His letter to the commander in chief, on this occasion, will inform the reader how far it was successful.

     “Theseus, July 4, 1797.

     “SIR,

“In obedience to your orders, the Thunder bomb was placed, by the good management of Lieutenant Gomley, her present commander, assisted by Mr. Jackson, master of the Ville de Paris, who volunteered his able services, within two thousand five hundred yards of the walls of Cadiz; and the shells were thrown from her, with much precision, under the direction of Lieutenant Baynes of the Royal Artillery.  But, unfortunately, it was soon found, that the large mortar was materially injured, from it’s former services; I therefore judged it proper to order her to return, under the protection of the Goliah, Terpsichore, and Fox; which were kept under sail for that purpose, and for whose active services I feel much obliged.

“The Spaniards having sent out a great number of mortar and gun-boats, and armed launches, I directed a vigorous attack to be made on them; which was done with such gallantry, that they were drove and pursued close to the walls of Cadiz, and must have suffered considerable loss:  and I have the pleasure to inform you, that two mortar-boats, and an armed launch, remain in our possession.

“I feel myself particularly indebted, for the successful termination of this contest, to the gallantry of Captains Freemantle and Miller, the former of whom accompanied me in my barge:  and to my coxswain, John Sykes; who, in defending my person, is severely wounded, as was Captain Freemantle, slightly, in the attack:  and my praises are, generally, due to every officer and man; some of whom I saw behave in the most noble manner, and I regret that it is not in my power to particularize them.

“I must also beg to be permitted to express my admiration of Don Miguel Tyrason, the commander of the Spanish gun-boats.  In his barge, he laid my boat alongside, and his resistance was such as to honour a brave officer; eighteen of the twenty-six being killed, and himself and all the rest wounded.

     “Not having a correct list of our killed and wounded, I can only
     state that, I believe, about six are killed, and twenty wounded.

     “I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,

     “Horatio Nelson.”

The encounter so modestly described in the above letter, was one of the sharpest conflicts in which the heroic writer had ever been engaged.  Sir Horatio fought, hand to hand, with the Spanish commandant; and, though the crew of his own barge consisted only of himself, Captain Freemantle, the coxswain, and ten bargemen, they killed or wounded the whole of the twenty-six men, with the commandant, who were in the Spanish armed launch.  Never, indeed, had the rear-admiral been in a more perilous state.  It was always his opinion, that he would probably have lost his life, if his