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Early in May, letters reached him from Guernsey, intimating the great apprehension his countrymen were under of invasion by the enemy; when he wrote to Sir Thomas Troubridge, then one of the Lords of the Admiralty, who sent the following answer: Admiralty, 17th May 1801. Many thanks for your kind letter of the 6th instant.
The islands in the bay of Naples were joyfully delivered up by the inhabitants, who were in a state of famine already, from the effect of this baleful revolution. Troubridge distributed among them all his flour, and Nelson pressed the Sicilian court incessantly for supplies; telling them that L10,000 given away in provisions would, at this time, purchase a kingdom.
So the Despatches, &c., of Lord Nelson, Sir H. Nicholas, vol. ii. p. 429. Theseus , Captain Ralph Willett Miller, carried the Rear-Admiral's flag; 2. Culloden , Commodore and Captain Thos. Troubridge; 3. Zealous , Captain Sam. Hood; 4. Leander , Captain Thos. Boulden Thomson, which joined on the day before the attack. There were three frigates: 1. Seahorse , Captain Thos. Francis Fremantle; 2.
The operation was boldly performed, despite the darkness of night and other dangers; and our soldiers returned with a prisoner, an Irish sailor of the Fox cutter, who had swum off from his ship. 'The enemy now prepared his force for the attack. This made a total of 1,000 to 1,060 men, commanded by Captain, afterwards Admiral, Sir Thomas Troubridge, Bart.
"Now, why the mischief didn't I think of that?" exclaimed the boatswain, smiting his knee with vexation. "Of course that's the proper thing to do. Oh, Mr Troubridge, why didn't you let yourself be elected a member of council, sir? You've an old head, although it is on young shoulders; and you'd have been worth more to us than Fell, Burgess, Monroe, and Hilary all lumped together."
Scarcely had she broken the enemy's line, than the commander-in-chief signaled the order to tack in succession. Troubridge's manoeuvre was so dashingly performed, that the admiral could not restrain his delight and admiration. "Look, Jackson," he rapturously exclaimed, "look at Troubridge there!
"That is true; it would," said I. "Which reminds me that as I came along the beach, on my way here just now, I once or twice had an impression of being followed. I thought that possibly it might be you, and waited for you to overtake me; but nothing came of it." "It is a case of `guilty conscience', I expect, Mr Troubridge," laughed Gurney. "Why should anyone follow you?
To provide for the case of the enemy being met at sea, the force had been organized into three squadrons, a subdivision of command which, while surrendering nothing of the admiral's initiative, much facilitated the application of his plans, by committing the execution of major details to the two senior captains, Saumarez and Troubridge, each wielding a group of four ships.
More urgent letters arriving from England, with news that a heavy reinforcement had left there, he, on the 19th, hurried off a brig, "La Mutine," commanded by Hardy, Nelson's former lieutenant, to notify the rear-admiral that a squadron of ten ships would be sent to him shortly from before Cadiz; and on the 21st this detachment sailed, under the command of Captain Troubridge.
"Troubridge," he says, "has so completely prevented my ever mentioning anybody's service, that I am become a cipher, and he has gained a victory over Nelson's spirit. I am kept here, for what? he may be able to tell, I cannot. But long it cannot, shall not be." Nelson rejoiced that the experiment was made, but was well aware that it was an experiment.
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