Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 5.djvu/269

A.D.1780.] needed at Gibraltar, and which he carried in with him, sending the men-of-war to England. On the 16th he fell in with another fleet off Cape St. Vincent, of eleven ships of the line, under Don Juan de Langara, who had come out to intercept the provisions which England sent to Gibraltar. Rodney had a much superior fleet and the Spanish admiral immediately attempted to gain his port.

The weather was very tempestuous, and the coast near the shoal of St. Lucar very dangerous; he therefore stood in as close as possible to the shore, but Rodney boldly thrust his vessels betwixt him and the perilous strand, and commenced a running fight. The engagement began about four o’clock in the evening, and it was, therefore, soon dark; but Rodney, despite the imminent danger of darkness, tempest, and a treacherous shore, continued the fight, and the Spaniards for a time defended themselves bravely. The battle continued till two o’clock in the morning; one ship, the San Domingo, of seventy guns, blew up with six hundred men, early in the action; four ships of the line, including the admiral’s of eighty guns, struck and were carried by Rodney safe into port; two seventy-gun ships ran on the shoal and were lost; and of all the Spanish fleet only four ships escaped to Cadiz.

Bearing his prizes with him, Rodney proceeded to Gibraltar, carrying great exultation into the besieged rock by the news of such victory and the timely supplies. He sent on some ships to convey similar relief to our garrison at Port Mahon, and, after lying some weeks at Gibraltar, he