Volume II Part 11 (1/2)
”Palermo, 10th Sept. 1799.
”SIRE,
”I trust, that your Imperial Majesty will permit the servant of your most faithful ally to bear his testimony to the good conduct of your Admiral Cadir Bey.
”I can a.s.sure your majesty, that s.h.i.+ps in higher order cannot be, than those under his command; and the little disturbance which has arose in this place has not been owing to any want of attention from your majesty's admiral.
”Cadir Bey is with me every day; and a better man does not live in the world, or a better officer. He is my brother; and I am, in the truest sense of the words, your majesty's attached and faithful servant,
”Bronte Nelson.”
”To his Imperial Majesty, the Grand Signior.”
His lords.h.i.+p, in writing to Earl Spencer, a few days before, thus states the difference between the Russian and Turkish commanders in chief. ”The Russian admiral,” says he, ”has a polished outside, but the bear is close to the skin: he is jealous of our influence; and thinks, whatever is proposed, that we are at the bottom. The Turk, who is by no means a fool, on the contrary, has more natural sense than the other; is our brother; and, I am sure, there is not a thing that we could desire him to do, which he would not instantly comply with. I make use of the word _we_,” adds his lords.h.i.+p; ”because Sir William and Lady Hamilton have more merit in gaining the affection and implicit confidence of Cadir Bey, and his officers, than I have.”
On the 12th, Lord Nelson writes to Rear-Admiral Duckworth--”The Russian admiral has told me, his s.h.i.+ps _cannot_ keep the sea in winter; and I see no _desire_ to go to sea in summer.” Then, mentioning the state of some of the s.h.i.+ps at Minorca, reported to be unfit for active service, his lords.h.i.+p says--”To keep them lying at Mahon, appears to me to be a waste of public money. My mind,” proceeds this great and most considerate commander, ”is fixed, that I will not keep one s.h.i.+p in the Mediterranean, that is not fit for _any_ service during the winter; those half fit, drain us of all the stores, and render us all useless: you have acted on this principle, in sending the Aurora and Dolphin; and it is my _particular_ desire, that you continue it. I beg you will write to the Admiralty, of my intentions to keep no s.h.i.+ps but what are fit for service in the Mediterranean; and, I am sure, the king will save by the measure being adopted on stations so near England. I am aware of the argument, which may be used against my plan; viz. our seamen get no good by going to England: to which, I perfectly agree. But, the s.h.i.+ps left here with me are beyond all common refit; nor can they be furnished with stores, not having any foundation to be kept up: and what would be an ample supply to keep up a squadron, is really nothing in our situation.”
To Sir James St. Clair Erskine, also at Minorca, in a letter of the 13th, his lords.h.i.+p writes--”I see, with pleasure, that you do not envy me my good fortune. The field of glory is a large one, and was never more open to any one, than at this moment to you. Rome would throw open her gates, and receive you as her deliverer; and the pope would owe his restoration to the papal chair to a _heretic_. This is the first great object; as it would not only be the compleat deliverance of Italy, but restore peace and tranquillity to the torn to pieces kingdom of Naples: for such an occasion, a part of the garrison of Messina might be taken.
The next great object, is the reduction of Malta; and, in any other moment than the present, it would be a most important one. Vaubois only wants a pretence, to give up: his sole hope is that, in the next month, he may escape with the s.h.i.+ps.” General Fox, however, being hourly expected at Minorca, Sir James did not judge it proper to lessen the garrison; and, says his lords.h.i.+p, in a letter to Sir Thomas Troubridge, ”enters upon the difficulty of the undertaking in a true soldier way.”
These difficulties, however, were in a very few days completely surmounted by Sir Thomas Troubridge: for, on the 20th of September, a capitulation was entered into by that commander, who was then blockading Civita Vecchia, on the part of Great Britain and her allies, with the General of Division Gamier, commander in chief of the French troops, and those of Italy and other allies then in the Roman Republic in a state of siege; which terminated in the surrender of the fort and town of Civita Vecchia on the 29th in the afternoon, and of Rome and St. Angelo two hours after midnight. Civita Vecchia, Corneto, and Tolfa, containing five thousand troops, were taken into possession by two hundred marines and seamen of the Culloden and Minotaur; and General Bouchard, with the troops of his Sicilian Majesty, took possession of Rome: but the French general refused to treat with any other than a British commander.
It was the wish of Lord Nelson, that Commodore Troubridge should himself have every advantage of transmitting to England the dispatches on this occasion: being generously desirous of giving all the glory to this favourite officer; who, accordingly, wrote the following letter to Mr.
Nepean.
”Civita Vecchia, 5th Oct. 1799.
”SIR,
”In obedience to orders from Lord Nelson, I have the honour to send you, for their lords.h.i.+ps information, a copy of the articles of capitulation I have made with the French General Garnier, to clear the Roman state. As I knew the French had all the valuables of the Roman state packed up ready for embarking, and the coast of Civita Vecchia forming a deep bay, with hard west south-west gales and a heavy sea, which prevented the blockade from being so close as was necessary to prevent the enemy from carrying off those truly valuable articles; I, therefore, thought it best to grant the liberal terms I have, to get them out of this country, where they have committed every excess possible. I trust, what I have done, may meet their lords.h.i.+ps approbation. I beg you to represent to their lords.h.i.+ps, that I received every a.s.sistance from Captain Louis; who went to Rome, and arranged the evacuation and taking possession of that place, with General Bouchard, with great ability and exertion, and much to my satisfaction.
I have the honour to be, &c. T. Troubridge.
Evan Nepean, Esq.”
Lord Nelson informed Earl Spencer, in a private letter, as well as the Admiralty Board in a public one to Mr. Nepean, that he had desired Commodore Troubridge to send extracts of all his letters to him, as temporary commander in chief of the Mediterranean fleet, with the terms on which the French evacuated the Roman state. ”I sincerely congratulate your lords.h.i.+p,” concludes Lord Nelson to Earl Spencer, ”on this event, so honourable to our country; for the French would treat with no country but Britain.”
It was, certainly, a most singular circ.u.mstance, that Rome should thus be reduced by a naval force: and it appeared to be the more remarkable, as it fulfilled what was now called a prophecy, which had been p.r.o.nounced on our hero's first arrival at Naples after his glorious victory off the Nile; in which it had been said, _that his lords.h.i.+p should take Rome by his_ s.h.i.+ps. This prophecy, however, it seems proper to remark--the author having no desire to encourage the growth of superst.i.tion, or to degrade the dignity of historical research by dazzling weak powers of perception with the fascinative influence of the marvellous--was considered, at the time of it's being p.r.o.nounced, as nothing more than a mere harmless Hibernicism; originating in the zeal of Father M'Cormick, a very honest and worthy Irish priest, who had come from Rome to Naples, disgusted at the enormities of the French. This good and loyal man, in the ardent warmth of congratulating Lord Nelson on his stupendous victory, triumphantly exclaimed--”And your lords.h.i.+p shall, before long, take Rome, too, with your _s.h.i.+ps!_” A declaration which, it may be supposed, was heard with far less gravity than it was uttered, though now converted into a prophetic antic.i.p.ation of the event. This honest Irish pastor, though not regarded as a prophet by Lord Nelson, was so well known to be a pious and faithful priest, that his lords.h.i.+p, who was for ever studying how he could best serve all persons of merit who came in his way, afterwards recommended him to the present Pope, in a letter which was written, expressly for that purpose, by Lady Hamilton.
So active was Lord Nelson in all his operations, that he no sooner received information of the successes of Commodore Troubridge, than he instantly drew his attention to other objects. In a letter of the 1st of October, his lords.h.i.+p says--”If it is necessary to leave a few of your and Louis's marines, do it, and one or two of the small craft for the protection of the trade; but I want, certainly, all the line of battle s.h.i.+ps, and such of the small craft as are not absolutely wanted there.
My intention is, to go almost directly to Minorca, and arrange a proper naval defence for that island; and to try and get troops to finish the business of Malta, which the French intend to relieve. Five polacres, and two Venetian s.h.i.+ps, are loading provisions and stores; therefore, I wish to fix our s.h.i.+ps on the spot most likely to intercept them: at Lampedosa and Cape Bon, and in the track from Toulon to Ajaccio. These are my ideas; for, as to blockading Toulon for so few s.h.i.+ps, they would escape, the first north-west wind, if the whole fleet was there. I need only say, to you, these are my objects, for you to support me; which it is my pleasure always to acknowledge.”
His lords.h.i.+p afterwards repeats the full confidence which he feels, that the commodore, knowing what is necessary, will come as soon as he can; ”for,” says his lords.h.i.+p, ”our business is never done.”
Lord Nelson had already sent information to the Marquis De Niza respecting these supplies for Malta, which were preparing at Toulon, with directions for intercepting them; but, by letters from Lisbon, just received, the Portuguese squadron was now ordered to return home.
Anxious, therefore, to prevent the intended relief from reaching Malta--over the people of which island he had, a few days before, obtained the honour, for his friend Captain Ball, of being regularly appointed Chief, by his Sicilian Majesty--he inclosed the particulars of this information to General Acton, and urged the necessity of having part of the English garrison at Messina, as well as of the Russian squadron and troops, ordered immediately to Malta; observing that, if Malta was relieved, all our forces got together could not take it, and the commencement of a new blockade would become useless. ”Nor,” says his lords.h.i.+p, ”would this be the worst consequence; for all the Barbary cruizers would here have their rendezvous, and not a vessel of his Sicilian Majesty's could put to sea: and, Great Britain and Russia not being at war with those powers, the case would be dreadful, and ruinous, to the subjects of his Sicilian Majesty. I have,” concludes his lords.h.i.+p, ”stated the situation, under mature reflection; and have only to request, that it maybe taken into immediate consideration.”