That evening, the 13th, at nine o’clock, a lieutenant arrived, who had been landed to the westward of Palermo by a sloop-of-war, the “Peterel,” she not being able to beat up to the city against the east wind prevailing.  From him Nelson learned that the French fleet had passed the Straits, and had been seen off Minorca.  The next day, the “Peterel” having come off the port, he went alongside, and sent her on at once to Malta, with orders to Ball to abandon the blockade, bringing with him all his ships, and to proceed off Maritimo, a small island twenty miles west of Sicily, where he now proposed to concentrate his squadron and to go himself.  Troubridge, having already orders to come to Palermo, needed no further instructions, except to bring all his ships, instead of leaving one at Naples.  Every ship-of-the-line in the squadron, including the Portuguese, was thus summoned to join the Flag, in a position to cover Palermo and the approaches to the eastern Mediterranean.  To these necessary dispositions was owing that the senior officer left at Naples was Captain Foote, who afterwards signed the articles of capitulation with the insurgents, which gave such offence to Nelson, and have occasioned much controversy in connection with his subsequent action.

Troubridge, having sailed at once on receipt of his first orders, arrived on the 17th with three British ships and one Portuguese.  A heavy gale prevented Nelson getting to sea till the 20th, when he sailed, and was joined the next morning by the fourth ship from Naples.  The same day came a Portuguese corvette from Gibraltar and Mahon, with letters from St. Vincent and Duckworth.  The former announced that the French had passed the Straits, and that he was about to start in pursuit.  Duckworth, who also was asked to join off Maritimo, declined to do so, saying that he must await the commander-in-chief.  Nelson had of course immediately communicated to the latter his change of plan.  He hoped to collect ten sail-of-the-line, which, “if Duckworth reinforce me, will enable me to look the enemy in the face”—­fourteen ships to nineteen; “but should any of the Russians or Turks be off Malta, I hope to get a force of different nations equal to the enemy, when not a moment shall be lost in bringing them to battle.”

On the 23d of May he was off Maritimo with seven ships, Ball not having joined yet.  His spirits were fast rising, as in thought he drew near the enemy.  “Duckworth means to leave me to my fate,” he wrote to Lady Hamilton.  “Never mind; if I can get eleven sail together, they shall not hurt me.”  “I am under no apprehension for the safety of his Majesty’s squadron,” he said in a circular letter to his scattered vessels, designed to heighten their ardor; “on the contrary, from the very high state of discipline of the ships, I am confident, should the enemy force us to battle, that we shall cut a very respectable figure; and if Admiral Duckworth joins, not one moment shall be lost