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PMarione
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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 Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:51 pm Post subject: News of the Battle of the Nile |
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Does anybody knows when the news of the Battle of the Nile reached London?
Paris? |
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David H
Joined: 29 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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From reports published in The Times, then the first rumours of an engagement appeared at the end of August. On 29 August The Times, in the column reporting news reports from abroad, stated that news "from Italy" stated that "...all the accounts have been received in Italian ports agree that the French and British fleets have met ... the battle was fought near Alexandria".
The first definate news arrived later. On 21 September The Times reported that they had received Paris newspapers dated 15 September, which were reporting a large battle in Egypt, in which several French ships had been lost.
The first official news arrived in London on 1 October. The Times of the following day reported that despatches from Sir Morton Eden, in Vienna, had arrived giving detail of the battle.
Nelson's despatches arrived in London the next day (2 October). The Times reported on 3 October that Captain Capel of the Mutine cutter had arrived at the Admiralty with Nelson's account. |
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PMarione
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| Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks David.
And Paris? |
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tonybb
Joined: 09 Apr 2007
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| Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:09 am Post subject: |
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In a letter from William Pitt to George Rose, dated Aug 10th 1798, he says: | Quote: | | I have received French newspapers of the 7th and 8th, containing vague reports of an action between Nelson and Bonaparte, and some pretending that the latter had been victorious. They serve only to confirm the belief that something has happened, but it may still be some time before we have any authentic account, though they probably will not be long able to disguise entirely the result, even in France. |
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PMarione
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 12:36 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, Tony.
Amazing how the news were going fast for the period.
Only 5 days from Egypt to Paris! |
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tonybb
Joined: 09 Apr 2007
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 9:36 am Post subject: |
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Yes, it seems remarkably quick - and given the dates in David's post, I was actually wondering if it was a mistake. But the letter appears in the Diaries and Correspondence of George Rose, printed in 1860, and is included specifically with the comment that it was the first intelligence of the battle - although this comment was based purely on the date on the letter itself.
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PMarione
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| Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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In Michèle Battesti's "La bataille d'Aboukir", she says that the news of a great French victory arrived in Toulon on 18 fructidor (4 September) and that it was great rejoicing and bonfires in the town.
Apparently the commander in Rome had received a letter from Buonaparte saying that after landing the army at Alexandria, he (B) was gone back to sea to find the British fleet, met it off Messina, and taken 5 ships including Nelson's one who had blown his brain off.
Napoleon took a lot of efforts to put the blame on Bruey, ordering archives "cleaned". |
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