Leaves from a Madeira Garden 



own ships. It was a daring piece of work and 

 our first great naval victory since the defeat of 

 the Armada. In 1797 Nelson attacked Santa 

 Cruz with the object of taking possession of a 

 large treasure landed there from a Spanish 

 galleon. He was beaten off with heavy loss. 

 It was his one defeat, and it was here that his 

 arm was shattered by a cannon-ball. He 

 returned to England expecting to be punished 

 for his failure, and found himself a hero. 



The romance of the sea is not yet wholly 

 spent. Three or four years ago two boat-loads 

 of shipwrecked mariners rowed into the port 

 of Funchal. They landed on the pier, and 

 commenced to relate to an excited crowd the 

 story of their adventures, with much picturesque 

 embellishment. They told how their vessel, a 

 large sailing ship carrying the French flag, had 

 sprung a leak a hundred miles to the westward 

 of Madeira, and somewhat out of the track of 

 steamers. They described their heroic efforts 

 to keep her afloat, and their unceasing labour 

 at the pumps, and how finally, with the ship 

 sinking beneath their feet, they had taken to 

 the boats just in time to escape being engulfed 

 as she disappeared. So engrossed were they 



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