"Tell him to send to the French in the citadel that they shall give possession of the same citadel or Castle of St. Elmo to His Sicilian Majesty's faithful subjects, and the troops of his allies; on which condition alone they shall be sent to France without the stipulation of their being prisoners of war. That as to rebels and traitors, no power on earth has a right to stand between their gracious King and them; they must instantly throw themselves on the clemency of their Sovereign, for no other terms will be allowed them; nor will the French be allowed even to name them in any capitulation. If these terms are not complied with, in the time above mentioned--namely, two hours for the French, and instant submission on the part of the rebels--such very favourable conditions will never again be offered." That evening word came back that these orders had been read and explained at great length to the Cardinal, and had been rejected by him. Accordingly, the next morning we ran right into the Bay, and anchored in close line-of-battle before the city, at the same time calling up the two-and-twenty gun-and-mortar vessels from the Islands to rest on our flanks. After which the Admiral sent two summonses to the Cardinal, to be by him delivered to the French in the citadel and the rebels in the castles. From the first, who had not treated in any way yet, he demanded an unconditional surrender. His summons to the rebels ran:-- "His Britannic Majesty's Ship _Foudroyant_, "Naples Bay, 25th June, 1799. "Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson, K.B., Commander of His Britannic Majesty's Fleet in the Bay of Naples, acquaints the rebellious subjects of His Sicilian Majesty in the Castles of Uovo and Nuovo, that he will not permit them to embark or quit those places. They must surrender themselves to His Majesty's royal mercy." These summonses the Cardinal refused flat out to deliver. "If," he said, "the Admiral chose to break the armistice between the signing and fulfilment of the capitulation, he must do it by himself. The Calabrian army would assist neither with guns nor with men. For himself, the Cardinal was sick of the whole matter, and he should be pleased for the Admiral to do what he liked." There never was any doubt of the Admiral's doing what he liked; for, unless he provided transports, there was no means of evacuating the castles. To leave them on the land side, when the _lazzaroni_ had the countenance of the English fleet, would mean being torn to pieces. As for transports, no one could provide them but with the Admiral's leave; and even then they would be under the guns of the fleet.