470 



State of Public /flairs in November^ 1 S05. [Dec. I ^ 



Euryalu!, off Cape Trafalgar, 

 Sir, Oil. ai, 1805. 



The ever-to be-lamentcd death of Vice- 

 Adrnirai'Lord-Vifcounc Nelfon, who, in ^he 

 late confha with the enc-my, fell in the hour 

 of vi^ory, leaves to me tlae liuty of infoi-m- 

 ing my i^ords CommiiTioners of the Admiraj- 

 fy, that ot) the 19th initant it wis communi- 

 cated to the Comininder-in-Chief, from the 

 Aips watching the motions of the enemy in 

 Cad;x, that ihr. Combined Fleet had put to 

 fea. As they failed with light winds weft- 

 erly, his Lord(hi[i concluded their deftination 

 was the Mt-ftiterranean, and immediately 

 made all fail for the Streights entrance with 

 the Eritilh Squadron, coTliilin;^ of twenty- 

 feven ihips, three of tiieni fixty-fours, where 

 his Lordiliip was informed by Captain Black- 

 wood (whofe vigilance in watching, and giv. 

 ing notict of the enemy's movements, has 

 been highly meritorious) that they had not 

 yet pafll'd the Sireights. 



On Mondjy rlie 21ft inftant, at day-light, 

 when Cc'pe Trafalgar bore eart by fouth 

 about feven leagues, ihe enemy was difcover- 

 ed fix orf-ven m.'Ics to tlieeaftward, the wind 

 about wf'l, and very light. The Coniman- 

 der-in-Chitf inimeJiitely made the (ignal for 

 the fleet to be.ir up in two columns, as they 

 formed in order of failing, — a mode of attack 

 his Lordfhip liaJ prcvioufly directed, to avoid 

 the inconvenience and delay in forming 3 line 

 of battle in the ufaal manner. The enemy's 

 line confifted of thirty-three (hips (of which 

 eighteen were Frerch and fifteen Spani/h), 

 commanded in Chier by A.^mirjl Villeneuve : 

 the Spaniards, under the direftion of Giavina, 

 wore, with their lieads to the northward, 

 and formed their line of battle v,rith great 

 clofenefs and corrcftnefs ; but as the moie of 

 attack wa' unufa il, fn the ftrucffure of their 

 line was new ; it fornrjed a crefcent convex- 

 irvg to leeward ; fo that, in leading down to 

 tiieir centre, 1 had both tlieir van and rcir 

 al'aft the be.im. Before the fire opened, 

 every alternate fliip was about a cable's length 

 to windward of her fecond a-hcad and a-ftcrn, 

 forming a kind of aouble line, and appeared, 

 when on their beani;, to leave a very little in- 

 terval between them, and this without 

 crewding their fliips. Admiral Villeneuve 

 was in the Bucentaule in the centre, and the 

 I'rince of Afturias f>ore Gravina's flsg in the 

 rear ; but the French and Spanifh fhips were 

 mixed v.ithout any apparent regard to order 

 of national fquadron. 



As the mode of our attack had been pre- 

 ■vioiidy determined on, and communicated to 

 the fl.ig-Olncers and Captains, few fignals 

 were nccefl'ary, and none were made, except 

 to direct dole order as the lints bore down. 



The Commander-in-Chief, in the Victory, 

 lei tlie weath.r-column, and the Royal So- 

 Veieign, which bore my flag, the lee. 



The atUon beyan at tw^clvc o'clock, by 



the leading fliips of the columns breaking 

 through the en-my's line, th-e Commander- 

 in-Chief jbiit the tenth 'lip from the van, 

 the fecond in command aijout the twelfth 

 from the rear, leaving the van of the enemy 

 unoccupied ; the fucceedi'ig Oiips breaking 

 throufih in all naifs .'.ftern cf their leaders, 

 and cntjaging. the enemy at the muzzles of 

 their guns. The conflift was fevere : the 

 enemy's fliips were fought with i" gallantry 

 highly honourable to tl)?ir officers : but the 

 attack on th»m was irrefiltible, and it pleafed 

 the A!mii;hty Difpjfer of all events t<> grant 

 His Maj-ily's arms a complete and glorious 

 victory. About three P. iVI. many of the 

 enemy's fli ps having ftruck their colours, 

 their line gave way. Admiral Gravina with 

 ten Ihips, joining their frigates to leeward, 

 Jtood towards Cadiz. The five headmoft fliips 

 ill tlieir van tacked, and, ftmding to the 

 fouthward, to windv/ard of the Britifli line, 

 were engag'-d, and the fternmoft of them 

 t.'.!vcn : the others went off, leaving to His 

 IVIajefty's fquadron nineteen fliips of the line, 

 of which two are firft rates, the Santiflima 

 Trinidada ano the Santa Anna, with three 

 flag oflicers, viz.. Admiral Villeneuve, the 

 commander-in.-chief, Don Ignatio Maria 

 D'Aliva, vice-admiral, and the Spanifli rear- 

 admiral Don Baltliazir Hi.'ialgo Cifneros. 



After fuch a viPory it may appear unne- 

 cefl'iry to enter into encomiums on the parti- 

 cular parts taken by the feveral Command- 

 ers ; the conchilion fays more on the fubjeft 

 than I have language to exprels ; the fpirit 

 which animated all was the fame : when all 

 exert themfclves zealoufly in their country's 

 fervice, all deferve that their high merits 

 fliould ftand recorded ; and never was high 

 merit more confpicuous than in the battle I 

 have defcribed. 



The Achille, a French 74, after having 

 furrendered, by fome rnifmanagement of 

 the Frenchmen, took fire and blew up.— 

 Two hundred of her men were faved by the • 

 tenders. 



A circumftance occurred during the ac- 

 tion, which fo ftrongly marks the invin- 

 cible fpirit of Britilh feamen, when engag- 

 ing the enemies of their country, that f 

 cannot refift the pleafure I have in making 

 it known to their Lordlhips :— The Teme- 

 raire was boarded, by accident or defign, by 

 a French fliip on one fide and a Spaniard on 

 the other ; the contcft was vigorous, but, 

 in the end, the combined enf.gns were torn 

 from the poop, and the Britifli hoiAed in 

 their places. 



Such a battle could not be fought with- 

 out fudaining a great lofj of men. I have 

 not only to lament, in common with thi: 

 Britilh navy and the Britifli nation, in the 

 fall of the Commander-in-Chief, the lofs 

 of a hero, whofe name will be immortal, 

 and his memory ever dcat to his country ; 

 * bul 



