY TO HIS FAMILY.

377

to Lady Nelson, and whether she lays it out in house or land is, of course, I assure you, a matter of perfect indifference. I have given away £2,000 of it to my family, in expectation it had been paid. Ah, my dear friend, if I have a morsel of bread and cheese in comfort, it is all I ask of kind heaven, until I reach the estate of six feet by two, which I am fast approaching. I had the full tide of honour, but little real comfort. If the war goes on, I shall be knocked off by a ball, or killed by chagrin. My conduct is measured by the Admiralty, by the narrow rule of three, when I think it should have been done by that of common sense. I restored a faithful ally by breach of orders; Lord Keith lost a fleet by obedience, against his own sense. Yet as one is censured, the other must be approved. Such things are." I

Letter from his father :

"December 15th, 1799.

"MY DEAR HORATIO,-You are too prudent to judge either of things or persons by appearances, and too good to believe that the few letters you receive from me can happen from any cause except the insecure, conveyances which offer, or that indolence, which I find is in the train of infirmities, which accompany those years when we shall say in the morn, would the even was come, that I may rest; and at night we are weary before the twilight returns. This is too often my case, even in the midst of blessings; and allow me to say, that yourself, under Providence, are the cause of many of these. Your public merit every mouth proclaims; your private virtues every day are experienced. A recent generous act has made your family happy by so handsome a present of £500 each, Bolton's more especially; he has occasion for all. The boy George is got so gay-I hope a happy omen. There is another boy, whom I have desired to be kept at school two years longer, and then brought forward. I have hoped he may be got to the East Indies. This was intended for a very long letter, but [I] must curtail it; the courier is going off directly. Our hopes of seeing you one day are revived, another destroyed; all I can say, you know best, and in the end will do what is right. If honour is your object, all men say you have enough; if riches, you are too generous to heap up many; if the amor Patria, you have shown it. If your dearest friends are to be gratified, they are, no doubt, very much so, by hearing of your health and prosperity, which pleasure can be

Laughton, p. 214.

increased only by seeing you. Memento-your father is seventyseven years of age. December 16, 1799. God bless you.”

"EDM. NELSON." I

His brother Maurice, who was in the Navy office, and for whom he had in vain applied for promotion, and who for very many years had treated a Miss Sarah Ford as his wife, died suddenly in May, 1802, leaving her all but penniless. She had been blinded by an accident, and became a cripple, and at once on the news of his brother's death, Nelson came forward with ready help. To Davison on the 22nd and 25th of May he

wrote :

"St. George, ROSTOCK BAY, May 22, 1802. "MY DEAR DAVISON,-By a letter from Sir A. Hammond, I first heard of the death of my dear brother Maurice. As the dead cannot be called back, it is no use dwelling on those who are gone. I am sure you will do everything which is right for his blind wife.2 I hope he has left her well provided for; if not, I beg you will arrange a proper and ample subsistence, and I will make it up. It is the only true regard I can pay to his memory. He was always good and kind to me; but enough on this subject." 3

"BAY OF ROSTOCK, May 25, 1802. "MY DEAR DAVISON,-The morning I sailed from Yarmouth I wrote you a letter, and several others, which were on board a ship left behind, in which I requested you to give Mrs. William Nelson £100 for me, and I do not hear, either from you or any person, that the letter got safe to you. Respecting poor Maurice's wife, if her necessities require it, every farthing which his kindness gave me shall be used, if she wants it; therefore, I beg you will be everything generous towards her, for she shall ever by me be considered as his honoured wife." 4

' Despatches, vol. iv. note p. 183.

2 Nelson always considered her as his brother's wife.

3 Despatches, vol. iv. p. 378.

4 Ibid., vol. iv. p. 391.

1802.]

POOR BLIND MRS. NELSON.

379

In a letter to the same, dated September 6, 1805, he again reverted to the case of the widow.

"I send you on the memorandum which I am sure that you will comply with. Poor blind Mrs. Nelson I must assist this morning. A Mr. Brand, an apothecary, called upon me for £133 2s. 6d., as due from my brother Maurice to him. I shall refer him to you, and if it is a just demand, he must have it. I shall leave the bill in St. James' Square. Ever, my dear Davison,

"Your most obliged and affectionate friend,

"NELSON AND BRONTE."

When off Portland in the Victory, September 16th, he again wrote Davison as to what he had done about the poor blind widow :

"Poor blind Mrs. Nelson, I have given £150 to pay her debts, and intend to pay her house rent in future, in addition to the £200 a year, which I take will be about £40 a year."

I

In the fifth codicil to his will (April 7, 1804) he had provided for her in the case of his death.

"I desire that the sum of £100 sterling money of Great Britain may be annually paid unto the reputed widow of my brother Maurice Nelson by whatever name she may assume, be it S. Nelson, S. Ford, or any other name, and if I have not the means to pay this sum, exclusive of my other legacies, I then trust that my friend, Alexander Davison, will pay it for me regularly every year, and to be paid quarterly, as it is at present." 2

Gifts to his sister, Mrs. Bolton :—

66

MERTON, June 11, 18c2. "MY DEAR SISTER,-Here is £100, which I shall pay you on the 11th of June for three years, towards the education of your children; by that time other things may turn up, and this is a trifle in case you want any little thing going through London. All I desire is, that

1

Despatches vol. vii. pp. 36, 39.

2

Ibid., vol. vii. p. ccxxxviii.