[Michael Lambton Este, Military Surgeon, sometime Private Secretary to Nelson; Trafalgar] Autograph Note Third Person, to surgeon and antiquary Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, declining an invitation

One page, 12mo, good condition. Mr Este presents his best compliments to Mr Pettigrew, has just received his kind invitation, and is extremely sorry he cannot have the pleasure of attending his conversazione on Wednesday evening - in consequence of a previous engagement. See ImageNote: Biography in Plarr?s Lives of the Fellows (Royal College of Surgeons):He then came under the notice of Nelson, to whom he acted as a private secretary. In July, 1804, Este had collected letters detained at Gibraltar and Port Mahon and forwarded them to Nelson, then off Toulon, for which he was thanked by Nelson in a letter headed Victory, August 3rd, 1804. In this letter Nelson said, I hope you left your worthy father well. In letters dated Aug 20th and Sept 16th, Este informed Nelson of Lock's death, to which Nelson replied from the Victory under date of Oct 4th, 1804. Este then went on board the Victory, and later supplied an important account of Nelson, his diminishing vision in one eye, his precarious health, and his table talk as to his future. On Nov 4th Nelson sent Este home on board the Termagant (Captain Pettet) with despatches to the Admiralty, and included a note to H Chamberlain, agent for the packets at Lisbon, to forward Este should the Termagant be delayed by quarantine. Este had taken with him to the Victory presents of English porter, tongues, Bayonne hams, India pickles, etc. A large portion of these Nelson sent to the Termagant.Nelson had from June 3rd, 1803, when he boarded the Victory, watched the French fleet off Toulon, from time to time withdrawing to Maddalena, Sardinia, to refit. The French Admiral, La Touche Tr?ville, having died, was succeeded by Villeneuve, who was ordered by Napoleon to undertake the union of the whole naval strength of France and Spain. Villeneuve managed to get out of Toulon and pass the Straits of Gibraltar whilst Nelson was away at Maddalena. From May to August, Nelson was on the voyage to the West Indies and back. Nelson had been at Merton from Aug 19th to Sept 2nd, 1805, when he learnt of the concentration of the French and Spanish Fleet in Cadiz harbour and he went at once to the Admiralty. There follows a passage in the Scott Recollections:At the last Council, the very day previous to Lord Nelson's departure (he hoisted his flag on 14 Sept) for Trafalgar, Dr Scott waited with Mr Este, the mutual friend of the Admiral and himself, in a private room till the Council broke up. On quitting the Council, Lord Nelson came up to them, ordered Dr Scott to get ready to join him that night at Merton, and said to Mr Este, taking leave: 'I have just settled your business with Lord Liverpool [really Baron Hawkesbury, Home Secretary, Leader in the House of Lords, not 2nd Lord Liverpool until 1808] - I am now going to the Admiralty, and I shall order you a passage on board Captain Bolton's frigate. You will join me with Bolton in six weeks.' Besides Dr Scott as private secretary and interpreter, with a salary of ?100 per annum, Mr Este was to have been one of six young men, all civilians, with Commissions from the Foreign Office who were to assist in the arduous political negotiations which the Admiral anticipated.After the death of Nelson, Este returned to military duty, was promoted Surgeon to the 1st Life Guards in 1812