received, and in advance of the enemy's appearance, by the admiral for
whom it was intended.

In taking this second decision, to abandon the West Indies once more
to themselves, as a month before he had abandoned the Mediterranean,
Nelson had to rely only upon his own natural sagacity and practised
judgment. "I hear all, and even feel obliged, for all is meant as
kindness to me, that I should get at them. In this diversity of
opinions I may as well follow my own, which is, that the Spaniards are
gone to the Havannah, and that the French will either stand for Cadiz
or Toulon--I feel most inclined to the latter place; and then they may
fancy that they will get to Egypt without any interruption." "So far
from being infallible, like the Pope, I believe my opinions to be very
fallible, and therefore I may be mistaken that the enemy's fleet has
gone to Europe; but I cannot bring myself to think otherwise,
notwithstanding the variety of opinions which different people of good
judgment form."

Still, as before, his judgments, if rapid, are not precipitate. Though
characterized by even more of insight than of reasoning, no conditions
are left out of sight, nor, as he declared, was a deaf ear turned to
any suggestion. Upon the whole, one is more struck by the accuracy of
the inferences than by the antecedent processes as summarized by
himself; yet the weight of evidence will be found on the side he
espouses. Erroneous in particulars, the general conclusions upon which
he bases his future course are justified, not only by the results now
known to us, but to impartial review of their probability at the
moment. Most impressive of all, however, is the strength of
conviction, which lifts him from the plane of doubt, where unaided
reason alone would leave him, to that of unhesitating action,
incapable of looking backward. In the most complete presentation of
all his views, the one he wished brought before the Prime Minister, if
his conduct on this momentous occasion were called in question, he
ends thus: "My opinion is firm as a rock, that some cause, _orders_,
or _inability_ to perform any service in these seas, has made them
resolve to proceed direct for Europe, sending the Spanish ships to the
Havannah." It is such conviction, in which opinion rather possesses a
man than is possessed by him, that exalts genius above talent, and
imbues faith with a power which reason has not in her gift.

There were among his conclusions certain