Cylchgronau Cymru

110 NOTABLE MEN OF WALES. Zealous, Orion, Audacious, Theseus, Vanguard, Minotaur, Defence, Bellerophon, Majestic, Leander. And at a still greater distance to the westward, the Alexander and the Swiftsure, making every exertion to get up. About 6.20 p.m. the French ships hoisted their colours, and the Conquerant, followed by the Guerrier, opened her fire upon the Goliath and Zealous, then in line close to each other, and at some distance ahead of their companions. We will now take up Southey's Life of Nelson, which describes what followed, and how the whole plan and scheme of battle was at this moment .changed by the genius and boldness of the gallant Foley: " Captain Foley led the way in the Goliath, outsailing the Zealous, which for some minutes disputed this point of honour with him. He had long conceived that if the enemy were moored in line of battle in with the land, the best plan of attack would be to lead between them and the shore, because the French guns on that side were not likely to be manned, nor even ready for action. Intending, therefore, to fix himself on the inner-bow of the Guerrier, he kept as near the edge of the bank as the depth of water would admit, but his anchor hung, and having opened his fire, he drifted to the second ship, the Conquerant, before it was clear, then anchored by the stern inside of her, and in ten minutes shot away her masts. Hood, in the Zealous, perceiving this, took the station which the Goliath intended to have occupied, and he totally •disabled the Guerrier in twelve minutes. The third ship which doubled the enemy's van was the Orion, Sir J. Saumarez; :she passed to windward of the Zealous and opened her larboard guns as long as they bore on the Guerrier; then passing inside of the Goliath, sank a frigate which annoyed her, hauled round towards the French line, and anchoring inside, between the fifth and sixth ships from the Guerrier, took her station on the larboard bow of the Franklin, and the quarter of the Peuple Souverain, and returning the fire of both." Southey's graphic and brilliant description of the continua¬ tion and sequel of the fight must be sought in his own work. It is, however, worth while to extract his account of the explosion on board the Orient. Nelson had been severely wounded, " but with his characteristic eagerness took the pen and contrived to trace a few words, marking his devout sense of the success which had already been obtained. He was now left alone: when suddenly a cry was heard that the Orient was •on fire. In the confusion he found his way up unassisted and unnoticed, and, to the astonishment of everyone, appeared on the quarter-deck, where he immediately gave orders that the boats should be sent to the relief of the enemy. It was soon after nine that the fire on board the Orient broke out. Brueys