the Redoutable shut most of her lowerdeck ports, and fired from them no more. In about a minute after she had shifted her helm, the Victory ran foul of the Redoutable ; the sheet anchor of the one striking the spare anchor of the other.

Very soon afterwards, or at about 1 h. 10 m. P.M., the two ships dropped alongside of each other. This account corresponds with that given by the French. "Nelson," says M. Parisot, "voyant qu'il (the Redoutable's captain) n'etait pas dispose a plier, fit venir le Victory au vent tout d'un coup, et le laissant tomber en travers, il aborda de long en long le Redoutable." * ; Owing to the slight impetus in the Victory, caused by the want of wind, the concussion of the firing would probably have separated her from the Redoutable, had not Victory's starboard fore topmast studding-sail boom-iron, as the ships were in the act of rebounding off, hooked into the leech of the Redoutable's fore topsail. This held the ships together and, with the lower deck guns of the Victory touching the side of the Redoutable, and the latter's mainmast in a line about about midway between the former's fore and main masts, the two ships fell off a few points from the wind. †

Almost immediately after the Victory had got hooked alongside the Redoutable, Mr. William Willmet, the boatswain of the former, found a ready means of clearing the French ship's gangways by firing the starboard 68-pounder carronade, loaded as the larboard one had been, right upon the Redoutable's decks. The guns of the middle and lower decks were also occasionally fired into the Redoutable, but very few of the 12-pounders, on account chiefly of the heavy loss among those who had been stationed at them. The Redoutable, on her part, fired her maindeck guns into the Victory, and used musketry, as we through her ports into those of the Victory, as from her three tops down upon the latter's deck. In her fore and main tops, also, the Redoutable had some brass cohorns, which, loaded with langridge, were frequently fired with destructive effect upon the Victory's forecastle. The larboard guns of the Victory were fired occasionally at the Bucentaure ; but it was with little or no effect, the latter ship continuing to move to the northward, while the Victory and Redoutable kept inclining their heads to the eastward. The Santisima-Trinidad also received into her starboard or lee quarter and stern a portion of the Victory's fire.

Never allowing mere personal comfort to interfere with, what he considered to be, the good of the service, Lord Nelson, when the Victory was fitting to receive his flag, ordered the large skylight over his cabin to be removed, and the space planked up, so as to afford him a walk amidships clear of the guns and ropes. Here, along an extent of deck about 21 feet in

*  Victoires et Conquetes, tome xvi p. 171

†  See second position in Diagram at p. 41

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