The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, Volume 2Harrison, James
History
The Life of the Right Honourable Horatio Lord Viscount Nelson, Volume 2
Harrison, James
Admirals -- Great Britain -- Biography; Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Biography; Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805
On the 20th, in the morning, Lord Nelson came to London; where he had
the happiness to obtain that general approbation of his conduct, from
persons of all ranks, which those who have not been eminently successful
can rarely hope to experience. Indeed, the country seemed generally to
participate in his lordship's disappointments, with a sympathy as
honourable to the national character as to the hero so worthily
applauded. It was felt, that he had exerted himself to the utmost; and
that, notwithstanding he had been unable to meet with the enemy, his
pursuit had relieved every anxiety from the consequences of their
depredations, by forcing to fly before him a combined fleet of force
nearly doubling his own. All apprehensions for our colonial settlements
were quieted; and, though the small advantage gained by Sir Robert
Calder had not much diminished their naval strength, or greatly
augmented our own, this was no fault of his lordship, whose superior
worth ever became more abundantly manifest on the intrusion of such
comparisons. What his lordship would have done, with the same force,
similarly situated, according to the general opinion, every where freely
expresed, made the nation at large, as well as our hero himself,
sincerely regret that he had not been fortunate enough to encounter
them. In justice to Sir Robert Calder, however, it must be admitted,
there are few naval actions so brilliant, that they might not have been
rendered still more so by the presence of such a commander as Lord
Nelson.
Immediately after his lordship's arrival in town, a meeting of the West
India merchants was convened at the London Tavern; who, having met on
the 23d, Sir Richard Neave, Bart, in the chair, unanimously and
expressly agreed--"That the prompt determination of Lord Nelson to quit
the Mediterranean, in search of the French fleet; his sagacity in
judging of, and ascertaining, their course; and his bold and unwearied
pursuit of the combined French and Spanish squadrons to the West Indies,
and back again to Europe; have been very instrumental to the safety of
the West India islands in general, and well deserve the grateful
acknowledgments of every individual connected with those colonies: and,
that a deputation from the Committee of Merchants of London trading to
the West Indies, be appointed to wait upon Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount
Nelson, to express these their sentiments, and to offer him their
unfeigned thanks."
The deputation, accordingly, having waited on Lord Nelson, at Gordon's
Hotel, Albemarle Street, where his lordship had taken up his temporary
town-residence, with a copy of the above resolutions, he immediately
returned the following answer.
"London, August 28, 1805.
"SIR
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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