BOOKS.

PETTIGREW'S LIFE OF NELSON.* Tins book appears to be based on the papers of the too well known Lady Hamilton ; consisting, in the words of the advertisement, of " upwards of six hundred letters and documents which have never before been printed, and the existence of which were [was] scarcely known." How they were preserved, how transmitted, or by what means they came into Mr. Pettigrew's possession, does -not appear; though there seems little reason to doubt their general authenticity, whatever may be the case with a few that go to settle a disputed point, where Lady Hamilton might have a purpose to establish. Besides a fuller and freer private correspondence of Nelson with Lady Hamilton than has hitherto appeared, the "letters and documents" contain epistles to Lady Hamilton from her friend the Queen of Naples, from the Reverend Dr. Nelson, the hero's elder brother, after- wards the first Earl, from Lord St. Vincent, from many of Nelson's cap- tains, and from a variety of celebrated persons English and foreign ; the letters of the more respectable English correspondents being mostly con- fined to Nelson, the other nautical men, and public ministers abroad.

Mr. Pettigrew states, that when Nelson's "private corespondence" first came into his hands, he intended "simply to have made a selection from the mass, and to have printed it as a supplement to the Dispatches and Letters." Applied to the whole series of the Hamilton papers, selec- tion would have been desirable; but we see no reason for omission in the case of what is really Lord Nelson's private correspondence. It is true that many letters are on trivial matters, and many involve frequent repeti- tions of personal feelings and personal dissatisfaction. Not a few contain outbreaks of most egregious vanity ; and, assuming his connexion with Lady Hamilton to have been other than sentimental, some exhibit a sin- gular mixture of the sentiment of religion with such an utter disregard of its moral precepts, and of the first principles of its theory against the worship of the creature, that in almost any other man it would have looked like contemptuous blasphemy. In cases where the object is to have a complete collection of letters, their inequality, repetitions, and dryness, must be borne with for the sake of that completeness. A mis- cellaneous correspondence is subjected to another rule, and the reader expects something of intrinsic interest, especially when many of the writers are not persons who attract much attention for themselves.

But either a selection from the Hamilton papers, or their publication entire, would have been preferable to the course Mr. Pettigrew has adopted of weaving them into a biography. Lives of Nelson are as plenty as blackberries ; we have them of all sorts and sizes; and the hero's character has been drawn, or his career commented on, by men of the greatest abilities, without the attempt of a formal life. Neither is Mr. Pettigrew's a well-planned biography, supposing one had been wanted. It is short, almost curt; describing very briefly some important events, and leaving untouched such an action as the battle of the Nile ; while occurrences of less consequence, and with which Nelson had personally little to do—such as the blockade of Malta—are handled with an un- necessary fulness. Nor is this the only fault of plan. Letters to Lady Hamilton from a variety of persons are included in the life of Nelson, though the only possible relation which they have to it is to show the influence which Lady Hamilton possessed from her connexion with Nelson. The form of biography is worse than useless ; it increases the bulk, it distracts the attention, and it needlessly introduces an element of con- fusion into what should be unity. The matter of the book—the letters addressed to Lady Hamilton by Nelson and other distinguished persons —is of necessity miscellaneous : biography requires a coherent whole. So far as Nelson is concerned, the materials chiefly relate to two points of his life,—first, his conduct during the time of his sojourn at Naples, especially as regards his violation of the armistice and the execution of Ca- racciolo ; secondly, the real nature of his connexion with Lady Hamil- ton, the paternity of his " adopted " daughter Horatia Nelson, and the traits of his character which his unguarded correspondence develops. If the letter printed at page 652 of the second volume is genuine, there is an end of all discussion as to the connexion and the paternity : and say- ing this, we dismiss it, with the remark that if the style were more free from doubt, the authenticity should be proved. In regard to the affairs at Naples, we do not think that the new matter produced by Mr. Petti- grew supports his arguments in favour of Nelson, but rather the reverse. The light thrown upon Nelson's character by the now published letters is not absolutely new, but it is fuller. His vanity, his jealousy, his suspi- cions, his complainings, and his weak devotion to Lady Hamilton, were known before, as well as the texts on which he spoke; but they are more reiterated, and, it strikes us, exhibited with less reserve. Sir Harris Nicolas sought to explain Nelson's conduct at Naples, by raising the question whether the wound in his head received at the battle of the Nile might not have shaken his mind. The most rational and charitable conclusion would seem to be, that he never entirely recovered from the effects of that concussion ; that the shock, without affecting the more professional and heroic attributes of his mind, impaired his self-con- trol, and aggravated his weaknesses of sensibility and imprudence, making him childlike in his thoughts and the utterance of his thoughts. Ideas which do not enter the heads of colder and more experienced men, and which persons who do form them in the moment of weakness or provocation rarely utter, still less commit to paper, were written down by Nelson with the same promptness with which he gave orders for chase or attack. There was, for instance, a difference between him and Lord St. Vincent as to prize-money, which had to be settled by a trial. The hero of the Nile not only suspects the "great Earl" of a design to cheat him, but accuses him of an intention that a pettifogger would scarcely have entertained—a wish to deprive him of advice. He says in a post- script—" The Earl is determined, Davison writes me, to carry on the

Memoirs of the Life of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, E.B., Duke of Bronte, &c. By Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, F.R.S., F.S.A., &e. In two volumes. Published by Boone.

lawsuit, and is dreadfully angry with him for the part he has taken. He would have been glad to have left me without a friend, well knowing my ignorance of money matters."

The promotion of his followers was always a great point with Nelson; and very properly. To what extent his kindness might outrun regula- tion and discretion, and his zeal blind him to official difficulties, we need not discuss. There is no doubt that he was not a favourite in the Govern- ment offices, and upon the whole he was probably unfairly treated in this matter ; but we must not take the complaints of the disappointed as literal truths. Lord St. Vincent writes to him, as it seems to us, in a frank and friendly spirit.

" Admiralty, 15th October 1801.

" My dear Lord—Your Lordship may rest assured that the interest you have taken in Captain Somerville's fortunes has not been lost upon me. I have made inquiry for the passing certificate of his son, but neither it nor his appointment appear.

" Captain Tobin has been a little in disrepute with the Board, on account of his pertinacity about refitting; a very contagious disease in frigates and sloops ex- tremely difficult to eradicate. I apprehend his health to be delicate. Encom- passed as I am by applications and presumptuous claims, I have nothing for it but to act upon the defensive, as your Lordship will be compelled to do whenever you are placed in the situation I at present EL " Yours, most affectionately, ST. VINCENT."

Whereupon Nelson, misquoting, writes to Lady Hamilton—" Lord St. Vincent says, two days ago, ' When you, my dear Lord, hold my place, you will be obliged, as I am, to act on the defensive against such pre- sumptuous claims.' " He was equally or perhaps more dissatisfied with his old cape; Trou- bridge, then a Lord of the Admiralty. The particular grievance at this time was that Nelson wished to resign his command of the flotilla destined to resist the invasion, in order to get to Merton ; and the Admi- ralty wished him to remain longer.

" Amazon, 14th October 1801.

"My dearest Friend—Tomorrow week all is over; no thanks to Sir Thomas. I believe the fault is all his, and he ought to have recollected that I got hint the medal of the Nile. Who upheld him when he would have sunk under grief and mortification ? Who placed him in such a situation in the kingdbm of Naples, that he got by my public letters, titles, the Colonelcy of Marines, diamond boxes, from the King of Naples, 1000 ounces in money, for so expenses that I know of? Who got him 500E a year from the King of Naples? and however much he may abuse him, his pension will be regularly paid. Who brought his character into notice? Look at my public letters. Nelson, that Nelson that he now Lords it over. So much for gratitude. I forgive him; but, by God, I shall not forget it. He enjoys showing his power over me. Never mind; altogether it will shorten my days. The day is very bad—blows, rains, and a great sea. My complaint has returned from absolutely fretting; and was it not for the kindness of all about me, they, damn them, would have done me up long ago. I am anxiously waiting for your letters ; they are my only comfort, for they are the only friendly ones I receive. Poor Captain Somerville is on board: himself, wife, and family, make twenty, without a servant ; and has only 1001. a year to maintain them. He has been begging me to intercede with the Admiralty again; but I have been so re- buffed, that my spirits are gone, and the great Troubridge has what we call cowed the spirits of Nelson. But I shall never forget it. He told me if I asked anything more that I should get nothing; I suppose alluding to poor Langford. No wonder I am not well."

" Superiors—death ! and equals—what a cruse ! " The well-known Governor of Malta, Sir Alexander Ball, had been one of Nelson's cap- tains, and no doubt in a great measure owed his advancement to Nelson. As soon as the Admiral came in contact with the Governor, offence arose.

" Malta and Toulon are entirely different services. It struck me that it was a horrid place; and all the captains who have been laid up there detest it. Our friend Ball, if I am not mistaken, wishes himself afloat, but he is too proud to own it. He is, I can assure you, a great man, and on many occasions appears to forget that he was a seaman; he is bit with the dignity of the Corps Diplomatique. But I differ with no one; however, I can think a little, and can see a little into a mill- stone. • * • * " Our friend Sir Alexander is a very great diplomatic character, and even an admiral must not know what he is negotiating about ; although you will scarcely believe that the Bey of Tunis sent the man at my desire.

" You shall judge, viz. i

The Tunisian Envoy is still here, negotiating. He is a moderate man; and, apparently, the best disposed of any I ever did business with.' Could even the oldest diplomatic character be drier? I hate such parade of nonsense. But I will turn from such stuff."

It was this impulsive feeling, this more than womanly sensitiveness, coupled with his kindness of heart and generosity, that made Nelson so popular with the fleet, and infused into his officers and crews such a spirit of zeal and oneness ; for (really echoing their own notions and pre- judices) he touched them like an electric shock. This tenderness is shown on many occasions, and especially during the lingering death of Captain Parker, who was mortally wounded in the attack upon the boats in Boulogne harbour. Nelson's thoughtful generosity is continually ap- pearing in the presents he is directing for attentions, or for semi-official services, where only a moral claim (if any) existed ; and for which, as he incidentally remarks on giving a cup to Dr. Baird, "Lord St. Vincent, I dare say, never gave him a sixpence." Nor, with all his ambition for glory, had he any regard for rank or persons. Captain Westcott, who was killed at the Nile, entered the navy as a cabin-boy, and rose entirely by his good conduct. On his journey to Plymouth to assume a command, Nelson writes—" At Honiton I visited Captain Westcott's mother ; poor thing, except from the bounty of Government anclriLloyd's, in very low circumstances. The brother is a tailor ; but had they been chimney-sweepers, it was my duty to show them respect." If the letter already alluded to is genuine, there is, as we have said, an end to doubt as to the nature of the connexion with Lady Hamilton. Incidental passages in the general correspondence would not settle the question one way or the other, though they rather tend to strengthen the view of criminality. The following passages, we think, are the strongest presumption as to the paternity.

" Ten times ten thousand thanks for them, and for your tender care of my dear little charge Horatia. I love her the more dearly, as she is in the upper part of her face so like her dear good mother, who I love, and always shall with the

truest n affectio."

• • • • • " When you see my eleve, which you will when you receive this letter, give her a kiss for me, and tell that I never shall forget either her or her dear good mo-

ther; and doyou believe me." • • • • " I admire dear Horatia's writing. I think her hand will soon be like her dear

mother's; and if she is but as clever I shall be content." •• •

" Oar dear Horatia, how I long to settle what I intend upon her, and not leave her to the mercy of any one, or even to any foolish thing I may do in my old age."

As regards Lady Hamilton, he writes from the Baltic in the following strain.

"My dearest Friend—I was so overcomeyesterday with the good and happy news that came about my going home, that I believe I was in truth scarcely my- self The thoughts of going do me good, yet all night I was so restless that I could not sleep. It is nearly calm, therefore Admiral Pole cannot get on. I wish I had a rope fast to him, I believe I should pull myself to pieces; but I will have a little more patience. But my nails are so long, not cut since February, that I am afraid of their breaking; but I should have thought it treason to have cat them as long as there was a possibility of my returning for my old dear friend to do the job for me."

This is curious : but the whole is curious. It is one of the histo- rical mysteries, like "the man in the iron mask," the question "who beheaded Charles the First ?" or "who wrote Junius ?" About the ill repute of Lady Hamilton's early career there is no doubt ; yet it is possible that such a mind might be really captivated by the brilliancy of Nelson's exploits and the affectionate nature of his disposition, although his health was shaken by his services, and he was, as he says, "with one arm, a broken head, and no teeth." The mystery in which Nelson himself

shroudedothe connexion may be ascribed to his nice sense of delicacy, and, strange to have to say it when writing of such a subject, the purity

of his mind ; for he seems to have been very much like Othello in know- ledge of the great world. The extraordinary thing is, that, living as he did in public, surrounded as he often was by men of the world, and always by men with eyes and observation, no distinct charge should have been put...upon record in their correspondence, or scarcely a suspicion; his 'followers seem to have avoided the subject, when they could. That Lady Hamilton exercised an extraordinary influence over him was well known, and painfully appears in the letters written by men who could scarcely have felt what they professed, and by women of character who familiarly corresponded and associated with her. That Nelson himself was at little pains to conceal the influence, is evident—unless the letters are forgeries. Here is a strange mixture of religions feeling, religious presumption, and infatuation.

" St. George, Moue Bay, April 25th 1801. "My dearest Friend—Sir Hyde has just sent me word that the Arrow sloop sails for England this day; therefore I have only time to say that I hope in a fort- night to be in London. I am in expectation every moment for the removal of the fleet from the Baltic: be that as it may, I will not remain, no, not if I was sure of being made a DUKE with 50,0001. a year. I wish for happiness to be my reward, and not titles or money. Tomorrow is the birthday of Santa Emma. She is my guardian angel. It is not in my power to do much honour to her in this place; but I have invited the Admirals and all the Captains who hod the happiness of knowing you, and of course experiencing your kindness when in the Medi- terranean. You may rely my saint is more adored in this fleet than all the saints in the Roman calendar. I know you prayed for me both at the Nile and here; and if the prayers of the good, as we are taught to believe, are of avail at the Throne of Grace, why may not yours have saved ray life? I own myself a BE- LIEVER IN GOD; and if I have any merit in not fearing death, it is because I feel that His power can shelter me when He pleases, and that I must fall when- ever it is Ills good pleasure. May the God of heaven and earth, the Protector of those who truly worship Him, bless and preserve yon, my dearest friend: for the greatest happiness which you can wish for in this world, is the constant prayer of your real, sincere, and affectionatefriend till death, " NELSON AND BRONTi:." " St. George, 27th April 1801. " All your letters, my dearest Friend, to the 17th, came safe on the eve of your natal day. You will readily conceive the pleasure they must have given to me to know that you still take an interest in my glory. I transfer it all to my guardian angel, Santa Emma. Yesterday, I had twenty-four at dinner, and drank at din- ner, in a bumper of champagne, Santa Emma.

The influence of Nelson compelled his family to associate with Lady Hamilton; but it appears to have been a cold and unwilling intercourse, except on the part of the successor to the peerage, whom Nelson re- garded, and very justly, with a feeling of slight contempt. This man seems to have been a " parson " of the old school, such as the satirists unsparingly held up to ridicule and placed upon the level of the "led captain.' Religion he appears to have had no sense of; he was without regard to what was due to his profession or even the usages of society, as he allowed his wife and daughters to be constantly with Lady Hamil- ton; for self-interest he had the keenest of scents. The age and health of dignitaries in the Church and the amount of their income was a great object of his inquiries, and various are the letters he addresses to Lady Hamilton to stimulate her influence with Nelson on his behalf. One or two specimens of the Reverend Earl William will suffice. The follow- ing is less direct than some others.

Dear Lady Hamilton—The Doctor says that he is very angry with you for not callinp. him Doctor, and for degrading the name and dignity ; for a Doctor in Divinity of the ancient and learned University of Cambridge is as much superior to a Doctor of Physic in any of your Scotch Universities (where they confer a diploma for two guineas on every quack who applies) as an archangel is to the arcb-fiead.

"If the old Earl [St. Vincent] should slip his cable and be forced to resign, I hope our great defender will be able to get into his anchorage. He must try hard to get to windward of the Minister, (in spite of the R-1 Duke,) speak often, and lay his plans accordingly: it [the Admiralty] will be a nice town-house. " We have sent half-a dozen apple-trees which we hope will arrive safe at Merton on Thursday; some have been grafted two, some three years and some only last spring: I would recommend them to be trained as standards, and of course not headed down ; they don't do so well to be trained as espaliers: your gardener will understand me. They are the true Norfolk beefen, such as we have sent in the large hamper. lean them Lord Nelson's Norfolk beefen.'

" If the Earl is only going to the South of France for hie health, I am afraid he will not resign; he will have leave of absence for the winter, and the other Lords of the Admiralty will do the business: any three, I think, are sufficient Let us hear everything that goes on: your letters are better than the newspapers, and we look for them with greater anxiety and receive them with greater plea- nose. I see by the papers that there is a anal vacant at Durham, 1 suppose

worth a thousand a year, Fn the gift of the Bishop (Barrington.) I remember some years ago, when the Duke of Portland was Prime Minister, he secured one for Dr. Poyntz, at Durham. There is another vacant at York, (if not filled up,) in the gift of the Archbishop; but I don't know the value—no very great sum, believe. " I beg my compliments to Sir William, and Mr. Greville when you see bee, and love to my brother; and believe me yours very faithfully and affectionately, " IT T TAM Muse:Le

The rest of the family did not greatly sympathize with William, any more than William did with them. On his return from the Baltic—.

"Lord Nelson made application to have the Barony of Nelson extended. The King graciously acquiesced; and to prevent the extinction of the Barony from failure of heirs male on his own part, on the 18th August a new Barony, caned Nelson of the Nile and of Hilborough in the county of Norfolk, was granted. This was limited in default of male issue of his Lady to his father, and the male isms of his body; failing which, it was to extend to the heirs male of the bodies of his sisters, Mrs. Bolton and Mrs. Matcham, respectively. Agreeably to his wish, ex. pressed in his application to the First Lord of the Treasury, his foreign orders, which he regarded as honourably obtained and approved by the King's goy, manual, were described in the patent; which also declares that say successor to the Barony so created shall use the surname of Nelson only. The Reverend William Nelson alludes to this patent in a letter to Lady Hamilton- ." Hilborough, 6th August 11301. " My dear Lady Hamilton—You can easily conceive what joy your letter gave me this morning: thank God, our great, glorious, and invincible friend is safe. I was at Swaff ham when I received it, and read the Gazette honours to my father. He made but little observation upon it, only said he liked him as well plain Horace as with all these high-sounding titles: that may be true, but still I could have wished him to have appeared pleased with the prospect of his family honours descending to his posterity; and I could not help remarking to him, that we ought not to be like the selfish man who is reported to have said, Why should I care for posterity, for posterity never cared for me.' Mrs. Bolton made no remarks, nor seemed in the least elated or pleased; indeed, to say the truth, there appears a gloom about them all, for what reason I can't devise, unless they are uneasy. They did not deserve to have a chance, and I wish it had gone to Charlotte and her heirs mole ; but I hope to God it will be a long time before it leaves the true Nelson line, and that the young Baron and Duse (who is now writing by my side) will raise up posterity, and cut all the others out. The clergy are all busy here calling meetings of their parishes for the defence of the country and coast, and cannot stir from home at present; but I hope our great hero's doings will set us all at ease. When you write, give mylove to him, and express all my gratitude to him for what he has already done for me and mine; I only now hope for a good Deanery for myself. "'Believe me, your affectionate friend, War. Neescar.'"

The quotations on the points we have touched upon might be con- siderably extended, and several new topics raised ; but this notice is already long, and must be closed without further extracts. What we have said will give an idea of the extent and variety of the new matter; which is well presented as regards explanatory notes, and the book alto- gether is well edited. It is to be regretted that the story of the corre- spondence was not distinctly told, and that it had not been exhibited by itself, without matter which, being neither requisite nor congruous, is only encumbering. Mr. Pettigrew has added two supplementary chapters, on Horatia Nel- son and Lady Hamilton. The chapter on Horatia is chiefly derbied from the elaborate materials collected by Sir Harris Nicolas in his edition of the Letters and Dispatches ; but the leading points are brought together. Lady Hamilton deserved a fuller notice and a more philosophical consi- deration than she has received at Mr. Pettigrew's hands. Emma Lyons was a remarkable woman, equal in personal attractions to Cleopatra or Mary Queen of Scots, elevated by somewhat of the Aspasian feeling in her turn for the heroic. She rose from servitude and poverty through paths of dishonour ; yet, it would appear, without vitiating her natural feel- ings or her manners; and she sustained herself with credit in society notwithstanding the notoriety of her career. This could only have been accomplished by uncommon talent in addition to unrivalled powers of fascination ; and, with all her faults, she was cruelly treated at last. To what extent the reward of public service may be barred by private character, or whether the practice of a certain kind of vice should be bar to all reward, may be disputed : but Lady Hamilton was sacrificed to

cant. Those who neglected her in her penury were not entitled to throw stones ; and if we could investigate the pensions on the Civil Lists of that

time, we might find the names of persons no better than she was,—even if other means had not existed for complying with the last wishes of Nelson without public offence. Dame Emma Hamilton was the victim not of want of virtue, but want of interest, after her legal protector and her doatine admirer were both gone.