“‘Here in Naples we are very busy making preparations to celebrate the King’s glorious return. The great idea for illuminations is the asphodel flower with three heads of flowers made of little lights, and hanging from them the letters F. M. N.—Ferdinand, Nelson, Mack. They are also making a figure of France with a red cap, rolling in the dust by the cut-down tree of Anarchy, for the King to put his foot on her neck at the grand gala.’
“Nov. 30th, ‘Vanguard.’—I have been thinking all night of the General and Duke of Sangro’s saying, that the King of Naples had not declared War against the French. Now, I assert that he has, and in a much stronger manner than the ablest Minister in Europe could write a Declaration of War. Has not the King received, as a conquest made by him, the Republican flag taken at Gozo? Is not the King’s flag flying there and at Malta—and at Malta not only by the King’s absolute permission, but by his orders? Is not the flag shot at every day by the French, and returned from batteries bearing the King’s flag? And are not two frigates and a corvette placed under my orders? and they would fight the French, meet them where they may. Has not the King sent publicly from Naples guns, mortars, &c., with officers and artillery, to fight against the French in Malta? If those acts are not tantamount to any written paper, I give up all knowledge of what is War. So far, then, I assert that the General is authorised to seize all French and Ligurian vessels. But that is a small matter to what will happen, if he permits the many hundreds of French which are now in the Mole, to be neutral till they have a fair opportunity of being active. Even the interest of the Great Duke calls loudly that the Neapolitan General should act with vigour, for if all other schemes fail, they have one sure—viz., set one vessel on fire, and the Port of Leghorn is ruined for twenty years.
“‘Vanguard,’ 1st Dec.—These French and Genoese privateers laying in the Mole are the very mischief. Some of the former are of such force as to be practically war-vessels, and there are above seventy of the latter ready to sail loaded with corn for Genoa and France. The Neapolitan General refuses to seize them, under this same sickening pretence. Have written to Sir William, to demand that orders should instantly be sent to the General for the seizure of every French vessel. The old fool! Still that playing to the French at the expense of British commerce—a ladder of the weak sitting on the wall between two minds, which the strong will kick away, when the minute arrives. Genoa is equally at war with Great Britain as the French, for I consider the self-named Ligurian Republic as at present only a Province of France. Even the Neapolitan Government should see that to permit the departure of this corn from Leghorn must expedite the entrance into Italy of more French troops. I have got the old fool to lay an embargo on all vessels, till he receives the orders of his Court. He sees, I believe, the permitting these vessels to depart in the same light as myself; but there is this difference between us,—the General prudently, and certainly safely, awaits the orders of his Court, taking no responsibility on himself; I act, from the circumstance of the moment, as I feel it may be most advantageous for the honour of the Cause which I serve, taking all responsibility on myself.
“Naples, 5th Dec.—Met the Portuguese on my way back. I expect dear Hood every moment from Egypt. His provisions must be very short. He deserves great credit for his perseverance. I hope the good Turk will have relieved him; but the Russians seem to me more intent on taking ports in the Mediterranean than on destroying Buonaparte in Egypt.
“Am still worried over that Culloden matter. I received yesterday a private letter from Lord Spencer, of October 7th, saying that the First Lieutenants of all the ships engaged would be promoted. I sincerely hope this is not intended to exclude the first of the Culloden: I must write to Lord S. for Heaven’s sake, for my sake, if it is so, to get it altered. Our dear friend, Troubridge, has suffered enough; and no one knows from me but that the Culloden was as much engaged as any ship in the Squadron. His sufferings were in every respect more than any of us. He deserves every reward which a grateful country can bestow on the most meritorious sea-officer of his standing in the Service. I have felt his worth every hour of my command.
“December 5th (later).—Am back in Naples in my home. I cannot but regard it as my home; for here I have met with the most complete rest and happiness which I have known in my lifetime, spent in loneliness on the sea for the best part of thirty years. Her Majesty and Sir William and dear Emma met me on the steps of the little port they call the Arsenal. They seemed mightily glad to have me returned: Her Majesty saying that she should now feel safe whatever fortune befel her arms; and Sir William, that his house had been like a monastery since I sailed to Leghorn. While Emma said nothing, but laughed and cried a little, and poured out the gladness of her heart in looks and smiles, till we got to the palace, where Sir William said kindly: ‘Kiss her mopes away, and see if you cannot get me back my merry Emma,—she has been sick for the sight of you. Only I know what an affectionate heart it is, that feels as if something had been torn out of it by the roots, when it is deprived of the sight of one it loves.’ And, thus adjured, she came to me and wept silently on my shoulder; and then, giving me a happy kiss, went back to her husband and got into his arm, and said in the prettiest way in the world, ‘I am sorry to have been such a moper, and you are the best husband alive, and I will be good now.’ Adding, with a flash of mischief from the laughing eyes—‘Now that I have the moon back that I cried for.’ And he held his arm around her with the affection, as it seemed to me, of a father rather than a husband, and looked down on her with the fondest pride. But he did not kiss her; he treated her rather as a favourite child.
“Dec. 6th.—The state of this country is briefly this: the army is at Rome, Civita Vecchia taken, but in the Castle of St. Angelo are 500 French troops. The French have 13,000 troops at a strong post in the Roman State, called Castellana. General Mack is gone against them with 20,000; the event in my opinion is doubtful, and on it hangs the immediate fate of Naples. If Mack is defeated, this country, in fourteen days, is lost; for the Emperor has not yet moved his army, and if the Emperor will not march, this country has not the power of resisting the French. But it was not a case of choice, but necessity, which forced the King of Naples to march out of his country, and not to wait till the French had collected a force sufficient to drive him, in a week, out of his kingdom.
“Have wrote to Commander Duckworth to congratulate him on the conquest of Minorca—an acquisition invaluable to Great Britain, and completely in future prevents any movements from Toulon to the westward. My situation in this country has had doubtless one rose plucked from a bed of thorns. Nor is my present state that of ease; and my health, at best but indifferent, has not mended lately.
“Of the new war in which Naples has just embarked, the event God only knows; but, without the assistance of the Emperor, which is not yet given, this country cannot resist the power of France. Leghorn is in possession with the King of Naples’ troops, as is Civita Vecchia. I have Troubridge, Minataur, Terpsichore, and Bon Citoyenne on the north coast of Italy, three sail of the line under Ball off Malta; and Hood with three sail of the line and two frigates is in Egypt, but I expect his return every moment, and that the Turks and Russian ships and flotilla have relieved him. I am here solus, for I reckon the Portuguese as nothing. They are all flag officers, and cannot serve under any of my brave friends. I wish I could get letters to St. Vincent: it is important to him to know our state here. The new war commenced here is yet impossible to say how it may turn—whether it really hastens the ruin, or saves the monarchy. At all events, if the King had not begun the war he would soon have been kicked out of his kingdom. Mack has with him twenty thousand fine young men, but with some few exceptions wretchedly officered. If the French are not soon driven from their post, which is very strong by nature, Mack must fall back to the frontier on the side of Ancona. The French have drove back, to say no worse, the right wing of the King’s army, and taken all their baggage and artillery. The Emperor has not yet moved, and his Minister, Thugut, is not very anxious to begin a new war; but if he does not, Naples and Tuscany will fall in two months.
“Dec. 7th.—On my arrival here from Leghorn I received a letter from Lord Spencer, communicating to me the title His Majesty had been generously pleased to confer on me. An honour, his lordship was pleased to add, the highest that has ever been conferred on an officer of my standing, who is not a Commander-in-chief. It should have been a Viscount at the least. I am not, I hope, a vain man, but this is due to the fine fellows who won my victory. It goes to show that the granting of honours is geographical: now, if it had been at the mouth of the Thames and not at the Nile, I should be by this a Duke, judging by the scale of recent rewards. The suspense of men’s minds would have been so awful until the thing was settled that ministers would have been carried away by the pressure. It would be good for the Service if ministers were carried away sometimes. Greater recognition could not be given to the victory of my fleet, because I was not a Commander-in-chief. As if this made things easier. They cannot be insensible to the difficulties I have to encounter in not being a Commander-in-chief; indeed, with any other Commander-in-chief except my dear old friend, Lord St. Vincent, I should never have got to the Nile at all, much less conquered the French. Himself what is called a Conservative officer, there never was a more generous chief to officers detailed for particular duties. He not only gave me ten more ships, but his ten best ships; and so he does for all. God knows the strain it all was, and the bitter moment of my return to Syracuse! The only happy moment I felt was in the view of the French. Then I knew that all my sufferings would soon be at an end.