he whole expense."

To his midshipmen he ever showed the most winning kindness, encouraging
the diffident, tempering the hasty, counselling and befriending both.
"Recollect," he used to say, "that you must be a seaman to be an
officer; and also that you cannot be a good officer without being a
gentleman." A lieutenant wrote to him to say that he was dissatisfied
with his captain. Nelson's answer was in that spirit of perfect wisdom
and perfect goodness which regulated his whole conduct towards those who
were under his command. "I have just received your letter, and am truly
sorry that any difference should arise between your captain, who has
the reputation of being one of the bright officers of the service, and
yourself, a very young man, and a very young officer, who must naturally
have much to learn; therefore the chance is that you are perfectly wrong
in the disagreement. However, as your present situation must be very
disagreeable, I will certainly take an early opportunity of removing
you, provided your conduct to your present captain be such that another
may not refuse to receive you." The gentleness and benignity of his
disposition never made him forget what was due to discipline. Being on
one occasion applied to, to save a young officer from a court-martial,
which he had provoked by his misconduct, his reply was, "That he would
do everything in his power to oblige so gallant and good an officer as
Sir John Warren," in whose name the intercession had been made. "But
what," he added, "would he do if he were here? Exactly what I have done,
and am still willing to do. The young man must write such a letter of
contrition as would be an acknowledgment of his great fault; and with a
sincere promise, if his captain will intercede to prevent the impending
court-martial, never to so misbehave again. On his captain's enclosing
me such a letter, with a request to cancel the order for the trial, I
might be induced to do it; but the letters and reprimand will be given
in the public order-book of the fleet, and read to all the officers.
The young man has pushed himself forward to notice, and he must take
the consequence. It was upon the quarter-deck, in the face of the ship's
company, that he treated his captain with contempt; and I am in duty
bound to support the authority and consequence of every officer under my
command. A poor ignorant seaman is for ever punished for contempt to HIS
superiors."

A dispute occurred in the