Captain Troubridge wrote to condole with Captain Darby, of the _Bellerophon_, for his wounds and the number of people killed in his ship; but added, that had his sufferings been fifty times as much, _he_ had rather have been in his place than have borne the anguish he felt from running aground and being kept out of the action; that he had found great difficulty in keeping from shooting himself; and that he even then frequently shed tears. Captain Darby and Captain Gould, who was present when he received the letter, both wept.
The estate of Bronté, near Mount Etna, so called from one of the Cyclops, was given by the King to Lord Nelson. It is a Dukedom, with estates valued at between two and three thousand pounds sterling per annum. His Majesty also presented him with a sword set with diamonds which had belonged to his father, the King of Spain, accompanied by a letter, saying, that as this was the sword with which his father had conquered Naples, it ought to belong to Lord Nelson, who had recovered that kingdom. Every officer who came in with good news received a present from the Queen, of greater or less value, according to the circumstances and his rank in our service. She also gave some very valuable jewels to Lady Hamilton. The Order of St. Ferdinand was instituted by the King for the recovery of his Italian States, and crosses were bestowed upon our officers, and upon the Neapolitan Ministers, and others attached to the Court who had followed the Royal Family to Palermo. A Neapolitan one day remarked that this Order had not been conferred on a single Sicilian. A gentleman of the island being present, and thinking this was said in an invidious manner, replied, “His Majesty is perfectly right to give his new Order to the few Neapolitans who have remained faithful. Had he given it to us, it must have been to every inhabitant of the island, for all have been true to him.” The Sicilians certainly did show great loyalty, and were delighted with the presence of their sovereign, but it must also be remembered that they had a deep-rooted and hereditary dislike to the French. They always spoke with pride of the Sicilian Vespers, and would at any time have been ready to repeat them. Similar feelings prevailed in Sardinia and Malta, without any historical motive, but there is an independence in the character of islanders which is not easily overcome, unless biased by commercial speculations.