NELSON, Horatio, Viscount Nelson.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Autograph weather log kept by Nelson on the Victory, 24 October 1803 to 31 August 1804. Meticulously kept during the blockade of the French fleet at Toulon, this is arguably the most substantial Nelson manuscript remaining in private hands. As Lambert notes, Nelson's weather logs were no mere curiosity: "The ability to read the weather and to anticipate changes was vital for a sea officer… this was the building block of his system" (pp. xxi-xxii).The long blockade of Toulon (July 1803-December 1804) has often been described as the decisive proving ground of his command. White calls it "the most important period in his professional career" (p. 294), and Southey famously emphasised Nelson's "unremitting and almost unexampled perseverance", quoting Nelson's own maxim: "If I am to watch the French, I must be at sea; and, if at sea, must have bad weather". Only weeks before the blockade began, Nelson had shifted his flag from Amphion to the veteran Victory, launched in 1765. Though old, she proved exceptionally steady in the heavy seas off Toulon - a blessing given Nelson's seasickness and the "strong north-west winds" that blew almost constantly (Knight, pp. 459, 617).Only three other weather logs in Nelson's hand are recorded: two at the National Maritime Museum (covering 10 September-23 October 1803 and 1 September 1804-13 May 1805) and one at the British Library (14 May-20 October 1805, the eve of Trafalgar). This log was known to Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas, editor of the Dis

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