ritannia, was
pressing forward in support of his advanced squadron, but had not
yet approached the real scene of action.

"While the British advanced division warmly pressed the enemy's
centre and rear, the admiral meditated, with his division, a
co-operation which must effectually compel some of them to
surrender.

"In the confusion of their retreat, several of the enemy's ships
had doubled on each other; and, in the rear, they were three or
four deep. It was, therefore, the British admiral's design to reach
the weathermost of these ships; and, then, to bear up, and rake
them all, in succession, with the seven ships composing his
division. His object, afterwards, was to pass on to the support of
his van division; which, from the length of time they had been
engaged, he judged might be in want of it. The casual position,
however, of the rear ships of his van division prevented his
executing this plan. The admiral, therefore, ordered the Excellent,
the leading ship of his own division, to bear up; and, with the
Victory, he himself passed to leeward of the enemy's rearmost and
leewardmost ships; which, though almost silenced in their fire,
continued obstinately to resist the animated attack of all their
opponents.

"Captain Collingwood, in the Excellent, in obedience to the
admiral's orders, passed between the two rearmost ships of the
enemy's line; giving to the one most to windward, a seventy-four,
so effectual a broadside, in addition to what had been done before,
that her captain was induced to submit. The Excellent, afterwards,
bore down on the ship to leeward, a three-decker: but, observing
the Orion engaged with her, and the Victory approaching her, he
threw into her only a few discharges of musketry, and passed on to
the support of the Captain, at that time warmly engaged with a
three-decker, carrying a flag. His interference here was
opportune, as the continual and long fire of the Captain had almost
expended the ammunition she had at hand, and the loss of her
fore-topmast, and other injuries she had received in her rigging,
had rendered her nearly ungovernable.

"The Spanish three-decker had lost her mizen-mast; and, before the
Excellent arrived in her proper station to open on this ship, the
three-decker dropped astern