NELSON (HORATIO) Autograph letter signed ('Your faithful & affectionate/ Nelson & Bronte') to Thomas Masterman Hardy ('My dear Hardy'), asking him to be his captain ('...had the Idea of War gone on I spoke to Ld St Vt for you to be my Captain if you would quit so fine a frigate & serve with me which would give me real comfort, but I hope we shall be some time at Peace...'), and asking him to enquire about a Turkish sabre sent home for him by Captain Hoste and have it sent to '23 Piccadilly', ending '...Sir William & Lady Hamilton desire to be most kindly remembered...', docketed twice by Hardy with date on reverse, one page trimmed from a larger sheet, dust-staining and marks, professional repairs to small tear and loss at upper left corner, lower left edge and two small holes, 4to (204 x 188mm.), [n.p. but Merton], 21 January 1803; in a dark blue cloth solander box with red, white and blue ribbon tie Footnotes: 'IF YOU WOULD QUIT SO FINE A FRIGATE & SERVE WITH ME': NELSON INVITES HARDY TO REJOIN HIM AS HIS FLAG CAPTAIN, LEADING TO THEIR FAMOUS PARTING AT TRAFALGAR. The name of Thomas Masterman Hardy (1769-1839) is inextricably linked to the death of Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, as the man to whom Nelson's dying words were addressed, and our letter could be said to be pivotal in beginning the chain of events that led to that poignant moment. Written from his estate at Merton (his 'Paradise Merton') during a period of extended leave from 1801-1803 after the Peace of Amiens, Nelson expresses his wish that, if war should begin again, he would have '...real comfort...' in having Hardy serve with him once more. Hardy was, at the time, captain of the Amphion, a 32-gun fifth rate frigate and the lead ship of her class, and it is perhaps a measure of Hardy's loyalty and friendship that, by becoming Nelson's flag captain, he was willing to give up a large proportion of any prize money he would have received as captain of his own vessel. Their working relationship may be summed up thus: '...no flag captain suited him better than Hardy. 'How is it,' he [Nelson] once asked him, 'that you and I never disagree, while my other captains never let me do a thing without at first resisting?' 'It is, Sir,' Hardy replied candidly, 'from my being always first lieutenant when you like to be captain, and flag-captain when you have a fancy for being admiral.' (Christopher Hibbert, Nelson, A Personal History, 1995, p.328). Hardy first came to Nelson's attention in 1793 whilst lieutenant of the frigate Meleager in the squadron off Genoa and was on the Minerve when Nelson took over in December 1796. The gallant way in which he conducted himself in her encounter with the Santa Sabina earned him Nelson's respect and appreciation and the two men formed a bond of mutual respect and friendship. In one much documented episode Hardy jumped into a boat in an attempt to save a drowning man and, whilst the boat was carried by the current towards the Spanish ships Nelson cried '...'By God... I'll not lose Hardy! Back the mizen topsail!'. This bold measure caused the Spanish ship to hesitate and shorten sail, enabling the boat to reach the frigate in safety...' (Laughton and Lambert, ODNB). They served together at the battle of Cape St Vincent and at the battle of the Nile, immediately after which Hardy was promoted to Nelson's flagship, the Vanguard and later the Foudroyant, serving as Nelson's flag captain. He then transferred with Nelson to the San Josef and to the St George, after which he left Nelson to take command of the 54-gun frigate Isis in 1801 and the Amphion in July 1802. Following the offer made to him in this letter, Hardy again joined Nelson at the resumption of war after the Peace of Amiens broke down, sailing with him to the Mediterranean in Amphion that May as the Victory was not yet ready. They finally transferred to Victory off Toulon on 31 July 1803, where they remained throughout the blockade of Toulon, and the Great Chase to the West Indies and, of course, at Trafalgar. Also mentioned here is Nelson's protégé, Captain William Hoste (1780-1828), a fellow son of North Norfolk who had begun his career on the recommendation of Nelson as a captain's servant on board the Agamemnon in 1793. He served with Nelson on the Captain at the battle of Cape St Vincent and on the Theseus at the battle of the Nile and throughout the Peace of Amiens, he served almost continuously in the Mediterranean. Here Nelson enquires after a Turkish sabre sent to him by Hoste and requests it be delivered to Sir William Hamilton's London house at 23 Piccadilly: '...His reticence in expressing himself to Nelson disappeared... and he sent him a present of a Mameluke sword that he had brought from Egypt because 'though I am now independent of his services, I shall never forget it was through him that I am so'...' (Tom Pocock, Remember Nelson: The Life of Captain Sir William Hoste, 1977, p.104). Hoste, however, missed the battle of Trafalgar by a matter of days, having been sent on a diplomatic mission to Algiers. His biographer suggests that this may have been a deliberate ploy by Nelson to protect him: '...his denial of Hoste's right to fight beside him may have been prompted by impulses of which he himself was not conscious...' (Pocock, p.115). Hoste famously hoisted the signal 'Remember Nelson' to rally his crew at the Battle of Lissa (13 March 1811). Our letter is not published by Nicolas, Dispatches and Letters, where only five letters by Nelson to Hardy are printed, all being on official business and all but one formally-worded communications (a further one is printed by White, New Letters). Provenance: Bonhams, 'Nelson & the Royal Navy', 5 July 2005, lot 126. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing