Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 363
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7 image_8 image_9 image_10 image_11 image_12
Horatio Nelson Rare ALS To Emma Hamilton Re: A "Damned pimping Bitch" Daring To Compete With His Incomparable Emma!
Horatio Nelson Rare ALS To Emma Hamilton Re: A "Damned pimping Bitch" Daring To Compete With His Incomparable Emma!
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7 image_8 image_9 image_10 image_11 image_12
Description:

Horatio Nelson
[Toulon, France], n.d. but ca. late August 1803
Horatio Nelson Rare ALS To Emma Hamilton Re: A "Damned pimping Bitch" Daring To Compete With His Incomparable Emma!
Partial ALS

A 4pp partial autograph letter signed by British Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), consisting of pages 4-7 of a letter, and signed at its conclusion as "Nelson." We feel that the family may have destroyed the first pages because they likely contained sexual or explicit references supported by the beginning of the text that remains "...teazed me more than a little". N.d. but ca. late August 1803. N.p. but probably written aboard Nelson's Mediterranean Fleet flagship "H.M.S. Victory," then blockading Toulon, France. Inscribed on laid watermarked bifold paper, with several contemporaneous strike-throughs and rewrites, notably on the last page. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and a few tiny breaks along the bifold gutter. Isolated ink bleed-through and light scattered spots. Else near fine. 7.5" x 9.375." Housed in a fancy quarter burgundy leather and cloth-covered case with gilt-embossed spine and front panel, scattered bumping, measuring 10.25" x 13.625" x 1.25." Provenance: From the private library of Brooke Astor; previously offered at Sotheby's October 28, 1968 sale as Lot 413.

Admiral Nelson penned this lengthy and confiding letter to his longtime mistress, the recently widowed Lady Emma Hamilton (1765-1815). In it, Nelson refers extensively to his two prize agents, Alexander Davison (1750-1829) and William Marsh (1755-1846), both close friends with high expectations of future commissions. Nelson also speculates about the prospects of capturing the French Fleet and securing prize money.

The second half of the letter includes Nelson's explicit and mostly negative opinions about a mutual acquaintance named Mrs. Denis. Although Nelson playfully contends that Mrs. Denis and his beloved Emma share some characteristics, including vanity, Nelson ends his letter by excoriating Mrs. Denis and reaffirming that no one could be like his incomparable Emma. Interestingly, Nelson's comments about Mrs. Denis have been entirely redacted from Thomas Joseph Pettigrew's 2-volume "Memoirs of the Life of Vice-Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, K.B., Duke of Bronté, etc. etc. etc." (London: T. and W. Boone, 29, New Bond Street, 1849), pp. 336-337.

Page breaks have been added for clarity. Nelson wrote in full, with original usage:

"(4) … teazed me more than a little, and to say the truth I am so situated between Davison and Mr. Marsh that I do not think that I ever can name an agent again, I have had many and great obligations to both of them, and I never put a Sixpence in Mr. Marsh's pocket, Davison it has been twice in my power say he has touched (besides the use of the money which you may lay at 10,000 £) full 15000 £ and when I told Davison how I was situated with Mr. Marsh & that I wished to name them together Dn: declined it + said whatever you do let me stand alone, I may never have the power of naming one alone for Secretary, and other Ads: will naturally look to the compliment being also paid them of joining together, therefore if Davison will never be joined I see but little

[page break]

chance of my being able to name him alone and indeed Captains have naturally so many friends of their own that it is not to be expected I have wrote Davison pretty near as much as some time ago, but he may be assured that I shall never omit an opportunity when it can be done with propriety and I am sure he is too much my friend to wish to place me in difficulty, but keep this to yourself - I will for a moment suppose a case which may happen we take the french fleet the Captains name the three Secretarys and pay me perhaps the compliment of asking me to name a person in England to do the business I should of course wish to join Mr. Davison + Mr. Marsh it would hurt me

[page break]

for him to refuse to be joined with Mr. Marsh and the Secretarys here and yet he would do it. I know he would give up the proposition and only ask to have his name stand alone but neither the Captors or the other parties could agree to it, therefore I know of no other way not taking the french fleet, and that would be very hard upon me but I have done with that subject. What is it my dear Emma that Mrs. Denis thinks that I can be useful to Mr. Ds. in at Civita Vecchia no prizes can be carried in there even if the Pope would allow it nobody would trust their property under the Popes care therefore I know of nothing I shall never have any communication with that place indeed now Lord Bristol is dead it cannot be an object for them to go out the pay will not hire their lodgings

[page break]

and there can be no trade till the peace I really respect him but Madame has not a little of the Blarney, what Mrs. somebodys (sic) maid said of her is true enough She is as deep as a draw well & would buy + sell you if she could get any thing for herself by it, the Devil directs her, however you know we are all good friends + say every thing for me to her, (Damned pimping Bitch) you know my opinions and we do not differ much but it is good to have her tongue as much as possible on the right side how ridiculous her going to a masquerade she fancys herself like you damn me if I believe it no nothing in this World can be like my own dear Emma's She is perfection in every part my adored Emma She like you, She be damned for her vanity, Oh my dearest sweet angelic Emma be all

Your Nelson--."

Nelson had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British Navy's Mediterranean Fleet during the ongoing French Revolutionary Wars. Sailing the flagship "H.M.S. Victory" from Portsmouth to Malta soon after receiving his assignment, Nelson arrived offshore at Toulon, in southeastern France, in July 1803. Nelson would supervise the British blockade of the French Fleet from there for the next 18 months. Contrary to the hopes and expectations Nelson expressed in this letter, there were no French prizes. French Fleet Commander Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve snuck out of Toulon twice, in January and in June 1805 respectively. Nelson pursued Villeneuve's ships after both escapes but failed to reconnoiter them; he would finally meet Villeneuve at the fatal Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805.

In letters to various correspondents, Nelson notes that he is financially strapped and would welcome prize money gained through skirmish or battle. Nelson accumulated numerous shares of prize money from captured French and Spanish shipping over the course of his 34-year-long naval career. But Nelson's biographers, among them Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, maintain that prize money was of secondary importance to the ultimate goal of victory: Nelson wanted glory, not winnings.

Nelson abruptly halts his discussion of naval affairs in this letter in order to complain about Emma's close female friend, Mrs. Denis, whom he calls a "Damned pimping Bitch." Nelson denounces Mrs. Denis as clever, cunning, and ruthless, with plots as deeply designed as a "draw well." Motivated primarily by self-interest, Mrs. Denis is flattering ("not a little of the Blarney") and gossipy ("it is good to have her tongue as much as possible on the right side"). Lastly, Nelson believes Mrs. Denis is foolish, for she believes that she can compete with the divine Emma!

The entire reference to Mrs. Denis - including the inventory of her character flaws - is discretely omitted from Thomas Joseph Pettigrew's "Memoirs" published in 1849. While Nelson's anti-Mrs. Denis comments were certainly salty, very similar comments (again against Mrs. Denis) were not expunged from an earlier 1814 publication, "The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton; With a Supplement of Interesting Letters By Distinguished Characters" (London: Printed by Macdonald and Son, Smithfield…). This collection reproduces an October 18, 1803 letter written by Nelson to Emma just a few weeks after our August 1803 letter, in which Nelson explodes, in remarkably similar terms: "Mrs. D—— is a damned pimping bitch! What has she to do with your love? She would have pimped for Lord B——, or Lord L——, or Captain M'N——, * * * * of * * * *, or any one else. She is all vanity: fancies herself beautiful; witty; in short, like you. She be damned!" (Letter XXXIX).

The identity of Mrs. Denis is somewhat unclear. In Walter Sichel's 1905 biography "Emma, Lady Hamilton," Mrs. Denis is described as the wife of a French settler in Naples. A singer of some talent, Mrs. Denis also belonged to a musical set comprised of Emma Hamilton's friends Mrs. Lind and Mrs. Billington. Sichel also reports that Mrs. Denis cared for Emma Hamilton's first illegitimate daughter, Emma Carew. Mrs. Denis and her husband may have had political aspirations in Italy which Nelson disapproved of. Nelson mentions Mrs. Denis a surprisingly large number of times in his correspondence with Emma Hamilton. Taken collectively, his comments about Mrs. Denis suggest that Nelson felt not a little jealous and insecure.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: case measures: 10.25" x 13.625" x 1.25"
  • Medium: Partial ALS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 19, 2025 10:00 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000