but happily the men had been withdrawn from those places.
An awful silence reigned for several minutes, as if the contending squadrons, struck with horror at the dreadful event, which in an instant had hurled so many brave men into the air, had forgotten their hostile rage in pity for the sufferers. But short was the pause of death; vengeance soon roused the drooping spirits of the enemy. The Franklin again opened her fire on the Defence and Swiftsure, and thus gave the signal for renewed hostilities. Captain Hallowell being disengaged from his late formidable adversary, had leisure to direct the Swiftsure’s whole fire into the quarter of the foe who had thus presumed to break the solemn silence; and in a very short time, by the well-directed and steady fire of these two ships, and the Leander on her bows, the Franklin was obliged to call for quarter.
The Alexander and Majestic, and occasionally the Swiftsure, were now the only British ships engaged; but Captain Hallowell, finding that he could not direct his guns clear of the former, and fearful lest he should fire into a friend, desisted, although he was severely annoyed by the shot of the French ship Tonnant, which fell thick about him. About three o’clock on the morning of the 2nd August, the firing ceased entirely, both squadrons being equally exhausted with fatigue. It was, however, subsequently renewed between the rear of the enemy and a few of the British ships. In the morning of the 3d, there remained in the bay only the Timoleon and Tonnant of the French line, that were not captured or destroyed. The crew of the former escaped in their boats after setting fire to her; the latter struck without further resistance, just as the Swiftsure was in the act of casting, for the purpose of supporting the Theseus and Leander, which ships had already approached the enemy. This completed the conquest of the French fleet. The loss sustained by the Swiftsure was 7 nien killed, and 22 wounded. On going into action she received a shot several feet under water, which proved a considerable annoyance; the chain-pumps were obliged to be kept constantly at work, nor could the leak be kept completely under; she had four feet water in the hold from the commencement to the end of the battle.
