NELSON AND MINORCA

Although Lady Hamilton lost no time in acclaiming the acquisition of Minorca, Nelson does not mention the island in his voluminous and almost daily correspondence, till six months later. The first time the name 'Minorca' appeared in a letter was on 12 May 1799, when he replied to Commodore Duckworth who had requested his presence: 'I am sending you 8, 9, or 10 ships of the line. . . for I cannot come to you.'
Nelson's spectacular victory at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 had given Britain supremacy at sea in the Mediterranean, and the occupation of Minorca a few months later was invaluable in maintaining it. But Nelson had returned after the battle to Naples with Lady Hamilton, and showed marked disinterest in the island, to the point of insubordination.
It is important to remember that in spite of his fame and his new peerage he was still a fairly junior rear-admiral, and only second-in-command in the Mediterranean. Early in June 1799 the commander-in-chief, Earl St Vincent, lay sick at Port Mahon, and shortly went home, handing over his command to Lord Keith, Nelson's senior by twelve years, but whom Nelson detested. Both St Vincent and Keith believed that the French might attempt to retake Minorca, and during July Keith twice ordered Nelson to send ships and men to Minorca, as he felt the fleet was too dispersed, and that Minorca was in danger.
Nelson thought otherwise, and twice disobeyed these orders, maintaining that his affairs with the king of Naples were more important. Nelson wrote at length to the Admiralty to justify this insubordination, maintaining that as the man on the spot he must decide for himself, but the Admiralty rebuked him.
Nelson's first recorded visit to Minorca was on 17 August 1799, when he wrote an account of events to the Duke of Clarence from Port Mahon - 'where so much has required doing, that except to pay my visit to the General, and to the naval yard, I have not been out of the ship. . . I sail tomorrow for Palermo.' Lady Hamilton was apparently not with him.
Nelson visited Minorca on a second occasion from 12 to 18 October 1799, in the Foudroyant. The former naval chaplain to Earl St Vincent, the Reverend Cooper-Willyams, who was on the island at the time, describes his arrival:

'On the 12th the Foudroyant, bearing the flag of Lord Nelson, with some other ships of the line and frigates, arrived in the bay of Mahon. On paying my respects to the noble Admiral, I was very kindly received. . . the Admiral soon after sailed for Sicily. 

If Lady Hamilton had accompanied him, this would have been mentioned.
Nelson remarks elsewhere on the discomforts of the captain's cabin in the Foudroyant, and it is possible that on this occasion he stayed at the Golden Farm above the port, as all tourists today are told. This would have been a more inspiring and comfortable place for the literary composition with which he occupied his stay, for as he was now a hero of world fame, the editor of the London News Chronicle had asked for some notes for a biography.

As at Naples, social life at Port Mahon was not neglected, in spite of war. There were concerts and balls. At the latter we learn from Chaplain Willyams that the nun-like dresses of the Minorcan ladies 'formed a striking contrast to the more elegant and becoming appearance of the British ladies'. And 'in the evenings the band of the regiment played under the walls of the Lazaretto Island, on the margin of the bay. During the moonlight nights the effect was perfectly delightful: the evenings at this-time were calm and serene, the water as smooth as glass, and over its surface small boats were constantly gliding. '

It is impossible to be certain that Lady Hamilton visited Minorca and the Golden Farm, which is disappointing for the tourist industry, but perhaps the legend serves equally well. Perhaps she could have done so in the early months of 1800, when Nelson was acting commander-in-chief during Lord Keith's temporary absence in England. Lady Hamilton returned with her husband and Nelson overland to England in June 1800. After that, she never left England.

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