siege the
French in St. Elmo, an undertaking in which he was joined by five
hundred Russians and some royalists. Forty-eight hours later Nelson
felt called upon, as representative of the King of the Two Sicilies,
to take action more peremptory and extreme than anything he had
hitherto done.

On the 29th of June, Commodore Francesco Caracciolo, lately head of
the Republican Navy, was brought on board the "Foudroyant," having
been captured in the country, in disguise. This man had accompanied
the royal family in their flight to Palermo; but after arrival there
had obtained leave to return to Naples, in order to avert the
confiscation of his property by the Republican government. He
subsequently joined the Republicans, or Jacobins, as they were called
by Nelson and the Court. His reasons for so doing are immaterial;
they were doubtless perfectly sound from the point of view of apparent
self-interest; the substantial fact remains that he commanded the
insurgent vessels in action with the British and Royal Neapolitan
navies, firing impartially upon both. In one of these engagements the
Neapolitan frigate "Minerva" was struck several times, losing two men
killed and four wounded. Caracciolo, therefore, had fully committed
himself to armed insurrection, in company with foreign invaders,
against what had hitherto been, and still claimed to be, the lawful
government of the country. He had afterwards, as the republican cause
declined, taken refuge with the other insurgents in the castles. When
he left them is uncertain, but on the 23d of June he is known to have
been outside of Naples, and so remained till captured.

It is not easy to understand in what respect his case differed from
that of other rebels who surrendered unconditionally, and whom Nelson
did not try himself, but simply placed in safe keeping until the
King's instructions should be received, except that, as a naval
officer, he was liable to trial by court-martial, even though martial
law had not been proclaimed. It was to such a tribunal that Nelson
decided instantly to bring him. A court-martial of Neapolitan officers
was immediately ordered to convene on board the "Foudroyant," the
precept for the Court being sent to Count Thurn, captain of the
"Minerva," who, because senior officer in the bay, was indicated by
custom as the proper president. The charges, as worded by Nelson, were
two in number, tersely and clearly stated. "Francisco Caracciolo, a
commodore in