Towards the latter end of the same year King Ferdinand of Naples, and his Court, embarked in the Vanguard, for a passage to Palermo, where that persecuted monarch presented Captain Hardy with his miniature on a box set round with a double row of diamonds. Nelson soon afterwards shifted his flag into the Foudroyant of 80 guns, to which ship Captain Hardy also removed. In the ensuing summer the Rear-Admiral went to Naples; and, as his royal guest was pleased to say, “reconquered his kingdom, and placed him upon his throne.”
Captain Hardy continued to command the Foudroyant till Oct. 12, 1799; When Captain Berry having joined from England, he was appointed, pro tempore, to the Princess Charlotte frigate. On his return from the Mediterranean, he was introduced by letter to Nelson’s august friend, the Duke of Clarence, and recommended to the notice of His Royal Highness, “as an officer of the most distinguished merit.”
Our officer subsequently served as Flag-Captain to Lord Nelson, in the Namur, San Josef, and St. George, the latter forming part of the fleet destined to dissolve the Northern Confederacy. The particulars of the sanguinary battle off Copenhagen, April 2, 1801, have already been given, under the head of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Foley[1]; to which we have only to add, that during the preceding night, Captain Hardy was employed sounding the channel, and ascertaining the bearing of the eastern end of the Middle Ground, the greatest obstacle, as it afterwards proved, that the British had to contend with in their approach towards the Danish line of defence. On this occasion he rowed in his boat to the enemy’s leading ship, sounding round her, and using a pole when he was apprehensive of being heard. On his return to the Elephant, into which ship Lord Nelson had removed, for the purpose of more immediately superintending the operations of his division, Captain Hardy reported the practicability of the channel, and the depth of water up to the Danish line: had his report been abided by, instead of confiding in the masters and pilots, the latter of whom were in general mates of vessels trading from the ports of Scotland and north
