A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
True Tales of the Year 1805.
VI.—THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR, OCT. 21, 1805.
'And since that day St. George's Cross
Has ruled the dark blue sea,
For Nelson led the windward line,
And Collingwood the lee.'
E. H. Mitchell.
t was in the early dawn of October 21st, 1805, when Nelson, pacing the quarter-deck of the Victory, could distinctly make out the enemy—the combined fleets of France and Spain. Villeneuve, the French Admiral, a skilful seaman, had placed his ships so as to leave the port of Cadiz open for himself, whilst bringing the British ships close to the shoals of Trafalgar.
Nelson, however, was confident of success, and asked Captain Blackwood 'what he should consider as a victory?'