COMPARISON OF LORD NELSON AND LORD EXMOUTH. 125

probable that at the time Lord Exmouth was appointed to a command, the subject of the management of a fleet had never engaged his attention. Lord Exmouth was not liked by his fleet, and Lord Nelson was adored by his; he never met with a distressed sailor without assisting him with his purse, or attention, or advice; nor did he ever neglect to encourage merit; he was easy of access, and his manner was particularly agreeable and kind. No man was ever afraid of displeasing him, but everybody was afraid of not pleasing him.

Letter to Mrs. C. continued.

Off Cadiz, October 24.

Yesterday arrived Sir Thomas Louis; but his already reduced number to four sail has again dwindled to his own 'Canopus' and the Repulse,' with the Kingfisher' sloop, and his arrival has not improved my prospect in the least as to going home. Admiral Louis's arrival is so far advantageous that he is an old Nelsonian, hospitable and kind to those he commands; and Legge is a very good fellow, as well as a very pleasant one.

October 27.

For these last three days and nights it has blown a hard gale of wind from the S.E., and we have, of course, been driven so far off our station, in spite of the heavy press of sail we have carried night and day, that, if the French were disposed to go, I conclude they are gone. It is now more moderate, and we may perhaps get near enough to take a peep at Cadiz to-morrow; but what will be the consequences if they should be gone, I know not, unless it is that some of us will have a trip after them to the West Indies or Buenos Ayres, or somewhere that way. I can only say that I should much prefer passing my time that way with either Sir J. Louis or Sir J. Duckworth to anything else (except going home). On Saturday night, or rather Sunday morning, at 2 o'clock, just before and while in the act of wearing, we split our trysail, mizen-topsail, main-staysail, and fore-topsail, and our maintopsail was blown to pieces, quite out of the bolt-rope; but we lost no stick, nor had we anybody hurt: there is a nice sea-dish for you.

I cannot go to bed without telling you that I have received eight of your letters to-day, and my eyes dwell on the whole heap as a most luxurious specimen of your attentive and anxious affection.

October 29.

In answer to a question from me, Lord C. says he is not authorised to send any line-of-battle ship home, but will send 'Orion' the first.

November 2.

I have had the Admiral's carpenter on board to examine the ship, and his report to Lord C. is such that I think we shall accompany the next convoy.

November 5.

I don't know how far your love of the phantom glory may carry you, but I must own mine has been so ill requited of late that it wears away apace. When in your warmth of zeal, and in your prejudice in my favour, you look forward to my imitating the great example I had before me, you are very wild indeed! Putting his great abilities, his unremitting attention and employment in the Service, and the much greater experience he had had long before he was my age, quite out of the question, recollect honour, glory, and distinction were the whole objects of his life, and that dear domestic happiness-my only boon-never abstracted his attention. He had not, or however did not acknowledge any incumbrances such as I have. The rule he inculcated was that every man became a bachelor after he passed the Rock of Gibraltar; and he was not very tardy in showing that he practised what he preached. I mistake if you would wish me to be a Nelson on such terms; and I assure you I value my own happiness too much to be indifferent about my home, even if your enthusiasm could carry you to such an admission. Do not, however, suppose I mean to say that to possess his virtues one must adopt his errors; but I seriously think, that, to follow the profession to its height, one's mind ought to be devoted to it exclusively, which with me is, I find, absolutely impossible; nor, indeed, have I strength enough to stand it for years together without relaxation, according to the present system. Whilst I am at it I will do it with credit to myself, and leave it in no man's power to sully my reputation justly; nor will I accept any of the few good things the Service has at its disposal to which others can lay a better claim, and of which they might be envious.

November 10.

'The Queen' and 'Royal George' have rejoined from Gibraltır; and I took the opportunity to-day offered of asking Lord C. if he had made any arrangement about the 'Orion,' in consequence of the report male of her condition by the

RETURN TO ENGLAND.

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carpenters he sent to survey her at my request. He offered some of his professions of good intention, but finished by saying he should send her to England whenever he thought it best for the Service to do so.

'You never told me your ship was in such bad condition before.' 'Because, my lord, whenever I touched upon the subject, you showed a suspicion of my veracity; and my heart disdaining the imputation, I told you the ship should speak for herself.' A little while after he said he had more complaints from the Orion' than from any other ship, in his petulant manner. 'Does your lordship mean to say I have done more than my duty in reporting my want of sails to follow the enemy if he came out, or the sickliness of my ship's company for want of vegetable diet ?' 'No; I do not mean to say it was.' He declared he did not know of many things I have told him of several times. .

The ships at Cadiz have moved high up the harbour, and, according to report made by Blackwood, who reconnoitred them yesterday, appear to be laid up for the winter; this, and the probability of Buonaparte getting hold of the Turkish ships at Constantinople, will, I think, oblige Lord C. to move from hence up the Mediterranean with three or four out of the nine sail we have here. He can't take us, and it will be the height of luxury to be left either with Sir J. Duckworth or Admiral Purvis after serving with him.

October 13.

Cannot you judge of my surprise on receiving a very polite letter from Lord C. on the morning after the above conversation, telling me he meant the Orion' to go to England that evening, and as the convoy were not come out she was to go alone? I could not allow myself to believe it until I positively got my orders; and just at dark, when I had done sending away stores and provisions, a nice breeze enabled me to make all sail for the fleet. Such was my

anxiety to be out of reach of his signals on the next morning that I forced the ship all night at the rate of nine miles an hour against a very heavy head sea, which made her labour more than she has ever yet done since I have commanded her; and since this head sea has gone down we have made a most astonishing progress, and have the pleasing prospect of the breeze holding. We shall have gone about two hundred and forty miles in a direct line in these last twenty-four hours, which brings us to noon, and have already passed the most doubtful half of our voyage. And thus having told you my joy, I have told you everything your heart desires to hear.

November 19-Noon.

All well off Hurst Castle. I cannot tell where you are, and shall send this to the care of Admiral Montagu, who probably knows. I cannot describe my anxiety to hear of your safety-to see you-and to fold you in my arms.

From this time Captain Codrington remained in his happy home for some time. His third son was born in October, 1808; as the number of his family had increased, he had diminished the number of his horses, and given up hunting. He had left the country, and gone to live in London, where he entered much into society.

Music, and the theatre in the days of the Kembles, Siddons, Young, Kean, &c., were pleasures which he and his wife enjoyed together very heartily, and this was a very happy portion of his life.

In November, 1808, this was again broken into by his appointment to H.M.S. 'Blake,' a fine new 74 gunship, for service in the North Sea, under Admiral Sir Richard Strachan. He commanded this ship for five years, and it was her first and only commission; for, on being paid off at the end of that time, she was found to be rendered unserviceable by dry rot.

H.M.S. 'BLAKE.’

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CHAPTER III.

Captain Codrington to Mrs. C.

'Blake,' Sheerness: December 11, 1808.

I am so annoyed by the affair in Spain I can hardly think of anything else. Are we to suffer the remainder of General Blake's brave army to be cut to pieces, and merely save our own skins without a struggle? Ministers seem all along to have merely obeyed the will of the people, and not their own hearts, in assisting Spain. There is a mode of obtaining the character of a great man in the present state of England, which ill accords with my disposition; and whenever I see well-masked vice, supported by effrontery, bearing all before it and imposing upon the world, whilst unassuming merit stands abashed and unprotected, I feel that sort of discontent which ends in depression and disgust. I have no particular character or event in my mind's eye just now but this Spanish news; and I fear we shall basely desert their cause, in fear of their success leading to a reform here, in my opinion absolutely necessary to the proper salvation of the country. I am more disposed to dwell on painful than pleasurable subjects. You will say banish it by an effort! But if all were to banish such reflection in this much-prized country, we should at once be reduced to mere gay volatile Frenchmen, and increase the woes of the earth. This letter will hardly be welcome to you, but you must take my whole mind as you have my whole heart.

'Blake': December 21, 1808.

We are somewhere about five miles below the Nore at anchor for the night; and although in a wild-looking place, and it is snowing fast and blowing hard, we are quite in smooth water and riding securely. Being here solo and not overburdened with comforts, I cannot but regret leaving the