uld sooner defeat the French fleet than capture fifty galleons."

Nevertheless, Nelson was sorely aggrieved, and complained bitterly to
his correspondents. "I have learnt not to be surprised at anything;
but the sending an officer to such a point, to take, if it is a
Spanish war, the whole harvest, after all my trials (God knows
unprofitable enough! for I am a much poorer man than when we started
in the Amphion,) seems a little hard: but _patienza_." "He is sent off
Cadiz to reap the golden harvest, as Campbell was to reap my sugar
harvest. It's very odd, two Admiralties to treat me so: surely I have
dreamt that I have 'done the State some service.' But never mind; I am
superior to those who could treat me so." His contempt for money,
however acquired, except as a secondary consideration, remained
unchanged. "I believe I attend more to the French fleet than making
captures; but what I have, I can say as old Haddock said, 'it never
cost a sailor a tear, nor the nation a farthing.' This thought is far
better than prize-money;--not that I despise money--quite the
contrary, I wish I had one hundred thousand pounds this moment." "I am
keeping as many frigates as possible round me," he wrote to his friend
Ball, "for I know the value of them on the day of battle: and compared
with that day, what signifies any prizes they might take?"[75] Nor did
such utterances stand alone. "I hope war with Spain may be avoided,"
he wrote. "I want not riches at such a dreadful price. Peace for our
Country is all I wish to fight for,--I mean, of course, an honourable
one, without which it cannot be a secure one." But his outlays were
very heavy. Besides the L1,800 annually paid to Lady Nelson, he gave
Lady Hamilton L1,200 a year, exclusive of what was spent on the house
and grounds at Merton; and it may be inferred from Dr. Gillespie that
the cost of the cabin mess, beyond the table money allowed by the
Government, was assumed by him. He himself said, early in the cruise,
"Unless we have a Spanish war, I shall live here at a great expense,
although Mr. Chevalier [his steward] takes every care." "God knows, in
my own person, I spend as little money as any man; but you[76] know I
love to give away."

That he was thus sore was most natural; but it was also natural that
the Government should expect, in view of his strong representations
about his health, that the three weeks between the issuing his leave
and Orde's orders would have insured his be