"THE NELSON TOUCH."

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 95, 21 April 1906, Page 9

"THE NELSON TOUCH."

The famous Nelson Memorandum, one of the most interesting historL-al documents that ever passed under auctioneer's hammer, was on view this week at Christie's, and sold on Wednesday for £3600. Curiously enough, the exhibition of th«" manuscript attracted comparatively few spectators, and the attendance at the sale was much smaller than might have been expected. For my own part, I felt it to be a rare privilege to have the chance of seeing this momentous documeni. so full of human interest, so intimately connected with the climax in the career of the world's greatest sailor. This document is the original manuscript as penned by Nelson himself, giving the sailing orders embodying the famous "Nelson touch," whereby the victory of Trafalgar was gloriously won. Four copies of thjp original are known, one of which is in the British Museum: but only recently has the original itself come to light again. Its history has been romantic. After Trafalgar it passed into the possession of Captain (afterwards Admiral) Mundy. When this admiral died he bequeathed a desk "and all its contents" to a faithful friend, by whom the gift ■was transmitted to his son, the present vendor of the memorandum. But neither the friend nor his son were aware that Nelson's famous manuscript was reposing within a secret drawer of the eld desk. For the best part of a century its existence, remained unsuspected, and it was only a month or two ago that the document was accidentally discovered. It was a ''find'" indeed—worth £3600 to the lucky owner.

The bidding started at £250, and quickly resolved itself into a duel between two well-known dealers, Mr Quaritch and Mr Sabin. The former bid up to £3500. Mr Sabin went £100 better, and secured the prize. He is now offering it to the nation at tne price he paid for it. and unless the Government intervene while there is still a chance a document of surpassing interest in our national history will be lost to us. Mr Sabin will have no difficulty in disposing of it elsewhere, and unless the nation secures it the document will probably cross the Atlantic to serve as the latest toy of some American millionaire, and repose in his machine-made library.

The text of the Memorandum has long been familiar. After Nelson wrote it. a copy was made for each of his 40 captains, and since Trafalgar the document has been translated into the language of every nation owning a seaboard or a ship. Admiral Togo, it is stated on authority, knows it by rote in English, and one of the chief incidents of the view-days was the crowd of Japanese visitors evidently determined to know as much about the famous classic as their own ''Nelson.' , The manuscript is written in a firm, bold hand, easily legible, and containing but few corrections and additions. Nelson's plaift were clear and definite, and his outline of them in writing is equally clean-cut. A splendid note of self-confidence pervades the document —confidence in himself and his fleet. No provision was made for anything but victory.

It may be interesting to quote a portion of the famous Memorandum, which naval authorities universally acknowledge to be a complete masterpiece of its kind. Under date October 9, 1005, it begius: —

'"Thinking it almost impossible to bring a fleet of 4.0 sail of the iiiie into a line of battle, in variable winds, thick weather, and other circumstances which must occur, without such a loss of time, that the opportunity would probably be lost ... I have therefore made up my mind to keep the fleet in that position of sailing (with the exception of the first and second in command) that the order of saiiing is to be the order of battle; placing the fleet in two lines of 1C ships each, with an advanced squadron of eight of the fastest sailing twodecked ships (which; will always make

if wanted a line of 24 sail, on whichever line the commander-in-cliief may direct. The second in command will, after my intentions are made known to him, have the entire direction of his line, to make the attack upon the enemy, and to follow up the blow until they are captured or destroyed. If the enemy's fleet should be seen to windward in line of battle, and that the. two lines and the advancing squadron could fetch them, they will probably be so extended that their van "could not succour their rear. I should therefore probably make the second in commands signal to lead through about the twelfth ship from their rear (or wherever he could fetch, if not able to get so far advanced). My line, would lead through about their centre, and the advanced squadron to cut two, or three, or four ships ahead of their centre; so as to insure getting at their commander-in-chief, whom every elFort must be made to capture .

. . B(ritish) to be superior to the E(neniy) cut off.« Something must be left to chance. Nothing is sure in a seafight . . If the van of the enemy tack, the captured *hips must run to leeward of the British fleet; if the enemy wear, the British must place themselves between the enemy and the captured, and disabled British ships; and should the enemy close, I have no fear of the result. . . In case signals can neither be seen nor perfectly understood, no captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside'that of an enemy. . ."

Thus did Nelson foreshadow the plan of attack at Trafalgar. The attack was carried out as he had planned, with what result the world kno^B.