e than Captain Foley gave you."

At two o'clock, an hour after the signal was made, the resistance of
the Danes had perceptibly slackened; the greater part of their line,
Stewart says, had ceased to reply. The flagship "Dannebroge" had been
on fire as early as half-past eleven, and the commander-in-chief,
Commodore Fischer, had felt necessary to shift his broad pendant to
the "Holstein," the second ship from the north flank. The "Dannebroge"
continued to fight bravely, losing two hundred and seventy killed and
wounded out of a total of three hundred and thirty-six, but at length
she was driven out of the line in flames, and grounded near the
Trekroner, where she blew up after the action. The "Sjaelland,"
seventy-four, next north of her, was likewise carried out of the line
by her cables being cut; while the "Holstein," and the northernmost
ship of all, the "Indfoedsretten," were so shattered, the latter mainly
by Riou's frigates, that Fischer again shifted his flag, this time to
the Trekroner. The two southern flank ships, upon whom the most
concentrated attack was made, had also met with tremendous losses.
Their flags were shot away many times, till at the last, by a Danish
account, no one had time to raise them again, whence the impression
arose amongst the British that these vessels, as well as some others,
fought after having surrendered.

This incident, occurring in several cases, was the immediate cause of
Nelson's taking a step which both then and since has been blamed as an
unjustifiable stratagem. So much of the Danish fire south of the
Trekroner had ceased, that that wing could be looked upon as subdued;
some vessels were helpless, some had their flags down. Between himself
and the Trekroner, Nelson alleged, there was a group of four Danes,
unresisting and unmanageable, across and through which the battery was
firing, and the British replying. Ships which had struck repelled
boats sent to board them, and the batteries on Amag Island also fired
upon those boats, and over the surrendered Danes. That there was some
ground for the complaints made by him appears from the Danish
admission just quoted, as well as from several British statements;
Stewart's being explicit. Nelson accordingly sent a message ashore,
under a flag of truce, to the Crown Prince, who was in general
command, saying that if he were not allowed to take possession of his
prizes, he would have to burn them. The message ran:--

TO THE BROTH