“When the smoke cleared away, observed the _Victory_, _Royal Sovereign_, and _Téméraire_ warmly engaged, and the six van ships of the enemy who had not been engaged had tacked, and were bearing down to attack us. At 3.30, opened our fire on them, assisted by the _Leviathan_ and _Conqueror_; observed one of them to have all her masts shot away by our united fire; the rest then hauled their wind (we learned afterwards it was Rear-Admiral Dumanoir), and making off to the southward, and we not in a condition to follow them, our sails being nearly shot from the yards, and, in addition to other defects, not a brace or bowline left. Turned the hands up to knot and splice, and bend new sails. At 5, observed 18 sail of the enemy making off, viz., 13 sail of the line, 3 frigates, and 2 brigs, leaving to us 20 ships of the line, 2 of which were first-rates, viz., _Santissima Trinidada_ and _Santa Anna_. At 5.15, a French ship of the line, _L’Achille_, blew up with nearly all her crew. Observed the _Victory_ with her mizen-mast and all her topmasts shot away; the _Royal Sovereign_ with only her foremast standing; unable to see the condition of the rest of the fleet. At 6, we hailed the _Ajax_ (74), and told her to go and take possession of a French ship of the line dismasted; saw the _Prince_ (98) take the _Santissima Trinidada_ (138) in tow, which had struck to us. Found we had 10 men killed, and 35 wounded, 4 of whom shortly after died of their wounds. “At midnight, having repaired what damages we could, made sail. At 4 in the morning of the 22nd, we were spoke by the _Pickle_ schooner, who told us it was Admiral Collingwood’s orders. We took some ship in tow. At daylight, observed Admiral C.’s flag in the _Euryalus_ frigate, with the _Royal Sovereign_ in tow, who made our signal to take her in tow, which we did. “At daylight, it blew a fresh gale from the S.S.W.; the ships very much scattered; all the prizes dismasted and drifting about, most of them having been cast off from the ships that had them in tow; and the French 84-gun ship, _Rédoutable_, while in tow of the British _Swiftsure_, foundered with nearly all her unfortunate crew. At daylight of the 23rd, we picked up four of her people floating upon a piece of her wreck. Came on board of us, as prisoner from the _Mars_ (74), Admiral Villeneuve, the French commander-in-chief.