The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-12-26
Admiral Nelson.

Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson was great
sea captain if ever one lived. When, on
the 18th of September, 1905, he hoisted
the flag on board the Victory, had ar
rived off Cadiz ON his birthday to take
command of the Mediterranean feet, he
meant fighting. There was no suspicion
of hesitation in his tactics. The force
under him consisted of twenty-seven sail
of the line and four frigates, which he
Withdrew from the vicinity of Cadiz to a
station sixteen or eighteen leagues to the
westward, sin the hope of inducing the
enemy to put to sea-" These were the
days of dash and manhood, and great
must have been Nelson's exultation
when, on the morning of October the
21st, just at daybreak, the combined
French and Spanish fleets, consisting of
thirty three sail of the line and seven
frigates, were seen ahead to leeward
twelve miles. The Admiral lost no time,
for before twelve the British feet, in two
lines, was bearing down on the crescent
shaped position of the enemy, and then
it was that Nelson hoisted the signal,
England expects that every man will do
his duty" The only fear was that the
enemy might run for refuge, therefore
Nelson notified to Collingwood, 'sI in
tend to pass through the van of the enc
my's line, to prevent him from getting
into Cadiz." There was an affectionate
anxiety about the impetuosity and deter
mination of the commander, so Captain
BIackwood proposed that the Temeraire
should go ahead of the Victory, in case
that vessel might draw the principal at
tention of the enemy's fire. ooh! yes,
let her go ahead, replied Nelson; but at
the same time he had clearly no inten-
ton of allowing any such thing, for he
would not permit an inch of canvas to
be taken in, and the Victory continued
to lead the column, closely Rugged by
the Temeraire. It was Collingwood,
however, who began the fight, on board
the Royal Sovereign, commanding the
lee division, and the feeling of the two
brave men ut this important moment
found utterance almost at the same in
slant. ''What would Nelson give to be
here!' exclaimed Collingwood to Roth
cram, and at the same instant, without q
spark of jealousy at the enviable posi-
ton of his friend, Nelson observed,
sSee how nobly Collingwood carries his
ship into action.
But at twenty minutes past noon the
Victory was in the thick of the fight.
Scarcely minute after the ship got with
in range, seven or eight ships opened a
terrible and destructive fire upon her.
The Admirals Secretary, Mr.. Scott, was
shot dead, and soon the mizzen topmast
of the Victory was carried away, and also
her wheel, necessitating the process of
steering by the relieving tackles below
Yet no hail of fire destroyed the daunt-
less and dogged courage of Nelson and
his sea-dogs. Whena splinter from the
fore-brace bits passed between Nelson
and Hardy, and tore away the buckle
from the shoe of the latter, the Admiral
only smiled and said, This is too warm
work to last long, Hardy" Still, warm
as it was, the English Admiral was de-
termined to make it hotter. The Vic
tory's sails were hanging in ribbands;
she had lost full fifty men in killed and
wounded; but soon it was her turn to be-
gin. Determined to pass under the stern
of the Bucentaure as the only mode of
breaking the line, the Victory's helm was
put hard aport, and there was scarcely
space for her to go clear. Sailing close
to the 1arboard side of the Bucentaure,
the Victory poured in such well-direct-
ed and tremendous broadside that the
French ship heeled two or three streaks
on receiving it. All this time Nelson was
pacing the quarterback with Hardy,
their walk being bounded aft by the
wheel and forward by the companion
ladder. The distance was only about
twenty-five feet, and it was here, when
the Redonbtable brought up that the
fatal bullet struck Nelson. He feel on
his knees just where Scott had fallen,
and said, s'They have done for me at last
Hardy; my backbone is shot through.
The victory was all but gained when
Nelson was compelled to go below. In
that dreadful moment he thought of his
men, and caused his face and his stars to
be covered by his handkerchief, in orde,
that he might pass unnoticed by the
crew.-London Telegraph.