Apparently, in these manoeuvres, the leading British ships ran again into the belt of southerly wind,—­which the French kept throughout,—­while part of the centre and rear were left becalmed, and had little or no share in the cannonade that followed.  Under these conditions the resolution of the French admiral seems to have faltered, for instead of passing to leeward—­north—­of his endangered ships, which was quite in his power, and so covering them from the enemy, he allowed the latter to cut them off, thus insuring their surrender.  His fleet kept to windward of the British, passing fairly near the two leading ships, the “Illustrious” and the “Courageux,” who thus underwent a “concentration by defiling,” that took the main and mizzen masts out of both, besides killing and wounding many of their people.  The “Princess Royal” and “Agamemnon,” which came next, could only engage at long range.  “The enemy’s fleet kept the southerly wind,” wrote Nelson in his journal, “which enabled them to keep their distance, which was very great.  At 8 A.M. they began to pass our line to windward, and the Ca Ira and Le Censeur were on our lee side; therefore the Illustrious, Courageux, Princess Royal, and Agamemnon were obliged to fight on both sides of the ship.”  At five minutes past ten A.M. both the French vessels struck, the “Ca Ira” having lost her three masts, and the “Censeur” her mainmast.  It was past one P.M. when firing wholly ceased; and the enemy then crowded all possible sail to the westward, the British fleet lying with their heads to the southeast.

When the British line was forming, between seven and eight in the morning, Nelson was directed by Vice-Admiral Goodall, the second in command, to take his station astern of his flagship, the “Princess Royal,” of ninety guns.  Immediately behind the “Agamemnon” came the “Britannia,” carrying Hotham’s flag.  This position, and the lightness of the wind, serve to explain how Nelson came to take the step he mentions in several letters; going on board the “Britannia,” after the two French vessels struck, and urging the commander-in-chief to leave the prizes in charge of the British frigates and crippled ships-of-the-line, and vigorously to pursue the French, who having lost four ships out of their fleet, by casualty or capture, were now reduced to eleven sail.  “I went on board Admiral Hotham as soon as our firing grew slack in the van, and the Ca Ira and the Censeur had struck, to propose to him leaving our two crippled ships, the two prizes, and four frigates, to themselves, and to pursue the enemy; but he, much cooler than myself, said, ’We must be contented, we have done very well.’  Now, had we taken ten sail, and had allowed the eleventh to escape, when it had been possible to have got at her, I could never have called it well done.  Goodall backed me; I got him to write to the admiral, but it would not do:  we should have had such a day as I believe the annals of England never produced.”