signals!” It flew, at the word; and every ship engaged respected it as soon as seen.  He again exclaimed—­“Now, nail mine to the mast!” and, turning to Captain Foley, with admirable good-humour said—­“Foley, you know I have lost an eye, and have a right to be blind when I like; and, damn me, if I’ll see that signal!”—­pointing to Sir Hyde Parker’s ship.  At a quarter before three in the afternoon, the victory was compleat; the whole Danish line, that was drawn up before the town, having struck their colours, after a dreadful defence, and their ships becoming untenable.  The Elephant, the flag-ship, about an hour before, in veering away cable, to get opposite the Crown Batteries, had stuck on a small middle shoal, and remained fast:  the same misfortune had happened to the Defiance; and, I believe, one more besides.  To board the prizes was difficult; or, rather, impossible:  for, being under the batteries of the town, no boat could approach them.  Lord Nelson, therefore, sent a flag of truce, with the following letter—­

“Lord Nelson has directions to spare Denmark, when no longer resisting; but, if the firing is continued on the part of Denmark, Lord Nelson will be obliged to set on fire all the floating-batteries he has taken, without having the power of saving the brave Danes who have defended them.

     “Nelson and Bronte,

     “Vice-Admiral, under the command of
     “Admiral Sir Hyde Parker.

     “Dated on board his Majesty’s ship Elephant, Copenhagen Roads,
     “April 2, 1801.

     “To the Brothers of Englishmen, the Danes.”

“It may be farther characteristic of his lordship, to mention that, when a wafer was brought for the above letter, he said—­“No; bring me wax, and a match:  this is no time to appear hurried and informal.”  An unfounded idea has prevailed, that the flag of truce was sent to cover his own ships, which would inevitably have been destroyed if the Danes had not been cajoled into an armistice; and the victory is, thereby, converted into a defeat:  but the victory was too decisive, to be thus ravished from his grasp.  The enemy were compleatly horrified and dismayed, at the carnage and ruin which a dreadful contest of five hours had involved them in.  The batteries of the town were too far distant, to have much effect even upon the ships aground; Sir Hyde Parker, with the rest of the fleet, could soon have approached; and, as to the Crown Batteries, which alone were to be dreaded, the following disposition was made for carrying them—­As the flag of truce left the admiral’s ship, fifteen hundred of the choicest boarders, who had been selected from the whole fleet previously to the action, descended into fifty boats, thirty men in each boat.  These boats were to be commanded by the Honourable Colonel Stewart, and Captain Freemantle.  The moment it could be known, that the flag of truce was refused, the boats were to have pushed for the batteries.  The fire of