New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-28
Is an admirable tribute TO his reliable charac'e'

Is an admira bic tribute his reliable character
as a historian. -.
To many this portion OF the biography VIII
n axe very painful reading 1t Is OF iittie II any,
consequence that case may be niaue ou' io'
Nelson on practically every count In cohhec'io''
with the Caracciolo incident and with the 1ah-
ure to proceed to Minorca. Neither EPISODE IL
creditabe to Nelson. and the discbediehce leaves
an indelible stain. Keith was hunting for the
fleet of Bruix AS Commander-in-Chief. ne was
we'll within his rights in ordering Nelson 10
Minorca without any elaborate statement OF MS
plans. Nelson would have felt this had ne been
in Keith's place and Keith In his. AFTER the
event it is easily stated that even had nelson
gone to Minorca he would not have Facilitated
as things turned out. the chase that Keith Ter
minated fruitlessly at Brest But the principe
at stake was Of the highest Importance 10 haVai
discipline. and II personally Nelson excites the
NEST sympathy. at least the official position Oh
Lord Keith commands the greater degree or re-
spect On the othe- hand, In this occurrence In
this very Neapolitan sojourn which had 80 re-
grettable an effect upon the development Of
Nelson, there are elements which link the way
ward man to the indomitable fighter. and in
sensibly almost, the reader finds himself In
the old familiar attitude Of enthusiastic admira-
youthful impusiveness. that gave him much Of
his most lasting strength. His hatred OF the
French for example, found curously vehe-
ment and perhaps undignihed expression
Down. down with the French" he says. rs my
constant prayerw "Down, down with the
French ought to be placed In the council-room
Of every country In the world.' ITO serve my
King, and to destroy the French, consider as
.ba ord ~ all which
string and II one of those little ones initiate
against IT, I 20 back to obey the great order
and object, to down. down with the damned
French villainsr This Is the kind of speech
which one would rather see attributed 10 some
commander other than Nelson, until one discov-
ers that II Is but the ill-consldered declaration
of a well-considered ambition. that Nelson was
mbued with positively sacred devotion 10 MS
country's cause that he carried into baltic not
a vulgar and brutal desire for the blood OK
Frenchmen, but a holy resolve to extirpate the
enemies Of Great Britain. In other WORDS MS
virtues and his faults spring from the same
source, from that tremendous Impulse which
means genius. whether it touches mind or NOR
ais. He Is to blame or to praise in this relation
of life or that as YOU choose but the line is diff
hcult to draw when the task Is essayed with
a view 10 settling the mans exact responsible
ty He had a great enargy in him. 1t led MN
10 victory on the high seas 1t swept him into the
arms Of Lady Hamilton at Naples. and stained
his fair fame forever. But just where the ele-
nents of character behind the victory are to be
separated and distinguished from those which
lay AZ the bottom of his answering devotion 10
Lady Hamilton is question which may be leit
to the psychologists. Some light Is indirectly
thrown on the subject by an analyst which Cap
tain Mahan makes of Nelson's military gifts.
an analysis of such lucidity and breadth that
it may be cited intact:
The intellectual endowment of genius was Nell
sons from the first; but from the circumstances
of his life 1t denied the privilege OF early
manifestation. such as was permitted 10 Ma
poleon. 1t is, consequently not so much tnls as
the constant exhibition of moral power, force or
character, which gives continuity to his profess
siOna career. and brings the successive stages
of his advance, in achievement and reputation,
from first last, into the close relation of steady
development, subject to no variation save that
Of healthy and vigorous growth, till he stood
unique above all competition. This II was
not doubtless, to the exclusion OF that reputation
for having head upon which he justly prided
himself-which had already fixed the eyes or his
superiors upon him as the one officer. not yet in
deed fully tested. most likely To cope with the
difficulties Of any emergency In the display OF
this. in lis many self-revelatons-i concentra-
ton Of purpose untiring energy, fearlessness of
responsibility. judgment sound and instant,
bolIndless audacity promptness. intrepdty, and
endurance beyond all proof-the restricted fields
of Corsica and the Riviera, the subordinate posi-
ton at Cape st. Vincent the failure of Teneriffe.
had in their measure been as fruitful as the Nile
was soon to be. and fell naught behind the bloody
harvests Of Copenhagen and Trafalgar. Men
have been disposed. therefore. to reckon this
moral energy-call Il courage dash resolution.
what you villas Nelson's and only great
quality II was the greatest. as II is In all
cessful men OF action. but TO ignore that this
mighty force was guided by snguarly clear and
accurate perceptions, upon which also II con-
sciously rested with frmness Of faith that con-
stituted much OF its power. is to rob him Of a
great part Of his due renown.