and little doubting of a successful result, should the squadrons meet. On the 15th of the month he passed Madeira, on the 4th of June he reached Barbadoes. Here he learnt that the combined fleets had been seen off St. Lucia on the 28th of May, and that their objects were Tobago and Trinidad. Alone in his opinion, Nelson doubted this latter information; but over-persuaded by his informant, he bore up for Tobago, with the observation, "that if the intelligence was false, the French fleet was lost." Two thousand troops were embarked, and at daybreak on the next morning the fleet sailed.

Not only was this intelligence false, but on the arrival of the fleet at Tobago an additional accident rendered the escape of the French fleet more certain. A merchant of the isle, doubtful whether the fleet was friendly or no, sent out a cutter to reconnoitre, and to communicate her intelligence to him by signal. As it happened, the signal thus shown agreed with that which the colonel of Engineers had arranged should signify that the French were at Trinidad, and as the day was closing, no inquiries were made, but the news believed. Hardly had this accident happened when an American vessel confirmed this false intelligence, by asserting that the enemy had boarded him off Granada, and then borne away for the Bocas of Trinidad. Thus confirmed in his course, Nelson cleared for action, and pushed on for the mouths of the Orinoco; on the 7th he entered the Bay of Parma, but the enemy were nowhere to be seen. Accident and artifice had been successful, and he was far to the leeward of their course. Without a moment's delay he bore up for Granada, and what few fleets would even have attempted, endeavoured to fetch to windward of that island.

But now certain intelligence met him of the capture of the Diamond Rock, of the presence of the French fleet at Martinique, as far back as the fourth of the month, and their intention of attacking Granada that very night. On the 9th, Nelson was off that island, but the enemy were again absent. They had passed to the leeward of Antigua, captured a small convoy, and were now in full flight for Europe. Grieved as he was that his opponents had thus escaped his search, Nelson rejoiced that he had saved the West Indies by his pursuit, and prevented the capture of the enormous

homeward-bound fleet that was on the point of leaving those islands. To Europe was now his course, and, without delay, disembarking the troops at Antigua on the 15th, he turned his head to England, and pursued his opponents, with his old force increased, indeed, by the Spartiate, seventy-four, the only ship that he took away from the West India station.

So greatly had he by seamanship gained upon the combined fleets, that five days after he left Antigua the Amazon brought intelligence that the foe was hardly two days' sail a-head of him. It was then that he wrote in his diary,"June 21, midnight, nearly calm; saw three planks, which I think came from the French fleet; very miserable, which is very foolish; still the chase continued, and on the 17th of July Cape St. Vincent was in sight, but no enemy. On the 18th the diary records: "Cape Spartel in sight, but no French fleet, nor any information about them. How sorrowful this makes me; but I cannot help myself." The next entry in the diary brings the chase to a conclusion. "July 20, Gibraltar. I went on shore for the first time since June 10th, 1803, and from having my foot out of the Victory, two years, wanting ten days." The 8000 miles of chase were concluded, and his enemy was still safe, and his pursuit fruitless.

At Gibraltar, Nelson's old friend Collingwood at once saw through the French projects, and communicated his ideas to Nelson. That their object was to liberate the blockading fleets, and then take advantage of Nelson's absence, he was right; but he mistook Ireland for their eventual object, instead of the prosecution of the invasion of England. Still without real intelligence, Nelson having watered at Tetuan, stood over for Ceuta, until he heard that the combined fleet had been seen steering to the northward, on the day after his arrival at Gibraltar, when he bore away for Cape St. Vincent, and cruised about in that direction as much for intelligence as in the expectation of intercepting his opponents. It was at this time that one of our frigates spoke an American, who to the westward of the Azores had fallen in with a dismasted privateer, half burnt, and deserted by her crew; a log-book and a few seamen's jackets were found in the cabin, and brought to Nelson. The last entry in the log was two large vessels, W.N.W. From this he inferred that

the vessel was an English privateer, once in the possession of the enemy. In this book was a dirty scrap of paper, covered with figures. After a long and careful study, Nelson pronounced them French figures, and thus read the legend. "I can explain the whole," he said; "the jackets are of French manufacture, and prove that the privateer was in the possession of the enemy. She had been chased, and taken by the two ships that were seen in W.N.W. The prize master going on board in a hurry, forgot to take with him his reckoning. There is none in the log-book, and this daily paper contains her work for the number of days since the privateer left Corvo, with an unaccounted for noon, which I take to be the chase, in his endeavour to find out her situation by back reckonings. By some mismanagement I conceive, she was run on board of by one of the enemy's ships, and dismantled. Not liking delay (for I am satisfied that those two ships were the advanced ones of the French squadron), and fancying we were close at their heels, they set fire to the vessel, and abandoned her in a hurry. If this explanation be correct, I infer from it that they are gone more to the northward, and more to the northward I will look for them." To the northward he went, but still without success; again he looked into Cadiz, to be sure that they were not there, then crossed the Bay of Biscay; and then, as a last chance, stood over to the coast of Ireland, in the teeth of the wind, until the 12th of August. Still frustrated, he stood for the channel to reinforce Cornwallis's fleet, joined him off Ushant on the 15th of August, and on the same evening, still without even a rumour of the enemy, proceeded, in obedience to new orders, to Portsmouth. Baffled in his pursuit, exhausted with fatigue, he reached Spithead on the 18th, and, with mixed feelings of joy and regret, struck his flag, and returned to Merton, after the longest blockade and longest chase that our naval annals can produce.

CHAPTER XI.

TRAFALGAR.

The last Sight of Home.-Nelson and Collingwood off Cadiz.-Nelson, Calder, and Durham.-The Last anxious Watch.-The Last Orders. -The Victory and last moments of the Victor.

No sooner had he arrived at Spithead than Nelson heard of the fleet which he had so long been in search of. Whilst the French admiral was making the best of his way home from the West Indies, Napoleon had everything prepared, and counted days and hours with anxiety until the great armament should arrive. To the fleet at Rochfort he sent orders to put to sea, join the Brest squadron, if that had escaped, and if not, to proceed off Ferrol to join Villeneuve. Very little was now wanted for success. Fortunately the Curieux brig, which Nelson had sent from Antigua, outstripped the combined fleet, and in twenty-five days brought the real news of their object to England. Not a moment was lost. Admiral Keeling was ordered to raise the blockade of Rochfort, and join Sir R. Calder off Ferrol with all his force, so as to throw a powerful force in the way of their passage to Brest. On the 9th of July the little brig had arrived in England; on the 15th the squadrons were united off Ferrol, and fifteen sail of the line ready to contest the road to Brest with the combined fleet. Among the many able officers in that fleet, Captain Durham, of the Defiance, was well known as the best look-out captain in the service, and as one of the eyes of the squadron. At noon, on the 22nd of July, when some distance from the rest of the fleet, Captain Durham first saw the combined fleets, and by means of firing guns, letting fly his topsails, and yawing his ship, brought the admiral within signal distance, and communi cated the long wished-for intelligence. Immediately the

signal for action was given, and Sir R. Calder, with his fifteen sail of the line, of which two were only sixty-four gunships, bore down on his opponents, who now mustered twenty line-of-battle ships, besides three heavy vessels, armed " en flute." For four hours the action lasted, until the fog became so dense that the ships ahead and astern could not be seen, and Sir Robert gave the signal to discontinue, and hastened to secure his two prizes, the St. Raphael and El Ferme, seventy-fours. On the following morning the eye of the squadron was again ordered to keep the enemy in sight, and soon began to show signal after signal to the commander-in-chief. To the first signal, "You can weather the enemy," no answer was given; nor was any notice taken of the second, "That the enemy were increasing their distance." At last Captain Durham inquired if he was still to keep sight of the enemy; the answer was, his recal to the line of sailing.

"You were

over-zealous, you made me some improper signals," was all that Sir Robert said when Captain Durham came on board the flag-ship, so little did he appreciate such eagerness; and when he wrote his dispatch to the admiralty, he ascribed to fortune that discovery of the French fleet for which he was indebted to Captain Durham.* Such was Sir Robert Calder, and such his action with Villeneuve. Slight as was the action, it totally defeated the designs of Napoleon, as much as if it had ended in the destruction of the combined fleet. Sir Robert fell back on the Channel fleet, fearful lest Villeneuve should be joined by the Brest or Rochfort squadrons. Villeneuve, glad to escape so easily, bore away for Spain, and after leaving three sail at Vigo, entered Ferrol on the 2nd of August.

In France equally with England the entire blame was thrown on their own commander. When Count Daru entered Napoleon's cabinet after the news arrived, he found him transported with rage, pacing up and down the room, and only stopping to mutter, "What a navy!—what a sacrifice for nothing!-what an admiral!-all hope is gone. That Villeneuve, instead of entering the Channel, has taken refuge in Ferrol; he will be blockaded there: Daru sit down

* Sir P. Durham's Life.