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"What was Horatio Nelson's stand on the emergence of the independent United States? If he had maintained any stand at all?"

I regret that I must offer a sincere apology....I am not a Scholar of Lord Nelson and so I cannot provide a definitive answer to your question without some research time spent. I posted this thread as a tribute to this great man and as a tribute to the history, grand traditions and enduring honor of our dear British Friends and their great Nation. Although I hope that a more suitable Nelson scholar might emerge from cyberspace to help with your fascinating and entirely relevant question, a very cursory Google search brought me to a letter from Nelson himself, which MAY suggest that he had goodwill and great hopes for a prosperous friendship between Great Britain and the United States:

Letters and Dispatches of Horatio Nelson

TO JAMES SIMPSON, ESQ., AMERICAN CONSUL AT MALAGA.

[From Clarke and M'Arthur, vol. ii. p. 13, In reply to the American Consul's request that he would protect twelve American Vessels at Malaga, which were unable to proceed, on account of three French Privateers that were watching them.]

Gibraltar, 30th May, 1797.

Sir,
I shall immediately grant the protection you have requested, by sending the Andromache, Captain Mansfield, to-morrow off Malaga, who will protect the Vessels close to the coast of Barbary, where you tell me they will consider themselves safe. In thus freely granting the protection of the British flag to the subjects of the United States, I am sure of fulfilling the wishes of my Sovereign, and I hope of strengthening the harmony which at present so happily subsists between the two Nations.

I am, &c., HORATIO NELSON

Again I apologize for being unable to provide a better answer, but hopefully another FReeper will be able to provide more insight. I am constantly amazed at the spectacular breadth of knowledge bursting forth from this site.