The execution of Caracciolo was shortly followed by another very singular incident, which showed how biassed Nelson had become towards the interests of the Neapolitan Court, and how exclusively he identified them—­confused them, would scarcely be too strong a word—­with the essential interests of the Allied cause and the duties of the British Navy.  On the 13th of July the castle of St. Elmo was surrendered by the French, the whole city of Naples thus returning under the royal authority.  On the same day, or the next, Troubridge, with a thousand of the best men that could be sent from the squadron, marched against Capua, accompanied by four thousand troops.  A letter had already been received from the Commander-in-chief, Keith, to Nelson, intimating that it might be necessary to draw down his vessels from Naples to the defence of Minorca.  “Should such an order come at this moment,” wrote Nelson to the First Lord, forecasting his probable disobedience, “it would be a cause for some consideration whether Minorca is to be risked, or the two Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily?  I rather think my decision would be to risk the former;” and he started Troubridge off with a detachment that seriously crippled the squadron.  Capua is fifteen to twenty miles inland from Naples.

On the 13th—­it is to be presumed after closing his letter to Spencer just quoted—­an order reached him from Keith, in these words:  “Events which have recently occurred render it necessary that as great a force as can be collected should be assembled near the island of Minorca; therefore, if your Lordship has no detachment of the French squadron in the neighbourhood of Sicily, nor information of their having sent any force towards Egypt or Syria, you are hereby required and directed to send such ships as you can possibly spare off the island of Minorca to wait my orders.”  The wording was so elastic, as regards the numbers to be sent, as to leave much to Nelson’s judgment, and he replied guardedly the same day:  “As soon as the safety of His Sicilian Majesty’s Kingdoms is secured, I shall not lose one moment in making the detachment you are pleased to order.  At present, under God’s Providence, the safety of His Sicilian Majesty, and his speedy restoration to his kingdom, depends on this fleet, and the confidence inspired even by the appearance of our ships before the city is beyond all belief; and I have no scruple in declaring my opinion that should any event draw us from the kingdom, that if the French remain in any part of it, disturbances will again arise, for all order having been completely overturned, it must take a thorough cleansing, and some little time, to restore tranquillity.”