In a letter, of the 25th of September, written to Earl Spencer, by Admiral Nelson, after slightly mentioning the reception with which he had thus been honoured, particularly by their Sicilian majesties, he makes use of these modest and pious expressions—"You will not, my lord, I trust, think that one spark of vanity induces me to mention the most distinguished reception that ever, I believe, fell to the lot of a human being; but, that it is a measure of justice due to his Sicilian majesty and the nation. God knows, my heart is amongst the most humble of the creation, full of thankfulness and gratitude."
Even before Admiral Nelson's arrival at Naples, Lachavardiere, the French consul for Palermo, who had just escaped from Egypt, thus laments the decline of French influence, and announces the triumph of the English. "The French name," says he, "is heard here with horror. The king is arming eighty thousand men. The cabinet either refuses to answer, or answers with insolence, the notes presented by our Charge des Affaires, La Chaise, who is an excellent republican. The French are forbade to enter the country, and the most extravagant predilection prevails in favour of the English. The people of Sicily are still more incensed against us. Our vessels are driven out of their ports; and, wherever the French appear, the populace pelt them with stones, and sometimes fire on them. Not one French cockade is suffered. In a word, there only wants Frenchmen, in order to celebrate again Sicilian vespers. The day before yesterday"—(this letter is dated the 20th of September)—"two English vessels arrived; and Nelson himself is expected to-morrow, in a third. To give you some idea of the favour in which the enemies of our country are held here, you must know that, with my own eyes, I saw the King of Naples go more than two leagues to sea, to meet the English, to applaud and congratulate them. The two vessels which are arrived have brought two French officers with them, one of them is Vice-Admiral Blanquet." Lachavardiere also gives an account of the battle; which, however, contains nothing of peculiar importance. One circumstance, indeed, is sufficiently singular—"Admiral Brueys," he says, "was wounded in the head and the hand: but continued to command, till a cannon-ball cut him in two; and," adds this Frenchman, "he lived a quarter of an hour afterwards!"
The integrity of our heroic Nelson seems to have revolted at the characteristic falsehood and deceit so generally experienced in the French. He could not be prevailed on, by his friends at Naples, to visit Admiral Blanquet, who had his nose shot off, and was otherwise dreadfully wounded in the face. On this occasion, he seems to have adopted all the rough bluntness of a British tar. He had beaten him, he said, and would not insult him. "Seeing me," added the hero, "will only put him in mind of his misfortune. I have an antipathy to Frenchmen; which is so powerful, that I must, I think, have received it from my mother, at my birth."
He was, himself, at this period, though in excellent spirits, so corporeally weak and reduced, that he was obliged to be kept chiefly on ass's milk for some time after his arrival. Indeed, though excess of joy, at the first meeting of such friends as Admiral Nelson, and Sir William and Lady Hamilton, absorbed every other consideration, a most essential personal difference was manifest in the hero from that which had appeared on his former visit to Naples. It is to be recollected, that neither Sir William nor his lady had ever beheld him, prior to this period, except for a very few days, while the Neapolitan subsidiary troops were embarking for Toulon, when he was without any wound or disfigurement whatever, though always of a plain but pleasingly expressive countenance: he was now returned, in the short space of about four years, having atchieved victories which might have graced an age of absence; but, at what a price were they purchased! The vision of an eye had been completely extinguished, at Calvi; an arm totally lost, at Teneriffe; and a hideous wound, leaving it's indelible scar on his manly forehead, had recently been inflicted on their heroic friend, at the battle of the Nile. To say nothing of various slighter casualties; of the effect of climate; and of those incessant excessive cares, anxieties, and disappointments, which so soon and so deeply wrinkle the smoothest brow, and so cruelly furrow the comeliest countenance. If they were shocked, at reflecting what their incomparable but mutilated friend must have suffered, in the severe and disastrous fortune of war; they were enraptured to perceive him by no means impaired in any of those higher qualities which had given birth to their reciprocal attachments. Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson, returning from his glorious victory off the Nile, was the same kind, affable, intelligent, and virtuous friend, as Captain Nelson had formerly been, when departing for Toulon. An amity thus founded on a union of superior intellect in the respective parties, could only be destroyed, however it might be envied, by the decay of that celestial principle which had served to cement it's origin.
The hero's birth-day occurring on the 29th, when he completed his fortieth year, a most splendid fête, with a ball and supper, were given by Sir William and Lady Hamilton, to the nobility and gentry of Naples, at which upwards of eighteen hundred persons are said to have been entertained. On this occasion, a grand rostral column was erected in the principal saloon, with the celebrated old Roman motto—
"VENI; VIDI; VICI!"
which was never more appropriately applied, since it's original adoption by Julius Cæsar.
It is to be regretted, that the harmony of this festival, which cost Sir William Hamilton two thousand ducats, was considerably deranged, towards it's conclusion, by the hero's son-in-law; who, it seems, so far forgot himself, as grossly to offend the very man whom every other person was delighting to honour. To such a height, indeed, was this young gentleman's intemperance unfortunately carried, that Captain Troubridge and another officer felt themselves under the absolute necessity of conducting him out of the room. This disagreeable occurrence, naturally agitating the breast of the worthy admiral, who was at that very period soliciting the indiscreet young man's preferment, in a letter then on it's way to England, occasioned a violent return of those internal spasms to which all excesses of the passions had constantly subjected him since the time when this grievance first commenced, while his anxious mind was occupied in vainly pursuing the French fleet: indeed, he always said, and it seems highly probable, that the disappointment, had it much longer continued, and his expectation of encountering them been finally frustrated, would certainly have "broke his heart." It is from no disrespect to Captain Nisbet that this affair is mentioned: nor is it for the sake of observing, what that gentleman must be sensible is the undoubted fact, that he was indebted for a reconciliation with his father-in-law, shortly after, to the kind interference of Sir William and Lady Hamilton; who, very properly representing it as solely the effect of a young man's pardonable inebriety on so joyous an occasion, again introduced him to favour at their rural villa in the vicinity of Naples. The fact, in itself, is trivial; but, on subjects of domestic or family delicacy, the minutest thread of verity may chance to have it's use in conducting through the intricate labyrinth by which the temple of truth is generally found to be environed.
It was not till after Admiral Nelson's arrival at Naples, that he heard of the capture of the Leander, with his dispatches for the Earl of St. Vincent respecting the battle of the Nile; an event for which, as has been seen, he had judiciously and almost prophetically prepared, by transmitting copies to England. By letters from Corfu, he now learned that, on the 16th of August, the Leander of fifty guns, Captain Thompson, having Captain Berry on board, with the dispatches for the Earl of St. Vincent, fell in with Le Genereux of seventy-four guns, Captain Lejoille, Jun. one of the French ships which had escaped after the battle of the Nile. The Leander, with eighty men short of it's complement, and a number of wounded on board, being off the island of Candia, was chased by Le Genereux under Neapolitan colours; which, on approaching nearly within gun-shot, about eight in the morning, were changed to French. Captain Thompson had not been deceived by this artifice, but the Leander's inferiority of sailing rendered it impossible to escape. At nine, being within half gun-shot of the Leander's weather-quarter, Captain Thompson hauled up sufficiently to bring his broadside to bear, and immediately commenced a vigorous cannonade, which was powerfully returned. The ships continued nearing each other till half past ten, under a constant and heavy fire; when the enemy, taking advantage of the disabled condition of the Leander, endeavoured to enter on the larboard bow: but the small party of marines, on the poop and quarter-deck, by a most spirited and well-directed fire, aided by a furious cannonade, repulsed them with great slaughter. A light breeze now springing up, enabled Captain Thompson to disentangle himself; and, soon after, he had the satisfaction to luff under Le Genereux's stern, and discharge every gun into that ship, at the distance of only ten yards. The action continued, within pistol-shot, till half past three in the afternoon; when Le Genereux, with a light breeze, passed the Leander's bows, and brought itself on the starboard side, where the guns had been all nearly disabled by the wreck of the spar, which had fallen on that side. This necessarily producing a cessation of the Leander's fire, the enemy hailed, to know if the ship had surrendered. Being now a complete wreck; the decks covered with killed and wounded; and Captain Thompson himself badly wounded, without the most distant hope of success; that brave officer asked Captain Berry, if it appeared that more could be done: who, agreeing that farther resistance would be in vain, they consented to submit. Le Genereux had on board nine hundred men; one hundred of whom were killed, and a hundred and eighty-eight wounded, in the action; the Leander had thirty-five killed, and fifty-eight wounded. The captain of Le Genereux, in an official letter of true French gasconade, describes the Leander as carrying "seventy-four guns, twenty-four, and thirty pounders on the lower deck, and twelve pounders on the upper!"
Captain Thompson and his officers no sooner arrived on board Le Genereux, than they were plundered of every article they had possessed, except the apparel which covered them. On this harsh treatment, they vainly expostulated with the captain, and reminded him of the different situation of the French officers made prisoners by Admiral Nelson. He coolly answered—"I am sorry for it; but, the truth is, that the French are good at plundering." Captain Berry expressed his wish to have a pair of pistols returned, and pointed out the man who had stolen them. Captain Lejoille, Jun. by immediately securing them for himself, proved the truth, in his own person, of what he had just observed respecting French expertness at pillage: for, though he told Captain Berry that he would give him, in return, a pair of French pistols, to protect him on his journey home, this mean French officer never performed his promise. To such a pitch, indeed, did these miscreants carry their cruelty and theft, that they purloined the English surgeon's instruments, while he was performing operations on the wounded; and nearly rendered mortal the wound of Captain Thompson, by forcibly obstructing his attendance. In short, the miseries suffered by this unfortunate crew, both before and after their arrival at Corfu, were greater than, it is to be hoped, for the honour of humanity, often occurs on such occasions; bad as the usage of the French is generally described to be—not, indeed, by English speculative writers; but by brave men, speaking from their own melancholy and repeated experience!