Page:Repository of Arts, Series 1, Volume 01, 1809, January-June.djvu/609

 hoisted on the wall, fell into the ditch, under a most dreadful fire front the enemy, his lordship was the only person who, regardless of the shower of balls flying about him, descended into the ditch, returned with the flag, and happily succeeded in placing it where it was before.”

The recent escape of the French fleet from Brest into Basque roads, has afforded Lord Cochrane a glorious opportunity of displaying his characteristic seal and ardour.—Having from his former services acquired a thorough knowledge of that part of the French coast, he was enabled to submit to ministers a plan for the destruction of the hostile fleet; which was not only approved, but he himself was charged with its execution. The general outline of this achievement is given in the official account inserted in another place; we shall therefore confine ourselves here to such interesting particulars as more immediately concern the hero by whom it was accomplished, whose daring spirit, and total disregard of all personal consideration, were not only never exceeded, but perhaps never equalled.

Lord Cochrane personally conducted the explosion ship, which had been charged by himself in a manner than which nothing more dreadful was ever contrived. Having caused about 1,500 barrels of powder to be started into puncheons, the latter were placed end upwards, and on the tops of them were laid between two and three thousand hand-grenades. The puncheons were fastened together by cables, and moistened sand was rammed down between them, so as to make the whole, from stem to stern, as solid as possible, that the resistance might render the explosion more violent. In this immense instrument of destruction, Lord Cochrane committed himself with only one lieutenant and four seamen; and after the boom, which had been thrown across the harbour, was broken, his lordship proceeded with this explosion-ship towards the enemy’s line. When it is known that, at this moment, the batteries on shore were provided with furnaces for red-hot shot, the horrors of such a situation must be deemed sufficient to appal the bravest mind.

No sooner were the fire-ships discovered by the enemy, than they cut their cables in great confusion. When Lord Cochrane had conducted his explosion-ship as near to them as possible, he ordered his little crew info the boat, and followed them, after setting fire to the fuse, which was calculated to give them fifteen minutes to get out of the reach of the explosion. The wind, however, being high, the fuse burned too quickly; so that, notwithstanding the utmost exertion against wind and tide, they were six minutes nearer than they expected at the time of the most tremendous explosion ever contrived by human art, and followed by the bursting at once of near 400 shells and 300 hand-grenades, pouring down a shower of cast metal in every direction. His lordship had fortunately reached just beyond sphere of destruction: but this effort to escape cost the life of the brave lieutenant, who died in the boat, partly from fatigue, and partly drowned by waves, which