This happy
and devoted father and son relationship continued for the next eighteen
months until 1793 when Josiah accompanied Nelson ashore in Naples and
was present at the first meeting with the Ambassador’s wife Lady
Emma Hamilton.
From
that time on, Josiah’s behaviour was less than expected from a
Naval Officer, both in private and public.
In
August 1798 Lord St Vincent wrote to Nelson regarding Josiah saying
he was “young for his age, very active, certainly ungracious in
the extreme” and “may have lain too long at Lisbon”
when he was in command of HMS Dolphin (24).
The
young man had said “The fleshpots of Lisbon and the good red wine
may have not helped my career, but I certainly enjoyed myself there”.
Little did Josiah realise that at that time Nelson was trying to have
him promoted to Post Captain.
His
rather rocky naval career continued and he was in Naples when Nelson
was celebrating his 40th birthday. At the party Josiah made outspoken
remarks about Nelson and Lady Hamilton and had to be removed by force.
The acrimonious split between stepfather and son had begun – a
split that would never be healed.
Josiah’s
Naval career was damaged by his behaviour and this outburst. When he
returned to England to pay off HMS Thalia he was placed on half pay,
never again to serve in his capacity of Naval Officer, until his service
ended in 1825.
On
going to live with his mother, Josiah recorded that she was a generous
person and recognising his business skills funded his financial business
in France to where they regularly commuted in his yacht.
Josiah
fulfilled his mother’s dearest wishes for grandchildren when,
after marrying Frances Evans in March 1819 he started a family, becoming
the father of seven children between 1821 and 1830.
In July
1830 Josiah was unwell with a heavy summer cold which developed into
pleurisy or perhaps dropsy and he died on the 9th of the month.
