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Lot 85

NELSON (HORATIO)
Order signed ("Nelson & Bronte"), the text in the hand of Nelson's secretary, John Scott, to Lord Mark Kerr of the Fisgard, announcing that the Admiralty has "judged it proper to confine the limits of the Mediterranean Station to the East of Gibraltar", Victory at sea, 26 January 1805

24 June 2015, 11:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

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NELSON (HORATIO)

Order signed ("Nelson & Bronte"), the text in the hand of Nelson's secretary, John Scott, to Lord Mark Kerr of the Fisgard, announcing that the Admiralty has "judged it proper to confine the limits of the Mediterranean Station to the East of Gibraltar" and ordering him, "notwithstanding former orders" to return immediately to Rendezvous 97 [south of San Sebastian]"where You will remain Cruizing until You have received certain information where I am gone to" and that he "will please to direct that none of the Ships under my Command on any account or consideration whatsoever exceed the Limits of the Mediterranean Station, or in any way interfere with the Ships on the Station of Vice Admiral Sir John Orde"; counter-signed "By Command of the Vice Admiral/ John Scott", headed by one of Scott's clerks: "By the Right Honourable Lord Viscount K.B. Duke of Bronte in Sicily, Knight of the Great Cross of St Ferdinand and of Merit, Knight of the Order of the Crescent and of the Illustrious Order of St Joachim, Vice Admiral of the White and Commander in Chief of His Majesty's Ships and Vessels employed and to be employed on the Mediterranean Station"; recipient's docket, 2 pages, paper watermarked ʻS&D/ 1801' and with the figure of Britannia, light dust-staining on outer blank leaf where folded for filing, folio, Victory at sea, 26 January 1805

Footnotes

Nelson had received official notification of Orde's posting to the Cadiz station on Christmas Day, and gave instructions to his subordinates that they should have no dealings with Orde's ships, ʻalmost as if they were enemy ships' (Sugden, p. 724). On 2 January he learnt that the French had escaped from Toulon, but was uncertain of their objective: their course suggesting to him that they were heading south to threaten Sardinia, Sicily or Egypt, whereas in fact Napoleon had ordered them to make a diversionary voyage to the West Indies before doubling back and escorting his invasion force across the Channel. But the French fared badly in atrocious weather, and by the 21st most of the fleet had retreated back to Toulon. Nelson had meanwhile kept at sea, the weather notwithstanding beating about the area between Sardinia, Sicily and Italy, to make sure they did not escape. Not in Nicolas.

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