On the 31st, his lordship received letters from Malta, which gave birth to most extraordinary suspicions.  The agonized feelings of his heroic mind are not to be described; but, nothing could for a moment divert him from the painful discharge of it’s duty.  In a state of inconceivable agitation, he wrote the following letter to Sir John Acton.

     “Palermo, 31st Aug. 1799.

     “MY DEAR SIR,

“I send your excellency a letter from Captain Ball, of his majesty’s ship Alexander, with two papers enclosed.  I cannot bear the thought of what the papers convey; but it is my duty, as a British admiral, to ask of your excellency an explanation of this very extraordinary business—­which, I trust in God, is entirely false, as far as relates to his Sicilian Majesty and Prince Luzzi!  If this man is an unauthorized person, his majesty will have no difficulty in approving of my condemning him as a spy; and, as such, ordering him to be hanged.  But, what shall I say, if Prince Luzzi has authorized this man to enter La Vilette, and to communicate with the enemy?  I must say, that the minister has betrayed his trust; for I never will believe, that their Sicilian Majesties could treat in such a manner his Britannic Majesty, my royal master.  On your excellency’s communication of his Sicilian Majesty’s pleasure, depends the line of conduct which my duty will call upon me to perform.  I have the honour to be, with the greatest respect, your excellency’s obedient servant,

     “Bronte Nelson.”

     “His Excellency, Sir John Acton, Bart.”

Happily, this alarm turned out to be unfounded; but the circumstance serves, nevertheless, to assist in demonstrating the jealous attention of his lordship to whatever might be supposed capable of affecting either the national honour or his own.  In a few days, having fully investigated the affair, he wrote thus to Captain Ball—­“My dear Ball, Mr. Alos is, doubtless, a scoundrel.  He had persuaded some here, that he had an interview with Vaubois; which, I believe, is a lie:  and, as to his conduct with the Maltese, it was, probably, to shew his consequence.  I am sure, the good queen never had a thought of any under-hand work against us; therefore, I would recommend sending him here with a kick in the breech, and let all the matter drop.”

In a letter of this date, August 31, Lord Nelson thus laments, to Commodore Troubridge, the situation in which he finds himself.  “Our joint exertions,” he says, “have been used, to get the king to go to Naples; but, of no avail; the Austrians will be there before him.  I do not expect any of the Russian troops this some time to come.  I am, indeed, sick and tired of this want of energy; and, when I find the impossibility of being longer useful, I will retire from this inactive service.”  He complains, also, to Lord Spencer, in a letter written about this time, of the uncomfortableness of his situation:  for, he says, plain common sense points out that the king should return to Naples; but, nothing can move him.  “Believe me,” his lordship adds, “I shall do my best, in all circumstances.  But, I am almost blind; and, truly, very unwell; and, which does not mend matters, I see no king in Europe really assisting these good monarchs, but our gracious sovereign.”