The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.

Silt,—When Sir Charles Wood introduced his
pet bill in 185 G, to transfer the coastguard from
the Customs to the Admiralty, the scheme was
highly 'commended by that would-be clear-sighted
paper the Times, and the hue and cry was, as 0.
matter of course, taken up by most of the daily
papers. Yet, notwithstanding the trouble the
talented scribblers took to prove to the country
that the natural consequence of the transfer must
be to immediately provide a reserve of 10,000 sea-
men, the affair has long since proved a wretched
failure. Strange, indeed, that our A.B.'s cannot
appreciate the honour of serving .as coastguard-
men under the Lords of the Admiralty; but such
is the case, and Jack says he won't serve at any
price. What's the reason ? Less pay, perhaps ?
No—in most instances the pay of both officers and
men has been increased. More work probably ?
No—less by half than when under the civil service.
Then what's the secret ? Simply that Jack prefers
martial law afloat to martial law ashore. 'When
the coast guard was under the Customs there was
no lack of volunteers for the service. Scarcely had A
vacancy become known before a dozen applications
from thorough men-of-war's men were made for the
birth. Had the authorities then desired to increase
the coastguard, no difficulty would have been ex-
perienced in raising the force to 10,000 men, who
would always have been in readiness for an emer-
gency. But the job of transferring the coastguard
from the Customs to the Admiralty was determined
9n, and a pretty Blunder for the country it has
proved.

- Sir Charles Napier, in his speech, last week, at
Lowestoft, said—the Coast Volunteers would, if
necess try, in the event of war suddenly taking
place, come forward and man the reserve ships.
Ras Sir Charles any idea what a set of useless land-
lubbers the coast volunteer force is composed of ?--•
I guess not ; but to give you some idea I will
merely instance a scene which occurred the other
day on board one of the training ships whilst
cruizing in the Channel. Shortly after the vessel
had left her moorings the order was given to reef
topsails. Out of 200 coast volunteers on board,
who had been in the force from the commencemret
only five were capable of going aloft—the rest were
in a helpless state of sea-sickness on the lower deck.
Yet these are the noble fellows the gallant admiral
recommends for manning our reserve ships. I
don't think I am far out in designating this scheule
of coast volunteers, which costs the country £40,000
per annum, as Blunder No. 2.
Blunder No. 3is of more recent date. I allude
to the Royal Naval Reserve Force, by which the
Government hoped to raise 30,000 men ; and the
Admiralty aro looking forward to it as a nucleus
for the decaying coastguard service. Singular, ity
deed, if this scheme should meet the doom of WI
predecessors, especially after the recommendatia
it has so generally received from the public press;
that such will be its fate I have not the slightest
hesitation in saying. The act has now been in opera'
don for some days, and I am convinced that twentY
men have not been enrolled throughout the king'
dom. The reasons for this failure oze three:—First,
the annual payment or retainer is not sufficient t°
command the services of the seafaring class. Second'
the Board of Trade rules are too stringent, and
composed of too much red-tape to suit Jack's faecii
And, last, but not least, three English sailors out%
four will now tell you, as long as British ships as
allowed to be manned by foreign sailors they
not consider the country worth fighting for.
Such, Sir, are the blunders the tax-payer must
pay for as long as theory is considered by 01
rulers better than practice.--I inclose ray can"
and am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A PROVINCIAL.
11th January, 1800.

LORD NELSON AND LADY HAMILTO

The following has appeared in a contemporary •
Sir,—ln the diary and correspondence of the late WO
Hon. G. Rose, edited by the Rev. Levison Vernon W:
court, and published by Mr. Bentley, there is a note fre,tv
my " Recollections" (see p. 103, vol. iii., and p. 99, the 0"0
and second editions respectively) having reference to 1,1
Hamilton's asking leave of the Queen of Naples for
Nelson to victual his fleet, which she made a ground yet
pecuniary aid or support from her own Government
0
Nelson's death, although she had the estate of Merton
best part of £2,000 per annum, which she recklessly squall;
dered. Her request was very properly declined ; first, 0114
of the motive that, as the wife of our ambassador, raid i)l4
the public, that public had a right to her services ; I°o
secondly, on account of her immoral character, and 11'4
taint that, like smother Delilah, she cast upon the bre'
man whom she ensnared by her wiles.
Lady Hamilton, the second wife of Sir William, our la
bassador for so long a time at the profligate Court of Nilleto
S/
had been originally a Welsh servant girl. She wentiel
London, where, after sundry adventures, she sat as a no' f
for artists, for her person was cast in the perfection °,
symmetry. There she became a favourite of Romeo'', he
painter. Afterwards she got into keeping by a relative 0
Sir William Hamilton, who, on seeing her himself, was A
much struck with her person that he offered her marrOe-
to secure her to himself. Her mind was then uncultivated::
but Sir William took great pains in her instruction, and
she was ambitious, and did not want capacity, he succeedw
Her previous character was in her favour at tha Court t°
which her husband had been so long accredited, where t 110;
conversation was continually such as no British female,
virtue could hear. Sir William, an accomplished diplo,:t
tist, well knew the use he could make of the talentsl
such a Court, of her whom he called his " Grecian,"
through her obtained an ascendancy over the Queen cell'
ducive to his own influence.
Nelson, on his first visit to Naples, himself recorded -
id
contempt for a Court consisting of knaves and prostitateot
or words to that effect. When his fleet off Sicily Want
revictualling Lady Hamilton went to the Queen and Ohce'
tained the Royal assent. This act, one of duty on the Pta
of Lady Hamilton to her husband, was made by Nelson ti
ground for his attachment to h6r, and the origin of the bl°f,
which so defaces the character of that brave man, at
the treaty-breaking and cruelties in the Bay of Nor';
These, as is well known, so aroused the indignation of 0,
of the British officers that they sot sail without orders, ae:
termined not to see their flag dishonoured. To gratify tit
barbarous feeling of the Queen, and strengthen herself
Court, for she had a strong ambition, Lady Hamilton urge"
Nelson to his indefensible conduct, "and he acted as if /16
believed his gratitude to her cancelled his duty to his allt
flag, and to the dictates of humanity and morality. T/Iti,
Nelson's obligation for the victualling of his fleet was Clll-:
to Lady Hamilton alone, he was nothing loth to believe
and that her husband, so long the representative of Pig'
land at Naples, had little or nothing to do in the matter'
Lady Hamilton, on the other hand, was proved to lead til°
hero of the Nilo a captive to her charms. The refleetioo
that there was a Lady Nelson in England gave no troll/di;
to one who had never troubled herself with any self-deaf
inculcated by virtue.
Nelson was duped by the credit Lady Hamilton took for
the success of her request. His obligation, he aesuine",;
was to the ambassador's wife, and to her he directed Jai
gratitude and his love. Some applied the term " inftitnLv
tion" to his conduct. The authority for what I stateai
gave ;no better could be given than that of one who Je4
Nelson, and Sir William and Lady Hamilton, both in it"
and England, and who had been his guests.
In addition, I can mention another authority, Sir Georg 6
Magrath, who died recently at an:advanced age. I wa3 re;
sident in Plymouth from 1808 to 1818, and Sir Georg,
being my neighbour, and intimate, we had much converse
tion about Nelson, inwhose confidence he had been, haviP.g
sailed with him in the Mediterranean, and being with 1110
in the battle of Copenhagen. I was indebted to him for
acquaintance with Sir William Bolton, Nelson's neplle;;
So great a favourite with Magrath was Lord Nelson, that Po
was unwilling to admit anything to his advantage. Airl'e,o
I questioned him as to the correctness of Captain E°°teti
narrative of the proceedings in the Bay of Naples, he rePl
—" It is too true ; Ido not like to talk of it." He was lde;
witched by Lady Hamilton. I don't believe ho sad
credited any one but her, though Sir William, an able no':
was at her side. He had a notion she did everything. S1:0
persuaded him to anything she liked. There, don't let
talk of it any more l"—I am, sir, your humble servant.
CYRUS REDDING'
St, John's-wood, Jan. 10.

MACAULAY PAPERS.—We understand that MI;
Macaulay has left behind him the materials for anodly
volume, the publication of which may, for private and Wl's,/
reasons, be some time delayed. But whatever delay 19 of
unavoidably occur in the publication of the narrativeof
William 111. and Queen Anne's times, wo sincerely tr,oi
that at no very distant period our country maybe instreciv
and enriched by a faithful account of the part whiell, of
historian played, of the friendships which he forroeuflio
the judgments which he passed on the men and meollst
of the times in which he livid himself. If we IA
judge from those specimens of his correspondence W,014,
it has been our fortune to peruse, a collection of -1-,,V4
i\iacaulay's Letters c,Jon,lins• et 11.fi Irtht 3!) yParsll:;gt
be a history of England in the age of Canning and V"
A. Peel and Palmerstoh, quite as fascinating, quite afkarsjii
liant, but infinitely more instructive, than Horace
pole's chronicle of the age of Chatham and Lord Noe'