Nelson & His World

How safe was the mail?

There are numerous references in Nelson's correspondence to a fear of letters being taken or smoked, opened and read by others.

We read of flag and telegraph communications, but less of how political, personal or strategically sensitive information in letters/packages being passed between ships at sea or between locations on land.

Devices such as numbering, cyphers, sending under cover within another package or putting a letter into the hands of a trusted courier are mentioned, but how safe was the mail? How did these systems work in practice - and did they work?

Was theft or loss of mail a widespread problem, and how did the Admiralty or Government offices deal with it?

Are there instances of real issues arising from post getting into the wrong hands or being lost?

Surely the use of the Free Front system by many titled public servants acted as a signpost to anyone in a position to handle/intercept mail who might be disposed to put it to ill use. It seems a puzzle to me that letters of great sensitivity between Naval commanders and Government ministers could be put at such a risk for the sake of avoiding postage costs.

In respect of mail going missing, there was someone in Nelson's circle (was it his father?) who said that most of the mail that is lost was never sent. It is still the same today - "the cheque is in the post" usually seems to be a vague statement of intent rather than a statement of fact.

The mail was sometimes a little slow - Nelson's letter to Fanny about the storm in May 1799 took four months to get home.

Apart from mail getting lost through carelessness, there was also the danger of capture. If at all possible, code books, dispatches and mail would be thrown overboard. There was the occasion when a cutter carrying personal letters from Lady Hamilton to Nelson was captured by the French. There was huge potential for embarrassment but Nelson said staunchly: 'From us what can they find out? That I love you most dearly; and hate the French most damnably' (from HMS Victory, May 1804)

There is a marked difference in tone between Nelson's 'open' letters to Emma which went by mail and those he could give to trusted friends for delivery. In the latter he was able to be much more frank about their personal life. So he must have felt there was a risk of loss or interference by normal channels.

The eighteenth century was a lawless time and coaches were subject to robbery - I wonder if this occasioned loss of mail? though I think the problem of highway robbery was under greater control towards the end of the century.

I've just been browsing through a book called
"Copies of Original Letters from the Army of General Bonaparte in Egypt intercepted by the Fleet under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson". An interesting view from the other side of the fence.

One thing I noticed is the similarity in passing greetings and ones regards
"Say everything for me to Madame Dumuy" and some are very touching "Adieu; I love you entirely. Adieu, my dear Miot; when shall I have the satisfaction of locking you in my arms? write to me, pray write."
Quite a contrast to the many letter books, which have had the majority of emotion stripped from them, typical for the period that they were printed.

There are some great insights into the views of the French regarding Abukir and some letters give much away about French morale and strategy. After a quick read I can understand the distress of Nelson when his letters were intercepted.

If you are interested it can be downloaded for free from Google books.

Thanks for this reference; this is just the sort of thing that interests me.

- Galiano

Perhaps this should go on the books thread?

I've just listened, minutes ago, to an interview on Radio 4 with Margarette Lincoln, Deputy Director of the NMM, who was talking about her forthcoming book 'Naval Wives and Mistresses'. She draws on letters exchanged between men serving at sea and women at home. She reveals how their upbeat and positive letters were vital in maintaining morale amongst men who often did not see home for years. They sent presents such as music, stockings, live sheep (!) and, in Captain Codrington's case, caps for his bald head.

She discusses infidelities too - some mistresses of seamen would take an extra man 'as an insurance policy'.(Good excuse, or what?) and it ws not unknown for them to kill any children to destroy the evidence, or even kill themselves.

Only a small proportion of women's letters survive since it was customary to destroy them before a battle - so Nelson was not unique in destroying both Fanny's and Emma's letters.

She mentioned briefly the difficulty of transporting letters - there will be much more in the book.

Some of the extracts quoted sounded fascinating - the household accounts of his wife's expenditure made in the course of Capt. Inglefield's divorce, for example.

For anyone interested in social history, this promises to be a revealing and stimulating book.

Margarette Lincoln: 'Naval Wives and Mistresses' published by the NMM ISBN 978 0 948065 92 7

Tycho, do you know whether Margarette Lincoln mentioned the letters between William Wilkinson, Master of the Minotaur, and his wife during the 1807 Copenhagen expedition? She has mentioned them in an article before. I have read the letters, and they do provide a fascinating insight - much domestic and family minutiae, the struggle to make ends meet, the anxiety of waiting for letters, and about other officers and their wives.

The only names I picked up were Codrington, Inglefield and Collingwood. As you can imagine I was all ears for Mansfield! No mention of Wilkinson that I recall. But it's likely they'll appear here. it sounded a fascinating book.

I found and listened to the interview on the BBC website. No, there was no mention of Wilkinson.

The book 'Naval Wives and Mistresses' is already published: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Naval-Wives-Mis ... 0948065923

Many thanks for everyone's thoughts on this.

Here's a mail related excerpt from Lord Keith's obit in the 'Annual Biography and Obituary' of 1834.

More an example of nefariously sealing the mail than opening it though.

"Admiral Lord Viscount Keith died lately at his seat in
Scotland. He was writing letters after breakfast, and had
written one to his brother-in-law, William Adam, Lord Chief
Commissioner of the Jury Court at Edinburgh, which he had
enclosed in a frank, but not sealed, as he intended to add a
letter to his daughter.

While writing the letter, however, his
Lordship dropped down dead in a fit of apoplexy. It was
necessary to announce this event to Mr. Adam ; and the person
who did so put his letter into the cover which was found
on the table; and thus, to save sixpence, the deceased nobleman
was made to frank an account of his own death ! "

Rather a late observation but I fear the post (mail) deliveries now are almost less secure and and reliable than then!

I speak with some experience of overdue and non-delivery. Overdue - as in late in the day - at 4pm.

The Royal Philatelic Society has an interesting article on its website about the movement of mail between Britain and France, when the two countries were so frequently at war, including some material on the letters of prisoners of war.

www.rpsl.org.uk/continental_connection/index.html

From The Times of 1 November 1798:



Lord Nelson has written a very polite letter to General Buonaparte at Cairo assuring him that he shall forward all private letters addressed to persons in France, which he had intercepted, but that he shall keep the official dispatches. The private letters he describes as being written in a stile [sic] of the most ardent love and it would therefore be a sin to hold them from the Fair, who must be disconsolate at not hearing from their lovers.....'

Perhaps this should be on the 'oaths of chivalry' thread?

I've just been dipping into Jack Russell's book 'Nelson and the Hamiltons' to look at the troublesome period around the birth of Horatia and the Prince of Wales episode when Nelson and Emma were separated and the letters, some of them 'coded', were flying back and forth. Clearly, the ordinary post was not to be trusted. Russell speaks of their fear of 'inquisitive Post Office clerks', of a lost letter and a letter which arrived with the seal broken. The custom of writing both the sender's name and the recipient's name on the address panel must have been a lure to the curious, not to mention the blackmailer. Russell makes it clear that the most desirable method, which has already become apparent on this thread, was to have a letter carried and delivered personally by a trusted courier.

Re: Tycho's second last post illustrating Nelson's chivalrous sentiments towards the enemy.

I've just come across a letter from Nelson to Troubridge, relating the forwarding of intercepted letters coming from M. Poussielgue (according to Pettigrew a Commissioner appointed by Kleber in Egypt at the time.)

TO COMMODORE SIR THOMAS TROUBRIDGE, BART.

[Letter-Book.]

Palermo, 15th January, 1800,

My dear Troubridge,
As the Gorgon may be detained by the Victuallers, perhaps it will be better to send the Transfer, or El Corso, with the dispatches for Sir Sidney Smith ; and an assortment of provisions can be sent, I think, with perfect safety, in one of the Transports. I do not much like to begin by interfering with the Commander-in-Chief s arrangements of Ships ; but if you think the Transport is not fit for the voyage, send the provisions in the Gorgon, with the most precise orders for her immediate return; but this must not stop the dispatches more than twenty-four hours. I send the news from Carthagena, to be forwarded, by Lord Keith's orders to Egypt ; and I wish you would put the last French letters of M. Poussielgue in it ; for that is one that was found secreted, after the others were sent off, and is not gone to Constantinople. Lord Keith supposes I may send some of these stores to Egypt therefore, if the Ships off Malta are likely to find more than they want, send some. Do not, my dear Troubridge, send the Gorgon to the East, if you think a Transport will perform the service; but we must take care the provisions get in safely. I shall see you very soon, and, in all situations, believe me, your affectionate friend,
BRONTE NELSON.

I wonder where those last letters were secreted?

A fascinating looking work by Wayne Hanley, which I'm just beginning to explore, is 'The Genesis of Napoleonic Propaganda' which can be found on Gutenberg here: http://www.gutenberg-e.org/haw01/index.html