captain, with a bow, presented me his sword, and said the admiral was dying of his wounds. I asked him, on his honour, if the ship was surrendered. He declared she was : on which I gave him my hand, and desired him to call on his officers and ship's company, and tell them of it ; which he did:- and, on the quarterdeck of a Spanish first-rate, extravagant as the story may seem, did I receive the swords of vanquished Spaniards ; which, as I received, I gave to William Fearney, one of my bargemen; who put them, with the greatest sang-froid, under his arm. I was surrounded by Captain Berry, Lieutenant Pearson, of the 69th regiment, John Sykes, John Thompson, Francis Cooke, all old Agamemnons ; and several other brave men, seamen and soldiers. Thus fell these ships." *

There is, it appears, a doubt whether the San-Josef got foul of the San-Nicolas just before, or during, Commodore Nelson's possession of the latter : at all events, it seems certain, that the San-Josef fell on board by the stern, and afterwards dropped broadside-to ; in which position she was boarded from the San-Nicolas, as already described. But a more serious doubt attaches to the statement of the San-Josef's surrender having been the consequence of that boarding. As far as our researches have gone, it appears to be clearly established, that the Prince-George was engaging the San-Josef at the moment she got foul ; and that the former ship only suspended her fire until, having edged away to leeward of the Captain and San-Nicolas, she was able to resume it ahead and clear of the Captain ; that the San-Nicolas at this moment fired into the Prince George, who accordingly bestowed part of her return fire upon the San-Nicolas, and continued her fire upon both Spanish ships until, at the end of some minutes, hailed from the Captain, to announce that they had struck.

Soon after quitting the San-Nicolas, the Excellent succeeded in getting close under the lee of the Santisima-Trinidad, then in hot action with the Blenheim, Orion, and Irresistible. At the end of an hour this four-decked ship, whose fore and mizen masts had been shot away, and whose damages, in sails, rigging, and hull, were conspicuous to all her antagonists, dropped, we will not say hauled down her colours. One might conjecture that they merely disappeared when the mizenmast fell ; but, according to an entry in the Orion's log, the ship actually hoisted English colours in lieu of them. The Santisima-Trinidad had undoubtedly suffered enough, especially from the Blenheim, who had engaged her closely for some time, to render such a step no way discreditable to her.

At this crisis in the fate of Admiral Cordova's ship, † two of the van-ships, having wore, were advancing to her support ; two

* Naval Chronicle, vol. ii. p. 500.

† It appears, however, that, like the French admirals, he had embarked on board a frigate.,

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