Page:Memoirs of the life and gallant services of Admiral Lord Nelson.pdf/9

 of Admiral Lord Nelſon. 9 of the enemy's fleet; he was left, therefore, entire- ly to his own judgement. He had the happineſs, however, to find, that to the Captains of his ſquad- ron he had no neceſſity to give directions, he being in conſtant readineſs for battle. The Admiral knew that the enemy had failed with a N. W. wind, which naturally led him to conclude that their courſe was up the Mediterranean He ſteered with the fleet off Corſica, which he reached on the 12th of June. Having made the Roman coaſt, we were rejoined by Li Mutine, without gaining any intelli- gence. The Admiral now determined to ſteer to- wards Naples. We ſaw Mount Veluvius on the 16th, and detached Captain Trowbridge, in La Mu- tine, to obtain what information he could from Sir William Hamilton. He returned with a report on- ly that the enemy were gone towards Malta. The Admiral now lamented that even a day had been loft by viſiting the Bay of Naples, and determined by the ſhorteſt cut to make the Faro di Miſſina, which the fleet paſſied through on the 29th, with a fair wind. Here we gained intelligence from the Britiſh conſul that Malta had actually ſurrendered. We had now hopes of being able to attack the ene- my's fleet at Goza, but on the 22d of June, La Mutine, at day-light in the morning, ſpoke a Ge- noſſe brig from Malra, which gave intelligence that the French had failed from thence on the 18th, with a freſh gale at N. W. The Admiral now made the ſignal to bear-up and fleer to the S. E. with all poſſible fail. At this time we had no certain means of aſcertaining that the enemy were not bound up the Adriatic. On the 29th of June we ſaw the Pharos tower of Alexandria, and continued nearing the land with a preſs of fail, till we had a diſtinct view of both harbours; and to our general ſurpriſe and diſap- pointment, we faw not a French ſhip is either. On the