the Brave ; had passed, next, the Donegal as she was boarding the Jupiter, and was approaching to aid the Canopus in her attack upon the Imp�rial, when, owing to the latter's proximity to the shore, the Spencer had no choice but to join the Atlas in engaging the Diom�de. It was Captain Stopford's intention to pass under the latter's stern ; but in this he was foiled by the position of the Atlas, who, it will be recollected, had dropped, and was engaging, upon the larboard beam of the Diom�de. The Spencer then steered to pass ahead of the Diom�de, and received her fire, without the power of returning it, until closing she crossed the French ship's bows. Meanwhile, the Atlas, in her still ungovernable state, having shifted her position, the stern of the Spencer now became exposed to the guns of the Diom�de. The Spencer at length came to the wind on the larboard tack, and the Atlas hauled out of her way, but too late to prevent the Diom�de from running on shore. The moment the French ship struck the ground, her three masts went by the board ; but the Diom�de still continued to fire occasionally at the Atlas and Canopus, until they quitted her to rejoin the admiral. Thus, in less than two hours, had the five ships composing this French squadron been either captured or driven on shore. The two frigates and the corvette, having got well to leeward during the action, hauled to the southward ; and, as the Acasta and Magicienne, at the commencement of the battle, were not ordered to go in chase, and, at its close, were busily employed in attending to the captured ships, all three of the former effected their escape.

For the actual force of the British ships, in guns and men, it may suffice, in this case, to refer to their respective establishments, as set forth in various parts of this work. For the guns mounted on the first and second decks, except in the case of the Canopus, which ship, from the weakness of her topsides, had been fitted with 18 instead of 24 pounders, reference may be had to the alphabetical letters K, N or O, and P, in Annual Abstract No. 1. The quarterdeck and forecastle guns of all seven ships were chiefly 32-pounder carronades, agreeably to the establishment of 1797, * and the six carronades on the poop, except those of the Superb which were 24s, were 18-pounders.

The force of the French ships may also be stated with tolerable accuracy. The Imp�rial is acknowledged to have been " le plus fort et le plus beau vaisseau qui eut jamais �t� construit dans aucun pays du monde, " � and to have mounted in this action 130 guns, 36, 24, and 18 pounders, namely 34 on each of her principal decks, besides 10 long 12-pounders and 12 iron 36-pounder carronades on her quarterdeck and forecastle, and six brass ones of the same caliber on the poop ; making her broadside weight of

*  See vol. ii., p 106.

�  Victoires et Conquetes, tome xvii., p. 268.

^ back to top ^