_Patriote_, fell on board her. The first broke her own bowsprit and
destroyed the _Ocean's_ main-channels. As the fire-ship athwart the
stern was now about to drive forward along the starboard side, the
_Tonnerre_ was got free. Unless this had happened the fire-ship would
have fallen into the angle formed by the two ships, and would inevitably
have burnt them. The fire-vessel having now drifted under the bowsprit
of the _Ocean_, was there held for some time. In order to afford the
_Tonnerre_ and _Patriote_ an opportunity to get out of her reach, an
attempt had been made to drown the magazine, but the flow of water was
too slow for the purpose. In the efforts to clear the fire-ships
upwards of fifty men fell into the sea and were drowned, the boats
saving others.

Shortly afterwards another fire-vessel approached on the
starboard-quarter, but the _Ocean's_ guns cut away her main-mast, and
wearing, she passed close alongside. For the remainder of the night
vessels were seen burning on all sides. Daylight revealed the French
fleet in a deplorable condition; the _Ocean_ on the mud at a distance of
half-a-mile to the south-east of the anchorage in Aix Road; to the
south-east of her, about fifteen hundred yards off, on a rocky bed, lay
the _Varsovie_ and _Aquilon_, and close to them on somewhat better
ground the _Regulus_ and _Jemappes_. The _Tonnerre_, already bilged,
and her main-mast cut away, and most of her guns hove overboard, lay at
the entrance of the Charente, and at some distance off the _Calcutta_,
close to the wreck of the _Jean Bart_. The _Patriote_ and _Tourville_
also lay not far from the channel of the Charente. Four frigates were
also on shore in the same direction. All the grounded ships were more
or less on the heel--those on the Pallas Shoal in a very desperate
condition. Thus, although the fire-vessels had not caused the immediate
destruction of any of the French fleet, they had been the means of
reducing nearly the whole of them to a comparatively defenceless state.
Lord Cochrane, in the _Imperieuse_, being the nearest English ship, was
the first to perceive their condition, and immediately telegraphed, "The
fleet can destroy the enemy--seven on shore;" at 6:40, "Eleven on
shore;" and at 9:30, "Enemy preparing to heave off." At first it was
hoped that Lord Gambier would immediately stand in and complete the
destruction of the helpless enemy; and there can be little doubt, had
such men as