she now brought home to his country for burial, rendered her an object of the greatest interest. Her shattered and dismantled state declared the fury of the battle in which the hero fell, and her decks were still stained with the blood of those who had avenged his death. She had received 86 shot between wind and water. Her fore and main-masts had been very badly wounded, and were filled with musket-balls; she had a jury mizen-mast and jury fore and main-top-masts; and many round shot were to be seen in her bowsprit and bows.
On the llth Dec. Captain Hardy sailed from Spithead for the Nore, but did not reach the Downs till the 17th. On the 22d the Victory was met by a yatch sent from Sheerness with the York Herald and Mr. Tyson, formerly Secretary to the deceased Admiral, to receive the corpse. In the evening, when they got on board, and had declared the purpose for which they came, a general gloom and impressive silence pervaded the whole ship. On the coffin being lowered down from the Victory, the flag of Nelson, which had been flying half-mast high ever since the battle, was struck, and immediately sent on board the yacht, where it was again hoisted in the same funereal manner.
In the evening of the 24th the body was landed at Greenwich, and deposited in the Record-room of the Royal Hospital, preparatory to its lying in state in the Painted Hall. The Victory proceeded to Chatham, where she was soon after put out of commission for the purpose of being repaired.
On the 9th Jan. 1806, the day on which the remains of Lord Nelson were interred in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s, Captain Hardy bore the Banner of Emblems before the relations of the deceased. In the following month he was created a Baronet of Great Britain; and in the ensuing spring appointed to the Triumph of 74 guns, on the Halifax station. He subsequently served under the orders of the late Admiral Berkeley, at Lisbon; and in 1811, the Portuguese Government conferred upon him the rank of a Chief-of-Division in the royal armada of Portugal, doubling at the same tune the pay attached to that appointment.
In August 1812, Sir Thomas M. Hardy obtained the command of the Ramillies, another third rate; and towards the close of the same year, proceeded in that ship to reinforce
