The story of Lady Hamilton (6 page)

EMMA, LADY HAMILTON AS "ST CECILA

By Romney

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attempted French invasion of Ireland, the dearly-needed victory off Cape St Vincent, when Nelson's name first rang out in its true authentic note—these were the things that comprised Emma's daily budget ofnews. As has been said she was in the very thick of it, for the Austrian Queen of Naples, who was playing a political game very different from that of herslowBourbonhusband, used Lady Hamilton as a means of communication between herself and the British Ambassador and British Government. In one of her little notes to Emma she says : "I send you a letter in cypher, come from Spain, from Gala-tone, which must be returned before twenty-four hours, in order that the King may find it again. There [are] some facts very interesting for the English Government, which I wish to communicate to them, to shew my attachment to them."

This was not the only document abstracted from the King of Naples by the Queen and Emma. In her Memorial to George III., many years later, Lady Hamilton claimed, 65 E

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" That it was the good fortune of your Majesty's memorialist, among many inferior services, to acquire the confidential friendship of that great and august Princess, the Queen of Naples, your Majesty's most faithful and ardently attached ally at a period of peculiar peril, and when her august Consort . . . was unhappily constrained to profess a neutrality, but little in accordance with the feelings of hisownexcellentheart. By which means your Majesty's memorialist, among many inferior services, had an opportunity of obtaining, and actually did obtain the King of Spain's letter to the King of Naples expressive ofhis intention todeclare war against England. This important document, your Majesty's memorialist delivered to her husband, Sir William Hamilton, who immediately transmitted it to your Majesty's Ministers."

That Memorial shows Emma on stilts, she ismuchmoreherselfwritingtoGrevilleabout this time with extreme exultation and much underlining: "We have not time to write to

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you as we have been 3 days and nights waiting- to send by this courier letters of consequence for our government. They oughttobe gratefull to Sir William and myself in particular, as my situation at this Court is very extraordinary and what no person has as yet arrived at; but one as no thanks, and I am all-most sick of grandeur, we are tired to death with anxiety, and God knows were we shall soon be. and what will become of us, if things go on as they do now."

Nevertheless, in spite of the declaration thatsheis"allmostsickofgrandeur"shedoes not fail to remind Greville to "send me by the bearer a Dunstable hat, and some ribbands, or what you think will be acceptable."

And whileEmma had "got into politicks" and was throwing herself with immense enthusiasm into the Queen's schemes to improve the parlous position of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, threatened by France, honeycombed by Jacobin disaffection, so that as Emma said, "God knows were we shall soon be," Nelson was in the very thick of 67

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memorable deeds. He had tasted both victory and defeat at St Vincent and Teneriffe, he had suffered the loss of his arm and the bitterness of feeling/'Iambecome a burthen to my friends and useless to my country." But in the early summer of 1798 he and the British flag once more entered the Mediterranean. The "expected success," however, on which Emma and the Queen were so confidently countingwassomemonthsdenied to Nelson's eager fleet—the French ships could -not be found, there were difficulties as to watering and victualling, which Emma did all she knew (though probably less than she claimed) to overcome. Nelson, however, believed in her efforts to the fullest and wrote in Codicil to his Will:—

"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 everything,should they putinto any port

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in Sicily. We put into Syracuse, and received every supply; went to Egypt and destroyed the French fleet"

From Syracuse he wrote the oft-quoted letter to Sir William and Lady Hamilton:— " MY DEAR FRIENDS, —Thanks to your exertions, we have victualled and watered: and surely watering at the Fountain of Arethusa we must have victory. We shall sail with the first breeze, and be assured I will return either crowned with laurel, or covered with cypress."

It was the laurel, not the cypress. Victory sailed in his flagship, and when Nelson returned again to Naples it was after his com-pleteand overwhelming triumph of the Nile. The letter that Emma Hamilton wrote him when thenewsof the great battle reached her is wild with joy and hysteric with exultation, and littlewonder. From herwordswe realise something of the temper of the time and the blaze of glory that shone on Nelson:—

"Mv DEAR, DEAR SIR,— How shall I begin, what shall I say toyou? J Tis impossible I canwrite,forsince last Monday I am deleri-

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ous with joy and assure you I have a fevour caused by agitation and pleasure. God, what a victory! Never, never, has there been any-thinghalfsoglorious,socompleat. I fainted when I heard the joyfull news, and fell on my side and am hurt, but [am] now well of that. I shou'd feil it a glory to die in such a cause. No, I would not like to die till I see and embrace the Victor of the Nile. How shall I describetoyouthetransport of Maria Carolina, 'tis not possible. She fainted and kissed her husband, her children, walked a-bout the room, cried, kissed, and embraced every person near her,exclaiming, l Oh,brave Nelson, oh, God bless and protect our brave deliverer', oh, Nelson, Nelson,what do we not owe to you, oh, Victor, — Savour of I tali, oh, that my swolen heart cou'd noiv tell him personally what we owe to him I

"You may judge, my dear Sir, of the rest, but my head will not permit me to tell you half of therejoicingjtheNeapolitansaremad with joy, and if you was here now, you wou'd be killed with kindness. Sonets on sonets,

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illuminations, rejoicings; not a French dog dareshewhis face. Howl glory in thehonner of my Country and my Countryman \ I walk and tread in air with pride, feiling I was born in the same land with the victor Nelson and his gallant band. But nomore, I cannot,dare not, trust myself, for I am not well. Little dearCaptain Hostewill tellyou the rest. He dines with us in the day, for he will not sleep out of his ship, and we Love him dearly. He is a fine, good lad. Sir William is delighted with him, and I say he will be a second Nelson. If he is only half a Nelson, he will be superior to all others.

" I send you two letters from my adorable Queen. One was written to me the day we received the glorious news, the other yesterday. Keep them, as they are inher own handwriting. I have kept copies only, but I feil that you ought to have them. Ifyou had seen our meeting after the battle, but I will keep it all for your arrival. I coo'd not do justice to her feiling nor to my own, with writing it; and we are preparing your appartment

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against you come. I hope it will not be long, for Sir William and I are so impatient to embrace you. I wish you cou'd have seen our house the 3 nights of illumination. Tis, 'twas covered with yourglorious name. Their were 3 thousand Lamps, and their shou'd have been 3 millions if we had had time. All the English vie with each other in celebrating this most gallant and ever memorable victory. Sir William is ten years younger since the happy news, and he now only wishes to see his friend to be completely happy. How he glories in you when your name is mentioned. He cannot containhisjoy. ForGod's sake come to Naples soon. We receive so many Sonets and Letters of congratulation. I send you some of them to show you how your success is felt here. How I felt for poor Troubridge. He must have been so angry on the sand-bank, so brave an officer! In short, I pity those who were not in the battle. I wou'd have been rather an English powder-monkey, or a swab in that great victory, than an Emperor out of it, but you will be so tired

S so

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of all this. Write or come soon to Naples, and rejoin your ever sincere and obliged friend, EMMA HAMILTON"

That exuberant and overflowing letter is typical Emma, as is the statement she made to the hero at the same time," My dress from head to foot is Alia Nelson. Ask Hoste. Even my shawl is in Blue with gold anchors all over. My earrings are Nelson's anchors; in short, we are be-Nelsoned all over."

It is evident from his letters at this time that Nelson himself somewhat shrank from these extravagances of praise. Emma's account of the Queen's agitation moved him to say. "I only hope I shall not have to be awit-ness to a renewal of it," Boat-loads of "son-ets"had no attraction for him, "illuminations were only a weariness to his aching head. Emma was no Circe to this weary mariner— he had only seen her once five years earlier. In a letter to Lord St Vincent, written at sea, he says: " I detest this voyage to Naples. On the day Hoste left me I was taken ill with a fever, which has very near done my business : 73

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for eighteen hours my life was thought to be past hope; I am now up but very weak, both in body and mind, from my cough and this fever."

On the 22nd of September 1798, the warworn Admiral in hisbatteredflagship the Van-guard,Sinchored in the Bay of Naples, amidst every sign of rejoicing. Sir William and Lady Hamilton of course were there to welcome him, and thus Nelson and Emma met again.

"I must endeavour to convey to yousome-thingof what passed," wroteNelsontohis wife in England," but if it were so affecting to those who were only united to me by bonds of friendship, what must it be to my dearest wife, my friend, my everything which is most dear to me in the world ? Sir William and Lady Hamilton came out to sea, attended by numerous Boats with emblems, etc. They, my mostrespectable friends,had really been laid up and seriously ill; first from anxiety, and thenfromjoy. Itwasimprudently told Lady Hamilton in a moment, and the effect was like a shot; she fell apparently dead, and is not

BATTLE OF THE NILE, AND AFTER yet perfectly recovered from severe bruises. Alongside came my honoured friends: the scene in the boat was terribly affecting. Up flew her Ladyship, and exclaiming, 'O God! IsitpossibleP'shefellintomyarmsmoredead than alive. Tears, however, soon set matters to rights.... I hope some day tohave the plea-sureof introducing you to Lady Hamilton: she is one of the very best womenin this world, she is an honour to her sex. Her kindness, with Sir William's to me, is more than I can express. I am in their house, and I may tell you it required all the kindness of myfriends to set me up. Lady Hamilton intends writing to you."

Emma wrote the intended letter to Lady Nelson and then a later one in October, telling her, "Lord Nelson is adored here, and looked on as the deliverer of this country." The Kingand Queen, she continues,if hehad been theirbrother," cou'd nothaveshewnhim more respect and attentions. I need not tell your Ladyship how happy Sir William and myself are at having an opertunity of seeing 75

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our dear, respectable, brave friend return here with so much honner to himself, and glory for his country. We only wanted you to be completely happy. Lord Nelson's wound is quite well .... The King is having his picture set withdymondsforhisLordship,andtheQueen has ordered a fine set of china with all the battles he ^been engaged in, and his picture painted on china."

All that admiration and wealth could do for Nelson was done by Emma and her husband. She was an admirable nurse, and deluged him with attentions and flattery—without doubt exultingmuch, even beforeher feelings wereengaged, in having thehero of England under her roof. After his departure, recovered by "nursing and asse's milk," Lord St Vincent wrote to Emma:—

"Ten thousand most grateful thanks are duetoyourLadyship,forrestoringthehealth of our in valuable friend Nelson,on whose life the fate of the remaining governments in Europe, whose system has not been deranged by these devils, depends. Pray, do not let

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your fascinating Neapolitan dames approach too near him ; for he is made of flesh and blood, and cannot resist their temptations."

But Emma herself was to prove more dangerous than any "fascinating Neapolitan dames." In a letter to his stern old com-mander-in-chief, who yet loved him so well, Nelson wrote playfully, though with an undercurrent of meaning," I am writing opposite Lady Hamilton, therefore you will not be surprised at the glorious jumble of this letter. Were your Lordship in my place, I much doubt if you could write so well; our hearts and our hands must be all in a flutter: Naples is a dangerous place, and we must keep clear of it."

Nelson's old father had said of him that "the Tender Passions" are " rooted and twined into his constitution." The mistake of his marriage had been that his wife was a woman entirely lacking the impulsive ardour and warm responsive heart that characterised Emma. He had not guessed, in his life at sea, what he lacked till he met the beautiful 77