n of every part of the ship. About seven of my men were
killed, and some few wounded, and about twenty Spaniards. Having placed
sentinels at the different ladders, and calling to Captain Miller,
ordering him to send more men into the _San Nicolas_, I directed my
brave fellows to board the first-rate, the _San Josef_, which was done
in an instant, Captain Berry assisting me into the main-chains.

"At this moment a Spanish officer looked over the quarter-deck rail, and
said they surrendered. From this most welcome intelligence, it was not
long before I was on the quarter-deck, when the Spanish captain, with
bended knee, presented me his sword, and told me the admiral was dying
of his wounds below. I asked him on his honour if the ship had
surrendered. He declared she had; on which I gave him my hand, and
desired him to call his officers and ship's company and tell them of it,
which he did; and on the quarter-deck of a Spanish first-rate,
extravagant as the story may seem, did I receive the swords of
vanquished Spaniards, which, as I received, I gave to William Fearney,
one of my barge-men, who tucked them, with the greatest _sang-froid_,
under his arm."

Immediately on Nelson's return on board the _Captain_, he made the
signal for boats to assist in disengaging her from the prizes, and as
she was rendered incapable of further service until refitted, he hoisted
his pennant for the moment on board the _Minerve_ frigate. In the
meantime Admiral Jervis ordered the _Victory_ to be placed on the
lee-quarter of the rearmost ship of the enemy, the _Salvador del Mundo_,
and threw in so effectual a broadside that the Spanish commander, seeing
the _Barfleur_ bear down to second the _Victory_, struck his flag. He
was very nearly capturing the _Santissana Trinidad_, but the rest of the
Spanish fleet, hitherto uninjured, coming down, he found it necessary to
secure his prizes and bring to. All these ships did was to open an
ineffectual fire, and then to sail away, leaving the British to carry
off their prizes in triumph. The English ships lost in killed and
wounded only 300 men, while on board the ships captured the Spanish
killed and wounded amounted to 697. Just honours were showered on the
victorious admirals and captains; Sir John Jervis was created a peer of
Great Britain, under the titles of Baron Jervis of Meaford and Earl
Saint Vincent; and among others, Commodore Nelson, who had just before
been made a vice-admiral,