Metfloirs if Lord Nelfon. 



433 



feioquence (*> liii memory ; to cur ftatefiTi?!! 

 lb deduce the calamines averietl, and the 

 advn'.itsges obuineti, by his expLits ; to 

 6lir hifloiians to ncord his aflinns in 

 ^orks more duivb^e than brals and 

 Ifiaible ; it is merely our intention here to 

 €riuti!erate his exploits, and fcafier a lew 

 flowers over his untimely tomb ! 



HotMio Ncl'o", the fourth Ion of the 

 Sev. EJward Nelfcn, re6\or of Biirnham- 

 ^hot-pe, in the county of Norfolk, wms 

 fedrn ill ;he pai fonaje-houie o^ that paiifh 

 6feptfmber 29, 1758. His family is re- 

 IpeCtablCi His father'* progenitors were 

 faHginaliy 'tilled at H.lfbnrough, where, 

 5fi ad'iition to a f.nall heteditary citate, 

 they p fl.'fied the patronage of th: living, 

 Uihich one f.f them* enjoyed for ftvcral 

 ytarsi By his mothei'sf fide be was re- 

 fated to thrtt great N rto^k fainilies, the 

 V/.dioles, the Ch Imondeleys, and the 

 TOvvnfhtnds. 



He was placed, while yCt of a tetdcr 

 a&e, at the high-fchool cf Norwich, 

 V^hc' ce h-- was removed 10 N .rth-Wal(h- 

 Siii, both wiiliin tliepiecinits of his native 

 tolJhiy. But h.' did not icng remain 

 there } for, heini^ the younger f n ot a n-i 

 hierous f^.i ily, an <. pportunity wase^ger- 

 \f feiztd of obtainiig Icme pn.fcfTional 

 triiJ>loyment f'.r him early in lite This 

 foccuvrtd when he was only twelve years 

 bid. 



Soipe difpiites hsvin^ bktn pbce be- 

 tween the Courts of St. Jnmrs's vnd Ma- 

 drid, relative to the poflelTion of 'he Falk- 

 litid Ill:<nd>, anarmawicnt w;is immediate- 

 ly oritered, ar.d Captain Suckling, his 

 hiatcrnal uncle, having ^bt:^i^ed a (hip, 

 l^e was placed on his quaittr deck as a 

 Widfhipman, on board the Railbnable, of 

 (54 guns. But after his family hsd bt-en 

 ai the experce of his outfit, negotiations 

 >rer6 entertd into, in c:nftquence of 

 V/hich hoftiiities were fufpended, an(J a 

 lireaty concluded, which neither proved 

 gratifying to the honour ror the intereds 

 WT the n.-ition. On this the (hips in coni- 

 ftiifTi-.n were hid up in ordimry, and the 

 fefficers difmifTed. But inffead of return- 

 ing hoine, yr-ung Nelfcn, who felt no 

 abatement of his ardour, entered on boaid 

 aiTierchantman, in which he made a voy- 

 ilgs to the Weft-Indies. 



* His Lorofhip's grandfather- 



\ Mis Nell'on, formerly Mifs Suckling, 

 was the grand-daughter of Sir Charles Tur- 

 jier, of Warham, in the county of Norfolk, 

 ^Bart and of Mary, daughter of Robert WaU 

 if>ftle, \.(\ cf Houghton. 



[Dec. h 



Oil this occafion, although he obtained 

 conliderable nautical knowledge fo far as 

 bare pradlice extei.d^d, yd h:iving no 

 field for his ambition, he became di'guft- 

 eri, and wjuld iiave wi.linglv embraced 

 any other profcfTion. On his return, how- 

 ever, finding that his uncle had obtained 

 the Triumph, he lepairtd onboard of her 

 in his former capacity, and loon became 

 reconciled to ihekrvice; but as he pof- 

 feffed an inherent -irdoiir, coupled with an 

 an unabati'g fpi'it ot enter prize, and 

 utter fcorn < f danger, he was ever ai'.tive 

 to participate in tlu le lei es where know- 

 ledge wa? to be ob'.aiueii 01 gl'^ry earned. 



An opporiuuiy of this kind foon pre- 

 fented itfelf, and appeared admirably caU 

 culated to fati.Ue that romantic taftc.for 

 adventure whicii, frcmi theeailiei' periods 

 of hii life, lcen;cd at once 10 till and to 

 agitate th:^ bofom of our jouthful iieio. — ■ 

 One of the moft brdlian? circumlfanres of 

 the prelent reign confilts in that fpiiit of 

 difcovery which has conftamly prevailed' 

 fince the accefTirn of Hi- Majeiry to the 

 thioiie. It was ii; purl'uance ot thi» plan, 

 which was at erwards extended under Cap*, 

 tain Cooke to another htmilpheie, that 

 Captain Phipps, afterwards Lord Mul- 

 grave, failed June id, 177'3; towards the 

 North Pole. He himlelf was on board the 

 Racehorfe, wliiie Cap'ain Lutwidge com- 

 rrauded another bomo veliel called the 

 Carcalis, both of which had been fitted out 

 on purpofe to alceriain to what degiee of 

 latitude it was poffiole to penetrate. On 

 boaid th« latter of thefe vtfleis Mr. Nel- 

 fi n was admitted wilh gieat difficulty, 

 and in conlecjuence of his i.wn preffing fo- 

 licitation, in the humble capacity of a 

 coxf^ain; for, in confequence of an or- 

 der from the Admiralty, boys were not 

 permitted to be received on board. 



After pafllng Shetland, they came in 

 fight of Spitfotrgen, and afterwards pro- 

 ceeded to Muffcn Ifland, beyond which 

 they difcovcred feven other iftes, fituate in 

 Si deg. ii min- VVl-.en they had failed a 

 little further ncrth, they bccan^e fuddenly 

 faft VI edged ill the ice, on the 3 ill of July ; 

 l"o that the palVage by which the fhips had 

 entered was fuddenly and completely 

 blocked up, while a ftrong current fet in 

 to the eaftward. In this critical fituation 

 they remained five whole days, during 

 which period their dettruiSlion appeared 

 inevitable ; but the young hero, inftead of 

 being deprelfed, aftuated by that filial 

 love, and pafTion for en erprize, which 

 were ever uppcrmoft in his breaft, ventured 

 on the ice during a fine moon-light, 



an4 



