preading terror throughout the West Indies, returned to Cadiz. On their
way thither they bore down upon Admiral Collingwood, who had only three
vessels with him; but he succeeded in eluding the pursuit, although
chased by sixteen ships of the line. Ere one-half of the enemy had
entered the harbour he drew up before it and resumed the blockade, at
the same time employing an ingenious artifice to conceal the inferiority
of his force. But the combined fleet was at last compelled to quit
Cadiz; and the battle of Trafalgar immediately followed. The brilliant
conduct of Admiral Collingwood upon this occasion has been much and
justly applauded. The French admiral drew up his fleet in the form of a
crescent, and in a double line, every alternate ship being about a
cable's length to windward of her second, both ahead and astern. The
British fleet bore down upon this formidable and skilfully arranged
armament in two separate lines, the one led by Nelson in the "Victory,"
and the other by Collingwood in the "Royal Sovereign." The latter vessel
was the swifter sailer, and having shot considerably ahead of the rest
of the fleet, was the first engaged. "See," said Nelson, pointing to the
"Royal Sovereign" as she penetrated the centre of the enemy's line, "see
how that noble fellow Collingwood carries his ship into action!"
Probably it was at the same instant that Collingwood, as if in response
to the observation of his great commander, remarked to his captain,
"What would Nelson give to be here?" The consummate valour and skill
evinced by Collingwood had a powerful moral influence upon both fleets.
It was with the Spanish admiral's ship that the "Royal Sovereign"
closed; and with such rapidity and precision did she pour in her
broadsides upon the "Santa Anna," that the latter was on the eve of
striking in the midst of thirty-three sail of the line, and almost
before another British ship had fired a gun. Several other vessels,
however, seeing the imminent peril of the Spanish flag-ship, came to her
assistance, and hemmed in the "Royal Sovereign" on all sides; but the
latter, after suffering severely, was relieved by the arrival of the
rest of the British squadron; and not long afterwards the "Santa Anna"
struck her colours. The result of the battle of Trafalgar, and the
expense at which it was purchased, are well known. On the death of
Nelson, Collingwood assumed the supreme command; and by his skill and
judgment greatly contributed to