bay of Vigo ; where, on the evening of the 26th, he came to an anchor with his fleet.

In Napoléon's instructions to Vice-admiral Villeneuve, of May 8, was contained an alternative that, if by events in America, or in the course of his homeward voyage, the latter should find himself in a situation not immediately to appear before Brest or enter the Channel, he was to order away upon a cruise Rear-admiral Gourdon's squadron, accompanied by three or four of the fastest sailing ships out of the squadron of Vice-admiral Grandallana ; and that then, joining himself to the remainder of the latter's ships, and to the Rochefort squadron, he was to proceed off Cadiz, and enable the squadron from Carthagena to enter that port. With his powerful fleet, M. Villeneuve was next to occupy the Straits of Gibraltar, strip the road of its shipping, and (a feasible plan, indeed!) the town of its stores and provisions. Having effected all this, he was to steer for the Channel, and endeavour to perform the last, and, in Napoléon's estimation, the only important, article in his instructions. *

The first step taken by M. Villeneuve on reaching Vigo, was to despatch a courier to Ferrol, as well to apprize the two rear-admirals of his arrival, as to be put in possession of any fresh instructions which they might have to communicate. Meanwhile the French admiral proceeded to disembark his sick and wounded, also the prisoners made on the voyage. M. Villeneuve then took on board a supply of water, and, as may be supposed (for it is not acknowledged), commenced refitting his ships. The French, indeed, were sedulous in concealing the state of their ships; but the Spaniards on shore gave out, that the Terrible, America, and Espana, the two last especially, were considerably damaged; and a neutral merchant master, who rowed round the ships in the harbour, declared, that the larboard or engaged side of the Atlas was like a riddle, and that, in the hulls of the two last-named Spanish ships, innumerable shot-holes were visible.

On the 29th or 30th the courier returned, if not with any additional instructions, with the important intelligence, that the 28th, the day of his departure, no British ships were in sight from Ferrol or Corunna. No time was to be lost. Accordingly, on the 30th of July, leaving behind him the America, Espana, and Atlas, not because they, or any one of them, had been so battered in the action of the 22d as to render them, for the present ineffective ships, but simply because they were "slow sailers" and might "delay the progress of the fleet." M. Villeneuve, with 13 French and two Spanish sail of the line, seven frigates, and two brigs, got under way, and steered for Corunna ; with a wind, blowing from west-south-west, so fair, and at the same time so strong, that even a slow sailing merchantmen, much more a slow sailing man-of-war, would

*  Precis des Evènemens, tome xi, p 254

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