l all be united and in sight of the enemy.'
Clearly then Nelson must have issued some modification of the dual
'order of battle and sailing.' Many years later in a note upon the
battle which Codrington dictated to his daughter, Lady Bourchier, he
says that on the 20th, in spite of Collingwood's advice to attack at
once, Nelson 'continued waiting upon them in two columns according to
the order of sailing and the memorable written instruction which was
given out to all the captains.'[23] Later still, when a veteran of
seventy-six years, he gave to Sir Harris Nicolas another note which
shows how in his own mind he reconciled the apparent discrepancy
between the dual and the triple organisation. It runs as follows: 'In
Lord Nelson's memorandum of October 9, 1805, he refers to "an advanced
squadron of eight of the fastest sailing two-decked ships" to be added
to either of the two lines of the order of sailing as may be required;
and says that this advanced squadron would probably have to cut
through "two, three or four ships of the enemy's centre so as to
ensure getting at their commander-in-chief, on whom every effort must
be made to capture";[24] and he afterwards twice speaks of the
enemy's van coming to succour their rear. Now I am under the
impression that I was expressly instructed by Lord Nelson (referring
to the probability of the enemy's van coming down upon us), being in
the Orion, one of the eight ships named, that he himself would
probably make a feint of attacking their van in order to prevent or
retard it.' Here then would seem to be still further confusion, due
to a failure to distinguish between the leeward and windward form of
attack. According to this statement Codrington believed the advanced
squadron was in either case to attack the centre, while Nelson with
his division contained the van. But curiously enough in a similar
note, printed by Lady Bourchier on Nicolas's authority, there is a
difference in the wording which, though difficult to account for,
seems to give the truer version of what Codrington really said. It is
there stated that Codrington told Nicolas he was strongly impressed
with the belief 'that Lord Nelson directed eight of the smaller and
handier ships, of which the Orion was one, to be ready to haul out of
the line in case the enemy's van should appear to go down to the
assistance of the ships engaged to meet and resist them: that to
prevent this manoeuvre on the part of the enemy Lord Ne