“Earl Spencer.”

The letter for the Lords of the Admiralty, addressed to Evan Nepean, Esq. their Secretary, was as follows.

     “Foudroyant, Naples Bay,
     19th July 1799.

     “SIR,

“I send you a copy of Lord Keith’s orders to me, my answer, and a copy of a letter written since my letter to Lord Keith.  My decision was taken, and I feel the importance of it in every way; and know, I must be subject to trial for my conduct:  but I am so confident of the uprightness of my intentions for his majesty’s service; and for that of his Sicilian Majesty, which I consider as the same; that I, with all submission, give myself to the judgement of my superiors.  I have the honour to be, with great respect, your, &c.

     “Nelson.”

By this open and dignified manner of appealing to the honourable Board of Admiralty, as well as to his commander in chief, Lord Nelson not only escaped any public censure, but even obtained great private applause, very much to the honour of all parties.  It was, they well knew, no light departure from duty, originating in presumption or ignorance; but a necessary deviation, dictated by the most profound wisdom, and justified by the truest discernment.

Lord Nelson appears to have been of opinion, about this time, that the French fleet, which had effected a junction with the Spanish, making together forty-three sail of the line, and were reported to have sailed from Carthagena on the 29th of June, had hostile designs against the kingdom of Portugal.  This he mentions to Sir Sidney Smith, in a congratulatory epistle on the first successes of that able officer in Egypt.  “Yesterday,” his lordship says, writing on the 24th of July, “brought me letters from your worthy brother; and we had the great pleasure of hearing that your truly meritorious and wonderful exertions were in a fair train for the extirpation of that horde of thieves, who went to Egypt with that arch-thief Bonaparte.  I beg you will express, to Captain Miller, and to all the brave officers and men who have fought so nobly under your orders, the sense I entertain of your and their great merit.”  To Sir Sidney’s brother, his lordship writes with still stronger praise of that spirited and enterprising officer—­“I thank you, truly,” says his lordship, “for your letter of June 9th, containing an extract of one from your brother, who has done so much at Acre.  It is like his former conduct; and, I can assure you, no one admires his gallantry and judgment more than myself.  But, if I know myself, as I never have encroached on the command of others, so I will not suffer even my friend Sir Sidney to encroach upon mine.  I dare say, he thought he was to have a separate command in the Levant; I find, upon enquiry, it never was intended to have any one in the Levant separate from me.”  This candid explanation may be considered as a manly acknowledgment of his lordship’s, that he had pushed his severity against his friend Sir Sidney sufficiently far.