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NAVAL HISTORY of GREAT BRITAIN - Vol II
1797
BRITISH AND SPANISH FLEETS
44


the total of killed and wounded to have amounted, not to 300, but, at the least, to 400 men.

According to the Spanish accounts, ten of their ships, exclusive of those captured, suffered materially in the action; but, at its close, not above half the number presented any appearance of being crippled. The chief of these was the Santisima-Trinidad. Another, probably, was the Soberano ; and the Conde-de-Regla, Principe-de-Asturias, and Mexicano, three-deckers, having been the nearest ships to the English line, were doubtless more or less damaged by the latter's unremitting fire.

Of the prizes, we are enabled to give a somewhat more particular account. The Salvador-del-Mundo and San-Ysidro had each lost all three topmasts; the San-Josef, her mizenmast and main topmast ; and the San-Nicolas, her fore topmast. All four ships had received innumerable shots in their hulls, and were very leaky in consequence. The San-Nicolas caught fire twice after possession had been taken of her ; but the Captain's firemen, under the direction of Lieutenant Peter Spicer, the prize-master, extinguished the flames before they had spread to any injurious extent.

The loss sustained by the Santisima-Trinidad, according to the Spanish accounts, amounted to upwards of 200, in killed and wounded together. The Salvador-del-Mundo lost five officers, and 37 artillerists, seamen, and soldiers killed, three officers, and 121 artillerists, seamen, and soldiers wounded ; the San-Ysidro, 29, including four officers, killed, and 63, including eight officers, wounded ; the San-Josef, 46, including two officers, killed, and 96, including five officers, wounded ; and the San-Nicolas, 144, including four officers, killed, and 59, including eight officers, wounded: making a total, on board the four prizes alone, of 261 killed, and 342 wounded.

Highly to the discredit of the Spanish government, the medical and chirurgical chests of the surgeons were deficient of almost every necessary article. It was fortunate for the poor wounded men, that the British surgeons were as able, as they were willing, to remedy the evil.

The addition of the loss alleged to have been sustained by the Santisima-Trinidad, makes a total of 803, in killed and wounded, together. Some loss must undoubtedly have been sustained by three or four others of Admiral Cordova's ships and, could the whole be computed, the amount would probably fall little short of 1000 men. Even this loss is barely adequate to the immense quantity of powder and shot reported to have been expended by the principally engaged British ships.

The Captain expended 146, the Culloden, 170, the Blenheim, 180, and the Prince George, 197, barrels of powder. The Captain, it is further stated, expended more shot than the quantity usually supplied to a ship of her class ; and, when round shot or grape were wanted for her 32-pounder carronades,

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