N EL 
were fent to different polls upon this ill-fated fcheme, 
only 380 returned. Nelfon narrowly efcaped. His ad¬ 
vice had been to carry the cattle by afi'ault; in Head of 
which, eleven days were fpent in the formalities of a liege. 
He returned before its furrender, exhaufted with fatigue, 
and fuffering under a dyfentery ; yet to him the com¬ 
mander-in-chief alcribed the principal caufe of fuccefs in 
reducing Fort Juan, in which were found one brafs mor¬ 
tar offive inches and a half, twenty pieces of brafs ordnance 
mounted, befides fwivels, ten or twelve ditto difmounted, 
with a proportionable quantity of military-ftores. From 
the extreme fatigue which captain Nell'on endured on this 
expedition, his health became vifibly impaired ; but he 
fortunately received an appointment to the Janus of 44. 
guns, vacant by the death of captain Glover, fon to the 
author of Leonidas. This promotion removed him from 
the fatal ftation juft in time ; and he reached Jamaica in 
fuch a ftate of ficknefs, that he was carried on-lhorein 
his cot. The attention of a good old negrefs, and after¬ 
wards that of fir Peter Parker and his lady, faved his life; 
but his health had fuffered fo much and fo feverely, that 
he was foon compelled to return to England, which he 
did in the Lion, commanded by the Hon. William Corn¬ 
wallis, through whofe attention a complete recovery was 
effefted. 
In the month of Auguft 1781, captain Nelfon was ap¬ 
pointed to the command of the Albemarle of 28 guns, 
and fent into the North Seas. During this voyage he 
gained a confiderable knowledge of the Daniffi coaft, and 
its foundings ; a knowledge which afterwards proved of 
great importance to his country. On his return, he was 
ordered to Quebec with a convoy, under the orders of 
captain Thomas Pringle. Here he became acquainted 
with Mr. Alexander Davifon, who faved him from an im¬ 
prudent marriage. Captain Nelfon failed from Quebec 
with a convoy to New York, in the month of Oftober 
1782, at which place he joined the fleet under the com¬ 
mand of fir Samuel Hood. In November he failed with 
fir Samuel Hood to the Weft Indies, wdiere he continued 
actively employed till the peace. When Nelfon was or¬ 
dered back to England, he was diredted, in his way, to at¬ 
tend his royal highnefs prince William (dukeof Clarence) 
on a vifit to the Havannah. On his arrival, the Albemarle 
was paid off at Portfmouth, on the 31ft of July, 1783. 
During the autumn of this year captain Nelfon went 
to France, where he continued till the fpring of the year 
1784; when he was appointed to the command of the 
Boreas frigate, 28 guns, and was ordered to the Leeward 
Iilands. While his veffel was at anchor in Nevis road, a 
French frigate paffed to the leeward, clofe along-thore. 
Nelfon had received information that this frigate was 
fent from Martinico, for the purpofe of making afurvey 
of our Weft-India Iilands. This he was determined to 
prevent. Accordingly he followed her to St. Euftatia ; 
and, being invited by the Dutch governor to meet the 
French officers at dinner, (the reader will pleafe to recoi¬ 
led! that this was during the peace,) he took that oppor¬ 
tunity of alluring the captain, that, underftanding it was 
his intention to honour the Britilh poffeffions with a vifit, 
he had taken the earlieft opportunity in his power to ac¬ 
company him in his majefty’s Ihip the Boreas, in order 
that fuch attention might be paid to an officer of his moll 
Chriftian majefty as every Englilhman would be proud to 
Ihow. The Frenchmen, with equal politenefs, protefted 
againft giving him this trouble ; but Nelfon infifted upon 
paying them this compliment, followed them clofe, in 
fpite of all attempts to'elude his vigilance, and never loft 
fight of them, till, finding it impoffible either to deceive 
or efcape him, they gave up their intention in defpair, 
and beat up to Martinico. 
This ftation, moreover, opened a new fcene to the offi¬ 
cers of the Britilh navy. The Americans, when colonifts, 
poffeffed almott the whole of the trade from America to 
cur Weft-India Iilands ; but, on the return of peace, and 
when their independence was acknowledged, they forgot 
SON. 600 
that they were then to be confidered as having no more 
privileges in this trade than foreigners. The governors 
and cuftom-houfe officers pretended, that by the Naviga¬ 
tion-Aft the Americans had a right to trade. He knew 
the meaning of that aft as well as they ; and, though the 
commander-in-chief was difpofed to wink at this com¬ 
merce, he addreffed a letter to the governor of the Lee¬ 
ward Iilands on the fubjeft, who, in reply, told him that 
old generals were not in the habit of taking advice from 
young gentlemen. Nelfon, in anfwer to this, faid, “ Sir, 
I am as old as the prime-minifter of England, and think 
myfelf as capable of commanding one of his majefty’s 
Ihips as that minifter is of governing the ftate.” He ac¬ 
cordingly Ihowed that he could aft for himfelf; and, in 
defiance of the judgment of thofe who thought themfelves 
his fuperiors, ordered all the American veffels to quit the 
iilands in forty-eight hours ; declaring that, if they re- 
fufed, or heiitated, or prefumed to land their cargoes, he 
would feize them. The Americans, fupported by the 
governors of the iilands, did refill; and the admiral, un¬ 
willing to take an aftive part on either fide, advifed cap¬ 
tain Nelfon to be guided by the wilhes of the prefidents 
of the council. With refpeft to this advice of fir Richard 
Hughes, he laid within himfelf, “ I mull now difobey my 
orders, or difobey a£ts of parliament: I determined on 
the former, trufting to the uprightnels of my intentions, 
and believing that my country would not allow me to be 
ruined by protefting her commerce.” He wrote to the 
admiral, and in very refpeftful language told him, he 
Ihould decline obeying his orders till he had an oppor¬ 
tunity of feeing and converting with him. The firffc feel¬ 
ings of fir Richard Hughes were thofe of anger, and he 
determined to fuperfede Nelfon; but, having mentioned 
the bufinefs to his own captain, the latter told him, he 
believed all the fquadron thought he had ilfued illegal 
orders, and therefore did not know how far they were 
bound to obey him. The admiral fubmitted, and even 
thanked Nelfon for having ffiown him his error. At Ne¬ 
vis the Boreas found fome American veffels deeply laden, 
with the colours of the iftand flying. They were or¬ 
dered to hoift their proper flag, and leave it in eight-and- 
forty hours. At firll they denied their country, and re- 
fufed to obey ; but, upon being examined before the judge 
of the admiralty, they admitted that they were Americans, 
and that their veffels and cargoes were wholly American 
property. Upon this, Nelfon feized them. Aftions were 
brought againft him, and the damages laid at 40,000k he, 
however, triumphed, and the four fliips and their cargoes 
were condemned. While-the affair was pending, he fent 
a memorial to the king; in confequence of which, orders 
were forwarded to defend him at the expenfe of the crown ; 
and, upon the reprefentation which he made at the fame 
time to the fecretary of Hate, the regifter-aft was framed. 
The miniftry, upon this occafion, and certainly without 
much reafon, tranfmitted thanks to fir Richard Hughes,and 
the officers under him, for their aftivity and zeal in proteft¬ 
ing the commerce of Great Britain. Nelfon felt indignant 
at their conduft : he, indeed, had protefted the commerce 
of his country, in oppofition to the opinion and the ex- 
pref? advice, which in military language always means 
order, of fir Richard ; and yet Nelfon w'as paffed over, 
and the admiral applauded. “ I feel hurt,” faid the high- 
minded captain, “ that, after the lofs of health, and the 
rilk of my fortune, another fliould be thanked for what I 
did, and againft his orders. I either deferved to be fent 
out of the fervice, or elfe to have had fome little notice 
taken of what I had done. They have thought the aft 
worthy of notice, but they have neglefted me." 
At Nevis, captain Nelfon was united in marriage, in 
1787,- with Mrs. Netbit, a We/l-Indiaft lady, widow of 
Dr. Netbit, a phyfician. She had already a fon ; but no 
farther iffue was the refult of this connexion. In the 
fame year, the ufual term of fervice on that ftation being 
expired, he returned to England with his bride. 
Of his life on-thore, which chiefly paffed in retirement 
in 
