soners, on board the different ships; where it seemed to be the duty of the conquerors to make them, forget their misfortunes: Indeed our navy well deserves this tribute of applause from their enemies; upwards of a hundred of our gallant seamen perished in the gale of wind after the action (Trafalgar), in their generous efforts to save the prisoners out of the different prizes. To record the numerous and singular exertions that were made on this occasion, by all the ships of the fleet, would far exceed the limits prescribed to us, we cannot however pass over in silence the heroic conduct of Captain Malcolm, and his ship's company in the Donegal, who at the imminent hazard of being totally lost, rescued hundreds of the enemy from a watery grave. During the violence of the gale, when she was riding at anchor near the Berwick, then in possession of the English, some of the French prisoners on board, in a fit of frenzy, cut the cables of the Berwick, by which means she immediately drove towards the rocks of San Lucar, then to leeward, where there was hardly a chance of a man being saved. In this situation Captain Malcolm, without hesitation, ordered the cables of the Donegal to be cut, and stood after the Berwick, with orders for the boats first to save all the wounded Frenchmen, before they brought away the English, which was punctually obeyed; the English were next removed, but before the boats could return, the Berwick struck upon the shoals, and every soul on board perished, to the number of three hundred Frenchmen. The wounded seamen who were thus saved were supplied with cots and bedding which had been prepared for our own sick and wounded, and after being treated with every kindness and mark of attention, they were sent on shore into Cadiz with a flag of truce, with the cots and bedding in which they had been placed, that they might suffer as little pain and inconvenience in their removal as possible.

The other instance we shall notice is as follows: On the 26th of October, while the Donegal was at anchor off Cadiz, in a violent gale of wind, with upwards of six hundred prisoners then on deck, an unfortunate Spaniard fell overboard; notwithstanding the sea was then running so high that they had not ventured a boat out for twelve hours before, two seamen of the Donegal jumped overboard, in hopes of saving his life, to the admiration of the Spaniards, who were lost in astonishment at so daring an act. The poor man, however, sunk, and was drowned, just as

one of the English seamen, Joseph Thompson, was about to lay hold of him. A boat was immediately hoisted out, and fortunately the two gallant fellows were got safe on board.* We are happy to find, that the uncommon exertions which we are all witness to of Captain Malcolm and his gallant crew, to get his ship ready for sea on their receiving intelligence of the enemy's fleet having left Cadiz, has not been entirely unrewarded. The Donegal, it will be recollected, sailed from this, on the 22d, having her foreyard towing alongside, and with great difficulty passed the Straits that night, every other vessel that attempted it being forced to return. On the following day, they had the good fortune to capture El Rayo, of one hundred guns, which had lost her mainmast, and was at anchor near Cadiz. The Spaniards did not attempt to fire, as the Donegal was brought to anchor in so advantageous a position across her bow, that any resistance on the part of El Rayo, in her crippled state, would have been unavailing, and a wanton sacrifice of lives, without a chance of success. The Donegal afterward, during the storm, repeatedly examined the whole coast, between Lagosbay and Cadiz, to assist any vessel she might find in distress; and besides the number of lives she has saved, she was fortunate enough to bring in the Bahama, one of the finest line-of-battle ships in the Spanish navy, which she discovered near San Lucar, deserted.

The lives of many other of the unfortunate people in the prizes could not be saved by all the seamanship and generous exertions of our countrymen. The loss of the Santissima Trinidad, was not to be prevented, driving down upon the coast that had been fatal to the others. The officers of the Prince and the Neptune, by the most persevering efforts, had nearly got all the wounded men out

* "Suppose he is a Spaniard—no reason the poor- should be drowned," was the observation of a British sailor of the Donegal, as he dashed overboard, in a gale of wind, to save his unfortunate enemy.

of her, by lowering them down in cots from the stern and quarter-gallery windows. We trust and hope that none of these unfortunate people were left behind, but a doubt seems to exist. Night came on-the swell ran high-three lower-deck ports on each side were open, and in a few minutes the tremendous ruins of the largest ship in the world were buried in the deep. The waves passed .over her, she gave a lurch, and went down.

On the 30th, two French frigates and a brig came out of Cadiz, as cartels, to receive the wounded prisoners.

On the same day, Rear-admiral Louis, who had been detached to the eastward, with convoy, previously to the action, joined the Commander-inchief. The ships that came with him were the Canopus (flag), Spencer, Tigrè, and Queen; these ships, with the Donegal, stood in towards Cadiz, when the Queen fired a broadside into one of the enemy's dismasted line-of-battle ships, which had anchored at the entrance of Cadiz harbour; the fire was not returned.

On the 31st, the Donegal and Leviathan were closer in-shore, near Cadiz, when the former received her cutter from San Lucar, bringing on board Lieutenant Grenville, four midshipmen, and eight seamen, from the wreck of the Rayo: Lieutenant Firneyhough, of the marines, Mr. Ellis, the carpenter of the Donegal, Mr. Bell, midshipman, seventeen seamen, and two marines, with a vast number of Spaniards, were drowned in the wreck.

After contemplating the fate of the Rayo, and the Trinidad, who is there that will not rejoice to learn, that the Santa Anna, of one hundred and twelve guns, with the wounded Admiral Alava, and his unfortunate crew, arrived safe in Cadiz? That ship was completely in the possession of the British officers and men, from the Royal Sovereign; but finding it impossible to keep the sea, they consented to run the ship into Cadiz, on con- . dition that they should be considered at liberty to return to their ship; this offer was thankfully accepted, and the generosity of the Spaniards to their brave and skilful deliverers knew no bounds.

Alava, though defeated and taken, was not dishonoured, until he declined delivering himself up as a prisoner to Vice-admiral Collingwood, agreeably to his parole of honour. Alava had been severely wounded, and his dissolution was considered so near that he sent a message to Lord Collingwood, with his sword, in token of submission, requesting to be allowed to die in peace on board the Santa Anna. The request was readily granted, but when Collingwood heard of his safe arrival in port, and that he was rapidly recovering, he sent him the following letter:

SIR,

Euryalus, off Cadiz, Oct. 30, 1805.

It is with great pleasure I have heard that the wound which you received in the action is in a hopeful way of recovery, and that your country may still have the benefit of your services. But, sir, you surrendered yourself to me, and it was in consideration only of the state of your wound that you were not re

moved into my ship: I could not disturb the repose of a man supposed to be in his last moments; but your sword, the emblem of your service, was delivered to me by your captain, and I expect, that you consider yourself a prisoner of war, until you shall be regularly exchanged by cartel.

Alava did not reply to this letter in the true spirit of Spanish chivalry, but lost the esteem of the great Collingwood, by denying that the sword was his own, alleging that it belonged to an inferior officer! Better to have died at Trafalgar than have been guilty of such an unworthy subterfuge.

When the ships lay in Gibraltar mole, after the action, Captain (now Sir Benjamin) Hallowell, of the Tigrè, heard of the distress of the captain of the French ship Intrépide,* which having been sunk, the officers and crew lost all their clothes, and other little property. Captain Hallowell immediately collected some articles of wearing apparel to a considerable amount, and sent them to Captain Infernet, with the following letter:

SIR,

Tigre, Gibraltar-bay, Nov. 14, 1805.

I heard last night from Captain Codrington, that you had been so unfortunate as to lose every thing belonging to you when L'Intrépide was destroyed; I have therefore taken the liberty of sending you a small box with a few articles of apparel, and a bed, which I hope you will find of service on your passage to England; and to prevent your being put to any inconvenience on your first arrival in an English port, for want of money, I have inclosed a draft on my agent for 100l. which I must request you will do me the honour to accept, as I assure you it

* See p. 219.