ve to the
national glory.

His lordship said, the merit of the brave Admiral spoke so
strongly for itself, that it would be unnecessary for him to
take up more of their lordships' time respecting it. He should
also move the thanks of the House to the captains who served
under Sir James; but he could not forbear to give his highest
applause to the captains whose conduct was so gallant and
successful on that day. There was no invidious distinction in
this. Every captain on that service, he was persuaded, would
have done his duty in the same signal manner had he been
fortunate enough to get into action. But it was not less his
duty to notice the conduct of these gallant officers, on whom
the fortune of the day fell, and who contributed to make the
event so glorious by their conduct. Lord St. Vincent then
formally moved the thanks of the House to Rear-admiral Sir
James Saumarez.

_Lord Viscount Nelson_ immediately rose to support the
character and conduct of Sir James Saumarez, on which his
noble friend had just expressed himself in such handsome terms.
He said he was under particular obligations to that gallant
officer, who had been second in command under him in one of his
most important and successful engagements; that in the action
in Algeziras Bay he was persuaded Sir James would have achieved
his object, and carried the enemy's ships into Gibraltar, but
for the failure of the wind; an accident which the Admiral
could not prevent, and which enabled the enemy to haul their
ships so close within the shore as to defeat his purpose.
Nothing dismayed or dispirited, however, with the unfortunate
event of that attempt, Sir James made wonderful exertions to
put his few ships into a condition to sail after a fleet of the
enemy and to attack them, though their fleet consisted of ten
ships, and Sir James had but five, and his own ship greatly
disabled. The glorious result their lordships well knew. But he
was not surprised at the matchless intrepidity and skill of his
gallant friend when he considered the professional school in
which he had been bred, viz. the late Lord Howe, Lord Hood,
Lord Bridport, and his noble friend the noble earl who sat next
him. (Earl St. Vincent, feeling the full force of the
compliment, made the noble and g