to Sir Robert Calder to return home to be court-martialled, and the latter replied that his letter “to do so cut him to the soul and that his heart was broken,” Nelson was so overcome with sympathy for Calder that he sacrificed his own opinions already expressed, and also took the risk of bringing upon himself the displeasure of the Comptroller of the Navy by giving the unfortunate man permission to proceed home in a vessel that would have been so valuable an asset to his fleet.  This worthy act, had he lived and the battle of Trafalgar been drawn or lost, might have laid him open to impeachment.  Nelson’s fine courage and sense of proportion when he thought an injustice or undue severity was being imposed was never allowed to be trifled with by any official, no matter how high or subordinate his position might be, and his contempt for men whom he knew were miserable cocksparrow amateurs was openly avowed.

Whatever the consequences, he would have sooner lost a victory than have gained one by lending himself to an act that was to injure or break his brother in arms.  Calder left the fleet a few days before the action, and when it began Nelson remarked to Hardy, “What would poor Sir Robert Calder give to be with us now!” Even on the eve of a great encounter the stress of preparation did not dim his sympathy for the afflicted man, who, on more than one occasion, had allowed envy to rule his conduct towards him.  After the battle of St. Vincent, for instance, Calder, in conversation with Jervis, criticized Nelson’s action in departing from the plan of attack laid down by the Admiral.  Jervis admitted it to be a breach, and added “if ever Calder did the same thing under similar circumstances, he would forgive him.”

Nelson knew Calder was envious of his growing fame, but this did not prevent him from acting as though he had always been a loyal friend.  On the morning of the 19th October, 1805, the signal was passed from ship to ship acting as lookouts to the main fleet that the combined fleet were putting to sea, and it was soon discovered that their force consisted of eighteen French line-of-battle ships, seven large frigates, and two brigs.  The Spanish numbered fifteen sail of the line.  The British had twenty-seven sail of the line and four frigates, so that Nelson was outnumbered by five of the line, three frigates, and two brigs.  The whole of the allied fleet did not get clear of the port until the 20th.  The commander-in-chief was Villeneuve, and his obvious intention was to get the Straits open and, by a cunning evasion of the British fleet, make a dash through.  His elusive tactics had hitherto been skilfully performed, but the British Admiral, always on the alert, anticipated that an effort would again be made to cheat him of the yearning hope of his heart, and had mentally arranged how every contingency should be coped with to prevent escape and to get to grips with the enemy.  “I will give them such a shaking as they never before experienced,” and at least he was prepared to lay down his life in the attempt.