On the 11th, intelligence was received at Palermo, that Commodore Campbell had prematurely burned all the Neapolitan ships of war; though the French were not then at Naples, or near it:  “for,” says his lordship, “while an army was covering Naples, the enemy could not be considered as near taking it.”  Of this conduct, Lord Nelson expressed his entire disapprobation; and his Sicilian majesty was, as he had just reason to be, greatly displeased on the occasion.  The commodore, however, who had evidently acted too precipitately, yet with the best intentions, being under a Portuguese commander, happily escaped the enquiry of a court-martial; to which he would undoubtedly have been subjected, had he served in the British fleet.  The King and Queen of Naples, indeed, satisfied of Commodore Campbell’s upright, though unadvised conduct, graciously condescended to intercede in his behalf; and Lord Nelson, shortly afterwards, though he had at first been exceedingly angry, convinced the worthy commodore that he retained not the smallest animosity, by employing him on a confidential expedition to the Bey of Tripoli.

The fate of Naples was, in truth, at this time fast approaching.  The Prince General Pignatelli had signed an armistice with the French, in which the name of the King of Naples was omitted to be mentioned, who could not but entirely disapprove of such a proceeding; and the French, who were in possession of Capua, now visited Naples as a friendly place.  In this situation of affairs, his lordship, though very unwell, offered to go to the Bay of Naples; but both the king and queen so earnestly pressed him not to move, that he was unable to withstand their intreaties:  they were, they freely acknowledged, full of apprehensions, and had confidence in him only for their safety.

What the abilities of a Nelson might have effected, had it been possible for him to have headed, at land, the loyal Lazzaroni of Naples, is incapable of being ascertained; but no skill or valour could alone have long preserved a nation so corrupt and pusillanimous from the destruction which, by their meanness, the generality of the upper and middling classes were inviting.  There wanted, only, what their subtle invaders well knew was never far distant, some plausible artifice suddenly to prevail over the simplicity of the honest but credulous vulgar, which could not fail to divert that powerful torrent, into whatever channel should most rapidly lead them to the gulph of perdition.

Without entering into the history of this war, which is neither practicable, nor requisite, on the present occasion, it may be briefly remarked—­that Championet, the French general, is well known to have informed the Directory at Paris that, by means of a correspondence with the disaffected party, he should be master of Naples by the time they received the news of the capitulation of Capua—­that this treachery soon becoming suspected by the Lazzaroni, who were in the royal interest, they seized all the