to doubt who were their proper opponents in the Dutch line. In point of signal-making, too, there was, as proved on the trial of the Agincourt's captain, about an equal share of misunderstanding : the hazy state of the weather, indeed, made this a common cause of complaint to both fleets. Upon the whole, the shattered hulls and blood-besmeared decks of the prizes, and the almost equally damaged state of the principally engaged ships among those that had taken them, gave decided proofs that, although it had lain by so long, "Batavian prowess" still claimed the respect of an enemy and the applause of the world.

Scarcely had the British admiral turned the heads of his ships in a homeward direction, ere a gale ensued, that scattered, and endangered the whole of them. Most of the masts that had been tottering fell on the decks ; and the rolling of the vessels occasioned the water to rush through shot-holes, that, in common weather, would not have taken in a drop. On the 13th the Delft, while in tow of the Veteran, exhibited a board with the words chalked on it, "The ship is sinking." As quickly as possible the British boats of all the nearest ships were hoisted out ; and the greater part of the Delft's crew were fortunately saved.

The following particulars of the loss of the Delft, we extract from a Steel's list of March, 1803. "When Lieutenant Charles Bullen, first of the Monmouth, came on board to take possession of the ship, he found her much damaged, having many shot through her hull and rigging, and her mainmast and yard shot away, two officers and forty-one of her men killed, and one officer and seventy-five men wounded. He sent the captain, two officers, and ninety men on board his own ship, and requested the Delft's late first lieutenant, Mr. Heilberg, and who was not wounded, to assist him, with the men under his command, in preventing the ship from sinking ; in which they succeeded until the 14th of the same month, when a storm came on and put the vessel in a very dangerous situation. She filled ten feet with water, so that all hope of saving her was soon at an end. Lieutenant Bullen represented this to Mr. Heilberg, telling him, at a certain signal, he should throw himself, with his men, into the longboat, and inviting him to avail himself of the opportunity of effecting his escape. " But how can I leave these unfortunate men?' replied he, pointing to the wounded sailors, whom it had been necessary to bring on deck, as the hold was already full of water. Lieutenant Bullen, struck with the answer, exclaimed, " God bless you, my brave fellow! here is my hand; I give you my word I will stay here with you!' He then caused his own men to leave the ship, and remained behind himself to assist the Dutch. The Russel soon sent out her boats to their succour, and brought off as many as could be put on board them, and lost no time in making a second voyage

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