the 30th or April; but being unable to pass through the Straits, by
reason of a strong westerly gale, he anchored off the coast of Barbary.
In the mean time the French admiral had hastened on to Cadiz, and
Sir John Orde, who commanded the blockading squadron, retired at his
approach. Villeneuve was joined at Cadiz by six Spanish, and two French
ships of the line; making his whole force, eighteen line-of-battle
ships, six frigates of forty guns each, and four smaller vessels. The
united squadrons now sailed for the West Indies, and Nelson having
discovered their place of destination, set sail with ten ships of the
line, and three frigates, in pursuit of them. It has been supposed that
Nelson would not have engaged his enemy, had he met with them, his force
being so disproportionate: but it is clear from his own words that he
would have fought had he come up with them. "Take you each a Frenchman,"
he observed to his officers, "and leave the Spaniards to me: when I
haul down my colours, I expect you to do the same." But Nelson was again
doomed to be disappointed in his search. He sought the enemy at Tobago,
Trinidad, and Grenada, but not being able to discover or to gain any
certain intelligence of them, he came to Gibraltar, where he went
on shore for the first time since June, 1803. While at Gibraltar, he
communicated with Admiral Collingwood, who, with a detached squadron,
had taken his station off Cadiz, to prevent any progress of the
Spaniards, and who had divined that the enemy's intention, or at least a
part of it, was to invade Ireland. Subsequently Nelson sought the
enemy off Cape St. Vincent, at Cadiz, in the Bay of Biscay, and on
the north-west coast of Ireland. Frustrated in all his hopes, after a
pursuit which exhibited the most indomitable ardour, and which scarcely
has its parallel in history, he judged it best to re-enforce the
Channel-fleet, and accordingly, on the 15th of August, he joined Admiral
Cornwallis, off Ushant. While off Ushant, Nelson received orders
to proceed with the "Victory," his own ship, and the "Superb," to
Portsmouth. It was at Portsmouth that he first received certain
intelligence of the enemy's movements. Sir Robert Calder, who had been
sent out to intercept their return, fell in with them on the 22d of
July, sixty leagues west of Cape Finisterre; and though his force
consisted only of fifteen ships of the line, and two frigates, he boldly
attacked the enemy, who now numbered twenty-se