common
interest of both, frequently expressed his hopes that Spain might resume
her natural rank among the nations. "We ought," he said, "by mutual
consent, to be the very best friends, and both to be ever hostile to
France." But he saw that Buonaparte was meditating the destruction of
Spain; and that, while the wretched court of Madrid professed to remain
neutral, the appearances of neutrality were scarcely preserved, An order
of the year 1771, excluding British ships of war from the Spanish ports,
was revived, and put in force: while French privateers, from these very
ports, annoyed the British trade, carried their prizes in, and sold them
even at Barcelona. Nelson complained of this to the captain-general
of Catalonia, informing him that he claimed, for every British ship or
squadron, the right of lying, as long as it pleased, in the ports of
Spain, while that right was allowed to other powers. To the British
Ambassador he said: "I am ready to make large allowances for the
miserable situation Spain has placed herself in; but there is a certain
line, beyond which I cannot submit to be treated with disrespect. We
have given up French vessels taken within gunshot of the Spanish shore,
and yet French vessels are permitted to attack our ships from the
Spanish shore. Your excellency may assure the Spanish government that,
in whatever place the Spaniards allow the French to attack us, in that
place I shall order the French to be attacked."

During this state of things, to which the weakness of Spain, and not her
will, consented, the enemy's fleet did not venture to put to sea. Nelson
watched it with unremitting and almost unexampled perseverance. The
station off Toulon he called his home. "We are in the right fighting
trim," said he: "let them come as soon as they please. I never saw a
fleet altogether so well officered and manned; would to God the
ships were half as good! The finest ones in the service would soon be
destroyed by such terrible weather. I know well enough that if I were to
go into Malta I should save the ships during this bad season; but if I
am to watch the French I must be at sea; and if at sea, must have bad
weather; and if the ships are not fit to stand bad weather, they are
useless." Then only he was satisfied and at ease when he had the enemy
in view. Mr. Elliot, our minister at Naples, seems at this time to have
proposed to send a confidential Frenchman to him with information. "I
should be very happ