er injury done to it.

The Admiral expressed his readiness to do this; but considered
the advantage we had gained, as yet, not sufficiently decisive
to justify such a measure. And his judgment was but too correct.
The decrease of the fire from the French ships arose from their
being occupied in warping close in-shore; and, shortly after
this period, the Pompee having broken her sheer, lost her
commanding position relative to the French Admiral, whom she had
been raking with great effect, and now became raked in her turn.
At twenty minutes after ten, the boats of the squadron were sent
to her assistance, and, having cut her cables, she was towed out
of her exposed situation.

At thirty-five minutes after ten, the Admiral, observing how
much the enemy had increased their distance from us by warping
in-shore, ordered our cables to be cut, and sail to be made upon
the ships, in the hope of being able to close with them. He also
sent me on board the Spencer, with orders to Captain Darby to
weigh, and work up to the enemy. The Hannibal, having already
received these orders, was in the act of obeying them, and soon
after opened her fire upon the French Admiral; but in the
gallant endeavour to get between the Formidable and the shore,
and not being aware of the French Admiral's change of position
by warping in, Captain Ferris unfortunately ran his ship
aground, abreast of the battery of St. Jago, and under the
raking fire of the Formidable. In this helpless state he
continued to engage the enemy until, to use the French Admiral's
words, his decks were _jonche de morts_. He had seventy-three
killed and sixty-four wounded,--a very unusual proportion, as,
in general, the wounded trebles the number of the killed; but
this may be accounted for by the Hannibal being so near that the
enemy's shot passed through her sides without making any
splinters, to which the greater number of wounds are
attributable.

From the time the Caesar cut her cable, she and the Audacious
were constantly engaged with the Indomptable, Meuron, and island
batteries, and occasionally with the Dessaix, as they could
bring their guns-to bear; but the perpetual flaws of wind
rendered this very difficult, and exposed them frequently to a
severe and raking fire from the enemy. The Admiral made the
signal for the marines to be prepared to land on