"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.
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