300] A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



rearmost ship of the enemy, the Salvador del Mundo ; and threw-i* 

 so effectual a discharge, that her Commander seeing the Barfleur 

 carrying Vice-Admiral Waldegrave's flag, bearing down to second 

 the Victory, thought proper to strike. Thus four of the enemy's 

 ships were in possession of the British, while the van ships continued 

 to press hard on the Santissima Trinidada, the Spanish Admiral's 

 ship, and the others which composed the rear of the flying fleet. 

 The career of victory was however stopped by circumstances not in 

 the power of the British Commander to control. The ships which 

 in the morning had been separated from the main body of the 

 Spanish fleet, were now able to make their approach ; two fresh 

 ships which had not appeared in the action, bore down from wind- 

 ward, and two of the flying ships tacked about to support their 

 chiefs. These circumstances, therefore, with the lateness of the 

 hour, and the necessity of securing the prizes, determined the con- 

 quering Admiral to bring-to. A little after four in the afternoon 

 the signal was made to this effect; and a strong line was formed 

 for the protection of the prizes and disabled vessels. The enemy's 

 fresh ships, on approaching, opened a fire on the covering ships ; but 

 though superior in number, and fresh for action, they contented them- 

 selves with a few irregular broadsides, and left the British Admiral 

 to sail off triumphantly with his prizes, which the reader will remem- 

 ber amounted to four ; viz. two, the Salvador del Mundo, the San Jo- 

 sef, of 112 guns; the San -Nicholas, of 84, and the San Isidro, of 74 

 guns. The Spanish Admiral, which was greatly the object of atten- 

 tion to the British ships, was rendered a perfect wreck ; her firing 

 had ceased before the close of the action, and some even affirm that 

 she had struck her colours. The loss of the British in this engage- 

 ment, in killed and wounded, was exactly 300 men. The loss of 

 the Spaniards which were captured amounted to 693; and the ships 

 which escaped must also have suffered considerably. So important 

 a victory with so decisive a disparity of force, is, perhaps, unpa- 

 ralleled in our naval annals. The ability displayed by the Com- 

 mander was only to be equalled by the valour and adroitness of the 

 seamen ; indeed, we have been informed by an eye-witness that the 

 fire of the British was superior to that of their opponents, in the 

 proportion of five or six to one, during the whole of the action; 

 and the expenditure of ammunition was consequently beyond ex- 

 ample. The Culloden, it is said, expended 170 barrels of powder ; 

 the Captain, 146 ; and the Blenheim, 180. The Spaniards fought 

 bravely, but with little skill ; and it is but fair to remark, that their 



