Chapter XXXI: Appendix: L

LONDON GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY.

"Vanguard, off the Mouth of the Nile,
3rd August 1798.

"MY LORD,

"Almighty God has blessed his Majesty's arms in the late battle
by a great victory over the fleet of the enemy, whom I attacked
at sunset on the 1st of August, off the mouth of the Nile. The
enemy were moored in a strong line of battle for defending the
entrance of the bay of shoals, flanked by numerous gun-boats,
four frigates, and a battery of guns and mortars on an island
in their van; but nothing could withstand the squadron your
lordship did me the honour to place under my command. Their
high state of discipline is well known to you; and with the
judgment of the captains, together with their valour, and that
of the officers and men of every description, it was absolutely
irresistible. Could anything from my pen add to the characters
of the captains, I would write it with pleasure, but that is
impossible.

"I have to regret the loss of Captain Westcott of the Majestic,
who was killed early in the action, but the ship continued to
be so well fought by her first lieutenant, Mr. Cuthbert, that I
have given him an order to command her till your Lordship's
pleasure is known.

"The ships of the enemy, all but their two rear ships, are
nearly dismasted, and those two, with two frigates, I am sorry
to say, made their escape; nor was it, I assure you, in my
power to prevent them. Captain Hood most handsomely endeavoured
to do it, but I had no ship in a condition to support the
Zealous, and I was obliged to call her in.

"The support and assistance I received from Captain Berry
cannot be sufficiently expressed. I was wounded in the head,
and obliged to be carried off deck, but the service suffered no
loss by that event. Captain Berry was fully equal to the
service then going on, and to him I must beg to refer you for
every information relative to this victory.

"He will present you with the flag of the second in command.
That of the commander-in-chief being in the L'Orient.

"Herewith I transmit you lists of the killed and wounded, and
the lines of battle of ourselves and the French.

"I have the honour to be, &c.
"HORATIO NELSON."

"To Admiral the Earl of St. Vincent, Commander-in-chief, &c.
&c. &c. off Cadiz."

The Rear-admiral was created Baron Nelson of the Nile, and of Burnham Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk. The thanks of both Houses of Parliament were voted to him, the officers and crews, in the usual manner. Gold medals were presented to each of the Captains. A pension of 2000_l._ a year for life was settled on Nelson. The Irish Parliament voted him 1000_l._; the East India Company 10,000_l._; the city of London a sword, value two hundred guineas, and a sword to each of the Captains; that to Sir E. Berry was accompanied by the freedom of the city in a gold box. But Sir James Saumarez received no distinguished honour, as has been usual, for being second in command, although no one ever more highly deserved such a mark of approbation.

LIST OF THE HOSTILE FLEETS OFF THE MOUTH OF THE NILE on the 1st of August, 1798.

_British Commanded by Sir Horatio Nelson, K.B. Rear-admiral of the Blue._

Abbrevations used in the table below: n/a = not in the action sb.sq = starboard squadron w.m.e = where most efficient. a. C. = assisting the Culloden. O = Officers S = Seamen M = Marines Tot = Total

No Ships' | Captains | First Remarks|Guns| Men| Killed | Wounded|Tot
Names Lieuts.
O| S| M| O| S| M|
1 |Culloden |T. Troubridge|Chas. Bullen | n/a| 74| 584| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0
2 |Theseus | R.W. Miller |R. Hawkins | -- | 74| 584| 0| 5| 0| 1| 24| 5| 35
3 |Alexander|A.J. Ball |John Yule | -- | 74| 584| 1| 13| 0| 5| 48| 5| 72
4 |Vanguard |{R.A. Sir H.}|Edw. Galwey |sb.sq| 74| 589| 3| 20| 7| 7| 60| 8|105
{Nelson. }
{E. Berry }
5 |Minotaur | Thos. Louis |C.M.
Schomberg | -- | 74| 643| 2| 18| 3| 4| 54| 6| 87
6 |Swiftsure|B. Hallowell |J.L. Waters | -- | 74| 584| 0| 7| 0| 1| 19| 2| 29
7 |Audacious|Davidge Gould|Thos. White | -- | 74| 584| 0| 1| 0| 2| 31| 2| 36
8 |Leander |T.B. Thompson|W. Richardson|w.m.e| 50| 338| 0| 0| 0| 0| 14| 0| 14
9 |Defence |John Peyton |Richard Jones| -- | 74| 584| 0| 3| 1| 0| 9| 2| 15
10|Zealous |Samuel Hood |W.H. Webley | -- | 74| 584| 0| 1| 0| 0| 7| 0| 8
11|Orion |Sir J.
Saumarez |J. Barker | -- | 74| 584| 1| 11| 1| 5| 18| 6| 42
12|Goliath |Thomas Foley |G. Jardine | -- | 74| 584| 2| 12| 7| 4| 28| 9| 62
13|Majestic |G.B. Wescott |R. Cuthbert | -- | 74| 584| 3| 38|14| 3|124|16|193
14|Belle- |H.D.E. Darby |R. Cathcart | -- | 74| 584| 4| 32|13| 5|126|17|197
rophon
Mutine |T.M. Hardy |-- -- |a. C.| 14| 70| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0
brig

Total|1066|8064|16|161|46|37|562|78|895
Emerald. T.M. Waller. }
Terpsichore. W.H. Gage } not in the action.
Alcmene. W. Brown }

_French, commanded by Admiral Gantheaume._

Abbrevations used in the table below: A = Admiral R.A. = Rear Admiral

No. Ships' Names. Captains. Guns. Men. Remarks.

1 Le Guerrier. J.F.T. Trullet (sen.) 74 700 Taken and burnt
by the British.
2 Le Conquerant. E. Dalbarde. 74 700 Taken.

3 Le Spartiate. M.J. Emerine. 74 700 Ditto.

4 L'Aquilon. H. Alex. Thevenard. 74 700 Taken and called
the Aboukir;
Captain killed.

5 Le Peuple P.P. Racoora. 74 700 Taken and called
Souverain. Le Guerrier.

6 Le Franklin. Blanquet (R.A.). 90 800 Taken and called
the Canopus.

7 {L'Orient Brueys } 120 1010 Blown up: the
{(formerly) (A.) Gantheaume } Admiral and the
{Le (R.A.) Casa Bianca,} whole crew,
{Sans Culottes. Captain. } excepting seventy
men, perished.

8 Le Tonnant. Du Petit Thouars. 80 800 Taken; her Captain
killed.

9 L'Heureux. J.P. Etienne. 74 700 Taken and burnt
by the British.

10 Le Timoleon. Trullet (jun.) 74 700 Driven on shore,
and burnt by her
own people.

11 Le Mercure. Cambon (acting). 74 700 Taken and burnt
by the British.

12 Le Guillaume {Villeneuve, (R.A.) } 80 800 Escaped; taken in
Tell. {Captain Sinclair. } 1800 by
Foudroyant, Lion,
and Penelope.

13 Genereux. Le Joille. 74 700 Escaped; taken in
1800 by the
squadron under
Lord Nelson,
off Malta.

La Serieuse. Clavele Jean Martin. 36 250 Sunk by a
broadside from the
Orion; crew saved.

L'Artemise. Pierre Jean Standelet. 36 250 Struck her colours, and
burnt by her crew, who
escaped in their boats.

La Diane. R.A. Decres, 48 300 Escaped, but taken in
Capt. Soleil 1801 off Malta.

La Justice. -- Villeneuve. 44 300 Escaped, but taken in
1801 at Alexandria.

Besides bombs, brigs,
gun-boats, and
batteries.
---- -----

Total. { French 1200 10810
{ British 1066 8064
---- -----
134 2746

Thus it appears that the French were superior by more than a fourth to the British, and certainly still more in weight of metal; and when the size of the shot is taken comparatively into consideration, and that a French eighty is equal to a British ninety-eight, the superiority in the broadsides would be even greater.