mbrace, pounding away at
each other with the most desperate fury, when, near 1 p.m., the
_Vengeur_, tearing away the three anchors from the _Brunswick's_ bow,
rolled herself clear, and the two well-matched combatants separated.

The newcomer was seen to be the _Ramillies_, with her masts and spars
still uninjured. Having, indeed, had but two seamen killed and seven
wounded, she was quite a fresh ship. She, however, waited for the
French ship to settle farther from the _Brunswick_, in order to have
room to fire at her without injuring the latter. The brave crew of the
_Brunswick_ were, however, not idle even yet, and continued their fire
so well-directed that they split the _Vengeur's_ rudder and shattered
her stern-post, besides making a large hole in her counter, through
which they could see the water rushing furiously.

At this spot the _Ramillies_, now only forty yards distant, pointed her
guns, and the _Brunswick_, still firing, in a few minutes reduced the
brave _Vengeur_ to a sinking state. Just then, it being seen from the
_Ramillies_ that the _Achille_ was endeavouring to make her escape, all
sail was made on her, and away she stood from the two exhausted
combatants in chase of the fugitive, which she ultimately secured
without opposition. Soon after 1 p.m., the two gallant opponents ceased
firing at each other, and at the same time a Union-Jack was displayed
over the quarter of the Frenchman as a token of submission and a desire
to be relieved.

Not a boat, however, could be sent from the _Brunswick_, and in a few
minutes her mizen-mast went by the board and made her still less able to
render assistance. It made the hearts of the brave crew of the
_Brunswick_ bleed to think of the sad fate which awaited their late
enemies, and which no exertion they had the power of making could avert.

Mr Cracraft now considered what was best to be done. The French
Admiral Villaret was leading a fresh line on the starboard tack, to
recover as many as he could of his dismasted ships; and the difficulty
of the _Brunswick_ was to rejoin her own fleet, without passing
dangerously near that of the French, the loss of the mizen-mast and the
wounded state of the other masts rendering it impossible to haul on a
wind as was necessary. Accordingly, the head of the _Brunswick_ was put
to the northward for the purpose of making the best of her way into
port, while all possible sail was made on her.

Sad was her state. Her mi