such a whirlwind of cannon shot and musket
bullets that it seemed only a miracle could
preserve him from death. All around him guns
were thundering, fire flaming, masts falling
as thick as trees in a forest when the woodmen
are clearing, men were dying at his very
feet. Still the old lion held on to his
purpose, and struck hard at the Montague, a ship
eight hundred tons bigger than his own. It
was only an unlucky shot, taking away the
topmast of the admiral's vessel, that prevented his
carrying the enemy, after having long before
beaten her guns dumb.

Our victory had been dearly bought. The
number of killed in the British fleet was two
hundred and seventy-nine; of wounded, eight
hundred and seventy-seven: making a total of
one thousand one hundred and fifty-six. In the
six of the enemy's captured ships the killed were
six hundred and ninety; wounded, five
hundred and eighty: total, one thousand two
hundred and seventy; besides three hundred and
twenty who went down in the Vengeur. The
number of prisoners removed is stated at two
thousand three hundred; the total number in
the six captured ships could not be less than
five thousand. The six prizes were the Le
Juste (eighty), Sans Pareil (eighty), L' America
(seventy-four), L'Achille (seventy-four), Le
Northumberland (seventy-four), and the
L'lmpétueux (seventy-four). The French eighty-gun
ships were all ten feet longer than our firstrates,
and some inches wider; the whole French
fleet had four hundred and seventy guns more
than our own, and those of a much larger calibre.
Their ships were many of them new; ours
weather-beaten, and, for the most part, half
worn out. Lord Howe has been much blamed
for letting five of the disabled French ships
escape—some under sprit-sails and others by
towing—when, with dash and energy, t.hey
might have been captured, and the defeat made
more crushing and final. Sir John Barrow,
Howe's biographer, confesses that five flag
officers (at that time lieutenants in the English
squadron) gave their opinion that the crippled
ships might have been and ought to have been
captured.

The blame is generally thrown on Sir Roger
Curtis, who, seeing our vessels scattered,
seems to have feared a renewed charge from
the nine least injured French vessels. But
there were still eight English seventy-fours with
scarcely a scratch on them, and one of these,
the Thunderer, had not had a man killed nor
wounded. The simple truth is, that Lord
Howe (sixty-nine years old) was physically
and mentally worn out with his three days'
fighting, and had no stamina left to organise a
hot and continued pursuit.

The two next days were spent in repairing
rigging, bandaging wounded masts, removing
the five thousand prisoners, and taking the six
prizes in tow. Fair weather smiled on the
victorious fleet, and light western breezes
wafted it home to Spithead. Some of the
vessels were sent to Plymouth under Admiral
Graves to be refitted. Crowds of people hurried
to Portsmouth to see the captured ships arrive,
dragged at the heels of our battered vessels.
Shortly after the return of the Charlotte to
Portsmouth, Lord Howe sent for the first
lieutenant, Larcom. "Mr. Larcom," he said,
sternly, "your conduct in the action has been
such that It is necessary you should leave this
ship." Larcom, who was as brave as his
admiral, a good officer and seaman, was thunderstruck,
and, with tears in his eyes, exclaimed,
"What have I done? Why am I to leave the
ship? I have done my duty to the utmost
of my power." "Very true, sir," said Lord
Howe; "but leave this ship you must——and
I have great pleasure in presenting you with
this commission as commander (of some other
ship) for your conduct on the late occasion."

Some time after the battle, a deputation of
the petty officers and seamen requested Bowen
to ask Lord Howe if they might have the
gratification of congratulating his lordship on the
victory he had gained, and of thanking him for
having led them so gloriously into battle. On
receiving them on the quarter-deck, Lord Howe
himself being on the front of the poop, was so
affected that he could only say, with a faltering
voice, and his eyes glistening with tears,
"No, no, I thank you; it is you, my brave
lads—it is you, not I, that have conquered."
The honest and blunt Bowen, in telling this
to a friend, said, " I could myself have
cried most heartily to see the veteran hero so
affected."

Haughty, inflexible, and cold as the Howes
were always considered, the admiral well earned
his honourable name of "the sailor's friend."
After the engagement, his secretary says he
was accustomed to go down below and cheer
the wounded men, sitting by their hammocks,
and ordering the surgeon to use his wines and
live stock at his own discretion.

Lord Howe gave some offence to the fleet by
what was considered the unprecedented and
unjust omission in his despatches of the names of
thirteen of his captains. Howe thought it
invidious to particularise. Captain Molloy, of
the Cæsar, much to Howe's vexation, demanded
a court-martial, which pronounced his personal
courage unimpeachable, but dismissed him from
the command of the Cæsar. Collingwood, who
was violent when he felt injustice, was captain
of the Barfleur; his commander, Rear-Admiral
Bowyer, being wounded an hour after the
battle began, he had fought the ship the whole
day, and yet his name was omitted in the
Gazette. He succeeded, however, a few years
afterwards, in obtaining the medal for this
victory. After the gallant action of Sir John
Jervis, off Cape St. Vincent, he was told by the
admiral that he was set down for one of the
medals to be distributed on that occasion; his
answer was, he could not accept of one while
that for the 1st of June was withheld. " I
feel," said he, "that I was then improperly
passed over, and to receive such a distinction
now would be to acknowledge the propriety of