1816	England and the Barbary States	402

Exmouth had directed his ship to be steered as the guide for her position, a shot was fired at the Queen-Charlotte ; and almost at the same instant two other shot were fired from the opposite end of the mole at the Impregnable and ships near her, as they were advancing to their stations. Scarcely had these three guns been discharged, when Lord Exmouth, with characteristic humanity, waved his hand to a crowd of 200 or 300 soldiers and artillerymen, standing on the parapet of the mole, surveying the immense floating body so near to them. As the greater part of these were in the act of leaping through the embrasures into the lower battery, the Queen-Charlotte opened her starboard broadside. Thus the action commenced, each British ship taking a part in it the instant she could bring her guns to bear.

Next ahead of the Queen-Charlotte, or rather upon her larboard bow, lay the Leander, with her after guns on the starboard side bearing into the mouth of the mole and her foremost ones upon the fish-market battery. Ahead of the Leander lay the Severn, with the whole of her starboard guns bearing on the fish-market battery. Close to the Severn was the Glasgow, with her larboard guns bearing on the town batteries. In the rear of the Queen-Charlotte, inclining towards her starboard quarter, at the distance of about 250 yards, and within a very few of her allotted station, was the Superb, with her starboard broadside bearing upon the 60-gun battery, next to that on the mole-head. This ship was not as close to the Queen-Charlotte as her gallant commander intended her to be (by placing her flying jib-boom over the poop of the Queen-Charlotte), owing to the signal having been made " to anchor " instead of " prepare to anchor," as was directed by Lord Exmouth. Close astern of the Superb, in a northeasterly direction, the Impregnable and Albion were to have taken their stations in line ahead ; but, not being sufficiently advanced when the firing commenced, the Impregnable was obliged to bring to considerably outside, not only of her proper station, but of the line of bearing (about south-east from the south angle of the eastern battery) within which the attacking force had been ordered to assemble. The Impregnable thus lay exposed, at the distance of about 400 yards, as well to the lighthouse battery of three tiers, towards which she soon sprang her starboard broadside, as to the eastern battery of two tiers. Observing what an open space there was between the Impregnable and her second ahead, the Superb, the Minden stood on and took up a position about her own length astern of the latter. The Albion, following, brought up, at first, close ahead of the Impregnable ; but, finding herself too near to the three-decker, she filled, and at about 3 p.m. came to again, within her own length of the Minden. The latter, quickly passing her stream-cable out of the larboard gun-room port to the Albion's bow, hove the two ships close together. In this way the eight

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