Thus died the greatest naval hero, “take him for all in all,” that ever lived.  This will probably be said, as long as the world endures.  It is not likely that he can ever be equalled, it is impossible that he should be surpassed.

The victory of this day, off Trafalgar, was one of the most compleatly glorious ever atchieved by Britons.  About three o’clock, many of the enemy’s ships having struck their colours, their line had every where given way, and as many as possible endeavoured to effect their escape.  Eighteen men of war were taken; and three flag-officers, with a general, made prisoners of war.  Among the ships captured, were the Santissima Trinidada of a hundred and thirty-six guns, the Santa Anna of a hundred and twenty, and the Bucentaure of seventy-four:  the last having Admiral Villeneuve, the French commander in chief, on board; as well as General Contamin, who had four thousand select troops embarked under his command; and the two former, the Spanish Vice-Admiral Don Ignatio Morea D’Alva, who died of his wounds, with Rear-Admiral Don Baltazar Hidalgo de Cisneros.  The Santissima Trinidada, soon after the action, sunk; and L’Achille, a French seventy-four, by some mismanagement of the crew, almost immediately on striking, took fire, and blew up.  The number of killed, wounded, and taken prisoners, was most prodigious.  The French Admiral Dumanoir, with three French ships, which had no share in the action, iniquitously fired, for some time, while making their ignominious retreat, on the Santissima Trinidada and other Spanish prizes which had struck their colours to our fleet; thus wantonly massacreing their defenceless friends and allies.  Many of the ships taken or destroyed had upwards of four hundred men killed and wounded on board; and more than three thousand Spanish prisoners were liberally sent back to their own country, by the generous conquerors.  The Bucentaure, it is said, had three hundred and sixty-five killed, and two hundred and nineteen wounded.  Our loss, too, in killed and wounded, was far from inconsiderable; and many of our ships were materially damaged.  The Royal Sovereign, in particular, was so cut up, that Vice-Admiral Collingwood, after the action, shifted his flag to the Euryalus, the Honourable Captain Blackwood, and towed his own ship out seaward.  Besides Lord Nelson, two other brave and estimable commanders lost their lives on this most memorably fatal day:  Captain Duff, of the Mars; and Captain Cooke, of the Bellerophon.  Captain Duff had two sons on board his own ship; one only twelve years of age, the other about fifteen:  early in the engagement, a shot carried away both legs of the youngest; the elder soon afterwards fell; and, finally, their unfortunate father.  Not even these distressing circumstances were capable of exciting any great degree of generous commiseration for those worthy and gallant victims, so entirely was each heart occupied by agonizing reflections on the loss of him