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their wind, and make fail on the larboard tack.

ordered the Victory to be placed on
the lee quarter of the rear-moki
fhip of the enemy, the Salvador
del Mundo; and threw in fo ef-
fectual a difcharge, that her com-
mander, feeing the Barfleur, carry-

. The advantage was how evi-
dently on the fide of the British;
and while the advanced division
warmly preffed the centre and rear
of the enemy, the admiral meditating vice-admiral Waldegrave's flag,
ed with his divifion a co-operation, bearing down to fecond the Victo-
which must effectually compel fome ry, thought proper to strike.
of them to furrender. In the con-
fusion of their retreat, feveral of the
Spanish fhips had doubled on each
other. It was, therefore, admiral
Jervis's plán, to reach the weather-
moft of thofe fhips, then to bear up
and rake them all in fucceffion,
with the feven fhips compofing his
divifion. The cafual pofition of
the rear fhips in his own divifion,
however, prevented his executing
this defign. He therefore ordered
the leading fhip, the Excellent,
captain Collingwood, to bear up,
while, with his own fhip, the Vic-
tory, he paffed to leeward of the
rear-moft thips of the enemy. Cap-
tain Collingwood, in obedience to
the admiral's orders, paffed between
the two rear-most ships of the ene-
my, and gave one of them, the San
1fidro, fo effectual a broadfide, that,
having been much injured before,
the was obliged to fubmit. The
Excellent then paffed on to the re-
lief of the captain, which was en-
gaged with a three-decker, carry-
ing a flag; but before he could
arrive this veffel became entangled
with her fecond, a two-decker.
In this ftate they were both boards
ed by the captain, and the finaller
of them, the San Nicholas, war in a
Thort time in the poffeffion of her
opponents. The three-decker, the
San Jofef, followed the fate of her
fecond, and became immediately
a prize to commodore Nelfon, who
headed the party which boarded
her from the San Nicholas. In
the mean time, admiral Jervis had

Thus four of the enemy's fuips were in poffeffion of the British : while the van fhips continued to prefs hard on the Santiffima Trinidad, the Spanish admiral's fhip, and the others which compofed the rear of the flying fleet. The career of victory was, however, flopped by circumstances, not in the power of the British commander to controul. The flips, which in the morning. had been feparated from the main body of the Spanish fleet, were now able to make their approach; two freth fhips alfo, which had not appeared in the action, bore down from windward, and two of the flying fhips tacked about to fup port their chiefs. Thefe circuí 1ftances, therefore, with the latene 's of the hour, and the neceffity of fecuring the prizes, determine the conquering admiral t, ung to. A little after four in the afternoon, the fignal was made to this effect; and a strong line was formed for the protection of the prizes and difabled vefels. The enemy's fresh fhips, on approaching, opened a fire on the covering fhips, but though fuperior in number, and fresh for action, they contented themselves with a few irregular broadfides, and left the British admiral to fail off triumphantly with his prizes, which the reader will member amounted to four, viz. two, the Salvador del Mundo, and the San Josef of 112 guns, the San Nicholas of 84, and the San Isidro of 74 guns. The Spanish admiral, which was greatly

the

the object of attention to the Britifh fhips, was rendered a perfect wreck; her firing had ceafed before the close of the action, and fome even affirm, that he had ftruck her colours. The lofs of the British in this engagement, in killed and wounded, was exactly 300 men; the lofs of the Spaniards, in the fhips which were captured, amounted to 693, and the fhips which efcaped must also have fuffered confiderably.

So important a victory with fo decifive a disparity of force, is, perhaps, unparalleled in our naval annals. The ability difplayed by the commander, was only to be equalled by the valour and adroit nefs of the feamen; indeed we have been informed by an eye witnefs, that the fire of the British was fuperior to that of their opponents, in the proportion of five or fix to one, during the whole of the action and the expenditure of ammunition was confequently beyond example. The Culloden, it is faid, expended 170 barrels of powder; the Captain 146; and the Blenheim, 180. The Spaniards fought bravely, but with little fkill; and it is but fair to remark, that their fleet was ill-equipped and very indifferently manned, and in no refpect fit for action; their flag-fhip had not more than fixty or eighty feamen on board, the reft confifted of impreffed landmen, or foldiers of their new levies.

As he port of Cadiz had been their original deftination, and as many of their fhips were disabled, the Spaniards manifefted no inclination to renew the action, but took shelter in Cadiz, where they have ever fince remained blocked up by the victorious admiral. Soon after the news arrived of the engagement, fir John Jervis was cre

ated a British peer by the title of lord St. Vincent, in allufion to the place where this extraordinary victory was achieved.

The Dutch were still more unfortunate than the Spaniards in their naval operations, though their failure was, it must be confeffed, lefs inglorious. It was known for a confiderable time in England, that immenfe preparations were making in the ports of Holland and the fleet of admiral Duncan had blocked up the Texel, during a great part of the fummer. The Dutch fleet was ready for fea fome time before it left the Texel, and the command of it was entrusted to admiral de Winter, a brave and judicious officer, who had been lieutenant in the famous action o.. the Dogger Bank in the laft war, and was afterwards advanced to the rank of captain; but having taken. part against the Stadtholder in the memorable ftruggle of 1786, he was obliged to take refuge in France, where he was promoted to the rank of a major-general, and returned to his country with the army of Pichegru. When the order to put to fea was first issued by the Dutch convention, the admiral, confcious of his inferiority to the British force, remonftrated strongly. (it is afferted) against the order, but having received a fecond pofitive order to that effect, he determined, whatever the force of the British might be, not to fhrink from the conteft, but to maintain the honour of his flag in every circumstance, however adverfe to his wishes.

The deftination of the Dutch fleet was never openly avowed; but it has fince appeared that the invafion of Ireland was the object, and that a large body of troops under general Daendaels had been ac

tually

250

tually embarked for that purpose,
but were afterwards put on fhore
when the peremptory order was
iffued to admiral' de Winter, to
hazard an engagement with the
British fleet, in oppofition to his
preffing remonftrances. The Bri-
tith admiral had, at this period of
which we are now treating (the
beginning of October), quitted his
ftation off the Texel, and retired to
Yarmouth roads to refit: a circum-
ftance which might weigh with the
Dutch ministry, in preffing the de-
parture of their fleet. A fmall fqua-
dron only, under the command of
captain Trollope, in the Ruffel of 74
guns,
was left as a fquadron of obfer-
vation; and on the morning of the
9th of October, a fignal was made by
a veffel at the back of Yarmouth fands
to admiral Duncan, intimating that
the Dutch fleet was at fea. The
whole of the British fleet, confift-
ing of 16 fail of the line and three
frigates, got under weigh with fur
priling alacrity, and were out of
fight in the afternoon. At nine in
the morning of the 11th, the admi-
ral got fight of captain Troliope's
fquadron, with fignals flying for
an enemy to lecward. The admi-
ral immediately bore up, and made
the fignal for a general chace, and
in lefs than an hour came within
fight of the enemy, forming in a
litre on the larboard tack to receive
him.

The Dutch fleet confifted of four fhips of 74 guas; five of 68; two of 64; four of 55, and two of 44; in all 15 fhips of a ove 50 guns, and 17 hips of force, befides a few smaller frigates. The Bri ich fleet confifted of feven fhips of 74 guns;

feven of 64 guns; and two of ço:
The fu-
in all 16, belides frigates.
periority in men and guns was,
therefore, evidently on the fide of
the British, though, had it been o-
therwife, fuch is the kill and alert-
nefs of the English feamen, that
there is little doubt but that victory
would ftill have attended their ex-
ertions.

As the British admiral approach-
ed near, he made the fignal for the
fleet to fhorten fail in order to con-
nect them; foon after he faw the
iand between Camperdown and
Egmont, about nine miles to lee-
ward of the enemy, and finding
there was no time to be loft in
making the attack, at half past 11
he made the fignal to bear up,
break the enemy's line, and engage
them to leeward, each fhip her op
ponent; and by these means he got
between them and the land whither
they were fait approaching. The
Dutch admiral, perceiving the de-
fign of his opponent, made at the
fame time the fignal to clofe; he
was, in this inftance, alertly obeyed
by the vice admiral Reventjies; but
rear admiral Story, with three other
fhips of the centre divifion, ran off
in the very commencement of the
action, and entered the Texel the
following day.

The fignals of the British admiral, on the contrary, were obeyed with great promptitude by the whole fleet. Vice-admiral Onflow, in the Monarch, bore down on the enemy's rear in a moft gallant manner, and was followed by his whole divifion. The action commenced at about 40 minutes after twelve o'clock, at which time every thip

*The British flect was in two divifons, the fiarboard or weather divifion under admiral Duncan; and the larboard or lee divinen, under vie--admiral Ondow. The Datch was in three divifions, the van commanded by vice-admiral Reventjies and rearadial Meufes, the centre commanded by admiral de Winter, and the rear by rearadmiral Bloys.

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of the British had broken the enemy's line, and cut them off from getting into the Texel, the land be ing then diftant about feven miles. While the rear was attacked by the larboard divifion under vice-admiral Onflow, the commander in chief directed all his attention to the enemy's van; and his own fhip the Venerable was in clofe action for near two hours and a half, when he obferved all the mails of the Dutch admiral's fhip go by the board; fhe was, however, defended for fone time after in a mott gallant manner, but being overpowered by numbers her colours were ftruck to the Venerable; admiral de Winter himself being, it is faid, the only man left on the quarter-deck who was not either killed or wounded.

About the fame time the viceadmiral's fhip appeared difmafted, and furrendered to admiral Onflow. Several others of the Dutch (according to fome reports, not lefs than 13 in all) had truck before half past three o'clock; but the British admiral finding himself in only nine fathoms water, and but five miles from the land, had his attention fo much occupied in getting the heads of the dif bled flips off the fhore, that he was not able to diftinguish the number which were captured; and the wind blowing conftantly on the land, the British hips were unavoidably difperfed. Some of the veffels which had ftruck therefore took advantage of the night to efcape, and two or three of them were feen going into the Texel the following morning. The prizes, however, which were fecured, were eight hips of the line, two of 56 guns, one of 44, and a frigate. One of thefe,, however, the Delft of 56 guns, foundered within fight of the British coaft, and the frigate alfo was lɔft.

A more bloody conflict than this is not to be found in the naval hiftory of this country. The lofs in killed and wounded on board nine fhips only of admiral Duncan's fleet was upwards of 700. The lofs of the Dutch muft have been immenfe. The carnage on board the two fhips that bore the admirals® flags was (in the words of lord Duncan) " beyond all defcription;" there were not lefs than 250 men killed and wounded on board each of them, and none of the Dutch fhips that furrendered, it is faid, loft lefs than 100 men. The British loft in the action capt. Bu gefs, of the Ardent, and feveral other officers were killed and wounded. The Dutch vice adm ral Reventjies, died foon after his arrival in England. The battle was fought fo near the fhore that everý manœuvre might be diftinctly teen, and the whole coaft for many miles was crowded with thousands of fpectators, who had the mortification of oblerving the entire deftruction of their own fleet, without the poffibility of affording them relief.

The great merit of admiral Dun can in this action was the running his fleet between the enemy and a lee-fhore; a step which none of his predecellors had ever dared to take in fimilar circumftances, and which was confidered as too hazardous to

be attempted even by admiral Keppel, who was not deficient either in judgment or fpirit. This, it is ob vious, and this alone, rendered the victory of admiral Duncan fo decifive as it proved; and he flowed that his judgment in clofing the content in proper time, and in extricating his fleet and prizes from fo difficult a fituation, was equal to his bolduefs in hazarding fo decifive a measure. The gallant admi

ral immediately on his return was created baron Duncan, of Lundie in the fhire of Perth (the place of his nativity), and viscount Duncan of Camperdown, in allufion to that part of the coaft of Holland where the victory was achieved.

We have often had occafion to remark, that while the Englifh nation is invincible at fea, they fhould never engage without the moft urgent neceffity in military operations on the land. In the month of July the Spaniards received fome confolation for their ignominious defeat off cape St. Vincent's, by the total failure of an attempt on the island of Teneriffe by a part of the fame fquadron which had defeated their grand fleet on the fourteenth of February. From a variety of intelligence which lord St. Vincent had received *, he was led to confider the town of Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe, as an affailable object. On the 15th of July therefore the commander in chief difpatched fir Horatio Nelfon, now advanced to the rank of rear-admiral, with four fhips of the line, three frigates, and two cutters, to make an attack upon that place. On his arrival before the town the rear-admiral, finding it impoffible for the fhips to approach fufficiently near the town, ordered, from the different ships under his command, one thousand men to be landed under the direction of capt. Trowbridge, of the Culloden, and captains Hood, Thompfon, Freemantle, Bowen, Miller, and Waller. The boats of the fleet were accordingly manned, and the landing was effected in the courfe of the night. The party with little or no oppofition entered the town of Santa

Cruz, of which they were in full poffeffion for about seven hours, Finding it impracticable, however, to ftorm the fort, they prepared for their retreat, but in this they were prevented by fresh reinforcements having arrived to the garrifon, and by the circumftance of the boats having been ftoven by the violence of the furge upon the beach. Thus circumftanced, the Spanish general fummoned the British commander to furrender; but received for anfwer that he would not capitulate as long as a man remained alive. The conduct of the Spaniard on this occafion reflects the highest honour on his character, and on the military profeffion. On receiv ing the reply of the British commander, he immediately, it is faid, difpatched a polite meffage to admiral Nelfon, informing him, that, to fpare the effufion of human blood, he and the remains of his forces were at liberty to return in peace to their fhips; and that he would even provide them with boats, as their own were unfit for the fervice. With a generolity worthy of a great man, it is added, he furnifhed the retreating invaders with a ratio of bifcuit and wine, and conveyed them on board their refpective vellels not as enemies but as friends. If there be any truth in this reprefentation, which we have copied from the daily papers, it would have been becoming in the publifher of the gazette to have fpoken of this magnanimity in the terms it deserved. Though the gazette, however, is filent both as to thefe facts, and as to the resistance which the British forces met with from the garrifon, the lofs in killed and wounded in this unfor

* Thus it was stated in the gazette; but fome of the oppofition papers have afferted that the expedition was forced upon him by the ministers.

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