y; they will, I hope, sail to-night. Ever your's,
faithfully,

Nelson and Bronte.

Cadiz East Thirteen Leagues, 6 A.M.

"The Honourable Captain Blackwood."

It was on this day, that Lord Nelson issued his celebrated instructions
for attacking the combined fleet, of which the following is a correct
copy.

Victory, off Cadiz, Oct. 10,1805.

Thinking it almost impossible to bring a fleet of forty sail of the
line into battle, in variable winds, thick weather, and other
circumstances which must occur, without such a loss of time that
the opportunity would probably be lost of bringing the enemy to
battle in such a manner as to make the business decisive; I have,
therefore, made up my mind, to keep the fleet in that position of
sailing, with the exception of the first and second in command,
that the order of sailing is to be the order of the battle: placing
the fleet in two lines, of sixteen ships each, with an advanced
squadron of eight of the fastest sailing two-decked ships; which
will always make, if wanted, a line of twenty-four sail on which
ever line the commander in chief may direct. The second in command
will, after my intentions are made known to him, have the entire
direction of his line, to make the attack upon the enemy, and to
follow up the blow, until they are captured or destroyed. If the
enemy's fleet are seen to windward in line of battle, and that the
two lines and advanced squadron could fetch them, they will
probably be so extended that their van could not succour their
rear. I should therefore, probably, make the second in command's
signal to lead through about the twelfth ship from their rear; or
wherever he could fetch, if not able to get so far advanced: my
line would lead through about their centre, and the advanced
squadron two, three, or four, ships a-head of their centre, so as
to ensure getting at their commander in chief, whom every effort
must be made to capture. The whole impression of the British fleet
must be, to overpower from two or three ships a-head of their
commander in chief, supposed to be their centre, to the rear of
their fleet. I will suppose twenty sail of the line to be
untouched; it must be some time before, they could perform a
manoeuvre to bring their force compact to attack any part of the