ton's hands Gallo's fatuous replies to their Admiral's
questions of five days before.
Troubridge was " perfectly satisfied," he could even be called perfectly happy. But meanwhile that may
EMMA, LADY HAMILTON 197
have passed which Emma afterwards maintained. Fate
was at stake. She may have rushed to the Queen, for
they both knew how little such a conclave would prob-
ably achieve; and Gallo's attitude might well deter
Acton from straightforward compliance. Nelson
might fancy this council's " order " a quick passport to his desires. But they knew its formal flourishes to be
doubtful. In the result, it would hardly seem to have
acted with speed or unaided. Emma's owu after-
story is that she besought Maria Carolina, with tears
and on bended knees, to exercise her prerogative and
supplement the mandate by the promise of direct in-
structions. From after events and from inveterate
habit the dramatic scene is probable. According to
Emma (and Pettigrew), Hamilton wrote forthwith to
Nelson, " You will receive from Emma herself what
will do the business and procure all your wants." One can see this impulsive woman clapping her hands for
joy, and singing aloud with exultation. In some two
hours Troubridge and Hardy had rowed back to the
Mutiny and set sail towards Capri.
Within a few hours at any rate Emma, throbbing
with excitement, penned two hasty notes to Nelson him-
self, both included in her newly found correspondence
of this year. Each and they are brief must be re-
peated here, for the second of them disposes of the
version, hitherto accepted, that Nelson never received
that from the Queen which his famous letter to Lady
Hamilton represents him as " kissing "; while the first suggests a likelihood that this thrilling day did not
close before Emma had managed to see Nelson himself
at Capri. Both these letters are scrawled in evident
haste.
June, 1/98.]
" MY DEAR ADMIRAL, I write in a hurry as Captain
198 EMMA, LADY HAMILTON
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 Ham-
ilton despatches from Lord St. Vincent just a week
before, and was his guest until the 2nd of August sub-
sequent.
The fact that Emma begs for the letter's return in-
dicates that it was one of importance, and might com-
promise the Queen. After the battle of the Nile Emma
sent Nelson tivo of the Queen's ordinary letters about
EMMA, LADY HAMILTON 199
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 Troubridge had prudence allowed. The Queen's anxiety,
however, to aid is again manifest from this new let-
ter, 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 an-
chor :
" 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 200 EMMA, LADY HAMILTON
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 Gibral-
tar 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, request-ing 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-EMMA, LADY HAMILTON 201
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 re-
united, and at least a new complexion is placed on the
received account. Emma assuredly sent Nelson a let-
ter covering one from the Queen, and so far her claim
is supported. In this respect, therefore, modern scep-
ticism 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 un-speakable 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."
202 EMMA, LADY HAMILTON
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 re-
sumed 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 dis-parages 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 EMMA, LADY HAMILTON 203
strained her mind's eye to follow past Cape Passaro.
She owns Emma's initiative. In some matter seem-
ingly 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 Nel-
son with advices. He informed him how Napoleon
had quitted Malta; how Carat's insolent demand that
the French should usurp the Maltese privilege of buy-
ing 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 at-
tached 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
204 EMMA, LADY HAMILTON
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 Mediter-
ranean 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 dis-
tressed for the kingdom of the Two Sicilies ; and hav-
ing gone a round of six hundred leagues, at this season
of the year (with a single ship, with an expedition in-
credible), 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
EMMA, LADY HAMILTON 205
a letter was -probably in Nelson's pocket may be in-
ferred from the subsequent narrative.
While Nelson nears the Syracusan harbour bar, mod-
ern 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 be-
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