ALS about Lord Nelson and the Battle of the Nile, Earl Howe dated 1798

HOWE, Richard, 1st Earl Howe (1726-1799). Autograph letter, 3 October 1798, discussing Nelson and the aftermath of the Battle of the Nile.
 
Single sheet, written on one side, with address panel to the reverse to "The Hon. Mrs Howe, Grafton Street, London". Old folds, light creasing and general handling wear; later pencil attribution "Earl Howe" and date to the reverse. Very Good.
 
A contemporary assessment of Nelson's victory at the Battle of the Nile by one of the senior British naval commanders of the eighteenth century. Howe writes:
"Nelson's conduct, justly appreciated, places him very highly in professional estimation. His disadvantages in the attack, seem to have been considerable; and skilfully surmounted."
Howe then considers the wider strategic consequences of the victory, expressing his anxiety for reliable news of Bonaparte's position and observing that, if Nelson's squadron could prevent supplies reaching the French army, there was good reason to expect serious consequences for the French Direction.
 
Nelson's destruction of the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile on 1-2 August 1798 had transformed the Mediterranean campaign, leaving Bonaparte's expeditionary army in Egypt increasingly isolated from France. The letter was written only two months after the battle, while its military and political consequences were still unfolding.
 
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, Admiral of the Fleet, was himself one of Britain's most distinguished naval commanders. He had commanded the Channel Fleet to victory over the French at the Glorious First of June in 1794 and remained one of the most authoritative professional naval figures of his generation. His assessment of Nelson's performance therefore carries particular contemporary significance. The final portion concerns Howe's forthcoming departure for the winter to Bath with Lady Howe. A most uncommon letter about Lord Nelson and his tactics used in the Battle of the Nile by a fellow naval commander and former First Lord of the Admiralty.