sisters, desire them not to mention it. I saw Maurices the other day: he is very well, and says he wishes much to pay a visit to Burnham. I beg you will remember me kindly to all those gentlemen who have been so good as to inquire after me, and believe me to be Your affectionate Brother, HORATIO NELSON. Pray give my kind love to all my brothers and sisters. TO THE REV. MR. NELSON, JUNR., BURNHAM. [Autograph, in the Nelson Papers. He was appointed to command the AlDemarle, a small Frigate of 28 guns, early in August 1781.] Dear Brother, Kentish Town, August 24th, 1781. According to my promise I sit down to write you an account of the Albemarle. Yesterday I went down to Woolwich with Maurice, and hoisted my Pendant; and I am perfectly satisfied with her, as a twenty-eight gun Frigate. She is in dock, alongside the Enterprize, and in some respects, I think, excels her. She has a bold entrance, and clean run. The Enterprize, a lean bow, which does not answer so well with copper, as they always allow for sheathing, which is upwards of an inch more in thickness, therefore, she wants that much. The Albemarle is not so wide, upon the gun-deck, by four inches, but the same beam; the gun-deck six feet high; between decks very low indeed, about five feet. She is now coppering, and will not be out of dock this fortnight, at least. The Admiralty have been very civil, having given me the choice of all my Officers, which I am much pleased with. Now if you will ask Forster to enter for the Ship, he shall be rated. Master's-mate, and receive five pounds bounty money; and if he can bring any Seamen with him, shall have two pounds for each man, and they will have the same bounty. They can come by any of the Wells' Ships, who shall be paid for bringing them. I have talked with Mr. Suckling about your going His brother, Maurice Nelson. Chaplain in the Navy, and he thinks, as I do, that fifty pounds where you are, is much more than equal to what you can get at Sea; but in that I know you will please yourself, therefore shall not attempt to state any argument to dissuade you from it. Your own judgment must rule you. I beg my kind love to my father, and my brothers and sisters. yourself that I am in every respect your affectionate Brother, HORATIO NELSON. Adieu, and assure TO THE REV. MR. NELSON, JUNR., BURNHAM. [Autograph, in the Nelson Papers. ] Dear Brother, Woolwich, September 9, 1781. I must beg your pardon for not having answered your letter before this time, but I assure you since last Sunday, when I wrote to my father, I have not had one moment's spare time : therefore in the first place let us mention your business. I have not seen one creature, since I have been in Town, that I could talk to upon the subject; but be assured I shall not forget you, but do what lays in my power towards the completion of your wishes. As to my real opinion, whether or no you will like it, I say, as I always did, that it is five to one you will not. If you get with a good man, and with gentlemen, it will be tolerable; if not you will soon detest it. It is a chance, but I will let you know when I hear further upon the subject. I am much obliged to you for having spoke to Forster, and I cannot promise that he can have the place I spoke of at first; but if he will come, I will do what I can for him, and if he does not like the Navy, he shall be discharged at any time. My Quarter-deck is filled, much to my satisfaction, with very genteel young men and seamen. My Lieutenants are appointed, but I have not seen either of them : the second, a Mr. Osborne, 6 Being a Navy Chaplain. 7 The Officers who served in the Albemarle from the 15th August 1781 to the 3rd July 1783, were-Lieutenants, William Osborne, Martin Hinton, and Joseph Bromwich; Surgeon, J. Armstrong; Master, Don Trail; Pursers, H. Dela main and W. Easton.-Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. i. Appendix. son of Sir Charles Hardy's Secretary; an exceeding good Master, and good Warrant Officers, and pretty successful in getting men; not less than twenty volunteers have come to me already, most of them seamen. If any Ships are coming soon from Wells to London, I beg the box of papers, &c. may be sent. If there is not within these three weeks, they must come by land. My wine from Portsmouth is sent for, though much I hear is lost. However, a moiety of it shall come to Burnham. The first week in October, I hope to be at the Nore. You must not forget me to your Wells' Club, nor any where else, where I am known. Adieu my dear brother, and believe me to be all. Your affectionate Brother, HORATIO NELSON. Maurice is well. Give my duty to my father, and love to P. S. If I do not give you the progress you will scold-She is rigged, and getting in her ground tier. TO THE REVEREND MR. NELSON, JUN., BURNHAM. [Autograph, in the Nelson Papers.] Dear Brother, Albemarle, Woolwich, October 2nd, 1781. I have received yours, as well as many more letters from Burnham, and which I have not had a moment's time to answer. In the first place my things came all safe by the Wells' ship. Your matter, as yet, I have made little progress in; but when I am amongst my Brother Officers, I shall then be able to judge better what can be done. My destination is fixed without anything particular happen, that is, the North Seas; and in that Fleet I know some of the Captains, and the Commodore, Keith Stewart;1 but when I join them I will let you Admiral Sir Charles Hardy. The harbour of Wells is about five miles, and the town three miles from Burnham Thorpe. 1 Commodore the Honourable Keith Stewart, fourth son of Alexander, 4th Earl of Galloway he died a Vice-Admiral in March 1795. know what you may expect. Be assured it has been no neglect of mine that you have not got it before this time, and I will leave no method untried to accomplish it. The day after to-morrow the Albemarle goes from here down the River, and in the next week will be off the Nore. I received a letter from Mun, and am much obliged to him for the trouble he has been at. All I shall say in answer to it is that Mr. Wiseman is a goose. The Collector's letter I have received, and have sent for the young man: he will be here in all probability before I close this letter. I have just seen Val. Boyles, who seems very sorry for what he has done, but hopes that his father will be able to get Lord Townshend to give him a Lieutenant's commission, which will put him in a very good line of life. Mr. Suckling is quite recovered. I am, dear brother, Yours affectionately, HORATIO NELSON. My kind love to my father, brothers, and sisters: and compliments to all. I have given Val. Boyles two guineas, as his father requested. TO THE REVEREND MR. NELSON, JUN., BURNHAM. [Autograph in the Nelson Papers.] Dear Brother, Sheerness, October 18th, 1781. According to my promise, I sit down to write: I came down to the Nore on Sunday last, and am now full manned, and ready for any service. I have an exceeding good Ship's company. Not a man or Officer in her I would wish to change. She appears to sail also very well. Where I am going, I know not, but suppose I shall be gone from here in the next 2 His brother Edmund, then a lad nineteen years of age. He died unmarried in December 1789. 3 Valentine Boyles, son of the Collector of the Customs in Wells; vide. p. 49, post. George Viscount Townshend was then Master-General of the Ordnance. week, when I will write again. I hope Mrs. Bolton's 4 troubles are over. Give my kind love to her, and to my father, sister, and Mun; tell him I would not take either Mr. Wiseman or Walker. I hardly think I have so bad a man in my Ship. I have got John Oliver, belonging to Wells, and have made him a Quarter-master; he is a very good man. I am, dear Brother, yours affectionately, HORATIO NELSON. Compliments to the Wells' Club, and all friends in Norfolk. TO WILLIAM LOCKER, ESQ., GRAY'S INN. [Autograph, in the Locker Papers.-Two days after the date of this letter, he received his Orders to the effect - - that as the Russia Company had represented, that besides the Fleet of Merchantmen under the Convoy of the Africa, there would also be a very considerable number of Ships from the different Ports of the Baltic at the Sound, laden with cargoes of the utmost National importance, he was to take the Argo and Enterprise under his command, and proceed to Elsineur for the homeward bound trade, and having seen them in safety to their respective places, he was to proceed to the Downs. He was also informed, that he might, probably, be reinforced by some Ships from Commodore Stewart's Squadron, which was off the Texel.-Original in the Nelson Papers.] My dear Sir, Albemarle, Nore, October 21st, 1781. I arrived here this day week from Long Reach, and I dare say you are almost scolding for my not writing before this; but, in the first place, I have been very busy in getting my Ship's company in order for service. They are, in my opinion, as good a set of men as I ever saw: indeed, I am perfectly satisfied with both Officers and Ship's company. All my Marines are likewise old standers. As another excuse, which is much worse, I have been so ill, as hardly [to be] kept His eldest sister, Susannah, who was born 12th June 1755, and married 5th August 1780, Thomas Bolton, Esq., of Cranwich, in Norfolk. She gave birth to twin daughters on the 20th November 1781. Her son Thomas succeeded as second Earl Nelson, and was father of the present Earl. Mrs. Bolton died in July 1813. |