112
LETTERS.
[1784.
Mrs. Moutray desires her love to yon, and I beg my bestcompliments to Wolterton, Wells , &c. I have seen Capt.
13-, who is a friend of Mr. Walpole’s. I do not like him
at all: he is a self-conceited young man.
TO WILLIAM LOCKER , ESQ., WEST MAI.LING.
[Autograph, in the Locker Papers.]
English Harbour, November 23rd, 1784.
My dear Friend,
Your kind letter I received yesterday upon my arrival here,and though I cannot say much, as my time is very short,being obliged to sail this morning for the Virgin’s. Yourwine shall certainly be bottled, nor shall I forget the Domi nica estate when I go there, which will be in about a month.I am heartily glad Bradley has got a place p I hope it willturn out a good one. Collingwood is here ; he desires to bekindly remembered. This Station is far from a pleasant one.The Admiral and all about him are great ninnies. Little
S-is in the L-. I am sorry to say he goes through a
regular course of claret every day. Coll, desires me to say hewill write you soon such a letter, that you will think it a his-tory of the West Indies . What an amiable good man he is !all the rest are geese. I have not had a letter from Kingsmillthis Packet: when you write remember me to him.
I am in my way to examine a Harbour said to be situatedin the Island of St. John’s, 2 capable, it is supposed, to con-tain a Fleet of Men of War during the hurricane seasons.It is odd this fine Harbour, if such a one there is, shouldnot have been made use of long ago; but there is an orderfrom the Admiralty to send a Frigate to examine it: it is saidhere to belong to the Danes; if so, they will not let me surveyit. I must have done, for the Signal gun is fired for Domingoto carry us out. God bless you, my dear friend, and believeI am yours most affectionately,
1 Mr. James Bradley was appointed Secretary to the Board of Control on itsformation in 1784.
2 The Chart of this Harbour, signed 46 Horatio Nelson, ” is now among theCorrespondence of 1785, in the Admiralty.