AGAMEMNON AND AFRICA - Captain Sir Edward Barry; Captain Henry Digby. AJAX, ORION, MINOTAUR, AND SPARTIATE—74 guns. EURYALUS AND NAIAD-38 guns, Captain Hon. H. Blackwood; Captain Thomas Dundas. Lieutenant J. R. Laperotiere. Lee Division. ROYAL SOVEREIGN.-100 guns. Vice-Admiral C. Collingwood; Captain E. Rotherham. BELLEISLE AND MARS-74 guns. Captain William Hargood; Captain George Duff. TONNANT-80 guns. Captain Charles Tyler. Captain BELLEROPHON, COLOSSUS, AND ACHILLE-74 guns. Captain John Cooke; Captain J. N. Norris; Captain Richard King. DREADNOUGHT-98 guns. POLYPHEMUs-64 guns. Captain Robert Redmill. REVENGE, SWIFTSURE, DEFIANCE, THUNDErer and DepeNCE 74 guns. Captain Robert Moorson; Captain George Rutherford; Captain Phillip C. C. H. Durham; Capt. John Stockham; Capt. George Hope. PRINCE-98 guns. PHOEBE AND SIRIUS-36 guns. Captain Hon. Thomas B. Capel; Captain William Prowse. ENTREPRENANTE CUTTER. Lieutenant John Purver. It will thus be seen that Nelson constituted his own vessel the Victory, the leading ship of the column. Captains Blackwood and Hardy recognizing the extreme danger of of this position, and knowing how highly England prized her greatest hero, endeavoured to persuade him to allow the Temeraire, then close astern, to sail ahead. Lord Nelson, smiling significantly at Captain Hardy, replied, "Oh yes, let her go ahead," and the Temeraire. But, at about the same moment, Lieutenant Yule, who then commanded upon the forecastle of the Victory, observing that the lee or starboard lower studding sail was improperly set, caused it to be taken in for the purpose of setting afresh. The instant this was done, Nelson ran forward, and rated the lieutenant severely for having as he supposed, begun to shorten sail without the captain's orders. The studding sail was quickly replaced; and the Victory, as the gallant chief intended, continued to lead the column. When the Temeraire ranged up on the Victory's quarter, with the view of moving ahead, Lord Nelson hailed her with, "I'll thank you, Captain Harvey, to keep in your proper station, which is astern of the Victory." It was about this time that Nelson concerted the famous signal which has since formed one of the most remarkable passages of English history; and a little before 12, there floated from the Victory's mizen top-gallant mast the celebrated telegraphic signal 66 ENGLAND EXPECTS EVERY MAN TO DO HIS DUTY." This signal, so soon as its purport became known, was answered by three hearty ringing cheers from the whole fleet, and thus the ships went into action. To give a full account of this memorable battle would be a voluminous undertaking, and to afford even a slight sketch of the various movements during the action, is not within the scope of the present work; but we shall not do justice to such a scene of world-wide fame, if we pass over, unnoticed, the period when England lost her gallant Nelson. "The Victory," says Allen, " had arrived within five or six hundred yards of the enemy, when her mizen-topmast was shot away, and also her wheel, so that she was obliged to be steered by the relieving tackles below. A shot about 66 this time killed eight marines on the poop; after which, Captain Adair, by Lord Nelson's request, ordered his men to lie down, a caution that was observed in the Belleisle and many other ships before the enemy opened their fire. Shortly afterwards, a splinter from the forebrace bits passed between Lord Nelson and Captain Hardy, and a part of it tore away the buckle from the shoe of the latter. Both looked anxiously and earnestly at each other, each fearing the other to have been injured. Lord Nelson smiled and said, 'This is too warm work to last long, Hardy.' "Captain Hardy remarked to Lord Nelson the impossibility of getting through the cluster of ships ahead without running foul of one of them; to which Nelson quickly replied, 'I cannot help it, it does not signify which we run on board of; go on board which you please-take your choice.' By this time, the Victory (whose sails were hanging in ribands) had lost full fifty men killed and wounded; but it was now her turn to begin. "Having at length determined to pass under the stern of the French 80-gun ship. Bucentaure, as she poured her well-directed and tremendous broadside into that ship, the effect of it was so great, that the French ship was observed to heave two or three streaks when receiving it. The Victory then hauled round as close under the stern of the 80-gun ship as was practicable, in the hope of bringing her to action to leeward, but this was prevented by the advance of the Redoubtable. 66 "Lord Nelson continued pacing the quarter-deck with Captain Hardy, their walk being bounded abaft by the wheel, and forward by the companion ladder, a distance of about twenty-five feet only. At 1h. 25m. his lordship was about to turn to walk aft, when he received the fatal bullet. 'Captain Hardy, turning, observed his admiral in the act of falling; and before he could prevent it. his lordship fell on his knees, with his left hand just touching the deck, very near to the same spot whereon his secretary, Mr. Scott, had fallen. On Captain Hardy expressing a hope that his lordship was not severely wounded, Lord Nelson said. They have done for me at last, Hardy.' 'I hope not,' replied Captain Hardy. Yes,' continued Nelson, 'my back-bone is shot through.' "A musket ball had entered the left shoulder, through the strap of the epaulette, and descending, had lodged in the spine. Serjeant Secker, of the marines, and two seamen conveyed the wounded hero to the cockpit. The direction taken by the bullet proves that it must have been fired from aloft; and it, doubtless, came from the mizen-top of the Redoutable; but there is scarcely sufficient reason for believing that it was aimed in particular at Lord Nelson. It was most probably a chance shot: but notwithstanding this, the direction from whence it came led to the destruction of every man in the mizen-top of the Redoutable, by the enraged crew of the Victory. 66 Captain Adair immediately snatched up a musket, and with a midshipman, Mr. John Pollard, and many others, continued to fire at the men in the mizen-top of the Redoubtable, until, one by one, they were observed to fall. Lord Nelson was scarcely known by the enemy to be on board the fleet; indeed, it was believed, at the time, that he was in England." It is well known that the tide of battle was at this moment in favour of the British fleet; and that fame spread the laurels of conquest over the dying chief and the force under his command, at the same important period. The particulars of the dying hero, and his last orders are thus graphically described by the authority we have before quoted: "As he was being conveyed to the cockpit, in which he breathed his last, he caused his face and star to be covered by his handkerchief, in order that he might pass unnoticed by the crew. On reaching the cockpit, the dying hero was laid upon a midshipman's mattrass, and stripped of his clothes, when the surgeon proceeded to probe the wound, which he soon ascertained to be mortal- -an opinion which Nelson had from the first entertained. We have heard it from authority which we cannot question, that Nelson had a firm presentiment that he should not survive the battle. The sufferings of his lordship from pain and thirst were very great. He frequently called for drink, and to be fanned with paper. "In about an hour and ten minutes after Lord Nelson had been carried below, Captain Hardy, availing himself of a moment's respite from his duties, visited his dying admiral. "They shook hands very affectionately; and Lord Nelson said, Well Hardy, how goes the battle?-how goes the day with us?' Very well, my lord,' replied Captain Hardy ; we have got twelve or fourteen of the enemy's ships in our possession, but five of their van have tacked, and show an intention of bearing down upon the Victory. I have, therefore, called two or three of our fresh ships round us, and have no doubt of giving them a drubbing.' 'I hope,' said his lordship, none of our ships have struck, Hardy?" "No, my lord,' replied Captain Hardy, there is no fear of that.' Lord Nelson then said, 'I am a dead man, Hardy: I am going fast-it will be all over with me soon." 66 The gallant captain was now called away to give orders on deck, and shortly after, the vessel opened a heavy fire upon the enemy. The noise and motion thus caused, so affected the dying admiral that he exclaimed "Oh Victory, Victory, how you distract my poor brain!" Adding after a moment's pause, "How dear is life to all men!" By this time he had lost all feeling below the breast, and having directed the surgeon to ascertain this, he said to him, "you know I am gone; I know it. I feel something rising in my breast," putting his hand on his left side"which tells me so." And upon Dr. Beatty inquiring whether his pain was very great, he replied, so great that I wish I was dead." Yet, he added in a lower voice, "One would like to live a little longer too." Nearly an hour had elapsed since Captain Hardy's return to the deck, and he now again presented himself before his revered chief. Taking Lord Nelson's hand, the Captain congratulated him on having gained a glorious victory, which he said was complete, and that not less than fourteen or fifteen of the enemy's ships had surrendered, Nelson answered "That is well, but I bargained for twenty ;" and then emphatically exclaimed, Anchor, Hardy, Anchor!"-" I suppose, my Lord, Admiral Collingwood will now take upon himself the direction of affairs." said Captain Hardy,-"Not while I live, I hope, Hardy," cried Nelson, making an ineffectual effort to raise himself. "No, do you, anchor, Hardy." Presently, calling the Captain back he said to him in a low voice, "Don't throw this poor carcase overboard," and expressed |