Beschreibung:

Nelson, Horatio, AdmiralAutograph letter signed twice ("Nelson") to Sir William Hamilton aboard the vanguard, off Trapani, 27 May [1799] 3 pages, 4to (245 x 195). Remnants of adhesive from tipping along center crease, oval offsets along top and bottom edge, some browning, fold weak. A long and dramatic letter, which illustrates Nelson's close relationship with William Hamilton An apparently anxious Nelson begins: "...All goes well by your accounts on the Continent. Pray God it may continue and if it does & the F. F. [French Fleet] gone into Toulon they will not come out again, but I cannot account why I have not heard of Ball's squadron. I must be very uneasy until I hear of them and from a thousand conjectures. The Earl St. V[incen]t...is not yet come to me. L'Entreprenant, which I sent to Pantiherion, is not returned. Nothing from Duckworth or the Earl. We are completely in the Dark. To say truth had I known or could have guessed at Adm. Duckworth's intention not to have come to my help, I had no great business at sea. But being out I know had I returned the next day all Palermo would have fancy'd that I wanted to find shelter & that the F[rench] F[leet] were at my heels." As the time the present letter was penned, the French fleet had escaped from Brest, and was en route to the Mediterranean, where British forces were situated in a perilously scattered manner. Earl St. Vincent, whom Nelson mentions, was ashore recovering from an illness, and John Thomas Duckworth was off Minorca with four ships of the line. The Russian flagship (mentioned elsewhere in this letter), was positioned off Corfu, under the command of Admiral Fyodor Ushakov. Nelson had left Palermo on 12 May, thus beginning an fortnight of patrols. Here, he urges Hamilton to assure the anxious royal family of the Two Sicilies that he remains vigilant: "When L'Entreprenant joins & they know nothing of the F. F. I shall bring the Squadron to Palermo, and I would have you, the Count, and all Palermo be assured that whilst I have a ship left, Their Majesty & the city shall be defended...[T]hey may rest assured I do not for a moment forget they are in my charge. If they will find boats I will send every hour exactly where I am...Having said all this I readily conceive your anxiety by my own and that if we do not hear from our friends we fancy 10,000 things." At one o'clock in the morning, Nelson adds a lengthy postscript to his letter: "...I thank you for your kind wishes about my health. I can say with truth that I have not been free from headache, sickness, and with want of rest for I know not what sleep is since I left Palermo. I am seriously unwell and I have given notice to my Squadron that if I am ordered to Blockade Toulon that my health will not allow it and I shall give up. The ship in sight is I fear is [sic] the Stroubolo. Why Ball has not joined me is wonderful..." In May of 1799, Nelson would have been eight months into his affair with Hamilton's wife, Emma. Despite this, it is apparent that his closeness with—and perhaps reliance on—William Hamilton had not wavered. Beyond his openness with this friend, the language in the presents letter also reveals the ease with which he interreacted with crowned head of state (keeping the Italian royals "in his charge"). Significantly, this account also illustrates Nelson's neglect of his own comfort and safety, particularly in the face of danger and duty. PROVENANCE:Christie's New York, 3 December 2007, lot 171