“In the confusion of their retreat, several of the enemy’s ships had doubled on each other; and, in the rear, they were three or four deep.  It was, therefore, the British admiral’s design to reach the weathermost of these ships; and, then, to bear up, and rake them all, in succession, with the seven ships composing his division.  His object, afterwards, was to pass on to the support of his van division; which, from the length of time they had been engaged, he judged might be in want of it.  The casual position, however, of the rear ships of his van division prevented his executing this plan.  The admiral, therefore, ordered the Excellent, the leading ship of his own division, to bear up; and, with the Victory, he himself passed to leeward of the enemy’s rearmost and leewardmost ships; which, though almost silenced in their fire, continued obstinately to resist the animated attack of all their opponents.

“Captain Collingwood, in the Excellent, in obedience to the admiral’s orders, passed between the two rearmost ships of the enemy’s line; giving to the one most to windward, a seventy-four, so effectual a broadside, in addition to what had been done before, that her captain was induced to submit.  The Excellent, afterwards, bore down on the ship to leeward, a three-decker:  but, observing the Orion engaged with her, and the Victory approaching her, he threw into her only a few discharges of musketry, and passed on to the support of the Captain, at that time warmly engaged with a three-decker, carrying a flag.  His interference here was opportune, as the continual and long fire of the Captain had almost expended the ammunition she had at hand, and the loss of her fore-topmast, and other injuries she had received in her rigging, had rendered her nearly ungovernable.

“The Spanish three-decker had lost her mizen-mast; and, before the Excellent arrived in her proper station to open on this ship, the three-decker dropped astern aboard of, and became entangled with, a Spanish two-decker, that was her second.  Thus doubled on each other, the Excellent gave the two ships her fire; and then moved forwards to assist the headmost ships in their attack on the Spanish admiral, and the other ships of the enemy’s centre.

“Meanwhile, Sir John Jervis, disappointed in his plan of raking the enemy’s rear ships, and having directed, as before observed, the Excellent to bear up, ordered the Victory to be placed on the lee-quarter of the rearmost ship of the enemy, a three-decker; and having, by signal, ordered the Irresistible and Diadem to suspend their firing, threw into the three-decker so powerful a discharge, that her commander, seeing the Barfleur, carrying Vice-Admiral the Honourable William Waldegrave’s flag, ready to second the Victory, thought proper to strike to the British commander in chief.  Two of the enemy’s ships