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

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Wheu Sir Charles Wood. introduced his
pet bill in 1856, 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 a
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 aid
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
necessary, in the event of war suddenly taking
place, come forward and man the reserve ships.
Has 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 commencemrnt,

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 scheme
of coast volunteers, which costs the country £40,000
per annum, as Blunder No. 2.
.Slunder 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 are looking forward to it as a nucleus
for the decaying coastguard service. Singular, in-
deed, if this scheme should meet the doom of its
predecessors, especially after the recommendation
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-
tion for some days, and I am convinced that twenty
men have not been enrolled throughout the king-
dom. The reasons for this failure are three:—.First,
the annual payment or retainer is not sufficient to
command the services of the seafaring class. Seeond,
the Board of Trade rules are too stringent, and
composed of too much red-tare to suit Jack's fancy.:
And, last, but not least, three English sailors out of
four will now tell you, as long as British ships are
allowed to be manned by foreign sailors they do
not consider the country worth fighting for.
Such, Sir, are the blunders the tax-payer mast
pay for as long as theory is considered by our
rulers better than practice.—l inclose my card,
and am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A PROVINCIAL.
11th January, 1860.

LORD NELSON AND LADY HAMILTON•

The following has appeared in a contemporary :--"

Sir,—ln the diary and correspondence of the late Right
Hon. G. Rose, edited by the Rev. Levison Vernon Harr
court, and published by Mr. Bentley, there is a note from
my " Recollections" (see p. 103, vol. iii., and p. 99, the first
and second editions respectively) having reference to Dal
Hamilton's asking leave of the Queen of Naples for Den'
Nelson to victual his fleet, which she made a ground Or
pecuniary aid or support from her own Government after
Nelson's death, although she had the estate of Merton and
best part of £2,000 per annum, which she recklessly squall'
dered. Her request was very properly declined ; first, out
of the motive that, as the wife of our ambassador, paid by
the public, that public had a right to her services ; and
secondly, on account of her immoral character, and the
taint that, like another Dalilah, she cast upon the brat.°
man whom she ensnared by her wiles.
Lady Hamilton, the second wife of Sir William, our am.
bassador for so long a time at the profligate Court of Naplel,
had been originally a Welsh servant girl. She went to
London, where, after sundry adventures, she sat as a model
for artists, for her person was cast in the perfection of
symmetry. There she became a favourite of Romney, the
painter. Afterwards she got into keeping by a relative et
Sir William Hamilton, who, on seeing her himself, was so
much struck with her person that he offered her marriage
to secure her to himself. Her mind was then uncultivated,
but Sir William took great pains in her instruction, and as
she was ambitious, and did not want capacity, he succeeded.
Her previous character was in her favour at tha Court to
which her husband had been so long accredited, where the
conversation was continually such as no British female 01
virtue could hear. Sir William, an accomplished diploma•
tilt, well knew the use he could make of the talents, st
such a Court, of her whom he called his " Grecian," and
through her obtained an ascendancy over the Queen con'
ducive to his own influence.

Nelson, on his first visit to Naples, himself recorded hie
knaves and prostituteet
Ohfis fleet off Sicily wanted
contemptor
words
tfoo for
has
tC
eoffuerot t c. o nsi s ti n
Whorlg
revictualling Lady Hamilton went to the Queen and OP*
tained the Royal assent. This act, one of duty on the part
of Lady Hamilton to her husband, was made by Nelson tile
ground for his attachment to her, and the origin of the blot
which so defaces the character of that brave man, and of
the treaty •breaking and cruelties in the Bay of Naplelb
Those, as is well known, so aroused the indignation of some
of the British officers that they set sail without orders, de'
termined not to see their flag dishonoured. To gratify the
barbarous feeling of the Queen, and strengthen herself at
Court, for she had a strong ambition, Lady Hamilton urged
Nelson to his indefensible conduct, :and ho acted as if he
believed his gratitude to her cancelled his duty to his own
flag, and to thg dicates of humanity and morality. That
Nelson's obligation for the victualling of his fleet was due
to Lady Hamilton alone, he was nothing loth to believe ;
and that her husband, so long the representative of Eng,
land at Naples, had little or nothing to do in the matter.
Lady Hamilton, on the other hand, was proved to lead the
hero of the Nile a captive to her charms. The reflection
that there was a Lady Nelson in England gave no trouble
to one who had never troubled herself with any self-denial
inculcated by virtue.
Nelson was duped by the credit Lady Hamilton took for
the success of her request. His obligation, he assumed,
was to the ambassador's wife, and to her he directed hie
gratitude and his love. Some applied the term " infatuate
tion" to his conduct. The authority for Aat I stated I
gave ; no better could be given than that of one who knee
Nelson, and Sir William and Lady Hamilton, both in Italy
and England, and who had been his guests.
In addition, I can mention another autbority, Sir George
Magrath, who died recently at anadvanced age. I was re.
sident in Plymouth from 1308 to 1818, and Sir George
being my neighbour, and intimate, we had much converse.
tion about Nelson, in whose confidence he had been, having
sailed with him in the Mediterranean, and being with Idol
in the battle of Copenhagen. I was indebted to hin for an
acquaintance with Sir William Bolton, Nelson's nepheW.
So great a favourite with Magrath was Lord Nelson, that he
was unwilling to admit anything to his advantage. Whets
I questioned him as to the correctness of Captain Foote
narrative of the proceedings in the Bay of Naples, he replied

—" It is too true ; Ido not like to talk of it." He was be'
witched by Lady Hamilton. I don't believe he saw or
credited any one but her, though Sir William, an able man►
was at her side. Ile had a notion she did everything. SW°
persuaded him to anything she liked. Then), don't lot 110
talk of it any more !"—I am, sir, your humble servant.

C YRUS REDDIN(.

St. John's-wood, Jan. 10.

MACAULAY PAPERS.—We understand that Lora
Macaulay has loft behind him the materials for another
volume, the publication of which may, for private and family
reasons, be some time delayed. But whatever delay may
unavoidably occur in the publication of the narrative 0.
William 111. and Queen Anne's times, wo sincerely trig:
that at no very distant period our country may be instructed
and enriched by a faithful account of the part which thf,
historian played, of the friendships which he formed, O
the judgments which he passed on the men and measure!
of the times in which he lived himself. If we might
judge from those specimens of hls correspondence which
it has been our fortune to peruse, a collection of Lord,
Macaulay's letters extending over the last 30 years would
be a history of England in the age of Canning and GK!
of Peel and Palmerstou, quite as fascinating, quite as brit ,
liant, but infinitely more instructive, than Horace Wiel
pole's chronicle of the age of Chatham and Lord North.