The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, Volume 1Harrison, James
History
The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, Volume 1
Harrison, James
Admirals -- Great Britain -- Biography; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Biography; Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805
The unanswerable reasoning in this letter could not fail to produce
perfect conviction; and General Naselli, at his lordship's request,
consented to lay an embargo on all the vessels at Leghorn, till he
should receive orders for their disposal from his Sicilian majesty.
Among these ships, were a great number of French privateers; some of
them, his lordship observed, in a letter to Sir William Hamilton, of
such force as to do the very greatest mischief to our commerce, if
permitted to sail. There were also about seventy sail of vessels,
calling themselves belonging to the Ligurian Republic, before called
Genoa, ready to sail, loaded with corn, for Genoa and France; the
arrival of which, must expedite the entrance into Italy of more French
troops. "General Naselli," says Lord Nelson, "sees, I believe, the
permitting these vessels to depart, in the same light as myself; but,
there is this difference between us--the general, prudently, and
certainly safely, waits the orders of his court, taking no
responsibility on himself; I act from the circumstance of the moment, as
I feel it may be most advantageous for the honour of the cause which I
serve, taking all responsibility on myself."
Having left Captain Troubridge at Leghorn, to act as exigencies might
require, Lord Nelson immediately returned to Naples; where he arrived on
the 5th of December, having been absent little more than ten days.
During this time, letters had arrived from Commodore Duckworth,
relating to the conquest of Minorca; and, these letters having been
forwarded after him to Leghorn, he wrote the following apology and
congratulation to his friend the commodore, now Admiral Sir John
Duckworth, who commanded the squadron which had sailed from Gibraltar on
this expedition.
"Naples, 6th Dec. 1798.
"MY DEAR SIR,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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