The story of Lady Hamilton (8 page)

While they were at Palermo, Nelson and the Hamiltons shared a house and divided the expenses. In this daily companionship Nelson grew to that admiration for Emma which was finally to lead him to such disastrous lengths. He had told Commodore 89

THE STORY OF LADY HAMILTON

Duckworth just before the flight from Naples, "My situation in this country has had doubtless one rose, but it has been plucked from a bed of thorns." In another letter he calls her with a very profusion of praise, "Our dear Lady Hamilton, whom to see is to admire, but, to know, are to be added honour and respect; her head and heart surpass her beauty, which cannot be equalled by anything I have seen." With a sort of simplicity very characteristic Nelson praised Emma with such warmth to his wife that Lady Nelson naturally became uneasy and desired to come out and join him. Nelson definitely forbade this in the somewhat curious words: "You would by February have seen how unpleasant it would have been had you followed any advice which carried you from England to a wandering sailor. I could, if you had come, only have struck my flag, and carried you back again, for it would have been impossible to have set up an establishment at either Naples or Palermo." When Lady Nelson inquired as to the Admiral's return to

BATTLE OF THE NILE, AND AFTER

England, he told her, "If I have the happiness of seeing 1 their Sicilian Majesties safe on the throne again,it is probable I shall still be home in the summer. Good Sir William, Lady Hamilton and myself are the mainsprings of the machine which manages what is going on in this country. We are all bound toEngland, when we can quit our posts with propriety."

Over all this time at Palermo hangs an enervating atmosphere, the approaching thunder-cloud which was to wreck Nelsons' domestic peace and tarnish his glorious name. He struggled against the obsession that was overcoming hisscruples,hewas at times desperately miserable, as his letters show—the fatal thing was that Emma, kind and beautiful and dangerously responsive, was always present to comfort and soothe him, to minister with ardent flatteries to his depression.

But more efficacious than any woman's flattery in removing his low spirits was the prospectofsomething tobe done. The royal family had not longbeen in refuge at Palermo

THE STORY OF LADY HAMILTON

ereitbecame evident that the Parthenopean Republic, founded by the victorious French in place of theKingdom of Naples,was resting upon very shaky foundations. Encouraged by this knowledge steps were taken to raise a huge peasant army under the command of Cardinal Ruffo—it was called the "Christian Army"—against the Jacobin rebels. The people welcomed the "Christian Army " as deliverers and the Parthenopean Republic rapidly crumbled away. It only needed the appearanceof Nelson and hisshipsat Naples, the annulment of the treaty of capitulation with the remnant of the Neapolitan Jacobins in the castles of Nuovo and Uovo, the stern execution of the traitor Caraciolo, and King Ferdinand of Naples was restored tohisown again. The King and Queen stayed comfortably in Naples while these things were done for them, though Sir William and Lady Hamilton were both with Nelson in the Vanguard at the time of the surrender of the rebels and the execution of Caraciolo from the Minerva's yard-arm. Much controversy

BATTLE OF THE NILE, AND AFTER

rages round these matters, but they belong to Lord Nelson's professional career, not to the story of Emma Hamilton. It suffices to say that the often-repeated story of Emma being present at Caraciolo's execution and taking pleasure in the spectacle is an ugly untruth. The enraged Queen Maria Carolina might have done so had she been at Naples, for shewas of a vengeful disposition—not so Emma.

After the execution of the traitor, King Ferdinand came back to Naples—though for a time he took up his actual abode on board Nelson's Foudroyanl. The Queen stayed behind at Palermo, being " obliged to do so on many grounds," as she told Emma. So Emma was in a situation after her own heart in the flagship, the centre of the scene. She writes with great zest to Greville: " Everything goes on well here. We have got Naples, all the Forts; and to-night our troops go to Capua. His Majesty is with us on board, were he holds his Councils and Levees every

day The King has bought his experience

THE STORY OF LADY HAMILTON

most dearly, but at last he knows his friends from his enemies; and allso knows the defects of his former government, and is determined to remedy them. For he has great good sense, and his misfortunes have made him steady and look into himself. The Queen is not yet come. She sent me as her Deputy; for I am very popular, speak the Neapolitan language, and considered, with Sir William, the friend of the people. The Queen is waiting at Palermo, and she has determined, as there has been a great outcry against her, not to risk coming with the King."

But she goes on to tell Greville that she has " made " the " Queen's party, and the people have prayed for her to come back, and she is now very popular. I send her every night a messenger to Palermo, with all the news and letters, and she gives metheorders thesame. I have given audiences to those of her party, and settled matters between the nobility and her Majesty. She is not to see on her arrival any of her former evil counsellors, nor the women of fashion, alltho'

BATTLE OF THE NILE, AND AFTER

Ladys of the Bedchamber, formerly her friends and companions, who did her dishonour by their desolute life. All, all is changed. She has been been very unfortunate; but she is a good woman, and has sense enough to profit by \L&pastunhappiness,m& will make for the future amende honorable for the past. In short, if I can judge, it may turnout fortunate that the Neapolitans have had a dose of Republicanism. But what a glory to our good King, to our Country, that we —our brave fleet, our great Nelson—have had the happiness of restoring the King to his throne, to the Neapolitans their much-loved King, and been the instrument of giving a future good and just government to the Neapolitans ! . . . We shall, as soon as the government is fixed, return to Palermo, and bring back the Royal family; for I foresee not any permanent government till that event takes place. Nor wou'd it be politick, after all the hospitality the King and Queen received at Palermo, to carry them off in a hurry. Soyouseethereisgreatmanagement 95

THE STORY OF LADY HAMILTON

required." She declares, " I am quite worn out. For I am interpreter to Lord Nelson, the King and Queen; and altogether feil quite shattered, but as things go well, that keeps me up."

There is little doubt that the importance ofherpositionandtheconstantadmirationof Nelson also helped to " keep her up." Nelson's signal-midshipman in the Foudroyant at this time wrote in his "Reminiscences": " She was much liked by every one in the fleet, except Captain Nesbit, Lady Nelson's son; and her recommendation was the sure road to promotion. The fascination of herelegant manners was irresistible, and her voice most melodious. Bending her graceful form over her superb harp, on the Foudroyan fs quarterdeck each day after dinner, in Naples' Bay, she sang the praises of Nelson, at which the hero blushed like a fair maiden listening to the first compliment paid to her beauty."

The first anniversary of the Battle of the Nile was celebrated on board the Foudroyant with illuminations and festivities, in which

EMMA Painted by Romney; engraved in stipple by Jno. Jones

BATTLE OF THE NILE, AND AFTER Emma took her usual dazzling part. A few days afterwards the flagship returned to Palermo, where the Queen was waiting to embrace Emma. Shehad told Emma's mother, left at Palermo—the words are Emma's own —"she ought to be proud of her glorious daughterthat has done so much in the c e last suffering months. There is great preparations for our return. The Queen comes out with all Palermo to meet us. A landing-place is made—balls, suppers, illuminations, all ready. The Queen has prepared mycloathes —in short, if I have fag'd, I am more than repaid."

After the return of the Foudroyant the King and Queen and Emma indulged in the most extravagant festivities it is possible to imagine. Jewelled swords and the Dukedom of Bronte were pressed upon Nelson's reluctant acceptance; jewels and luxurious clothes were laid in Emma's willing hand. Statues of the Admiral, supported by models of Sir William and Lady Hamilton, were crowned with laurel twined with diamonds 97 G

THE STORY OF LADY HAMILTON

—the whole scene savours perilously of the absurd, but Emma's flamboyant taste delighted in these things and Nelson was too blinded by his admiration of her every action to see anythingin its truelight. But rumours of these doings reached England and did not meet with approval; he was respectfully warned that he was making a mistake. In his strained and agitated mood Nelson was deeply hurt and wrote like a child to the First Lord, "Do not, my dear Lord, let the Admiralty write harshly to me—my generous soul cannot bear it." The good Tourbridge, oneof his "band of brothers" of the Nile, also wrote urgently to him at the end of 1799:— "Pardon me, my Lord, it is my sincere esteem for you that makes me mention it. I know you can have no pleasure sitting up all night at cards; why, then, sacrifice your health, comfort, purse, ease, every thing, to the customs of a country whereyour stay cannot be long? . . . Your Lordship is a stranger to half that happens, or the talk it occasions; if you knew what your friends feel for you, I am

BATTLE OF THE NILE, AND AFTER

sure you would cut all the nocturnal parties. The gambling of the people at Palermo is publicly talked of everywhere. I beseech your Lordship leave off. I wish my pen could tell you my feelings, I am sure you would oblige

me. LadyH 's character will suffer,noth-

ing can prevent people from talking. Agam-bling woman, in the eye of an Englishman, is lost."

How pathetically inadequate was that, "I beseech your Lordship leave off," from the simple seaman who loved him, to stem the flood of Nelson's passion for Lady Hamilton. Emma's optimist view of the matter is given in a letter to Greville of February, 1800:— "We are more united and comfortable than ever, in spite of the infamous Jacobin papers jealous of Lord Nelson's glory and Sir William's and mine. But we do not mind them. Lord N. is a truly vertuous and great man; and because we have been fagging and ruining our health, and sacrificing every comfort in the cause of loyalty, our private characters are to be stabbed in the dark. First it was 99

THE STORY OF LADY HAMILTON

said Sir W. and Lord N. fought; then that we played and lost. First Sir W. and Lord N. live like brothers; next Lord N. never plays: andthis I giveyou my word of honour. So I beg you will contradict any of these vile reports. Not that Sir W. and Lord N. mind it; and I get scolded by the Queen and all of them for having suffered one day's uneasiness."

But it is to be feared that a letter of Lady Minto's written a few months later gives a truer picture of the state of affairs at Palermo—power and predominance inevitably brought out the coarseness of fibre of Lady Hamilton. It needed a much finer nature than hers to survive unspoiled such crude and dazzling success as had fallen to her share.

"Nelson and the Hamiltons," wrote Lady Minto, "all lived together in ahouseof which he bore the expense, which was enormous, and every sort of gaming went on half the night. Nelson used to sit with large parcels of gold before him, and generallygo to sleep, Lady Hamilton taking from the heap with-

BATTLE OF THE NILE, AND AFTER

out counting, and playing with his money to the amount of £500 a night. Her rage is play, and Sir William says when he is dead she will be abeggar. However,shehas about £30,000 worth of diamonds from the royal family in presents. She sits at the Councils, and rules everything and everybody."

For the first and last time inhis life,Nelson was a little warped from the high path of his professional dutyhe capt—ured the Genereux, one of the two ships escaped from the devastation of the Nile, but would not stay to capture the other, the Guillaume Tell, because he must "go to my friends, at Palermo," because for once the voice of Emma sounded louder in his ears than the voice of duty. Moreover, he was considerably fretted by having Lord Keith, with whom he got on exceeding ill, as his Commander-in-chief. This behaviour was not regarded with favour in England, and a cold breath came into that Southern atmosphere with Lord Spencer's letter to Nelson, with its unmistakable, if veiled, command:— 101

THE STORY OF LADY HAMILTON

"It appeared to me much more advisable for you to come home at once, than to be obliged to remain inactive at Palermo, while active service was going on in other parts of the station. ... I am joined in the opinion by all your friends here, that you will be more likely to recover your health and strength in England than in an inactive situation at a Foreign Court, however pleasing the respect and gratitude shown to you for your services may be, and no testimonies of respect and gratitude from that Court to you can be, I am convinced, too great for the very essential services you have rendered it."

About this time Lord Minto wrote: " I have letters from Nelson and Lady Hamilton. It does not seem clear whether he will go home. I hope he will not for his own sake, and he will at least, I hope, take Malta first. He does not seem at all conscious of the sort of discredit hehas fallen into, or the cause of it, for he still writes, not wisely, about Lady H., and all that. But it is hard to condemn and use ill a hero, as he is in his own element,