have the honour of returning in his own ninety-gun ship, ill as it could at this eventful crisis be spared from that station.  Thus did the hero willingly hazard a degree of censure from his country, through excess of feeling for Sir Robert Calder; nor is it altogether an extravagant impossibility that, to this generous action, he owed even his own death, which the addition of a ship of such force might perhaps have prevented.  In writing to the Honourable Captain Blackwood a second letter, dated the, 14th, soon after Sir Robert Calder’s departure, his lordship feelingly says—­“Sir Robert is gone.  Poor fellow!  I hope he will get well over the enquiry.”  What a lesson is here of Christian virtue, left by our incomparable hero for the contemplation and admiration of mankind.  It is asserted, on no light authority, that Sir.  Robert Calder had formerly, rather rashly, advised a court-martial on our hero, for his departure from his commander in chief’s orders on the memorable 14th of February; when the great Earl of St. Vincent, with a generous, noble, and dignified disdain, instantly replied—­“You would, then, try a man for knowing better how to act than yourself.”

Lord Nelson, in the foregoing letter to the Honourable Captain Blackwood, thanks him for some observations on the Salvages, which he will get inserted in the charts; and tells him, that the Defence and Agamemnon will be this day placed seven to ten leagues distant from Cadiz, and two or three ships between the fleet and them:  “therefore,” says his lordship, “you will be speedily supported, in case of an attempt to drive you off.”  Characteristically adding—­“I should like, most amazingly, to see them try it!”

It has been said, that Lord Nelson, who was in hourly expectation of being reinforced by seven ships of the line from England, and impatient to encounter the enemy, purposely detached Rear-Admiral Louis, with that number of ships, in the most public manner, by way of encouraging them to risk an action with his apparently so diminished force; and, that this stratagem actually induced Admiral Villeneuve immediately to sail from Cadiz.  That the expected reinforcement had arrived, and Admiral Louis had been thus detached to Tetuan, for fresh provisions and water, is most certain; and it is equally certain that the combined fleet, greatly to our hero’s wish, however it might be to his expectation, he had the pleasure to learn, next morning; Sunday, October the 20th, on communicating with the Phoebe, Defence, and Colossus, were the evening before seen by them outside of Cadiz; but, the wind being southerly, the enemy, consisting of nearly forty sail, could not get to the mouth of the Straits.  “We were,” writes his lordship, for this is transcribed from his own private memorandum of that day, “between Trafalgar and Cape Spartel.  The frigates made the signal, that they saw nine sail outside the harbour.  I gave the frigates instructions for their guidance; and