In the evening of May 5, 1799, a powerful fleet from Brest entered the Mediterranean and proceeded towards Carthagena, for the purpose of forming a junction with the Spanish ships in that port, after which it was the enemy’s intention to embark a large body of troops at Toulon, to wrest Minorca from the English, raise the blockade of Naples, and make a joint attack upon Sicily. All those objects, however, were frustrated through the supineness of the Spaniards, and the vigilance of the British Admirals to the westward.
The enemy’s arrival within the Straits of Gibraltar was no sooner made known to Nelson, than he resolved to collect his line-of-battle ships, and cruise with them off Maritimo, in order to protect Sicily from the threatened invasion, and at the same time to cover the frigates and sloops left off Naples, under the command of Captain (now Vice-Admiral) Foote, to whose memoir we must refer our readers for a sketch of the occurrences on that station, from the period of his predecessor’s departure for Palermo, until the return of Ferdinand IV. to his capital, in the month of July following[1].
Although Ferdinand IV. had abandoned his capital, he was not wholly forsaken by his subjects; the inhabitants of the provinces, in particular, still retained an affection for their absent King, and were ready to sacrifice their lives in his cause.
Cardinal F. Ruffo was very assiduous in cherishing these loyal sentiments. This ecclesiastic, one of the most extraordinary characters of the age, had, in consequence of some disputes with the Pope, taken refuge at Naples, and been appointed Intendant of Caserta, an appointment by no means suitable to the dignity of the Roman purple. Having accompanied the King to Palermo, at a period when all the courtiers despaired of the restoration of the monarchy, he obtained leave to repair to Calabria, on purpose to erect the standard of royalty there. Although accompanied by five persons only when he landed at Scylla, this fortunate adventurer was soon joined by a number of inhabitants, headed by Don Reggio Renaldi, rector of Scalca, who had already organized an insurrection, and waited only the arrival of a chief, to direct the movements of his colleagues.
