Vesuvian Republic being formed, I have now to look out for Sicily; but revolutionary principles are so prevalent in the world that no monarchical government is safe, or sure of lasting ten years. I beg you will make my kindest remembrances to Miss Locker and all your good sons, and

Believe me,

Ever your faithful and affectionate friend,

NELSON.

Lieutenant-Governor Locker.

My grandfather died at Greenwich Hospital in 1800. On the day fixed for the funeral Lord Nelson came down to the Hospital, and followed the remains of his old friend to Addington (Kent) churchyard, where they were laid beside those of his ever-lamented wife, who died as early as 1780.1

I give the copy of a letter which Lord Nelson

1 To-day (June 28, 1890) Jane and I went to see Mr. Hewlitt, at Wrotham, and took the opportunity of visiting Addington church and churchyard. There is a tablet to Admiral Parry in the church, and a monument to Captain Locker and his wife in the churchyard. She was only thirty-three when she died, and the following lines are on the obelisk

Sincere, and undisguised by Art,

Blest with the kindest and the tenderest heart;

With unaffected pride and graceful ease,

With every virtue, every power to please;

With every requisite for social life,

The warmest friend, the prudent, virtuous wife,

Here Lucy lies (Divine assurance given)—

Such worth we know must meet reward in Heaven.

(Feeble verses.)

NELSON AND JOHN LOCKER

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wrote to my uncle, John Locker, the day after my grandfather's death.

December 27, 1800.

My dear John,-From my heart do I condole with you on the great and irreparable loss we have all sustained in the death of your dear worthy father, a man whom to know was to love, and those who only heard of him, honoured. The greatest consolation to us, his friends that remain, is that he has left a character for honour and honesty which none of us can surpass and very, very few attain. That the posterity of the righteous will prosper we are taught to believe, and on no occasion can it be more truly verified than from my dear, much-lamented friend; and that it may be realised in you, your sisters and brothers, is the fervent prayer of,

My dear John,

John Locker, Esq.

Your afflicted friend,

NELSON.

Also a letter to Emma Lady Hamilton.

My dear Lady Hamilton,-It is now six o'clock, and I dread the fatigue of this day, being not in the very best of spirits; and believe me when I say that I regret that I am not the person to be attended upon at this funeral, for, although I have had my

days of glory, yet I find this world so full of jealousys and envy, that I see but a very faint gleam of future comfort. I shall come to Grosvenor Square on my return from this melancholy procession, and hope to find in the smiles of my friends some alleviation for the cold looks and cruel words of my enemies. May God bless you, my dear lady,

and

Saturday morn.

Believe me, ever your unalterable

NELSON.

My father, Edward Hawke Locker, included a graphic sketch of my grandfather in his 'Memoirs of Naval Commanders,' of which that good man, the late Charles Knight, selected a portion for his 'Half-hours with the Best Authors.' The sketch is excellent; it is well worth reading; indeed, it is literature.1

William IV. and Queen Adelaide would sometimes come down to Greenwich Hospital, for Sunday divine service, if the day happened to be the anniversary of any important naval victory. On one of these Sundays, perhaps about 1833, the royal party visited the Painted Hall, attended by that distinguished seaman, Sir Richard Keats, the Governor. The King stopped before the portrait of Captain William Locker, and, turning to Sir

1 Printed in the Appendix.

PUBLIC CAREER OF EDWARD LOCKER

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Richard, said, 'There's the best man I ever knew.' It was known that many years before, when the King was Prince William Henry, my grandfather had had the temerity to reprove him for swearing, at which accomplishment his Majesty was first-rate, even for an admiral.

I say again, there is no doubt my grandfather was a very lovable man as well as a gallant sea

man.

My father was the youngest son of Captain William Locker. He left Eton to become a clerk in the Navy Office; thence he was soon promoted to be Under-Secretary to the Board of Control for the Affairs of India, and afterwards to the Board of Naval Inquiry. In 1804 he was appointed Civil Secretary to the Fleet, under Admiral Viscount Exmouth, in the East Indies, and thence, in the same capacity, to the Mediter

ranean.

In 1813 my father, in company with Lord John Russell (afterwards Earl Russell), made a rather memorable tour in Spain, of which he published an account, illustrated with his own excellent sketches. This tour had a special interest, as the Peninsular War was then at its height; and my father was the bearer of important despatches from Lord William Bentinck to the Duke of Wellington.

In May, 1814, my father was charged with

another interesting mission, this time in H.M.S. 'Curaçoa,' Captain Towers, to Elba, where Napoleon had just arrived from Fréjus after his abdication ; and he published in that noteworthy magazine, "The Plain Englishman' (vol. iii. p. 475), an account of his interview with the ex-Emperor at Porto Ferrajo.1

Porto Ferrajo: May 8, 1814.

We had scarcely anchored when Captain Usher came on board from the Undaunted,' to welcome our arrival; and we were soon surrounded with other boats from the shore. After some time spent in mutual inquiries, Captain Usher pointed out to us Napoleon at a distance amusing himself in a boat, and he left us to announce who we were. He soon returned in company with Colonel Niel Campbell, the British Commissioner appointed to attend the Emperor from Fontainebleau, who brought a message from the ex-Emperor, inviting us to visit him on shore.

We landed immediately, and Colonel Campbell accompanied us to the Hôtel de Ville, which serves for the temporary residence of Napoleon. On the way he pointed out to us a house at a little distance which is fitting up as his future residence. Nothing can be more mean and ill-furnished than

1 See also a paper in the Century Magazine for March 1893, which gives Admiral Sir Thomas Usher's account of Napoleon at Elba, in which Mr. E. H. Locker is mentioned.