This Scene in that most Glorious Victory obtained by Admiral Nelson, off the Mouth of the Nile
A print depicting the explosion of the 120-gun flagship of French Admiral Fran̤ois-Paul Brueys d'Aigailliers at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars. A conflagration and a mushroom cloud of smoke engulf a ship in the left, middle ground. The decks of surrounding ships also are engulfed in clouds of smoke. The French general Napoleon Bonapoarte made plans for an invasion of Egypt to constrict Britain's trade routes and holding of India. Leading the British fleet was Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson. When he spotted the French anchored in Aboukir Bay, Nelson gave orders to attack. The explosion of Brueys' flagship, 'L'Orient,' blew up most of the ship's company, including the admiral. The success of the British ensured the isolation of Napoleon's army in Egypt, which led to their disintegration, and it heightened British prestige and control of the Mediterranean.
