a point or two on her weather bow, two or three ships' lengths off, and the Santisima-Trinidad, another hulk, at a somewhat greater distance on her lee bow. At about three quarters of a mile astern of the Victory, or rather upon her weather quarter lay the Téméraire with her two prizes. The head of the Téméraire and of the Redoutable also, whose mainmast still held her fast to the former, was pointed to the southward ; and her crew were busied in booming off the Fougueux from her starboard side, to be ready to salute the French ships as they passed. The Royal-Sovereign, with only her foremast standing, lay a short distance astern and to leeward of the Téméraire, in the act of being towed clear of her dismasted prize, the Santa-Ana, by the Euryalus frigate. The relative position of all these ships will perhaps be better understood by the preceding diagram ; which, however, as respects some of its details, is not given with quite so much confidence as the generality of the others.

Among the first shots fired by M. Dumanoir's ships, after they had put about, was one that killed two of the Conqueror's lieutenants. The manner in which this fatal accident happened, is as extraordinary as it was distressing. Lieutenant William M. St.-George, third of the ship, while passing Lieutenant Robert Lloyd, who was first, good-humouredly tapped him on the shoulder, and gave him joy of his approaching epaulet as a commander. Just as Lieutenant St.-George, having moved on a step or two and turned his face round, was in the act of smiling on his friend, a cannon-shot took off the head of the latter, and struck the former senseless on the deck.

In passing the Victory, M. Dumanoir's squadron, having kept away a little for the purpose, exchanged a few distant and ineffectual shot with her. By the time the van-ship, the Formidable, had arrived abreast of the Téméraire, the latter had succeeded in clearing her starboard broadside of the Fougueux, who now lay athwart the Téméraire's stern, with her head to the eastward, and consequently with her stern exposed to the raking fire of the enemy. One or two broadsides were exchanged between the Téméraire and the ships to windward ; and the fire from the latter cut away the main and mizen masts of the Fougueux, and killed and wounded some of her people. One shot also shattered the leg of a midshipman belonging to the Téméraire, who had been sent on board the Redoutable to assist Lieutenant Wallace, and who died the same evening, after having undergone amputation by the French surgeon.

A great deal of odium has been cast by the English journals and even by grave historical works, upon Rear-admiral Dumanoir for having fired upon the French and Spanish prizes in his passage to windward of the fleets. Admitting the inutility of the act to be an argument (its " barbarity" is none, because the prisoners ought to have been stationed below) against the propriety of its adoption, it surely was the duty of the French

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