his lordship writes, that he must immediately send the Minotaur, Swiftsure, and St. Sebastian, with either the Culloden or Zealous; and either himself, or Captain Hood, remain with the Seahorse, La Minerve, &c. at Procida, and get the Lion from Leghorn, in exchange for one of the small craft—­To Admiral Duckworth, that he is sending him eight, nine, or ten, sail of the line, with all expedition, that they may be ready to form a junction with their great and excellent commander in chief; for which purpose his lordship ventures to offer an opinion, that it will be better for the ships to remain under sail off Port Mahon, than in the harbour:  and adds best wishes for success, as he is not permitted to come—­And, to the earl of St. Vincent, that these several ships will be ready to obey the earl’s orders off Mahon; and that, hoping the Russians are off Malta, he has requested some of that admiral’s ships may be sent to Minorca.

“In short,” his lordship concludes this last letter, “you may depend on my exertions, and I am only sorry that I cannot move to your help; but, this island appears to hang on my stay.  Nothing could console the queen, this night, but my promise not to leave them, unless the battle was to be fought off Sardinia.  May God Almighty bless and prosper you, is the fervent prayer of your obliged and affectionate

     “Nelson.”

His lordship also wrote to Captain Ball, desiring him, if the Russian squadron were before Malta, to proceed with all the line of battle ships, and the Thalia frigate, off Port Mahon, under the orders of Admiral Duckworth; laying his lordship’s letter before Vice-Admiral Uschakoff, as well as the Ottoman admiral, should he be there, and procuring such ships as they could both spare for Minorca:  but, if they were not with him, to send the Audacious and Goliath to Mahon.

At nine o’clock in the evening of the 13th, the lieutenant of the Petterel arrived, by land, at Palermo.  The sloop not being able to get up, owing to strong east winds, Captain Austin very properly sent the lieutenant on shore.  He brought intelligence, that the French fleet had actually passed the Straits Mouth:  and this news induced his lordship to alter his intended plan of sending such ships as he could collect off Mahon; instead of which, he now resolved to rendezvous with the whole of them off the Island of Maritimo.  Of this change he instantly sent to apprize the commander in chief, as well as Admiral Duckworth; trusting that the latter would send his squadron there, which might enable him to look the enemy in the face.  He hoped, indeed, that if the Russians and Turks were off Malta, he should get a force, of different nations, equal to the enemy; when it was his determination, that not a moment should be lost in bringing them to battle.

Though the French fleet consisted of nineteen sail of the line, and that of the Spaniards with which it was about to form a junction no less than twenty-five, his lordship determined to sail, with all possible expedition, for Maritimo.