Nelson & His World

The latest edition of the Nelson Dispatch arrived yesterday and contains two articles by contributing members of the forum.

Kester, resident in Stockholm, has written an illuminating piece on Sweden and the League of Armed Neutrality and the events leading up to the battle of Copenhagen in 1801. Jacqui (Mira) has contributed a lively article which enlarges on her earlier, ground-breaking researches, published in History Today in 2008, in which she revealed the name of the hitherto-unidentified author of the scurrilous Memoir of Lady Hamilton which appeared soon after her death.

We try to have a wide reach on the forum, and these two articles, one dealing with a major event in Nelson's public life, and another providing enriching detail on the woman who played the central part in his private life, reflect that very successfully!

Congratulations to both writers, and many thanks for their contributions to this forum and to wider Nelsonian scholarship.

Anna,

Thank you for your kind words - although it was actually written by my brother, Ketser!

I received my copy today and was pleased with the illustrations Nick Slope had supplied for it, one of which was my photograph of the new Saumarez plaque, taken last year. Jacquie's article certainly looks interesting from a brief perusal, and I shall certainly read it with interest later. Well done to her.

Wow! This certainly is a bumper issue. Kester and Jacqui's articles are both fascinating. Congratulations to both.

Kester gives us a comprehensive and most informative article on the ever shifting allegiances in the Baltic from Sweden's point of view, and the added commentary on some of the present day rivalries is telling. My understanding of the Armed Neutrality and Baltic affairs has leapt forward!

Jacqui's article is a masterpiece of research work and story-telling. Anybody who missed Jacqui's 2008 article is in for a revelation and those who have read it will be riveted by the full story of Watkins' dealings with Emma, Francis Oliver and John Mitford. Jacqui has uncovered a number of new sources in her wide ranging but very detailed research which bring this amazing set of characters vividly to life.

Gosh! Thank you ever so much for your kind words about 'The Literary Assassin.' You could knock me down with a feather!

The Doctor Watkins story has come a long way since its first outing in History Today. Finding the evidence that linked him not only to Francis Oliver, but to Sir William Hamilton and Horatia's nurse Mrs. Gibson - as well as his ill-fated approach to Emma in 1804, rounded it all off a treat.

The fact that Watkins raged about being rejected and 'disrespected' (as he put it) by Emma, then waited over a decade to claim his personal pound of flesh (after she was dead) helps to shine a light on his motives.

As for Oliver - when Nelson warned Emma in 1801: 'remember, you are at the mercy of your servants' - how right he turned out to be.

Kester - I loved your article - a pleasure to read a clear understanding of how and why the Armed Neutrality came into being. I hope you enjoyed The Literary Assassin too.

Incidentally, I highly recommend the Nelson Dispatch as an outlet for anyone interested in Nelson and his world who has thought of writing an article or passing on a comment for publication. Nick Slope and his team were a delight to work with.

Mira,

Thanks, your words are much appreciated.

I haven't quite reached your article yet, although I have perused it, having just read about the NS visit to the Scilly Isles. However, I'm getting there and will read it with interest when I do – along with a cup of tea and piece of cake, no doubt!

I certainly agree with what you say about Nick and the Dispatch publication team. I have always found him very accommodating an susceptable to any ideas one might have.

Kester, I am sorry to have to report that my ancestor, Captain Mansfield, was responsible (under Admiralty orders, of course) for the first bloodshed against Sweden and the Armed Neutrality in 1801. In command of the frigate Dryad, in February 1801 and under orders to stop and detain any Swedish vessels, he encountered the Swedish light frigate Ulla Fersen, of considerably less force than the Dryad. He sent a lieutenant in a boat to the Ulla Fersen to communicate his orders and ask for the Ulla Fersen to comply. However, the Swedish captain refused to comply, even after being invited on board the Dryad to inspect the superior armament. A short but very fierce engagement of a few minutes ensued during which 7 Swedes were killed and 14 wounded before the Ulla Fersen struck. The Dryad suffered no casualties, but there was no pleasure in the capture. A young Swedish lieutenant had been very severely wounded in both thighs by a cannon shot, and although there were no arteries severed, there was no hope of him living. However, he lingered on in excruciating pain for three days, much to the distress of British officers and crew as well as Swedish, before death relieved his suffering. The Ulla Fersen was taken first to Cork and then to Portsmouth, where she was detained I think only for a few weeks before being returned to the Swedes.

Mansfield had no choice but to follow his orders, and I suppose the Swedish Captain Hans Hampus Fallstedt was desperate to retain some honour by his 'gallant action', but the whole affair is an awful reminder of the madness of war. I don't think the matter was helped by the fact that the Ulla Fersen had previously been detained by the British in 1798 during the first Leaugue of Armed Neutrality, and that the Captain at that time had put up no resistance, contrary to specific Swedish orders. That captain was subsquently court martialled and sentenced to death, but given a last minute reprieve, and went on to enjoy a successful career and promotion to admiral.

I have yet to research this affair and its background in detail, and was wondering if you had any information on the Admiralty orders, or what negotiations went on with the Swedes over detained vessels - or even if there were more detained vessels?


PS Hope you enjoyed the tea and cake...

Tony,

Well, if it hadn't been your ancestor, it would have been some other British captain! So...

Unfortunately the Swedish captain's response seems ill-advised and he was presumably trying to fulfill his orders to the letter, rather than using the common sense which the situation demanded (like the captain before him). The Ulla Fersen would not actually even be referred to as a 'light frigate' by other nations, being considered somewhat inferior.

I'm not sure about the Swedish Admiralty orders, but if they were such they would most likely have reflected the views of the King, Gustav lV Adolph. He was on the throne at the time of both incidents and demonstrate the kind of man he was, young, inexperienced and with rather contraversial views – but also unfortunately the King! He sometimes demanded action largely to make a point, although most orders he gave in this respect were not usually not well thought out and often went against advice from his senior officers, who were rather more practical. It's not surprising he was deposed in 1809! Sweden itself, of course, was (and is) a proud nation and many Swedes believed that they were defending both their neutrality, and their right to trade with whoever they pleased, by putting up a token resistance. A little naive perhaps, certainly against a nation such as Great Britain, but they wanted to make a point. The situation became rather better when Saumarez came on the scene and a lot of misunderstanding, on both sides, was cleared up.

Unfortunately I don't have any specific details of the Swedish Admiralty policy at the time, nor with regard to detained vessels but, as you say, it would certainly be worth researching.

I certainly enjoyed my tea and, well, biscuits actually, and enjoyed reading Jacquie's article. I'm sure the full work is just as rivetting!