HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



Q39 



duct during the action was snper- 

 emincntly conspicuous, were put to 

 the utmost test, but to which, under 

 Tery difticult circumstances, he was 

 found fully equal. On the 22d the 

 weather was still unfavourable, but 

 not such as prevented the possibility 

 of securing the prizes, which were 

 towed off to the westward, and ren- 

 dezvoused round the Royal Sove- 

 reign, herself in tow by the Nep- 

 tune : but on the following day the 

 gale increased, and the sea run so 

 high, that many of the captured 

 ships broke from the tow-rope and 

 drifted in-shore. Towards the af- 

 ternoon the remnant of the combin- 

 ed fleet, ten sail of the line, who had 

 not been much engaged, pnshed out 

 from Cadiz, in the hope of attack- 

 ing with advantage the damaged and 

 scattered English ships. In this at- 

 tempt, however, he was completely 

 frustrated by the determined counte- 

 nance of admiral Collingwood, who, 

 collecting a force of the least injur- 

 ed of his fleet, not only protected 

 his own disabled vessels, but was en- 

 abled to take possession of one of 

 the enemy's, the El Kayo. Admi- 

 ral Gravina's own ship, the Prince 

 of Asturias, being dismisted by the 

 violence of the gale, he returned to 

 port inefiectually. 



On the 24th and 25fh the gale 

 still continued at so tremendous a 

 rate, that admiral Collingwood, de- 

 spairing of being able to carry them 

 into a British port, issued his orders 

 that the captured Frcrvch and Spa- 

 nish ships should be destroyed. 

 This diflicult and dangerous service 

 was executed with the same ztai and 

 perseverance, as had been shewn in 

 the day of battle, although it must 

 Ikavc been a severe mortification to 

 thcgallant captors, to sn'e thus wrest- 

 ed from them the trophies of their 

 Tictory. Accordingly, five of the 

 enemy's ships were sank and burnt, 



by the tictors, amongst which was 

 the Santissima Trinidada, of 140 

 guns, the largest and finest ship of 

 war, ever built : nine were entirely 

 wrecked, on difl^erent parts of the 

 adjacent coast, by the violence of the 

 gale, many with their whole crews 

 on board. L'Achillc, a French 74, 

 blew up during the action ; and 

 four (three Spanish and one French 

 74 gun ships) vj'ere, by the almost 

 incredible efforts of activity and skill 

 of the British officers and seamen, 

 carried safe into Gibraltar. The 

 Santa Anna, and nine more of the 

 enemy's vessels, got into Cadiz, 

 some of which had struck, but were 

 abandoned from the violence of the 

 weather, but in the most wretched 

 state, three only being considered scr- 

 viceabIe,theotherseven mere wrecks! 

 It will be recollected that admiral 

 Dumanoir, with four sail of the line, 

 escaped towards the southward, to- 

 wciids the close of the action ; their 

 respite from sharii;g the late of their 

 companions was however but of 

 short duration. On the night of the 

 second of November, cruizing off 

 Ferrol with fuur ships of the line, 

 and three frigates, rear admiral 

 sir Richard Strachan fell in with 

 what h.::. thought the Rocheforfc 

 squadron, but which in fact were the 

 fugitives, to whom he immediately 

 gave chace, and which he pursued 

 that niijht, and the wlioleof the next 

 day. At day-light, on the morning of 

 the fourth, the haiita Margarita and 

 Pheeiiix frigates, who had outsailed 

 the ships of the line, most gallantly 

 begun the action, by firing upon the 

 enemy's rear, and consideiably re- 

 tarded their flight. A little before 

 noon, the English line of battleships 

 Being v.ell up, and the French ad-. 

 miral finding au action unavoidable,, 

 it soon after became close and gene- 

 ral, and continued nearly three 

 hgurs and 4 half, the enemy fighting 



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