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TO LIEUTENANT HARDING SHAW, COMMANDING HIS MAJESTY'S

BRIG SPIDER.

Sir,

[Letter-Book.]

Victory, at Sea, 4th October, 1804.

I have received your letter of the 6th ultimo, acquainting me with the circumstance of your having flogged John Carter, Seaman, belonging to the Spider, on the 5th of that month; that soon after, a shot was flung from forward by some of the people, which fell close by you, and Mr. Langdon, the Master; and, in order to discover the offender, you judged it necessary to threaten them with individual punishment, which, as they would not confess, you had inflicted upon each of your company, by calling them over by the watch-bill, and giving them a dozen each. In answer to which, I cannot approve of a measure so foreign to the rules of good discipline and the accustomed practice of his Majesty's Navy, and therefore caution you against a similar line of conduct. Had you fixed upon one or more guilty individuals, and punished them severely, it might have had the desired effect, or put them into confinement, and brought them to a Court-Martial. I trust your watchful conduct will prevent any such confusion, or disposition to riot, from happening again. I am, &c.

NELSON AND BRONTE.

TO CAPTAIN SCHOMBERG, H.M. SHIP MADRAS.

[Letter-Book.]

Sir,

Victory, at Sea, 4th October, 1804.

I have received your letter of the 1st ultimo, together with the one therein mentioned from Lieutenant Spencer, of the Renard, stating the circumstance of his having chastised the French privateer as therein mentioned. In answer thereto I herewith transmit you a letter for Lieutenant Spencer, on the subject, which you will be so good as seal and deliver. I cannot here omit observing how desirable the destruction of the Enemy's Privateers is, when they commit any act of hos

2 Vide p. 214, post.

tility; but in the present instance, it does not appear that the Enemy fired a shot. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 1st September, with its enclosure, from Captain Raynsford, of the Morgiana, respecting the circumstances of the capture of the Betsy Merchant Vessel, one of his Convoy, in March last; and you will be pleased to acquaint Captain Raynsford that I shall transmit his letter to the Admiralty for their information. Your letter of the 19th September, with the enclosures therein mentioned, respecting the purchase of Stores, has been received, and I very much approve of the order which you gave the Naval Officer on that occasion, and which you will desire him to consider as sufficient authority for the payment thereof, and settling his accounts for that particular service. I am, &c.

NELSON AND BRONTE.

TO CAPTAIN CRACRAFT, H. M. SHIP ANSON, OR SENIOR OFFICER

Sir,

AT MALTA.

[Letter-Book.]

Victory, at Sea, 4th October, 1804.

Captain Leake, of the Royal Artillery, being employed by Government, and directed to proceed to Corfu as early as possible, I am to desire you will order him a passage to that place, by the very first Vessel of War going there, or which can be spared for that service; and as Captain Leake may, from the nature of his instructions, find it necessary to proceed to the Morea, or Albania, it is my directions, whenever any of his Majesty's Ships or Vessels under your command may be in the environs of Corfu, &c., if consistent with the more important service they are there employed on, that you will give the necessary directions to their Commanders to receive Captain Leake on his application for that purpose, and give him a passage to or from either of the before-mentioned places. I am, &c.

NELSON AND Bronte.

TO LIEUTENANT HARDING SHAW, COMMANDING HIS MAJESTY'S BRIG SPIDER.

[Letter-Book.]

Sir,

Victory, at Sea, 4th October, 1804.

I herewith transmit you a copy of a letter from Mr. Langdon, Master of his Majesty's Brig Spider, under your command, and am to desire that you will immediately transmit me an account of all the certificates you have granted the Master of the said Brig for Pilotage, since you commanded her: and also account to me for your very extraordinary conduct in demanding from Mr. Langdon the one-half of the said Pilotage, that I may judge the propriety of ordering a public inquiry into your conduct on this occasion. I desire to caution you against giving certificates for Pilotage in future, unless under particular circumstances, as I conceive, from the length of time you have been in this country, that you are perfectly acquainted with any Port in those seas. I am, &c.

NELSON AND Bronte.

TO CAPTAIN RICHARD BUDD VINCENT, H. M. SLOOP ARROW.

[Letter-Book.]

Sir,

Victory, at Sea, 4th October, 1804.

I have received your letter of the 10th ultimo, acquainting me with your return to Malta from the Adriatic, for the purpose of completing your provisions, and putting the Arrow in a condition for further service. In answer to which, I am perfectly satisfied with the necessity of your return to Valetta harbour, and am led to hope, from the Master Shipwright's Report, that the Arrow will answer for the service of this country, during the winter season, and that the repairs she has had will enable you to keep her actively employed during that time; it will then be taken into consideration the propriety of sending her to England to be docked. I am, &c. NELSON AND BRONTE.

TO SIR ALEXANDER JOHN BALL, BART., MALTA.

[From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 387.]

October 4th, 1804.

Captain Leake, who I believe has letters for you, if not, I know he is instructed to correspond and communicate with you, is, as you will see, a person perfectly in the confidence of Government; and he is very highly spoken of. From the little I have seen of him in one day, I think he merits their confidence by his good sense. He has begged me to present him to you. I sincerely hope, my dear Ball, that the Russians will not act so as to have the Austrians united with the French and Turks against them and us; but Russia must be careful how she conducts herself in the Ionian Republic and the Morea. I have great fears; I think I see much too close a connexion between France and Austria, and we know the Turks would jump to join such an alliance. The times are big with great events. I wish my health was better. I have mentioned to Lord Melville what you have thought about Sir Richard Bickerton, in case I should be able to return; but I do not expect such a compliance-time will show. Toulon was safe on Sunday last, as Boyle will tell you. No Admiral has hoisted his Flag in the room of La Touche;-he is gone, and all his lies with him. The French papers say he died in consequence of walking so often up to the Signal-post, upon Sepet, to watch us: I always pronounced that that would be his death. I am, &c.

NELSON AND BRONTE.

TO LIEUTENANT ROBERT SPENCER, COMMANDING HIS
MAJESTY'S SCHOONER RENARD.

[From a Copy in the Nelson Papers.]

Victory, at Sea, 4th October, 1804.

Sir, I have received your letter of the 30th July, acquainting me that, on account of the weather, you judged it necessary to

2 Colonel Leake was English Resident in the Morea, and from 1805 to 1809, resided chiefly at the Court of Ali, Pacha of Yannina. His interesting account of his travels in Morea, Northern Greece, Asia Minor, &c., is well known.

let the four small Vessels under your convoy on the 28th of that month, anchor to the Southward of Cape Moro di Porco, and took that occasion to reconnoitre a Vessel to leeward; in the meantime a strange Vessel came round the Cape from Syracuse, which the Masters of those four Vessels judging to be a Privateer, cut their cable, and ran down to you; that on the said Privateer observing you stand towards her, she ran upon the rocks, and landed her men; and that, from the frequent violations of Neutrality which the Enemy's Privateers had been guilty of, you judged it a good occasion to chastise them. In answer to which, however much the destruction of the Enemy's Privateers under the violation of the laws of Neutrality may be desired, I cannot, in the present instance, justify your leaving the Vessels under your Convoy exposed to the risk of capture, under any circumstances whatever. Had you been in company with your Convoy, a legal opportunity might have offered for capturing or destroying the Privateer alluded to. The instructions for Officers charged with Convoys, are so strict and well known, that I am sorry it becomes necessary for me to call your most strict attention to them in future. I am, &c.

NELSON AND Bronte.

TO LAMBTON ESTE, ESQ., PRIVATE SECRETARY TO CHARLES LOCK, ESQ., CONSUL-GENERAL IN EGYPT.

[Autograph in the possession of Dr. Lambton Este. He had been appointed Secretary and Physician to Mr. Lock's mission to Egypt and the Levant.]

My dear Sir,

Victory, October 4th, 1804.

I am much obliged by your obliging letter of August 20th, and in your note of September 16th, announcing the death of Mr. Lock, which I am most sincerely sorry for, unless you can get his appointment, which I am sure Sir Alexander Ball thinks would be a wise measure of Government; and I wish it was so, for we want men fit for places, and not places for

3 Mr. Lock, formerly Consul at Naples, who has been often mentioned, died of the plague, in the Lazaretto, at Malta, on the 12th of September 1804, together with two of his suite. They were assiduously attended by Mr. (now Dr.) Este, who placed himself in the Lazaretto with them for that purpose.

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