who may bring bullion, and are to be encouraged. I shall seize, and order Captain Collingwood to do so likewise, all these Trinidada Vessels who are American-built and navigated by Americans, and shall allow none to come to these Islands, but the small Spanish open Boats, which have hitherto been allowed; although I think, without any advantage to these Islands. If money is ever brought, those are the kind of Vessels which bring it; none other ever came to Jamaica. I know the difficulties we shall meet with in having these Vessels prosecuted to condemnation. The Merchants and Landed people will be against us, for interest sake; the Custom-House Officers must be, as they admit them; and if they are condemned, it will show their bad conduct in too glaring colours. I should not have sent Home this account, but have waited the arrival of the Officer who is to succeed Sir Richard Hughes in this Command, had I not thought it of such material consequence, that an account could not too soon be transmitted for their Lordships' consideration; and I beg leave to observe that already very numerous are the Americans who are covered by the Spanish qualifications, although the first of them which I have met with is only dated the 21st of May 1786. When I say one hundred, I am certain I am far within compass. Every American vessel who trades to the West Indies will call at Trinidada to receive Spanish qualifications. This traffic, I must take the liberty of observing, brings to the King of Spain a considerable revenue; it will increase the Ship-building of America, and raise the numbers of her Seamen; while, on the contrary, it will decrease the British Shipping and Seamen in these Islands. These Americans will take off our rum, and carry it to America, so that our Vessels will shortly have no trade to those States. They will be again the Carriers between these Islands and America. For such is either the want of knowledge, or something worse, in most of our Officers here, that if a Vessel comes under Spanish colours, and produces anything Spanish, she must be a Spaniard; and as such, is granted certain privileges: for if under an English Ensign, must be a true Englishman. Their Lordships will, I am sure, see the necessity of something being immediately done in this Spanish-American business; and I hope they will approve of what I intend doing. I am, &c., HORATIO NElson. TO MRS. NISBET. [From Clark and M'Arthur, vol. i. p. 79: but they do not give the date of his Letter. It was, however, written about August 1786.] my Boreas, English Harbour, [August 1786]. My dearest Fanny, What can I say? Nothing, if I speak of the pleasure I felt at receiving your kind and affectionate letter; my thoughts are too big for utterance: you must suppose that everything which is tender, kind, and truly affectionate has possession of whole frame. Words are not capable of conveying an idea of my feelings: nothing but reciprocity is equal to it; I flatter myself it is so. I have begun this letter, and left off, a dozen times, and found I did not know one word from another. Well, on the Saturday morning after the Berbice Schooner left me, Mr. Lightfoot came and paid me a visit, with an apology, of his having been confined to his house, or he would have done it before: that, not writing, he meant it as a mark of attention. He prevailed upon me to sleep at his house on Monday last, the day I dined with Sir Thomas Shirley. This great attention made amends for his long neglect, and I forgot all anger; I can forgive sometimes, you will allow. I only came from thence this morning; it is nine miles, and with writing ever since my arrival, I feel a little tired; therefore expect nothing but sheer stupidity. I have also seen the great Mr. ; he says, he understood and believed I was gone to England-whistle for that! The Country air has certainly done me service. I am not getting very fat, my make will not allow it: but I can tell you, and I know your tender heart will rejoice, that I have no more 2 Governor of the Leeward Islands. (Vide p. 157, ante.) He was created a Baronet in June 1786, which shows that this Letter must have been written some weeks after that date, though it is placed by Clarke and M'Arthur before Letters of February and March 1786. VOL. I. complaint in my lungs than Captain Maynard, and not the least pain in my breast. Pray present my best respects to Dr. Jefferies; I am very much flattered indeed by his good opinion. Although I am just from salt water, yet, as I am in a hurry to get the Berbice away, that she may reach Nevis by the evening, I must finish this thing, for letter I cannot call it. I have a newspaper for Miss Herbert; it is all I have to offer that is worth her acceptance; and I know she is as fond of a bit of news as myself. Pray give my compli ments to her, and love to Josiah. I am, &c. HORATIO NELSON. TO MRS. NISBET. [From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. 86.] English Harbour, September 23rd, 1786. On the 9th of October, barring something extraordinary, you will certainly see H. N. again; and, I need not say, if it be possible, with a stronger affection than when he left you. My letter is short, but my mind could say the paper full; therefore, don't let that be a reason for your writing either a short letter, or making the lines very wide from each other.... Believe that I am ever the same Horatio. Sir, TO PHILIP STEPHENS, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. [Original, in the Admiralty.] Boreas, English Harbour, Antigua, I beg leave to acquaint you, that on the 23rd Instant, I received their Lordships' order of the 14th of July last relative to Harbours. Inclosed, I transmit you the State and Condition of the Ships on this Station; and also a List of an Appointment made by me, with a Report of the Survey. And I am to request you will inform their Lordships, that in the beginning of Sep tember, I ordered the Rattler to the Island of Grenada to remain the rest of the hurricane season: I have also inclosed you as correct a List as I could procure of the French Squadron in these Seas, and have the honour to be, &c., HORATIO NELSON. Sir, TO PHILIP STEPHENS, ESQ., ADMIRALTY. 3 [Original, in the Admiralty.] Boreas, English Harbour, Antigua, Inclosed is a duplicate of my letter to you, of the 27th of August last, by which you will see I made a mistake. It was a Treasury Order signed by Mr. Grenville in the year 1763, instead of an Order in Council. I remain, &c., HORATIO NELSON. TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE NAVY. Gentlemen, [Original, in the Admiralty.] Boreas, English Harbour, Antigua, Inclosed, I beg leave to transmit you two letters which were sent by Mr. William Lewis, Surgeon of his Majesty's Sloop Rattler, to Captain Collingwood, and by him transmitted to me. The propriety of his writing such letters relative to the Commander of the Squadron, I leave to your consideration. The gentleman asserts that Captain Nelson will not believe his own representation, although he knows he never made to me in his life, either a verbal or written representation of his state of health. After the first Survey he writes his Captain, that he has received his letter, acquainting him of Captain Nelson's resolution of not signing a Ticket for him to go on shore to Sick 3 The Letter printed in p. 190 was a Duplicate, in which he seems to have corrected the error in the Original, Quarters, and much more improper writing, as in the former instance. I can only assure the Board that no Sick Ticket was ever presented for my approbation until he was invalided. I certainly did not choose to volunteer sending the Mate of the Boreas on board the Rattler, for by it I left a hundred and eighty men under the care of a gentleman who has not the best state of health, and who told me his constitution was not equal to attending them if they were sickly. But when Mr. Lewis was by Survey judged an object to be sent to England, I appointed one in his room; and as there were not Ships enough to try Mr. William Lewis, I ordered him to be immediately discharged, and approved his Ticket to remain at the hospital, till an opportunity offered of his getting a passage to England. So far from treating him with inhumanity, I conceive I have shown him lenity after such expressions. I have the honour to remain, &c., HORATIO NELSON. TO THE REVEREND MR. NELSON, HILBOROUGH. [Autograph, in the Nelson Papers.] My dear Brother, Boreas, English Harbour, September 25th, 1786. Your kind letter of July 30th I received by Dents from Barbadoes two days ago, and the last month those of May the 1st, June the 3rd, July the 2nd, I received here in due course. For not getting the two former I am obliged to Mr. Kelly, as well as not getting two from my father, and the same number from Kate. I am very angry with him; more so as there were many opportunities of sending them, and he told me there were none for me not that I believe I could have wrote, for you cannot have an idea of the plague and trouble I have had with these Governors and people, and the number of letters I have been obliged to write upon those subjects. However, I have smoothed the way for those who may come after me. The Captains of Men-of-War are now invested with great additional powers, enough to carry on the business of doing good 4 Surgeon's Mate, Officers now called " Assistant Surgeons." 5 Second Lieutenant of the Boreas. |