candour, or even accuracy, which the very peculiar difficulty of the service appears to have demanded. From the statement given by Captain Foote, to Lord Nelson, of his proceedings subsequent to the above date, and the various letters he was afterwards obliged to publish, in consequence of a shameful attack on his professional character, which had been long established for ability and integrity, considerable light has been thrown on this subject[1].
- ↑ See a pamphlet entitled “Captain Foote’s Vindication of his conduct, &c. &c.” published by Cadell and Davies, London, anno 1807.
“I shall not lake any notice,” says Captain Foote in the statement alluded to, “of the various letters which I received from the Cardinal; they will prove, if investigated, how very little he knew about the force that was under my orders, or what was possible to be done by a few small ships of war; and that he kept advancing without any fixed plan, or project, trusting entirely to the chapter of accidents [The above passage appears to refer to the period when Cardinal Ruffo was advancing with his “Christian army” from Calabria towards Naples.].
“On the 9th of June, I received a letter from the Cardinal, in which he mentioned, that, on the 13th or 14th, he should be at the Tour del Greco; and he gave me some signals, by which I was to know, when the Royal Army reached that place; at which time, I was to give him all the assistance that lay in my power, by sea; accordingly, on the 13th, I stood into the bay, and it appeared to me, that the coast, from Portici to Castel-aMare, was in a state of insurrection; but I saw no signals.
“Innumerable requests were made to me, for assistance, but no one could tell me for certain, where the Cardinal was. I supplied the chief of the Tour del Greco with powder, musket-ball, and cannister; and seeing the French and Neapolitan colours flying on the fort of Granatelli, I immediately stood for it, having the Neapolitan frigate Sirena, and two gunboats, with me. This fort was garrisoned by upwards of 200 men, who kept up a constant fire on a party of royalists, who were in the king’s palace, at Portici, and just outside of it, which they returned with musketry, and from one piece of artillery; when close in with Granatelli, I fired a few shot at it, and the republican colours were hauled down, and the royalists rushed in, putting the whole of the garrison to the sword. Shortly after, a certain D. Constantino di Felippis came on board, and acquainted me, that he commanded about 4,000 royalists, that he meant to attack Villema the next day, when I promised to assist him as much as I possibly could.
“The Cardinal, as I have since learnt, instead of being at his rendezvous, the Tour del Greco, at the appointed time, was at Nola; but as to any direct information, I had none, not receiving any letter from him between the 9th and 17th of this month. Some country people informed me that the Republicans had a camp of 800 infantry and 120 cavalry, near the Tour del
