elieved had been made him. "I have," he said, "been
expecting the medals daily since the King's return from Weymouth." St.
Vincent's reply was prompt as himself. With reference to the former
matter, he confined himself to drily thanking Nelson, without comment,
"for communicating the letter you have judged fit to write to the Lord
Mayor;" but as to the medals, he wrote a separate note, telling him
that he had "given no encouragement, but on the contrary had explained
to your Lordship, and to Mr. Addington, the impropriety of such a
measure being recommended to the King."

Nelson, to use his own word, was "thunder-struck" by this statement.
"I own," he said, "I considered the words your Lordship used as
conveying an assurance. It was an apology for their not being given
before, which, I understood you, they would have been, but for the
difficulty of fixing who was to have them;" an allusion particularly
valuable as indicating, in this case of flat contradiction between two
honorable men, what was the probable cause of withholding the marks of
hard-won distinction. "I have never failed assuring the Captains, that
I have seen and communicated with, that they might depend on receiving
them. I could not, my dear Lord, have had any interest in
misunderstanding you, and representing that as an intended Honour from
the King which you considered as so improper to be recommended to the
King: therefore I must beg that your Lordship will reconsider our
conversation--to me of the very highest concern, and think that I
could not but believe that we would have medals. I am truly made ill
by your letter." St. Vincent replied briefly, "That you have perfectly
mistaken all that passed between us in the conversation you allude to,
is most certain. At the same time I am extremely concerned that it
should have had so material an effect upon your health," etc. "Either
Lord St. Vincent or myself are liars," wrote Nelson to Davison; a
conclusion not inevitable to those who have had experience of human
misunderstandings.

The Prime Minister took a week to reply. When he did, he deprecated
the sending of any letter to the Mayor, for reasons, he said, "not
merely of a public nature, but connected with the interest I shall
ever take in your well-earned fame." These reasons, he added, he would
be ready to give him in a private interview. Nelson had asked his
opinion upon the terms of the letter; but, impatient after waiting
three days, had alread