Enlarged second edition of a work on the sea battle at Cape St Vincent, by the English army officer and military historian John Drinkwater Bethune (1762-1844), "one of the most important eye-witness accounts of the battle, by a spectator rather than a participant" (NMM). The battle the took place near Cape St Vincent, Portugal, on 14 February 1797, when the British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated the much larger Spanish fleet. The work honours Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), whose contribution during the battle was essential, and the present edition is enlarged with some anecdotes from Nelson himself. The work opens with a preface, followed by a description of the battle. The appendix contains a list of killed and wounded marines, two lists with the names of the ships of the British and Spanish fleet, and 8 battle plans, showing the positions of the ships of both fleets during different hours of the battle.
With traces of a removed bookplate on paste-down. Binding very slightly rubbed, slightly damaged at the top and bottom of spine. Internally in very good condition. NMM V, 1765.