But the greatest of his victories was yet behind. During the short continuance of peace, he had occupied himself chiefly in rural improvements at NIerton, giving occasional attendance at the house of Lords, where his few speeches were no less remarkable for the correct information, than for the uprightness and integrity dis played in them. On the renewal of hostilities in 1803, he was instantly appointed commander in the lecliter ranean. The principal duty of this post was to watch the movements of the large fleet lying ii) Toulon har bour. Nelson waited long and anxiously, till at length his tedious and strict watch was suspended by intelli• gence that Vice-Admiral Villeneuve had put to sea on the 10th January, 1805. Nelson steered for Egypt; but the enemy had returned to port. They again sailed on the 31st Alarch : and the sagacity with which he di vined their intentions, the rapidity with which he pur sued them from Europe to the NVest Indies, and from the West Indies back again to Europe, are unrivalled in the records of naval history. The terror of his name had saved our colonies; and Villeneuve's fleet returned home, with all possible speed. Nelson too returned home, but it was only to enjoy a brief respite from fa tigue. In August, news arrived that Villeneuve was at Cadiz, and Nelson immediately volunteered to go and meet him. The English fleet kept out at sea to hide their force, and Nelson's arrival WaS not known to the combined armament,—when, on the morning of Octo ber 19th, the signal was given that the enemy were coming out of port. After a variety of movements, the contending fleets came in sight of each other near cape Trafalgar, at day-break on the 21st. The details of a sea fight are not often interesting to general readers ; but the victory which terminated the illustrious carcer of Nelson was so striking in its acquisition,so important in its consequences, that a few particulars respecting it seem worthy of remembrance.
" Soon after clay-light, Nelson came upon deck. The 2Ist of October was a festival in his family, because on that day his uncle, Captain Suckling, in the Dread nought, with two other line of battle ships, had beaten off a French squadron of four sail of the fine, and three frigates. Nelson, with that sort of superstition from which few persons are entirely exempt, had more than once expressed his persuasion that this was to be his day of battle also; and he was well pleased at seeing his pre dictinn about to be verified. The wind was now from the west,—light breezes with a long heavy swell. Sig. nal was made to bear down upon the enemy in two lines, and the Elect set all sail. Collingwoocl in the Royal So vereign, led the lee line of' thirteen ships ; the 'Victory led the weather line of fourteen.
" Blackwood went aboard the Victory about six. He found Nelson in good spirits, but very calm; not in that exhilaration which he had felt on entering into battle at Aboukir and Copenhagen: lie knew that his own life would be particularly aimed at, and seems to have look ed for death with almost as sure an expectation as for victory. His whole attention was fixed upon the enemy. They tacked to the northward, and formed their line on the larboard tack, thus bringing the shoals of Trafalgar and St. Pedro under the lee of the lititish, and keep ing the port of Cadiz open for themselves. This was judiciously done ; and Nelson, aware of all the ad vantages which it gave them, made signal to prepare to anchor, 44 Villeneuve was a skilful seaman, worthy of serving a better master and a better cause, His plan of defence was as well conceived and as original as the plan of at tack. He formed the fleet in a double line, every al ternate ship being about a cable's length to windward of her second, a.head and a-stern. Nelson, certain of a triumphant issue to the clay, asked Blackwood what he should consider as a victory. That officer answered, that considering the handsome way in which battle was offered by the enemy, their apparent determination for a fair trial of strength, and the situation of the land, he thought it would be a glorious result if fourteen ships were captured. He replied, 44 I shall never be satisfied with less than twenty." Soon afterwards, he asked him if he did not think there was a signal wanting. Cap tain Blackwood made answer, that he thought the whole fleet seemed very clearly to understand what they were about. These words were scarcely spoken before the signal was made, which will be remembered as long as the language, or even the memory of England shall en dure ;—Nelson's last signal :—" England expects every man to do his duty." It was received throughout the fleet with a shout of answering acclamation, made sub lime by the spirit which it breathed, and the feeling which it expressed." " Now," said Lord Nelson, " I can do no more: we must trust to the great Disposer of all events, and the justice of our cause. I thank God for this great opportunity of doing my duty." 44 He wore that day, as usual, his Admiral's frock-coat, bearing on the left breast four stars of the different or ders with which he was invested, Ornaments which rendered him so conspicuous a mark for the enemy, were beheld with ominous apprehension by his officers.
It was known that there were riflemen on board the French ships; and it could not be doubted but that his life would be particularly aimed at. They communi cated their fears to each other ; and the surgeon, Air. Beattie, spoke to the chaplain, Dr. Scott, and to Mr. Scott the public secretary, desiring that some person would entreat him to change his dress, or cover the the stars ; but they knew that such a request would highly displease him. In honour I gained them," he said, when such a thing had been hinted to him formerly, 44 and in honour I will die with them." Mr. Beattie, however, could not have been deterred by any fear of ex citing his displeasure from speaking to himself upon a subject in which the weal of England, as well as the life of Nelson was concerned, but he was ordered from the deck before he could find an opportunity. This was a point upon which Nelson's officers knew that it was hopeless to remonstrate or reason with him ; but both Blackwood, and his own captain, Hardy, represented to him how advantageous to the fleet it would be for him to keep out of action as long as possible ; and he con sented at last to let the Leviathan and the Temeraire, which were sailing a-breast of the Victory, be ordered to pass a-heacl. Vet even here, the last infirmity of this noble mind was indulged; for these ships could not pass a-head if the Victory continued to carry all her ; and so far was Nelson from shortening sail, that it was evi dent he took pleasure in pressing on, and rendering it impossible for them to obey his own orders. A long swell was setting into the bay of Cadiz : our ships, crowd ing all sail, moved majestically before it, with light winds from the south-west. The sun shone on the sails of the enemy ; and their well formed line, with their numerous three-deckers, made an appearance which any other as sailants would have thought formidable ; but the British sailors only admired the beauty and the splendour or the spectacle ; and, in full confidence of winning what they saw, remarked to each other, what a fine aight yonder shifis would make at Spithead !" A few minutes before twelve o'clock, several French ships a-head of the Victory began to fire single guns at her, to ascertain the distance. When Nelson saw the shots pass beyond him, he desired Blackwood and cap tain Prowse, of the Sirius, to repair to their respective frigates ; and as the former took leave, expressing a hope that he would soon return, and find the commander in possession of twenty ships, Nelson squeezed his hand, and said " God bless you, Blackwood ! I shall never see you more." Collingwood's line was first engaged: Nelson, steer ing about two points nearer the north, soon after receiv ed a single shot through his main-top-gallant sail ; on ob serving which, the enemy immediately opened their broadsides, aiming chiefly at the rigging, in order to dis able the Victory, before she could close with them. They had also planted riflemen in the shrouds ; and by those means, considerable havoc was made among Nel son's men, before he could run on board the Redontable ; in his way to which he passed near the bows of an " old acquaintance," the Santissima Trinidad, memorable for the attack he had made on her long ago at Cape St. Vincent's. The Redoutable received him with a broad side, and then instantly let down her lower deck-ports, in fear of being boarded through them. She used her great guns no more, though the Victory kept up a tre mendous fire on all sides, her larboard shot striking the Santissima Trinidad, and Villeneuve's ship, the Bucen taure ; while Captain Harvey, in the Temeraire, had also, on the opposite quarter, come alongside the Recloutable, —which was thus placed between him and Nelson, the Temeraire herself having., in like manner, another ene my close to leeward. Of the four ships thus fearfully commingled, the two British alone made usc of their can non ; they fired with a diminished charge in the lower guns, lest one might transmit her shot to the other; and the firetnan of each gun stood ready with a bucket of water, to dash into the hole where a ball entered, to pre vent the timber from inflaming. The French, again, trusted to their riflemen, by whose efforts, though the battle could not be gained, it might be rendered bloodier to their opponents. Nelson had always despised this mode of warfare, which he looked upon as dastardly and indecisive ; yet the destruction it occasioned could not make him forget the dictates of humanity, and he twice ordered his- firing to cease, supposing the Redoutable, which carried no flag, to have struck, as her great guns were silent. It was to this ship that he owed his death. In the heat of the action, about a quarter past one, a mus.