time wore round on the starboard tack,) reached nearly the centre of her fleet before the Queen-Charlotte could get near enough to open a fire upon her.

The Orion, who had wore next to the Invincible, passed between the Tyrannicide and Indomptable, then at some distance apart. Being in too disabled a state to obey the signal, to tack in chase, the Orion bore up, and, on the Queen-Charlotte's making her signal to engage, placed herself, with her main topsail aback, upon the lee-quarter of the Indomptable. By the time the Orion had poured two broadsides into her disabled antagonist, her place alongside of the latter was taken by the Barfleur, who had come up under a press of sail, and a few of whose shot, as she commenced engaging, appear to have struck the Orion. Notwithstanding the additional fire thus poured upon her by the three-decker, the Indomptable bravely kept her colours flying. One of the other crippled French ships, however, appears to have struck hers ; but, in a few minutes afterwards, receiving a rememorative broadside from one of her consorts, she quickly rehoisted them.

The conduct of the Cæsar, in running down her own line instead of hauling up towards that of the enemy, was considered by the French admiral, and very naturally, as the sole effect of the heavy fire opened by his van : hence, says Jean-Bon Saint-André, "the advanced ships of the enemy, being forced to give way, put about towards their rear." Whether animated by this apparent shyness in his opponent, and resolved to bring on an action, or apprehensive that his rear would be cut off unless he promptly gave it support, M. Villaret made the signal for his fleet to wear in succession. By an extraordinary coincidence in reference to what had occurred in the British fleet, the French van-ship, the Montagnard, with her masts all standing, but disabled, no doubt, in rigging and hull, continued in apparent contempt of the signal, to stand on upon the larboard tack.

Another strange coincidence it was, that the French admiral, finding his signal not obeyed, wore out of the line, and, as gallantly as judiciously, led his own fleet on the starboard tack to the rescue of his two disabled ships in the rear. Nor could Lord Howe, in the unsupported state of the Queen-Charlotte, who had only near her the Bellerophon and Leviathan, and they in a crippled state upon her lee-quarter, prevent the complete success of the French admiral's well-designed, and, as acknowledged by many in the British fleet, prettily-executed manœuvre.

All the Queen-Charlotte could do was to wear, and, with the other ships which, at 4 p.m., she called about her, run down to cover the Queen and Royal-George, towards whom the French admiral now seemed to be bending his course. This movement again brought the two vans within random shot, and some firing was interchanged, in which the Glory had an

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