Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p1.djvu/214

184 time to join in the action; she, however, served as a beacon to the Alexander and Swiftsure, which would else, from the course they were holding, have gone considerably farther on the reef, and must inevitably have been lost.

The battle commenced at sun-set, and was continued, with a few intervals, till day-break on the 2d. Several of the enemy’s ships had struck when night set in, which was rendered grand and terrific beyond description, by the blowing up of the 3-decker l’Orient, about ten o’clock. By this explosion the greater part of her crew, consisting of 1011 men, perished. The shock was felt to the very bottom of every vessel; and the masses of burning wreck, which were scattered in all directions, excited for some moments apprehensions in the English which they had never felt from any other danger. L’Orient had money on board (the plunder of Malta) to the amount of 600,000l. sterling, which heightened the chagrin felt by the victors at not being able to add so fine a ship to their other well-earned trophies.

On the morning of the 2d August, the Guillaume Tell, Généreux, Tonnant, and Timoléon, were the only French ships of the line which had their colours flying; the two former cut their cables about eleven o’clock, not having been engaged, and stood out to sea, accompanied by two frigates. The Zealous pursued; but as there was no other ship in a condition to support her, she was recalled. These four vessels, however, were all that escaped; the Tonnant surrendered on the 3d, and the Timoléon was burnt by her crew. The victory was the most complete and glorious in the annals of naval history. Of thirteen sail of the line, nine were taken, and two burnt; of the four frigates, one was sunk by the Orion, another, the Artemise, was burnt in a villainous manner by her Captain, M. Estandlet, who having fired a broadside at the Theseus, struck his colours, then set fire to the ship, and escaped with most of his crew to shore. The British loss, in killed and wounded, amounted to 896. Captain Westcott was the only officer of his rank who fell. Sir Horatio Nelson was severely wounded by a splinter which struck him a little above his right or darkened eye, causing a piece of flesh to hang over the lid. It was afterwards replaced and sewed up. No regular return was made of the loss sustained by the captured ships: the total number of men taken, drowned, burnt, and missing, is said to have been 5225, of whom 3105, including the wounded, were sent on shore in a cartel, upon the usual terms; but General Buonaparte, to shew how he respected treaties, formed them, as soon as they landed, into a battalion, which he named the Nautic legion. Admiral Brueys, while standing on the Orient’s poop, received three wounds, one of which was on the head. Soon afterwards, on descending to the quarter-deck, a shot almost cut him in two. This heroic commander then desired not to be carried below, but to be left to die at his post: he survived only a quarter of an hour. The Captains earnest solicitations of his officers to be taken below, and remained upon deck until the action ceased. 