in the hands of the Victory's crew. While listening, with characteristic avidity, to the deafening crash made by their shot in the French ships hull, the British crew were nearly suffocated with the clouds of black smoke that entered the Victory's portholes; and Lord Nelson, Captain Hardy, and others that were walking the quarterdeck, had their clothes covered with the dust which issued from the crumbled wood-work of the Bucentaure's stern. The position of the Victory just as, while receiving into her bows the foremost guns of a French 74 and the whole broadside of a French 80, she is about to pour her broadside into the stern of a second French 80, we have endeavoured to illustrate by the first set of figures in the preceding diagram.

Although the work of scarcely two minutes, and although not a mast or yard of the Bucentaure was seen to come down, the effects of the British three-decker's broadside upon the personnel of the French ship, as acknowledged a day or two afterwards by Vice-admiral Villeneuve, and long subsequently by his flag-captain, M. Magendie, was of the same destructive character as the broadside poured by the Royal-Sovereign into the stern of the Santa-Ana. The amount which the Bucentaure's officers gave, as the extent of their loss in killed and wounded by the Victory's fire, was "nearly 400 men." They represented also, that 20 of their guns were dismounted by it, and that the Bucentaure was reduced to a comparatively defenceless state.

Prevented by position, even had she not been incapacitated by loss, from returning the Victory's tremendous salute, the Bucentaure found an able second in the Neptune. This fine French 80, the moment the Victory's bows opened clear of the Bucentaure's stern, poured into them a most destructive fire. Among other damages occasioned by it, the flying jib-boom and sprit and sprit topsailyards were cut away ; also the starboard cathead was shot completely off, notwithstanding its immense stoutness. The bower anchor, and a sheet anchor stowed near it, were also quite disabled ; and a third anchor on that side was much injured. Several shot also entered the Victory's bows between wind and water, and the foremast and bowsprit were badly wounded.

The Neptune, fearing, as the Victory advanced, that she intended to run on board of her, set her jib, and keeping away a little, ranged ahead ; but, Captain Hardy having decided to run on board the ship on his starboard hand, and into which a broadside had been poured the instant it would bear with effect, the Victory put her helm hard a-port. This quickly brought her head in the direction of the Redoutable; who, with her foremost guns continued to aid the Neptune in raking the Victory, and with her aftermost ones fired occasionally at the T�m�raire, as the latter drew out from the wake of her leader. Just, however, as the Victory was coming in contact with her,

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