One Of Nelson's Captains

The fifth ship was the Theseus, Captaiu Ralph Willett Miller. This gentleman, vvhom after his prematuro deatb Kelsou styled "the only truly virtuous man ] ever knaw, " was by birth a New Yorker, whose farnily had been loyalists during the American Iíevolution. A letter f'rom him to his wifa gives an account of the fight whicb is at once anaong the mo.-t vivid aüd from the professional slaodpoint the most satiafactory of tho.se which have been transmitted to us. Of the Theseus' eutrance iuto the battle he says: "In running tlong the enemy's line in the wake of the Zealous and Goliath, I observed their shot sweep just over us. Aud knovving wel) that at such a moment Frenchineu would not have coolness enough to change their eievation, I closed them suddeuly, and, running under the arcli of their shot, reserved uiy fire, every gun beiug loaded with two and some with three round shot, until I bad the Guerrier's masts in a line and her jibboom about six feetclear ef our rigging. We then opened with such effect that a second breath coald not be drawn bef'ore her ruaiu and mizzeu masts were also goue. This was precisely at sunset, or 44 minutes past 6. Tben passing between her and the Zealons and as close as possible round the off eide of the Goliath, we auchored by the stern exaotly in a line with her aud abreastthc Spartiate. We had uot been many minutes in action with the típartiate wheu we observed one of our .ships (and soon after knew her to be the Vangnard, place herself so directly opposite to os on the outside of her that I desisted firing on her, that I rnight not do mischief to our friends, and directed every gun before the maiumast on the Aquilón (fourth Frenub) and all abaft it on the Oonquerant, giving np my