ived his wound, he immediately sent an
officer to me to tell me of it, and give his love to me. Though
the officer was directed to say the wound was not dangerous, I
read in his countenance what I had to fear; and before the
action was over Captain Hardy came to inform me of his death. I
cannot tell you how deeply I was affected, for my friendship for
him was unlike anything that I have left in the Navy, a
brotherhood of more than thirty years; in this affair he did
nothing without my counsel; we made our line of battle together,
and concerted the mode of attack, which was put into execution
in the most admirable style. I shall grow very tired of the sea
soon; my health has suffered so much from the anxious state I
have been in, and the fatigue I have undergone, that I shall be
unfit for service. The severe gales which immediately followed
the day of victory ruined our prospect of prizes; our own infirm
ships could scarce keep off the shore; the prizes were left to
their fate, and as they were driven very near the port, I
ordered them to be destroyed by burning and sinking, that there
might be no risk of their falling again into the hands of the
enemy. There has been a great destruction of them, indeed I
hardly know what, but not less than seventeen or eighteen, the
total ruin of the combined fleet. To alleviate the miseries of
the wounded, as much as in my power, I sent a flag to the
Marquis Solano, to offer him his wounded. Nothing can exceed
the gratitude expressed by him, for this act of humanity; all
this part of Spain is in an uproar of praise and thankfulness to
the English. Solano sent me a present of a cask of wine, and we
have a free intercourse with the shore. Judge of the footing we
are on, when I tell you he offered me his hospitals, and pledged
the Spanish honour for the care and cure of our wounded men. Our
officers and men, who were wrecked in some of the prize ships,
were received like divinities; all the country was on the beach
to receive them; the priests and women distributing wine, and
bread and fruit among them; the soldiers turned out of their
barracks to make lodging for them, whilst their allies, the
French, were left to shift for themselves, with a guard over
them to prevent their doing mischief. After the battle I shifted
my flag to the _Euryalus_