r for Napoleon or some of his ministers
to have the Duc d'Enghien shot for having conspired with others for
the overthrow of the established French Government, but it is the
saintly enforcement of discipline to have a British admiral shot and
another ruined for no other reason than an error of judgment on the
one hand and an insufficient victory on the other. Sir Robert Calder's
heart was broken by cruelty. Villeneuve lost his fleet and killed
himself, not that he had anything to fear from the decision of the
court-martial--so it is said on the authority of an English writer of
note. Certainly he had nothing to fear from the Emperor, who has
indicated that he had no intention of dealing severely with him. It
was fitting that he should be reprimanded, and no doubt he would have
been, after which, as was his custom, the Emperor would have conferred
some kindly favour upon him. Serene authors have entangled themselves
a good deal over this matter in their efforts to take up the
impossible position of making the Emperor and not Villeneuve
responsible for the disaster at Trafalgar to the Spanish and French
fleet. Of course, Napoleon was badly chagrined, and so would the King
of England have been, if it were thinkable that such a calamity could
possibly have befallen any British fleet. The head of the French
nation would have been less than human had he not felt the full force
of the terrific blow to his country, and especially to himself.

Disposition of Fleets at TRAFALGAR

TRAFALGAR, 21ST OCTOBER, 1805. DETAILED LIST OF SHIPS ENGAGED.

(_A_) BRITISH ORDER OF BATTLE, WITH THE NAMES OF THE FLAG OFFICERS AND
CAPTAINS.

VAN, OR WEATHER COLUMN.

Ships. Guns. Commanders. Killed. Wounded.
_Victory_ 100 Vice-Ad. Visc. Nelson 51 75
Captain T.M. Hardy
_Temeraire_ 98 Eliab Harvey 47 76
_Neptune_ 98 T.F. Freemantle 10 34
_Conqueror_ 74 Israel Pellew 3 9
_Leviathan_ 74 H.W. Bayntun 4 22
_Ajax_ 74 Lieut. J. Pilfold -- 9
_Orion_ 74 Edward Codrington 1 23
_Agamemnon_ 64 Sir Edward Berry 2 7
_Minotaur_ 74 C.J.M. Mansfield 3 22
_Spartiate_ 74 Sir F. Laforey, Bart. 3 20
_Britannia_ 100 Rear-Ad. Earl Northesk 10 42