Autograph letter to His Excellency Lieutenant General Sir Hew Dalrymple, General Officer Commanding Northern District, and Acting Governor of Gibraltar

Handwritten autograph letter in brown ink, signed “Your most faithful humble servant Collingwood”, 4 pp., mailing folds, on-board HMS Ocean, April 25th 1807.

A letter written in a neat and legible hand, in which Collingwood provides Dalrymple with an update on the general political situation in the Mediterranean, with special reference to the administrations at Tripoli, Algiers, Tunis. “Some vessels which have been spoken with – have said we are possessed of Alexandria – but examining dates, I do not think they could know it – though I hope there is no doubt of that fact” he continues “I believe Algiers will be disposed to peace also – but I doubt Tunis…it has been a practice to give a sort of passport to states with whom Tunis is at war”.

Collingwood provides information on the status in general of consuls and vice consuls: ‘Of the Vice Consuls I do not believe the Ministers take any cognizances – or trouble themselves about this appointment, they are persons who the Consul appoints to assist him – they have no salary from any person – but in Porte where there is a good trade they are brokers – and have fees from the ships & merchants, where there is no trade, as at Oran they make an income by their wits… since the hostilities began in the Archipelago, a detachment of Turkish troops arrived at Tunis – which does not look favourable to Peace’; Collingwood’s substantial letter ends with a reference to Nelson: ‘That Don Antonio, in whose behalf Genl. Cartenas wrote to you – I understand commanded a Privateer which … behaved very ill to his prisoners – for which reason I directed him to be sent to England – as I do all privateers men who are taken in the Gib – and the crews of Vessels belonging to Barcelona – until Mr. Geiner an English Merchant is released from his prison in the Castle of Barcelona … they put him in prison on suspicion of his having corresponded with the fleet – and given Lord Nelson intelligence previous to the war – I applied for his enlargement without affect and have sent a great many Bercelonians – and shall send a great many more, if they do not restore him to liberty.

Vice Admiral Collingwood was made Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet following the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and was tasked with blockading ports to prevent French naval and merchant activity, from 16 May 1806, serving aboard HMS Ocean, a 98 gun ship of the line. Napoleon responded with the Continental System in November 1806, which attempted to enforce a European trade embargo against Britain to try and weaken her economically. This largely failed as Britain succeeded in smuggling in goods via Spain and Russia (both of which were to be invaded by Napoleon), and developed new markets in the Americas with the support and protection of the British Navy, generally dominant in the Atlantic. Sir Hew Dalrymple (1750-1830) saw action in the 1793 Flanders Campaign against Revolutionary France, was made a Lieutenant-General in 1801 before transferring to Gibraltar in 1806 to serve under General Henry Fox, and was appointed acting Governor of Gibraltar from November 1806 to August 1808.