It would be 5th November before the news reached London. The revival of any French threat to invade England was now impossible, and Britain commenced a period of long mastery of the seas.
Writing to his wife from aboard San Josef at Ushant on 11th November, Sir Charles Cotton was conscious of the value of victory, if uncertain of its lasting effect: ‘If this glorious success has not its due Effects on the Continent, it may afford us some Relaxation, & a Relief this Winter’. His realism did not dim his admiration for Nelson. ‘& now for the sainted Hero Nelson, I trust and hope he is so, & that the recording angel may blot out with a tear the accont of some natural Frailties he was subject to ….he just lived to be told, & understand that the Santa Trinidad had struck. What a glorious Death! To Wolfe and Abercrombie what a third Hero is joined!’
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Letter, Sir Charles Cotton to his wife Philadelphia, Ushant, 11 November 1805.
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By 9 November the news of Nelson's victory, and his death, had reached Cambridgeshire. The Cambridge Chronicle reported that "the joy which was occasioned by intelligence of the glorious victory obtained over the Combined fleets of France and Spain was considerably checked by news of the death of the glorious and intrepid chief, through whose skill and arrangements, aided by congenial spirits and conquest was achieved. Every man smiled at the great news of victory but when the price was told, the smile was followed by a sigh."
Two extracts from the Cambridge Chronicle relating to Nelson's death can be found in the PDF document in the righthand column.