A STORY OF TRAFALGAR.
A contributor to tihe Melbourne " Argus," in a collection of anecdotes illustrating Spanish characteristics, relates the following incident of the battle of Trafalgar—it ie given by the historian Mariana—which shows that valour was not exclusively on the English side:— "Gravina, the Spanish admiral, was standing on the quarter-deck of the flag-ship. An English cannon-shot carried off both his legs. Without losing hold of his sword, he ordered a marine to put what remained of him into a bag of sawdust which was close by. Ship after ship struck its colours, but Gravina calmly gave *~s commands from the bag., ' How long have Ito live?' he asked a surgeon. 'Berfaaps an hour, senor.' 'Well,' observed the admiral, 'we may hold out for an hour.' The close of the story is touching—it reminds one of a passage in the Apology of Socrates. As Gravina lay dying, someone told him that Nelson was dead. 'Then,' said Gravina, 'I go to join title greatest commander that ever trod deck, in the land where there are no battles.'"
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Press, Volume LV, Issue 10042, 21 May 1898, Page 7
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177A STORY OF TRAFALGAR. Press, Volume LV, Issue 10042, 21 May 1898, Page 7
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