their affiftance, and, with this view, the fafteft failing fhips were ordered to chace; but obferving the near pofition of their main body, he afterwards formed his fleet into a line of battle a-head and a-ftern, as most convenient.

At about twenty-fix minutes paft eleven, the Admiral communicated his intention to pafs through the enemy's line, and immediately after the fignal was made to engage. At about half past eleven, the action commenced by the van fhip, the Culloden, Captain Trowbridge commander, firing against the enemy's headmott fhips to the windward; as the fquadron advanced, however, the action became more general, and it was foon apparent that the British admiral had accomplished his defign of paffing through the enemy's line. In the mean time, the regular, and animated fire of the British fleet, was but feebly returned by the enemy's fhips to the windward, by which they were completely prevented from joining their companions to the leeward, and obliged them to haul their wind on the larboard tack. Thus a part of the Spanish fleet was effectually cut off from the main body, and they were reduced to the neceffity of alfo forming on their larboard tack, feemingly with the intention of paffing through, or to the leeward of the British line; but fuch was the reception they experienced from the centre of the British, that they were obliged to put about, and did not appear again in the action till the clofe of the day.

The British admiral having thus fortunately obtained his first object, now directed his whole attention to the enemy's main body to the windward, which reduced them at this time, by the feparation of the ships to the leeward, to eighteen fail of the line. At a little after twelve o'clock, the fignal was made for the British fleet to tack in fucceffion, and foon after the fignal for again paffing the enemy's line; while the Spanith admiral's defign appeared to be to join his fhips to leeward, by wearing round the rear of the British line. The inter

tion of the enemy was, however, foon perceived by. Commodore Nelfon, whofe ftation, in the rear, afforded him an opportunity of obferving the manoeuvre. To fruftrate this defign, his fhip, the Captain, had no fooner pfied the Spanish rear, than he ordered her to wear, and fland on the other tack towards the enemy. In executing this bold manoeuvre, the Commodore found hiefelt along fide of the Spanish admiral fhip, the Santiffima Trinidad, of 136 guns, on four decks, which was faid to be the largefi fhip in the world. Notwithstanding this immenfe inequality, (the Captain being only a 74) this brave officer did not fhrink from the contest, though the Spaniard was warmly fupported by her two feconds a-head and a-ftern, which were each of them three-deckers. While he futtained this unequal conteft, his friends were eagerly preffing to his affiftance: the enemy's attention, therefore, was foon directed to the Culloden, Captain Trowbridge, and the Blenheim, Captain Frederick; and the able fupport afforded by thefe veffels to Commodore Nelfon, and the approach of Rear-admiral Parker, with four others of the British line, determined the Spanish commander to give up his defign of rejoining his fhips to leeward, and to make the fignal for the main body to haul their wind, and make fail on the larboard tack.

The advantage was now evidently on the fide of the Britith; and while the advanced divifion warmly preffed the centre and rear of the enemy, the Admiral meditated with his divifion, a co-operation, which must efiectually compel fome of them to itrike. In the contufion of their retreat fome of the Spanifh fhips had doubled on each other. It was therefore Admiral Jervis's plan to reach the centre weathermott of thofe fhips, then to bear up and rake them all in fucceffion, with the feven fhips compofing his divifion. The cafual pofition of the rear inips in his own divifion, however, prevented this defign. He therefore ordered the leading thip, the Excelent, Captain Collingwood, to bear

up,

up, while with his own fhip, the Victory, he paffed to the leeward of the rearmoft fhips of the enemy, and gave one of them, the San Ysidro, fo effectual a broadfide that, having been much injured before, she was obliged to fubmit. The Excellent then paffed on to the relief of the Captain which was engaged with a three-decker, carrying a flag; but before the could arrive, this veffel became entangled with her fecond, a two-decker. In this ftate they were both boarded by the Captain, and the smaller of them, the San Nicholas, was in a fhort time in the poffeffion of her opponents. The three-decker, the San Josef, followed the fate of her fecond, and immediately became a prize to Commodore Nelfon, who headed the party which boarded her from the San Nicholas. In the mean time Admiral Jervis had ordered the Victory to be placed on the lee quarter of the rearmolt fhip of the enemy, the Salvador del Mundo, and threw in fo effectual a discharge, that her commander, feeing the Barfleur, carrying Viceadmiral Waldegrave's flag, bearing down to fecond the Victory, thought proper to ftrike.

Thus four of the enemy's fhips were in poffeffion of the British, while the van fhips continued to prefs hard on the Santiffimo Trinidad, the Spanish admiral's fhip, and the others which compofed the rear of the flying fleet. The career of victory was, however, stopped by circumftances, not in the power of the British commander to controul. The fhips, which in the morning had been feparated from the main body of the Spanish fleet, were now able to make their approach; befides thefe, two fresh fhips which had not appeared in the action, bore down from windward, and two of the retiring fhips tacked about to fuftain their chiefs. These circumstances, therefore, with the lateness of the hour, and the neceffity of fecuring the prizes, determined the victorious Admiral to bring to. A little after four in the afternoon the fignal was made to this effect; and a ftrong line was formed for the protection of the prizes

and