APPENDIX. No. I. BATTLE OF THE NILE. Translation of the Account of the Battle of the Nile written by the Adjutant of the French Rear-Admiral Blanquet. THE first day of August, 1798, wind N.N.W. light breezes and fair weather; the 2nd division of the fleet sent a party of men on shore to dig wells; and every ship in the fleet sent 25 men, to protect the workmen from the continual attacks of the Bedouins, and vagabonds of the Egyptian country. At 2 P.M. the Heureux made the signal for 12 sail W.N.W. which we could easily distinguish from the mast-heads to be ships of war; the signal was then made for all the boats, workmen, and guards to repair on board their ships, which was only obeyed by a few: at 3 o'clock, the Admiral not having any doubt but that the ships in sight were the enemy, ordered the hammocks to be stowed for action, and directed the Alert and Railleur brigs of war to reconnoitre the enemy, which we soon perceived were steering for Bequier Bay, under a crowd of canvass, but without observing any order of sailing: at 4 o'clock we saw over Port Aboukir two ships, apparently waiting to join the squadron; without doubt they had been sent to look into the port of Alexandria; we likewise saw a brig with the 12 sail, so they were now 14 sail and a brig. The Alert then began to put the Admiral's orders into execution; viz. to stand towards the enemy until nearly within gun-shot; then to manœuvre, and endeavour to draw them towards the outer shoal, lying off the island; but the English Admiral had, no doubt, experienced pilots on board, as he did not pay any attention to the brig's track, but allowed her to go away, hauling well round all the danger. At this time a small country boat, dispatched from Alexandria to Rosetta, voluntarily bore down to the English brig, which took possession of her, notwithstanding the repeated efforts of the Alert to prevent it, by firing a great many shot at the boat. At 5 o'clock the enemy These were the Alexander and Swiftsure. 1 came to the wind in succession; this manœuvre convinced us they intended attacking us that evening. The Admiral got the topgallant-yard across, but soon after made the signal that he intended engaging the enemy at anchor; convinced, without a doubt, that he had not seamen enough for engaging under sail (for he wanted at least 200 good seamen for each ship); after this signal, each ought to have sent a stream cable to the ship astern of her, and to have made a hawser fast to the cable, about 20 fathoms in the water, and passed on the opposite to that intended as a spring; this was not generally executed orders were then given to let go another bower anchor; and the broadsides of the ships were then brought to bear upon the enemy, having the ships' heads N.E. from the island of Bequier, forming a line about 1300 fathoms N.W. and S.E. each with an anchor out S.S.E.; past 5 o'clock, one of the enemy's ships, that was steering to get to windward of the headmost of the line, ran on the reef E.N.E. of the island; she had immediate assistance from the brig, and got afloat in the morning; the battery on the island opened a fire on the enemy, and their shells fell a-head of the second ship of the line; past 5, the headmost ships of our line, being within gun-shot of the English, the Admiral made the signal to engage, which was not obeyed until the enemy came within pistol shot, and just doubling us. The action then became very warm; Le Conquerant began to fire, then Le Guerrier, Le Spartiate, L'Aquilon, Le Peuple Souverain, and Le Franklin: 6 o'clock, Le Sérieuse frigate, and L'Hercule bomb, cut their cables and got under weigh, to avoid the enemy's fire; they got on shore Le Sérieuse caught fire, and had part of her masts burnt; L'Artemise was obliged to get under weigh, and likewise got on shore; the two frigates sent their ship's company on board the different line-of-battle ships. The sloops of war, two bombs, and several transports, that were with the fleet, were more successful, as they got under weigh and reached the anchorage of Port Aboukir. All the van were attacked on both sides by the enemy, who ranged close along our line; they had each an anchor out astern, which facilitated their motions, and enabled them to place themselves in the most advantageous positions: past 6, Le Franklin opened a fire from her starboard side upon the enemy; past 6, she was engaged on both sides: L'Orient, at the same time, began firing from her starboard guns; and at 7, Le Tonnant opened her fire. All the ships, from Le Guerrier to Le Tonnant, were now engaged against a superior force; this only redoubled the ardour of the French, who kept up a very heavy fire. At 8 o'clock, the ship? 'Culloden. 2 Bellerophon. which was engaging L'Orient on the starboard quarter, notwithstanding her advantageous position, was dismasted, and so roughly treated, that she cut her cables, and drove rather far from the line; this event gave Le Franklin hopes that L'Orient would now be able to assist her, by attacking one of the ships opposed to her; but at this very moment the two ships' that had been observed astern of the fleet, and were quite fresh, steered right for the centre; one of them anchored on L'Orient's starboard bow, the other cut the line astern of L'Orient, and anchored on her larboard quarter; the action in this place then became very warm. Admiral de Brueys, who at this time had been slightly wounded in the head and arm, very soon received a shot in the belly, which very nearly cut him in two, he desired not to be carried below, but to be left to die on deck: he only lived a quarter of an hour. Rear-Admiral Blanquet, as well as his Aide-de-camp, were unacquainted with this melancholy event until the action was nearly over. Admiral Blanquet received a severe wound in the face, which knocked him down; he was carried off the deck senseless: past 8, Le Peuple Souverain drove to leeward of the line, and anchored a cable's length abreast of L'Orient : it was not known what unfortunate event occasioned this; the vacant space she made placed Le Franklin in a most unfortunate position, and it became very critical, from the manœuvre of one of the enemy's fresh ships, which had been to the assistance of one of their ships on shore; she anchored athwart Le Franklin's bow, and commenced a very heavy raking fire: past 8, the action was general, from Le Guerrier to Le Mercure. 2 The death of Admiral de Brueys, and the severe wounds of Admiral Blanquet, must have deeply affected the people who fought under them; but it added to their ardour for revenge, and the action continued with great obstinacy on both sides. At nine o'clock the ships in the van slackened their fire, and soon after totally ceased d; and, with infinite sorrow, we supposed they had surrendered: they were dismasted soon after the action began, and so much damaged, it is to be presumed, that they could not hold out any longer against an enemy so superior, by her advantageous position, in placing several ships against one past 9, L'Orient caught fire in the cabin, and it soon afterwards broke out upon the poop; every effort was made to extinguish it, but without effect, and very soon it was so considerable, that there were no hopes of saving the ship; past 9 Citizen Gillet, Flag Captain of Le Franklin, was severely wounded, and carried off deck; past 9 the arm chest, filled with musket cartridges, blew up and set fire to several places Alexander and Swiftsure. 2 Leander. on the poop and quarter deck, but was fortunately extinguished; her situation, however, was very desperate, surrounded by enemies, and only 80 fathoms to windward of L'Orient, entirely on fire; there could not be any expectation, but either falling a prey to the enemy or flames: 10 o'clock, the main and mizen masts fell, and all her guns on the main deck were dismounted: past 10 Le Tonnant cut her cables, to avoid the fire of L'Orient. The English ship that was on L'Orient's larboard quarter, as soon as she had done firing at her, brought her broadside to bear upon Le Tonnant's bow, and kept up a very raking fire. L'Heureux and Le Mercure conceived that they ought likewise to cut their cables; this manœuvre created so much confusion amongst the rear ships, that they fired into each other, and did considerable damage. Le Tonnant anchored a-head of Le Guillaume Tell, Le Généreux, and Le Timoleon; the other two ships got on shore; the ship1 that engaged Le Tonnant on her bow cut her cable, all her rigging and sails were cut to pieces, and she drove down and anchored astern of the English ship (Majestic) that had been engaging L'Heureux and Le Mercure, before they changed their position. Those of L'Etat Major and ship's company of L'Orient, who had escaped death, convinced of the impossibility of extinguishing the fire, which had got down to the middle gun-deck, endeavoured to save themselves. Rear-Admiral Gantheaume saved himself in a boat, and went on board the Salamine, from thence to Aboukir and Alexandria. The Adjutant-general Moutard, though badly wounded, swam to the ship? nearest L'Orient, which proved to be English. Commodore Casa Bianca and his son, only ten years of age, who during the action gave proofs of bravery and intelligence far above his years, were not so fortunate; they were in the water on the wreck of L'Orient's masts, not being able to swim, seeking each other, until past 10, when the ship blew up, and put an end to their hopes and fears. The explosion was dreadful, and spread the fire all round to a considerable distance; Le Franklin's decks were covered with red hot seam-pieces of timber and rope on fire; she was on fire the fourth time, but luckily got it under. Immediately after this tremendous explosion, the action ceased everywhere, and was succeeded by a most profound silence; the sky was darkened by thick clouds of black smoke, which seemed to threaten the destruction of both fleets, it was a quarter of an hour before the ships' companies recovered from the stupor they were thrown into. Towards 11 o'clock Le Franklin, anxious to preserve the trust confided to her, recommenced the action with a few of her 1 lower deck guns, all the rest were dismounted; two-thirds of the ship's company were killed, and those who remained much fatigued; she was surrounded by enemy's ships, who mowed down the men every broadside: past 11, leaving only three lower-deck guns that could defend the honour of the flag, it became necessary to put an end to so disproportionate a struggle, and Citizen Martinet, Captain of a frigate, ordered the colours to be struck. The action in the rear of the fleet was very trifling until past 11, when it became very warm; three of the enemy's ships were engaging them, and two very near: Le Tonnant, already badly treated, was nearest the ships engaged, returned a very brisk fire; about three o'clock in the morning she was dismasted, and obliged to cut her cables a second time, and not having any more anchors, she drove on shore. Le Guillaume Tell, Le Généreux, and Le Timoleon shifted their berths, and anchored further down out of gun-shot; those vessels were not much damaged: past 3 o'clock the action ceased throughout the line. Early in the morning the frigate La Justice got under weigh, and made several small tacks to keep near Le Guillaume Tell. At 9 o'clock anchored an English ship, having got under weigh, and making short tacks to prevent her getting away; at 6 o'clock two English ships joined those which had been engaging the rear, and began firing on L'Heureux and Le Mercure, which were aground: the former soon struck, and the latter followed the example, as they could not bring their broadsides to bear upon the enemy:past 6 o'clock the ship's crew of L'Artemise frigate quitted her, and set her on fire; at 8 o'clock, she blew up. The enemy, without doubt, had received great damage in their masts and yards, as they did not get under weigh to attack the remains of the French fleet. The French flag was flying on board four ships of the line and two frigates ;3 this division made the most of their time, and at past 10 Le Guillaume Tell, Le Généreux, La Diane, and La Justice were under weigh, and formed in line of battle; the English ship that was under sail stood towards her fleet, fearing that she might be cut off; two other enemy's ships were immediately under weigh to assist her. At noon Le Timoleon, which was probably not in a state to put to sea, steered right for the shore under her foresail, and when she struck the ground her foremast fell: the French division joined the enemy's ships, which ranged along their line on opposite tacks within pistol shot, and received their broadsides, which they 1 Zealous. 2 Theseus and Goliath. 3 Timoleon, Tonnant, Généreux, and Guillaume Tell, with the Diana, and La Justice. 4 Audacious and Leander, |