round to his officers, with the highest exultation, said—­“Look at that noble fellow!  Observe the stile in which he carries his ship into action!” The Victory, at four minutes past twelve, opened it’s fire on the enemy’s van, while passing down their line; in about a quarter of an hour after which, finding it impossible to penetrate through, the Victory fell on board the eleventh and twelfth ships.  The Temeraire, Captain Harvey, by which the Victory was seconded, in consequence of the closeness of this part of the enemy’s line, fell also on board one of them.  These four ships were thus, for a considerable time, engaged together as in a single mass; so that the flash of almost every gun fired from the Victory set fire to the Redoutable, it’s more immediate opponent.  In this state, amidst the hottest fire of the enemy, was beheld a very singular spectacle; that of numerous British seamen employed, at intervals, in very coolly throwing buckets of water to extinguish the flames on board their enemy’s ship, that both might not be involved in one common destruction.  His lordship had been particularly desirous to have began the action, by passing a-head of the Bucentaure, Admiral Villeneuve’s ship, that the Victory might be a-head of the French commander in chief, and a-stern of the Spanish Santissima Trinidada of a hundred and thirty-six guns, the largest ship in the world.  The Bucentaure, however, shooting a-head, his lordship, who was thus obliged to go under that ship’s stern, immediately raked it, and luffed up on the starboard side.  The Bucentaure fired four broadsides at the Victory, before our hero ordered his ports to be opened; when the whole broadside, which was double shotted, being poured in, the discharge made such a tremendous crash, that the ship was instantly seen to heel.  Lord Nelson now shot a-head to the Santissima Trinidada.  In contending with this ship, on the celebrated 14th of February 1797, our hero had already acquired considerable renown.  Having got alongside his tremendous opponent, which he familiarly called his old acquaintance, he ordered the ships to be lashed together.  The battle was now raging with a fury not to be described; and the enemy’s ships being full of men, and many of them engaged muzzle to muzzle of the guns with our’s, the carnage was most horrible.  The crash, too, of the falling masts, yards, &c. incessantly mowed down, by the respective shots on both sides, with the almost general blaze, and incessantly tremendous roar, had an aweful grandeur which no verbal or graphic description or delineation can ever faithfully convey to the eye and ear.  Our hero, amidst this most terrific scene, appeared to be literally in his glory.  He was quite enraptured with the bravery and skill of all under his command:  he was not displeased to find, that the enemy, in general, fought like men worthy of being conquered; of being themselves conquerors, in a better cause.  In a dress richly covered with the honours which he had acquired by his prowess