Not only the city of London, but the whole nation, through every gradation of rank, from the sovereign on the throne to the occupier of the humblest hut gratefully regarded the hero of the Nile as the person to whom they were chiefly indebted for the security and comfort they enjoyed; and there was, perhaps, scarcely a house which his lordship could enter, in the British dominions, or even those of our allies, where he would have been welcomed with a less affectionate aspect than his own.
Having taken up his residence in Dover Street, he naturally wished to enjoy the society of his nearest and dearest relatives; from whom he had, in the discharge of his professional duties, been so long divided. Few of these, however, had, during his lordship's absence, met with any excess of respectful civilities from her ladyship; and, of course, though now affectionately invited, their visits by no means appeared to augment her felicity. Lady Nelson's nerves could not bear the constant presence of his lordship's young nephews and nieces; while his lordship, fond of virtue in every shape, never felt happier than when surrounded by the amiable children of his brother and sisters. Here was another want of unison in sentiment; and, consequently, a considerable source of discord. It will be sufficient, to hint a few such unhappy incongruities of disposition, to account for that extreme deficiency of harmony between the parties which afterwards led to a separation by mutual consent. The present Earl and Countess Nelson, there can be no doubt, will long remember the mortifying hauteur which they so often experienced from her ladyship, even at their brother's table, as well as on other occasions, where they were then deemed of insufficient consequence to appear in company with so lofty a personage as their elevated sister-in-law, over whom they now triumph in rank: such are the fluctuations of fortune; such, not unfrequently, the salutary checks to the career of a vain ambition.
Lady Nelson unfortunately regarded all his lordship's relations as the natural enemies of her son; whom she seems, unaccountably, to have considered as the rightful heir of her husband's honours. This improvident young man, however, far from conciliating his father-in-law's esteem, had insulted him with more grossness than his lordship ever experienced from any other person; and, consequently, estranged himself, as much as possible, from his heart. Had any other human being acted exactly in the same manner, it is not improbable that his life might have paid the forfeiture. What a source was this, too, for domestic inquietude! In short, without any charge of criminality against her ladyship, the unfortunate tempers of herself and son, so little accordant with that of his lordship, conduced to render our hero, amidst all the honours he was every where deservedly receiving, the most miserable mortal in existence. After one of those too frequent domestic broils, by which his life was embittered, this exalted man, of whom the world was scarcely worthy, had wandered all night, through the streets of London, in a state of absolute despair and distraction. He rambled as far as the city; perambulated Fleet Market, Blackfriars Bridge, &c. and, exhausted with fatigue, as well as overpowered by mental suffering, reached the house of Sir William Hamilton, in Grosvenor Square, about four in the morning; where, having obtained admittance, he threw himself on the bed of his alarmed friends, in an agony of grief much too poignant for expression. The soothing voice of friendship; the sympathetic tenderness of such congenial minds; and the manifest interest which they felt in the affecting recital which his lordship ventured to unbosom; all assisted, by degrees, to calm the tremendous hurricane in his perturbed breast. After his lordship was refreshed, and had taken a little rest, his friend, Sir William, persuaded him to seek that happiness in his professional pursuits, which it seemed unlikely be would ever find at home; and, that very day, it is said, his lordship offered his services at the Admiralty, where they were gladly accepted.
On the 1st of January 1801, he was elevated to the rank of Vice-Admiral of the Blue: and, on the 9th, ordered to hoist his flag on board the San Josef, of a hundred and twelve guns, one of the Spanish prizes taken by himself in the battle off Cape St. Vincent, and then lying at Plymouth Dock; which he accordingly did, on the 17th of the same month.
On the 28th, his lordship received orders to put himself under the command of his old friend, the Earl of St. Vincent; and, as soon as the San Josef should be in all respects ready for sea, to proceed with that ship to Torbay.
In the mean time, the memorable Quixottical insanity of the Russian Emperor Paul, having operated, with the intrigues of France, to produce an intended naval confederacy of the northern nations against the maritime power of Great Britain, it was wisely determined, by the then British government, instantly to crush a design pregnant with such alarming consequences. For this purpose, a powerful fleet was now fitting out, under Admiral Sir Hyde Parker; which, while it conveyed to the triple league of the Danes, the Swedes, and the Russians, the most unequivocal desire of preserving peace, on the part of Great Britain, should carry with it the fearless front of a decided readiness to commence, if necessary, immediate hostilities.
Lord Nelson having consented to go out second in command, on this grand and most important expedition, came to London, for a few days, previously to his departure: when his lordship learned, with no small degree of surprise, that Lady Nelson had given up the house, and was retired to Brighthelmstone. His astonishment, at thus finding himself without a house or home, is not easy to be described. He hastened to his friend Sir William Hamilton, and most pathetically represented his situation. Sir William embraced him—"My dear friend! while I have a house, you can never want one." Then, conducting him to his lady—"Emma," exclaimed Sir William, "Lord Nelson says, he has no home. I say, he has, while I have one; what say you?" Her ladyship replied, that she was exactly of the same opinion. Lord Nelson opposed this arrangement, on account of the slanders of the world: but Sir William Hamilton, with a noble disdain of malevolence, felt sufficiently satisfied of the virtue in which he confided; and Lady Hamilton, who never opposed Sir William in any thing, without affecting to raise squeamish objections, readily signified her acquiescence. Lord Nelson then dropped on his knee, and piously appealed to Heaven, as witness of the purity of his attachment; and, with similar solemnity, they each, reciprocally, vowed an equally disinterested and indissoluble friendship. Such was the bond of that sincere amity which, whatever may be said, the individuals who compose the world will generally be inclined to estimate, as they always do on such occasions, according to the larger or lesser degree of vice or virtue which they respectively find in their Own hearts. From this moment, it was agreed that, while his lordship should be in England, they would constantly reside together: and, as no power on earth could have now prevailed on Lord Nelson again to live with his lady, who had carried her resentments much farther, in several respects, than it is thought necessary on this occasion to particularize, deeds of separation were soon after prepared and executed by mutual consent; the negociation of which was kindly undertaken by Alexander Davison, Esq. his lordship's confidential friend.
While Lord Nelson, the second in command, was thus seeking to escape infelicity, by a separation from his lady, which he had fully resolved should be brought to a conclusion previously to his return from this expedition; his old friend, Sir Hyde Parker, the commander in chief, was equally desirous of securing happiness, prior to his departure, by the immediate possession of a young wife. This difference in the state of their respective domesticities by no means operated to disturb their harmony; though, doubtless, his lordship was rather in the greatest hurry to be gone. The few days while Lord Nelson remained in London were chiefly engaged at the Admiralty; where, happily, his mind was so much absorbed by the consideration of public affairs, and the formation of due professional arrangements, that his domestic concerns found fewer intervals for their unwelcome intrusion. Even while at the house of his friend Alexander Davison Esq. in St. James's Square, transacting his own private business, so intent was his lordship on the public service that, when he mentioned, at the first proposal of the Copenhagen expedition, his intended going under Sir Hyde Parker—"If," added his lordship, "I had the chief command, I know well enough what I would do." Then, observing that his knowledge of the Cattegat was rather imperfect, and that he should therefore wish to see a correct chart, he requested Mr. Davison would immediately send for one to Mr. Faden's shop at Charing Cross. This being done, he said that government could spare only twelve ships for the purpose; and, after examining the chart a very few minutes, he positively marked on it the situations of those twelve ships exactly as they were afterwards placed on that memorable occasion. This extraordinary anecdote of Lord Nelson, his biographer had the honour to receive from Mr. Davison's own lips, in the very parlour where the circumstance occurred; and it affords an admirable proof of our hero's wonderful promptness and decision, as well as of his ardent zeal for the service of his country.
His lordship's flag had been shifted to the St. George, a second rate of ninety-eight guns; the San Josef, which he left at Torbay, being unfit for the intended service in the north seas. After joining part of the squadron at Spithead, they proceeded to Yarmouth, where the whole armament, consisting of fifty-two sail of various descriptions, unfortunately lessened by the loss of the Invincible of seventy-four guns, which struck on a shoal off Winterton, having been assembled, and fully prepared, took their departure on the 12th of March 1801.
Early in the morning of the 18th, land was discovered; and next day, about noon, the British fleet made the Scaw, or Scagen, the first general rendezvous. This low point of sandy and apparently barren land, which is the most northernly part of the peninsula of North Jutland, is eleven or twelve leagues distant from Marstrand Island on the Swedish shore. At both these points, the Danes and Swedes have respectively erected light-houses; for the support of which, all vessels passing the Sound, or entering the Swedish ports, are required to contribute: the entrance between the Scaw Lights and the Cattegat being considered as the entrance to the Cattegat. As it was well known, that the Danes were making every possible effort to obstruct the passage of the Sound, and render Copenhagen inaccessible to the approach of gun-vessels, much surprise was expressed, at the fleet's not being ordered to pass the Cattegat, with a strong north north-west wind, so highly favourable to such a design. The commander in chief, however, was probably deterred, by the nature of his instructions, from committing the country, by a forcible passage of the Sound, till the effect of Mr. Vansittart's pacific propositions, who had preceded the fleet, on board a frigate with a flag of truce, should be first fairly ascertained. This gentleman having reached Elsineur the 20th of March, proposed to the Danish court, in conjunction with Mr. Drummond, the British minister at Copenhagen, the secession of Denmark from the northern alliance; the allowance of a free passage to the British fleet through the Sound; and an abandonment of the system of sending convoys for the protection of Danish merchant vessels. These proposals being instantly rejected, the two British plenipotentiaries received passports for their return.