At length the Victory arrived at Spithead, after a tedious passage of nearly five weeks from Gibraltar:  and as no instructions respecting His LORDSHIP’S Remains were received at Portsmouth while the ship remained there, and orders being transmitted to Captain HARDY for her to proceed to the Nore, the Surgeon represented to him the necessity of examining the state of the Body; common report giving reason to believe that it was intended to lie in state at Greenwich Hospital, and to be literally exposed to the public.  On the 11th of December therefore, the day on which the Victory sailed from Spithead for the Nore, Lord NELSON’S Body was taken from the cask in which it had been kept since the day after his death.  On inspecting it externally, it exhibited a state of perfect preservation, without being in the smallest degree offensive.  There were, however, some appearances that induced the Surgeon to examine the condition of the bowels; which were found to be much decayed, and likely in a short time to communicate the process of putrefaction to the rest of the Body:  the parts already injured were therefore removed.  It was at this time that the fatal ball was discovered:  it had passed through the spine, and lodged in the muscles of the back, towards the right side, and a little below the shoulder-blade.  A very considerable portion of the gold-lace, pad, and lining of the epaulette, with a piece of the coat, was found attached to the ball:  the lace of the epaulette was as firmly so, as if it had been inserted into the metal while in a state of fusion.[25]

The following is the professional Report on HIS LORDSHIP’S wound and death, made by the Surgeon on this occasion;

    “His Majesty’s Ship Victory, at Sea,
    11th December, 1805.

“About the middle of the action with the Combined Fleets on the 21st of October last, the late illustrious Commander in Chief Lord NELSON was mortally wounded in the left breast by a musket-ball, supposed to be fired from the mizen-top of La Redoutable French ship of the line, which the Victory fell on board of early in the battle.  HIS LORDSHIP was in the act of turning on the quarter-deck with his face towards the Enemy, when he received his wound:  he instantly fell; and was carried to the cockpit, where he lived about two hours.[26] On being brought below, he complained of acute pain about the sixth or seventh dorsal vertebra, and of privation of sense and motion of the body and inferior extremities.  His respiration was short and difficult; pulse weak, small, and irregular.  He frequently declared his back was shot through, that he felt every instant a gush of blood within his breast, and that he had sensations which indicated to him the approach of death.  In the course of an hour his pulse became indistinct, and was gradually lost in the arm.  His extremities and forehead became soon afterwards cold.  He retained his wonted energy of mind, and exercise of his faculties, till the last moment of his existence; and when the victory as signal as decisive was announced to him, he expressed his pious acknowledgments, and heart-felt satisfaction at the glorious event, in the most emphatic language.  He then delivered his last orders with his usual precision, and in a few minutes afterwards expired without a struggle.