ese exertions. He was at this time almost blind, and wrote with very
great pain. "Poor AGAMEMNON," he sometimes said, "was as nearly worn out
as her captain; and both must soon be laid up to repair."

When Nelson first saw General de Vins, he thought him an able man, who
was willing to act with vigour. The general charged his inactivity upon
the Piedmontese and Neapolitans, whom, he said, nothing could induce
to act; and he concerted a plan with Nelson for embarking a part of the
Austrian army, and landing it in the rear of the French. But the English
commodore soon began to suspect that the Austrian general was little
disposed to any active operations. In the hope of spurring him on, he
wrote to him, telling him that he had surveyed the coast to the W. as
far as Nice, and would undertake to embark 4000 or 5000 men, with their
arms and a few days' provisions, on board the squadron, and land them
within two miles of St. Remo, with their field-pieces. Respecting
further provisions for the Austrian army, he would provide convoys, that
they should arrive in safety; and if a re-embarkation should be found
necessary, he would cover it with the squadron. The possession of St.
Remo, as headquarters for magazines of every kind, would enable the
Austrian general to turn his army to the eastward or westward. The enemy
at Oneglia would be cut off from provisions, and men could be landed
to attack that place whenever it was judged necessary. St. Remo was the
only place between Vado and Ville Franche where the squadron could lie
in safety, and anchor in almost all winds. The bay was not so good as
Vado for large ships; but it had a mole, which Vado had not, where all
small vessels could lie, and load and unload their cargoes. This bay
being in possession of the allies, Nice could be completely blockaded by
sea. General de Vins affecting, in his reply, to consider that Nelson's
proposal had no other end than that of obtaining the bay of St. Remo as
a station for the ships, told him, what he well knew, and had expressed
before, that Vado Bay was a better anchorage; nevertheless, if MONSIEUR
LE COMMANDANT NELSON was well assured that part of the fleet could
winter there, there was no risk to which he would not expose himself
with pleasure, for the sake of procuring a safe station for the vessels
of his Britannic Majesty. Nelson soon assured the Austrian commander
that this was not the object of his memorial. He now began to suspect
that