ard, and not till he saw that he must
abandon all hope of rescue did he haul down his colours. We almost
immediately afterwards came up with another ship, which we found to be
the _Caesar_, Captain M. de Marigney. We got so close up to her that
our guns almost touched, and began furiously pounding away at her sides.
She had already been severely battered before we attacked her. The
gallant Frenchman, however, continued to engage us, and, looking up, as
for an instant the smoke was blown aside, we saw that he had nailed his
colours to the mast.

"We must knock them away notwithstanding," said Nettleship.

Soon afterwards down came the enemy's mainmast, followed by her
mizzenmast, fortunately falling over on the opposite side.

Still the Frenchmen continued working their guns, but one after the
other ceased firing, and at last an officer waved a handkerchief, to
show that they surrendered. As he did so the foremast went by the
board. We immediately ceased firing, and our second lieutenant was sent
to take possession in one of the few of our boats which could swim. I
accompanied him. I by this time had seen a good deal of fighting, but I
had never yet witnessed any scene so dreadful as the decks of the
_Caesar_ presented. On reaching the upper deck, one of the first
objects which met our eyes was the body of the gallant captain, who had
just breathed his last. Near him lay three or four other officers, and
a little farther off two young midshipmen; while fore and aft lay the
dead and wounded, their shipmates having had no time as yet to carry the
latter below. Everywhere there was wreck and confusion, masts and
rigging trailing overboard, the stumps alone remaining, the bulwarks
shattered, the guns upset, the carriages of some knocked to pieces,
every boat damaged, while it was impossible, as we stepped along, to
avoid the pools of blood and gore. The third lieutenant, his head bound
up, stepped forward, saying that he was the officer of the highest rank
remaining, and offered his sword. In the meantime the fight continued
raging: the _Ardent_ struck to the _Belliqueux_, and the _Hector_ to the
_Canada_; but the gallant Cornwallis, leaving his prize, made sail after
the Count de Grasse, who, together with his second, was endeavouring to
rejoin his flying and scattered ships. We were fast approaching.
Notwithstanding this, the Count de Grasse held out till the _Barfleur_
came up, and poured in so tremendous a