sisters; and, that I have also left ships at Leghorn, to save the
lives of the Great Duke and her imperial majesty's sister: for all
must be a republic, if the emperor does not act with expedition and
vigour. "Down, down with the French!" ought to be placed in the
council-room of every country in the world: and, may Almighty God
give right thoughts to every sovereign! is the constant prayer of
your excellency's most obliged and obedient servant,

"Nelson."

"Whenever the emperor acts with vigour, your excellency may say
that a proper naval force shall attend to the safety of the
Adriatic, as far as in my power."

At this period, it appears, the unfavourable news from the royal army,
and the manifest cowardice, treason, and treachery, every where seeming
to pervade the unhappy and devoted kingdom of Naples, plunged the
excellent queen into an agony of grief which admitted not of
consolation. "None, from this house," says Lord Nelson, writing on the
11th of December to Earl Spencer, "have seen her majesty these three
days; but, her letters to Lady Hamilton paint the anguish of her soul.
However," adds his lordship, "on enquiry, matters are not so bad as I
expected. The Neapolitan officers have not lost much honour; for, God
knows, they had not much to lose: but, they lost all they had. Mack has
supplicated the king to sabre every man who ran from Civita Castellana
to Rome. He has, we hear, torn off the epaulets of some of those
scoundrels, and placed them on good serjeants. I will, as briefly as I
can, state the position of the army, and it's lost honour; for, defeat
they have had none. The right wing of nineteen thousand men under
General St. Philip, and Micheux (who ran away at Toulon) were to take
post between Ancona and Rome, to cut off all supplies and communication.
Near Fermi, they fell in with the enemy, about three thousand. After a
little distant firing, St. Philip advanced to the French general; and,
returning to his men, said--_I no longer command you!"_ and was going
off to the enemy. A serjeant said--"You are a traitor; what have you
been talking to the enemy?" St. Philip replied _I no longer command
you!"_--"Then you are an enemy!" and, levelling his musket, shot St.
Philip through the right arm. However, the enemy advanced; he was among
them; Micheux ran away, as did all the infantry; and, had it not been
for the good conduct of two regiments of ca