admiral to fire at, and injure as much as he could, the different British ships within the reach of his guns. In his letter to the editor of the Gibraltar Chronicle, whose gross inaccuracy on another point we shall soon have to expose, M. Dumanoir positively denies that he intentionally fired at the prizes ; but how, let us ask, was it possible for the shot to pass clear of them, when, in some instances, they lay within less than their own length of, and, in others, absolutely masked, the ships that had captured them ?

The hauling to windward of M. Dumanoir afforded to the Minotaur and Spartiate an opportunity which, as the two rear-most ships of the weather column, they would otherwise have sought in vain. At about 3 h. 10 in. P.M., having hauled close on the larboard tack, the Minotaur and Spartiate lay to with their main topsails to the masts, and exchanged broadsides in passing with the Formidable, Duguay-Trouin, Mont-Blanc, and Scipion, and, as the Neptuno was considerably astern, succeeded in cutting her off. At 4 P.M. the two British 74s wore, and got close alongside of the Spanish 80 ; who, after defending herself in the most gallant manner, surrendered at about 5 h. 10 m. P.M. with the loss of her mizenmast and fore and main topmasts, and with, no doubt, a serious loss in men, although it has not been recorded. Having been captured directly to windward of the T�m�raire and her two prizes, the Neptuno drifted upon and fell on board the former. This gave rise to the extraordinary mistake contained in Lord Collingwood's official despatch, representing that the T�m�raire had been boarded by a French ship on one side and a Spaniard on the other.

The Minotaur had her foretopsail yard shot away ; and both she and the Spartiate had their masts, yards, and rigging in general a good deal damaged. The Minotaur had three seamen killed, her boatswain (James Robinson), one midshipman (John Samuel Smith), 17 seamen, and three marines wounded ; and the Spartiate had also three seamen killed, and her boatswain (John Clarke), two midshipmen (Henry Bellairs and Edward Knapman), 16 seamen, and one marine wounded. A great proportion of the loss suffered by these two ships was no doubt inflicted by the Neptuno ; who, as the Intr�pide was the last French, was herself the last Spanish, ship that struck to the British on this eventful day. We have still some arrears to bring up in the lee column, a task we shall hasten to execute.

It was about 2 P.M. when the Dreadnought got into action with the San-Juan-Nepomuceno, then surrounded by the Principe-de-Asturias, San-Justo, and a French 80-gun ship, the Indomptable. In about 15 minutes the Dreadnought ran on board of and captured the San-Juan; who had previously been engaged by the Tonnant, Bellerophon, Defiance, and some other ships, and was nearly in a defenceless state, Without, as

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