makes to Nelson is not only ridiculous, but disgusting:  not only the rooms, but the whole house, staircase and all, are covered with nothing but pictures of her and him, of all sizes and sorts, and representations of his naval actions, coats-of-arms, pieces of plate in his honour, the flag-staff of L’Orient, &c.—­an excess of vanity which counteracts its own purpose.  If it was Lady Hamilton’s house there might be a pretence for it; to make his own house a mere looking-glass to view himself all day is bad taste.  Braham, the celebrated Jew singer, performed with Lady Hamilton.  She is horrid, but he entertained me in spite of her.”  Of this same period, but a year later, at the time of Hamilton’s death, Minto wrote:  “Lady Hamilton talked very freely [to me] of her situation with Nelson, and the construction the world may have put upon it, but protested that their attachment had been perfectly pure, which I declare I can believe, though I am sure it is of no consequence whether it be so or not.  The shocking injury done to Lady Nelson is not made less or greater, by anything that may or may not have occurred between him and Lady Hamilton.”

On the 6th of November, 1861, Mr. Matcham, a nephew of Lord Nelson, wrote for the “Times” some reminiscences of the great admiral, as he had known him in private life, both at this period, and three years later, just before Trafalgar.  His letter was elicited by the publication of the “Remains of Mrs. Trench.”  In this had appeared extracts from her journal, when Mrs. St. George, containing statements derogatory to Nelson’s conduct in Dresden, when on the journey from Trieste to Hamburg in the year 1800; some of which have been quoted already in this work.[48] Mr. Matcham’s words, so far as they relate to Nelson himself, are here given in full[49]:—­

I too Sir, as well as “the Lady,” had some knowledge of that person, so much honoured and so much maligned; and although I do not defend his one great error (though in that, with some palliation, there were united elements of a generous and noble nature), I venture to say that whoever forms a notion of his manners and deportment in private life from this account of him, will labour under a very great delusion.

I visited my uncle twice during the short periods in which he was on shore—­once in 1802, during his journey to Wales, when he was received at Oxford and other places; and the second time at his house at Merton, in 1805, for three weeks preceding the 15th of September, when he left to embark at Portsmouth to return no more; and I can assert with truth that a more complete contrast between this lady’s portrait and my thorough recollection of him could not be forced on my mind.  Lord Nelson in private life was remarkable for a demeanour quiet, sedate, and unobtrusive, anxious to give pleasure to every one about him, distinguishing each in turn by some act of kindness, and chiefly those who seemed to require it most.