MY DEAREST BELOVED EMMA, the dear friend of my bosom.  The signal has been made that the Enemy’s Combined Fleet are coming out of Port.  We have very little wind, so that I have no hopes of seeing them before to-morrow.  May the God of Battles crown my endeavours with success; at all events, I will take care that my name shall ever be most dear to you and Horatia, both of whom I love as much as my own life.  And as my last writing before the Battle will be to you, so I hope in God that I shall live to finish my letter after the Battle.  May Heaven bless you prays your

    NELSON AND BRONTE.

    October 20th.

In the morning, we were close to the Mouth of the Straits, but the wind had not come far enough to the Westward to allow the Combined Fleets to weather the Shoals off Trafalgar; but they were counted as far as forty Sail of Ships of War, which I suppose to be thirty-four of the Line, and six Frigates.  A group of them was seen off the Lighthouse of Cadiz this morning, but it blows so very fresh and thick weather, that I rather believe they will go into the Harbour before night.  May God Almighty give us success over these fellows, and enable us to get a Peace.

He wrote the same day to his daughter, addressing the letter to Miss Horatia Nelson Thompson,[132] by which name she had hitherto been known.  In the Codicil to his Will, signed on the morning of the 21st, a few hours before the battle, he called her his adopted daughter, and desired that she would in future use the name of Nelson only.

    Victory, October 19th, 1805.

MY DEAREST ANGEL,—­I was made happy by the pleasure of receiving your letter of September 19th, and I rejoice to hear that you are so very good a girl, and love my dear Lady Hamilton, who most dearly loves you.  Give her a kiss for me.  The Combined Fleets of the Enemy are now reported to be coming out of Cadiz; and therefore I answer your letter, my dearest Horatia, to mark to you that you are ever uppermost in my thoughts.  I shall be sure of your prayers for my safety, conquest, and speedy return to dear Merton, and our dearest good Lady Hamilton.  Be a good girl, mind what Miss Connor says to you.  Receive, my dearest Horatia, the affectionate parental blessing of your Father,

    NELSON AND BRONTE.

The 20th of October opened with fresh breezes from south-southwest and heavy rains.  At daybreak the British fleet was near the Straits’ mouth, between Capes Trafalgar and Spartel, unable to see anything, but certain that, with the existing winds, the enemy could not have anticipated it there.  Blackwood’s frigates, out of sight to the northward, were dogging the path of the allies, of whose general position they were certain, although the thick weather hid them from observation.  At 7 A.M. the frigate “Phoebe” signalled to Nelson that the enemy bore north.  With the wind as it was, and