"MY DEAR SIR,
"I correspond to the urbanity merited by the letter with which you honoured me the 30th of May last.
"The ladies of Cadiz, accustomed to the noisy sounds of salutes of the vessels of war, will sit, and will hear what Sir John Jervis means to regale them with, for the evening of the 4th current, in honour of his Britannic majesty's birth-day; and the general wish of the Spanish nation cannot but interest itself in so august a motive.
"God preserve you, many years. I kiss your hands.
"Your attentive servant, "Josef de Mazerendo.
"P.S. I beg that you will be pleased to direct the two adjoined letters to the Admiral Jervis and to Sir James Saumarez."
Flags of truce, indeed, were continually passing, at this time, between the British and Spanish commanders; and peace, by the latter, at least, was ardently wished for.
The naval fête, proposed for his majesty's birth-day, had another object, which could not very courteously be hinted to the Spanish admiral. On that day, it seems, Rear-Admiral Nelson was invested, by his commander in chief, who personated the king on this occasion, with the insignia of the order of the Bath, and the gold medal, which had been transmitted by the sovereign, in consequence of the glorious victory of the 14th of February over the Spanish fleet.
The mutual civilities between the Spanish and British officers, while in expectation of peace, were certainly to the honour of both parties. It seems, however, to have been soon suspected, that advantage was taken of a most humane indulgence.
On the 30th of June, a letter was addressed, by Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio
Nelson, to Don Josef Mazerendo, the Spanish admiral, from on board the
Theseus, which evidently intimated apprehensions of such an effect.