"Bronte Nelson."

"To his Imperial Majesty, the Grand Signior."

His lordship, 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 lordship; "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 ships 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 ships at Minorca, reported to be unfit for active service, his lordship 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 ship 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 ships 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 ships 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 lordship 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 ships." General Fox, however, being hourly expected at Minorca, Sir James did not judge it proper to lessen the garrison; and, says his lordship, 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 lordships 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 lordships approbation. I beg you to represent to their lordships, that I received every assistance 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.