the life of horatio lord nelson-第36部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

ps；　and　not　behave　like　children。　It　was　grief　enough　for　him　that　the　court　should　be　busied　in　these　follies；　and　Nelson　involved　in　them。　〃I　dread；　my　lord；〃　said　he；　〃all　the　feasting；　&c。　at　Palermo。　I　am　sure　your　health　will　be　hurt。　If　so；　all　their　saints　will　be　damned　by　the　navy。　The　king　would　be　better　employed　digesting　a　good　government；　everything　gives　way　to　their　pleasures。　The　money　spent　at　Palermo　gives　discontent　here；　fifty　thousand　people　are　unemployed；　trade　discouraged；　manufactures　at　a　stand。　It　is　the　interest　of　many　here　to　keep　the　king　away：　they　all　dread　reform。　Their　villanies　are　so　deeply　rooted；　that　if　some　method　is　not　taken　to　dig　them　out；　this　government　cannot　hold　together。　Out　of　twenty　millions　of　ducats；　collected　as　the　revenue；　only　thirteen　millions　reach　the　treasury；　and　the　king　pays　four　ducats　where　he　should　pay　one。　He　is　surrounded　by　thieves；　and　none　of　them　have　honour　or　honesty　enough　to　tell　him　the　real　and　true　state　of　things。〃　In　another　letter　he　expressed　his　sense　of　the　miserable　state　of　Naples。　〃There　are　upwards　of　forty　thousand　families；〃　said　he；〃who　have　relations　confined。　If　some　act　of　oblivion　is　not　passed；　there　will　be　no　end　of　persecution；　for　the　people　of　this　country　have　no　idea　of　anything　but　revenge；　and　to　gain　a　point　would　swear　ten　thousand　false　oaths。　Constant　efforts　are　made　to　get　a　man　taken　up；　in　order　to　rob　him。　The　confiscated　property　does　not　reach　the　king's　treasury。　All　thieves！　It　is　selling　for　nothing。　His　own　people；　whom　he　employs；　are　buying　it　up；　and　the　vagabonds　pocket　the　whole。　I　should　not　be　surprised　to　hear　that　they　brought　a　bill　of　expenses　against　him　for　the　sale。〃

The　Sicilian　court；　however；　were　at　this　time　duly　sensible　of　the　services　which　had　been　rendered　them　by　the　British　fleet；　and　their　gratitude　to　Nelson　was　shown　with　proper　and　princely　munificence。　They　gave　him　the　dukedom　and　domain　of　Bronte；　worth　about　L3000　a　year。　It　was　some　days　before　he　could　be　persuaded　to　accept　it；　the　argument　which　finally　prevailed　is　said　to　have　been　suggested　by　the　queen；　and　urged；　at　her　request；　by　Lady　Hamilton　upon　her　knees。　〃He　considered　his　own　honour　too　much；〃　she　said；　〃if　he　persisted　in　refusing　what　the　king　and　queen　felt　to　be　absolutely　necessary　for　the　preservation　of　theirs。〃　The　king　himself；　also；　is　said　to　have　addressed　him　in　words；　which　show　that　the　sense　of　rank　will　sometimes　confer　a　virtue　upon　those　who　seem　to　be　most　unworthy　of　the　lot　to　which　they　have　been　born：　〃Lord　Nelson；　do　you　wish　that　your　name　alone　should　pass　with　honour　to　posterity；　and　that　I；　Ferdinand　Bourbon；　should　appear　ungrateful？〃　He　gave　him　also；　when　the　dukedom　was　accepted；　a　diamond…　hilted　sword；　which　his　father；　Char。　III。　of　Spain；　had　given　him　on　his　accession　to　the　throne　of　the　two　Sicilies。　Nelson　said；　〃the　reward　was　magnificent；　and　worthy　of　a　king；　and　he　was　determined　that　the　inhabitants　on　the　domain　should　be　the　happiest　in　all　his　Sicilian　majesty's　dominions。　Yet；〃　said　he；　speaking　of　these　and　the　other　remunerations　which　were　made　him　for　his　services；　〃these　presents；　rich　as　they　are；　do　not　elevate　me。　My　pride　is；　that　at　Constantinople；　from　the　grand　seignior　to　the　lowest　Turk；　the　name　of　Nelson　is　familiar　in　their　mouths；　and　in　this　country　I　am　everything　which　a　grateful　monarch　and　people　can　call　me。〃　Nelson；　however；　had　a　pardonable　pride　in　the　outward　and　visible　signs　of　honour　which　he　had　so　fairly　won。　He　was　fond　of　his　Sicilian　title；　the　signification；　perhaps；　pleased　him；　Duke　of　Thunder　was　what　in　Dahomy　would　be　called　a　STRONG　NAME；　it　was　to　a　sailor's　taste；　and　certainly；　to　no　man　could　it　ever　be　more　applicable。　But　a　simple　offering；　which　he　received　not　long　afterwards；　from　the　island　of　Zante；　affected　him　with　a　deeper　and　finer　feeling。　The　Greeks　of　that　little　community　sent　him　a　golden…headed　sword　and　a　truncheon；　set　round　with　all　the　diamonds　that　the　island　could　furnish；　in　a　single　row。　They　thanked　him　〃for　having；　by　his　victory；　preserved　that　part　of　Greece　from　the　horrors　of　anarchy；　and　prayed　that　his　exploits　might　accelerate　the　day；　in　which；　amidst　the　glory　and　peace　of　thrones；　the　miseries　of　the　human　race　would　cease。〃　This　unexpected　tribute　touched　Nelson　to　the　heart。　〃No　officer；〃　he　said；　〃had　ever　received　from　any　country　a　higher　acknowledgment　of　his　services。〃

The　French　still　occupied　the　Roman　states；　from　which；　according　to　their　own　admission；　they　had　extorted　in　jewels；　plate；　specie；　and　requisitions　of　every　kind；　to　the　enormous　amount　of　eight　millions　sterling；　yet　they　affected　to　appear　as　deliverers　among　the　people　whom　they　were　thus　cruelly　plundering；　and　they　distributed　portraits　of　Buonaparte；　with　the　blasphemous　inscription；　〃This　is　the　true　likeness　of　the　holy　saviour　of　the　world！〃　The　people；　detesting　the　impiety；　and　groaning　beneath　the　exactions　of　these　perfidious　robbers；　were　ready　to　join　any　regular　force　that　should　come　to　their　assistance；　but　they　dreaded　Cardinal　Ruffo's　rabble；　and　declared　they　would　resist　him　as　a　banditti；　who　came　only　for　the　purpose　of　pillage。　Nelson　perceived　that　no　object　was　now　so　essential　for　the　tranquillity　of　Naples　as　the　recovery　of　Rome；　which　in　the　present　state　of　things；　when　Suvarof　was　driving　the　French　before　him；　would　complete　the　deliverance　of　Italy。　He　applied；　therefore；　to　Sir　James　St。　Clair　Erskine；　who　in　the　absence　of　General　Fox　commanded　at　Minorca；　to　assist　in　this　great　object　with　1200　men。　〃The　field　of　glory；〃　said　he；　〃is　a　large　one；　and　was　never　more　open　to　any　one　than　at　this　moment　to　you。　Rome　would　throw　open　her　gates　and　receive　you　as　her　deliverer；　and　the　pope　would　owe　his　restoration　to　a　heretic。〃　But　Sir　James　Erskine　looked　only　at　the　difficulties　of　the　undertaking。　〃Twelve　hundred　men；　he　thought；　would　be　too　small　a　force　to　be　committed　in　such　an　enterprise；　for　Civita　Vecchia　was　a　regular　fortress；　the　local　situation　and　climate　also　were　such；　that　even　if　this　force　were　adequate；　it　would　be　proper　to　delay　the。expedition　till　October。　General　Fox；　too；　was　soon　expected；　and　during　his　absence；　and　under　existing　circumstances；　he　did　not　feel　justified　in　sending　away　such　a　detachment。〃

What　this　general　thought　it　imprudent　to　attempt；　Nelson　and　Troubridge　effected　without　his　assistance；　by　a　small　detachment　from　the　fleet。　Troubridge　first　sent　Captain　Hallowell　to　Civita　Vecchia　to　offer　the　garrison　there　and　at　Castle　St。　Angelo　the　same　terms　which　had　been　granted　to　Gaieta。　Hallowell　perceived；　by　the　overstrained　civility　of　the　officers　who　came　off　to　him；　and　the　compliments　which　they　paid　to　the　English　nation；　that　they　were　sensible　of　their　own　weakness　and　their　inability　to　offer　any　effectual　resistance；　but　the　French　know；　that　while　they　are　in　a　condition　to　serve　their　government；　they　can　rely　upon　it　for　every　possible　exertion　in　their　support；　and　this　reliance　gives　them　hope　and　confidence　to　the　last。　Upon　Hallowell's　report；　Troubridge；　who　had　now　been　made　Sir　Thomas　for　his　services；　sent　Captain　Louis　with　a　squadron　to　enforce　the　terms　which　he　had　offered；　and；　as　soon　as　he　could　leave　Naples；　he　himself　followed。　The　French；　who　had　no　longer　any　hope　from　the　fate　of　arms；　relied　upon　their　skill　in　negotiation；　and　proposed　terms　to　Troubridge　with　that　effrontery　which　characterises　their　public　proceedings；　but　which　is　as　often　successful　as　it　is　impudent。　They　had　a　man　of　the　right　stamp　to　deal　with。　Their　ambassador　at　Rome　began　by　saying；　that　the　Roman　territory　was　the　property　of　the　French　by　right　of　conquest。　The　British　commodore　settled　that　point；　by　replying；　〃It　is　mine　by　reconquest。〃　A　capitulation　was　soon　concluded　for　all　the　Roman　states；　and　Captain　Louis　rowed　up　the　Tiber　in　his　barge；　hoisted　English　colours　on　the　capitol；　and　acted　for　the　time　as　governor　of　Rome。　The　4prophecy　of　the　Irish　poet　was　thus　accomplished；　and　the　friar　reaped　the　fruits；　for　Nelson；　who　was　struck　with　the　oddity　of　the　circumstance；　and　not　a　little　pleased　with　it；　obtained　preferment　for　him　from　the　King　of　Sicily；　and　recommended　him　to　the　Pope。

Having　thus　completed　his　work　upon　the　continent　of　Italy；　Nelson's　whole　attention　was　directed　towards　Malta；　where　Captain　Ball；　with　most　inadequate　means；　was　besieging　the　French　garrison。　Never　was　any　officer　engaged　in　more　anxious　and　painful　service：　the　smallest　reinforcement　from　France　would；　at　any　moment；　have　turned　the　scale　against　him；　and　had　it　not　been　for　his　consummate　ability；　and　the　love　and　veneration　with　which　the　Maltese　regarded　him；　Malta　must　have　remained　in　the　hands　of　the　enemy。　Men；　money；　foodall　things　were　wanting。　The　garrison　consisted　of　5000　troops；　the　besieging　force　of　500　English　and　Portuguese　marines；　and　about　1500　armed　peasants。　Long　and　repeatedly　did　Nelson　solicit　troops　to　effect　the　reduction　of　this　important　place。　〃It　has　been　no　fault　of　the　navy；〃　said　he；　〃that　Malta　has　not　been　attacked　by　land；　but　we　have　neither　the　means　ourselves　n