N B L 
Auguft, they came In fight of Alexandria; and at four 
in the afternoon, captain Hood, in the Zealous, made 
fignal for the French fleet. For feveral preceding days, 
the admiral had Icarcely taken either food or fleep: he 
now ordered his dinner to be fcrved, while preparations 
were making .for battle; and, when his officers role from 
table, and went to their feparate ftations, he faid to 
them, “ Before this time tomorrow I fhall have gained a 
peerage or Weftminfter Abbey.” The French admiral, 
not being able to enter the port of Alexandria, had 
moored his fleet in Aboukir-bay, in a ftrong and compadl 
line of battle ; the headmol't vefl'el being as clofe as poflible 
to a Ihoal on the north-well, and the reft of the fleet 
forming a kind of curve along the line of deep water, fo 
as not to be turned by any means on the fouth-weft. This 
pofition the French admiral thought the ftrongeft poflible, 
in an open road ; and he had no doubt that he could bid 
defiance to a force more than double their own. Inftead 
of which, he had the advantage of numbers in fhips, in 
guns, and in men : he had thirteen fhips of the line and 
fourfrigates, carrying 1196 guns, and 11,230 men; whereas 
the Englifti had the fame number of fhips of the line, and 
one 50-gun fnip, carrying 1012 guns, and 8068 men. 
They had, however, Nelfon for chief-in-command, who, 
in all cafes, was a hoft in himfelf. 
During the whole cruife, it had been Nelfon’s practice, 
whenever circumftances would admit of it, to have his 
captains on-board the Vanguard, and fully explain to 
them his own ideas of the belt modes of attack, whatever 
might be the fituation of the enemy. His officers, there¬ 
fore, were well acquainted with his principles of taffies; 
and luch was his confidence in their abilities and zeal, 
that the only plan arranged, in cafe they fliould find the 
French at anchor, was for the fhips to form as moll con¬ 
venient for their mutual fupport, and to anchor by the 
Hern. The pofition of the enemy prefented the moll 
formidable obftacles, but the admiral viewed thefe with 
the eye of a feamen determined on an attack; and it in- 
llantly ftruck him, that, where there was room for an 
enemy’s fliip to fwing, there was room for one of ours to 
anchor. No further fignal was neceflfary than thole which 
had already been made. The admiral’s defigns were as 
fully known to his w'hole fquadron, as was his determina¬ 
tion to conquer, or perilh in the attempt. The aflion 
commenced at fun-let, at half pall fix o’clock, with an 
ardour that cannot be deferibed. The Ihores of the bay 
of Aboukir were foon lined with fpe’flators, who beheld 
the approach of the Englifti, and the awful conflict of the 
hollile fleets, in filent aftonilhment. Admiral Nelfon had 
fix colours flying in different parts of his rigging, left 
they Ihoulcl be (hot away; that they Ihould be Itruck, no 
Britilh commander-confiders as a poffibility. The two 
firft Ihips of the French line were difmafted within a 
quarter of an hour after the adlion began ; and the others 
had buffered fo feverely, that viftory w r as even then regarded 
as certain. The third, the fourth, and the fifth, were 
taken pofleffion of at half pall eight. In the mean time, 
Nelfon had received a levere wound on the head from a 
piece of iron, called a langridge-ftiot; the Ikin of his fore¬ 
head, being cut with it at right angles, hung down over 
his face. Captain Berry caught him in his arms, as he 
was falling. The great effuiion of blood occafioned an 
apprehenlion that the wound was mortal. When the 
furgeon had examined it, he found there was no im¬ 
mediate danger, but urged him to keep himfelf quiet. 
He called for his fecretary to write the difpatches, but he 
had been himfelf u’ounded. The chaplain was next fum- 
moned; but, before he could get to the admiral’s cabin, 
Nelfon feized the pen, and began himfelf. Suddenly a 
cry was heard on deck, that the Orient was on fire. In 
the confufion the admiral found his way up, and, to the 
aftoniftfment of every one, appeared on the quarter-deck, 
when he immediately gave orders that boats fliould be 
fent to the relief of the enemy. It was about nine o’clock 
SON, 703 
that this fire broke out. Brueys was dead : he had re¬ 
ceived three different wounds, yet would not leave his 
poll: a fourth almoft cut him in two; he refufed to be 
carried below, being determined to die upon the deck. 
The flames foon overpowered every effort to fave the lhip. 
By the prodigious light of this conflagration, the fituation 
of the two fleets was clearly diftinguifliable by the colours 
of each lhip. About ten o’clock the Orient blew up with 
a moft tremendous explofion. This was followed by 
an awful paufe, and a death-like filence. The firing in- 
ftantaneoufly ceafed on both fides, and the firft found 
was the fall of her {battered malls and yards, which had 
been carried to an aftoniffiing height. The firing recom¬ 
menced with the ftiips to leeward of the centre, and con¬ 
tinued till three in the morning. At day-break, the two 
rear Ihips,of the enemy were the only French fliips of the 
line which had their colours flying: thefe cut their cables 
in the forenoon, and flood out to fea, and two frigates 
with them. Thefe were all that efcaped; and the victory 
was the moft complete and glorious then in the annals of 
naval hillory. Of thirteen fail of the line, nine were 
taken and two burnt; of the four frigates, one was funk 
and another burnt. The lofs on the part of the Englifti, 
in killed and wounded, amounted to 8gj; on the part 
of the French, 5225 perilhed, and 3105, including the 
wounded, were fent on-ftiore by cartel. 
Admiral Nelfon was now at the height of his glory. 
He had realized his hopes : he had nobly earned a peerage. 
Congratulations, rew'ards,.and honours of every kind, 
were fliowered down upon him in great abundance, by all 
the princes and powers to which this important victory 
or fplendid conqueft was beneficial. The grand leignior 
and his mother, the czar, the kings of Naples and Sardinia, 
fent him prelents, accompanied with letters, acknow¬ 
ledging his unequalled fervices to the common caufe. 
In his own country he was created Baron Nellbn of the 
Nile and of Burnham Thorpe, with a penfion of 2000I. for 
his own life, and thofe of two of his immediate fuccelfors. 
When this fubjecl was brought before the houfe by Mr. 
Secretary Dundas, he faid, “ Some victories had been 
marked with peculiar circumftances : fome had been 
marked by the fkill of the commanders; fome by the 
particular bravery of the feamen; others by the great 
and exfienfive benefits refulting from them. But it was 
peculiar to this viftory, that it united all thofe qualities 
by which other victories had been moft diftinguilhed. 
When,” faid he, “ we look to the extent of the confe- 
quences of this victory, both at home and abroad ; when 
we behold the fpirit with which it has electrified Europe 
from one end to the other; we muft acknowledge that 
there never did exift a victory, which had produced fo 
much at prefent, and which was likely to produce fo 
many and fuch important confequences in future.” 
After leaving a fquadron to watch the coaft of Egypt, 
lord Nelfon proceeded in the Vanguard to Naples, where 
his arrival was celebrated with every demonftration of 
joy. The king himfelf went fome leagues to fea in his 
barge to meet him. The victory of the Nile had infpired 
that court with the courage openly to declare againft 
France, and a powerful army under general Mack was 
preparing to march againft the French in Italy. (See the 
article Naples, p. 541.) Malta was at this time in a 
Hate of blockade by the Englifti and Neapolitans, and 
lord Nelfon failed thither to affift in its reduction. In 
the month of November he proceeded with a fquadron 
to Leghorn, which towrn with its fortrefs was delivered 
to the Neapolitan troops accompanying him. When the 
mifmanagement of the wretched court of Naples, and the 
cowardice of the troops, had rendered the French tri¬ 
umphant, and brought the capital into immediate danger, 
lord Nellbn, zealoufly attached by principle to the royal 
family, took them, with his friends fir W. and lady 
Hamilton, on-board his lhip, and carried them fafe to 
Palermo, He remained at that capital, directing various 
operations. 
