This document is a fair copy, signed by Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood (1748-1810), of Lord Nelson's instructions to the British fleet ahead of the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805. The copy was sent to Richard Grindall, the captain of HMS Prince, a 98-gun second rate ship of the line.
It describes his plans to keep the order of sailing as the order of battle (i.e. keeping the fleet in two columns of 16 ships each) and plans to break the enemy line into two or three sections in order to stand a greater chance of victory. The plan succeeded but it was by no means guaranteed and Nelson remarked in this document that "something must be left to chance, nothing is sure at sea" telling his men that they should "fight beyond all others, shot will carry away the Masts and Yards of Friends as well as foes, but I look with confidence to a Victory"

HMS Prince was an ungainly ship, Grindall remarked that the ship was so slow to action that she "sailed like a haystack". But, as a result, the ship remained undamaged and was noted for rescuing French sailors following the sinking of the ship Achille, which exploded towards the end of the battle, and, along with other undamaged ships, rescued a further 350 men from the sinking Spanish flagship Santissima Trinidad.

Trafalgar marked a turning point in the naval campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars and proved that the Royal Navy was the superior maritime force in the conflict. Unfortunately, Nelson was killed during the engagement, becoming a national hero and martyr to the fight against Napoleon.