THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVIEW, FOR MAY 1801. HORATIO, LORD VISCOUNT NELSON. (WITH A PORTRAIT.) fubject of the THE here who is the fuacquired a prefent Memoir has degree of glory equal to any, and fuperior to moft of his contemporaries. He is the fon of the Reverend Edward Nelfon, Rector of Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk, by Catherine, daughter of the Reverend Dr. Suckling, Prebendary of Westminster. At the rectory-houfe of his father's living he first faw the light on the 29th of September 1758, and received the first part of his education at the high school at Norwich, from whence he was removed to North Waltham, at which place his literary pursuits terminated. At the age of twelve years, in 1770, he left fchool, and was admitted on board the Raifonable by his maternal uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling; but the difference with the Spaniards relative to Falkland Islands being foon accommodated, the ship was paid off, and our young failor was fent a voyage in a West India fhip belonging to the houfe of Hibbert, Purrier, and Horton. On his return home, in July 1772, he was again received by his uncle, then commanding the Triumph, lying at Chatham. His voyage to the West Indies had almoft been the means of depriving Government of his future fervices he conceived an averfion to be employed in what may be called the higher line of fervice, and might have quietly funk into the obfcure fituation of the mafter of a trading veffel, had not the addrefs of his uncle again reanimated him, and reconciled him to the state in which he was afterwards to become one of its diftinguished ornaments. While at Chatham, he had frequent opportunities of navigating veffels Hot from that place to the Tower of London, and alfo down the Swin Channel, and to the North Foreland; and by his conftant and unwearied attention he became a moft excellent pilot. In April 1772, a voyage of discovery was undertaken, by order of the King, to afcertain how far navigation was practicable towards the North Pole, to advance the difcovery of a north west paffage into the South Seas, and to make fuch other aftronomical obfervations as might prove ferviceable to navigation. On this voyage young Nelfon folicited to go, and, rather than be left behind, fubmitted to the appointment of Coxfwain to Captain Lutwidge, who, being ftruck with the unfubdued fpirit which he difplayed on this occafion, confented to receive him in this capacity; and from that event a friendfhip commenced between thefe two Officers which has continued without abate ment to the prefent day. During the expedition, Lord Mulgrave took parti cular notice of the young Coxswain, and formed that high opinion of his character which his fubfequent conduct has fo juftly merited. In the course of it he encountered and overcame fome difficulties which inferior minds would have thrunk from rather than grappled with. One anecdote is preferved by an Officer who was prefent, and will evince that cool intrepidity in danger which then poffeffed our young mariner, and for which he has ever been remarkable. "In these high northern latitudes, the nights are generally clear during one of them, notwithstanding the extreme bitterness Ttz : : bitterness of the cold, young Nelfon was miffing; every fearch that was inftantly made in queft of him was in vain, and it was at length imagined he was loft when lo! as the rays of the rifing fun opened the diftant horizon, to the great aftonifhment of his meffmates, he was difcovered at a confiderable distance on the ice, armed with a fingle mufquet, in anxious purfuit of an immenfe bear. The lock of the mufquet being injured, the piece would not go off, and he had therefore purfued the animal in hopes of tiring him, and being at length able to effect his purpose with the butt end. On his return, Captain Lutwidge reprimanded him for leaving the thip without leave, and in a fevere tone demanded, what motive could possibly induce him to undertake fo rafh an action: the young hero, with great fimplicity, replied, I wished, Sir, to get the skin for my father" On the return of the veffels to Eng land they were paid off, and Mr. Nelfon defired to be appointed to one of the fhips of a fquadron destined to the Eaft Indies. He was accordingly placed in the Sea Horfe, Captain Farmer, of zo guns, and in this fhip was ftationed to watch in the fore-top, whence in time he was placed on the quarter-deck. During this voyage, he vifited almoft every part of the East Indies from Bengal to Buffora; but ill health afflicting him, Sir Edward Hughes, with great kindnefs, ordered him home in the Dolphin, Captain James Pigott; which fhip being paid off in September 1776, Mr. Nelfon received, on the 26th of that month, an order to act as Lieutenant in the Worcester, 64 guns, Captain Mark Robinfon, then under failing or ders for Gibraltar, with a convoy and he was at fea with convoys until the 2d of April 1777 On the 8th of April he paffed his examination as Lieutenant, and the next day received his commiffion as Second of the Lowestoffe, 32 guns, Captain William Locker, in which fhip he arrived at Jamaica; but defiring more active employment, he folicited an appointment to the command of a fchooner, tender to the Lowestoffe ; and in that small veffel eagerly availed himself of the opportunity of becoming a complete pilot for all the intricate paffages through the Keys (Islands), fituated on the northern fide of Hifpaniola. During his continuance in the Loweftoffe, a circumftance occurred which fo ftrongly prefaged and marked his character that we fhall here record it. "In a ftrong gale of wind and an heavy fea, the Loweftoffe captured an American letter of marque. The Cap tain ordered the First Lieutenant to board her, which he accordingly attempted, but was not able to effect, owing to a tremendous fea. On his return to the fhip, Captain Locker exclaimed, Have I then no Officer who can board the prize? On hearing this, the Mafter immediately ran to the gangway in order to jump into the boat, when Lieutenant Nelfon fuddenly stopped him, faying, It is my turn now; if I come back, it will be yours." Soon after the arrival of Sir Peter Parker at Jamaica, in 1778, he appointed Lieutenant Nelfon third of the Bristol, his flag fhip; from which, by rotation, he became the first, and under Sir Peter Parker's flag concluded his fervices in the rank of a Lieutenant. On the 8th of December in that year, he was appointed, on that ftation, Commander of the Badger brig; in which he was foon ordered to protect the Mofquito shore and the Bay of Honduras from the depredations of American privateers. In this fervice he acquired the grateful refpect of the fettlers, who unanimously voted him their thanks, and expreffed their regret on his quitting the station. (To be concluded in our next.) SIR, TO THE EDITOR OF THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, BELIEVE it will be readily allowed, that every thing relating to the Navy, or naval affairs, are favourite topics with the inhabitants of this Sea-Girt land, and your Mifcellany affords a very proper repofitory for effays and *For this anecdote, with fome that follow, and other circumftances, we are indebted to the NAVAL CHRONICLE, a work of merit, now publishing monthly. Occurrences Occurrences on this ufeful fubject. I therefore beg a corner of your ufeful Magazine for the following fhort effay. * Some years ago, about the time when the unfortunate lofs of the Royal George happened, I was fpending the evening at the Navy Coffee-houfe, with fome nautical men. Among other matters, one of the company, a very well-informed and intelligent old Master of a man of war, obferved, that the lofs of this fhip was one more circumftance rather in favour of Sir Peter Warren's three wishes. The company expreffed their defire to hear what fo great and eminent a Sea Officer had formed as three favourite wishes on naval affairs. And on further explanation it turned out, that they were as under, viz. aft, Never to fee a ship in the British Navy larger than a 74. zd, Never to fee an Officer in com- The two firit withes, I believe, Sir Peter Warren was not fingular in; but what occurrence or circumftance gave birth to the third with in favour of Scotchmen, is a matter that requires fome further explanation. I therefore hope, that fome of your Nautical Correfpondents or readers will oblige the Public with fome further particulars relating to this curious piece of nautical information. I am, SIR, Your conftant reader, Chapter Coffee-Houfe, ESSAYS AFTER THE MANNER OF GOLDSMITH, ESSAY VII. Whence is thy learning, hath thy toil THE man who joins to the happy talent of obfervation the art of drawing ufeful inferences and deductions from what paffes before him, derives inftruction from every circumftance, and in, formation from every incident: he refembles a skilful navigator, who becomes able, from the experience he acquires, to conftruct a chart of the bearings and distances of the land, the rocks and fhoals, tides and currents, in the channel of human life. This experience is, however, valu. able only as it ferves to direct us in our purfuits, and guard us against the mif chiefs and dangers of error and vice; it will, properly employed, point out to us wherein our true interefts confift, and establish in our minds the beautiful confiftency and perfect harmony of truth: a principle that pervades all creation, and is to be traced through all the various modifications of nature; the true talifman of Oromanes, that bestows the only real happiness; an effect conftantly perceived, and acknowledged, when truth directs, and which inftantly abates when we become flaves to error; a teft of its existence and excellence established in every page of the changeful history of man. GAY. The knowledge of truth is not confined to any defcription or condition of men; it is alike open to the peafant and the fcholar; it has fo plain and fimple a character, that it is tacitly understood and affented to by all. The philofopher will find the fame rules of moral conduct applyin every diverfity of fitu ation, and the fame parity of reasoning established: he may trace a metaphor in all the appearances of nature, and in the works of art: he will everywhere find truth the great principle of the univerfe, like the glorious fun darting its rays into obfcurity, and filling every fpace with its benignant influence. In humble life the happy peasant draws his morality from nature, and finds a few fimple rules fufficient to inftruct him in his duty, and to preferve his contentment. But in the bufy and complicated fcenes of life, a more enlarged experience is required; we must call in to our affiftance the judgment of thofe who have fafely gone the fame paffage before us, and from their obfervations fhape our intended courfe. Let our lot in life be caft where it may, we shall still find certain principles that will not fail, and that will guide us us fafely through all the changes of circumstance, clime, and country. If we take a view of the great fcale wherein Kings, Princes, Statefmen, and Warriors, are in action, we fhall find, that truth alone is eftimable, and that after all the blazon of victory, the parade of pomp, and the intrigue of courts, the happiness of man is the best philofophy, and to give and continue that happiness to fociety the trueft policy. In the lefs exalted walks of life, nothing more is wanting to create a degree of rational happiness than the eftablishment of thofe truths which, by their value, keep man to man, family to family, and country to country, till the whole become united in a general and beautiful harmony, that little interefts and defigns would fcarcely disturb, and never be able to destroy. Every man has an n opportunity to eftablish right principles in his mind; neither profeffion nor accident can exclude him; he cannot be fhut out from the truth. Chufe our metaphor where we may, we fhall find a leffon to profit by. Truth and falfehood are fo diftinctly marked by the gracious Creator, that we cannot eafily, though we may wilfully, mistake one for the other. The inimitable Gay makes his fhepherd moralift derive his knowledge from fimple nature; but I am about to introduce two moralists of a different defcription, who each of them derived their experience of life from its analogy to their particular profeffions; and as I was much entertained by the arguments they used, I fhall prefent them at once to the reader. They were feated in the parlour of a country ale-houfe, near a fea-port town, into which I had accidentally entered to take a glafs of ale. The principal of thefe philofophers was in a jacket and trowfers, and named, as I afterwards found, Tom Binnacle: the other was a fcene-painter, scene-shifter, and candle. fnuffer, to a frolling company. I found each of these philofophers warmly contending for a fuperiority of what is called a knowledge of life. "As for the matter of that," cried the Sailor (as I entered the room), I believes as how I knows as much of life as any lubber on thore. Why, an't life like a trip to fea, and an't a man juft for all the world like a thip; an't we launched into the world, and an't the Doctor the Mafter Attendant as you may fay; and then larning, what is it but fo much ballaft. When the mafts are in, and the rig ging's overhead, and the fails bent, don't we get ready for fea without knowing whether we should caft to port or to ftarboard. All hands up anchor a-hoy! Fresh breezes and fair, away we go before the wind eleven knots an hour; to be fure, not knowing how to steer, we yaw about now and then, fteady as ye go now! Port a little! Starboard. Then an't we fond of fpreading too much canvas. Stand by the top-gallant haulyards and jib-fheet, ruh! let go. What of that; we'll carry fail till all's blue again: hand the topgallant fails my boys; now the wind comes right a-head and a rough fea: come, my hearts, never mind, 'tis only working to windward a little; tack and half tack; helm's a-lee; fore-fheet, fore-top, bow-line, jib, and ftay-fail fheets let go; to be fure, fometimes we mifs stays, and then away we go to leeward like a bag of fand against tide; or mayhap we may work well up, weather the point of diftrefs, and get into fmooth water. Many hard gales we must encounter; but if we know how to hand, reef, and fteer, we needn't care a jeffy about the matter. The chief thing, you fee, is to keep the vessel in trim, that the mayn't be too crank and upfet, or carry too much ballaft, and turn out a heavy failer; then we fhould know how to take in areef when occasion requires it, and even lay-to under a balanced mizen.What's the rudder but Truth? and Reaion's the compafs; and happy's the honest tar who knows the true courfe to happinefs, and lays as near it as he can. To be fure, there will always be a little variation and lee-way. For my part, I don't fee any great difference between your fea-matters and landmatters. Who has not been a-ground in his life-time? Who is it that hasn't miftook the channel? and how many have got into the traits of poverty, and cou'dn't warp out? There was poor Jack Stunfail working off a lee shore all his days, and at laft got land-locked in a fpunging-houfe, where he went all to pieces; but you fee as how he didn't know the foundings, and the rocks were clofe under his lee before he faw the breakers; fo you know that was for want of a good look out." I don't know how long the honeft_Seaman would have continued his ftrain of metaphor, if the fcene-fhifter hadn't interrupted him. “I'll allow,” cried he, |