Page 126 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

112 SlMON PRESTON

in his carriage through London by men replacing thè horses, cheered in Portsmouth
and welcomed everywhere in his celebrated tour of the w est of England. Fanny was
sideline; Emma was with him everywhere. The people loved him. They overlooked
his peccadilloes. The Royal Navy was already seen as the embodiment and imple-
mentation of the national will; now Nelson had given it a human face. Only the
King, the Duke of Marlborough and a few of what Nelson called "the great" snub-
bed him for breaking the social conventions, though the prince of W ales, Pitt and
most leading figures of the day admired and befriended him.
His third famous victory a t Copenhagen in 180 l was a narrow victory over
a courageous enemy which successifully put an end to the ''armed neutrality'' (hosti-
le to England) of the Danes, Swedes, Russians and others. It was an effective and
timely caveat to the world that England still dominated the seas.
Back at home Nelson was feted again, then given command of the english chan-
nel. This started badly by an unsuccessful attack on Napoleon's invasion barges
in Boulogne. Bue the admiralty shrewdly reckoned that by his mere presence the
english would be heartened and the French discouraged from attempting invasion.
In any event Napoleon could not attempt the invasion of England without
contro! of the seas by sail of the line batdeships. The key lay as ever in the appr.oa-
ches to the Mediterranean and the fina! act in the Drama, with Nelson in com-
mand of the Mediterranean Fleet with orders to contain the French and Spanish
Fleets or bring them to barde, now began.
InJanuary 1805 a French squadron escaped from rochefort and more seriou-
sly che main fleet under admiral Villeneuve escaped from Toulon. Following a te-
dious chase around the Mediterranean Villeneuve sailed to the west lndies. His
pian was to draw Nelson after him, then return, line up with other French and
Spanish fleets making upto 50 sail of the line and clear the channel for Napoleon·s
invasion fleet, leaving Nelson fruitlessly searching the caribbean. However the French
crews suffred heavy losses through illess in the west Indies and took six weeks -
twice as long as the english to cross the adantic. Nelson chased them back to Europe.
This seamanship and endurance was decisive. Lord Minto wrote to Nelson:
'' Either the distances hetween the distant quarters of the g/obe are diminished or you
have extended the powers of human action''.
The enemy fleets returned to port. Nelson's fleet continued to blockade them
and he rerurned to England for a last happy time in his new house in Merton with
Emma and their little love child Horatia.
The cream of ali the great French and Spanish ships were now assembled in
Cadiz.
In September 180 5 N elson rejoined the English Fleet in the Atlantic, now 2 7
ships of the line. On october 20 bis frigates reported to Nelson in his new flagship
the "Victory•• that the great combined fleet- now 33 ships of the line- were lea-
ving Cadiz. W e all know the outcome. The slow and deadly conjunction of the great