Page:Memoirs of the life and gallant services of Admiral Lord Nelson.pdf/16

 16 The Life and gallant Services ed with his diviſion in the rear, as a corps de reſerve. No one circumſtance during the operations of this day contributed ſo efficaciouſly to their ſucceſs as the ſilence of the Swediſh batteries, and at half paſt ten every ſhip had paſſed the Sound. Lord Nelſon, with twelve ſhips of the line, all the frigates, bombs, fire-ſhips, &c. on the fame evening of the 1ft of April, anchored off Draco Point, to make his diſpoſition for the attack, and wait for the wind to the ſouthward. In the morning of April 2, Lord Nelſon made the ſignal for the ſquadron to weigh and to engage the Daniſh line, conſiſting of fix fail of the line, ele- ven floating batteries, from twenty-fix twenty-four pounders to eighteen eighteen-pounders, and one bomb-chip, beſides ſchooner gun veſſels. Theſe were ſupported by the Crown Iſlands, mounting eighty- eight cannon, and four fail of the line moored in the harbour's mouth, and ſome batteries on the iſland of Amac. The bomb-ſhip and ſchooner gun-veſſels made their eſcape. The other ſeventeen fail, being the whole of the Daniſh line to the ſouth ward of the Crown Iſlands, after a battle of four hours, were funk, burnt, or taken. The loſe in ſuch a battle, was naturally very hea- vy. The total amount of the killed and wounded was ſtated at 943. Among the killed, beſides Cap- tain Riou, was Captain Moſs of the Monarch, and among the wounded Sir Thomas B. Thomſon, of the Bellona, who loſt his leg. The carnage on board the Daniſh ſhips was excel five. There not being on board their block-ſhips a ſingle ſurgeon, when our people boarded them, they found hundreds bleeding to death. As ſoon as the fire of the Daniſh line ſlackened, and Lord Nel- ſon perceived that the ſhips and batteries of the en- emy were in his power, 'he went to his cabin, and wrote a letter to the Prince Royal. He received per- miſſion