"MY DEAR LORD,
Last night, I received your letters, and orders, to December 14th, from November 30th; all of which, I shall endeavour to obey: and, with the greatest pleasure, to give you the state of the squadron, and of affairs on this side of Minorca. I shall begin in the east. My last accounts from thence were by the Phaeton, Captain Morris; and, as your lordship will probably see him, I shall only say, that I have not heard immediately from Sir Sidney Smith since September the 7th. At Constantinople, they heard he was communicating with the Grand Vizier, at Gaza, respecting the French army. The ships with him are, Theseus and Cameleon; but the Bulldog is directed to go to him, till the Smyrna convoy is ready to return. I have lately sent provisions, and some few stores, all we had, for those ships; and I have written to Duckworth, and Inglefield, to send particularly for those ships. What Turkish ships of war Sir Sidney Smith has under him, I know not; but, I am told, there are several. The Turkish admiral, Captain Morris tells me, who served under him, had his head taken off, for leaving the port of Alexandria open, and permitting the escape of Bonaparte. I would have kept up a more constant communication with Egypt; but, I have never had the benefit of small vessels. At Corfu, General Villete is arrived, and raising two regiments of Albanians. Our consul there, Mr. Speridion Forresti, is a very able man; and, from thence, the passage of an express, by land, to Constantinople, is twelve days. To get to Malta—which has kept, for sixteen months, every ship I could lay my hands on fully employed; and has, in truth, broke my spirits for ever—I have been begging, of his Sicilian Majesty, small supplies of money and corn, to keep the Maltese in arms, and barely to keep from starving the poor inhabitants. Sicily has, this year, a very bad crop, and the exportation of corn is prohibited. Both Graham and Troubridge are in desperation, at the prospect of a famine. Vessels are here, loading with corn for Malta; but I can neither get the Neapolitan men of war, nor merchant vessels, to move. You will see, by the report of the disposition of the ships, what a wretched state we are in. In truth, only the Foudroyant and Northumberland are fit to keep the sea. The Russians are, on the 4th, arrived at Messina; six sail of the line, frigates, &c. with two thousand five hundred troops. It is not to be expected, that any one Russian man of war can, or will, keep the sea; therefore, the blockade by sea can only be kept up by our ships: and it is my intention, if the Foudroyant, or even a frigate, comes soon, to go for two days to Malta, to give the Russian admiral and general, Graham, Troubridge, and Governor Ball, a meeting; not only, on the most probable means of getting the French out, but also, of arranging various matters, if it should fall to our exertions. The Maltese have, Graham says, two thousand excellent troops; we have, soldiers and sailors, fifteen hundred; the Russians will land full three thousand. I hope, the Ricasoli may be carried; and, if it is, I think the French general will no longer hold out. What a relief this would be to us! If I cannot get to Malta very soon, I shall, from your letter, remain here, to give you a meeting and receive your orders. It is impossible to send, from Mahon, too many supplies of stores to Malta; sails, rope, plank, nails, &c. You can form no idea of our deplorable state, for the last year. In Sicily, we are all quiet. I have been trying, with Sir William Hamilton, in which the queen joins, to induce the king to return to Naples; but, hitherto, without effect. I must suppose, his majesty has reasons which I am unacquainted with. It has long been my wish, to send a small squadron on the coast of Genoa; for the Russian ships are of no use, to co-operate with the Germans: but, I have not them to send. La Mutine, I have directed to protect our trade about Leghorn; and to assist, as far as she is able, in giving convoy to vessels carrying provisions to the Austrian army. The report of the combined fleets being ready for sea, induced me to direct the Phaeton and Penelope to cruize between Cape Spartel and Cape St. Vincent; that I may have timely notice of their approach, if bound this way—which I believe.
I have run over our present state; perhaps, too hastily: but, I am anxious not to keep the brig one moment longer than my writing this letter. With every sentiment of respect, believe me, my dear lord, your most obedient servant,
"Bronte Nelson."
To his Excellency, the Honourable Lieutenant-General Fox, at Minorca, his lordship on the same day wrote, that he would not suffer General Graham to want, if he could "beg, borrow, or steal, to supply him. Lord Keith," he adds, "is, I dare say, with you, at this moment; and, I am sure, all matters will be much better arranged with him than I have ability of doing. I have only the disposition to do what is right, and the desire of meriting your esteem." To Colonel Graham, at Malta, he also wrote, this day, as follows—"I hope to soon pay you a visit, and I only wish that I could always do all you ask me. It is certain, that you cannot go on at Malta, without money; therefore, I declare, sooner than you should want, I would sell Bronte. But, I trust, from General Fox's letter to me, that you will have his consent for ordering what money may be necessary. I send you all the Egyptian papers, for you, Ball, and Troubridge; and, if you like, in confidence, Italinskoy. Suwarrow is at Prague, with his whole army: ready to act with the Austrians, if they come to their senses; or, perhaps, against them. Moreau is at Vienna, treating for peace. What a state the allies bring us into! But, it is in vain to cry out; John Bull was always ill-treated. May a speedy success attend you!"
On the 14th, a new mortification occurred to his lordship. The Russian admiral, who had so long lingered at Naples, and recently arrived at Messina, with the intent, as was supposed, of at length going to Malta, sent notice that he was proceeding with his ships and troops to Corfu, and could not go to Malta. Lord Keith was, at this time, gone to station a squadron for the blockade of the port and coast of Genoa; and Lord Nelson, after arranging, with General Acton, a plan for sending two thousand six hundred troops, and encouraging his respective friends at Malta to persevere in their labours, under these and other comforting assurances, sailed in the Foudroyant, on the 16th, to concert measures for future operations with the commander in chief.
On the 23d, his lordship writes to Earl Spencer, from Leghorn, that he came thither to meet Lord Keith; and that they are going, together, to Palermo and Malta. "If," says his lordship, "Sir James St. Clair, or General Fox, had felt themselves authorized to have given us two thousand troops, I think that Malta, by this time, would have fallen; and our poor ships been released from the hardest service I have ever seen. The going away of the Russians, has almost done me up; but the King of Naples has ordered two thousand six hundred troops from Sicily, to assist Graham, and they are to be under our command. It is true, they are not good soldiers; but, they will ease our's in the fatigues of duty. The feeding the inhabitants of Malta, and paying two thousand of the people who bear arms, has been a continual source of uneasiness to my mind. His Sicilian Majesty has done more than it was possible to expect he had the ability of performing; for the resources of his kingdom are hardly yet come round, and his demands are excessive from all quarters of his dominions. Lord Keith will now be able to judge, with his own eyes and ears, and your lordship will see his report. The loyalty and attachment of their Sicilian Majesties to our king and country is such, that I would venture to lay down my head to be cut off, if they would not rather lose their kingdom of Naples, than hold it on terms from Austria and the French, by a separation from their alliance with England. There is not a thing which his majesty can desire, that their majesties of the two Sicilies will not have the greatest pleasure in complying with. I have, before, ventured on the character of their Sicilian majesties. The king is a real good man, but inclined to be positive in his opinion; the queen is certainly a great monarch, and a true daughter of Maria Theresa. I am just favoured with your letter of December 12th; which, although so entirely contrary to my expectations, cannot alter my respect for all your kindness. I am in debt, from my situation; but, time and care will get me out of it. Since May 1798, I have had all the expence of a commander in chief, without even the smallest advantage. Lord Keith," concludes his lordship, "shall find, in me, an officer ever ready to anticipate his wishes, so long as my health permits."
Though Lord Nelson does not absolutely complain of his then ill health, he was certainly much indisposed; and, but a few weeks before, had undergone a painful course of electricity, at Palermo, from which he entertained hopes of recovering the sight of his left eye.
On the 26th, his lordship sailed from Leghorn, and arrived safely at Palermo; from whence, in a few days, he proceeded to Malta, for the purpose of arranging the business of that important siege.
On the 12th of February, at sea, his lordship received the report of a survey held on the warrant-officers stores found onboard the Leander at the time, of it's being delivered up, with an account of those said to be supplied by the Russians while this ship was in their possession, which he inclosed to Lord Keith, as commander in chief; and, only six days after, being in company with the Northumberland, Audacious, and El Corso brig, fortunately captured Le Genereux, by which the Leander had been originally taken. The particulars of this pleasing event will be best described in his lordship's own words.