At daylight we were off Tariffa, with light airs from the westward, which at seven freshened to a strong breeze, and enabled the Venerable to open the Bay of Algeziras, in which the French squadron were discovered at anchor. On the Venerable making the signal that she could weather the enemy, the Admiral made another to take stations for mutual support. The Pompée, Venerable, and Audacious were soon at an anchor, and at thirty-five minutes after eight began the action with the enemy. The Cæsar at nine o'clock opened her fire, and at fifteen minutes past nine came to an anchor ahead of the Venerable. The Spencer and Hannibal passed under our lee, nearly becalmed, and anchored without the Cæsar, firing, as the smoke subsided, through the openings between our ships at the enemy.

About ten o'clock the fire of the French ships appeared to slacken so much that I ventured to suggest to the Admiral that a flag of truce might be sent in, with a notice to the Spaniards that if the British squadron were permitted to take away the French ships without any further molestation from the batteries, the town would be respected, and no further injury done to it.

The Admiral expressed his readiness to do this; but considered the advantage we had gained, as yet, not sufficiently decisive to justify such a measure. And his judgment was but too correct. The decrease of the fire from the French ships arose from their being occupied in warping close in-shore; and, shortly after this period, the Pompée having broken her sheer, lost her commanding position relative to the French Admiral, whom she had been raking with great effect, and now became raked in her turn. At twenty minutes after ten, the boats of the squadron were sent to her assistance, and, having cut her cables, she was towed out of her exposed situation.

At thirty-five minutes after ten, the Admiral, observing how much the enemy had increased their distance from us by warping in-shore, ordered our cables to be cut, and sail to be made upon the ships, in the hope of being able to close with them. He also sent me on board the Spencer, with orders to Captain Darby to weigh, and work up to the enemy. The Hannibal, having already received these orders, was in the act of obeying them, and soon after opened her fire upon the French Admiral; but in the gallant endeavour to get between the Formidable and the shore, and not being aware of the French Admiral's change of position by warping in, Captain Ferris unfortunately ran his ship aground, abreast of the battery of St. Jago, and under the raking fire of the Formidable. In this helpless state he continued to engage the enemy until, to use the French Admiral's words, his decks were jonché de morts. He had seventy-three killed and sixty-four wounded,—a very unusual proportion, as, in general, the wounded trebles the number of the killed; but this may be accounted for by the Hannibal being so near that the enemy's shot passed through her sides without making any splinters, to which the greater number of wounds are attributable.

From the time the Cæsar cut her cable, she and the Audacious were constantly engaged with the Indomptable, Meuron, and island batteries, and occasionally with the Dessaix, as they could bring their guns-to bear; but the perpetual flaws of wind rendered this very difficult, and exposed them frequently to a severe and raking fire from the enemy. The Admiral made the signal for the marines to be prepared to land on the island; but, as the boats were all employed in assisting the Pompée and Hannibal, this was rendered impracticable. At length, finding every effort fruitless to close with the enemy, the Admiral was under the necessity of withdrawing his ships from this unequal contest with winds and batteries; but it was not until all hope had vanished of saving the Hannibal that he left her in possession of the enemy.

The accompanying diagram shows first, the position of the hostile squadrons at the moment the Spencer, and Venerable, and Cæsar, had anchored; secondly, their position when the action ceased, and when the Hannibal was in possession of the enemy.

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Diagram of Algeziras and Gibraltar Bay.

The action of Algeziras was certainly obstinately fought, and gallantly contested on both sides. It is true that the French had little to do but to attend to their guns, being either at an anchor in their strong position, or warping towards the shore. In this operation the Spaniards had the hardest duty, being employed in their boats in carrying out hawsers, and even in heaving them in. Success seemed certain to the British squadron till the Pompée broke her sheer; after that, it was one continued but unavailing struggle to recover the ground we had lost by this misfortune: and we retreated to Gibraltar when all hope was at an end, the Admiral justly considering the importance of repairing the damages already sustained, and of preserving the lives of his gallant crew, which would be uselessly sacrificed by a continuance of a hopeless contest.