Captain Berry in possession of the poop, and the Spanish ensign hauling down. I passed with my people, and Lieutenant Pearson, on the larboard gangway, to the forecastle, where I met two or three Spanish officers prisoners to my seamen – they delivered me their swords. A fire of pistols, or muskets, opening from the Admiral’s stern-gallery, of the San Josef, I directed the soldiers to fire into her stem; and calling to Captain Miller, ordered him to send more men into the San Nicholas, and directed my people to board the first rate, which was done in an instant, Captain Berry assisting me into the main chains. At this moment a Spanish officer looked over the quarter-deck rail, and said they surrendered. From this most welcome intelligence, it was not long before I was on the quarter-deck, where the Spanish Captain, with a bow, presented me his sword, and said the Admiral was dying of his wounds. I asked him on his honour, if the ship was surrendered? he declared she was; on which I gave him my hand, and desired him to call on his officers and ship’s company, and tell them of it; which he did: – and on the quarter-deck of a Spanish first rate, extravagant as the story may seem, did I receive the swords of vanquished Spaniards; which, as I received, I gave to William Fearney, one of my bargemen; who put them, with the greatest sang froid, under his arm. I was surrounded by Captain Berry, Lieutenant Pearson, of the 69th regiment, John Sykes, John Thomson, Francis Cooke, all old Agamemnons, and several other brave men, seamen and soldiers. Thus fell these ships!
“N.B. In boarding the San Nicholas, I believe we lost about 7 killed and 10 wounded; and about 20 Spaniards lost their lives by a foolish resistance. None were lost, I believe, in boarding the San Josef.
| (Signed) | HORATIO NELSON. RALPH WILLETT MILLER. E. BERRY.” |
Captain Berry’s post commission bears date March 6, 1797. In the course of the same year he appeared at Court with Sir Horatio Nelson; and it has been said that after the King had complimented the latter on account of his exploits, and condoled with him on his misfortune in losing a limb at the attack upon Santa Cruz, that hero introduced his companion to his Majesty, with the remark, “that he had not experienced great loss, as this officer was his right hand!” On the 19th Dec. following, Captain Berry commissioned the Vanguard, of 74 guns, fitting for the flag of his friend Nelson, with whom he soon after returned to the Mediterranean station.
The proceedings of the squadron detached from the fleet off Cadiz to watch the armament about to sail from Toulon, under General Buonaparte, and which ended in the total defeat of the enemy, on the glorious 1st Aug. 1798, have
