i

prospect of the gale, the fleet and prizes, as soon as was practicable, might be brought to an anchor. On the order being commuuicated to Collingwood, "Anchor the fleet!" said he, "Why it is the last thing I should have thought of." *

!

against any of the French ships, in resentment for the murderous usage which they had met from their heartless allies. The offer was accepted, and they were actually stationed at the lower-deck guns.

The Franco-Spanish fleet now presented While Nelson was lying in the agonies a fearful spectacle-in every direction floatof death, the battle continued with una- ing wrecks or dismantled hulls of the bated fury in all directions. All his captains prizes, eight wholly, and the remainder had nobly followed his example-breaking partially dismasted; some nearly in a sinkthrough the enemy's line, often engaging two ing state. Several of the British ships were, or three ships at the same time, and maintain- more or less, dismasted; and very few in a ing the contest at the muzzles of their guns. condition to carry sail. To add to their Within a few minutes after Nelson's fall, perilous condition, both fleets were in several officers, and nearly forty men, upon thirteen fathoms' water, with the shoals of the third or upper deck, were either killed Trafalgar but a few miles to leeward, and or wounded; and most of the effective men the wind blowing dead on the shore. In being employed in carrying their wounded the evening, the whole British fleet and its comrades to the cockpit, Captain Hardy, nineteen prizes were all huddled together Captain Adair of the marines, and one round the Royal Sovereign-the conquerors or two other officers, being nearly all who and the conquered laying alongside one remained upon the quarter-deck and poop, another in mingled confusion. But the a considerable portion of the crew of the heavy gales which immediately followed the Redoubtable assembled in the chains and battle, rendered the service more dangerous, along the gangway of the ship, in order to and more fatal in its consequences than the board the Victory; but the Victory's officers battle itself. Towards midnight the wind and men, quickly ascending from the middle veered to south-south-west, and freshened and lower decks, they were driven back. considerably. Early on the morning of the At a quarter-past two the Santa Ana struck; 22nd the weather was squally, and a heavy and before three, ten more of the enemy's swell set in from the Atlantic into the Bay ships, and ere long, eight others adopted her of Cadiz. On the following day the gale example. In this extremity Gravina, with increased, and the sea ran so high that nine French and Spanish ships-of-the-line- many of the prizes broke from the tow-rope many of which had scarcely a hole in their and drifted in-shore. Towards the aftersails-and all the frigates and brigs, ran for noon of that day, encouraged by this cirCadiz, and anchored about a mile-and-a-half cumstance, and hoping to recapture some of from Rato, until the wind allowed him to the drifting prizes, five sail-of-the line and enter the harbour of Cadiz. But the five the frigates which had taken refuge in headmost ships of the enemy's van, under Cadiz after the battle, pushing out of that the command of Rear-admiral Dumanoir, port, put to sea. Collingwood, collecting were not able to avail themselves of this ad- ten of his ships which were the least invantage, their retreat being cut off by the jured, formed in line of battle, covering the British ships; they therefore hauled off to prizes. The enemy feeling themselves inwindward, pouring their broadsides as they adequate to the contest, did not approach passed, not only on the Victory, the Conque- within gunshot; but the Santa Ana and ror, and the Royal Sovereign, which lay like Neptuno drifting towards the frigates, they logs upon the water, but also on the Span- carried them into Cadiz. The Rayo, howish prizes which had struck their colours-ever, one of the enemy's ships, fell into the a cruelty which so excited the indignation of the Spaniards, that when the ships which had escaped into Cadiz, came out of that port on the 23rd, in hopes of taking some of the disabled prizes, the prisoners in the Argonauta, in a body, offered their services to the British prize-master, to man the guns

The Defence, San Ildefonso, Swiftsure, and Bahama anchored off Cape Trafalgar, and rode out the gale in safety: a fact which seems to infer that

On the 24th and 25th, the gale continued so violent, that orders were issued for the destruction of the most damaged of the prizes. Accordingly, Nine were five were sunk and burned. wrecked on different parts of the adjacent coast, many with their whole crews on had Nelson's orders been attended to, the whole of the prizes might have been saved. Collingwood's signal to prepare to anchor was four hours too late.

hands of the British.

board. L'Achille, a French 74, blew up during the action; and four-of which three were Spanish and one French 74 were, by the almost incredible efforts of the British officers and seamen, carried safe into Gibraltar. The Santa Ana and nine others escaped into Cadiz, some of which had struck; but were abandoned on account of the violence of the weather, and in a very injured state.

The names of the ships captured were: French-Bucentaure, Achille, Aigle, Algésiras, Berwick, Fougueux, Intrépide, Indomptable, Redoubtable, and Swiftsure.

prizes scarcely fared better: the Santissima Trinidada was scuttled and sunk by the Neptune and Prince, as unserviceable. The Santa Ana and Neptuno were recaptured by the frigates of the Franco-Spanish squadron which sailed from Cadiz on the 23rd, for the purpose of picking up any stray prize which might fall in its way. The Monarca parted her cable and went on shore during the gale. The Argonauta was sunk by the Ajax, as unserviceable. The San Ildefonso and the San Juan Nepomuceno escaped the disasters of the storm. The San Augustin was burned by the Orion and the Leviathan. The San Francisco de Asis parted her cables and went on shore in Cadiz Bay, near Fort Santa Catalina; but nearly the whole of her crew were saved.

Spanish-Santissima Trinidada, Santa Ana, Neptuno, Monarca, Argonauta, Bahama, San Augustin, San Ildefonso, San Francisco de Asis, and San Juan Nepomuceno. Rayo was captured October 23rd. Their The loss of the British fleet, in this unpafate was-Bucentaure: wrecked in the gale, ralleled naval battle, had been 449 killed having on board at the time a prize crew and 1,241 wounded; of which above sixfrom the Conqueror. Achille: burnt; the sevenths, or 1,452, fell to the share of the crew, except 200, perished. Aigle drifted fourteen ships (out of the twenty-seven) into Cadiz bay on the night of the 25th, which were engaged, and which formed the and stranded on the bar off Puerto Santa van of the respective columns. The Victory Maria. Indomptable wrecked, and above and Temeraire were closely engaged with 1,000 persons perished. Algesiras recap the whole of the enemy in that part of the tured from the prize crew on board (con-line, before the three or four ships astern of sisting of fifty men), by 600 French prisoners, them could get to their support, for a much during the tempest, who succeeded in car-longer time than the Royal Sovereign had rying her into Cadiz. The Berwick, after anchoring in apparent safety, was wrecked off San Lucar, in consequence of some of the prisoners cutting the cables. The Donegal, being at anchor near, cut her cables, and standing towards the drifting ship, sent her boats to save the people on board; but the Berwick struck upon the shoals, and in her perished more than 200 persons. The Fougueux having on board, besides a great portion of her late crew, thirty British sailors from the Temeraire, drifted on the rocks between Torre Bermeja and the river Santi Petri, and was totally wrecked, with the loss of all hands. The Redoubtable foundered on the 23rd, with fifty Frenchmen on board, and part of the prize crew belonging to the Temeraire. The Swiftsure and the Bahama rode out the gale in safety, and were taken into Gibraltar. The Spanish

The following curious incident occurred during the night after the battle: We had the day before buried a quartermaster, nick-named Quid--an old seaman who had destroyed himself by drinking. Quid's body emitting an unpleasant effluvia, immediate interment took place. Being sewn up in a sack with a shot tied to the feet, the funeral service was read over it by the first lieutenant, and then launched overboard from the gangway. I was

been before any ship came to her assistance. The loss of the enemy was enormous; the prisoners, including the troops on board the captured ships, amounted to 20,000. The enemy had adopted rather unusual means of aggression. Riflemen were placed in their tops, and hand-grenades and other combustibles were thrown from their rigging, decks, and yard-arms.

Villeneuve was sent to England, and after remaining a short time there, was permitted to return to France on his parole. While on his way to Paris to be tried by a courtmartial, he was found dead in his bed at Rennes-whether by his own hand, in the agony of despair (as the Moniteur asserted), or assassinated, as is generally believed, by some of Fouché's police, is a mystery. Gravina, Alava, and the French admiral, Magon, died of their wounds.*

walking the deck about middle watch-i.e., from midnight till four in the morning-the moon at the time suddenly bursting from a cloud, a cry of horror proceeded from the look-out man. I ran to inquire the cause, and found him in a high state of nervous agitation, and only able to articulate, ‘Quid! Quid !— pointing at the same time to the fearful appearance in the water, where the body of Quid appeared,' all in dreary hammock shrouded,' perfectly upright, and

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M. Thiers, in his History of the Consu- 100 guns; Neptuno and Argonauta, 84 guns late and the Empire, says that "the greater each; Bahama, Montanez, San Augustin, part of the Spanish fleet fled from the field San Ildefonso, San Juan Nepomuceno, of battle." An article was published in a Monarca, San Francisco de Asis, and San Spanish journal, under the patronage of Justo, 74 guns each; San Leandro, 64 guns; the minister of marine in the late Narvaez five frigates, and two brigs. cabinet, indignantly repelling the insinuation, and affixing the stigma on the division of Rear-admiral Dumanoir, consisting of the Formidable, Scorpion, Duguay-Trouin, and Mont Blanc. The government organ (Moniteur), and the other French periodicals refrained from saying a word respecting the battle. Napoleon Buonaparte himself stated that only a few French ships had been lost in a storm: but he is reported to have been so enraged on the receipt of the news, that he said, in allusion to Byng's fate, "he would teach French admirals how to conquer."

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Admiral Collingwood, now the commanderin-chief of the Mediterranean fleet, continued throughout the greater part of the year at his station off Cadiz, in blockade of that port.

On the 28th, Collingwood brought his fleet and prizes to anchor on the coast between Cadiz and San Lucar; and even there, he says, "our infirm ships could scarce keep off the shore.". To alleviate the miseries of the wounded, he sent a flag of truce to the Marquis Solano, to offer him the wounded Spaniards, merely taking their parole that they would not serve again during the war; the governor of Cadiz, in return, offered his hospitals for the use of the British wounded, pledging the honour of the Spanish name that they The British fleet consisted of the Victory, should be returned when recovered. Royal Sovereign, and Britannia, 100 guns the 30th, two French frigates and a brig each; the Temeraire, Prince, Neptune, and came out of Cadiz, as cartels, to receive Dreadnought, 98 guns each; the Tonnant, the wounded prisoners; and on the same 80 guns; the Belleisle, Revenge, Mars, day, Rear-admiral Louis, who had been Spartiate, Defiance, Conqueror, Defence, detached to the castward previous to the Colossus, Leviathan, Achilles, Bellerophon, battle, joined the commander-in-chief with Minotaur, Orion, Swiftsure, Ajax, Thunderer, the Canopus, Spencer, Tigre, and Queen. 74 guns each; Polyphemus, Africa, and Agamemnon, 64 guns each; the Euryalus, Sirius, Phoebe, and Naiad frigates, 36 guns each; and the brigs, Pickle and Entreprenante, 12 guns each. The van or weathercolumn consisted of the Victory, Teme- It now remains to speak of Nelson. raire, Neptune, Conqueror, Leviathan, the 28th of October, the Victory, with Ajax, Orion, Agamemnon, Minotaur, Spar- Nelson's body on board, preserved in tiate, Britannia, and Africa; and the rear or brandy and spirits of wine, arrived at Giblee-column, of the Royal Sovereign, Mars, raltar. On the 4th of November she sailed Belleisle, Tonnant, Bellerophon, Colossus, for England, and on the 4th of the followAchille, Polyphemus, Revenge, Swiftsure, ing month anchored at St. Helen's. Defence, Thunderer, Defiance, Prince, and the 10th of December she again sailed for Dreadnought. the Nore, the body in the interim having The Franco-Spanish fleet were: French-been taken out of the spirits, rolled in Bucentaure, Formidable, Neptune, Indompt-bandages from head to foot, and then laid able, 80 guns each; Algesiras, Pluton, in a leaden coffin containing a strong soMont Blanc, Intrepide, Swiftsure, Aigle, lution of brandy and myrrh; when, while Scipion, Duguay-Trouin, Berwick, Argo- crossing the flats from Margate, she was naute, Achille, Redoubtable, Fougueux, and Heros, 74 guns cach; and five frigates. Spanish-Santissima Trinidada, 130 guns; Principe de Asturias, 112 guns each; Rayo, floating with the head and shoulders above water. A slight undulation of the waves gave it the appearance of nodding its head. As soon as I recovered from the sensation I felt, I went down to inform the first lieutenant of the strange appearance. He laughed and said: 'I suppose the old boy finds salt water not quite so palatable as grog. Tie some more shot to his feet, and bring the old fellow to his moorings again. Tell him, the next time he trips

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boarded by Commissioner Grey yacht, which had been dispatched by the Board of Admiralty to receive the body and convey it to Greenwich. There, having been his anchor, not to run on board of us. He had his regular allowance of prayer. I gave him the whole service, and I shall not give him, any more.' So saying, he composedly went to sleep again." The reader will probably recollect the similar occurrence which took place in the Bay of Naples, when the brave and ill-used Caraccioli's body appeared under the stern of Nelson's ship; and which is narrated in a preceding part of this work.