At a quarter past six, the Nymphe reached the starboard quarter of the Cleopatra, when Captain Pellew, whose hat was still in his hand, raised it to his head, the preconcerted signal for the Nymphe to open her fire.  Both frigates immediately commenced a furious cannonade, which they maintained without intermission for three quarters of an hour, running before the wind under top-gallant-sails, and very near each other.  At a little before seven, the mizen-mast of the Cleopatra fell, and presently after her wheel was shot away.  Thus rendered unmanageable, she came round with her bow to the Nymphe’s broadside, her jib-boom pressing hard against the mainmast.  Captain Pellew, supposing that the enemy were going to board, ordered the boarders to be called, to repel them; but the disabled state of the Cleopatra was soon evident, and he at once gave orders to board her.  Immediately the boarders rushed on the forecastle, a division of them, headed by Mr., afterwards Capt.  George Bell, boarding through the main-deck ports, and fought their way along the gangways to the quarter-deck.  The republicans, though much superior in numbers, could not resist the impetuosity of the attack.  At ten minutes past seven they had all fled below, or submitted, and the pennant of the Cleopatra was hauled down.

While the boarders were pouring in upon the enemy’s forecastle, the mainmast of the Nymphe, having been much wounded, and with the main and spring-stays shot away, was most seriously endangered by the pressure of the Cleopatra’s jib-boom.  Fortunately, the jib-boom broke, and the Cleopatra fell alongside the Nymphe, head and stern.  The mainmast was again in danger, from the Cleopatra’s larboard maintopmast-studding-sail boom-iron hooking in the larboard leech-rope of the main-topsail, and dragging the sail.  Captain Pellew ordered some active seaman to go out upon the yard, and free the sail, promising ten guineas, if he succeeded; and a main-top-man, named Burgess, immediately sprang out, and cut the leech-rope.  Lieutenant Pellowe had been already directed to drop the best bower-anchor, as a means of getting the ships apart; and by the time half the prisoners had been removed, the prize separated, and fell astern.

The crew fought with a steadiness and gallantry above all praise.  A lad, who had served in the Winchelsea as barber’s boy, was made second captain of one of the main-deck guns.  The captain being killed, he succeeded to command the gun; and through the rest of the action, Captain Pellew heard him from the gangway give the word for all the successive steps of loading and pointing, as if they had been only in exercise.  In the heat of action, one of the men came from the main deck to ask the captain what he must do, for that all the men at his gun were killed or wounded but himself, and he had been trying to fight it alone, but could not.  Another, who had joined but the day before, was found seated on a gun-carriage, complaining that he had been very well as long as he was fighting, but that his sea sickness returned as soon as the battle was over, and that he did not know what was the matter with his leg, it smarted so much.  It was found that the poor fellow had received a musket ball in it.