On the 14th of February, Captain Nelson writes to his friend Captain Locker, from Montserrat—­“I am here, with the Pegasus and Solebay.  The island has made fine addresses, and good dinners.  Tomorrow, we sail for Nevis and St. Christopher’s, where the same fine things will be done over again.  His royal highness keeps up strict discipline in his ship; and, without paying him any compliment, she is one of the first ordered frigates I have seen.  He has had more plague with his officers than enough.  His first-lieutenant will, I have no doubt, be broke.  I have put him under arrest; he having written for a court-martial on himself, to vindicate his conduct, because his captain thought proper to reprimand him in the order-book.  In short, our service has been so much relaxed during the war, that it will cost many a court-martial to bring it up again.”

The affair above alluded to, which made considerable noise at the time, appears to have been this:  the prince, on going ashore, is said to have left express orders, that none of the crew should, during his absence, be permitted to quit the ship.  The lieutenant, however, from the general maxim, that the superior officer on board has a right to exercise uncontrouled command, permitted a boat to go on shore with some of the men.  This coming to his royal highness’s knowledge, who could not possibly be pleased with what appeared manifestly done in defiance of his instructions, he adopted the method which has been mentioned of expressing, in the order-book, his disapprobation of the act.

Captain Nelson proved, by his conduct on the occasion, what he thought of the business:  and, without his knowledge of naval usage, a man at all conversant in legal constructions, or even the plainest principles of common sense, must see, if he is not blinded by prejudice, that the general rule above alluded to could never be intended to overthrow any positive orders left by a superior officer, at the will of the inferior.  If, indeed, a case of necessity should arise, the latter would have a right to act according to his discretion; but it must always be at his peril, if he cannot prove, at least, that it appeared to be absolutely necessary; still more so, if he manifestly breaks through, wilfully or perversely, the very orders which himself received from his superior officer, and is consequently bound to see regularly carried into execution.

It is somewhat remarkable, that Captain Nelson, in writing to Captain Locker, whom he always considered as a sort of father as well as a friend, on the day preceding his departure for Nevis, where he was a few weeks afterwards married to the widow of Dr. Nesbit, a physician of that island, should not even yet muster sufficient resolution to say that he was then going to take possession of the woman who, he thought, was destined to make him happy.

To this lady, who had a son then about nine years of age, he was, at length, early in March 1787, actually united.  The marriage was celebrated with considerable splendour, and his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence did them the honour to stand as the bride’s father on the joyful occasion.