In consequence of these positive assurances, Lord Nelson was, at length, permitted to land; and, during the approach of his barge, a vast concourse of people, who had been assembling on the rampart from the moment his flag was first discovered, hailed the hero's approach with their loudest acclamations.

Intelligence of Lord Nelson's arrival in England had no sooner been received by Lady Hamilton and his nearest relatives, who were then passing a few weeks together at South End, than they hastened to Merton Place, where his lordship appointed to meet them. The delay in landing, made it late that afternoon before he could proceed thither: but, by travelling all night, he got to Merton at six o'clock in the morning of the 19th; where his friends had already assembled, in anxious expectation of beholding the beloved hero whose presence gladdened every virtuous heart.

His lordship, on undertaking this command, had quitted England so very expeditiously, that he could not be present at the Grand Installation of the Knights of the Bath, which took place in Westminster Abbey, on the 19th of May 1803, the day after his arrival at Portsmouth; and, consequently, was obliged to be installed by proxy. On this occasion, Lord Nelson had been represented by Captain Sir William Bolton, son of the Reverend William Bolton, brother of Thomas Bolton, Esq. the husband of his lordship's eldest sister; to whose amiable daughter, now Lady Bolton, Sir William had the preceding evening been married, by special licence, at Lady Hamilton's house in Piccadilly.

The happy party now assembled at Merton Place, where the hero ever delighted to see his family around him, consisted of the present Earl and Countess Nelson, with Lord Merton and Lady Charlotte Nelson, their son and daughter; Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, with Thomas Bolton, Junior, Esq. and Miss Ann and Miss Eliza Bolton, their son and daughters; and Mr. and Mrs. Matcham, with their son George Matcham, Junior, Esq.

On the 20th, in the morning, Lord Nelson came to London; where he had the happiness to obtain that general approbation of his conduct, from persons of all ranks, which those who have not been eminently successful can rarely hope to experience. Indeed, the country seemed generally to participate in his lordship's disappointments, with a sympathy as honourable to the national character as to the hero so worthily applauded. It was felt, that he had exerted himself to the utmost; and that, notwithstanding he had been unable to meet with the enemy, his pursuit had relieved every anxiety from the consequences of their depredations, by forcing to fly before him a combined fleet of force nearly doubling his own. All apprehensions for our colonial settlements were quieted; and, though the small advantage gained by Sir Robert Calder had not much diminished their naval strength, or greatly augmented our own, this was no fault of his lordship, whose superior worth ever became more abundantly manifest on the intrusion of such comparisons. What his lordship would have done, with the same force, similarly situated, according to the general opinion, every where freely expresed, made the nation at large, as well as our hero himself, sincerely regret that he had not been fortunate enough to encounter them. In justice to Sir Robert Calder, however, it must be admitted, there are few naval actions so brilliant, that they might not have been rendered still more so by the presence of such a commander as Lord Nelson.

Immediately after his lordship's arrival in town, a meeting of the West India merchants was convened at the London Tavern; who, having met on the 23d, Sir Richard Neave, Bart, in the chair, unanimously and expressly agreed—"That the prompt determination of Lord Nelson to quit the Mediterranean, in search of the French fleet; his sagacity in judging of, and ascertaining, their course; and his bold and unwearied pursuit of the combined French and Spanish squadrons to the West Indies, and back again to Europe; have been very instrumental to the safety of the West India islands in general, and well deserve the grateful acknowledgments of every individual connected with those colonies: and, that a deputation from the Committee of Merchants of London trading to the West Indies, be appointed to wait upon Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, to express these their sentiments, and to offer him their unfeigned thanks."

The deputation, accordingly, having waited on Lord Nelson, at Gordon's Hotel, Albemarle Street, where his lordship had taken up his temporary town-residence, with a copy of the above resolutions, he immediately returned the following answer.

"London, August 28, 1805.

"SIR

"I beg leave to express, to you and the Committee of West India Merchants, the great satisfaction which I feel in their approbation of my conduct. It was, I conceived, perfectly clear, that the combined squadrons were gone to the West Indies, and therefore it became my duty to follow them. But, I assure you, from the state of defence in which our large islands are placed, with the number of regular troops, and numerous well-disciplined and zealous militia, I was confident, not any troops which their combined squadron could carry, would make an impression upon any of our large islands, before a very superior force would arrive, for their relief.