Admiral Parker, with eight sail of the line and two small vessels, preserved his station; while Vice-Admiral Nelson anchored, with his division, beyond the fire of our outermost ships.

Conjecture was now at an end. A change of wind to the southward would enable Lord Nelson to bear down with his division. We anxiously awaited the awful moment. Our ships were moored with four anchors; and manned, indiscriminately, by people hastily collected for the present exigency; all hands had been constantly on the alert during the two former nights, a third was now added to their fatigue; and when it is considered that these people were unacquainted with the exercise of great guns; that they were all day employed in practising, and all night in watching; the compliment paid them by Mr. Bardenfleth, first lieutenant on board the Charlotte Amalia, in his professional account of the battle, will not be deemed vain.

He says, "The spirit which animated all on board, and not their actual strength, enabled them to perform what they did."

On the morning of the 2d of April the wind veered to the south, and our commodore made the signal for the whole line to lay the broadside to the enemy.

The following Ships and Battery composed our Line:

1. Prövesteen, Capt. Lassen, 58, ship of the line, cut down, without masts.

2. Vagrien, Capt. Riisbrigh, 50, slip of the line, cut down, without masts.

3. Rendsborg, Capt. Egede, 20, prame, rigged, 4. Nyeborg, Capt. Rothe, 20, prame, rigged.

5. Iylland, Capt, Branth, 50, ship of the line, cut down, without masts.

6. Aggershuus, Lieut. Fasting, 20, prame, rigged.

7. Cronborg, Lieut. Hauch, 24, frigate, cut down, with

out masts.

8. Danbrog, Com, Fischer, Capt, Braun, 64, ship of the line, without masts.

9. Elven, Capt. Holsten, 18, repeating sloop of war. 10. Heyen, Lieut. Muller, 18, floating battery, without

masts.

11. No. 1, Lieut. Villemoes, 24, floating battery, without

masts.

12. Sielland, Capt. Harboe, 74, ship of the line, with masts, but no sails.

13. Sværdfisken, Lieut. Sommerfeldt, 18, floating battery, without masts.

14. Holsteen, Capt. Ahrenfelt, 64, ship of the line, with masts, but no sails.

15. Charlotte Amalia, Capt. Koefoed, 26, an old Indiaman cut down, without masts.

16. Söehesten, Lieut. Middelboe, 18, floating battery, with

out masts.

17. Infödsretten, Capt. Thura, 64, ship of the line, without

masts.

18. Hielperen, Lieut. Lillienskiold, 20, bomb, but had at that time no mortars on board.

19. Eleven gun boats of two guns each, which retired immediately at the commencement of the action.

20. The battery of the Three Crowns, 64, eight 36 pounders, fifty-six 24 pounders, three mortars of 150lb. each (not employed), one carronade of 96, and three of 36 lb. (not employed).

21. The Elephant, 64, ship of the line, without masts.

These were the only ships, and battery, which the British fleet seriously attacked. The Mars, of 64 guns, was stationed astern of the Elephant, to protect the entrance of the inner roads, but was not much engaged.

The following ships, lying in the inner roads, under the command of Commodore Steen Bille, all ready for seaDanmark, 74, Commodore Steen Bille; Tre Kroner, 74, Captain Riegelsen; Iris, 44, Captain Brown; Sarpen, 18, Captain Fabritius Tengnagel; Nid-Elven, 18, Captain Gethe-took no part in the action.

Neither the citadel, the batteries of the new dock yard, nor those on the Island of Amack, could render any assistance, from the remote situation of our line of defence, beyond which the British fleet lay. Another strong proof may be adduced; the shot from the British fleet passed over our block ships, without material injury to the batteries, and only one ship, the Danmark, had a few men wounded with the splinters of a gun shivered by a ball from the English.

Between nine and ten o'clock both divisions of the British weighed. Admiral Parker, with the characteristic zeal of a British seaman, beat up against wind and current towards the battery of the Three Crowns, proposing to awe our ships in the inner roads; while the Hero of the Nile bore right down on our line.

The Edgar led the British ships in all the sublimity and terror, of which the poet has given so impressive a description.

"As they drifted on their path,
There was silence deep as death;

And the boldest held his breath
For a time."

The battle commenced at five minutes after ten, when the Prövesteen opened her fire on the Edgar. Our second ship, the Vagrien, then poured a broadside into the Edgar, which she returned. And as the British came rapidly up, two-thirds of our ships were soon engaged. As our line was not broken, only one-half of the force on either side was consequently employed.

It would be vain in me to touch upon subjects which have, if I may use the expression, exhausted the powers of poets and artists. British valour and skill have been so often displayed, that I need only say, the brave tars on this occasion, scarcely perceived the signal, before the glory of Albion shone in all its wonted splendour.

Our foremost ship, the Prövesteen (Touchstone), was exposed, during the whole of the action, to the fire of the Polyphemus, of 64 guns, the Russel and the Bellona, 74's; which two latter ships ran aground at the commencement of the battle; but this misfortune (as Lord Nelson observes in his report) did not impede the service. The Prövesteen was, at the same time raked by La Desiré, of 40 guns, and a gun brig.

* The Battle of the Baltic, by Thomas Campbell.

The Prövesteen drew from the Commander in Chief the following acknowledgment: "My sense of Danish bravery, high as it is, was still more exalted by the conduct of the Prövesteen, which continued to fight till all her guns were dismounted." How her noble example, which the Danish line throughout so gloriously imitated, must have been appreciated by the enemy, may be inferred from the disappointment of the expectation which Lord Nelson was led to form before the battle*.

Captain Riisbrigh stood, on this occasion, as undaunted upon the quarterdeck of the Vagrien, as when a lieutenant on board the Formidable, under the gallant Rodney, on the 12th of April, 1782. For England he assisted to acquire glory and success; for Denmark he only obtained glory.

Soon after eleven o'clock the Danbrog, Captain Braun, took fire, which compelled Commodore Fischer to shift his broad pendant to the Holstein; but Captain Braun continued to fight her till he lost his right hand. Captain Lemming succeeded in the command; and although the flames around them threatened immediate destruction, the Danbrog maintained her fire till the close of the engagement, against her powerful adversary, the Glatton, which latter mounted 68-pound carronades on her lower deck.

“No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 being subdued, which is expected to happen at an early period, the Isis and Agamemnon are to cut their cables, and immediately make sail, and take their station ahead of the Polyphemus, in order to support that part of the line."-Orders of Lord Nelson previously to the battle.