Memoirs of Emma, lady Hamilton, the friend of Lord Nelson and the court of Naples; (23 page)

June, 1/98.] " MY DEAR ADMIRAL, — I write in a hurry as Captain

T. Carrol stays on Monarch. God bless you, and send you victorious, and that I may see you bring back Buonaparte with you. Pray send Captain Hardy out to us, for I shall have a fever with anxiety. The Queen desires me to say everything that's kind, and bids me say with her whole heart and soul she wishes you victory. God bless you, my dear Sir. I will not say how glad I shall be to see you. Indeed I cannot describe to you my feelings on your being so near us.— Eve^r, Ever, dear Sir, Your affte. and grate-full

" EMMA HAMILTON."

But now comes a decisive epistle, the missing link, bearing in mind Nelson's disputed answer to it, the date of which has been most ingeniously transferred to the following May —a date not perhaps wholly appropriate. Theory, however, must here yield to this piece of reality on a scrap of notepaper.

The letter, written very hurriedly, is on similar paper and presumably of the same date as its predecessor: —

" DEAR SIR, —I send you a letter I have received this moment from the Queen. Kiss it, and send it back by Bowen, as I am bound not to give any of her letters. — Ever your

" EMMA."

Captain Bowen of the Transfer had brought Hamilton despatches from Lord St. Vincent just a week before, and was his guest until the 2nd of August subsequent.

The fact that Emma begs for the letter's return indicates that it was one of importance, and might compromise the Queen. After the battle of the Nile Emma sent Nelson tivo of the Queen's ordinary letters about

him, as a token of gratitude, and without any request for their redelivery.

This missive from the Queen seems to have been one promising Nelson some further document of direct instructions to the governors of ports in event of future urgency. It is right, however, to state that during revision I have lit on a Queen's letter of about this date telling Emma that " circumstances ... do not permit of opening our ports and arms entirely to our brave defenders"; "our gratitude is none the less"; she hopes for victory, and wanted to have seen Trou-bridge had prudence allowed. The Queen's anxiety, however, to aid is again manifest from this new letter, which shows, too, how keenly she realised the diplomatic situation on which such stress has been laid. In the absence of other evidence it need not be unduly pressed against my theory about her letter of mere promise to Nelson on June 17.

The immediate reply and pendant to that cheering communication was Nelson's familiar and much-debated letter written an hour before he weighed anchor :—

" MY DEAR LADY HAMILTON, —/ have kissed the Queen's letter. Pray say I hope for the honor of kissing her hand when no fears will intervene, assure her Majesty that no person has her felicity more than myself at heart and that the sufferings of her family will be a Tower of Strength on the day of Battle, fear not the event, God is with us, God bless you and Sir William, pray say I cannot stay to answer his letter.— Ever Yours faithfully,

" HORATIO NELSON." 1

^This letter is misdated in the hurry (as was sometimes the way with Nelson), I7th May, 6 P.M. It is admitted, of course, that on that day he was off Cape Sicie, so that if applicable to 1/98, it must be a slip of the pen for June 17. With regard to

On this (still visible in the British Museum) Emma's after-indorsement runs, " This letter I received after I had sent the Queen's letter for receiving our ships into their ports, for the Queen had decided to act in opposition to the King, who would not then break with France, and our Fleet must have gone down to Gibraltar to have watered, and the battle of the Nile would not have been fought, for the French fleet would have got back to Toulon." She is reviewing the whole length of the transaction, the critical issues at Syracuse of next month on Nelson's first return from Egypt, the ultimate victory. She does the same in other parts of her two long memorials. Her statements have been construed as post-dating Nelson's momentous visit to the time when he returned from pursuit for supplies to Sicily and resailed equipped to Aboukir Bay. Emma's words, " this awful period," tally with the general impression given by some of Acton's letters and

"my dear," etc., cf. Morrison MS. 317, where on the preceding day Hamilton mentions her as " Emma " to his " dear Nelson " and " brave friend," and says she wishes him victory " heart and soul." In her " Addington " memorial of 1803 she puts the matter quite clearly:—"The fleet itself, I can truly say, could not have got into Sicily, but for what I was happily able to do with the Queen of Naples, and through her secret instructions so obtained."

The material wording of the familiar " Prince Regent's" memorial runs: " It was at this awful period in June 1798, about three days after the French fleet passed by for Malta, Sir William and myself were awakened at six o'clock in the morning by Captain Trowbridge with a letter from Sir Horatio Nelson, then with his fleet off the bay near to Caprea, requesting that the Ambassador would procure him permission to enter with his fleet into Naples or any of the Sicilian ports, to provision, water, etc., as otherwise he must run for Gibraltar, being in urgent want, and that, consequently, he would be obliged to give over all further pursuit of the French fleet, which he missed at Egypt, on account of their having put in to Malta."

The wording of her King's memorial, which seems never to have been presented, is more clearly expressed and more explicit :—" That Your Majesty's Memorialist on a subsequent oc-

the Queen's as to the present crisis. Hamilton himself in a draft for his known despatch of this date to Gren-ville adds the significant postscript—" This Court, as you may perceive, is in great distress." A note has already sought to show that Nelson must surely have been aware of the court's suffering condition. There seems, therefore, nothing improbable in his use of the phrase, " the sufferings of her family."

I hope now to have proved that this long-questioned Nelson letter was, undoubtedly, the instant answer to Emma's own communication, for the first time here brought to light. The twin letters are at length reunited, and at least a new complexion is placed on the received account. Emma assuredly sent Nelson a letter covering one from the Queen, and so far her claim is supported. In this respect, therefore, modern scepticism has proved mistaken. I cannot but hope that such as have doubted may now find reason to modify their verdict, and will honour Nelson, whose love for Emma has been begrudged as debasement, by admit-

casion, by means of the same confidential communication with that great and good woman, the Queen of Naples, had the unspeakable felicity of procuring a secret order for victualling and watering, at the port of Syracuse, the fleet of Your Most Gracious Majesty under the command of Admiral Nelson; by which means that heroic man, the pride and glory of his King and country, was enabled to proceed the second time to Egypt with a promptitude and celerity which certainly hastened the glorious battle of the Nile, and occasioned his good and grateful heart to admit your humble Memorialist as well as the Queen of Naples to a participation in that important victory." Her words speak for themselves to every unprejudiced mind.

The wording of Nelson's codicil is:—" Secondly, the British fleet under my command could never have returned a second time to Egypt had not Lady Hamilton's influence with the Queen of Naples caused letters to be wrote to the Governor of Syracuse, that he was to encourage the fleet to be supplied with every thing, should they put into any port in Sicily. We put into Syracuse, and received every supply; went to Egypt and destroyed the French fleet. Could I have rewarded these services, I would not now call upon my country."

ting that what he claimed in his last codicil for the woman of his heart was neither " infatuation " nor falsehood, and that without her it would hardly have happened.

Scarcely had Nelson put to sea when he at once resumed communication with the Hamiltons. He wishes the Neapolitans to depend upon him. If only supplies are forthcoming when his need presses, his fleet shall be their mainstay. He laments his lack of frigates, but "thank God," he adds, "I am not apt to feel difficulties." He confides to Lady Hamilton his hope to be " presented" to her " crowned with laurels or cypress." He presses them to exert themselves in procuring for him masts and stores. He deprecates the diplomatic quibbles about " co-operation," while lagging Austria manoeuvres, and after he himself has come in crisis to their assistance. He points out the peril from Napoleon at Malta, he repeats, " Malta is the direct road to Sicily." The Two Sicilies are the key of the position.

And, indeed, the catastrophe of Malta formed the dirge of all this summer. The Queen was distracted at the royal and ministerial delays and punctilios. La Valette was in French hands " without a blow," the Maltese knights were dastards, and she could not pity them. " Ces coquins de Frangais " pretended to have grenades to burn the fleet of her hopes. She disparages Garat. She sends her " dear, faithful " Emma the Austrian ciphers to copy under vows of secrecy: Emma will see how little sincerity exists in Vienna. Emma is indispensable. Emma has infused her whole being with Nelson. The Queen bids her shout and sing once more before the assembled throng, " Hip, hip, hip! " " God save the King! " end " God save Nelson! " She harps on Malta, " an irreparable loss," and "gallant Nelson, with his British fleet," which she

strained her mind's eye to follow past Cape Passaro. She owns Emma's initiative. In some matter seemingly relative to British ships, she writes that Emma's wishes are assured by a reputation (was it Maltese?) ; the " brave English " are now assured of the national sympathy.

Nor was Hamilton behindhand. He furnished Nelson with advices. He informed him how Napoleon had quitted Malta; how Carat's insolent demand that the French should usurp the Maltese privilege of buying Sicilian corn had eventually succeeded; " shocking," he comments, that neither King nor Emperor will " abandon half measures." He sent him Captain Hope with Irish intelligence. He looked hourly for news of the French Armada's overthrow.

Lady Hamilton also continued her correspondence. She thanks him for his letter through Captain Bowen, which she has translated for the Queen, who " prays for " his " honour and safety—victory, she is sure, you will have "; she " sees and feels " all Nelson's grounds for complaint,—so does Emma, who calls Garat " an impudent, insolent dog." " I see plainly," she adds with emphasis, " The Court of Naples must declare war, if they mean to save their country. But alas! their First Minister Gallo is a frivolous, ignorant, self-conceited coxcomb, that thinks of nothing but his fine embroidered coat, ring and snuff-box; and half Naples thinks him half a Frenchman; and God knows, if one may judge of what he did in making the peace for the Emperor, he must either be very ignorant, or not attached to his masters or the Cause Commune. The Queen and Acton cannot bear him, and consequently he cannot have much power ; but still a First Minister, although he may be a minister of smoke, yet he has always something, at least enough to do mischief. The Jacobins have all been lately declared innocent, after

suffering four years' imprisonment; and I know, they all deserved to be hanged long ago; and since Garat has been here, and through his insolent letters to Gallo. these pretty gentlemen, that had planned the death of their Majesties, are to be let out in society again. In short, I am afraid, all is lost here; and I am grieved to the heart for our dear, charming Queen, who deserves a better fate. ... I hope you will not quit the Mediterranean without taking us. . . . But yet, I trust in God and you, that we shall destroy those monsters before we go from hence. God bless you, my dear, dear sir."

And meanwhile Nelson, in hot pursuit, scoured the Mediterranean—Malta, Candia, Alexandria, Syria— in vain. The commander of both fleet and army, with genius, youth, and Corsican strategy to back him, still baffled the daring " sea-wolf," as he always called him. Nelson lived " in hopes," he never rested. But " the Devil's children have the Devil's luck," as he and Hamilton both assured each other.

The I Qth of July saw him back at Syracuse in recoil for his last spring, and in the very need against which his foresight had forearmed him. He lacked both stores and water. He seemed as far from his goal as when he started.

Let him speak for himself. Writing from Syracuse and in retrospect, he told Hamilton :"...! stretched over to the coast of Caramama; where not speaking a vessel who could give me information, I became distressed for the kingdom of the Two Sicilies; and having gone a round of six hundred leagues, at this season of the year (with a single ship, with an expedition incredible), here I am, as ignorant of the situation of the enemy as I was twenty-seven days ago! "

Now was the time for the Queen's " open sesame," if both Acton's " order " and her own " letter " of promise failed to operate with expedition. That such

a letter was -probably in Nelson's pocket may be inferred from the subsequent narrative.

While Nelson nears the Syracusan harbour bar, modern criticism once more intercepts our view, and must for a moment delay our story. It will not do so long, because one of the documents on which its controversy relies will enable us to resume our thread. But three preliminaries must first be mentioned.

It is important to distinguish between the official and the private letters of Nelson and Hamilton—the former meant to be shown to others, the latter written for the recipient alone; and, more especially, beween these two distinct classes of correspondence, and those other half-private letters intended for Hamilton to show Acton in confidence, and yet hinting or suggesting more than the General was meant to gather from them.

It has also escaped full notice that for some time past a private correspondence had regularly passed between Nelson and the Hamiltons. This is clear from a letter (soon to be quoted) of July 22 from Nelson to Lady Hamilton in the Morrison Collection, where he inquires after her plans for " coming down the Mediterranean " with her husband, presumably to help him. Thirdly, so late as the first week in August, after Nelson's battle had been won, Acton was still ignorant that his ships had been adequately provisioned, and was arranging further measures for the purpose; aware on August 15 of the Sicilian provisions, he planned more.