he truth by requiring the evidence of the
officers and crew, none of whom were examined as to the time the ship
struck: but the duty of the court being confined to the trial of
Captain Ferris, his officers and crew, and it being (whether
supported or not) evident and notorious that they had defended their
ship to the last extremity, they had (unluckily for Sir James) nothing
to do but to pronounce an honourable acquittal.

The next contradiction which appears, relates to the boats which were
sent to the assistance of the Hannibal. Captain Ferris says, "The
Admiral, having previously made my signal of recall, sent a boat from
the Caesar, and another from the Venerable, to my assistance; but,
finding they could afford me none, I sent the Venerable's boat back,
and the crew of the Caesar in one of my own cutters, their pinnace
having been sunk by a shot alongside."

I am bound to say that this assertion is not borne out either by the
testimony of those who were in the boats of the Caesar and the
Venerable, or by the officers of the Hannibal; because, as will be
seen hereafter, these boats never reached the Hannibal, when aground,
until after she had struck her colours.

Captain Ferris next relates that "About twelve o'clock our ships were
all out of gun-shot of the enemy, and we had the fire of the whole
French squadron, batteries, and gun-boats, to contend with alone;
against which we continued to keep up as brisk a fire as could be
expected, even by men in the most sanguine anticipation of victory,
until near two o'clock."

Now this is quite impossible, as, by the log of every ship, the
squadron was engaging much later: by the Caesar, until 1h. 35m.; by the
Audacious, until 1h. 20m.; by the Venerable, until 1h. 30m. &c.;
before which, the ensign of the Hannibal was seen, from every ship,
_Union down_.

It has been unwarrantably alleged by some that the Hannibal hauled the
ensign down, and then hoisted it reversed, as a signal of distress,
and afterwards, when she struck, hauled it down; and that the French
hoisted it union down to decoy the Calpe. But, for the refutation of
these absurdities, we must refer the reader to the testimony of
Colonel Connolly, who was then acting captain of the marines, an
officer of the highest character, whose veracity cannot be questioned;
and who, moreover, from being the only officer on the poop when the
colours were struck, had a better opportunity of knowing the facts
than any ot