e operations, and especially at the
critical moment of the Battle of Loano, when the left flank of their
army was harassed with impunity by the French gunboats. Nelson felt
rightly that, with the British superiority at sea, this should have
been impossible; and he feared that his own name might be unpleasantly
involved, from the fact that the "Agamemnon" had remained throughout
at Genoa, instead of being where the fighting was. He was by nature,
and at all times, over-forward to self-vindication,--an infirmity
springing from the innate nobility of his temperament, which was
impatient of the faintest suspicion of backwardness or negligence, and
at the same time resolved that for any shortcoming or blunder,
occurring by his order or sanction, no other than himself should bear
blame, directly or indirectly.

After the first unsuccessful pursuit of Bonaparte's expedition to
Egypt, in 1798, in the keenness of his emotions over a failure that
might by some be charged to a precipitate error of judgment, he drew
up for Lord St. Vincent a clear and able statement of all the reasons
which had determined his action, arraigning himself, as it were, at
the bar of his lordship's opinion and that of the nation, and assuming
entire responsibility for the apparent mistake, while at the same time
justifying the step by a review of the various considerations which at
the time had occasioned it. His judicious friend and subordinate,
Captain Ball, whom he consulted, strongly advised him not to send the
paper. "I was particularly struck," he wrote, "with the clear and
accurate style, as well as with the candour of the statement in your
letter, but I should recommend a friend never to begin a defence of
his conduct before he is accused of error." Nevertheless, in February,
1805, when he once more went to Alexandria in search of Villeneuve,
this time really misled by the elaborate mystifications of Napoleon,
he again brought himself before the Admiralty. "I am entirely
responsible to my King and Country for the whole of my conduct ... I
have consulted no man, therefore the whole blame of ignorance in
forming my judgment must rest with me. I would allow no man to take
from me an atom of my glory, had I fallen in with the French fleet,
nor do I desire any man to partake any of the responsibility--all is
mine, right or wrong."

In 1795, being a much younger man, of less experience of the world,
and with a reputation, already brilliant indeed, b