, I assure you, would hurt me very much."

On the 28th, his lordship detached the Minotaur, and even the
Foudroyant, to join the Marquis De Niza off Malta; intreating him, not
to withdraw a man from the island, even on the arrival of the Russians.
"Again, and again," writes his lordship, "I desire--for which, you may
be certain, I hold myself responsible--that you will not, on any
consideration, withdraw a single man belonging to your squadron from the
island."

Scarcely a day now passed, that Lord Nelson did not send some
information to Captain Ball, for the purpose of inspiriting his
depressed hopes in the conduct of this arduous undertaking; and,
certainly, the indefatigability of his lordship, in labouring to obtain
every requisite aid for the accomplishment of this important object, was
impossible to be surpassed, and has probably never been equalled. Every
risk, the purity of his heroic mind was prepared to encounter; every
honour, it's dignified humility was desirous of yielding to all who
should assist in the enterprize.

In one of these letters, he says--"I have begged, almost on my knees,
for money, for the present subsistence of the Maltese who bear arms." In
another, a day or two after--"The court have all the inclination; but,
to my knowledge, they have not cash enough for the common purposes of
the government!" In a third, the day following--"The King of Naples has
sent four thousand ounces, to assist the poor islanders who bear arms."
His lordship adds, that this will do for the present; and, that the
large sum required must come from the three allied courts. In a future
letter, Lord Nelson observes, that this sum of four thousand ounces, was
taken, for it was no where else to be had, from their Sicilian Majesties
children, with the hope of being replaced with the money which Lord
Grenville had so handsomely promised to the Marquis Circello. "The
enormous expences," writes his lordship to Earl Spencer, "incurred
within the last eight months, have drawn the king's chest very low; but,
his majesty has never failed giving every thing I could ask."

On the 31st of October, Lord Nelson, fully resolved that nothing should,
on his part, be neglected, for the attainment of Malta, or the advantage
of it's temporary chief, wrote a long epistle to the Emperor of Russia,
as Grand Master. In which, he details the principal operations of this
protracted siege; the various difficulties which had occurred, and those