"Nevis - Nelson's Spring" by Paul McGehee. The beautiful Eastern Caribbean island of Nevis is rich in history, especially in the era of the late 1780's when Horatio Nelson patrolled Caribbean waters as the Captain of the H.M.S. "Boreas", a 28-gun frigate of the British Navy. Nelson's charge was to enforce the "navigation acts"; to make sure the goods coming through the shipping lanes were solely of British origin, not from adversaries and certainly not to or from the newly-independent American States to the north, as they were now classified as 'foreigners' and were forbidden trade in the British-governed islands. Nelson in the "Boreas" policed these waters from 1784 until 1787. When his men needed fresh water, they knew of a natural well near the lagoon at Cotton Ground on Nevis where they could get their fill to replenish the ship's supply. They would send a rowboat from the anchored "Boreas" with a small contingent of sailors to assist in filling kegs with the sweet fresh water. Nestled within a lovely grove of lush, green palm trees, ferns and jungle growth, and just behind the beach, was what was to become known to history as "Nelson's Spring". In those years of the 1780's, Nelson frequented Nevis and met his future wife there, Frances 'Fanny' Nisbet, daughter of a wealthy Senior Judge. They married at Montpelier Plantation in March of 1787 and left for England soon thereafter. Fate had other plans for the young couple, and after a tumultuous decade they parted, and Horatio...now Admiral Lord Nelson of the British Navy...led the outnumbered defense at the hard-fought Battle of Trafalgar in October of 1805. Nelson's unorthodox maneuvers against the enemy ships ended up winning a great victory for England against France, and their allies from Spain, but he lost his life in the process, picked off by a French sharpshooter. Today the great national hero of England is honored by the thousands of British tourists who flock to the island of Nevis each year in pilgrimage, to walk the same soil that Nelson walked and visit Montpelier and Nisbet Plantations. In more recent decades, Montpelier Plantation was visited by Diana, Princess of Wales, her two young sons William and Harry, and other members of the Royal Family at Christmastime, 1993 in her first trip since her separation from Prince Charles. Surely, the young Princes heard of Nelson's brave exploits and his connections to the Montpelier Plantation Inn and the island in general. And some history-minded Americans, by the way, go to Nevis because Alexander Hamilton was born there and spent his early childhood days on the island. Mostly, though, people go to Nevis because of the beauty of the island and its people and their gracious hospitality. And what of Nelson's Spring? It can still be found today right there behind the beach at Pinney's, in a grove of greenery. Located nearby is the luxury Nelson Spring Beach Resort located in Cotton Ground on the sunny shores of the Caribbean Sea. As you relax on your next visit there, take a moment to recall this scene. If you use your imagination (and maybe have a rum punch or two)...you just might 'see' the ghost of the H.M.S. "Boreas" off shore, and Nelson's men taking on water! It's just one of the many, many stories which the history-rich island of Nevis has to tell. "Nevis - Nelson's Spring" is faithfully reproduced as an archival-quality print from McGehee's original artwork, each hand-signed by the artist. Print image size: 11" x 20 1/2".