9] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1797.0 7 
the Austrians and English, their old 
as well as natural friends and allies. 
The advantages, it might naturally 
be supposed, must have been great, 
that seduced them into so strangé a 
situation. By no means! They 
got nothing but hard blows from 
the British navy. r 
The gratitude of the public, in 
England, to those brave officers and 
men, who had won so extraordinary 
and unprecedented a victory, was 
expressed with a warmth and ex- 
ultation that had not been felt for 
many years. All classes and bodies 
of the community were eager to 
testify the sense they entertained of 
the very uncommon merit of the 
admiral who had performed so im- 
portant a service, at a time when 
it was so needful, and who had 
thereby reflected so much glory on 
the national character. To the just 
applauses of the public, govern- 
ment added the honours of the 
peerage, by creating him Earl of 
St. ‘Vincent, in order to perpetuate, 
together with his name, the memory— 
of this splendid action. 
The vanquished fleet withdrew 
to Cadiz, whither it was immediate- 
ly followed by the victors, who 
blocked it up in so close a manner, 
that not one of the numerous ships 
of force, belonging to Spain, in that 
capacious harbour, durst venture out 
beyond the reach of the many power- 
ful batteries erected for its defence. 
Here the British squadron continued 
in sight of the place, and in command 
of all the neighbouring’seas ; taking 
numbers of the enemy’s vessels, and 
performing many gallant actions. 
The two most-remarkable we shall 
relate. An attempt was made, inthe 
night of the third of July, to bom- 
bard the city of Cadiz. Commodore 
Nelson conducted this bold enter- 
prize with his usual dexterity and 
spirit. The imperfect success that 
attended it; was owing to the bad 
condition of the mortar-piece, em-> _ 
ployed upon this occasion, which 
was entirely damaged by continual 
use. The Spaniards having armed, 
and manned, with their bravest sea- 
men and soldiers, a number of large 
boats and launches, sallied out of 
the harbour upon the English. The 
conflict was obstinate, and both sides 
behaved with great valour. The 
commanding oflicer of the Spaniards, 
Don Miguel Tyrasom, attacked the 
commodore with the utmost resolu- 
tion, and, though. taken, dd not 
yield until, out of twenty-seven men 
tn his barge, eighteen were killed, 
and himself, and all the others, 
wounded. It was not till after a 
long and desperate defence that 
the Spaniards were driven back 
into the harbour. 
Two nights ‘after this action, 
another bombardment was attempt- 
ed, with more success. Commodore 
Nelson, who, to use the expression 
of admiral Jervis, was always pre- 
sent in the most arduous enterprizes, 
had again the command of this. 
Advancing with the bomb-vessels, 
as near to the shore as it was prac- 
ticable, he threw into the town, and 
among the shipping in the harbour, 
a large number of shells that-did 
considerable execution upon both. 
Ten of the largest men of war were 
obliged to warp out of their range, 
and the townspeople fled in great - 
numbers, The effects produced by 
this bombardment had been so dee 
trimental tothe enemy, that another 
was shortly after intended, and the 
preparations completed, when its 
execution was prevented by the 
viol_nce of the wind, that continued 
somewhile to. blow out of the har- 
bour, 
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