Wurtemberg gave him that fair warning that he would send no papers, but if I pleased which Nelson never gave to the poor Nea- might break the armistice, for that he was politan republicans; and yet Rapp and all tired of his situation. Captain Troubridge the French writers have complained of this If Lord Nelson breaks the armistice, will your then asked his Eminence this plain question: as of a breach of faith. The case of Eminence assist him in his attack on the casGouvion Saint Cyr, also quoted by Sirtles? His answer was clear: I will neither Harris, is still more inconclusive. General assist him with men nor guns. After much Klenau agreed to a capitulation on terms communication* his Eminence desired to come which he was not authorized to grant; but he had taken care, previously, to inform Gouvion Saint Cyr of this, who, therefore, knowing that he treated with a person who had not the power of signing what he did, had no reason whatever to complain of the general-in-chief of the allied armies, when he refused to abide by an act, the illegality on board to speak with me on his situation. I used every argument in my power to convince end by the arrival of the fleet.-but an admiral him that the treaty and armistice was at an is no match in talking with a cardinal. I therefore gave him my opinion in writing, viz., Rear-admiral Lord Nelson, who arrived in the Bay of Naples on the 24th of June with the the rebels, which he is of opinion ought not to British fleet, found a treaty entered into with be carried into execution without the approbawho signed it.* It was, however, offered tion of his Sicilian Majesty, Earl St. Vincent to restore him to the same situation in Lord Keith." "Under this opinion the which he was when he signed the agree-rebels came out of the castles which was (sic) ment with Klenau, whereas Nelson possess- instantly occupied by the marines."-iii., 392. ed himself of the castles, taking advantage of the capitulation, and under pretence of carrying it into execution. of which was beforehand known to those Nelson has been very anxious to make people believe that the republicans left the castles with the full knowledge that he had annulled the capitulation; but there is no proof of it. On the contrary, the negative is proved, so far as a negative is capable of proof. On his arrival in the Bay of Naples, Nelsont If it be true, that the "rebels," as they are called, came out of the castles under this opinion, why was not the approbation that is in the order-book of Nelson :-both written intimation to the Commander of St. Elmo, and and sent at the same time, to the same person, and yet only one of them entered in the orderbook! the Cardinal; on the 25th first, then on the 26th. * Troubridge and Ball went at least twice to This results from a letter without date, but sup"sent Captains Troubridge and Ball to the posed by the editor (iii. 394,) to be of the 28th of Cardinal Vicar-General, to represent to his June, addressed to the Cardinal; but as Nelson says in it that he "will land 1200 men" to go Eminence my opinion of the infamous terms against castle St. Elmo, "under the present arentered into with the rebels, and also two pa-mistice" (how far it was fair to land forces under pers which I enclose. His Eminence said, tre les choses dans leur premier état," says Rapp in his Memoirs. * The letter of Schwarzenberg, annulling the capitulation, was published by the present Lord Westmoreland in his "Memoirs of the operations of the Allied Armies." 2d edition, p. 325. Troubridge and Ball went on the 25th of June; for Nelson under that date writes to Duck-I worth, Troubridge and Ball are gone to the Cardinal," which implies they were still with bim at the time Nelson wrote.-iii. 387. an armistice may well be doubted) and in the letter to Keith, he says, that Troubridge and Ball with 1300 men had already landed on the 27th, (the date of the letter,) it is clear that the letter to the Cardinal was written on the 26th. It begins thus: "I am just honored with your Eminence's letter, and as his Excellency, Sir W. Hamilton, wrote to you this morning, that I will on no consideration break the armistice entered into by you, hope your Eminence will be satisfied that I am supporting your ideas. I send once more Captains Troubridge and Ball," &c. Can any perfidy equal that of the man who broke the truce the moment he arrived, and yet wanted to lull the Cardinal into a belief that he did not mean to do so? And can we wonder at the poor republicans being entrapped into a belief that the armistice and the capitulation were to be observed? One of these papers from a copy in the State Paper Office, (how and when did it get there?) is as follows: Declaration sent to the Neapolitan Jacobins in the castle of Uovo and Nuovo. His Britannic Majesty's ship Foudroyant, Naples Bay, 25th June, 1799. Rear-admiral Lord Nelson, t This document has no date, in the letter to K. B., Commander of his Britannic Majesty's Keith, but a copy with very slight alterations, Fleet in the Bay of Naples, acquaints the rebel-(which, however, are enough to make one doubt lious subjects of his Sicilian Majesty in the castles the authenticity of the document, for if ever one of Uovo and Nuovo, that he will not permit them original existed, all the copies would be alike,) is to embark or quit those places. They must sur-printed (iii. 388) from the order-book, and is dated render themselves to his Majesty's Royal mercy." June 26th. In that copy, moreover, the document How is it that a copy of so important a paper is is shorter: it ends with the words, "Sicilian Manot among the Nelson papers, nor in his order-jesty," and the most important ones, "Earl St. book, or letter-book? The second paper is an Vincent-Lord Keith," are wholly omitted. hurry? Would they not have remonstrated against the breach of a solemn capitulation? would they not have begged for mercy? would they not have put off to the very last the evil moment? We learn from their petitions and from their historians, that they came out on the faith and honor of England, having capitulated; the English officer who signed that capitulation, and who had pledged that faith and that honor, tells us that "these men did not surrender without capitulation." Surely, these are the best witnesses that could be brought forward; to shake their evidence something more is required than an utterly unsupported, and, as far as can be proved, utterly unfounded assertion of the man who is guilty of having betrayed them. of Lord Keith asked, before delivering those who surrendered, into the hands of their executioners, as if no treaty" had been entered into as if Lord Keith had disapproved of the one which, on Nelson's own showing, ought to have been carried into execution with that gallant and truly noble man's approbation? Did Nelson ever ask the approbation which he alleged to be necessary? Had he asked it, he would have certainly obtained it from Lord Keith, who, at a later period, strongly condemned the conduct of Nelson;* and who, at the very time that Nelson degraded himself so much, wrote to advise just concessions and humane measures; but, alas! his letter is a barren monument of his own goodness and noblemindedness, and the most solemn condemnation of the dishonorable conduct of him Some of the unfortunate sufferers were to whom it was addressed, and by whom it put in irons on board the very ships that was disregarded. As to the declaration were to take them to Toulon, according to which Nelson said that he had "sent to the the capitulation; others were also put in Neapolitan Jacobins " in the castles, irons on board English men-of-war, the When was it sent? by whom was it sent? English sailors and marines being their to whom was it sent? by whom, and to gaolers and keepers. By what law or prinwhom, was it delivered? These are most ciple English ships could be turned into important questions; for the sending it prisons of the King of Naples, and English after possession had been taken of the forts, admirals and officers the keepers of those or before-sending it with or without au- prisons, no one knows. According to law, thority-sending it to the commanders of and to all acknowledged principles,-a the forts, or to an unauthorized person-man-of-war being considered as part of the having it delivered by and to the right, or territory of the nation to which it belongs,to a wrong person, according to the usages far from being prisons, the English men-ofof war-affect most materially its legality. There is not the slightest proof that any declaration at all was ever sent to any one by any body. The Cardinal went on board the Foudroyant on the 26th of June, as is proved by the date of the opinion above transcribed; which opinion Nelson, in his letter to Lord Keith, says he gave to the Cardinal when on board.t Ruffo, we know, was stoutly for observing the capitulation, and had previously refused to send any paper to the republicans. These unhappy victims of treachery left the castles on the evening of the 26th, that is, a few hours after receiving the declaration (if Nelson's story were true) that they were to come out and be hanged." Is it credible, that, being aware of the fate that awaited them, they would have been in such a " war ought to have been, and were legally, an asylum where no Neapolitan, for crimes committed out of the British dominions could be kept in prison, any more than if he had come to London. It was not for the king of England, for his courts, or for his officers, to punish offences against the King of Naples. The sufferings of the prisoners were of the most cruel description; and not content with seizing them treacherously, treating them cruelly, and keeping them in * Vindication, p. 77. The editor of the Dispatches says, (iii. 498) prisoners until the king's arrival, whn Lord that these prisoners were "simply detained as Nelson's interference with them entirely ceased." What Nelson could do worse than detaining them not simply as prisoners, but in irons—a gratuitous piece of barbarity-till they were given up to punishment, except murdering them himself at once, as he did Caracciolo, one cannot see. That these prisoners were not in the custody of English soldiers, after the arrival of the king of Naples on t Harrison, writing under the eyes of Lady board the Foudroyant, is a mistake The prisonHamilton, who was present, and acted as inter- ers were delivered up to the Neapolitan guards preter between Ruffo and Nelson, says that Nel-nly about the 8th of August, as stated in a letter son wrote his opinion in the presence of Ruffo. of Troubridge of this date.-CLARKE and M'ARLife of Nelson, vol. ii. p. 100. Clarke and M'Arthur, ii. 268: and FooTE's Vindication, p. 57 and 87. THUR, ii. 308. irons for no crime against the laws of his country, Nelson went so far as to act as commissary of police to the King of Naples, aud actually got some of the prisoners brought on board the Foudroyant to be examined.* doubt that a word of his would have put an end to all these infamies; and there is still less doubt that these wholesale executions pleased him, as well as Lady Hamilton and her imbecile husband. On hearing that thirteen poor wretches had been hanged at Procida, he wrote "Your news of the hanging of thirteen Jacobins gave us [that is himself and the Hamiltons, in whose house he was living] great in the Aurora to dangle on the best tree pleasure; and the three priests, I hope, return adapted to their weight of sins."* The universal misery brought on the people by the villains reinstated in power by Nelson's exertions are ineredible. We shall give accounts of that misery in Captain Troubridge's words: The victims of Nelson's treachery were delivered up to what was called a giuntathat is tools of the government-to be tried. Yet even this giunta thought, that all those against whom nothing could be proved previous to the kingdom falling into the hands of the French, as well as those who had capitulated, could not be punished. This did not satisfy the party anxious for executions ; a less delicate giunta was appointed, one of whose first acts was to fix the pay of the executioner by the month, instead of continuing it by the job, as was previously the case; a significant index of what might be expected from that court. The proceed"August 20th.-To-day eleven of the prinings were such as in this country are not cipal Jacobins, princes, dukes, commoners, and only unknown but incredible and incom- will soon finish on a great scale, and then pass ladies, were executed. I sincerely hope they prehensible. The accuser could be wit-an Act of Oblivion. Death is a trifle to the ness; the accused never saw either the prisons."-" August 30th.-Five of the Jacoone or the other; he did not know even their names; he was not at liberty to choose his own counsel;-the judges pronounced sentence in private without giving any reason for their determination;-the sentence was not only without appeal, but might be carried into execution on the very day it was passed; bins were hung yesterday, and 190 sent to Gaeta to thin the prisons, which are now getting very full."-"All dread reform, I mean rooted that if some method is not taken to dig the people in office; the villanies are so deeply them out, this government cannot hold together. Out of twenty millions of ducats collected as revenue, only thirteen millions reach the treasury."-"The letters from Palermo mention the feasting and the immense sums of "It would be too long and too painful to de-money that are spent there. . . . . They must tail the wicked deeds of tyrants, and the mis- finish soon, or every family here [at Naples] erable state of the sufferers. There were more will be interested in making a disturbance. than 300 of the most distinguished persons in They should make some examples, and pass the kingdom put to death; among them Ca- an Act of Oblivion, and let all be forgot. At raffa, Riario, Colonna, Caracciolo, five l'igna-present there are upwards of 40,000 families telli, and at least twenty more of noble houses; who have relations confined." next to them men distinguished for learning innocent and guilty are all afraid of being acand scientific attainments, such as Cirillo, Pa-cused and thrown into jail; and, probably, of gano, Conforti, Russo, Ciaia, Fiorentino, Baffi, having their houses plundered when set at libFalconeri, Logoteta, de Filippis, Albanese, erty after a considerable time, with nothing to Bagni, Neri, and many more; then men re-exist on. Constant efforts are made to get a markable for their station in society, such as man taken up, in order to rob him. I have Federici, Massa, Manthone, the Bishops Sarno, seen many instances which induce me to make Natale, Troise, a respectable lady like Pimen- this representation. The property tel, and a most miserable one like Sanfelice. of the Jacobins is selling for nothing; and his Serra and Riario were beheaded, though un- [the King's] own people, whom he employs, der twenty years of age, and Genzano, under sixteen." "The Dispatches, iii. 376. Compare this savage exultation with the short and reluctant notice These were a few of the murders com- officially taken by Foote of the same transaction mitted in consequence of Nelson's treache-Thirteen Jacobins were hanged at Procida ry, and with his approbation. There is no * « Tuesday, [July] 2d. Several of the rebel party were brought on board for examination."— Log-Book of the Foudroyant, iii. 508. Colletta, v. 1.6. yesterday afternoon, and the bearer of this has + Clarke and M'Arthur, ii. 310. § Clarke and M'Arthur, ii. 312. are buying it up, and the vagabonds pocket the whole."* ing that he had quitted the station off Malta to go to Palermo, orders were sent to Lord Nelson, in the mean time, enjoyed him- Keith, authorizing Nelson to come home, self at Palermo, partook of the feastings and, at the same time, Lord Spencer, in a along with the Hamiltons, and along with most beautiful and friendly letter to Nelson them shared the extravagant rewards which himself, informed him that the Admiralty the king showered on them at the cost of a did not wish to recall him, but that, if he nation which they had been chiefly instru- could not keep afloat, he had much better mental in ruining. The hero of the Nile come home at once, than stay at Palermo, was parading his criminal intercourse, and and that such was the opinion of all his sacrificing to a vile woman his glory, his friends. As Hamilton had been recalled, honor, and the interest of his country! and was coming home, there was no diffiMalta was besieged, but not by him; Mi-culty in persuading Nelson to return with norca was protected, but not by him; the him to England-for Lady Hamilton was of the party. coast of Egypt was blockaded, but not by him; the French were expelled from the It is impossible for any one to say, after Roman States, but not by him; whilst the all this, that Lord Spencer approved of captains, under his orders, gathered laurels, Lord Nelson's conduct. Nelson was treathe lived at Palermo gambling all night.fed with all the delicacy and respect which His secrets, which might involve the suchis great services at Aboukir deserved ; but cess of an expedition, or the safety of a his conduct was certainly not approved of. fleet, were betrayed, and the contents of Had the whole truth been known to him, his letters divulged." He was informed there is no doubt that a nobleman of Lord of all this, and still went on. The Govern- Spencer's honor would have taken serious ment at home, aware of his strange infatua- notice of what had happened. The learntion, sent out Lord Keith to command in ed editor informs us, that by a letter of the Mediterranean-a step that they would "written soon after, and evLord Spencer, scarcely have taken if they had not known idently with reference to Nelson's proceedall Nelson's proceedthat Nelson was beside himself. Keith, afings at Naples,"+ ter having seen with his own eyes what ings seem to have been fully approved of.” was going on, directed Lord Nelson to take(iii. 509.) What grounds the editor had the command of the siege of Malta, and for saying that this letter was written "evgave such orders as might prevent him from coming back to Palermo; but Nelson left the siege under pretence of bad health, and returned to that capital. On the very day 66 idently with reference" to the proceedings at Naples, we don't know; but this we do know, that the letter has "evidently" no reference whatever to the dishonorable conduct of Nelson at Naples. The pas that Keith ordered him to remain in command at Malta, 24th February, 1800, Trou-sage in Lord Spencer's letter, on which the editor relies, is as follows:bridge entreated him most earnestly not to go to Sicily, and soon after that, a very friendly and very plain letter came to him from Admiral Goodall, telling him with as much grace as frankness, that his infatuation was known in England.** At last, on learn * Clarke and M'Arthur, ii. 339. + Id. ii. 355. Id ii. 311. § Id. ii. 361. Nelson received the order to put himself under Keith on the 6th of January, 1800; on the 16th of the same month he went to Leghorn from Palermo, where he returned with Keith. Dispatches, iv. 196. "Admiralty, 7th October, 1799-My Dear Lord, in answer to your letter of the 23d of July, which did not reach me till the 26th of last month, I can only now repeat what I believe I have before said on the subject, namely, that the intentions and motives by which all your measures have been governed, have been as pure and good as their success has been complete." Of course the tenor of the letter of Nelson, of July 23, received by Lord Spencer on the 26th of Sept., must be ascertained, to understand which were the measures apSir H. Nicolas **The letter was written on the 15th of No-proved of in the answer. vember 1799, the day Lord Keith sailed to take the command in the Mediteranean. The part here alluded to is as follows:-"They say here you are Rinaldo in the arms of Armida, and it requires the firmness of an Ubaldo and his brother knight to draw you from the enchantress. To be sure it is a very pleasant attraction, to informs us that "no letter to Lord Spencer which I am very sensible myself; but my max- Preface to vol. iii. p. x. Dispatches, iii. 509. of the 23d of July, has been found, nor is there was a capitulation signed by an Engthere any trace of such a letter in his let-lish officer-Captain Foote-nor is the ter-book; it [i. e. the date] may have been murder of Caracciolo even hinted at.* To a mistake for the 13th, on which Lord Nel- what would the approbation of Lord Spenson wrote an important letter to him. Vide cer amount, if he was not aware of the p. 406 ante."* The letter at page 406 dishonorable parts of the transactions which speaks of an end put " to an infamous trea- he approved? The assumption that Lord ty entered into with the rebels, in direct dis- Spencer answered to this particular letter obedience to his Sicilian Majesty's orders," of the 13th, when he said he answered to one and informs Lord Spencer that "the rebels of the 23d of July, has no foundation, but came out of the castles without in Sir H. Nicolas's fancy. Why should it any honors;" but it does not state that not be in answer to another letter of the 13th of July, which occurs in the same volume (p. 408)? The letter which Lord This was not true. The disobedience to Spencer answered, was received by him on orders, even if true, did not concern Foote, who the 26th of September; and the letter to signed, without having any orders to the contrary. which the editor fancies he answered was Nelson knew it well. It was in consequence of written on the 13th of July, and sent by the publication of this "infamous" and concealed attack on his character that Foote wrote his Lieutenant Parkinson, who was in it re"Vindication." This very honorable and gallant commended for promotion. Now Parkinson officer did not expose Nelson's conduct till after having arrived at Yarmouth on the 9th of the publication of this letter, not wishing, as he August (Vol. iv. p. 20), was promoted behimself'says, by so doing, to act injuriously to his fore the 20th of the same month,t consecountry, and because all those who were acquainted with the true state of the case, and who quently he must have delivered his letter to regarded the character of Lord Nelson, or the Lord Spencer long before the 26th of Sepreputation of the country, saw the necessity of tember. It is due to the memory of this burying the whole transaction in oblivion, as far nobleman to acquit him of any approbation as that could be done," p. 10. His generous forbearance is made the ground of very unwarrant- whatever, either of the treachery, or of the able attacks on the part of the Editor of the Dis-murder of Caracciolo, with which the patches, who, forgetting, as usual, that he himself has published all the necessary documents for Foote's defence, asks why Foote did not make to Nelson suitable representations between the 24th and 28th of June, when he was daily witness of the infraction of the capitulation? (ii. 517.) Nelson arrived in the Bay of Naples on the evening of the 24th of June, and he then asked from Foote a statement of his proceedings. That statement cannot have been g ven in before the 25th. On that and on the following day, Nelson and Ruffo discussed between themselves whether the capitulation should be observed. So far from any one suspecting it would be broken, the parties most concerned surrendered in execution of the capitulation, and, under the pretence of executing it, possession was taken of the castles on the evening of the 26th. On the 27th, Foote wrote to Lord Nelson, saying, "he should have waited upon Lord Nelson instead of writing, were he not extremely unwell," p. 518, so that he could not know the infamies that were going to take place, nor was he in a state of health fit to remonstrate. On the afternoon of that day, he sailed from the Bay of Naples, (Log-book of the Sea-horse in vol. iii. p 494), being sent out of the way by Lord Nelson, who thus took from him the opportunity of remonstrating before his remonstrances were too late. Foote was not, therefore, a witness of the infraction of the capitulation, nor was he in a position to remonstrate. This is also untrue. "The Russian troops allowed the garrison [of Castel Nuovo] to depart with the honors of war, laying down their arms on the side of the marine arsenal, where they were embarked in vessels to be taken to Toulon." These are the words of a petition to Nelson, name of Lord Nelson stands charged. We have postponed to enter into the history of this murder, from the reluctance that one naturally feels to show that that un paralleled crime not only is proved by the apologist himself indefensible, but appears, on reflection, and when all its circumstances are considered, much worse than it has been hitherto universally believed. The facts are as follows :— When the King of Naples fled to Sicily, abandoning his Continental States to the enemy, Francisco Caracciolo, a cadet of (partly printed, iii. 495 of the Dispatches,) by some of the unhappy beings whom he betrayed, and whom he has the effrontery to say came out of the castles at mercy and without honors. The Russian Government was always for the fulfilment of the capitulation. Saggio Stor. § 49. The editor of the Dispatches will be glad to find there the evidence of this fact which he seemed to wish, vol. iii. p. 511. Nelson always carefully avoided to speak, in his Dispatches, of Caracciolo's execution. He once only alluded to it in a postcript to a letter to Lord Keith, in the following few words,-" Ca racciolo was executed on board His S Majesty's ship Minerva, on the 29th of June:" but he omits to say that it was by his orders, and on board his own ship, that that base murder was concocted. See iii. 393. Dispatches, iii. 410. |