HISTORIC DISPATCH.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1886, 22 October 1913, Page 8

HISTORIC DISPATCH.

By the second-in-command. PENNED AFTER BATTLE. . Yesterday was the 108 th anniversary of the battlo. On. tho death of Nelson the duty of transmitting tho news to tho Admiralty devolved on Collingwood, who led tho lee lino into action. Collingwood's dispatch does not clear up the •controversy which lias been , going on since 1894, as to' the formation in [which Nelson. closed on the enemy—who--ther in two lines in line-ahead, or in lt\vo 'jines arranged bow and quarter fashiojn. Probably 3'© did not think that matter worth stating, presuming that it would bo sufficiently understood. 'The text, of his fcistorio dispatch runs as follows:— Admiralty Office, November 6, 1805. Dispatches, of which tha following are copies,, wero received at tho Admiralty this day, at ono o'clock a.m., from Vice-Admiral Collingwood, Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's . ships and vessels off Cadiz:—„ Eurvalus, off Cape Trafalgar, October .22, 1805. Sir, —The evor-to-be-lamented ' death 'of Vice-Admiral, -Lord' Viscount Nelson, ; who in the late conflict with the enemy fell in : the 'hoilr of victory, leaves to me. the duty of informing my Lords Commissioners of tlio Admiralty that on tho 19th instant it was communicated to the Commander-in-Chief, from tho ships "watching tho motions of -t'ho enemy in Cadiz, that tho 'combined fljaet had put to sea; as they sailed with light winds westerly, His Lordship concluded their destination was tho Mediterranean, and immediately made all sail for tho Straights entianco with the British Squadron, consisting of twenty-soven .ships,-three of them sixty-fours, where His Lordship was informed by Captain Blackwood (whoso vigilance in watching and giving notice of the enemy's movements has been- highly meritorious) that thoy .had not yet passed the Streights. On Monday,-the 21st instant, at'daylight, when Capo Trafalgar boro E. by S. about seven leagues,,the enemy was discovered six or Seven miles eastward, the wind about west, and very light. Thei Commandor-in-Chief immediately made the signal'for the fleet to bear up in two columns as they are formed in order of sailing; a mode of attack his Lordship had previously diiected to .avoid the inconveniences and delay in forming a lino of battle in the usual manner. The enemy's line consisted of thirty-three ships (of which eighteen wero French and fifteen Spanish), commanded in <jhief by Admiral Villencuvo: the Spaniards under the direction of Gravina, wero with their heads norths .ward', and formed their line of battle with great closeness and correctness; but as tho mode of attack was unusual, '60 tho structure of their line was new; jfc formed a crescent, convexing the leeward, so that in leading down-to the centre I had both their van and rear abaft the beam; beforo the fire opened, ■every plternato fillip was about o. cablo's length to windward of her second ahead . . . . t • appeared from •their beam to leave a very little interval between them and this without Crowding thoir ships. Admiral Villeneuvo was in tho Bucontaure in the centre, and the Prince of Asturias bore Gravina's flag in'the loar; but the 'French and "Spanish ships were mixed without any apparent! regard to order of national squadron. As tho modo of our attack had been previously determined on ant', communicated to the ilag-officcrs and captains, few signals wero necessary, and none were mado except to direct closo order os the lilies bore down. The Commander-in-Chief, in the Victory, led tho weather column, and the Royal Sovereign, which bore my flag, !the lee. • • Tho action began at twelve o'clock by tho leading ships of the column .breaking through tho enemy's lino, the Com-mander-iii-Cliief about tho tenth ship from tho van, the Second-in-Command about'the twelfth from tho lear. leaving tho van of the enemy unoccupied; the •succeeding ships breaking through in nil ■ parts, astern of their loaders, and engaging the enemy at the muzzles cf their guns. The conflict .was severe; tho cnemv's ships wore fought with a "allantry highly honourable to their officers ; but the' attack on tl'.om was irresistible, and it pleased tho Almighty Disposer of all events to grant His Majesty's arms a complcto and glorious victory. About. 3 p.m., moro of the enemy's -ships having struck their colours, their line gave way; Admiral Gravina with ten ships joining their frigates to leeward, stood towards Cadiz. The fivo headmost ships in their van ta"ked and standing to the southward, to windward of the 'British line, wero enraged, and tho stcrnmcst of thsni taken• tho others went off, leaving to His Majesty's squadron nineteen ships of tho 'line (of which threo are firstraters —the Santissima, Trinidad and the Swiftsure—with threo fla" officers, viz , Admiral Villeneuve, tho Comman-der-in-Chief ; Don Ignatis Maria D'Aliva. Vice-Admiral: tho Spanish Rear-Admiral, Don Bathgar Hidalgo Cisueres. . . . After such a victory it may_ appear 'unnecessary to enter into encmiiums on the particular parts taken by tho several commanders; the conclusion says ■more on the subject than I have language to express ; tho spirit which animated all was the same; when all exert themselves zealously in their countrv's service, all deserve that their high merits should stand recorded ; and nevei ivas hi"h merit moro consmcuou3 than ■ in tho "battle I have described. The Achille (a French 74), aftei having surrendered, by some mismanagement of the Frenchman took firf and blew up; two hundred of her men wero saved by tho tenders. A circumstance occurred during tlu action which so strongly marks tho invincible spirit of British seamen, wlier encasing the enemies of their country that" I "cannot resist the pleasure 1 Kavc in making it known to shins Tho Temcraire was boarded bj accident or design by a. French shit on ono side and a Spaniard on ti< other; tho contest was vigorous, but i. the end tho combined ensigns were ton from tho poop and tho hoisted n their places. Such a battlo could no bo fought without sustaining a grea loss of men. 1 havo not onK-to lamen in common frith i-ho 'JJntish 'Kavy. -anc

I the British nation in the fall of the Commander-in-Chief, .the loss of a hero whose name will be immortal and his memory ever dear to his country.; hut my heart is rent- with the most poignant grief for tho death of a friend to whom by many years intimacy and a- perfect knowledge of tho virtues of his mind, which■ inspired ideas superior to the common race of men, 1 was bound by the strongest ties of affection; a grief to which, the glorious occasion in which ho fell does not bring tho consolation which, perhaps, it ought-. His Lowls'hip received a musket ball in his left breast about the middle of the action, and sent an officer to me immediately with his last farewell, and soon after expired. I 'have also to lament the less of those excellent officers Captains Duff, of the Mars, and Cooke, of the Bellerophon; I have yet heard of none others. I fear the numbers that have fallen will be found very great, when tho returns come to me; but it having blown a gale of wind ever since the action, I have not yet had it in my power to collect any reports from the ships._ > The Royal Sovereign having lost her masts, except the tottering foremast, I called the Euryahis to me While tho action continued, which ship being within hail, mado my signals-—a service' Captain Blackwood performed with great attention; after tho action I shifted my flag to her, that I might more easily communicate any orders to, and collect tho ships, and fowed the Royal Sovereign out to seaward. The whole fleet was now in a very perilous position, many dismasted, all shattered, in thirteen fathom' water off tho shoals of Trafalgar ; and when I made tho signal to prepare to anchor few of tho ships had an anchor to let'go, their cables being shot; but tho same good Providence which aided us through tho day preserved us through tho night, by the wind shifting a few points, and drifting the ships off the land, except four of- the captured dismastod ships, which are now at anchor at Trafalgar, and I hope will rido safe until'those gales are over. ' Having thus detailed the proceedings of tlio fleet on this occasion, I beg to congratulate their Lordships on a vietory which I -hope will add & ray to tho ' glory of His Majesty's crown, and l-o attended with public benefit to our country.—l am, etc., (Signed) 0- COLLINGWOOD.