hazardous, or unprofitable, the nature of the proposed employ.  His friends, however, were desirous that he should receive, on the occasion, some positive benefit.  His lordship alledged, with great truth, that he was one of the worst negociators on earth for himself, and seemed disinclined to tender any conditions; but Lady Hamilton urging him to obtain, at least, an entailment of his titles on the family, which would take nothing out of the national purse, and yet preserve his merited honours to the most remote posterity, he ventured, at length, to solicit that small favour, which was very readily granted.

In consequence of this arrangement, Lord Nelson was appointed commander in chief of a powerful squadron, employed between Orfordness and Beachy-Head:  together with the entire flotilla of gun-brigs, fire-ships, bomb-ketches, and vessels of every other description; and all the sea-fencibles embodied within the same district, with all the boats, vessels, and other floating defences, on board of which they might be required to act.  His lordship, accordingly, hastened to Sheerness, and hoisted his flag on board L’Unite frigate of thirty-two guns.  Having, with his accustomed activity, directed the respective stations of the several ships there under his command; he sailed, in a very few days, for the Downs:  and it is remarkable that, on his passage from the Nore, instead of pursuing the usual course, and proceeding through the King’s Channel, he resolved on attempting a passage hitherto deemed impracticable for ships of war—­an experiment which he judiciously considered, at this particular period, as well worthy of trial—­and, having compleatly succeeded, it has ever since been properly called Nelson’s Channel.

On the 29th of July, at night, Lord Nelson arrived in the Downs, and immediately hoisted his flag on board the Leyden of sixty-four guns; but shifted it, two days after, to the Medusa frigate of thirty-two.  Not a moment was now lost in making every preparation for a formidable attack on the French flotilla, by the assistance of which we were menaced with the invasion of the myriads of troops that lined the shore of the enemy from Brest to the Texel.  Fearful, however, of our approach, they had been particularly careful to fortify their coast swarming with soldiers, by the erection of innumerable strong batteries, having furnaces for preparing red-hot shot, and adapting every other contrivance to annoy their dreaded assailants and protect themselves.  From the moment it was known that Lord Nelson had undertaken the home command, every apprehension of a French invasion was changed into the wish that such an attempt might instantly be made, and there was, perhaps, scarcely a man, woman, or child, in the united kingdom, who now longer felt the smallest fear of an event which had lately excited so much general alarm.  With a promptness inconceivable, his lordship planned every species of precautionary defence, while engaged in executing his offensive operations:  and it is anxiously hoped, that his excellent defensive arrangements, made on this occasion, though happily not then needed, will be carefully treasured in the archives of the Admiralty, for immediate adoption, should any attempt ever be made, by a rash and powerful enemy, to approach the British shores; who may thus be vanquished, by our immortal hero, in a future and even distant age.