Admiral Horatio Nelson's one-sleeved undershirt, possibly the only piece of the British war hero's clothing still in private hands, will be auctioned off next month in London, Sotheby's said on Friday. The beige undershirt, with an "N" embroidered inside the neck and its right sleeve cut short, is expected to fetch between $500,000 (281,700 pounds) and $900,000. Other Nelson relics and rare letters, including a 10-page epistle to his mistress Emma Hamilton, will be placed on the auction block as part of a collection celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The one-armed, one-eyed admiral became a national hero after repelling the French and the Spanish in the legendary battle that ended Napoleon's chances of crossing the English Channel. "Anyone who beats the French usually goes down well," said Michael Grist, the Sotheby's expert in charge of the sale. "In one battle, in one day, he literally saved England. And that's the reason he's atop a statue in Trafalgar Square." An unpublished letter discussing his naval plans three days before the Trafalgar battle could fetch as much as $54,000, while the letter to his beloved Emma could command as much as $108,000. The items are on display in New York over the weekend before their sale in London on October 5. Nelson remains a figure of enduring fascination 200 years after he was killed in the Battle of Trafalgar, Grist said. "He was remarkably brave in battle, but he also wanted recognition for this, and was remarkably weak in his personal life," Grist said. "He'd face the French and Spanish fleet much easier than he would face his first wife." 世界著名的索思比拍賣公司9月23日表示，被譽為近百年來世界10大軍事統帥之一的英國著名軍事家霍雷肖·納爾遜上將的一件汗衫將於下個月在倫敦被拍賣。 據路透社9月24日報道，納爾遜在拿破崙戰爭期間擔任英國海軍司令、被譽為“英國皇家海軍之魂”。而即將於下月被拍賣的一件領口內側繡有字母“N”的米黃色汗衫，很可能是由私人保存的惟一一件納爾遜上將的衣物。 因為納爾遜上將在戰鬥中失去了右臂，所以這件汗衫右邊的袖子也相應地被裁掉了。據拍賣行估計，這件只有一隻袖子的汗衫最後拍得的價格應該在50萬美元至90萬美元之間。另外，作為慶祝特拉法爾加海戰200週年收藏品的一部分，納爾遜上將的其它一些遺物和珍貴信件也將同時進行拍賣，其中還包括一封納爾遜寫給他情人艾瑪·漢密爾頓女士長達10頁的私人信件。 報道説，其中一封未公開的納爾遜上將在特拉法爾加海戰開始前3天，論述其海軍計劃的信件預計能拍得5.4萬美元；而那封給艾瑪的信則能拍得10.8萬美元的高價。這些珍貴藏品將於10月5日在倫敦進行拍賣，目前正在紐約展出。 1758年9月，納爾遜出生於英國諾福克郡伯納姆索埔鎮，是有史以來最偉大的海軍指揮官之一。 納爾遜擁有英勇品格和高超的航海技術，由他統領的英國海軍取得了一系列歷史性重大勝利。由於作戰勇猛，他相繼失去了一條手臂和一隻眼睛，因而成為一位獨臂獨眼的海軍統帥。1805年10月21日，他領導的英國皇家海軍艦隊同法國、西班牙聯合艦隊展開了風帆戰艦時代規模最大的特拉法爾加海戰。英國海軍最終大獲全勝，由此確立了英國長達1個多世紀的海上霸主地位，而他也在此次戰役中獻出了生命。
