6<)S N E L 
Its refults are well known to the public by the narrative 
of captain Phipps, afterwards lord Mulgrave; and there 
is nothing to be related perfonal to Nelfon on this occa- 
fion, except an anecdote ftrongly exemplifying his fear-, 
lefs and adventurous fpirit. During one line clear but 
cold night, he was milling from the Ihip, and fearch was 
made for him, but in vain. At day-break he was def- 
cried at a diftance upon the ice in which the velfels were 
locked, with his mulket in his hand, purfuing a polar 
bear. On being reprimanded by the captain for his rafti- 
nefs, and afked what could be his inducement to run 
fuch a hazard, he replied, “ I wilhed, fir, to get the bear’s 
Ikin for my father.” The filial affe&ion of the motive 
was not lefs laudable than the intrepidity of the attempt 
was admirable. 
On his return from this voyage, his uncle procured him 
a ftation under captain Farmer, who commanded a Ihip 
in a fquadron deftined for the Daft Indies, under the 
conduct of fir Edward Hughes. He tailed thither; but 
the climate proved unfriendly to his conftitution, and it 
was found neceffary to fend him home. When he reached 
England, he found his uncle comptroller of the navy ; 
and was immediately appointed to afit as fourth lieute¬ 
nant of the Worcefter of 64 guns, captain MarkRobinfon, 
then on the point of failing with a convoy to Gibraltar; 
and he was at fea from this time, September 1776, to the 
beginning of April of the next year; and, though he had 
not yet completed his eighteenth year, captain Robinfon 
placed the moft unlimited confidence in him, and declared 
that he felt equally eafy during the night, when it was 
Nelfon’s watch, as when the oldeft officer on-board had 
charge of the fhip. Mr. Nelfon w r as paffed as lieutenant 
on the 10th of April, 1777 ; and the next day received his 
commiffion as fecond of the Loweftoffe, 32 guns, captain 
William Locker. During his examination, captain Suck¬ 
ling fat at the head of the table ; and, when it had ended 
in a manner moft honourable to him, he introduced him 
to the other members of the board as his nephew'. The 
examining captains expreffed their furprife that he had 
not apprifed them of this relationfhip before. “ No,” re¬ 
plied the comptroller, “ I did not with the yonker to be 
favoured : I felt convinced that he would pafs a good 
examination, and you fee I have not been difappointed.” 
In the Loweftoffe he arrived at Jamaica ; but, finding 
that even a frigate was not fufficiently active for his ar¬ 
dent mind, he foliated an appointment to the command 
of a fchooner, tender to the Loweftoffe; and in this fmall 
veffel he eagerly availed himfelf of the opportunity of 
becoming a complete pilot for all the intricate paffages 
through the keys, fituated north of Hifpaniola. During 
Mr. Nelfon’s continuance in the Loweftoffe, flie captured, 
in a ftrong gale of wind and a heavy fea, an American 
letter of marque. The captain ordered his firft lieutenant 
to board her, which he inftantly attempted, but was un¬ 
able to effefit, owing to the tremendous fea. On his re¬ 
turn to the fhip, the captain exclaimed, “ Have I then 
no officer who can board the prize ?” On hearing this, 
the mailer immediately ran to the gangway, in order to 
jump into the boat, when lieutenant Nelfon fuddenly 
flopped him, faying, “ It is my turn now ; if I come 
back, it will be yours.” He no doubt had made up his 
mind not to return, unlefs he firft accofnpliftied his ob¬ 
ject ; he did accomplifh it: and this circumftance ftrongly 
prefaged his future character; for, as it afterwards ap¬ 
pears, the greater the obftacles with which he had to 
contend, the better was he pleafed with the nature of his 
duty. 
After a year’s aftive fervice, he was removed to the 
Briftol, the flag fhip of fir Peter Parker; and under this 
commander he finifhed his fervices as a lieutenant. It is 
obfervable that the late lord Collingwood, whofucceeded 
to the command fo many years afterwards, upon his glo¬ 
rious death, fucceeded him now in the Loweftoffe, and 
again in the flag-fliip, when, on the 8th of December, 
the fame year, he was made commander in the Badger 
SON. 
brig, at the age of twenty-one. While captain Nelfon 
commanded the Badger, his majefty’s fhip Glafgow, cap¬ 
tain Thomas Lloyd, lying near, took fire from a calk of 
rum; but, by the unceafing exertions and prefence of 
mind of Nelfon, the whole crew was faved from the 
flames. 
Captain Nelfon obtained his rank of poft-captain on 
the nth of July, 1779 5 an d, during nine years that he 
had been in fervice, he had, by keen obfervation, and 
inceffant application to every part of his known duty, not 
only become an able officer, but had likewife laid the 
foundation for forming a moft fkilful and fuccefsful pilot. 
This feems indeed, as has been already obferved, from 
the firft, to have been his conftant ambition. After his 
advance to poft-rank, he was appointed to the Hinchin- 
broke, of 28 guns. On the arrival of count d’Eftaing at 
Hifpaniola, with a numerous fleet and army from Marti¬ 
nique, an attack upon Jamaica was expected. In this 
fituation of the ifland, Nelfon was entrufted, both by the 
admiral and general, with the command of the batteries 
at Port-Royal. This was the moft important poll in the 
whole ifland, as being at once the key to the naval force 
of the town of Kingfton, and to the feat of government 
at Spanifh Town. A plan was next formed for taking Fort 
San Juan, on the river St. John, in the gulf of Mexico ; 
and captain Nelfon was appointed to the command of the 
naval department. His bufinefs was to have ended when 
he had convoyed the forces, about 500 men, from Jamaica 
to the Spaniffi main; but it was found, that not a man of 
the whole party had ever been up the river : he therefore 
difplayed his ufual intrepidity, quitted his fhip, and fu- 
perintended the tranfporting of the troops, in boats, one 
hundred miles up a river which, fince the time of the Buc¬ 
caneers, none but Spaniards had ever navigated. Of all 
the fervices in which he had been engaged, this was the 
moft perilous. It was the latter end of the dry feafon ; 
the river was low, full of fhoals and fandy beaches, and 
the men were often obliged to quit the boats, and drag 
them through fhallow channels, which the natives went 
before to explore. This labour, and that of forcing 
the rapids, were chiefly fuftained by the failors; men at 
all times accuftomed to rely on their own exertions, and 
at all times fure to do their duty. Seven or eight hours 
during the day they were expofed to a burning fun, ren¬ 
dered more intolerable by being reflefted from dry lhoals 
of white land ; and at night their fufferings were not lefs 
fevere, owing to the heavy dews that fall in that climate. 
On the 9th of April they arrived at a fmall ifland, called 
St. Bartholomew, which commanded the river in a rapid 
and difficult part, and was defended by a battery, mount¬ 
ing nine or ten fwivels. Nelfon, according to his own 
phrafe, refoived to board this out-poft. Putting himfelf 
at the head of a few failors, he leaped on the beach. Cap¬ 
tain Defpard (afterwards driven to defperation, crimes, 
and an ignominious end) gallantly fupported him; they 
ftormed the battery, and fought and defeated the Spa¬ 
niards with their own guns. Two days afterwards they 
came in fight of the caftle of San Juan, and began to be- 
fiege it on the 13th ; it furrendered on the 24th. Before 
that time they had a more formidable enemy to encounter, 
and againft which even the prowefs of a Britifh failor is of 
no avail. The bad weather had fet in : failors, foldiers, 
and Indians, funk alike under it; the latter from exer¬ 
tions to which they had never been accuftomed, and the 
Europeans from the deadly effects.of a climate allotted by 
the diftribution of nature to a race of different colour and 
complexion. All that victory procured them was aceffa- 
tion from toil: no fuppiies were found, and the caftle it- 
felf w'as worfe than a prifon. The hovels, which were 
ufed as an hofpital, were furrounded with putrid hides ; 
and, when orders were obtainedffrom the commander-in- 
chief to build one, the ficknefs had become fo general, 
that there were no hands to work at it. The rains con¬ 
tinued, with few intervals, from April to October, when 
they abandoned their baneful conqueft. Of j8oo, who 
were 
