and the proximity of the land, I thought if fourteen ships were captured, it would be a glorious result;’ to which he always replied, ‘I shall not, Blackwood, be satisfied with any thing short of twenty.’ A telegraphic signal had been made by him to denote, That he intended to break through the rear of the enemy’s line, to prevent their getting into Cadiz. I was walking with him on the poop, when he said, ‘I’ll now amuse the fleet with a signal;’ and he asked me, ‘If I did not think there was one yet wanting?’ I answered, That I thought the whole of the fleet seemed very clearly to understand what they were about, and to vie with each other who should first get nearest to the Victory, or Royal Sovereign. These words were scarcely uttered, when his last well-known signal was made, England expects every man will do his duty. The shout with which it was received throughout the fleet, was truly sublime. Now, said Lord Nelson, I can do no more. We must trust to the Great Disposer of all Events, and the justice of our cause. I thank God for this great opportunity of doing my duty. About 10 o’clock his Lordship’s anxiety to close with the enemy became very apparent. He frequently remarked to me, that they put a good face upon it; but always quickly added, I’ll give them such a dressing as they never had before; regretting at the same time the vicinity of the land. At that critical moment I ventured to represent to his Lordship the value of such a life as his, and particularly in the present battle; and I proposed hoisting his flag in the Euryalus, whence he could better see what was going on, as well as what to order in case of necessity. But he would not hear of it, and gave as his reason the force of example; and probably he was right. My next object, therefore, was to endeavour to induce his Lordship to allow the Temeraire, Neptune, and Leviathan, to lead into action before the Victory, which was then the headmost ship. After much conversation, in which I ventured to give it as the joint opinion of Captain Hardy and myself, how advantageous it would be to the fleet for his Lordship to keep as long as possible out of the battle, he at length consented to allow the Temeraire, which was then sailing a-breast of the Victory, to go a-head, and hailed Captain E. Harvey, to say such were his intentions, if the Temeraire could pass the Victory. Captain Harvey being rather out of hail, his Lordship sent me to communicate his wishes, which I did; when on returning to the Victory, I found him doing all he could to increase rather than diminish sail, so that the Temeraire could not pass the Victory; consequently, when they came within gun-shot of the enemy, Captain Harvey, finding his efforts ineffectual, was obliged to take his station a-stern of the Admiral.”
“Of the Victory and Royal Sovereign,” continues Captain Blackwood, “it would be impossible to decide which achieved the most. They both, in my opinion, seemed to vie with each other in holding forth a brilliant example to the rest of the fleet. They were literally in themselves a host. Admiral Villeneuve assured me, that on seeing the novel mode of attack intended to be made on the combined fleets, and which at that moment, he confessed, he could not in any way prevent, he called the officers of his ship around him, and pointing out the manner in which the