o the powerful Spanish batteries there, and a very effective fire
was opened upon the British ships. Nothing, however, could have prevented
the capture of the French vessels had there been any wind.

"There was, however, scarce a breath on the water, and the British, being
unwilling to anchor under the heavy fire of the batteries, were swept past
by the strong current. Their fire, however, severely damaged the ships of
war, and sunk several gun-boats. The _Hannibal_ alone managed to tack and
made inshore, thinking to place herself inside the Frenchmen, not knowing
that they were aground. In so doing she ran ashore, and was there exposed
to the broadsides of the French ships and the fire of the batteries and
gun-boats. Captain Ferris, who commanded her, continued to reply to their
fire until most of his guns were dismounted, and a third of his crew
killed or wounded; then, seeing that the efforts of the rest of the
squadron to come back to his assistance were vain, he was forced to haul
down his flag. The next day a boat with a flag of truce came across from
Gibraltar, with propositions for the release of the crews of the
_Hannibal_ and _Speedy_. There was no regular system of exchange at that
time, but as the French did not know what to do with their prisoners, we
were all released on giving our parole not to serve again until French
prisoners of our own rank were given in exchange for us. This was done a
few days afterwards.

"Three days later the Spanish admiral at Cadiz arrived with six ships of
the line, several frigates and gun-boats, and the French men-of-war having
been warped off the ground and their damages repaired, the whole sailed
away six days after the action, followed by the British squadron, which
came up to them at dusk. As soon as it became quite dark, Captain Keith in
the _Superb_ dashed in between the two sternmost ships--two Spanish
men-of-war--each mounting a hundred and twelve guns, poured a broadside
into each of them and then shot ahead, and presently engaged a third
Spanish man-of-war, the _San Antonio_. In the darkness, aided by the smoke
of the _Superb's_ guns, she was not seen at all by either of the two
Spanish ships between which she had passed, and each concluded that the
other was an enemy, and a furious cannonade commenced between them. One of
them lost her foretop-mast, the sails of which, falling over her own guns,
caught fire; the other, still supposing her to be an enemy, poured
bro