land and nearly into the road, where already lay, as seen by the advanced frigate, the Concorde, two ships apparently of the line, the British squadron tacked and stood off for the night under easy sail.

On the 9th, at 7 a.m., the wind still light from the northward, a fleet was seen bearing west, and at 9 a.m. was discovered to be French, and to consist of 19 sail of the line, three frigates, and two smaller vessels. This, as may be conjectured, was the remnant of the grand fleet, standing in for the land, then about 17 leagues distant. Immediately Rear-admiral Montagu, whose squadron was about three leagues nearer to the shore, formed in line of battle ahead on the starboard tack, and M. Villaret did the same on the opposite or larboard tack ; forming in very compact order, with his five dismasted ships in tow : two of them three-deckers (Républicain and Terrible), and the remainder 74s, two only of which, the Mucius and Jemmappes, were wholly dismasted. It was the former's intention to keep the wind of his enemy ; but, fearing that the Ganges and Alexander, who were astern, and sailed very ill (the latter in particular), would not be able to weather the French fleet, then about six miles distant, Rear-admiral Montagu, at 9 h. 30 m. a.m., put about and formed his squadron in line on the larboard tack ; the van-ships edging away to starboard, to enable the leewardmost ones to get into their stations.

Having thus, within him, in an enemy's port at no great distance, a force fully equal, and outside of him not more than six or seven miles off, preparing to attack him, a force (making every allowance) nearly double, Rear-admiral Montagu felt it necessary to continue standing on to the southward. The French admiral now detached two ships from his rear in chase; and at noon, when his van came into the wake of the British squadron, the whole French fleet bore up in pursuit. The effective ships soon gained rapidly in the chase, owing to the slow sailing of the Ganges and Alexander ; for these two ships, although carrying all the canvass they could spread, the rear-admiral was obliged repeatedly to shorten sail, being determined not to abandon them : the Bellona, indeed, as a proof of her superiority of sailing, during the greater part of the time, had her topsails on the cap, her courses hauled up, and her yards braced by. At 5 p.m., notwithstanding that his headmost ships were then within four miles of the British rear, the French admiral, fearful of being drawn to leeward of his port with his crippled ships, hauled upon a wind to the eastward on the larboard tack. At 6 p.m., Rear-admiral Montagu hauled up in line of battle on the starboard tack, and, stretching on, soon lost sight of M. Villaret and his fleet. After standing to the northwest during the whole of the next day, in the vain endeavour to fall in with Lord Howe, the rear-admiral, at 4 p.m. on the 10th, bore away for the Channel, and on the 12th anchored in Cawsand bay, Plymouth ; where he was the same day joined by

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