that the Queen of Naples, in a
letter to his British majesty, dictated by the grateful feelings of her
heart, expressly stated Lady Hamilton to have been--"her best friend and
preserver! to whom she was indebted, certainly, for her life; and,
probably, for the crown!" and that the pension of twelve hundred pounds
a year, conferred on Sir William for his long diplomatic services,
ceased at his death; added to the solicitations of such a man as Lord
Nelson, and the avowal of so upright a minister as Mr. Addington: it
must, certainly, appear evident that, if there had not been some very
unaccountable neglect, or some most scandalous impediment, the just
expectations of so many great and estimable characters, would long since
have been satisfied by the grant of a liberal pension to Lady Hamilton;
not only as the relict of such an honourable envoy, but for her
ladyship's own individual public services to the country. What Lord
Nelson thought on this subject, to the last hour of his most invaluable
life, will necessarily be hereafter more particularly noticed.

Soon after his lordship's arrival at Gibraltar, while he was going up
to Malta, in the month of June, for the purpose of collecting his ships,
he wrote to Lady Hamilton that, when he was in sight of Vesuvius, his
thoughts of his dear friend, Sir William, were so severe, that he had
nearly fainted. Thus delicately tender were all the virtuous affections,
in the bosom of this truly heroic man.

Though Lord Nelson was, now, established commander in chief, in some
sense for the first time, the dread with which his name inspired the
enemy rendered the service far too inactive for his lordship's taste. To
watch the motions of a timid enemy, and wait the tedious periods of
their venturing out, was to him a most irksome task. He disdained,
however, any strict blockade of Toulon: but encouraged the boastful
fleet, ignominiously skulking there, to come fairly forward; by always
leaving them sufficient sea room; though he endeavoured to preserve over
all their motions a constantly watchful eye. Month, after month, seemed
sluggishly to pass away, in wearisome succession; though his lordship,
whose mind was ever too alert for a state of actual supineness, kept
continually cruizing about. He hoped that, at least, they might thus be
encouraged secretly to detach a small squadron, which he had little
doubt some of his brave fellows would soon contrive to pick up. In these
cruizes, t