Star.
London, England, 1805-12-03 00:00:00

7; 1:-.• •
• • . • ,P,;, t 4": •
BATTLE OF TRIFALCAR.

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PROM THE GIBRALTAR CHRONICLE, NOV. 9.
It appears, from evert account,which has been
received, from the Spanifh officers who have been
taken prifoners, that Admiral Villeneuve certainly
failed from Cadiz with the determination of
giving battle to the Englifh fleet. There 13, how-
ever, the ftrongeß reason to believe that this mea
fore was contrary both to the views and indraa;on,
of Bonaparte, whole intentions were, that the com-
bined fleets (hould proceed from Cadiz to Toulon,
forming a junction with the Carthagena fluadron in
their way, that he might, by tilde means, have the
gieateft part of the Spanifh navy in a French port,
and immediately in his power, in cafe any reverfe of
fortune might tempt the Spann Government to
Mae a favourable opportunity to throw ell the gal-
ling yoke he has im2nfed upon it. But Villeneuve
teems to have been impelled by motives of perfonal
refentment, and wounded honour, to ad in oppofi•
Lion to the wifhes of his mailer. He had been deep-
ly flung by a fevere remade in the Monit:ur, upon
what the conduit of the French fleet would be, if
commanded by a man of abilities ; the Spaniards
had alfo openly upbraided him with not fupporting
them in the anion off Cape Finifterre ; Bonaparte,
he likewife knew, had publicly fpoken of him in the
most fareaftic manner ; and, to complete his misfor-
tuner. he had received private intelligence that Ad-
miral Rofily was ordered from Paris to fuperfede
him in the command of the combined fleets at Ca-
diz: Under fuch cireumflances, he naturally felt,
that even a defeat could add but little to his difr ace;
whilil, on the contrary, a vinory over a Fritifh fleet,
commanded by the &It hero of the age, would wipe
ofF every fuppofed (Lain on his conduit, and cover
him with immortal honour. Thus fituale,d lie re.
folved to put to lea before Admiral Rofily mild ar-
rive, in fpite of every rcmoniirance of Admiral Gra-
vina and other Spanifh officers of rank, w:o vainly
atempte to difFuade biro. from his defign rf giving
battle to the Britifh fleet, which they forefaw would
be attended with the molt difaltrous confeepiences.—
Villeneuve, however, was immovable ; and the iu-
telligence he had received of Admiral Louis, and fix
fail of the line, being then abfent from the fleet, in-
duced him to believe that Lord Nelfon had only 21
fail of the line along with him, as he was ignorant
of the reinforcement which had arrived from Eng•
land, owing to the great diflance at which the Bri-
tifh fleet kept from Cadiz. On this tippofition, Vil-
leneuve's original difpofition of his fleet is generally
allowed to have been extremely judicious. Twenty.
one of his (hips were to be drawn up in the usual
line of battle, to receive the firft attack of the &kith
fleet, whillt twelve of his Wen (hips, forming a body
of referve to windward. nem• to bear down and
double upon the .Britifh line, after the anion had
commencedk and thus to place it between two firer.
—Every other precauticn was alfo taken, that was
thought moll likely to infure fitecell. Ten thoufand
of their chnicell troops were diritilmted throughout
the fleet : the French fltips were furnished with every
species of fire-balls and combuflibles to throw on
board of the Englifh (hips, in hopes of being able
either to burn them, or to produce filch conlotion as
might greatly facilitate their delign of boarding,
where an opportonity offered • and feveral of our
fhips were repeatedly fet fire, and fume of the
feamen dreadfully feorched from this unufual mode
of warfare. Britifh &ill and intrepidity were, how-
ever, completely triumphant over every ohflacle that
was oppofed to them ; and, notwithflandiug the
enemy in general, and particularly the Spaniards,
fought with great obltinacy, it is the opinion of the
ableft Officers of the fleet, that. had there been a
little more wind during the anion, to have enabled
the rear of our fleet to have come np in proper tune,
hardly a ship of the enemy would have efcaped.
The French Admiral, on teeing our ft.:et fo much
ftronger than he expened, abandoned his original
plan, and formed the whole of his !hips into one line,
firmly waiting the attack of the Britifla, which was
condutlted in a manner fo bold aitd uneTpefled, as
feon to throw them into the greateft cool-orlon. The
Royal Sovereign, in particular, which fittt broke
through the enemy's line, excited the general admi-
ration of both fleets.
The bravery of our feamen has never been doubt-
ed ; but the uncommon fuccefs, and marked thperi-
ority which they difplayed over the enemy in this
fflorions day, are chiefly to be attributed to that cool
intrepidity and difcipline which prevailed through-
out the fleet in a high degree ; a very remarkable
proof of which is, that we have not heard of a fin-
gle accident having happened nn board any of our
thips,ifrorn hurry or carletfnets, during the whole of
the engagement.
We do not recoiled any general anion, where fo
many of our (hips ran on board thofe of the enemy ;
no lets than five of the French captured Mips were
engaged fo dofely, that the muzzles of our lower
deck guns touched thole of the enemy ; and it is
worthy of remark, that, in every.inftance where
this occurred, the Frenchmen immediately lowered
their ports, and deferted their guns on that deck,
whilft our (cameo, on the contrary. were deliberate-
ly loading and firing their guns with two, and often
with three round flior, which. loon reduced the ene-
my's (hips to a perfen wreck.
The dreadful flaughter on board, and the shatter-
ed condition rf all the captured thips,whilft it thews
with what obftinacy the enemy in general fought, is
a convincing proof of the decided luperitatity our
feamen poffefs over the enemy in cicfe ation.
It farm to he generally allowed, that the French
fired with more vivacity at the ctratnencernent of the
anion than the Spaniards ; but that the Spaniards
(hewed more firmnefs and courage to the end than
the French. Amongft the Spanilh fhips, the Argo-
nauta and Bahama, were defended to the lag extre-
mity, each of them having about 400 men killed
and wounded. The San Juan Nepomuceno was alfo
fought with the litmoft gallantry, till the Captain
and 350 of her crew were killed or wounded.
The Principe de Afturias and Sta. Ana, both
likewife !hewed great bravery in the anion.
However difaftrous this vinory may have proved
to the Spanifh navy, the naticnal charafter of that
country has rifen greatly in our eftimation even by
their defeat. As enemies, though vanquifhed, their
gallantry cammands the higheß refpea ; and the ha.
manity with which every Englifh tailor, that fell into
their bands, was treated, exceeds all praife. They
refuted to coofider as prifoners of war fuch of our

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Officers and men as were striven on their Matt in the
captured fbips by the violence of the form ; every
exertion was made from the Chore to feve their lives,
end the Spanifli .folaliers were turned out 9f their
beds to accommodate our thipwrecked feamen. who
experienced every mark of kindriefs and attention that
a generous enemy could bellow.
The behaviour of the Frentch, on the contrary, in
feveral inftances, both during, and after, the en-
gagement, forms fo melancholy a contrail to the
bravery and humanity of the Spaniards, that, as we
have felt it our duty to render the latter that top
plaufe, to which their eonduit fo truly entitles theta,
we think it equally an aft of juftice to record, with
impartiality, the bafenefs of the French, both to their
allies and foes.
The fait will hardly be credited, of three French
Drips, under a Rear Admiral, who had no (hare in
the adios:, having, in their fligh', fired fur Tome tithe
upon the Santillima Trinidad, and others of the Spot
niit prizes after they had !truck their colours to the
Englilh. We now find, from the concurring tells-
moray of feveral Spann officers of rank, who were
on board the (hips to which we have allu4ed, that
Rear Admiral Drimanoir was the perfon who led on
his divilion to the pe.petration of this bloody deed,
to worthy the days of Robefpierre, by which feveral
hundreds of the Spaniards were killed and woundee.
Durnanoir, we have no doubt, in his relation •4
the battle, of which he prudently chute to be a dif-
tutu fpeftator, will enlaree with peculiar fad:ladies'
on the uncommon exertions, which he -undoubtedly
made, to fink or defroy the Spenilh Chips after they
had furrendered to the Ihrgliflo
We have already Rated, that all the Englith Wen
of board of the Spanifh prizes which fed into the
ham!: of the Spaniards, were treated with the utmoft
humanity, and not confidered as prifoners; how
widely dit/e; cot the couched of the French was, the
foliose ing tad will thew;
On the Currently of the Lucent:titre, an Officer and
a hundred men were fent to take polled-ion of her,
who conducted themfelves with that moderation and
forbearance to a vanquithed enemy, which is a cha.
rafteriffic of 13e itons. The violent form, which fo loon
followed the engagement.prevented the removal of the
prifoners, and drove the Bucentaure towards Cada,
when the Frenchmen, from their fuperior numbers.
were eafily enabled to take eofferton of the flip, and
carry her into the harbour. where, however, the was
(trended, and completely wrecked. The crew and
the party of Englithaten, were taken off the wreck, 4
by the boats of one of the French frigates in the har-
bour, aed carried on board of the veal; the infs.
mous and cowardly crew of the frigate, when they
law Come of the gallant conquerors of their Admi-
ral and his fleet completely in their power. unarmed,
exhaufted with fatigue and fhipwreck, and incapable
of refiftance, in revenge for the defeat they had fut.-
tamed, affaulted and t eated with the utmoft cruelty
and with every fpecies of intuit and inhumanity.
many of the unfortunate and defencelefs Englifh
loners, whom the fury of the elements, and not the
fate of battle, had thus ittbjeded to their power.
We firteerely hope that the officers and crew of
the frigate, who allowed or committed this deteftn-
ble ad, udl not efc.epe with impunity ; in the mean
time it gives us roal fatisfaftion to find, that orders
are given that no more of the French prifoners, now
in our poireffion, died be permitted to return to Spain
upon their parole, but they are to be fent to Eng-
land by the tirit opportunity.
All the Spanifh prifoners, on the contrary, who
have been brought to this place. to the amount of
upwards of three thonfand, have been fent back to
Spain, except one wounded officer, now in the Na•
val Hofpital, who earned)! requened to be allowed I
to remain under the care of the Engliflr furgeons, till
his wounds were cured a.
We have alfo the pleat-etre to learn, that the Spa-
niards, fince their return to Spain, have univerfally
expreffed the livelieft fenfe of gratitude for the gene- !
rotity and humanity they invari..bly experienced
whilst they were prifoners on board the different
Englifh men of war, where it teemed to be tb,e Rudy
of their Conquerors to make them forget their mil
for tunes.
Indeed our navy well deceive this tribute of ap- j
plaufe from their enemies. upwards of a hundred of
our gallant feamen having perithed, during the gale
of wand after the aflion, in their generous efforts to
Cava the prifoners out of the different prizes. To re-
cord the numerous and fingular exertions that were
made on this creation, by all the (hips of the fleet, •
would far exceed the limits prefcribed to us :—we
cannot, however, pats over in filence the heroic con,
dud of Captain Malcolm and his !hip's company, iq
the Donegal, who, at the imminent hazard of being
totally loft, refcued hundreds of the enemy from a
watery grave.
Two mftances of the noble humanity, !hewn by
this flip, we 11141 mention. During the violence of
the gale, when (be was riding at anchor near the
Berwick, then in poffeflion of the Englifh, tome
the French prifimers, on board the prize, in a fit of
madnefs, or defperation, cut the cables of the Ber-
wick, by which means the immediately drove towards
the dangerous fhoals of St. Lncar then to leeward,
where there was hardly a chance of a man being fee.
ed. In this trying foliation Captain Malcolm, with-
out hefitation, ordered the cables of the Donnegal to
be inftantly cut, andiflood after the Be-wick, to which
he difpatched his boats with orders firs to fave all the
wounded Frenchmen before they brought off auy of
the Englifh, which order was molt pundually com-
plied with ; the Englifh were next removed, but, be-
fore the bows could return, the Berwick (truck upon
the (boats, and every fool on board perifhed tc the
number of three hundred. The Donnegal with
great difficulty weathered the fhoals, and escaped a
limiter fate.
The wounded Frenchmen, which were thus fared.
were fupplied with cots :and bedding which had been
prepared for our own lick and wounded ; and after
being treated with every kindnefs, and mark of at-
tention, they were fent into Cadiz by a flag of truce
with all the cots and bedding in which they had bee r
placed, that they might futter as little pain or ineure-
venience as potlible in their removal.
The other intkanee we (hall notice was as follows t
On the 26•11 of October, whiltl the Donnegal was
at anchor off Cadiz, in a violent g tie of wind, with
• it 1, proper to =know! Age here, -
mantier in Ciller of the Camp before
Spanifh Agent for the richante ,-
crtions of ado to faeilitita the
*chigoe

:fore
s
, c
sGeneralsri.n Ca ft o,
and ia. oin 11bad Coz
of prironers, have omitted no
poems intentions of the Foglia
[Titres ever.