the danger, and pointed out how it might be prevented; but the means of preventing it were withheld. The attack was made, as he foresaw; and the gun-boats brought their fire to bear upon the Austrians. It so happened, however, that the left flank, which was exposed to them, was the only part of the army that behaved well; this division stood its ground till the centre and the right wing fled, and then retreated in a soldierlike manner. General de Vins gave up the command in the middle of the battle, pleading ill health. "From that moment," says Nelson," not a soldier staid at his post :"it was the devil take the hindmost. Many "thousands ran away who had never seen "the enemy; some of them thirty miles "from the advanced posts. Had I not,

though, I own, against my inclination, "been kept at Genoa, from 8 to 10,000 "men would have been taken prisoners,

and, amongst the number, General de "Vins himself: but, by this means, the

pass of the Bocchetta was kept open. "The purser of the ship, who was at Vado,

"ran with the Austrians eighteen miles "without stopping; the men without arms, "officers without soldiers, women without "assistance. The oldest officer, say they, 66 never heard of so complete a defeat, "and certainly without any reason. Thus "has ended my campaign. We have "established the French republic; which, "but for us, I verily believe, would never "have been settled by such a volatile, "changeable people. I hate a French"man they are equally objects of my "detestation, whether royalists or repub"licans in some points, I believe the lat"ter are the best." Nelson had a lieute nant and two midshipmen taken at Vado: they told him, in their letter, that few of the French soldiers were more than three or four and twenty years old, a great many not more than fourteen, and all were nearly naked they were sure, they said, his barge's crew could have beat a hundred of them; and that, had he himself seen them, he would not have thought, if the world had been covered with such people,

that they could have beaten the Austrian

army.

The defeat of General de Vins gave the enemy possession of the Genoese coast from Savona to Voltri; and it deprived the Austrians of their direct communication with the English fleet. The Agamemnon, therefore, could no longer be useful on this station, and Nelson sailed for Leghorn to refit. When his ship went into dock, there was not a mast, yard, sail, or any part of the rigging, but what stood in need of repair, having been cut to pieces with shot.

The

hull was so damaged, that it had for some time been secured by having cables served or thrapped round.

CHAPTER IV.

CONTENTS.

Sir J. Jervis takes the command.-Genoa joins the French.-Buonaparte begins his career.-Evacuation of Corsica.-Nelson hoists his broad pendant in the Minerve.-Action with the Sabina.-Battle of Cape St. Vincent.-Nelson commands the inner squadron at the blockade of Cadiz.-Boat action in the Bay of Cadiz.-Expedition against Teneriffe.-Nelson loses an arm. His sufferings in England, and recovery.

SIR JOHN JERVIS had now arrived to take the command of the Mediterranean fleet. The Agamemnon having, as her captain said, been made as fit for sea as a rotten ship could be, Nelson sailed from Leghorn, and joined the admiral in Fiorenzo Bay. "I "found him," said he, " anxious to know 66 many things, which I was a good deal 66 surprised to find had not been communi"cated to him by others in the fleet; and "it would appear that he was so well satis

"fied with my opinion of what is likely to "happen, and the means of prevention to "be taken, that he had no reserve with me "respecting his information, and ideas of "what is likely to be done." The manner in which Nelson was received, is said to have excited some envy. One captain observed to him: "You did just as you "pleased in Lord Hood's time, the same "in Admiral Hotham's, and now again "with Sir John Jervis: it makes no dif"ference to you who is commander-in"chief." A higher compliment could not have been paid to any commander-in-chief, than to say of him, that he understood the merits of Nelson, and left him, as far as possible, to act upon his own judgement.

Sir John Jervis offered him the St. George, 90, or the Zealous, 74, and asked if he should have any objection to serve under him with his flag. He replied, that if the Agamemnon were ordered home, and his flag were not arrived, he should, on many accounts, wish to return to England: still, if the war continued, he should be