revenge and his mind free from the influence of Emma Hamilton.  The guilt of the Admiral’s death must eternally lie at his door.  The outrage can never be effaced, and must for all time be associated with the mean executioners who, to begin with, had naught but vengeance in their minds.  Nelson was an Englishman entrusted with England’s high sense of honour and love of compassion, and in its name he stained its reputation for fair dealing.  On entering the Bay of Naples, a flag of truce was flying at the mast-head of the Seahorse and at the castles of Nuovo and Uovo.  The treaty had been ratified by Captain Foote, a high-minded officer.[20] Nelson did not approve of the truce, nor did Lady Hamilton, who was aboard the Foudroyant.  One can almost see this brazen figure standing on the quarterdeck of this British ship of war calling out to Nelson, “Haul down the flag of truce, Bronte.  There must be no truce with rebels.”  It almost takes one’s breath away to think that a man in Nelson’s position should have allowed private feelings to enter into and influence his professional duty.  Every now and again we get glimpses of this blatant paramour of his being allowed to assert herself in matters which involved the honour of Great Britain.  We are anxious to believe that Nelson put some limit to this lady’s interference in matters of high naval policy, but he seems to have been such a fool with women that almost anything ridiculous can be believed of him where they were concerned.  Both of them figure badly in the Uovo and Nuovo and Carraciolli affair.  The garrison there was so vigorously bombarded that it was driven to capitulate, but only on condition that the safety of the garrison would be guaranteed.  Captain Foote at once agreed to this, and to see that it was duly carried out.  One of the reasons that led Captain Foote so readily to agree to the conditions submitted to him was the extreme strength of the forts, which could have pounded the city to pieces.  The other was the desire to spare human life.  What need was there for Nelson to take umbrage at and violate the treaty made by Foote in the British name?  Foote had made a good bargain by getting possession of the forts, and a better and nobler one in making it part of his policy to save human life.  We wonder whether Nelson’s anger did not arise from his being deprived of some of the glory himself.  He was desperately fond of it!  In any case, he let down England’s name badly over the whole transaction.

Fox made a speech on it in the House of Commons which was, and will ever continue to be, an awful indictment.  There is nothing in the French Revolution, or in the whole of Napoleon’s career, that can be compared with it for ferocity.  Great efforts were made to fix the responsibility for breach of faith on Captain Foote, but they failed, since there was not a vestige of foundation on which a case could be made against him, as the documents conclusively proved.  He demanded a court-martial, but his friends prevailed upon him to let his case rest on the conclusive facts which were produced and made public and which have never been questioned.  There cannot be found a more astonishing revelation of perfidy or inhuman violence in the archives of Europe than that related by Mr. Fox.  Here is an extract from his amazing speech:—­