out of bed. I have been but twice out of the Ship since her arrival. I saw Mr. Belless5 on one of those days; he is pretty well, and desires his compliments to you. Old Westcott, the Master Attendant, is gone upon leave: he is very unwell. I am sorry to hear poor Captain Sutton is gone to the East Indies. That Johnstone must be a sad villain, he hopes to kill Sutton, to escape a trial. Pray let me know what you have heard of the matter. What sad news from America: for my part, I cannot understand Mr. Graves" letter; the French are here and there, I supposed in sight, to windward of him; at last a Frigate goes to look for them, and finds them very safe in the Chesapeake. I much fear for Lord Cornwallis: if something was not immediately done, America is quite lost. My orders are not yet come down, therefore hope you will give me a line, which will much oblige Your much obliged Friend, HORATIO NElson. Pray [give] my compliments to the Bradleys and George Smith. I hope Mr. B. is better. 5 Apparently, Robert Bellas, Surgeon of the Dock Yard at Sheerness. On the 16th April 1781, the Squadron, under the command of Commodore George Johnstone, consisting, among other Ships, of the Isis, Captain Evelyn Sutton, (vide p. 36, ante,) was surprised and attacked in Porto Praya Bay, in the Island of Saint Jago, by a French Squadron under Monsieur de Suffrein. In his public letter, Commodore Johnstone accused Captain Sutton' of neglect of duty, and stated that he had placed him under an arrest. He was accordingly tried by a Court-Martial, on the 1st October 1783, and honourably acquitted. Captain Sutton afterwards brought an action against Commodore Johnstone, which was the subject of two trials: by the first he obtained a verdict of 50007., and by the next 60001. damages. The cause afterwards came before the House of Lords; and in May 1787, Captain Sutton was defeated by a majority of thirteen votes. Commodore Johnstone died in the same month. 7 Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves, Commander-in-Chief in North America, afterwards Admiral Lord Graves. The Letter alluded to described his engagement with Count de Grasse, on the 5th September 1781, which caused much dissatisfaction in England. • "The Bradleys" were three brothers; viz. James, Henry, and Richard Bradley, and a sister, Frances. Being intimate friends of Admiral Parry, and consequently of the Lockers, (p. 23, ante,) Nelson, when a Lieutenant, became known to them, and always felt great regard for the family. Mr. James Bradley was appointed Secretary to the Board of Controul, on the institution of the Office, and died in 1800 without issue. His only sister, Frances, married, in TO THE REVEREND MR. NELSON, BURNHAM. [Autograph, in the Nelson Papers.] Albemarle, Yarmouth Roads, December 18th, 1781. My dear Brother, I arrived here yesterday in my way to the Downs, but the wind has detained me here. I suppose our father is gone to Bath before this. I hope you have had a pleasant autumn, and plenty of game. Mr. Bracey I saw here yesterday; he tells me Charles Boyles9 is in Norfolk; pray remember me kindly to him: I wish much to meet him. I hope you have lost all ideas of going to Sea, for the more I see of Chaplains of Men-of-War, the more I dread seeing my brother in such a disagreeable station of life. Adieu, dear brother, and believe me to be Your affectionate Brother, HORATIO NELSON. Love to Mun. I suppose all the Wells' house is flown. TO WILLIAM LOCKER, ESQ., GRAY'S INN. My dear Sir, [Autograph, in the Locker Papers.] Yarmouth Roads, December 22nd, 1781. I would have wrote a line before this, but I expected every moment would have brought a wind that would have sent me to the Downs, where I am bound with a large Convoy of Store-Ships for Portsmouth and Plymouth. I assure you I have almost been froze on the other side the water: here we find it quite summer. We have not had any success; indeed, there is nothing you can meet, but what is in force: the Dutch have not a single Merchantman at Sea. One Pri 1782, Andrew Hawes Dyne, Esq., of Gore Court, in Kent, and being heiress to her brother, her husband assumed the name of Bradley. Their eldest son, Francis Bradley, Esq., now of Gore Court, has lately resumed the name of Dyne. * Charles Boyles, son of Charles Boyles, Esq., Collector of the Customs at Wells in Norfolk, was appointed to the Raisonable, Captain Suckling, at the same time that Nelson joined that Ship. He was a Lieutenant at the date of this letter; was made a Commander in April 1783; obtained Post rank in November 1790; and died a Vice-Admiral of the Blue, in November 1816. VOL. I. E vateer was in our Fleet, but it was not possible to lay hold of him. I chased him an hour, and came fast up with him, but was obliged to return to the Fleet. I find since, it was the noted Fall, the Pirate.1 Macbride sailed from hence, yesterday, with his two Dutch prizes: they are fine Privateers, Schooner-rigged, but very different to what you would suppose by his letter. Whoever gets them as fine Sloops of War, will be very much disappointed when they see them. Dickson3 in the Sampson, was our Commodore. What fools the Dutch must have been not to have taken us into the Texel. Two hundred and sixty Sail the Convoy consisted of. They behaved, as all Convoys that ever I saw did, shamefully ill; parting company every day. One hundred and ten Sail are now in the roads. I hope to hear that you have a Ship, at least that your health will permit you to take one. I hope you are got into Kent, but I shall direct it to the old place. If you are moved they will send it. I hope Mr. James Bradley is got well. beg my compliments to all of them, [a word illegible,] my dear Sir, and believe me to be Your most obliged and very humble Servant, I The Albemarle, although you abused her at Woolwich, has some good sailing in her. The Argo, a new forty-four, we can spare a good deal of sail; and I think we go full as well as the Enterprise. If you write a line to the Downs, I shall get it there. 1 This person, who commanded the Folkestone privateer Cutter, under French colours, had menaced and fired upon several places on the coast of Scotland. 2 Captain John Macbride obtained his Flag in February 1793, and died an Admiral of the Blue, in 1800. 3 Captain William Dickson. He died an Admiral of the Blue, in May 1803. 4 The Argo 44, Captain John Butchart, (whose name immediately followed Nelson's in the list of Post Captains,) and Enterprize 28, Captain John Willett Payne, who died a Rear-Admiral. Those Ships, with the Albemarle, sailed from the Nore to the Baltic in October 1781. My dear Sir, TO CAPTAIN LOCKER. [Autograph, in the Locker Papers.] Albemarle, Yarmouth Roads, December 30th, 1781. Mr. Mitchel, this morning, has shown me a letter from an uncle of his, which he received last night, telling him that he was to go out with Sir George Rodney, and that you had wrote to me in the Downs to discharge him. I therefore instantly discharged him, and have given [him] a boat to go on shore with his things, although it blows pretty hard. The wind, I am almost afraid, will not shift this change, for it has all the appearance of a Westerly and South-West wind. I have been once to Sea with the Convoy, and got pretty near Orfordness, but it coming to blow hard from the Southward, was very glad to get them safe into the Roads again. Mr. Mitchel, since he has been in the Albemarle, has acted as one of [the] Mates, and has always done his duty as an exceeding good Petty Officer, though I believe he thinks it high time that he was made a Lieutenant. I am puzzled where to direct to you, but shall continue it to the old place. If the wind continues to the Southward of West, I should be glad to know where you are, for we cannot stir with those winds. Adieu, my dear Sir, and believe me to be ever faithfully, Your most obedient Servant, HORATIO NELSON. Captain Dickson, of the Sampson, desired me, if I wrote to you, to make his compliments. TO PHILIPS STEPHENS, ESQ., SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY. Sir, [Original, in the Admiralty.] Albemarle, in the Downs, 2nd January, 1782. I have to acquaint you, for the information of my Lords. Commissioners of the Admiralty, that I arrived last night at dark, in the Downs, with the Argo and Preston, and sixtyfive Sail, mostly belonging to the Baltic Fleet, including ten Store-Ships for Portsmouth, and eighteen for Plymouth. Inclosed is the State and Condition of his Majesty's Ship under my command. I am, Sir, &c. HORATIO NELSON. TO WILLIAM LOCKER, ESQ., GRAY'S INN. [Autograph, in the Locker Papers.-Though dated in 1781, it is evidently a clerical error for 1782.] My dear Sir, Albemarle, Downs, January 2nd, 1781 [1782]. 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 now I must tell you, as far as I know, his wish to leave the Ship. When he came on board, I sent him into Mr. Bromwich's mess, where he was two or three days. In that time they spoke to me, that they hoped I would not take it amiss, but they could not think of keeping that young man (I forget his name) in their mess, as he could not pay his part of their small expenses. I am sure that you will not think I should attempt to force any person upon 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 then 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. The 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 30l. a year from, I Preston, 50, Captain Patrick Leslie. 6 Afterwards Lieutenant Joseph Bromwich, Warden of Portsmouth Dock-yard. |