the southward. On the 23d, at 8 a.m., came into the fleet a Dutch dogger and two or three captured merchant-ships, which had parted from the French fleet two days before. At noon on the same day the wind again favoured the British ; so that, by noon on the next day, the 24th, according to the logs of the recaptured vessels, Lord Howe was within five miles of the same longitude, and within half a degree of the same latitude, as that in which the French fleet had been left on the 21st ; namely, in latitude 47° 34' north, and longitude 13° 55' west of Greenwich.

After this the British fleet again fell off to nearly a west-south-west course, and so continued without any occurrence of moment happening until the 25th, at 4 a.m. ; when a French 74-gun ship, with a merchant brig in tow, was discovered at a great distance to windward, and a strange ship and brig, evidently cruisers, to the eastward. Chase was given by the Audacious and the Niger frigate to the vessels to the eastward, and by the fleet in general to the line-of-battle ship to windward. The latter, casting off her prize, effected her escape, by manifest superiority of sailing. The merchant-brig proved to be an American, laden with wine, and the line-of-battle ship, the Audacieux, on her way to the Brest fleet from M. Nielly's squadron ; from which she had, on the preceding evening, parted company : as had also the two vessels in sight ; one, the 20-gun ship-corvette Républicaine, the other, the 16-gun brig Inconnue. These, less fortunate than their consort, became the prizes of the ships that had chased them, and with the American brig, were committed to the flames.

Having tacked in chase, the fleet, on the 25th at noon, again hauled on the starboard tack, with the wind at north by east. On the 26th, at daylight, the fleet once more tacked, and at noon, the wind having shifted to west by south, steered to the northward. On the 27th, at 9 a.m., having got a few leagues to the northward of the latitude in which he had reason to think M. Villaret was cruising, Lord Howe bore up and ran to the eastward, with the wind, which had drawn more to the southward, on the starboard quarter.

On the 28th, at 6 h. 30 m. a.m., latitude at noon 47° 34' north, longitude 13° 39' west, the wind fresh from south by west, with a very rough sea, the look-out frigates of the British fleet, then formed in the order of sailing, made the signal for a sail in the south-south-east and immediately afterwards, for a strange fleet directly to windward. At 8 h. 15 m. a.m. Rear-admiral Parley, in the Bellerophon, which ship, with the Russel, Marlborough, and Thunderer, formed the weathermost division, was ordered to reconnoitre; and at 9 a.m. the strange fleet, having wore, was seen, with topgallant sails set, bearing down towards the fleet of the British. Lord Howe now made the signal to prepare for battle, and at 9 h. 45 m, a.m., having previously, for their safety, recalled the frigates, ordered the Bellerophon

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