At 4 a.m. the isle of Groix, or Belle-Isle, as the Royal-George and one or two other British ships appear to have considered it, bore on the Queen-Charlotte's lee bow, or nearly east, distant about eight miles. At 5 a.m. one of the French frigates took in tow the Alexandre, Captain François-Charles Guillemet ; which ship, not having improved in the quality that had, in the preceding year, deprived the British navy of her services, was now the sternmost of M. Villaret's fleet. At a few minutes before 6 a.m. this ship, and one or two ahead of her, began firing their stern-chasers at the Irresistible. At 6 a.m. the latter opened her fire upon the Alexandre, whom the frigate, for her own safety, had by this time abandoned ; and in a minute or two afterwards, the Orion commenced firing at the same ship.

At about 6 h. 15m. a.m. the next ship ahead of the Alexandre, the Formidable, Captain Charles-Alexandre Durand-Linois, received the starboard guns of the Queen-Charlotte, and immediately discharged her larboard guns in return. At 6 h. 30 m. a.m. the Formidable, at whom the Sans-Pareil had just commenced a cannonade, caught fire on the poop, and soon being, in hull, masts, rigging, and sails, very much cut up by the well-directed broadsides of two such antagonists, particularly of the Queen-Charlotte (the Sans-Pareil having passed ahead in search of a better-conditioned opponent), dropped astern. Shortly afterwards, on her mizenmast falling over the side, the Formidable bore up and struck her colours.

The Colossus, Russel, London, and Queen, on the part of the British, and the Peuple, Mucius, Redoutable, Wattigny, and Nestor, on the part of the French, now participated more or less in the action. The remaining four French ships, the Zélé. Fougueux, Jean-Bart, and Droits-de-L'Homme, kept too far ahead to be engaged ; and all the British ships, except the eight already named, notwithstanding the quantity of sail they carried, were far astern.

The rigging and sails of the Queen-Charlotte soon exhibited proofs of the destructive fire which the French rear-ships had been pouring upon her, and she became in consequence quite unmanageable. At 7 h. 14 m. a.m., finding herself, as she dropped astern, annoyed very much by the fire of a ship on her larboard beam, the Queen-Charlotte opened her broadside upon this antagonist, and at once compelled the Alexandre, already in a very crippled state from the gallant resistance she had previously made, to haul down her colours. As the Queen-Charlotte had edged away to close the Alexandre, the Tigre, Captain Jacques Bedout, with whom, as well as partially with the Peuple, the former had been engaged on the larboard side, ranged ahead, pursued and cannonaded by the Sans-Pareil. A freshening breeze from the south-south-east now brought up the Queen and London ; and, on receiving their fire, the Tigre hauled down her colours.

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