236 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S05. 



Villcneuve, the commander-in-chief, 

 and the Spanish admirals d'AIiva 

 and Cisneros. General Contamin, 

 ■who commanded the land forces, 

 was also taken on board the Biiccn- 

 tr.ure. At forty minnfes after four 

 all firing ceased, and a complete 

 victory was reported to lord Nel- 

 son, Avho, haTing been wounded 

 early in the aftion, survived just 

 long enough to Iicar the joyful tid- 

 ings, the fruit of his consummate 

 «kill and bravery, and then died, as 

 he had lived, a few minutes before 

 five, with the most heroic resolution. 

 Thus ended the battle of Trafal- 

 gar, the most glorious, whether in 

 rcspe6l to the science and judgment 

 with which it was conducted, the 

 bravery and spirit with which it was 

 fought, or its fortunate and brilliant 

 result to the conquerors, ever re. 

 corded in the naval annals of Great 

 Britain. The boasted virtory of l^a 

 Ilogue, which crushed the navy of 

 France, and kept it for nfatly a cen- 

 tury at the lov. est ebb, sinks in tiie 

 comparison :— the English and Dutch 

 fleets, under admiral Russell, upon 

 that occasion, were nearly double 

 those of tlie enemy,and the number of 

 Tessels destroyed amounted to sixteen 

 or seventeen at most, many of them 

 under sixty guns; while, at Trafalgar, 

 the enemy hadasuperiority of six sail 

 of the line, were fresh from port, and 

 in the most perfect state of equip- 

 meiWt. Yet against such odds was 

 this splendid viflory gained through 

 the trunscendant abilities of the Eng- 

 lish commander, and the bravery of 

 bis ollicers and men, ami which 

 would, probably, have been extend- 

 ed to the capture or destruction of 

 every vessel of the enemy, had not 

 the wind been so dull as to prevent 

 the rear of the British fleet from 

 coming up in proper time ! 



Where all were equally brave, it 

 is difficult to point out iodividual 



merit in this well-fought day, but 

 the circumstance of the Temerairc, 

 captain Harvey, who nobly seconded 

 lord Nelson, having been boarded 

 by a French line of battle shij) on 

 one side, and a Spanish on the other, 

 and compelling both, after a vigor- 

 ous contest, to strike to her, is too 

 remarkable, and too much to the 

 credit of that gallant officer and his 

 crew, not to merit particular men^ 

 tion. Captain Frcemantle also, in 

 the Neptune, by the skilful manner 

 in which he mana'uvred his ship, 

 compelled two «f the adversaries 

 vessels to surrender to him, with lit- 

 tle comparative loss on his own side, 

 and thus contributed very material- 

 ly towards gaining the victory. But 

 the coolness, intrepidity, and brave- 

 ry of the British seamen exceed all 

 praise upon this occasion ; the result 

 of the admirable discipline which , 

 prevailed in the British fleet, and 

 which, combined with their native 

 courage, gave them a decided and 

 terrible superiority over their ad- 

 versaries, during the contest. One 

 proof of this fact, among thousands 

 which could be adduced, is, that 

 when five of the captured ships 

 were engaged so closely, as that the 

 muzzles of the lower deck guns of 

 the antagonists touched each other, 

 the French immediately lowered 

 their ports,«aiid deserted their gun« 

 upon the deck, whilst, on the con- 

 trary, the English sailors were deli- , 

 berately lo«ding and firing their 

 guns with two, and often with three 

 round shot, which soon reduced the 

 enemy's ships to a pcrfc6l wreck! 



It is a tribute ef justice which we 

 ▼cry willingly pay to <he merit of 

 the enemy, to allow that they evinc- 

 ed uncoiamon resolution and firm- 

 ness throughout the action : indeed, 

 the shattered condition of the cap- 

 tured ships, and their dreadful loss 

 ia killed and woundedj sufficiently 



manifest 



