Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol IIRoss, John, Sir
History
Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol II
Ross, John, Sir
Admirals -- Great Britain -- Biography; Saumarez, James, 1757-1836
conferred on others for his meritorious services, retired again to his
native island. After Sir James and Lord Nelson had returned from the
Mediterranean subsequently to the melancholy death of Captain Miller,
they met at Sir Peter Parker's at dinner, when Sir James proposed that a
subscription for a monument to Captain Miller's memory should be raised
among the Captains who fought with his lordship at the Nile. This
proposition was immediately adopted by Nelson, who volunteered to
promote it; and the following is a letter on the subject from Nelson to
Saumarez, which we insert here because it did not come to our hands
until after the first volume had been printed.
MY DEAR SIR JAMES,--I have written so fully to Sir Edward Berry
on the subject of dear Miller's monument, that I can only
repeat my words. Sir E. Berry thought that a plain monument
would cost only 200_l._ and be sufficient to mark our esteem,
to which I am ready to agree, provided we are to have the
honour to ourselves. I mean we, who fought with him on the 1st
of August 1798; but if it is judged better to admit those who
fought with him on the 14th February 1797, then I think that a
less sum than 500_l._ would be highly improper for such a body
to lay out on a monument. Flaxman is to be the artist employed,
and Mr. Davison, if he will take the trouble, the manager of
the whole business; for permission must be obtained from the
Chapter of St. Paul's, &c. &c.
I wish we had all been off Brest when the squadron sailed; we
might have had the good fortune to have seen them. The San
Josef appears to answer very well; indeed, as far as we can
judge at present, she is, take her altogether, the finest
three-decker in this country. I am going, as you know, into the
St. George, but I wish our Northern matters could be
accommodated; however, we must face all our enemies, and, I
trust, make them ashamed of themselves.
I know you have a lad of the name of Bate on board; if you wish
to part from him, I am bound to take him.
With my best compliments to Lady Saumarez, believe me ever, my
dear Sir James,
Your most obliged and affectionate,
NELSON AND BRONTE.
To Rear-admiral Saumarez.
Although this letter has no date, it is clear that it must have been
written just before the battle with the Danish fleet at Copenhagen in
1801; and it is evident that the merit of proposing a monument to the
brave Captain Miller is due to Sir James Saumarez.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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