"Take care of my guardian angel!"

This picture (probably by Romney) was at
once his idol and talisman. He also wore a
miniature of Lady Hamilton next his heart.

Nelson seldom began a battle without a prayer.
He had always a profound sense of God's
omnipotence and omniscience. He now retired to
his cabin, and wrote a simple but fervid prayer.
He annexed to this prayer in his diary a sort of
will—his last request to his country in case he
fell, as he seems to have expected to do. It was
headed: "October 21, 1805.—Then in sight
of the combined fleets of France and Spain,
distant about ten miles."

He recommended Lady Hamilton to his
country for her great services to the nation.
1. For obtaining, in 1796, the letter from the
King of Spain to the King of Naples,
announcing his intention of declaring war against
England, which had given to Sir John Jervis an
opportunity of striking a first blow, which,
however, he did not do. 2. For using her
influence with the Queen of Naples to allow the
fleet to be victualled at Syracuse, which enabled
it to return to Egypt and destroy the French
fleet at the battle of the Nile. He also left to
the beneficence of his country his adopted
daughter, Horatia Nelson Thompson (and
gloriously a grateful nation—i.e. ministry—
attended to this last request). This adopted
daughter, really his own, was then five years
old, and Nelson's last moments at Merton had
been passed in praying over her as she lay
asleep in her little bed. The singular document
ended thus:

"These are the only favours I ask of my
king and country, at this moment when I am
going to fight their battle. May God bless my
king and country, and all those I hold dear!
My relations it is needless to mention; they
will, of course, be amply provided for."

Blackwood and Hardy were the witnesses.

The wind was now from the west, light breezes
with a long heavy swell. Blackwood, who came
on board the Victory at about six o'clock, found
Nelson in good spirits, but grave and calm, and
not in that glow and exultation which he had
shown before Aboukir and Copenhagen. He had
already expressed his belief that the French
would make a dead set at the Victory. The
French had now tacked to the northward, and,
to Nelson's great regret, formed their line on
the larboard tack, thereby bringing the shoals of
Trafalgar and St. Pedro under the British lee,
and leaving the port of Cadiz open for
themselves. Nelson at once gave signal to prepare
to anchor, and the necessity of this measure was
strongly on his mind to the last. He told Blackwood
to use the frigates as much as possible.

"I mean to-day," he said, "to bleed the
captains of the frigates, as I shall keep you on
board until the very last minute."

"During the five hours and a half," says
Blackwood, "that I remained on board the
Victory, in which I was not ten times from his
side, he frequently asked me what I should
consider as a victory'? The certainty of which he
never for an instant seemed to doubt, although
from the situation of the land he questioned the
possibility of the subsequent preservation of
the prizes. My answer was, 'That considering
the handsome way in which the battle was
offered to the enemy, their apparent determination
for a fair trial of strength, and the proximity
of the land, I thought if fourteen ships were
captured it would be a glorious result.' To
which he always replied, 'I shall not, Blackwood,
be satisfied with anything short of twenty.'
A telegraphic signal had been made by him to
denote that he intended to break through the
rear of the enemy's line, to prevent their
getting into Cadiz. I was walking with him,"
continues Captain Blackwood, "on the poop,
when he said, ' I'll now arouse the fleet with a
signal;' and he asked if I did not think there
was one yet wanting. I answered, that I
thought the whole of the fleet seemed very
clearly to understand what they were about,
and to vie with each other who should first get
nearest the Victory or Royal Sovereign. These
words were scarcely uttered, when his last well-
known signal was made, ' ENGLAND EXPECTS
EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY.' The shout with
which it was received throughout the fleet was
truly sublime."

There has been a good deal of paltry discussion
as to whether Nelson wrote or only modified
this signal. It matters little; he sanctioned
it, and it was that sanction alone that gave it
immortality. The shout that welcomed it was
like a roll of thunder, because the signal seemed
like a voice from England and from home. It
was an omen of victory.

About seven o'clock the French wore, and
stood in a close line on the larboard tack towards
Cadiz, the sun full upon their sails, their three-
deckers rising from the water like floating cities.
About ten, Nelson became anxious to close with
the enemy.

"They put a good face on it," he said to
Blackwood, "but I'll give them such a dressing
as they never had."

"At this critical moment," says Blackwood,
"I ventured to represent to his lordship the
value of such a life as his, and particularly in
the present battle, and I proposed hoisting his
flag in the Euryalus, whence he could better
see what was going on, as well as to what to
order in case of necessity. But he would not
hear of it, and gave as his reason the force of
example; and probably he was right. My next
object, therefore, was to endeavour to induce
his lordship to allow the Téméraire, Neptune,
and Leviathan to lead into action before the
Victory, which then was headmost. After much
conversation, in which I ventured to give it as
the joint opinion of Captain Hardy and myself
how advantageous it would be to the fleet for
his lordship to keep as long as possible out of
the battle, he at length consented to allow the
Téméraire, which was then sailing abreast of
the Victory, to go ahead, and hailed Captain E.
Harvey, to say such were his intentions if the
Téméraire could pass the Victory. Captain