approval of his course was succeeded, in November, by a letter from
the Secretary of the Treasury, through the usual official channels of
the Admiralty, acquainting him that the Government was "of opinion
that the commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands, and officers under
him, have shown a very commendable zeal, in endeavouring to put a stop
to the very illicit practices which were carrying on in the islands,
in open violation of the law, and to the great detriment of the
navigation and trade of his Majesty's dominions." Verily, Hughes had
his reward. Here he was commended in express terms for doing that
which he had been too prudent to do, for zeal which he had never
shown, for maintaining a law which he had given orders not to
maintain. "I own I was surprised," wrote Nelson, "that the
commander-in-chief should be thanked for an act which he did not
order, but which, if I understand the meaning of words, by his order
of the 29th December, 1784, he ordered not to be." "To the end of the
station,[11] his order of the 29th of December was never repealed, so
that I always acted with a rod over me." How heavily the
responsibility he assumed was felt by others, is clearly shown in
another statement made by him. "The Captains Collingwood were the only
officers, with myself, who ever attempted to hinder the illicit trade
with America; _and I stood singly with respect to seizing_, for the
other officers were fearful of being brought into scrapes."

Backed by the royal approval, and with his legal expenses guaranteed,
Nelson's course was now smooth. He continued in all parts of the
station to suppress the contraband trade, and his unpopularity, of
course, also continued; but excitement necessarily subsided as it
became clear that submission was unavoidable, and as men adapted
themselves to the new conditions. The whole procedure now looks
somewhat barbarous and blundering, but in no essential principle