is
printed below will be seen to be an obvious imitation of Nelson's, and
nothing can impress us more deeply with the merit of Nelson's work
than to compare it with Collingwood's. Like Nelson, Collingwood begins
with introductory remarks emphasising the importance of 'a prompt and
immediate attack' and independent divisional control; and in order to
remedy certain errors of Trafalgar, he insists in addition on close
order being kept throughout the night and the strictest attention
being paid to divisional signals, thinking no doubt how slowly the
rear ships at Trafalgar had struggled into action, and how his signal
for line of bearing had been practically ignored. Then, after stating
broadly that he means with the van or weather division to attack the
van of the enemy, while the lee or larboard division simultaneously
attacks the rear, he differentiates like Nelson between a weather and
a lee attack. For the attack from to-windward he directs the two
divisions to run down in line abreast in such a way that they will
come into action together in a line parallel to the enemy; but,
whatever he intended, nothing is said about concentrating on any part
of the enemy, or about breaking the line in all parts or otherwise.

The attack from to-leeward is to be made perpendicularly in line
ahead. In this formation his own (the weather column) is to break the
line, so as to cut off the van quarter of the enemy's line from the
other three quarters, and the lee column is to sever this part of the
enemy's line a few ships in rear of their centre. So soon as the
leading ships have passed through and so weathered the enemy, they are
to keep away and lead down his line so as to engage the rear three
fourths to windward. This is of course practically identical with the
lee attack of Nelson's memorandum. The only addition is the course
that is to be taken after breaking the line. One cannot help wondering
how far the leading ships after passing the line would have been able
to lead down it before they were disabled, but the addition is
interesting as the first known direction as to what was to be done
after breaking the line in line ahead after Rodney's method. Seeing
the grave and obvious dangers of the movement it is natural that, like
Nelson, Collingwood hoped not to be forced to make it; what he desired
was a simple engagement on similar tacks. His 'intended attack' as in
Nelson's case is clearly that from to-windward.

Turning then