all the officers of his squadron, were very fully employed in repairing the damages sustained by their own ships, and in securing those of the enemy which their valour had subdued, yet the mind of that great and good man felt the strongest emotions of the most pious gratitude to the Supreme Being, for the signal success which, by the Divine favour, had crowned his endeavours in the cause of his country; and, in consequence, on the morning of the 2d, he issued the following memorandum to the different captains of his squadron—­

        “MEMORANDUM.

        “Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, 2d Aug. 1798.

“Almighty God having blessed his majesty’s arms with victory, the admiral intends returning public thanksgiving for the same at two o’clock this day; and he recommends every ship doing the same, as soon as convenient.”

        “To the respective Captains of the Squadron.”

“At two o’clock, accordingly, public service was performed on the quarter-deck of the Vanguard, by the Reverend Mr. Comyn; the other ships following the example of the admiral, though not all exactly at the same time.  This solemn act of gratitude to Heaven, seemed to make a very deep impression on several of the prisoners, both officers and men:  some of the former remarked—­“That it was no wonder such order and discipline were preserved in the British navy, when the minds of our men could be impressed with such sentiments after a victory so great, and at a moment of such seeming confusion.”

On the very same day, the following Memorandum was likewise issued to all the ships; expressive of the admiral’s sentiments of the noble exertions of the different officers and men of his squadron—­

        “MEMORANDUM.

        “Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile, Aug. 2, 1798.

“The admiral most heartily congratulates the captains, officers, seamen, and marines, of the squadron he has had the honour to command, on the event of the late action; and he desires they will accept his most sincere and cordial thanks, for their very gallant behaviour in this glorious battle.  It must strike, forcibly, every British seaman, how superior their conduct is, when in discipline and good order, to the riotous behaviour of lawless Frenchmen.  The squadron may be assured, the admiral will not fail, with his dispatches, to represent their truly meritorious conduct, in the strongest terms, to the commander in chief.”

        “To the Captains of the Ships of the Squadron.”

“The praise expressed in this memorandum, could not fail to be highly acceptable, and gratifying, to every individual in the squadron; and the observation which it endeavoured to impress on the minds of all, of the striking advantages derived from discipline and good order, was so much the effect of recent experience, that every bosom immediately assented to it’s justice.